friday photos

A few snapshots from Xena's first birthday, a few weeks ago. Going through our B+ pictures, I decided that something really cool should happen to us so a documentary filmmaker can follow us around and take all the photos and videos for us.

In the meantime...

Xena wasn't very interested in her birthday cake, just the candle. But I assure you, this Chocolate Tres Leches cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe is divine. Considering this is about the 2nd cake I've ever attempted to make from scratch, I would rate it pretty easy and fool-proof.

friday photos

Xena celebrates her 1st birthday tomorrow! In honor of her (not, not, because I'm too lazy to upload new photos) here's a collection of some of my favorite Xena expressions captured on film over the last year.

friday photos

A few outtakes from the past month.

Xena engaged in her favorite past time. So long, asparagus tip.

Enjoying the sandbox.

Genghis helps me make cookies. He is thinking about grabbing an entire ball of dough. I am in-the-ready.

Xena "I like to feel the wind in my hair" Gong.

Genghis giving Xena a ride on the train. His narration, as he carefully pushed her across the deck:

"Be careful. Watch out. We are going to crash in to the fence. Here we go. We are going to crash. Watch out!"

*crash*

no injuries

Genghis posing in the awesome sweater vest my mom knitted him for Christmas.

friday photos - sneak peak

First off, a sneak peak of our new apartment. This is our deck. I think it was advertised as 800 square feet. The sandbox is a bit lonely out there.

Now, some random photos of the kids. Since coming to a new place and figuring out new routines, Genghis and Xena have had a lot more playtime together. So here are some pictures of them around the house or around the park, which is where we mostly are these days.

Note: Genghis' underwear was a first feeble attempt at potty training. Not successful.

Genghis is wearing Xena's shirt. Xena, as usual, wears nothing. 

 What's she looking at?

Oh yes, him again.

friday photos

It's Xena time! She's so cute...

friday photos

 We've been loving some hot summer weather lately. Last weekend we went to a nearby lake and spray park.

It took a long time to convince Genghis to approach the fountains, or "wa wa falls" as he calls them.

 Xena enjoyed riding on Abe's back this time. She is definitely a hand sucker. Sometimes a few fingers, sometimes a thumb. I suppose it's nice to vary it up.

Look out Xena! He's coming! 

I believe Genghis is pretending to be an airplane here. Later in the day, Abe took him out in the water for the "deeper and deeper" game. They would inch out (although my the end Genghis was running) chanting "deeper and deeper" as the water went to Genghis' belly button, chest, shoulders and neck.

friday photos

 Xena has been underrepresented in photos lately, so I wanted to tell you a little about her through photos.

She may look relaxed here, but she always has her hands ready to defend herself against aggressive sibling attention. 

She loves having matching hair with her mom!

She wants to be a pirate when she grows up.

A happy pirate.

Oops. This is her brother. What is he doing interrupting this series? Well, that's sort of part of Xena's life, too.

 Xena spends many family outings wrapped up like a little rucksack on her Mom's back. It's quite comfortable for both, although a bit of a production to watch her get hooked up. Also Xena often spits up all over her Mom's back in the process.

the american vacation

This weekend, we took an overnight trip to Holland, Michigan. Holland is historically a Dutch town. They have all sorts of Dutch attractions and, the first weekend in May, a tulip festival. We felt like this short trip was a sort of "test drive" for longer family vacations in the future.

Overall, we did fairly well. In fact, we managed to nail quite a few elements of the quintessential family vacation:

- Stressed mother yelling at everybody while trying to pack up and get out the door
- Father frantically finishing a few last-minute work items before heading out
- Savored moments of quiet in the car
- Child being most excited about staying in a hotel
- Poor night's sleep for parents in crowded quarters
- "Make your own waffle" station at the continental breakfast
- Three trips to the car to bring out all the luggage needed for 1 night's stay
- A slate of outdoors activities and ... cold and rainy all day long
- Emergency trip to a local mall for forgotten supplies
- Watching demonstrations at a historic village (you know, cheese-making, candle-making, clog-making)
- Lunch that includes greasy fries
- Losing the security blanket at the historic village
- Spending more money than we budgeted
- Temper tantrum in the family restroom during a diaper change
- Desperate search for a delicious, unique, reasonably-priced and family-friendly place for dinner in an unknown city
- Child insisting on singing songs all the car ride home
- Zonked out children content to sleep in the morning after we get home, but must be woken up to make it on time for 9am church

Some other quintessential family vacation elements we (thankfully) missed out on:
- Overzealous parent insisting on stopping at every historic monument on the way
- Someone throwing up
- Leaving a child behind
- Endless family photos with multiple cameras
- Car trouble
- Getting lost

Now for a few of the photos we managed to snap.

Dutch dancers at the Nelis Dutch Village.

Can you find the white people in the audience?

At the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Genghis tucked himself away in the play animal shelter.

Giant light bright!

Bubbles.

More bubbles.

Too many bubbles?

Xena preferred to see the city at a 90 degree head angle.

friday photos

If there's something Genghis was born good at, it was eating. The trend continues. Here he is savoring a graham cracker in the morning sun.

And "helping" me make granola.

Xena's a pretty good eater too, but I don't really want to take photos of that. Instead, here she is with our good friend Kristin and a giant bow in her hair (which Kristin made).