Our Weekend

Sometimes the simplest of toys are the most fun!

Eating at the local apple orchard.

Mommy, Boogaloo killed a squirrel!

My First Halloween

Living in a Dutch community brings a whole new twist to Halloween.  

First, since when can you put a basket of candy on your porch with sign that reads 

Please take one.

and expect anyone to do so?  Only in Holland.  

Having said that, I knew there was no way I could dress-up my 9-month old to go trick or treating without someone asking me

So, really mom and dad are trick or treating, huh?

(Which happened...and the first thought that came to mind was...

Ok buddy, don't act like after your kids go to bed, you and your wife don't sit on the living room floor and pick out all of the good stuff.)

But, I digress...

We dressed Annelise up as a Bengals cheerleader for her first Halloween.  Daddy was very proud.  Even though we don't get to watch the Bengals play, it was better than being a Lions' cheerleader.

And mommy had to dress-up too, just for fun.

And of course, we couldn't go trick or treating without stopping by Papa and Nana's house. They have a mega-church across the street from their house that had "Trunk or Treat."  It was like a huge tail-gating party for kids, with candy, free pizza/pop, professional photography, balloons and more!  We're definitely going there next year.

Hope you all enjoyed a safe and happy Halloween.  

*No pictures of daddy because he has been bed ridden with the stomach flu.  Yuck!  

Slacking

Wow - Sorry for the major slack in blogging.  Since our schedule has opened up, I've been very anti-computer (other than what is necessary for work).  Here's a quick update on our life lately.

We spent a long weekend in Kentucky killing three birds with one stone.  Visiting Matt's family, watching my sister play volleyball, and getting out of Holland for mini-vacation.  It was a lot of fun.  Unfortunately, we forgot our digital camera, so here are a few pictures that I stole from my sister's facebook.

From L to R: Matt, Rachael, Annelise, Leah, Mom, Dad, Sarah, Matt and Emily

The four girls

"Aunt Sarah, please stop sucking my face!"

The Twins

Matt and Em are goofey!

Oops, I guess we're goofey-er!

Anne Louise

Vote Intelligently

Craziness

Please pray for our family this week - especially Matt and Annelise.

I have an extremely busy work week ahead of me.  Tomorrow is our Annual Banquet, Saturday is our 5k Run and next week we are hosting a 3-day conference for Missions in our region.  Its a little crazy around here!

Obviously, I probably won't be blogging much in the next two weeks.  Just trying to keep my head above water!

Pumpkins, Pie, Apples and Cider

What is it about the cooler weather and the leaves turning colors that makes me want pumpkin pie and all things fall!  We went to PumpkinFest in Zeeland last night.  I hate to say this, but what a let down.  We got all bundled up to go see pumpkins, drink hot apple cider and enjoy the festivities, but the place was nearly empty.  We stayed a whompin' 20 minutes.  On a brighter note, we left and went straight to Vitale's Pizza.  Never a let down!  We ate our hearts out for $20 and Annelise was an angel the entire time.  So, lest you be deceived by advertisements for cheap family fun, the old classics like Vitale's usually do the trick.

Maybe we'll visit the apple orchard today?

New Tricks

Here's my little peanut, doing her new tricks - clapping and standing.

Clapping

Annelise Standing Up

War Games

Matt and I have been youth leaders for almost a year now.  I must say that my loyalty to the task had been waning.  With a baby around, I was overwhelmed with the task of motherhood, let alone the discipleship of 50 + kids in the youth group.  But, our youth activity last night helped to spur on an excitement and love for youth that I haven't always felt.  

WAR GAMES (with 120 kids - ages 13 - 18) - is our church's largest youth activity of the year! 

Two teams, GREEN and GOLD this year, face off on challenges like:

tug-o-war (with gelatin, corn syrup and spaghetti noodles in the middle)

american eagle

donut eating contest

manhunt

ultimate duck, duck goose

Me after losing the tug-o-war battle

The messiness is just too much fun!  

A local pastor gave a wonderful message of salvation at "half time" and many heard the gospel message that quite possibly had never heard it before.

Two of our awesome seniors - Keenan and Natalie (Gold team captains)

Matt was as crazy as ever!  

This is a "fly by" photo - he was hard to catch!

So...we are recovering today from a weekend full of youth and FUN.  There was a time when I didn't think those two words could go together.  But, I must say...

I love these kids!  God uses them to teach me so much about his sovereign grace.  In all of their awkwardness (which I remember all too well) I'm reminded that God's plan for us is not complete.  An added bonus: they genuinely love my daughter and minister grace and encouragement to me at times I would never expect it.

Teeth...When will you come?

Annelise is nearly 8 months old 

with not a sign of a tooth in her mouth.  

This week, she's been drooling, 

biting 

and experiencing high fevers.  

Every morning 

I anxiously check to see 

if a little while pearl has appeared..

and nothing.

So, here is a pathetic plea 

from a mommy who wants her happy little girl back.  

Teeth, please come!

And by the way...

don't you just love baby feet?

Bath-time Fun

 

Crawling...Kind Of

Army crawl?  Scoot?  Whatever you call it, she gets around.  I caught her up on her knees over the weekend, but it didn't amount to much.  How long do you think it'll take before she's full-blown crawling?

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Dear Summer,

Oh how we enjoyed your short visit.  Michigan wouldn't be such a wonderful place to live without you...even if it is for just a few short months.  We'll leave you with this photo.  Hopefully it'll be a sweet reminder of the fun we had.  Please come back soon!

Love,

The Neals

School starts tomorrow

It's hard to believe that we're entering our third year at Calvary Schools of Holland.  Matt and I spent most of the morning in his office at school, preparing for his first day tomorrow.  Lots of copying and coordinating curriculum.  

Realizing that he has limited time before the rat race begins, I found him in the nursery doing this...

I guess holding your baby girl is the best way to spend the last few hours of your summer break.

Carter's Warehouse Sale

The last time Carter's had their warehouse sale, I was a day late and a dollar short literally.  So, I made sure that when the sale started today, I was there!  I did arrive about 30 minutes after the doors opened and it was a mad house.  But, there were plenty of clothes to choose from.

I'm kind of at that stage where Annelise has grown out of all the new clothes people bought her when she was born.  And by looking at her almost bare closet, I began to realize this week that she is going to need clothes for the fall and fast!  What perfect timing! (To my husband's dismay.)

I got

9 long sleeved shirts

1 sleeper set (with hat, bib and slippers)

5 onesies

1 short sleeved romper

1 pair of cargo pants

1 long sleeved dress shirt

all for the low price of $49!

While I was standing in line, a woman kindly handed me a 20% off coupon.  That took my bill down by $14.  Then I got a $10 gift card for spending over $40.  You know, as much as we complain about not having enough money...God incredibly and graciously supplies all of our needs and even some of our wants...like cute outfits for my baby girl!

Saturday Morning Yumness

No matter how many poopy diapers I've changed throughout the week, the fits that I've had to grit my teeth through, the napless days...

It's all worth it come Saturday morning.  She is yum!

Playtime Woes

My playtime on Friday started out really fun...

I was excited to see my toys in all their glory...

 I played with them...

 They played back with me...

 Until my toy wasn't nice and I started to get cranky...

 I escalated my crankiness into a "smushy-face whine..."

 When that didn't work, I resorted to a full blown scream...

And that's when playtime ended for the morning.

I Give Up

I'm a bed-maker.  Self-proclaimed.  And, as most bed-makers are, I'm also a tucker.  You know, I like my sheets and blanket tucked tightly in around all sides.  It makes me feel, well...tucked.  After four years of marriage, I have decided to give up my tucking - not my bed-making - just my tucking.  Matt is a self-proclaimed bed-messer and untucker.  Every day, I make the bed tightly and when we get into it at night, I do my best to sleep soundly in one position, so as not to disturb the nice tight tuck I've created.  Yet, in the morning, I wake up and our sheet and blanket have been yanked out (very deliberately), with cold feet hanging out the bottom.  So, today, I've decided to stop my griping, loathing, and inward bitterness toward the bed-messer untucker that resides in my home...in MY BED.  I give up...

I am now a self-proclaimed, bed-making untucker.

Finished

Our bathrooms are finally finished, minus a few touch-ups on the trim and ceilings!  I feel like a new woman...at least a clean one. 

Master Bathroom

Half Bathroom