Goooaaal!

Kyler just wrapped up his first season of soccer and loved every minute of it.  His parents enjoyed watching every minute of it as well.  Here's to many more sports seasons!!!

Owen and Kyler

Maybe a little too aggressive?!

Kyler and his lovely coaches!

Jack and the Family

A work in progress...

We have yet to take our annual family trip to Heritage Farms Market to enjoy the harvest season and pick pumpkins, but that doesn't mean we haven't been there yet!  There have been two field trips, three visits with Grandma Kuips and the kids, three visits for "snacks" with just mommy and more in the works to visit our favorite local farm.  One one of the trips with grandma, the kiddos picked a pumpkin and couldn't wait any longer to carve it up.  Unfortunately the scary face Kyler requested was just a bit too much for Taylor to handle.  She refused to go near the glowing jack-o-lantern and kept saying "pumpkin eyes" with great fear in her voice. 

Scary Faces!

Happy Halloween!

Down on the Farm

Schedules managed to work out so we could assemble with the Hendon/Wallis/Stroven/DeKuiper/DeKuiper fall farm trip.  Lots of fun was had by many generations...

All Aboard!

The youngest of the crew

"Look, mom... no hands!"

Petunia the Pig

First Day, Hooray!

My Babies First Day...

"Four-year-old Preschool" and

The "Toddler Room"

Goodbye, Summer

Labor Day is always bittersweet as we say goodbye to the leisurely days of summer and hello to back-to-school (for at least three of our little family's members).  It's always nice to send off summer with one last camping trip!

Boat Cruise

We capped off a fun day at the lake with a boat ride with the Grands!

Skiing Prodigy

We were out enjoying Grandma and Grandpa Kuip's lake and after seeing daddy ski, Kyler decided he would like to do the same.  We were a bit skeptical thinking he would be scarred and scared for life, but not our K-man.  He tried 4 times before he finally got up and made it about 200 yards on skis!!!  He was so pumped as were his parents and grandparents.  I didn't realize the camera was on video, so grandma caught some action shots for us to remember the occasion.  The video is a little bumpy since we thought it was a still picture being taken, but hang in there and don't blink and you might get to see our boy!

He kept asking to go again!

There was more fun to be had...

 

Crusin'

Mommy got to take Kyler and Taylor for a spin in Grammy and Grandpa Stro's little two-seater convertible.  All three of us thoroughly enjoyed the rides!  We are thinking of trading in the mini for a convertible all our own:)

Bike Parade

To celebrate America's b-day, the campground had a kiddie bike parade.  Jason and the kids entered along with at least 100 other campers.  Yes, it was an estimated hour long parade through the park, but the DeKuipers lasted one big loop and were out.

Pimpin' his ride

How we roll

Chillin'

Road Trips!

One of our favorite things to do when camping is to visit the towns around the campground.  We made a couple day trips out to explore the north. 

We hit the Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor and Art's for lunch

We made our way to the Sleeping Bear Dunes

We couldn't pass on Traverse City.  We did a little shopping, saw the Blue Angel motorcade and some practice stunts, walked by the water and even rode a tiny train. 

On the 4th we headed to Frankfort for some fantastic fireworks!  They were literally just above our heads as we sat on the dunes off the pier.  They were a little too close for Kyler so Mommy and K had to head back to the car before the show was over.  Taylor didn't mind them as long as daddy covered her ears.  She even fell asleep during the show.

Camping for the 4th

The week before the 4th of July we headed up north to Interlochen State Park for a week of family fun along with Grammy and Grandpa Stro.  Uncle Brett even spent a lot of time up there with us and Aunt Karen and Jim even stopped by for an Up-North visit.

It was great fun despite the initially cold weather.  It soon warmed up and we were soaking up the sun from sunup to sundown. 

Enjoying the campfire

Kyler and Grammy making s'mores... yum!

Kyler out for a morning jog:)

Bathing at the beach

 I think he might be part fish?!

Pool Party!

This summer has been BEAUTIFUL!!!  Sunny, warm and just plain fun!  We've logged a number of hours in the backyard playing in the sprinkler and kiddie pool.  It's just so fun to see brother and sister get along!

Class of 2010 - Three Year Old Preschool

It's official... Kyler is a 3 year old preschool graduate!  It took some persuading to get him up front with his class.  Ice cream and a new soccer goal were part of the deal, but he still wasn't sold at first. 

This awful picture says it all.  Both kids were balling in mommy's lap, but fortunately the ice cream prevailed and Kyler joined his classmates (more like his teacher's hip).

 Yes, K is one of the tiny bodies in the line at the front of the gym.

Eventually everyone calmed down and enjoyed the night!

Miss Micci and Kyler

Memorial Weekend Camping

Every year our family looks forward to the unofficial kick-off of summer by going camping.  And it was a beautiful weekend to celebrate!  There was hanging out with friends and family, relaxing at the beach, enjoying the campfire and much more! 

The kids were filthy all week (the dry, dusty air combined with sticky, sweet treats makes for a messy combination as you can see from Tay's appearance).  You couldn't tell if they were tan or dirty... yikes!

Farm Field Trip

Kyler's preschool class was going on a trip to the farm and they were encouraged to dress up like farmers. Well, needless to say, my boy with a trunk full of dress-up clothes couldn't wait to dress the part. Unfortunately, the trip was rained out, but they had some indoor farm fun that included Kyler deciding he wants a cat!

(I think this move means he's ready for a hoe-down!)

Party Time!!!

Superheroes Unite!

There was a lot of spandex at Kyler's birthday party!

Chuck E. Cheese

The birthday fun kept rolling as we headed off to GR for some pizza and games with one of Kyler's favorite people... Michael! The boys really are growing up. They worked the place like they owned it. Taylor had lots of fun, too! We needed a leash to keep up with her.

We capped the night off with some ice cream!

Here's to a Happy 4th Birthday, K-man!

Birthday Kick-off

Kyler's birthday kicked off with some gifts. He had to try them all on, of course. And he also had to accessorize his new dirt bike p.j.s with the helmet...

...and if Kyler has a helmet on, Taylor needs one on too:)