Odds and Ends

Dakota is growing fast-she started the crawl this week which adds a whole new dimension to taking care of her!

Dakota and her size soccer ball

Dad, Mom, and Joel came out for a weekend visit the end of October. Abby (along with Daraby and Dakota) loves having Joel around!

If you pick up Dakota, you usually end up with Daraby in your lap at the same time. The sibling rivalry starts at a young age.

The girls enjoy playing together too!

The fall has flown by in a whirl-wind of school activities and family get togethers. We simply have not had the time or energy to update the blog in a while. As stated earlier, the Boersmas came out for a weekend and then we get back to Pierre a lot of weekends to catch up with the family there (and get away from school). When we've stayed on campus for weekends, we enjoy riding horses and relaxing with the girls around the house.

We are looking forward to the holiday season and the opportunity to spend extended time with family and friends. We won't make it back to Michigan for Christmas which will be different. Our friend Valerie Scholton from McBain passed away earlier this fall and it was very difficult for us not to be able to make it back for her funeral. However, we are required (haha) to be in Michigan the beginning of June for Susan's wedding, so we'll look forward to seeing a lot of you then!

Thanks for tuning in and we'll see about getting another update before the new year comes:)

Pictures

Make sure you read the update below the pictures. I did seperate posts. So read on!


Andrew riding Dually before the Wagon Ride starts out! Dually was nervous with all the loud clanging wagons and other excited horses. She calmed down after 10 minutes or so.


This is the wagon train coming down main street. The wagon team had all palominos and Andrew teased them that Dually would fit right in with their team.

This is a picture I took of Joel and edited.

Grandma Van Duinen and Joel pose for a photo when they were here for almost a week. Andrew's family worked their tails off around campus. Grandma and Mom worked in the dorms while the guys worked outside. Andrew's dad even helped with the pouring of one of the basements on campus.

All of the gang in our living room. Mom took the photo so it didn't end up being a 4 generational photo.

I got these cool Korean slippers from a kid here at school and Daraby loves to wear them. I think they look like heels on her.

Climbing in the tunnel at the school playground.

Cute photos of the girls that I took over the summer.

This is a photo of Grandma and Papa with Dakota when they were visiting here this summer.

Dakota is rolling and rolling over. She can push herself up and scoot just a wee bit. Below are photos of my projects.

The picture above is a high school riding a bull at a 4-H rodeo that we attended.

School Resumes

Ahhhh! A month is too long my friends. Life seems to peddle by faster than I can handle. The girls are growing like crazy and we are chasing life. We are barely holding onto the tail. School started- Can you tell?
The kids are back, moved in, studying and playing sports. We are attending Bible studies, volleyball games, lunches and football games. We are having fun! A bit overwhelming at first but I don't think I would want it any other way. I prefer to have some hectic chaotic changes at times. It makes life excited and never dull. I have a love/hate relationship with change. In the end I like it because it makes me become someone I might not have been. I grow and then I CHANGE! Oh thank goodness for change.
Speaking of changes- isn't this weather gorgeous. OK, I was always taught to stick to subjects like the weather when you have nothing to say. However, that isn't the case today. I have a ton to say but weather ranks at the top of my list. This is my favorite season: autumn! I love the cooler weather which brings in the football season. Which I am unable to watch on TV. I got the box for the TV, read the instructions, stood every which direction with the antenna and no picture was produced. Note to spouse: Don't come home and ask me what I did all afternoon. Yes! I worked to get the TV NOT to work. Despite the lack of national football games I'm still pumped for our high school games. We won the first game hands down.
Besides the weather we are enjoying our girls. They are growing and changing everyday. I am trying to see them as blessings even when they scream pert near the entire afternoon. In all reality, I am so glad I am able to stay home with them, love on them, teach them and play with them. What a wonderful heritage from the Lord! Daraby is so smart and amazes me with cute little sayings. She is becoming quite the cheerleader. She cheers on the teams, raises her fists (touchdown) and claps. Dakota is a smiley child or a screaming one. When she is happy she is happy and when she's not, she's not! More and more she is starting to just love me. Oh dear! I'm glad she loves me and wants to be with me all the time but sometimes I don't want to hold her all the time. I am teaching her to play on her own and go to others. She is six months now and eating just like her Daddy.
Speaking of her Daddy! Andrew celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago! I got him a few smaller gifts but his one desire was to ride in the SD State Fair Wagon Ride this last weekend. He debated for a while on which horse to ride but in the end he took Dually. Although she is young- 4 years- she did really well. The only hard part was getting her used to the noisy wagons and going over railroad tracks. He rode for over 15 miles next to a busy highway. I was a nervous wife! He was a happy husband!
As for me, I've got ideas sprouting like weeds. I have so many ideas, limited space and limited funds but that is what makes it a wonderful challenge. I like to take what I have and recreate, pinch a penny and come out with something beautiful. I painted a baby doll cradle for Daraby. I made curtains for my bedroom and living room. I made a collage for Daraby's room. I've been working on some photographs and wrote two poems. I've printed the photographs and had one made into a poster. I tell you this season inspires me. Soon it will be winter and my ideas will die off with the cold weather.

It is beyond late. I need to get up with the sun, ah hem, the girls. It doesn't matter what time they go to bed, they seem to like their early to rise schedule. I can't get the photo uploader to work at this hour in order to post photos. It must have gone to bed like I was supposed to hours ago. Andrew always gets mad at me for staying up. He doesn't even wake when I come to bed. Sound sleeper is he! Tonight I stayed up to finished my collage project. I will pay for staying up late tomorrow. I will also post those photos tomorrow. So check back for the pictures. Good night all!

Our vacation in Michigan!

Surprisingly, this is our only family photo. Aunt Kathy took it and I stole it off their facebook page.




These photos are are in no particular order. I am just happen to get them uploaded. In this photo the girls are hanging out under the new play mat we got in MI. I think this has been a real asset for us as parents. Many hours of fascination for Dakota and Daraby too.





Andrew's good childhood buddy, Chuck, and his wife, Michelle, and their new baby, Zoe, came to the beach for a day. A day of sailing, tubing, swimming and being in the sun. The Van Duinen side of the family came that day as well. I had a great time of catching up on everyone's lives. It was a wonderful day until I crawled in bed and realized I was more that burnt. I was fried beat red. The next day I realized I was super sore from tubing. Oh the joys and pains of summer.




This is us laid out on that beach that day. It was very hot out and the haze shows how humid it was. The water was 74 degrees so there really wasn't a cool off by going in the water.



This is Chuck and Michelle's baby, Zoe! Daraby had two babies to love on that day.



Andrew and the girls cuddling at the cottage.


Great Grandpa and Grandma Boersma holding Dakota. Their cottage is only a little bit down the beach from Andrew's parent's place. We walked down there for a few meals, a bonfire and a family get together. We were so happy for the family to see the girls and play with them.




Susan taking Daraby for a wagon ride. Dara loves to ride in the wagon and swing outside.

Daraby loves to watch Joel play guitar and drums. Sometimes she tries to play too.

This year we had no problems with Daraby and the beach. Last year she wanted nothing to do with the sand and water. This year after some persausion she took to the water and shoveling sand.

Daraby also made several friends. She even made a good buddy, Taylor, that kept her busy, which is difficult to do. Taylor is three years old and is as active as Daraby. She is the daughter of our good friends Scott and Alicia. They also have a one year old boy, Jackson. It is neat to see our kids together and hang out as friends. We were able to go to their home for supper one night and they were able to come to the beach for a swim, sunset, smores and a bonfire. We are so glad for their friendship and input in our lives. They have always been a few months ahead of us in life experience. They got married a few months ahead of us and had Taylor a year ahead of us having Daraby. Thankfully I've been able to ask questions about pregnancy and parenting and they can give advice because their experiences are fresh in their mind.

Andrew's sister, Susan, is newly engaged to Michael and they are planning a June wedding next year. On the Fourth of July we went out with Susan and Michael to watch the fireworks go off over Silver Lake and eat yummy ice cream from Whippy Dip. It was a beautiful night and a night of dreams for the future.

Oh matchy match. Daraby and her doll have matching dresses and I love it. Daraby is holding my childhood doll, Happy Baby. Daraby was dressed up for Sunday morning Chapel at Grace Adventures. Andrew and I worked together at Grace as camp counselors for the summer after our freshman year in college. It is always fun to return to Grace to see how things are progressing and how the staff is doing.

I like, "long walks on the beeeeach!" Andrew, Daraby and I like to walk the beach down to the channel. On this occasion we stopped to play in the water and sit on a floating log. Daraby was always soaking wet everytime we got home from walking the beach.

These two pictures above captivate Daraby's looks so well. I just had to post them. She is so much fun and full of energy-all the time. She is very particular about things and having everything just so. When digging on the beach it is no random dig but a series of digs and piles. I make sure not to mess up her order otherwise she is terribly upset.

I love this photo of Mom Boersma with Dakota. Dakota is an easy smiler and will often laugh, coo and giggle. She has some contemplative looks as well. She reminds me so much of Andrew and his personality.

This is my favorite photo of Daraby and "Papa!" Daraby doesn't just say someone's name. She yells it. "Papa!"

Four generational photo of the Boersma side. It was a trial to get this photo. Daraby is going through a stage where she doesn't care much for the camera if she knows it is taking her photo. Many of the photos farther above were taken without her knowing it and the zoom on the camera fully extended.

New toddler bed made by my Dad, Andrew and Me!

This is the bed my Dad, Andrew and I made. I found a bed similar to it online and showed Andrew what it looked like. From there my Dad and Andrew got some wood, mattress measurements and designed the frame. After that I got some batting, some fabric, an iron, a sewing machine and POOF! A new bed was born! I am very proud and it even looks good. If you are in the market for a sturdy toddler frame let us know! I'm sure we could work out a deal to match you up. 

 Daraby loves her new room and bed. I have a little bit of work to do in order to finish the room but I'm more than tickled about the final result. I worked on the curtains and such so more pictures are forthcoming!