Ready Set Grow!

We decided to start a garden so we asked a friend to come rototil our garden. Here is our strip of dirt. Ready...
Here is our garden after planting tomatoes, romaine lettuce, a variety of peppers, cucumbers, green peppers and peas. Set...

Grow!

Before...

And after! Lettuce anyone?


Cayenne peppers...hot hot hot!

And some mezzitti peppers

Zach with some homegrown lettuce and peppers. He is eating more salads than ever these days!

Vacation!

We drove to Grand Rapids for our vacation at Barlow Lake. We had a wonderful, relaxing time catching up and spending time with friends and family. We had a LOT of laughs while playing games including Bag-O, Bocce Ball, Flimsee, Jungle Speed, The Game of Things, Rummikub, Ladder Ball, Euchre, Trivial Pursuit, and of course Scrabble. We caught fish, went tubing, skiing, swimming, and for many putt putt rides around the lake. The only bummer was that Barlow Lake claimed another item of mine, my watch, while Zach and I were floating in the water. It happened the last day we were there too- Argh! I suppose that is a small price to pay for the wonderful gift of staying there. Here we are after a busy day just relaxing on the porch while we wait for the 4th of July fireworks.
Oh how we love our putt putt rides around the lake.

Zach went for some sea-doo rides with Alicia and Mom.

Below is a video of Laura and Carter tubing together.

Here we are at one of the many restaurants we had to visit while we were in town, Arnies- Mmmmm... It's always a fun time with the Aunties around.
We spent a Sunday afternoon at Mom and Dad Mallekoote's pool. Here I am holding Rachel. Not sure what I am doing, but Rachel looks adorable.
Daniel needed a nap after all the excitement.
Where two in this family are gathered, there you will find a game of scrabble. Jake couldn't miss out on that!

Below is a video of a cut-throat race between Pieter and Zach at the pool.

Sweet Surprise

June 29 started off just like any other day. I was invited to a friend's house in the morning for what I thought would be a nice quiet get together for the two of us. When I drove into the driveway I spotted many vans already parked and a big birthday banner on the garage with balloons and all! I was super surprised to walk in and find about 15 ladies and all their kids shouting, "Happy Birthday!" This was my first ever surprise party and they definitely got me! Two of my friends, Christina and Lorianne, threw the shindig together.

Below is a picture of Lorianne and me.

What a wonderful morning! But the excitement wasn't over yet. I drove home and I walked into the house and found Zach had baked me a cake while I was away! We had a great afternoon together. Thank you to everyone who called, e-mailed and sent cards. You helped make this birthday very special!

Ahoy!

Zach and I were invited to spend an afternoon on a boat with some friends. We happily accepted! Below is a picture of our sturdy vessel.

Our new friend, Adam Eisinga, came along for the ride. He stayed with us for the weekend because he is a candidate for the co-pastor position at church.

There's nothing like loung'n while touring the shore of Lake Erie.

Captain Zach greatly enjoyed steering on the great open water.

Twins!

We're an Auntie and Uncle again...and again! My sister, Anne, gave birth to two beautiful babies. I had the privilege of meeting them since I was in Grand Rapids babysitting Pieter and Sarah while Anne was in the hospital. Matthew and Rachel were born on June 24, healthy and beautiful. Congratulations Anne and Dave!


Pieter, Sarah, Mom, Dad, and I had a fun time playing together. We went to a playground one morning and had fun exploring.


I definitely didn't think this one all the way through...almost there!

Zach and I painted a chair for Sarah's birthday.

We spent most of our time splashing around in the pool together. Pieter swam on his own for the first time- Go Pieter!


Grandpa and Pieter relax'n it up in the pool.

We celebrated the birth of the twins with ice-cream cones by the pool.
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One of the things I look forward to when coming to town, is connecting with friends. My dear friend, Adri, and her daughter, Siena, were also in town from Missouri so we were very happy to see each together.

Another great friend, Jules, came over for some fun in the sun too.

Pieter, Sarah and I all slept at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We wore matching pajama shirts to bed. Here we are, bright and early, posing for a morning picture.

Golf Gals

Zach and I golfed in a tournament to help raise money for the school. It was a huge event with prizes, games, and a delicious dinner. Below is a picture of one of my teammates. She chipped her ball into the hole from where she is standing! It was amazing. We were screaming and jumping up and down after that shot! (We forgot to follow the "golf clap" etiquette).
It was a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine, which is wonderful if you are smart and prepared with sun-screen...not so wonderful if you are like Zach and me and you just figure you will be fine. We played on separate teams, so later in the afternoon I spotted my red-faced husband walking toward me (on the positive side, his teeth looked exceptionally white). We both got fried on our arms, legs, neck...basically all of our exposed skin. We were in some serious burn pain for a while afterward but hey, we now have fabulous farmers tans to show off. After 18 holes, many, many lost balls, and some fun cart driving, we were ready to call it a day. Well done ladies!

Green Thumb

We have a small patch of soil in the front of our house intended for a flower garden. When we moved in some ladies planted many beautiful flowers and it looked wonderful! Since then winter has come and gone, followed by a wet spring, which turned the garden into a jungle of weeds. A few weeks ago I gutted the entire thing. It was looking pretty bare so I thought it was time to test my green thumb and see what developed. I went to a nearby greenhouse, bought some marigolds, picked up my helper, and went to work.
Chris and I are deep in thought pondering the best way to arrange the flowers.
Are our thumbs green yet...?
Chris was a great help until he noticed my soccer ball in the yard. After that discovery, he was M.I.A.
The before shot....
...and after shot!! It is a bit puny, but it will do for this year. And I think I detect a greenish hue on my thumb...oh wait, it's just a weed.

Girls Night Out

Mom Mallekoote came for a visit (wahoo!) We spent our first night scrap-booking, playing Scrabble, and just chatting.
The next morning we headed to Stratford to see the musical, Evita. Our original plan was to drive there with plenty of time to check in to our Bed and Breakfast, go for a stroll, enjoy a nice laid back lunch, and then mosey to the theatre. Reality: We couldn't get the GPS to work so after getting lost for three hours and stopping for directions four times, we barely made it to the theater in time to hit the bathroom and catch the opening act! We aquired roughly 8 maps, some purchased and others hand drawn by kind townspeople.

After the play, we enjoyed the sights of Stratford. We couldn't believe how many swans there were, and how they nonchalantly rested right next to the sidewalks. I have a friend who was once attacked by a swan and remembered how territorial they can be. I played it safe and took pictures from the car.


We found a fun place called Tengo for dinner. It had a fun atmosphere, but we weren't too sure about the items on their menu...

Below is a picture of the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed.

Thanks so much for coming to visit Mom! We had a blast spending time with you, playing games, singing, and laughing.

Tutor Time

This year I tutored a six year old boy. It was exciting to see him make great growth, academically and socially. To celebrate the end of the school year I invited him and his sister over to play some games. They were very excited to come, and even more excited to play with Pastor Zach.