May 30, 2012

This totally lit up my day after a long, busy day at work. My sister-in-law Shawnna watched Alena today and they went to the park. As I was checking my e-mail while walking out of work, I saw this collage that Shawnna made of Alena at the park today... it's so precious! I am so thankful and blessed to have family and friends who love my daughter and have helped us out so much in watching her and having fun with her on the days we are both working. You all know who you are! :)

May 29, 2012

Spontaneous events are just the best! Alena and I headed over to my friend Marguerite's and we went swimming in their community pool. Alena and Claire had fun, especially playing by the steps (which was nice because Marguerite and I could talk more). :)

May 28, 2012

Thanks to Lou and Hannah for a Memorial Day evening cook-out! Alena and her little friend Malik (her screen name) had fun playing with the water!

May 27, 2012

Alena having fun with her grandpa, grandma, and cousins in the pool on a hot day!

May 26, 2012

Yay for Reuben's specialty whole wheat pancakes, a Saturday morning favorite!

May 25, 2012

So excited for the newly-engaged Jenna (my sister) and Travis, who are getting married September 7th! We had a barbecue tonight at Travis's house with our family and his. It was a great night!

May 24, 2012

My mom came over tonight and helped me do some organizing in our office space upstairs. She is so good at organizing and helps motivate me!

May 23, 2012

Alena and I visited my grandparents, all moved in to their new place. We had a "special treat" of ice cream while there (my phrase to Alena pretty much whenever she's going to get something with a lot of sugar). We had a great time visiting!

May 22, 2012

Alena had fun playing with her friends Sophie and Jadyn on a beautiful day while we moms got to sit in the sun and talk. :)

May 21, 2012

We love Hopscotch Children's Store and their free Monday morning kids' events! Today's theme was "windy days and kites." After singing some songs and listening to some stories, Alena and her buddy Claire made their own kites and showed off their stickers. :)

May 20. 2012

Grilled picnic meal outside after church on this beautiful day!

May 19. 2012

We went to a Tigers game with my family. It was a perfect day for it and we didn't get a chance to take a picture of all of us together, but this one of Alena makes me smile. Nothing like being spoiled by ballpark food with a messy face afterwards!

May 18, 2012

We had a wonderful night having our care group over (we call ourselves "Fervor"- see verse below) over a nice dinner and fellowship on a perfect evening. We're so blessed by the friendships and strong community in this group of people!

Romans 12:10-13

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

May 17, 2012

I forgot to take pictures today until the end of the night. So, I decided to take one of my sleeping daughter. I love sneaking in to just watch her sleeping for awhile. She's only going to be sleeping in her crib for a few more weeks, so I have to treasure this... including all the stuffed animals she insists on having in there with her!

May 16, 2012

One of the best parts of the day: cuddling up before bedtime to read "Sneetches on Beaches" as Alena calls it. This is by far her favorite book and we read it every night!

May 15, 2012

Tonight was a great evening of coffee and conversation with my dear friend, Brooke. I'm so thankful for her challenging me and keeping me accountable to goals and commitments in my life.

May 14, 2012

Reuben majorly surprised me yesterday with an iPad for Mother's Day / being done with this hard school year. Tonight after putting Alena to bed, I had a chance to just sit and play with it. :)

May 13, 2012

It was hard to choose just one picture today as it was a Mother's Day full of blessings, but this picture sums up this day perfectly.  I'm blessed to have such a wonderful supportive mother, and also blessed to have the opportunity to be a mother to such an amazing little girl!

May 12, 2012

We celebrated Mother's Day with Mom Sportel tonight at Sam & Katie's house. So here is Mom, Reuben, and Alena having fun making elephant noises. :)

May 11, 2012

Reuben and I enjoyed a great date night out with dinner at Roses's. While waiting to get an outdoor seat on this beautiful night, we got some Starbucks and sat in Collins Park. Thanks for babysitting Shawnna!

May 10, 2012

A great night out with these wonderful girlfriends... it had been way too long!

May 9, 2012

Alena and her Aunt Shawnna watching a duck swimming on Reeds Lake. We had a wonderful time together on this sunny day!

May 8, 2012

How did these girls get to be so big? Alena and her buddy Jadyn on the swings at the park. They look serious here, but there was a lot of laughter! :)

May 7, 2012

After an outing to my doctor where Alena got a sticker, we headed to Hopscotch Children's Store for their Monday morning free kids' activity. Today was all about bugs and Alena loved making the spider that she also loved putting on her head!

May 6, 2012

Even though it had been rainy and was somewhat cold and windy, we enjoyed a late Sunday afternoon family outing with frappucinos and chocolate milk at Reeds Lake, one of our favorite things to do!

May 5, 2012

While I was working in the morning, Reuben took Alena for a hike in Calvin's nature preserve. She loved the hike, as always! She also helped him pick out some native Michigan plants for us to plant.

May 4, 2012

You can't see it, but Alena has a jelly bean in her hand, which has been a major source of excitement for her since Easter. The small Jelly Belly tin from Grammie is still being rationed!

May 3, 2012

My first photo for this blog maybe should have been something to do with taking my exams and being done for a year! However, picking up Alena (all dirty from a fun day playing outside at Grandma's and insisting on wearing her hat backwards) after taking those exams and listening to her singing on the car ride home was certainly the joy of my day!