Oh, Hey There Again!

Alright, I had shut this thing down for a little while, but now I am back at it.

I shut it down initially from a knee-jerk reaction to something someone had said combined with my attempt to limit my computer/phone/social media time (I want to be more present with my kids, but also too much social media is bad for my psyche, if you care, you can read a bit about that here) in addition to a busy schedule.  But after FOUR of you (my mom wasn't one of them, HI MOM!) asked me when I was going to start it up again, I was encouraged that people actually care about what I share sooooo.....

I'm back in the game!

Anyhow, I'll catch you up quickly on the Van Gelder happenings from the past few months of summer.

June

Dance Lessons - Emrie tried dance class for the first time.  While she had fun (and looked darling), I am not so sure dance is her thing.

Father's Day - To show Phil how much we love him, we ALL wore Dodgers gear to church.

Swim Lessons - Emrie took two weeks of swim lessons and it was FANTASTIC!  This is way more up her alley!

New Niece - My sister, Mallory, had her daughter, Nekoda Kennedy Karp on June 29th!

July

Aven Turned Two - We had a little Indian themed birthday for her at our house.

EARS PIERCED - Phil took Emrie on a date and they both surprised (more like shocked the socks off me) by piercing her ears!

Fourth of July - We went downtown and watched the parade and then had a little bar-b-que at our house.

Aunt Torrie - Torrie came to visit just for a couple of days, but we always have the best time with her.

Chicago - You can read about that trip here

Big Girl Room - Aven started climbing out of her crib, so I re-decorated her room and took the front of her crib off and made it her big girl room...I was NOT ready to start that adventure, but too bad!

First ER Trip - Aven got a small dog bite on her face.  A friend's dog got a little excited and took just a little taste of her cheek.  Good thing God made this littler girl tough.  She is already recovering SO well and I am sure it will fade in no time.  I am just glad to have our first ER trip under our belts.  We knew it would happen at some point, so glad it's done with!

August (so far)

Indiana State Fair - I just decided on a whim that we should go for the day and it was such a sweet time, just the girls and I.

Bundle Up Buddy - It wouldn't be right not to mention something that has been taking a huge part of my free time.  I have an Instagram page and Facebook page now for my little business and while it keeps me busy (I am preparing for my first festival/event in October) I am loving it more than ever!

Well, now that you are caught up on our happenings, maybe sometime later this week I can let you in on some heart issues we have been working through.