The Doll House

The End

2010-06-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks for following our stories at the Doll House for the past 3 years. I have decided that this will be my final post. I just do not have the time to keep up with it. Here is a beautiful smile of my baby boy on his 1st birthday :) The other is Laney's 3 year picture. If you'd like to see more of the kids or catch up on our life, give us a call and come over for a visit. We hope you'll keep in touch!

Spring Break Part 2

2010-04-16T06:28:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful week in Florida with Nana and Papa at Orange Lake in Kissimmee. The weather was perfect and we swam in the pools twice a day! It was great to see Laney become more comfortable in the water as the week went on. By the last day she was jumping in to me and swimming back to the wall without help. Lee also amazed me when he wanted to put his face in the water time after time. We love the water!!!
Nana and Papa were a huge help and took turns watching the kids in and out of the water allowing us to relax and even go on a date! We ate at Maggiano's and then went shopping. Some of the other highlights include mini golf, outlet shopping, enjoying fireworks and the discovery launch from our balcony, downtown disney, the lazy river and water slide, and an Easter egg hunt when we arrived. It was an awesome vacation. Thanks for all the memories!

Spring Break Part 1

2010-04-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

The first part of our spring break was spent in Asheville, NC with Aunt Betty. The trip went very well except for the fact that Laney got a little car sick around midnight and we ended up staying a night in Kentucky. Friday we arrived at Aunt Betty's just in time for a wonderful lunch outside on her deck. We took it easy for a little while and later went downtown to check out the city. We saw lots of cool shops and restaurants as well as a drum circle. It was a lot of fun! On Saturday we ventured out to the wildlife nature center. It was like a mini zoo. Laney was in her glory! It was such a beautiful day to walk around together. Saturday night we just hung out, played wii fit, watched a little of the MSU game :( , grilled shrimp and started to repack. It was a lovely time!!! Thanks for letting us stay with you Aunt Betty you really are the coolest!

Bananas!

2010-03-23T11:42:00.001-07:00

Lee's favorite food is bananas.....here is an extreme close up of his first two teeth! He has a third on the top and another one not far behind!

If you are a fellow fan of Gwen Stefani, you may recognize the next clip...hey, it's educational :) B is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

what's new?

2010-03-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post - we've been very busy! This winter I've enjoyed taking a yoga class that meets once a week. The peace and quiet is wonderful! Dave is coaching wrestling and I am coaching volleyball - it's so fun to work with kids outside of the classroom. My team is doing well and I love to see the girls improve each game. Dave is also meeting with a team of teachers about their upcoming trip to Kenya this June! Enough about us...I know you REALLY want to hear about the kiddos!

As I attempt to write this post, Lee is constantly trying to crawl under the computer desk and get at the cords. He is crawling now, climbing stairs and has 3 teeth just poking through, and is getting more vocal. He says, da-da, ma-ma, naynee (laney), bye, and na na na na (no, no) and shakes his head at the same time (my favorite!) He loves to eat waffles and bananas but hates having his face wiped clean. He's a happy camper most of the time!

Laney is still working on potty training, depends on the day...she loves to play with the ladybugs we find in our house. She loves playdates, going for walks and painting with water. She still loves watching movies and now enjoys playing games on the computer too. It's amazing how quickly she learned to use a mouse and get around on a website - incredible! She'll want a laptop for her 5th birthday!!!

Sorry life has been so busy - I'll try to update again soon!

Little Man

2010-01-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

Recently Lee has enjoyed standing up by the couch. I think he looks like such a big boy when he is standing up sort of on his own :) He has also discovered the stairs and will army crawl over and get up on the first step and then flash us a big smile! I can hardly believe he's our 9 month old little man!

Lee's first word...

2010-01-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, Lee's first word was da-da. He is such a stinker! But he has quickly learned ma-ma even though I can't prove it in this video. Sometimes we think we hear him say Laney too, but it could just be our imaginations...it's cool to hear him babble to himself when Laney is not around. When she is around all he does is watch her and listen to her. It's been so fun to see brother and sister interacting with each other. We are so blessed!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

and a Happy New Year!

Look at me!

2009-12-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

This little guy wants to move! He is just starting to "army crawl" but here you see him reach and lunge. It's quite a work out and believe me, he needs one! Lee is getting to be a big boy! 8 months old tomorrow :)

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-15T17:33:00.001-08:00

Laney helped us pick a good one this year. Last year we cheated and had a small fake tree (one from my teaching days) because Laney was 1 1/2 and touching everything. We didn't think having a real tree would be worth the constant battle. This year at 2 1/2 she better understands the concept of "no, don't touch" and it's consequences. Lee is not quite on the move yet so we don't have to worry about that. There is just something special about having a real Christmas tree - maybe it's the tradition, maybe it's the smell...we are enjoying our Christmas tree :)

Happy Halloween & Happy Thanksgiving too!

2009-11-27T11:33:00.001-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since I've made a post. The swim season is finally finished and I hope to have more time for the little things like keeping my blog updated!

Both kids were cows for Halloween - thanks to our cousins Mya & Owen for letting us borrow the cute costumes! :) We had fun showing them off to the grandparents and a few friends.

This week we celebrated Thanksgiving. We had a big feast at the Doll house, then we all took a big nap. We have so much to be thankful for!!!

6 months old!

2009-10-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

It is incredible to think a half a year has past since Lee entered our lives! He is such a joy - just look at that smile :) Thanks for all the love and kindness you've shown to our little guy. He is a very special part of our family. We are so blessed to be a family of four!

Laughing Lee

2009-10-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here is our little buddy - about 5 months old here - He is so much fun! He is laughing more and more at me, Dave, and especially Laney. His little laughs are the best sound in the world (in my opinion)! Enjoy!

Fun at the Fair

2009-09-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

This year Laney enjoyed the fair much more than the year before...she was pretty scared last year and cried whenever we got close to the larger animals...this year she was very excited and wouldn't stop talking about them! Laney LOVES animals. We rewarded her with a sticky, sugary mess - aka push up at the end of the night. Baby Lee loved looking at everything and everyone - he crashed just before we got back to the car to head home. Next year will be even better - when both kids can REALLY enjoy the experience - we may even have to take them on some of the rides!!! :)

Baby Noises

2009-09-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

2 Busy 2 Blog!

2009-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! August was a crazy month. I started coaching the girls swim team, Dave finished up youth group and is getting ready to go back to school. Can't believe how fast the summer went. It always seems to fly, but this one went faster than most!!! Probably because we were traveling all over MI and have 2 kids! Anyway, here are some recent pics and I'll try to keep it more up to date for you all... (Especially you Tammi :)

Our little lady has really enjoyed spending time outdoors this summer. She has a blast catching bugs in her net - just yesterday I allowed her to torture/play with a grasshopper for half an hour. She loves bugs! She also loves to pick and smell flowers. Here is a sunflower from our garden. She is quick to point them out in other peoples gardens when we are driving around.

Here is our little cabbage patch...can't believe he turned 4 months old this month!!! He is such a good baby - he is very predictable and has fallen into a nice schedule. I love that he is sleeping through the night. His smiles and coos are the best. His recent accomplishment is rolling over - it's only happened a few times on his own, his big sister likes to help a little too much sometimes :)

Brown & White

2009-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Aren't these some of the cutest kids you've ever seen? The white ones are mine, the brown ones are Jen's :) I think our family needs to spend some more time in the sun! Hopefully we will be able to do that next week when we stay out at Sandy Pines! :)

We LOVE summer

2009-07-24T13:30:00.001-07:00

We have been having a wonderful summer! Laney loves to play in the sandbox up at the cottage, or go fishing off the dock. She also has some new "boy" friends next door. They are so sweet to share their toys and swing set. Laney also loves her brother Lee. Lee is so responsive right now - smiles and coos all the time. He is trying very hard to roll over - but doesn't get much time to practice on the floor :(. Laney smothers him with hugs and kisses. It is so fun to see them interact with each other. It has been so great to have Dave around during these summer months too. Too bad they are going so fast!!!

The Greatest 4th in the North?

2009-07-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year we make an annual trek up to Lake City for some quality Doll family time at the greatest 4th in the north. This year the weather was very wet and gray :( providing us with lots of quality Doll family time :)

It was so nice to pass Lee around(Auntie Dana latched on to him as much as she could - making up for lost time while she was in Africa!) and watch the aunts and cousins entertain Laney and take her to the playground when it wasn't raining(Aunt Betty's the coolest!). We ate a lot of good food (especially waffles) and had a fun time(Quiddler anyone?).

On the 4th we attended a parade for about 10 minutes, until Laney saw someone dressed in a teddy bear costume and freaked out! "I scared of the teddy bear" she told us :) Since she wouldn't stop crying we ended up walking back to the cottage to take a nap. We'll try again next year!?!

Catching Up

2009-06-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

Lee was baptized on June 21, Father's Day and our 7 year wedding anniversary. It was a very special day!

Baby Lee is 2 months old here 12 lbs. 2 oz. He is growing so well! At his doctor's appointment he took his shots like a man :)

Our friend Stephanie came up from IL to visit us at the cottage the week after school got out. It was so fun to catch up! She spoiled our kids with cute clothes and bubbles!!!

Check out that double chin! Here is Lee about 1 month old sporting his first MSU outfit :) Daddy's favorite. Here is Dave relaxing with the kiddos. As you can see Laney loves her little brother. She has become MUCH more affectionate towards him lately. Guess she figured out we're going to keep him!

Lee 2 weeks - Laney 2 years

2009-05-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

One Month Already???

2009-05-19T10:30:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? I can't believe Lee is one month old already! He continues to be a blessing to our family. He eats and sleeps really well. He's given us a few smiles and has only pee'd on himself once! It has been a joy having a boy!

I finally got around to making his birth announcement - thanks for your help Jen! And thanks to our pastor's wife for the photo shoot. They turned out really great, I'll post more pics soon!

Laney turns 2!

2009-05-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Very Busy Weekend!

2009-05-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday we had a combined birthday party for Mya (3) and Laney (2) with the Wolbert Family. It was crazy! The girls had a blast and wore us out!!! It was fun to see them having so much fun! I just love how close the cousins are in age and how much they enjoy each other!!!
Then Friday and Saturday, Dave went up north to take a grad class - so I slept over with the kiddos at my parents house and took in some of the tulip time festivities. Laney had a great time exploring the park, smelling the tulips and watching the dutch dancers. At one point she stepped into the street and almost joined them! Ahhh! We ended the night with a very yummy elephant ear!
Sunday was Mother's day and I enjoyed being pampered by my wonderful hubby who cooked, cleaned, and changed diapers all day long! :) It was very nice to have a break!
Monday was Laney's actual birthday - we slept in, watched a bunch of DVD's during the day, had her favorite meal for supper - mac & cheese and smoked sausage, and then celebrated with the Doll Family at night with cake and ice cream. It was another nice party. I still can't believe my baby girl is 2! She is such a blessing to our family! Love you Laney jo!

Lee's First Photo Shoot

2009-04-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here is Lee, about a week old...He already loves the camera! He is such a good baby, I can't complain at all! We are so thankful for a healthy and happy baby boy!!! God is good!

It's a BOY!

2009-04-20T06:52:00.001-07:00

Lee Alan Doll entered the world on Thursday, April 16 at 6:33 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. and was 22 inches long. Praise God for a healthy baby boy! His name is special because it honors people we love - Lee is after my dad and sister, David Lee and Jennifer Lee, and Alan is after Dave's dad, Larry Alan. My labor and delivery went very quickly...we had wonderful doctors and nurses at the hospital and now are happy to be home! Big sister Laney is adjusting well, not too interested in baby Lee, which could be a good thing for now. Lee is sleeping a lot and eating well too. We are enjoying our time getting to know this little man! He is a gift!!! Can't wait for you all to meet him!

Mini Van Momma

2009-04-13T13:49:00.001-07:00

Check out our new ride!!! It's very practical for a soon to be family of 4 :) I especially love the push button sliding doors - will make carting around 2 kids or getting groceries a little easier! Hopefully it will serve us well for many years.

By the way, I'm 38 weeks in the picture...could be any day...or another 2 weeks or so!

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, this week is going fast! We've enjoyed having Daddy home, but boy have we been busy! First, we took Laney to her first movie in the theater - Madagascar 2 - she did great! She laughed a few times and sat fairly still. Her favorite part was probably all the popcorn we let her eat! :) Then we played in the mall and she was finally brave enough to go down the slide - backwards! :) Yay! After that we worked on selling our Grand Am, it sold in about 1 1/2 days! FAST! Then we were on the hunt for a mini van!!! We looked all over Grand Rapids, Holland, Zeeland, and finally fell in love with a 01 Town and Country LXi. It's a little wierd to accept the fact that we are to this stage in life, but we're finding out that it's a great place to be and for a mini van we think it's pretty cool. :) Now, we have the Tahoe for sale...check it out on Craigslist if you know anyone who's interested. Tonight we took Laney for her 2 year pictures, they wen't so well, I am so happy and can't wait to get them back! Then we planned to take her to the GR Children's Museum but the line was about 60 people out the door! We passed it by and went to Millenium Park instead. It was awesome, we had the whole playground to ourselves! We'll do the GR Children's Museum another time...Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment for me - and hopefully a relaxing weekend before it's back to the real world...

2009-03-27T11:47:00.001-07:00

Get your free online pregnancy calendar from WhatToExpect.com

Time for a Picnic!

2009-03-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Laney has enjoyed some good quality cousin time over the past month. We had Isaac over to play one night and Mya and Owen another day. The kids love to sit and have a snack together. I hope we can move this picnic table outside soon! We are ready for spring!!!

Potty Time!

2009-03-18T18:11:00.001-07:00

So, it's been a month...Laney is transitioning fairly well to being a "big girl". The first morning was horrible, then after lunch and a success or two on the potty, she was a happy, more confident kid again :) The first week or two went pretty smoothly, but then we hit a bump in the road/crib...I won't go into details, but thankfully, we seem to be almost back on track with little or no accidents. Less laundry is always good!

Laney is so proud of her "undies" as we call them. She especially loves the Dora ones :) I just have to share one quick comment she made one day when she was trying to poop on the potty, and we knew it was time...you can smell her toots a mile away...so she is sitting there being patient, I'm sitting by her, trying not to "watch"...she grunts a little and says, "It's stuck!" I had to bite my lip, so I wouldn't break her concentration! One or two more pushes and she did it! It was so cute!!! They I could hardly tell Dave the story because I was laughing so hard! Hope you got a chuckle out of that one too :)

2 months 2 go!

2009-02-27T11:08:00.001-08:00

We are starting to count down to baby #2's due date: April 24. We are so thankful that everything continues to go well at our doctor appointments. I am starting to feel a little more tired and am having trouble getting comfortable and sleeping at night. I know it's just preparing me for when the baby is here and needs me at night. :) We still have to set up the baby's room - it's yellow and we'll use part of Laney's nursery bedding set - yup the kids have to learn to share right from the start! We're hoping to get it ready during the next month. Besides that, we basically just have to get the car seat hooked up and pack our bags...Dave thinks I'm going to go early with this one, but I'm banking on another due date baby - the 24th is a Friday which works out well for Dave not having to take much/any time off of work! We'll see...we know we are not in control. If anyone has any guesses at to what this baby will be - feel free to post your guess in the comments. We have no idea what it will be - and I am afraid to guess because we were so completely wrong with Laney Jo! :) Only time will tell...

What's cookin'?

2009-02-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

Here is our little lady, becoming quite the homemaker...
We have childproof locks on all the cupboards except this one...it's a lazy susan so it spins around and there it just no way to keep it locked. Laney loves to take out the spices, the pots and pans. It has provided numerous opportunities to practice picking up! Unfortunately this time she spilled the corn starch - what a mess! No more cupboards for you little lady!

Twinkle Twinkle & The ABC's

2009-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Daddy's Girl

2009-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Laney has been loving winter in West Michigan! She gets really excited to see the snow. One day, Daddy was so sweet to take her out in the backyard to play in it. Mommy snuck out to take a few quick pictures, but then watched out a window from inside the house. Laney loves to be pulled in the sled and just recently discovered that she can eat the snow...it's clean I promise! It's been fun to see her enjoy this season and her special one-on-one time with Daddy.

Crazy Bounce!

2009-01-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today was a cold January day - a perfect day for playing inside!!! We had a blast going to Crazy Bounce in Holland with Papa, Jen, Mya, and Owen this morning. Mondays and Wednesday are Toddler Time. They put out a few inflatables just their size, have excersaucers for the wee ones and popcorn and pop for a snack. It wasn't busy at all and the girls had a ball! The adults had a pretty good time too! I highly recommend this to anyone with kids under 7! Thanks for the fun times you guys!!!

$$$

2009-01-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a super easy way to make a little extra cash...I have a check in the mail for $30 right now - I can think of so many different ways I could spend it! If you have a few minutes a day to check and read e-mails it might be worth signing up...

Sorry I forgot to mention this earlier - but you'll probably want to set up a new e-mail address for this - you could get 2-5 e-mails from inbox dollars a day - plus if you do complete offers for them to earn $, then you may start receiving e-mails from those companies too... Or maybe it's a pain for you to check an extra e-mail account - but I prefer to have one for my "junk" and one for my "real" e-mail that is for family and friends. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions!

Ta Da!

2008-12-27T06:07:00.000-08:00

Here is our favorite Christmas present - a remodeled kitchen! You'll have to come over and see it in person soon!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T17:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas break began a little bit early this year because of a snow day! Dave is getting lots of good use out of the snowblower from Grandpa Schepers! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
The first part of break we spent working on remodeling our kitchen - new paint, floors, and appliances. Merry Christmas to me! It was all done on Christmas Eve, just in time for the festivities!
Christmas day we had church in the morning and then Nana and Papa Wolbert and Gramma and Grampa Doll came over for a ham dinner. It was a feast! Laney went down for her nap like clockwork at 1:00...but then surprised us 5 minutes later with a big thud...yup she climbed out of her crib! We were thankful for no injuries or tears, but we certainly hope she doesn't do that again! Guess she didn't want the fun to end!!!
It was wonderful to have a fairly low key Christmas this year - the parties were spread out just right! Dave has one more week off from school and we plan to do some fun things together as a family.

1, 2, 3...

2008-12-23T13:53:00.001-08:00

First of all, excuse the mess, we have been moving things around in our house and doing lots of big and little projects while Dave has some time off from school. :) Here is Laney picking up hangers for me and counting - she really did say 1, 2, 3 I just wasn't fast enough to catch it on video - she's starts at 4 and goes all the way up to...? You'll have to watch and see!

Giggles

2008-12-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

I love watching Laney and Daddy play together after supper. Here they are tonight - having a ball!!!

20 weeks

2008-12-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

Alright Dana, you talked me into it - here is a belly pic at 20 weeks. I sure like being pregnant this time of year - I love to eat...especially during the holidays! And maternity clothes are quite comfortable! :)

Baby Doll #2

2008-12-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our 20 week ultrasound. Hard to believe we are half way already!!! I guess time flies when you have another little munchkin to chase after. Dave and I had a nice dinner before our appointment - Mexican - YUM! We thought all the chips and salsa would make the baby go crazy...The baby was pretty active, moving it's arms up by it's head, giving us a thumbs up, and kicking once in a while. The little stinker is already camera shy though...he or she was facing my back so it was difficult to get a good profile or face picture. It was another amazing experience - we are so thankful for this next addition to our family :) In case you can't tell, the top picture is of the arm and hand, the middle shows most of the face, and the bottom picture is a foot!

18 months old ...already?

2008-11-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

It seems like just yesterday this sweet little bundle came into the world and into our family. It's really hard to believe she's a year and a half already. It is amazing how independent she has become (especially lately...) Laney has learned a lot in the past 18 months, she is such a blessing - mostly because of all the things she has taught me: love, patience, laughter, the list could go on and on. We are so thankful that our little Laney is growing up to be such a big girl.
To see her pictures copy and paste this link into the address bar - enjoy :)
https://www.searsphotos.com/?shareid=S206503021lK889MY7B3T

Laneybug

2008-10-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Everyone! Laney just had to be a Ladybug this year - after all, Laneybug is her nickname :) We had a fun and busy day visiting Daddy at school, Nana and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa too. Thanks for all the yummy treats! Love you!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

2008-10-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here is Laney Jo "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear, one of her favorite books. Okay, so she's not really reading, but she does recognize each animal and says their names. What can we say, she's a teacher's kid!
For those of you know don't know, Laney's Auntie Dana left for Uganda about 2 weeks ago. She'll be there for 9 months! It was great to talk to you today Dana - glad you are doing well! This one is especially for you! Love you and miss you! Enjoy...

Tickle Tickle

2008-10-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

GIRLFRIENDS

2008-10-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Laney loves her girlfriends - Here they are at a playdate at our house one morning. Aubrey, Charlotte, Elleana, Sophie, and Emma. We missed Paige, who was at home napping! We think it's pretty cool that God blessed our "church family friends" with ALL baby girls over the past 17 months (Laney is the oldest - the ringleader :) Wonder what the next round of babies will bring? Boys for round two??? Maybe?

A Day at DeGraaf Nature Center

2008-10-06T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here are those cute cousins again - enjoying a walk at DeGraaf Nature Center. The girls did a good job of sticking together. We would've walked a little more but the mosquitoes were terrible! We'll have to try again another day. It had been years since I had been here and it is a special place - named after our grandpa. Hopefully we'll go back again soon! Or maybe next spring...

Training to be a....

2008-09-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

BIG SISTER! Laney has been so cute playing with her baby doll lately. Here are some pics of her kissing and burping her baby. There is also a pic of her new t-shirt. That is how we announced our news to our families. The next Baby Doll is due April 24. So they'll be 2 weeks short of 2 years apart. Hopefully Laney will be a great big sister! We are looking forward to being a family of 4!

Animal Noises :)

2008-09-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

We love asking Laney to make animal noises - finally we got it on video! My favorite is the frog - "RIDDIT"! Enjoy!

Playdate at the Playground

2008-09-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

It has been great to get together with Jen and her kiddos once a week. The girls always have a good time together - and so do their mamas! Last week we went to a playground just down the road. It was nice to enjoy this fall weather and spend some time outside. Laney loves her cousins!!!

Fair Days

2008-08-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

So, we took Laney to her 2nd Hudsonville Fair this week. She freaked out at first when she saw the big stinky pigs, but after a while she warmed up to the animals and wanted to see more goats and bunnies - those were her favorites. She learned how to make the bunny sound - you'll have to ask her that one the next time you see her.

A New Baby Cousin!

2008-08-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Early this morning Jen and Jon welcomed Owen Louis Frego into the world. He is a cutie patootie! He looks so much like Mya did when she was born. Adorable!!! Praise God for a healthy baby boy! It will be fun to see Mya as a big sister and Laney as a big cousin. Laney was so excited to meet Owen this afternoon, she is pretty good at saying his name already :) and she gave him some sweet kisses when we visited them at the hospital. Congratulations Jen and Jon - you are a beautiful family of four!

Applesauce

2008-08-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden Laney's little vocabulary has become BIG! She'll pretty much try to say anything you ask her to, but words she knows on her own include: fishy, juice, messy, poop, stinky, sit, buckle, Mya, Isaac, Sarah, pizza, "olie" ravioli, bear, please "peez", shoes, elmo, puzzle, ball, baby, and amen. I think thats about 20 plus applesauce and the typical, mama/dada! :) She also knows many animal noises, but of course when we try to get her to perform for people she turns shy. Wonder who she gets that from???

Sandy Pines

2008-07-29T12:55:00.001-07:00

Last week we spent 5 days out at Sandy Pines. Laney loved all the fresh air! It was really nice to get away from the construction zone around our house (with the roofing project)! We took at least 2 golf cart rides every day, we walked to the playgrounds to slide and swing at least once a day, and made our own fun inside of the trailer too - as you can see it is not baby proofed - she got into everything!!! (even her suitcase).
Laney also ate her first ice cream cone on her own! It was quite a mess!!!

Just keep swimming...

2008-07-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Laney loves the water! It has been so hot lately, so we've certainly enjoyed an opportunity to get wet! This past weekend up at Silver Lake, Laney accidentally went all the way under! It scared her mama more than it scared her! :)

The Greatest Fourth in the North

2008-07-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

We just enjoyed a long weekend up north in Lake City with the extended Doll family. It was lots of fun. We had great weather and really good food. Laney got sick of the parade halway through, but she did get some beads and candy. She slept through the fireworks (thank goodness!) and loved splashing in the lake. She stayed up way past her bedtime, but was a real trooper! Thanks for all the fun times everyone!

Kisses

2008-06-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight as I was putting Laney down for bed she gave me 2 of the sweetest kisses ever! The best part was that I didn't even ask for any kisses, she just gave them to me. It really touched my heart and even caused a few tears to flow. I love her so much and it is such a reward to feel her love me in return.

Dancing Queen

2008-06-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here she is, shakin' it to Daddy's new Coldplay CD.

I'm a big kid now!

2008-06-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

Mom and Laney have been having fun going to lots of different garage sales this summer. Here's our big girl on her first bike! She likes to ride, but can only go backwards. It's fun to watch her play in the driveway with her bike and new car. Cousin Mya got a Cozy Coupe car at a garage sale a few weeks ago, so when we saw another one we just couldn't pass it up!

Look Who's Talking...

2008-05-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Although I think Laney's first word was "mama" at 8 months, here she is sharing her little 1 year old vocabulary. Enjoy!

She also can say, "hi" "daddy" and "p u" - (not necessarily in that order) she's our little parrot :)

Happy 1st Birthday!

2008-05-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of our family and friends for loving our little Laney. This first year was WONDERFUL - we look forward to many, many more!

Tulip Time

2008-05-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

Last night we took our little Dutch girl to watch the Klompen Dancers at Centennial Park. She loved getting dressed up. We were lucky if we could keep her hat on for more than a minute to snap a quick pic. We got a few good ones I think!

Springtime...

2008-04-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

Over spring break Laney learned to take a few steps. Now she is walking 9 or 10 steps at a time, I can hardly keep up with her! She also loves to climb up the stairs which is cute and frustrating all at the same time. She thinks it's a game. Time to put up the gate! Laney also loves to stand by the window and watch the cars go by. It's been so nice to feel that fresh air in the house. We love spring!

BURRRR

2008-04-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

Dave and I got to enjoy a day away at Bear Vally Mountian to ski. It was our first time skiing on a REAL moutain and it was amazing! The views were spectacular! The weather was perfect! We even dared to try a few black diamonds! I only fell once, and Dave fell twice :) by the end of the afternoon we were pooped and ready to had back to the resort and recover in the hot tub! It was a wonderful day!!!

One day we took a drive to see Lake Tahoe - it was beautiful! We had lunch there, walked around a shopping area near the Heavenly Ski Resort, had some coffee to warm up, played a couple slots at the Harrah's Casino in Nevada (I lost 50 cents), had supper and drove home. Laney and Mya were troopers, missing their naps and being stuck in a carseat forever! :) It was a big day!

Calaveras Big Trees State Park

2008-04-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

One morning we went for a hike through the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. It was a little chilly but beautiful! I was really glad we packed Laney's mittens! The pictues sure don't do it justice, but the trees were huge! We really enjoyed spending this time exploring God's awesome creation.

Spring Break 2008

2008-04-15T05:25:00.001-07:00

We spent a week with the Wolbert Family in Angels Camp, CA. It was a nice resort and our room was right by the pool. We spent a few days swimming and relaxing at the resort. Other days we took trips to Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Lake Tahoe, Columbia State Historical Park, Murphys, and Bear Valley Mountain. One of the highlights for me was watching Mya and Laney play together. They are so sweet! We also found out that we are going to have a new little nephew in August. We are super excited!!! Thanks for a great week together! Love ya lots! More pictures to come soon...

First Steps!

2008-03-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for little Laney Jo. She took her first steps...3 in a row! It was really neat because my friend Stephanie was over for a visit and she had just said, "She's gonna be walking soon..." and I said, "Yeah, maybe..." Laney was standing next to the couch and I was sitting on the floor about 3 feet away from her. Laney looked at me, I put my arms out and she took her first steps. It was really special because Daddy was home from school too - so all 3 of us got to witness this amazing milestone!

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T17:57:00.001-07:00

10 months old!

2008-03-18T13:47:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? My baby is hardly a baby anymore! I was lucky enough to snap this picture while she sat still for 1 second! (See I bribed her with a snack in her hand) Life with Laney is busy and fun. I've been enjoying trying different hairstyles on her recently. I'm so happy I have a little girl. Just wait til you see her Easter dress...:) I'll be sure to post pictures soon!

Our little lady

2008-03-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

This photo was scanned in on our computer, so it is not real good quality, but I wanted to show it off anyway. It was taken at a photo fundraiser for adoption. It was a good deal for a good cause. :) Next time you come over you might see the original photo hanging up in our mudroom. This little lady will greet you with her smiles every time you walk thru our door...

Here Comes TROUBLE!

2008-03-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

Our little lady has discovered the TP! Ahhhh! And I had just put on a full roll last night!!!

Crazy Cousins and Cute Pigtails

2008-03-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

It sure was fun to see the Frego family last weekend. The girls had a great time together! They gave us a concert on the piano and made us laugh a lot! Thanks for coming home to visit! We can't wait to see you again soon!!!

Sledding

2008-02-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Not so fun...
Not so bad...

Happy Valentine's Day Daddy!

2008-02-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

More Please!

2008-02-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here is Laney asking for more food - I started teaching this sign to her about 2 months ago. It's pretty cool how she is just begining to learn to communicate with us! I really would like to teach her a few more signs, but we just haven't gotten around to working on any others yet... Laney is also just starting to wave bye-bye, usually after a 30 second delay, but we'll take it!

Ready to Walk!!!

2008-02-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

Here is Laney enjoying one of her Christmas gifts. The Hippo!!! She loves to pull herself up to stand, sometimes she'll dance by it, and sometimes she'll try to walk! It's pretty neat to see! Before we know it she'll be walking without the Hippo! WOW!

Twinners

2008-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here are the girls at their last playdate together...(sob!)... for a while anyway. As you may already know, Mya, Jen and Jon have temporarily moved to California for Jon's job. We miss them very much, but we are looking forward to joining them out there for a week during spring break. I'm starting to countdown...we'll be flying in to Sacramento, CA two months from today! Yay!
I am looking forward to this trip very much! My parents will be traveling with us and will be a big help with Laney on the plane! It will be so good to be together with EVERYONE again. I'm sure Mya will be talking a ton and Laney might even be walking by then. Jen's belly will be so cute too!(Frego Peanut #2 is due the middle of August!)
We can't wait to see you guys! We miss you very much! Hugs and Kisses!

YUM!

2008-01-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

Every day Laney is gaining more and more independence. She has become quite the little lady! She crawls around and is excited to explore the house. She pulls herself up to stand by anything! She is very curious! It is fun to see her big smiles when she is excited about doing something new. You can tell she feels proud of herself. She's just starting to notice that we are watching her - she'll turn to look at us either when she is doing something good or getting into trouble. Yes, she can be a stinker!

Here's a clip of Laney making a mess! Most of the time she wants to feed herself - she'll grab for the spoon and hold on tight! This time, I let her have it and she went crazy!!! Laney also really loves finger foods like cheerios, bread chunks, corn, etc. She's doing pretty well with a sippy cup too. It sure is amazing how fast she is learning and growing!

Stay At Home Mom

2008-01-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

It's official, I have turned in my notice to school that I will not be returning in the fall. I absolutely love being a stay at home mom. I know this is God's plan for my life right now and I feel very at peace with this decision.

The way I see it, I am still teaching - I just have 1 student (Laney) instead of 25! I like that a lot! Plus there are no papers to grade or meetings to attend! Laney is at such a fun age - 8 months now - we keep very busy reading books, crawling around, singing, and playing together.

Just this month I have started caring for a 3 month old girl. It has been going well, but it certainly is different with 2! She sleeps and smiles a lot! Laney likes to look at her and talk to her. It will only get better the more they are able to interact with each other. So far, so good!

Happy New Year

2008-01-05T12:20:00.001-08:00

Our first Christmas as a family was fabulous! It was wonderful to have one party each day...we celebrated with the Wolberts on Christmas Eve and the Dolls on Christmas day. Laney got spoiled just a little bit! They were big exhausting days but so much fun!

This year we decided to throw a New Year's Eve party at our house. We invited the Young Married's Group from our church. It was a blast! We ate trash can turkey, lots of chips and dip, and a few too many sweets. We hope our friends had as much fun as we did!

Hugs and Kisses

2007-12-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Laney had a very Merry 1st Christmas! Hugs and Kisses to all!

Elf Yourself!

2007-12-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

Click on the link to see the World Famous Doll Family Elves!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1388844159
Make your own and send it to me!

7 months and so much fun!

2007-12-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

Laney is getting so big and strong. Just today she pulled herself up to a standing position in her crib! She loves her Johnny Jump Up - it is great exersize for her and very entertaining for us! Sorry it is sideways - Enjoy!

Crazy Hair & Crawling

2007-12-06T11:15:00.001-08:00

My first attempt at pigtails! I don't think Laney liked them very much, she pulled one rubber band out after about 5 minutes. Oh well...we'll try again later!

Look at her go! It is definately time to start babyproofing our house! Laney is so curious. She really keeps her mom and dad busy!

Thankful

2007-11-28T13:35:00.001-08:00

These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for! We are thankful for our families, friends, jobs, food, and health. God is good all the time, all the time God is good!

6 months old!

2007-11-19T16:33:00.001-08:00

Here she is, half a year old already! We can't believe it! Tonight we looked at pictures from the day she was born until now - it is amazing how fast the time goes by! She has changed in so many ways. I am so thankful to be able to stay home with her and watch her grow!

Fall Fun

2007-11-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

We have had a wonderful fall so far. Laney loves to be outside and touch the leaves. She is such a happy girl. Don't you just love those dimples? It has been a really neat experience watching her change from an infant to a 6 month old. We love our little girl!

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T12:52:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We hope you enjoy the pictures of Laney's first Halloween. She dressed up as a giraffe and got lots of attention. Lets just say she slept really well that night!!!

Eat, Sleep, Play

2007-10-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Laney is enjoying her rice cereal. Most of it makes it in her mouth. She often tries to grab the spoon and feed her self. It can get a little messy...she usually needs a bath right after dinner!

Laney loves to sleep! She always cuddles with her pink bear blanket when she naps in the swing. Sometimes she naps on our chests too - that is the best feeling in the world!

Laney loves to play in her exersaucer. She is getting so strong. Look at those legs!

The Great Outdoors

2007-10-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed many afternoons and evenings out in the backyard this fall. The weather has been wonderful! Laney loves to look at the leaves and feel the wind blow through her hair. She also likes to pick the grass and kick her feet in it. At 3 months she started rolling over, now she is almost 5 months and rolls and rolls and rolls! It is fun to see her able to move more and explore the world around her.

Bath Time

2007-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Laney loves taking a bath. She has already outgrown her baby bath tub. Now we give her a bath in the kitchen sink. She loves the water and tries to grab her rubber ducky. I love how she smells after her bath...so sweet. She certainly smells better than she did before! We are having baths more often now that Laney has started rice cereal. She often gets it in her hair and all over her body too. It's fun to splash around and wash those chubby arms and legs.

Reading already???

2007-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's September and I am not going back to school! It has been wonderful to stay home with Laney. I love every minute of it! She seems to be doing something new every day. It is so fun to watch her grow and develop. She certainly isn't a newborn anymore. I keep saying to Dave, she is a real little person now! She loves to play on her belly and she especially loves books. She is actually pretty good at turning pages, not reading yet though...I'll give her a couple more years! Since the weather has warmed up we've been enjoying time in the backyard almost every day!

Laneybug

2007-09-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend we went up to Lake City. Dave and I went to some garage sales and bought this huge stuffed ladybug. It was only a quarter, I couldn't resist! We love our little Laneybug! The video is very dark but just listen to her laugh - it will put a smile on your face!

3 months old

2007-08-24T13:49:00.001-07:00

Laney is beginning to develop a sweet personality. She is a very happy girl. She enjoys rolling over and being on her belly. She has become more and more interested in her toys that crinkle or rattle. It is fun to see her play with her feet and her fingers too. She even sits still and listens while I read a book to her. It is so cute to see her grab the pages and look at the pictures. Hopefully Laney will love to read as much as we do!

Adorable

2007-08-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Laney enjoyed hanging out with her cousin Isaac this summer. Aren't they adorable? We think so! We can't wait to watch them grow and play together. So far they only stare at each other and drool. So fun!

Cousins

2007-08-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Laney loves her cousin Mya who is 15 months old today! The girls had a great time at the cottage together. It is so fun to see them starting to interact with each other.
We are looking forward to many more fun times together!

Baptism

2007-07-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

On July 8 Laney Jo was baptized at our church, Immanuel CRC. Laney wore the dress my mom made for me when I was baptized 27 years ago! It was a very special day and we were excited to have so many of our friends and family there. We appreciate all of your prayers as we do our best to raise Laney to know our loving God.

Fourth of July

2007-07-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the "Greatest Fourth in the North" in Lake City, MI with the extended Doll family. Laney got spoiled with lots of hugs and kisses. She started sleeping through the night, she even slept through the fireworks. She is such a good baby - we are blessed!