feeling famous

trey had his first few minutes of fame yesterday in hamilton's memorial day parade! we were able to walk behind blue star's float -- trey rode in a wagon with his good friend jackson. he did great. there was so much to take in and trey loved every minute! by the end of the parade, he was waving and clapping. the weather was better than expected and we had a wonderful time. can't wait 'till next year!

trey with his buddies ben and jackson
we made it! still happy (and sitting!) after the parade.
"jackson, trey...smile for the camera!"
at least jodi and i know what to do :)

a taste of summer

we had such beautiful weather today -- it was like a little taste of summer...finally! trey has been waiting so patiently for the weather to get nice so that he can spend more time outside. today we enjoyed almost all day outside as a family. we took trey to the park this morning, then this afternoon he "helped" us put bark in our landscaping and plant our flower boxes. i can remember so clearly last summer when we would be outside and he would stay right where we put him. john and i would always comment how much fun he would be this summer. well, he certainly is more fun and a whole lot more work! he likes to undo whatever has just been done, and he loves tasting everything that he finds outside! i would definitely say that he is the "explorer" type! this morning at the park he explored the wood chips on the ground, the ducks by the pond, and every child at the park!

trey loves playing with (and eating!) the wood chipsgoing down the slide with daddyfollowing daddylooking at the duckschasing the ducks!it was the first day that i got to lather trey with sunscreen -- arms, legs, face, and even in his hair because he won't leave a hat on! he just went from one thing to the next all day long, never sitting still -- he had a smile on his face almost continuously (except when he went into in the sprinklers -- that wasn't fun for trey or mom!). we had so much fun, and it makes me so anxious for this summer when we can play like this every day!

trey shared his wagon to help us move bark around the yard having fun in his sandbox (thanks grandpa and grandma k.!)and,of course, eating a rock...he ate many of these today!so thankful for such a beautiful day!

a little bit country

it seems that we've got a little boy on our hands who loves the country! we know that zeeland is not exactly a booming metropolis, but it's city to us considering the fact that we were raised with big back yards and neighbors farther than five steps away. we love living where we do, but we are also so glad that trey will have the opportunity to taste the country life when visiting both sets of grandparents. last weekend trey was able to experience his first of what i know will be many, many four-wheeler rides on grandpa and grandma sloothaak's farm. he giggled and giggled as john drove him through the fields, and he didn't want to get off when it was time to go. 

so fun!

bath time

one of trey's favorite times of the day is bath time. he has pretty much always loved taking baths, and has recently moved from his "duck tub" to the big tub. it's a little more stressful for mom and dad because trey likes to stand and jump in the tub...he hasn't yet figured out that the tub floor is very slippery and not the best place to jump! trey also LOVES to splash in the tub. quite often, the person giving the bath ends up just as wet as trey is by the time the bath is over. we now refer to the space right outside of the tub as the "splash zone", and we know what we are in for when we sit there! i am hoping that trey's love of bath time will translate into a love of pool time this summer, giving us even more reason to spend lots of time outdoors! here are some pictures of trey's bath time fun from the very beginning!

trey's very first bath.
he wasn't so sure about his time in the tub back then...

we always get lots of smiles during bath time

trey in his duck tub! he loves to play with toys in the tub...

...and he loves to splash!!!

and now in the big tub.
trey just learned how to stick out his tongue...he thinks it's pretty funny!

prom

john and i relived our high school days last weekend when we chaperoned prom for zeeland west high school. as i watched the action, i kept thinking about how much i loved high school, but how long it seems like we've been out of that "world". and trust me, going back to these dances it truly does seem like a different world! it was fun though, and i even got john to agree to taking a photo before we left...i just had to document the occasion!

friends and flowers

we were lucky to have our great friends mark, abby, and nolan stop by for a day last weekend. they live in denver and were visiting family in chicago, so one day was all we had, but it was wonderful to see them and we always cherish our time together since we live so far apart. we were able to take in some of the sights, sounds, and tastes of tulip time. john and i don't usually venture out to tulip time, but having friends in town made the craziness of downtown holland seem a bit more appealing than usual. needless to say, we had a fantastic time seeing the tulips, watching the dutch dancers, and eating elephant ears and cotton candy (there is nothing shameful about a 26-year-old who still loves cotton candy!). thanks mark and abby for our time together, and for reminding us how fun dutch people are! :)


nolan and trey aren't at the easiest age for photographing! :)













mark, abby, and john enjoying their elephant ears













trey exploring (not picking!) the tulips

here we are!

we've entered the world of blogging! not that we really have lives that are too exciting, but we thought this would be a fun way to stay connected. as i type, trey and john are wrestling on the floor, both giggling like crazy! that is the excitement around here these days...just enjoying each other. and, at the moment, counting down the days until summer break!! :) trey is changing all the time, and it is so fun to watch his personality emerge more and more as he gets older. we certainly are looking forward to lots of fun as a family this summer!