A very belated update

OK, so I said I'd try to keep it relatively current... It's only been 6 months... ;-)
Since then Joseph turned 9, Elena turned 6, David turned 38, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and our 4th anniversary of being in Doon, Elena lost another tooth (the right way this time), Benjamin started walking, and all three kids grew while we weren't looking! Here are some pictures to get you up-to-date...

Joseph
Benjamin

Elena























Elena has been begging me to teach her piano lessons and has been practicing everything I've been able to find for her on the internet. Time to get her some real piano books... We're planning to start lessons this summer. Anyways, since she's been enjoying it so much I made her a piano cake for her 6th birthday.





Joseph loves to read... no, he LOVES to read. Any book he finds about animals is great, but the horse books!... don't even get me started! He has also been building his collection of "Bomgaars horses", which he and Elena spend hours playing with. So a horse cake was definitely appropriate for his 9th birthday!



This is the chair that Benjamin has taken over for his own. If he sees anyone else sitting on it, he pulls on them and makes loud disgruntled noises until they get the point and choose another seat. He loves to pile on it with a stack of books and "sing".


Here is Elena with her American Girl doll, Mary. Mary came as a 5th birthday present from Grandpa and Grandma Overway. This past winter Grandpa Vermeer stayed with us while he attended Classis and brought along a whole bag of outfits for Mary that Grandma Vermeer had made to surprise Elena. Mary had to try on every single one, and this is the one that Elena decided on for the day. Thank you Grandpas and Grandmas!