Raising Schuurmans: 2015

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

A November That Felt Like September

     November was another lovely month down here in the South and as usual, we kept busy. Each of the children continues to grow and change daily, but Stella is exponentially. She's now rolling over with ease, cooing the sweetest little sounds you've ever heard in your life, and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth she can get a hold of. Marcus thinks it's funny when she tries to eat his finger. Any day now I'm sure we'll see a tooth (or two) pop through. But in the mean time, she's going through multiple bibs (and outfits) a day due to excessive drool.
     Our weeks stay the same with our time at Kids Kitchen on Tuesday nights and Son Seekers on Wednesdays. But sometimes Mark has a church volleyball or basketball game, and Friday evenings are usually free. Since Mark has Wednesdays off we have been doing things together as a family on that day. One warm November afternoon we went out to visit my friend, Christie who's going through chemo-therapy for breast cancer. She was Titus' Sunday School teacher, is our pastor's wife, and is a very dear friend to me. As you'll see in the pictures below, we went to see her and the boys had a ball in the creek behind her house. So much so that Titus fell in and got soaked. Luckily, we brought extra clothes for him to change into but we really enjoyed out time with Christie. Will you join us in praying for her as she has a few more months of chemo to go through? I know she'd appreciate it and we would, too.
     Earlier in the month, we took the children to the Knoxville Zoo. It's only a few hours drive from here and the day we went was called, "Dollar Days." It LITERALLY only cost $1 per person, so our family of five went for $4 (Stella was free)! The weather was unbelievable and we had such a great time. I'm not sure it could've been much better. The boys' favorite animals were the monkeys or giraffes.
     And one final notable event from November was Stella's dedication. For those of you who are unfamiliar, let me explain. A parent/child dedication does not ensure salvation, nor does it proclaim perfection. Instead, it's a public profession that Mark and I will raise our children in the way that honors God, while we pray that they, too, will one day choose Jesus. We can lead them to The Cross, but ultimately they have to repent and surrender to Him on their own choosing. That's what her dedication was all about and just like with our boys, we covet your prayers for her. Time will tell what her little personality turns into, but in the end, it doesn't really matter. Only her salvation does.
     Well, that's all for now. Another month in the books at the Schuurman household. Up next - Christmas. What a JOYOUS time of year it is!

One of my favorite outfits on Stella.

Gabby and Tiffany are regulars at Kids Kitchen each week. Gabby was a student in my 2nd grade class 7 years ago.

Playing in the creek behind Christie's house.

It was only calf deep on them, but they managed to get plenty wet.

He's smiling, but that water was COLD!

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down and heard the voice of the one speaking." -Ezekiel 1:28

He thought it was HILARIOUS that the baboon had a red butt.

Sitting on the fence in line to see the gorillas and the new gorilla babies.

I'll need to take this picture again, when they're 16 and 18.

The gang's all here!

Crawling through the prairie dog tunnels.

Now THAT'S how you know it's been a successful day.

Housework is a team effort around here...

Marcus did pretty well changing his first diaper.

Sweet Titus fell asleep clinging to Marcus' bible. May he cling to it ever-so-fiercely, spiritually speaking, too.

Marcus and I went to Lowe's Hardware for a Build-and-Grow workshop where he built his own race car.

All done and so proud!

Titus wore the apron and glasses when we got home.

Stella's dedication

We love God. We love our family. We love our church.

Super Daddy! Reading a funny Thanksgiving book.

Hey sweet smiley baby!

PS - I JUST realized that THANKSGIVING was in November, too. Oh well. That'll have to be another blog on another day. My time is up...

Friday, November 6, 2015

Autumn Trip to Canada

     Even though Mark grew up there, it had been well over ten years since he had been in Canada in the Fall and I never had. It was always Summer or Winter when we visited. Many different things contributed to why we went in the Autumn this year, but nonetheless, it was an incredible trip.
     The drive up showcased some of the most beautiful scenery ever. Even though we'd driven these roads many times, the bright leaves were breathtaking. The weather (for the most part) was clear and crisp, but not too cold. The boys were beyond elated to see and play with their cousins. It's as if they picked up where they left off and got hilariously rowdy right away. Stella was spoiled from all angles, whether it was Grandma & Grandpa, her aunt & uncle, or older cousins who were so sweet to attend to her every whimper.
     While it's great to see family and watch the children interact and have fun together, the best part for me was getting a night away with my husband of TEN years. Mark's brother and our sister-in-law offered to keep their three kids AND our three kids overnight so we could celebrate our ten year anniversary alone. Mark planned and booked a great place to stay and we had a magical time in Niagara Falls. It was as if we were newlyweds all over again. We both were giddy. While we ADORE our children, it was good to get away, alone, for just a day, and only tend to our own needs and wants. 24 hours away, just me and my man, left this mama refreshed and grateful.
     Other notable activities include a Grandma/Marcus date to a place called "Crock-A-Doodle" where you paint pottery and they fire it for you. Since he's never done something like this and he had his Grandma all to himself, he THRIVED and enjoyed it thoroughly. He painted a dolphin and a dog, both of which he lovingly coddled the whole drive home. Titus loved being able to play hockey with the big boys, yet loved his girl cousins, too. The three youngest grandchildren (not including Stella - haha!) had a blast digging in the dirt at the greenhouses and getting as dirty as they possibly could while Mark and I caught up with some of his family who were planting new seedlings.
   We finalized our trip by stopping in Niagara Falls with the children, on our way back home. We took them to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, had chocolate samples at the Hershey Factory, and then to see the incredible sights of Niagara Falls. We walked around so much, there was actually an hour window when ALL THREE kids were asleep in the car. It was glorious.
     Seriously, it was a wonderful trip all around and we think we'll plan more trips between now and next Fall to see these sweet people we call family.

(But! Before those pictures, here are a few showcasing our growing family as we take pictures each year on the Quad at UNCA in front of the beautiful Fall leaves).

At Grandpa and Grandma's house, you get treated like royalty: Pizza on the couch, watching tv.

Sweet little Stella slept in the kitchen among all sorts of noise.

On our time away, we took a sweet. The leaves were beautiful and you could see the falls from all different viewpoints. (Side note: Can you see the BLACK squirrel???)