Tickling the Ivories with Anabelle

Catching Up!

After loosing both of our computers to some crazy bug and the business of Birthday and Christmas season I have finally gotten back to blogging and have lots of catching up to do! Here is a snapshot (or a few snapshots!) of our Christmas Season!

Our first party was with the Iverson's. We battled the crazy snowstorm to get there, but it was so worth it! We had so much fun with Gramee and Grandpee and the Zylstras! Sabrina was definately into the presents this year and had so much fun trying them out with her cousins! Anabelle didn't really understand what was happening, but she liked spending time with her cousin Sophie!

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This year at the Hoogland Party, there were 6 Great Grandkiddos, 3 and under! Here are grandma and grandpa with them all!

The girls came face to face with Santa for the first time this year. Sabrina....we'll see for yourself! She just could NOT believe he was actually there! She would only sit on his lap if I came with her. Funny though, he was all she could talk about the whole ride home!


Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with the smaller Hoogland clan and celebrating our own Christmas. Some of the best moments of these parties were spending time with the whole family together, making christmas cookies (a yearly tradition that ends up with tummy aches), sisterly love, and rock band (no pics, but truely, there are no words to capture the hillarity).
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We feel so blessed to have been able to spend so much time with the family we love and celebrate the birth of our savior in such special ways! This year especially we have been reminded how important it is to savor each memory we make with those we love.

Gumbee Jr

So anyone who has been in school with me or around me long enough knows that I don't generally sit in the most...conventional ways. Yesterday I turned around to see this:


I'm so proud! :)

O Christmas Tree

Yesterday we took some time as a family to go hunt down our family tree. An associate of Brad's was kids enough to invite us to go up to his property in New Era and find our tree. The kids were great the whole ride up and Sabrina had fun playing in the snow while we hunted for the perfect tree. We found one that was just right and Daddy got out the chainsaw to cut it down. We threw it in the back of the truck and headed home! When we got home we brought it into the house and strung the lights. Sabrina was so excited, she was running all over the place and DYING to help! She had the honor of plaing the first ornament on the tree which was her "Big Sister" ornament from Nana! Once Sabrina went to bed, I finished putting on the rest of the ornaments on and Whala...Christmas 08 has hit the Iverson home.

Sabrina is turning Two!

Today was the first of a couple parties for Sabrina's 2nd Birthday. So much fun!! She was very excited about her Elmo Cake and Balloons!! She also loved spending time with her cousns!

We took a couple shots of the girls before the party began and while everyone was awake! NOT an easy task, this was the best shot we got! :)

Abigail and Sabrina playing her new piano.
Sabrina playing with her new "Snap N Style"- the greatest doll for little girls! They can snap the clothes on all on their own! (Thanks Zylstras!)
Many of the other gifts were "cooking related" as she will be getting a new play kitchen at the new house! She looked SO cute in her chefs hat! The girls made cookies for everyone.
Even the little girlies wanted in on the action :)

One of the most special things that happens on birthdays is that Grandmee gives the birthday girl their scrapbook with a recap of the whole year in a letter an in pictures! It is such a special gift and a real treasure for the girls. Reading though it and seeing pictures from the last year reminds me of justhow much growth happens in a years time, but how quickly it passes! Another reminder to treasure every second of it!

Christmas Parade

Tuesday night was a great night for a Christmas parade, it was cold and wintery, without being blowy! I bundled up both girls and off we went downtown Holland. We met Nana and Poppy and Jay jut in time to lug the stroller up some stairs! I had never been to the Holland Parade of lights, but it was lots of fun... until the trucks got a little loud, Sabrina got nervous and needed Nana to hold her! Anabelle slept through most of it, although I had to park in Teerman's with her partway through to keep her warm!

Lounge Act

Four months and First Foods!

My Sweet Anabelle is 4 months old (actually, it's like 4 1/2 months now) and she recently had her 4mo. check up. She weighed 13lbs 15 oz. (50%) and was 25 1/4 in long (75%). She is overall healthy! She is so much more animated and is laughing and smiling frequently. She's getting really close to rolling over from back to tummy and just started on solids! Gettingready for oatmeal!Woah mom, what is this! That wasn't too bad! I just might like this!
Here is one of my new tricks!
Sabrina wanted to get into the action and help feed her "Anabelly"

Family Baking

Sunday afternoons have become family baking time. It's been a great thing for Sabrina who is doing a "milk and cookies" theme at Kindsemusik right now. She's learning about measuring and pouring and how to "stir stir stir" without "hooshing" (a Nana-ism). She also is learning sequencing and delayed gratification. I'm learning how to sneak chunks of cookie dough without Sabrina seeing and thinking she needs more too!

Anabelle's Tub Time

Halloween Night

Sabrina was proud to spread her wings as a monarch this Halloween
She could not believe all the loot at Nana and Poppy's house
Mmmmm...smarties from Poppy!
Anabelle our little sunflower was cashed out most of the time!
Trick or Treating in the neighborhood