The BossenBlog

Apple Picking

2009-10-13T13:09:00.001-04:00

Justin's Autobiography

2009-09-24T20:49:00.002-04:00

My name is Justin. I was born on September 16, 2000 in Colorado. I still remember going with Oma and Poppy to the blue park. Then we moved to Indiana. In 2003 Eric was born. Then he was baptized. In 2004 I was invited to Dunken's birthday party. I banged my head on the coffee table and got stitches. I also went to preschool. On September 16, 2005 we moved to Ohio on my brithday. That year I did not go to school not even perschool. In 2006 I went to kindenerrgarten and in 2007 I went to first grade. Thous two years nothing much happend. In 2008 I was in 2 nds grade and went to Kalahary, the biggest water park in the US. Before that happened Ryan was born. Now I am in 3rd grade.

written for Mrs. Delaney's 3rd grade class (in very neat cursive)

Cross Country

2009-09-22T08:55:00.003-04:00

Eric is running cross country this fall with school. The kindergarteners and 1st graders run a 1/2 mile. These are pictures from the first race. There were 163 kindergarten and 1st grade boys. Eric placed in the first half! We are very proud of him! The experience of watching all those little boys running their hearts out, brought tears to my eyes! It was a hoot!

Everyone gets a ribbon for running...

Some kindergarten friends...

Cute Child Quote #2

2009-09-04T21:17:00.002-04:00

I thought I would try this again about the funny things the kids say... we went shopping tonight for a sports coat for Jon for meetings that he has coming up in Denver as well as others in the fall. He tried one on and Eric promptly stated that the coat he was trying on "looked like a vice president coat"! Where do kids come up with these things? (We bought it anyway, even though Jon has no aspirations for being VP.)

Piano Lesson

2009-08-30T21:41:00.003-04:00

I have always been really bad about writing down the cute things that the boys have said, but I couldn't let this one pass by...

Ryan sat down on the floor with his piano today...

and asked me to give him piano lessons!

The First Day of School

2009-08-25T15:17:00.004-04:00

It was the first day of school at Gesu today. Here is Justin starting 3rd grade!

Here is Eric on his first day of kindergarten. He only had a half day today. He loved it!

Just for kicks...here is Justin on his first day of kindergarten in 2006.

"Do Toledo"

2009-07-29T13:09:00.004-04:00

One of the tourism advertisements for Toledo says, "Do Toledo" and I feel like that is what we have been doing lately. We took a trip to the zoo where a new kids section called "Nature's Neighborhood" opened. Here is Justin the giraffe...

My three little bees...

Eric and the guinea pig...

Last Saturday we went the Dragon Boat races on the Maumee River that are a fundraiser for Partners in Education supporting the Toledo Public schools. We had great fun watching the races.

Sunday was University of Toledo's Art on the Mall. The whole family likes to look at all the art, especially the glass work. My friend, Jenny, had her jewelry booth there as well, so I just HAD to buy something :^)

Lastly, Sunday night we went to the Toledo Mud Hens baseball game. The stadium is really nice, our seats were good and they won (10-2)!!

One really fun thing that do after Sunday games is let the kids run the bases. This is Jon and Ryan almost getting to second base. Justin and Eric had already rounded all the bases. After running the bases, they also had fireworks.

2 years and growing...

2009-07-28T11:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Ryan's 2 year checkup. Here are the stats...

26 lbs 15 oz (38 percentile)
35 1/4 inches (75 percentile)

Justin at age 2...
23 lbs 10 oz
35 inches

Eric at age 2...
26 lbs
33 inches

Blog?

2009-07-22T15:25:00.002-04:00

Blog...blog...blog...do I have a blog? I guess I "forgot" for a while...maybe no one even noticed I was missing! I will post again soon but am in the midst of VBS this week. Everyone is fine. The kids went to Aunt Sara's house and Grandma's house for a couple of days, they started swimming, are doing VBS and lots of other things. We'll keep you posted!

Vacation

2009-07-11T21:23:00.004-04:00

I know it has been a long time since I last posted, but we have been on vacation. We spent a week at Deer Creek State Park with Jon's family. We had a really fun time and had beautiful weather. The first thing we celebrated was Jon's parents upcoming 70th birthdays. Jon's mom's birthday is in August and his dad's in November, but we thought we would celebrate now since everyone was together. Dan, Kerry, Jamie and Dell made these beautiful hats for them so they could continue to pursue their passions of bird watching and gardening.

There are 7 cousins on the Bossenbroek side of the family. Here are Elise, Justin and Dellen.

And then Jamie, Eric and Ryan. Evan wasn't feeling well for part of the vacation, so he is missing in a lot of pictures.

Evan came alive for his and Ryan's birthday celebration. They share a birthday on July 6. Evan turned 10 and Ryan turned 2. It's hard to believe he is 2 already!

One of his presents was this 3 wheeled Radio Flyer scooter (thanks Oma and Poppy!). He loved the scooter and the older cousins that pulled him around on it. He did manage to push it on his own after a few days.

One day, we rented a pontoon boat and went cruising around the reservoir. Jon did a good job of captaining the ship-he would have made his father-in-law proud! The man at the launch said he docked the boat better than anyone else he had seen. Jon let all the kids have their turn at the wheel too.

Here are all the kids...7 kids in 8 years.

Another day we went hiking in Hocking Hills State Park. Jon and I had been there one time before but our kids had never been there. They loved the hikes. Here we are at the Upper Falls of Old Man's Cave.

Despite the fact that Jon had to put in some late nights working on 2 grants that were due while we were there and Kerry could only come for one night due to studying for one of her nursing tests, it was a wonderful family vacation. We are very thankful for the families we have and opportunities to vacation together. The last time the Bossenbroeks got together, I was very pregnant with Ryan and decided I should stay home since they were about 5 hours from Toledo in Michigan.

Absolutely Hilarious!

2009-06-23T22:57:00.002-04:00

Ryan on the "Slipping Slide" (as he calls it)...the placement was Justin and Eric's idea!

Safe T City

2009-06-20T21:27:00.002-04:00

Eric "graduated" from Safe T City on Friday, although the graduation ceremony itself was canceled due to rain. Safe T City is a great program put on by the police department for soon to be kindergartners. They learn about all things related to safety-stranger danger, rules of the road, poison, bike safety, bus safety, etc. They also get to ride these trikes through a miniature city to practice their skills. He went for 8 days. Eric loved it!

Bike helmets were available for $5 so we bought him a new one.

The next Detroit Tiger?

2009-06-18T10:19:00.003-04:00

Justin loves to play baseball and he loves the Detroit Tigers. He had his last game last night for his school baseball team. Next week he switches back to soccer as he will go to soccer camp with some of his buddies from school.

Happy 40th Anniversary!

2009-06-16T09:02:00.001-04:00

New Words

2009-06-05T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today, while in the sandbox, Ryan said "Ryan Bossenbroek". Can you tell what I call him when he is naughty?

Piano Recital

2009-06-01T14:22:00.002-04:00

We are very proud of Justin for completing his first piano recital yesterday. He did a great job and was very cool under pressure. He played a piece named "Walter the Snake".

Pittsburgh

2009-05-26T15:46:00.004-04:00

Over the holiday weekend, we took a family trip to Pittsburgh. We had a great time and packed in the activities. ..

First, we rode the incline for a great view of the city...

This is a park right at the point where the two rivers (Allegheny and Monongahela) meet...

This is Carnegie Science Center...the kids (and Jon) loved this jumping exhibit!

Here the kids are in the USS Requin...a retired submarine.

Jon and I relaxing while the kids played at the museum. The kids were playing in the ball room that allowed them to move the balls up to a compartment above their heads and than at various intervals, all the balls would dump down on them. The whole family had fun in it!

The last day, we went to the Zoo. Here is Eric riding in the log. Justin and Ryan were in another one.

This was the Naked Mole Rat play structure. Ryan surprised Jon and I by climbing throughout the whole thing, even to the top level! It was fun to watch all three of the boys playing together in here. We had to drag them out...

Although you can really see it very well, Justin and Eric are popping out in that glass dome in the middle of the meerkat exhibit. Justin was super excited since meerkats are his favorite animal.

It was a wonderful weekend. Pittsburgh is fun and very pretty. We could not believe how hilly the city is and how the buildings and houses are just built right on the hills. We could not have even counted the number of times we went across a bridge!

Last Day of Preschool

2009-05-22T13:21:00.003-04:00

Today was Eric's last day of preschool. He had a great year at Epworth and was really sad that the year had come to an end. Here is a picture of him with his two teachers. Next stop...kindergarten!

Conference at UT

2009-05-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

Our local paper, The Toledo Blade, ran a story this morning about a conference that is going on at UT this week. Jon has been involved in the planning and will be busy this week with the conference. The article can be found here.

Preschool Picnic

2009-05-15T22:00:00.002-04:00

We had a picnic for Eric's preschool today at lunch. It was at the local Metro Park, Wildwood. The kids had fun playing after we ate. Here are some of his friends...

Eric has one more week of preschool left, then he is done for the year. We have really been happy with ECEC this year. He has made some good friends and the teachers were excellent!

Little Dutch Boy

2009-05-12T22:12:00.004-04:00

In honor of Tulip Time being last week in Holland, Ryan has been wearing some wooden shoes around the house that he found.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T15:36:00.004-04:00

Jon and the kids made a wonderful dinner on Saturday night for Mother's Day. We thought we should celebrate then since our Sunday was going to be full. On Sunday Jon headed off for UT's graduation, the boys and I went to church and then Eric had a soccer game. Later in the day, the boys made a garden stone with their handprints in it.

Handsome Boy

2009-05-08T14:27:00.003-04:00

Today, Justin had to participate in the May Crowning ceremony at his school. They were supposed to wear a shirt and tie instead of their uniform. Doesn't he look handsome??

Mom's Night

2009-05-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

Tonight was Mom's Night at Eric's preschool. Prior to going to the preschool, some moms and kids went to a Japanese Steak House for dinner. It was a really nice time to spend with Eric and with friends. 4 out of the 5 kids there tonight at dinner will be in Kindergarten with Eric at Gesu next year.

Eric and Josef

Eric, Eleanor and Josef at Mom's Night

Publication

2009-05-03T20:58:00.004-04:00

Jon is very pleased to see this book finally out in print. The outline for this book came about 3 years ago, just after we left Notre Dame. Jon is a contributor to 4 of the chapters. The information for the book can be found here.

Bubbles

2009-05-01T14:13:00.004-04:00

Sometimes a $4 toy is SO worth it!

Biking

2009-04-27T10:49:00.003-04:00

Sunday, we took advantage of this beautiful weather and went biking. We have quite the caravan when we go out.

About 2 minutes after taking these pictures, it was a downpour!

The Good and the Bad

2009-04-22T21:58:00.002-04:00

I always tend to post the good and cute things my kids do. It seems like bragging because we all know that kids are not always good and cute. Yesterday, Eric, Ryan and I had to go to church for meeting in the morning, then took a trip to Target and then had to stop at the grocery store for 3 things. Jon is out of town and we needed bread and 2 other things so we could make dinner. Once we got into Kroger, Ryan lost it and screamed, kicked and threw a fit all the way through the store while I grabbed the 3 things we needed. You should have seen the looks I got!! Poor Eric sat in the cart with his ears plugged. Needless to say, it was embarassing and I was about in tears as I loaded the boys in the car and headed home (with Ryan still screaming). So, now you know...we have the ugly in our house too.

I'm Back...

2009-04-16T21:07:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time...two weeks ago the flu moved through our whole family. Luckily, it was pretty short lived, but I have not felt I have caught up on "life" since then. It just put us behind on everything. Here's what we have been up to...

Eric on a Bike

2009-03-30T20:35:00.003-04:00

Look what Eric learned to do tonight...

Early Easter Eggs

2009-03-29T15:27:00.002-04:00

Our church hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt yesterday. The kids could hunt for eggs in different parts of our church, depending on their age. They also had games, crafts and food.

After the morning at church, we went to look at bikes for Justin, grabbed a bagel at Panera and then headed for Justin's soccer game. On the way, Jon and I were talking and not really paying too much attention to what the boys were doing in the back. When I did turn around, this is what I saw...

Yes, that is chocolate all over his face and hands...apparently, he can unwrap chocolate eggs now! We figure he ate 2 or 3 before we realized what he was doing.

Laundry

2009-03-19T17:00:00.001-04:00

This is Ryan's idea of "helping" with the laundry! (In case you can't see, those are Eric's underwear on his head. Ryan did that one all by himself!)

Water Park Fun!!

2009-03-11T10:24:00.004-04:00

We went to Kalahari water park on Sunday night and Monday night for a little vacation. Jon is on spring break, so we went with some other professor friends from UT and their kids. We had a great time. The kids loved it and are ready to go again. It was a really nice break. All 12 (6 adults, 6 kids) of us shared a three bedroom suite with a kitchen. It worked out really well. Here is Ryan playing on the "dry" toys...

Eric and Jon in the huge wave pool...

Justin loved crashing into the waves...

That's Justin coming out of the green slide on the tube. He was so brave the whole time. He tried almost everything. We were really proud of his independence!

This is the Cheetah Race, one of Eric's favorites. That's Eric coming down the slide on the right and I am just coming out of the chute right next to him. He won! Of course, the lifeguards always gave him a little push at the top :^)

Ryan was pretty content to just watch everyone and everything most of the time, but he did play in the little kids area a little.

Notice Ryan's "yankee" on the ground in front of them. This was the last day and he was tired and insisted on taking his "yankee". He spent most of the day cuddling with it and sucking his fingers!

This was Victoria Falls. This is Justin, Charlotte and Chris. The kids really liked this one too because you could have up to 4 people in the raft.

Cold Fun

2009-03-02T15:14:00.004-05:00

My mom, Sara, Jake, Katherine and Maria came for a visit this weekend. We had a great time! We started off the weekend, by celebrating my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Grams!

The weekend was cold, but we still spent a lot of time outside. The kids spent a lot of time playing "School" with the Double Dutch rope. Here is Eric jumping for a grade...

And here is Justin...

Maria and Ryan and George all had their Curious George jammies on...

Spelling

2009-02-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

One of Justin's spelling/vocabulary words for this week...paleontologist

More Winter

2009-02-21T16:59:00.002-05:00

Another 3 inches...

One Year Later...

2009-02-20T10:53:00.002-05:00

What a difference a year can make!

Curious George

2009-02-15T14:15:00.003-05:00

There are a lot of things that I have meant to do lately (clean the microwave, finish the book on marriage I am reading, organize my scrapbook stuff so I can scrapbook again, exercise!). This post is one of those things. By default at Christmas with the Ploegstra's, Ryan got a Curious George stuffed animal (it's a long story)...He loves "George" (Ryan can say his name-so cute!)-he sleeps with him and sometimes wants him swaddled in one of his "yankees" and calls him a baby. Anyway, the last time we saw my parents, my mom made some flannel Curious George PJs for Ryan and for George.

OK, so one thing off that "to do" list...

Saint Matthew

2009-02-12T14:32:00.003-05:00

Justin had to do a report on a saint for school (he does go to a Catholic school!). He chose to do his on Matthew. Here is the costume we made for the presentation.

Life

2009-02-09T20:43:00.003-05:00

I have not been posting too much lately...life just keeps going. We have all been fighting colds. The weekend was pretty relaxing- Justin's basketball game on Saturday followed by projects around the house, Sunday was church, I had to teach for the children's worship and then at night we had a Valentine-treat-bag making night at church for the shut-ins followed by a potluck dinner and children's choir rehearsal. Tonight I had another family (of 3 kids!) start piano bringing my total for students up to 7. I really did not anticipate having this many students, but it is going well. I teach on Monday and Tuesday nights, so Jon is available to watch our children. Monday nights I have 4 kids come here for their lessons and then on Tuesday nights I go a family's house to teach their 3 kids. I am enjoying taking a step back into "teaching" and feel blessed to be able to do this.

Good Morning!

2009-02-03T10:12:00.003-05:00

This is what I saw when I walked into Ryan's room this morning...

Snow!

2009-01-28T13:59:00.001-05:00

This was our view out our front window this morning...no school.

The snow has stopped as of about noon and we have about 6-7 inches on new snow on top of what we still had. I think we are in the top 5 for the snowiest January in Toledo.

"Eric"

2009-01-26T16:07:00.003-05:00

You have to listen close, but this is SOOOO cute!

The Orange Chair

2009-01-23T15:41:00.002-05:00

Today was a sad day for Jon....he had to say goodbye to the orange chair. This chair started out as Jon's parents, then it was passed on to Jon for college, it made it way into our apartment once we were married and then has been "the last thing on the truck" each time we moved. Somehow there has always been room! We finally decided, it was time for it to go. The stuffing was coming out, the fabric was ripped and the recliner didn't always work right. Jon wanted one more chance to sit in it after we moved it to the curb for trash day.

Inauguration

2009-01-20T19:41:00.002-05:00

Today the TV rules were not observed...the TV was on for a large portion of the day. Jon came home for lunch today, after letting his class out early, to watch the Inauguration with Eric, Ryan and I. Justin watched at school while eating his lunch. The whole day was a great chance to have conversations about race, politics, history and more. The kids were so insightful about the events, coming up with great questions. For example, Justin asked why people usually married people with the same color skin as theirs and Eric asked about the eternal flame and why the Kennedy men had a "special" place in Arlington Cemetery. Other things that interested them were whether there were words to "Hail to the Chief", how many lanes the bowling alley has in the White House and whether Malia and Sasha would ever see their dad while he was President! I love the things they think about... It made us all want to take a family vacation to DC sometime soon!

A New Word

2009-01-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first time that Ryan has tried to say either of the boys names. He said a version of Eric that was unstandable to Eric and I. He has been talking for a while, but has never tried to vocalize anything for his brothers (other than screams, of course!).

Books

2009-01-12T13:03:00.002-05:00

OK, so I have to admit, I love lists. I like to make them and then I like to check things off of them. Sometimes writing things down is the only way I can get things done. It holds me accountable. I always have a list of things to do, a Costco list and a Target list started so I can do what I need to and not forget! Another thing I always make lists of is the books I have read and the ones I would like to read. I have kept a booklist since the time Jon and I have been married, which is over 12 years! It's fun to look back and see what I have read. Recently, I have started to add a couple of sentences about each book otherwise, honestly, I forget what most of them are about, especially the fiction. Here is the list of some of the latest books I have read...

1. Peony in Love by Lisa See
2. The Shack by William P. Young
3. Vanishing Act by Jodi Picoult
4. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
5. Evening by Susan Minot
6. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

I am currently reading The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb and God is Closer Than You Think by John Ortberg.

Snow, snow and snow

2009-01-10T17:30:00.003-05:00

Since yesterday at about 11:00am, when it started snowing, we have received about 8" of snow! It is slowing down now and will end tonight. We had a fun day-Justin had a basketball game, we played in the snow and Jon, Justin and Eric went sledding. Here are the boys with their new wrist guards to keep out the snow and their new Buckeye hats- all made by Grandma Ploegstra! (And yes, we still like the Buckeyes even though they lost!)

Here is Justin "decorating" the house with his snow art...

Justin and I made a hill in the backyard so he could sled down.

Finally, a new post...and pictures!

2009-01-07T13:08:00.003-05:00

I forgot my camera when we went up to Michigan for Christmas with my family. I used my mom's camera when we were there. Jon downloaded the pictures before we left there onto his laptop and now, I finally have pictures on our home computer to post on the blog! We had a great time celebrating Christmas with my family. Here are some highlights...

The first thing we celebrated was Maria's 3rd birthday...Cowabunga!!

Justin and Jake and their Bristleblock creations!

Just and Grams (I just love this picture!)

Eric and Katherine - These two have a lot of fun playing together.

Gramzies and Pa (what the kids call my parents) and the whole crew of 6 grandkids!

The nutcracker and Ryan- he was a little scared at first that it was taller than him!

Jon "punching" (as Maria calls it) on the Wii at Sara and Brad's house.

Sledding on what little snow was left in Grams and Pa's back yard.

A Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T20:37:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Christmas this year with the Bossenbroeks in Columbus. We had a wonderful time. The cousins (7 grandkids in all, ranging from 9 years to 1 year) always have a great time playing together. Here are the highlights...

Christmas Day

Eric with his new stuffed animal..."Belugee the Beluga"

Justin with his new animal..."Murray the Meerkat"

A morning at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

At the Conservatory, watching the train display.

Spaghetti anyone?

2008-12-23T17:35:00.001-05:00

The Lost is Found #2

2008-12-23T12:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, so last week I wrote a post about being overjoyed when we found a missing piece to a game (well, actually I was wondering about my mental health!). I had another moment like this yesterday...Justin had a book still listed as checked out on his library card although we were sure we had returned it. We had been waiting for someone to "discover" it in the library so it would be taken off our card and yesterday it was! Thank goodness for small things that make you happy...

Lights and Snow

2008-12-18T22:09:00.003-05:00

Tonight we went to see the Lights at the Zoo. The Toledo Zoo puts up an amazing amount of lights every Christmas. The kids love to go every year.

We also have received our first snow. Tuesday night we got about 3-4 inches. The kids were very excited about having snow to play outside. Ryan even wanted to go out. As you can see, he has his brothers trained to pull him around in the sled.

The Lost is Found

2008-12-17T15:43:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I wonder about my mental health when the highlight of my day is Ryan finding a piece to a game that has been missing for quite some time!

Packed Weekend

2008-12-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

My parents were visiting us this weekend and I don't think we could have packed much more into the weekend. Friday night mom and I went Christmas shopping. Saturday we went to the open house of the newly renovated Savage Hall on UT's campus. Savage Hall is where the UT Rockets play their basketball games. Then we went to the Manor House at the Wildwood Metro Park in Toledo. The Manor House is an old mansion that they decorate for the holidays. That afternoon my mom and I stopped by a friends house who was having an open house for the jewlery she makes. Then we headed to the Libbey Glass Outlet store. Libbey Glass is headquartered here in Toledo. Sunday brought church then home for lunch and a quick nap before heading off to a music concert at our church. The boys (Justin and Eric) are in a children's choir that sang at the concert. To top off the weekend (and the reason my parents came to town in the first place), my mom and I went on a holiday tour of homes in the Westmoreland neighborhood, which is a neighborhood in town with rather large homes that date back to the early 1900s. Westmoreland is about a mile from our house and is located right next to Justin's school. The homes were absolutely beautiful! It was an exciting, busy weekend, but it was great fun.

Funny Ryan Story!

2008-12-08T21:51:00.002-05:00

I am usually not very good about writing down the funny things our kids do and say, which means Jon and I have forgotten a lot! But, here is a good one...I have a 20" Nutcracker that sits on the floor in the front entry way. Today, Ryan went and found the mini-nutcracker we have hanging on the Christmas tree and set it on the floor next to the big Nutcracker. Too cute!! (Then, he went on to bang the smaller nutcracker against the floor and break his arm off. Super glue is wonderful!)

Simple Entertainment

2008-12-05T14:11:00.002-05:00

This was the entertainment last night while Jon was at book group...Ryan started putting crayons down Justin's shirt and then Eric joined in. Justin tucked his sweatshirt in and got quite the crayon belly! Oh, the simple pleasures of childhood!

December already?

2008-12-03T22:02:00.003-05:00

I really have not been trying to ignore the blog, but since coming back from Thanksgiving we have just settled back into our routine of life. On Monday, Jon's mom had surgery and is doing good. We are extremely thankful for the good surgery. The boys are both back to school, Jon is back to teaching for 2 weeks yet till the end of the semester, I have been teaching some piano lessons, we have started to think about Christmas shopping and tonight we watched Rudolph on TV as a family. Ryan loved the snowman who narrates it and laughed when the abominable snowman came on whereas Eric is still a bit scared then he comes on.

Blessing #13

2008-11-25T14:22:00.003-05:00

Games (from Eric)

The whole family really likes to play games together. It is a little more difficult to sit down and play a game lately with Ryan around, but we try to manage. Ryan likes to "play" with them too (taking all the pieces out of the box and throwing them on the floor!!).

Blessing #10,11,12

2008-11-23T21:18:00.005-05:00

(I am posting for the last couple of days since we were out of town for the weekend)

#10 Playing (from Ryan)

Ryan likes to slide down the stairs on Justin's lap. They call it "Bump Bump".

"There is a time for everything...a time to laugh" Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4

#11 BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) (from Tina)

I have attended Bible Study Fellowship for the last three years. Since I have started I have studied Genesis, Romans, Matthew and this year, the life of Moses. Although I may not agree with all the things said in BSF or written in the lessons, it has been a blessing to me as a Bible Study. The lesson each week is divided up into days of the week, so it really encourages you to spend time with your Bible and God every day! The lessons are thought provoking and very thorough. Another blessing of BSF is the children's department. Eric comes with me and attends his own class. He really enjoys his time spent there and comes home with a good understanding of the story they have covered (which is the same as I study each week).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly" Colossians 3:16

#12 The Bible (from Justin)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" Psalm 119:105

Blessing #9

2008-11-20T22:25:00.006-05:00

Knowledge/Education (Jon)

Proverbs 15:14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

I can only hope that I more frequently have a discerning heart rather than a mouth of folly. I realized today that since kindergarten I have been associated with a school for all but 6 months. I am thankful for my education and for the pursuit of knowledge, I hope it has helped me discern right from wrong and what is true. Since kindergarten I have pursed an education at Indian Springs Elementary School, Brentnell Elementary, Monroe Middle School, C.A.H.S., Calvin College, UW-Green Bay, Colorado State University, Univ. of Notre Dame, and the Univ. of Toledo, not to mention the churches I have attended, the book groups I've been a part of and the conversations with friends and family. These institutions and individuals have all played a significant role in my life. I am also thankful for the education of our children, both Justin and Eric have a thirst for knowledge and it is a joy to watch them grow, Justin at Gesu Catholic School and Eric and Epworth Preschool. I can only hope they continue on their current paths.

Blessing #8

2008-11-19T20:25:00.003-05:00

Brothers (from Eric)

"Keep on loving each other as brothers." Hebrews 13:1

Blessing #7

2008-11-18T20:50:00.001-05:00

Food (from Justin)

My dinner...

In case you are wondering...it is Tilapia with bread crumbs, applesauce, pea pods and toasted bread.

"I will rain down bread from heaven for you." Exodus 16:4

Blessing #6

2008-11-17T15:03:00.005-05:00

Books! (from Tina)

I am very thankful for books. All of us love to sit and read whenever we have the chance. I was especially reminded of how wonderful it can be to read today. Justin was home from school today with a cold, so during Ryan's nap Justin, Eric and I cuddled up on the couch and read a whole book. What a wonderful thing to do on a cold afternoon. I took a picture of some of the books that were lying on the coffee table. Some of them we have read and some are waiting to be read.

"Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands." Proverbs 119:66

Blessing #5

2008-11-16T21:48:00.001-05:00

Blankets! (from Ryan)

All of us decided that if Ryan could say what he was thankful for, he would say his two favorite blankets, which he affectionately calls his "yankees". (And I think he is thankful for fingers too!)

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Isaiah 66:13

Blessing #4

2008-11-15T09:56:00.002-05:00

Friends (from Eric)

"A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17

I like my family and my friends.

Blessing #3

2008-11-14T22:06:00.004-05:00

Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother"

Grandparents - Oma and Poppy & Grams and Gramps
My (this is Jon writing) parents are in Madagascar for several weeks seeking out a few more rare birds to add to their life list. Their two passions in life are birds and grand kids. This goes for the Tina's parents too, just substitute mission trips to the Gulf Coast for birds. Anyway, I realized today that it had been a couple of weeks since I had spoken to mom and dad because phone and internet access aren't always available in Madagascar. Imagine that! We don't always talk for a long time, but we talk often and I miss them. I am very thankful for both my parents and Tina's parents. They have supported us throughout our lives and continue to do so; helping us on many of our seven moves, painting bedrooms, building patios, replacing doors, watching kids and offering support. We wouldn't be where we are as a family without their love and support.

Blessing #2

2008-11-13T18:07:00.001-05:00

Love (from Justin)

"This is my command: Love each other." John 15:17

Thankfulness

2008-11-12T20:20:00.003-05:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
His love endures forever" Psalm 107:1

We are going to be doing something a little different on the blog until Thanksgiving. Each day, one of us will be posting something that we are thankful for. Hopefully this will help open our eyes to all of the blessings that God has provided for us!

Blessing #1 - The BossenBoys!!!

I will be the first to admit, that I take them for granted way too often. When they whine and fight, it is too easy to forget what a true blessing three healthy boys are to me! Jon and I were reminded again of this during the last week as we received Justin's report card and Eric's progress report from preschool as well as attended Justin's parent teacher conference. All their teachers commented on their good behavior, great work and kind hearts. It is great to hear that about your kids and encourages me when I don't always see that behavior at home :^)

A Blog Makeover

2008-11-09T21:24:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my friend, Amy, for letting me know about a website (the ad is in the upper left corner of the blog) that gives you free layouts for your blog. I loved the way her blog looked so I went and picked out a different one for our blog. I hope you like it.

Vocabulary

2008-11-07T21:28:00.002-05:00

Ryan is learning new words everyday. Here is the list (at least the ones I can think of!)...

duck (his favorite :^)
ball
mom
dad
nose
no (yes is a smile while panting!)
wow!
book
nack (short for snack!)
baby
uice (for juice)
milk

November?

2008-11-05T11:10:00.002-05:00

We had a great election day playing in the leaves. What a beautiful fall day!

Happy Birthday Jon!

2008-11-01T20:47:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to Jon! Happy Halloween! Ryan and I went to a concert at Justin's school and then to one at Eric's preschool and then Eric, Ryan and I went out for lunch with Jon for his birthday. At night we went to a party at a friend's house a couple of streets away. The dads and kids went out Trick or Treating and the moms stayed home and passed out candy, then everyone came back their house for food and fun. It was an absolutely beautiful night!

UT Football

2008-10-27T15:58:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we went to the University of Toledo football game. They played Central Michigan University. Unfortunately, they lost (24-23). We had a good time anyway.

The game started at noon. Ryan made it to the end of the third quarter before I headed home with him.

Happy Birthday Eric!

2008-10-25T07:41:00.003-04:00

On Thursday was Eric's 5th birthday. He had a fun day. A friend from preschool was having his birthday party on Thursday so we spent a couple of hours at Playground World, an indoor showroom for playsets. Eric had fun playing on the toys and with his friends.

For dinner, we went to Red Robin with my parents.

Lastly, he was able to open his presents! What a great day!

Appointments

2008-10-21T18:49:00.002-04:00

Today was a day of appointments. Ryan had his 15 month check up this morning. He is doing great. He is 23lbs 10 ozs, which is the 42% for weight and 31 3/4 inches, which is the 70% for height. At this age Justin was only 21 lbs and 32 inches and Eric was 22 lbs 2 ozs and 31 inches. He also had to have 3 shots. Eric also got a couple of shots now so when he goes in for his 5 year appointment next month, he will only need to get 2 more. All of his shots are to get him up to date for kindergarten next year. Then, this afternoon, Justin had his first orthodontist appointment. He did great. It was a reminder of how much money we will probably be spending on his mouth further down the road!

Big Trucks

2008-10-14T21:11:00.003-04:00

We had some "big trucks" in our yard today. The sewer line that runs behind our house needed some repair. There had been a sinking spot in our yard. The workmen had their job cut out for them trying to maneuver around the swing set. The boys really enjoyed watching the work. The best news is that it cost us nothing...except the tread marks in our yard!

Bruises

2008-10-11T13:32:00.003-04:00

We've had a few accidents this week...Justin fell on his scooter on Thursday on the way home from piano lessons and bruised his elbow, wrist and face. Ryan fell this morning in front of our house on the sidewalk and bruised his face. Ouch!!

Homecoming

2008-10-07T22:00:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday was homecoming for UT. Homecoming is quite a big deal in our neighborhood. There is a parade that winds through Old Orchard in the afternoon. We were invited to two parties (both families of kids in Justin's class) during the day. The pictures are of the boys watching the parade in front of the house that we were at for one of the parties. Oh, I forgot to mention why the kids like the parade so much...they throw a TON of candy!!! (I feel I should mention that UT got smoked in the football game against Ball State 31-0 - we did not go however, because we were at home watching the OSU-UW game. Go Bucs!)

Justin's Room

2008-10-05T20:30:00.003-04:00

Before...

After...

A big THANK YOU to our parents- Oma and Poppy for preparing the walls and painting the walls and Grandpa and Grandma for doing the stripes. Justin loves his new room!

Track-a-thon

2008-10-03T19:25:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday, Justin's school (Gesu Catholic School) had it's 10th annual Track-a-thon. The Track-a-thon is the one fundraiser the school has during the school year to raise funds. The kids go to the high school next door and run around the track for 20 minutes. Previous to the run the kids raise pledges for their run. Each time the kids make a loop (they put K-2nd on 1/2 of the track and 3-6 on the other half of the track) they get a rubber band on their wrist. At the end, the kids can count how many times they made it around. A local orchard donates apples for an after run treat.

This is Justin's 2nd grade class...

Here is Justin running strong...

At the end of the run...

Eric or Ryan?

2008-10-01T10:35:00.001-04:00

Apple Picking

2008-09-27T20:39:00.003-04:00

Today we went apple picking at MacQueens Orchard . Everyone had fun picking apples, eating apples and climbing a few trees. We picked a bushel just for eating and then bought a bushel of seconds for making applesauce. Jon is in the midst of cooking some of the apples and canning some of the applesauce and grading the exams that his class took last Thursday.

Books

2008-09-26T13:51:00.002-04:00

I have really enjoyed the last 2 books I have read.

Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (fiction)
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell (non-fiction)

School season

2008-09-23T10:47:00.001-04:00

Well, I feel like we have officially started fall and the school season. Ryan and I both have come down with the first colds of the season. Luckily no one else seems to be affected (yet!), so let's hope we can pass this out of our family.

A "normal" Saturday

2008-09-20T21:40:00.002-04:00

Today was a nice day in Toledo. Warm and sunny, although it was a bit cloudy this morning. It was a pretty normal day here. Justin and I ran some errands after breakfast. Justin's favorite errand of the morning was going to Costco. They usually have a lot of samples on the weekend and he loves to see what he can try! Ryan took a nap while we were gone while Jon and Eric did some playing and working on the computer. After lunch, we all headed outside to clean the garage (and play). Justin had a soccer game at 3:15pm. His team did great and they won (although we are not supposed to keep score!). Justin was pleased because he scored 2 goals. After the soccer game, we made a quick stop at ToysRUs so Justin could buy a new Lego set he has been saving up for. He was quite happy with his first "big" purchase and all the pieces are spread across the dining room table waiting to be finished being put together. We had some dinner and then I cut Justin, Eric and Jon's hair. The boys had baths and after some books, were put to bed. Jon is out on the patio grading papers and I am trying to do some laundry.

Justin is 8!

2008-09-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, September 16, Justin turned 8 years old! Jon's parents were in town for the weekend to help us celebrate and to start with the redo of Justin's room (pictures of that will come later when we finish it). Here are some pictures from the birthday celebration...

Wedding china...finally!

2008-09-13T22:04:00.003-04:00

After 12 years of marriage, we have finally unpacked our wedding china. We have never had any sort of hutch to put our china in, so we have never been able to get it out. Last weekend, we purchased this hutch at a used furniture store.

Piano Lessons

2008-09-08T12:53:00.000-04:00

Justin started piano lessons last week from a woman in our neighborhood. He liked his first lesson. Here he is practicing.

Glasses for Justin

2008-09-04T16:45:00.001-04:00

"The BIG Day!"

2008-09-03T16:24:00.000-04:00

Eric has been counting down to "The BIG Day" since Justin started school. "The BIG Day" is the first day of preschool. This morning when he woke up, he stated "I can't believe today is the big day!" Needless to say, he was quite excited. And preschool did not disappoint. It was a short day today (just an hour) and one parent needed to stay with them today. We had a good time. There are a couple of siblings of kids in Justin's class that are in Eric's class, so he did know a couple of other kids. Those kids will all more together to Gesu School next year for kindergarten. Normally Eric will attend preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am to 11:30am. The second picture is of the bag that he is to take everyday for projects and papers. We each used paint today in preschool to put one of our handprints on the back of the bag. One of the most exciting things for Eric today was to learn he has homework! He needs to fill out a book report once a month! Now he can be just like Justin, which makes Eric extremely proud!

Gasoline

2008-09-02T14:03:00.000-04:00

I feel like I got a good deal today...gas for $3.39 per gallon at our Costco store.

Mudhens Baseball

2008-09-01T20:36:00.000-04:00

Friday night we went to the last home baseball game of the season for the Toledo Mudhens. Unfortunately, the Mudhens lost to the Columbus Clippers, but we still had fun. We meet some friends at the game that have boys the same ages as Justin and Eric. As an added bonus, there were fireworks after the game.

Soccer

2008-08-28T20:49:00.001-04:00

Soccer practice for Justin (and Jon) started this week. Jon will be coaching one of the two 2nd grade teams this season. Since Jon is the "head coach", we have the job of collecting money, collecting medical forms, ordering jerseys for the new players, etc which has entailed quite a lot of administrative time. He is also trying to divide the players as randomly as possible into 2 teams. All this has been new for us as he was just more of a helper last year. Despite all this, practice went well Tuesday and there is one more practice before the first game next weekend. The nice part about this team is that it is through Justin's school, so it is all kids he knows. It is nice for the parents too because you can get to know them when you are sitting on the sidelines cheering on the kids.

UT starts classes

2008-08-25T20:58:00.000-04:00

University of Toledo started classes today. Jon is teaching a graduate level class called Applied Spacial Ecology which has 6 students enrolled and an undergraduate class called General Ecology. There will be about 40 students in this class.

House Projects

2008-08-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

There are always endless projects that we would like to do or should do on the house. Here are pictures of two projects we have been working on. The first is the banister upstairs. Jon and I stripped all the paint off to expose the wood. Here the boys are working on it with some steel wool. The second picture is the back entry way. We are painting the walls and stripping the paint off the trim so we can stain it.

On the go...sometimes!

2008-08-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

OK, so this is a really bad post...the video is dark and sideways. I can not figure out how to turn videos. If anyone can help, let me know. Ryan is walking a bit more lately. He has been taking a step here and there for quite a while, but did not really seem that interested in walking for any longer distances. He is starting to figure it out now. He was walking toward Jon and the Olympics, which was on TV (which explains the blueish look on his face at the end). Speaking of the Olympics, Justin and Eric have been enjoying watching them on TV. They love to see sports they have not watched before as well as some others such as diving and gymnastics. Today they even watched a clip of BMX biking and archery on the computer.

First Day of School

2008-08-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of 2nd grade!

This was the first day of 1st grade (2007).

This was the first day of kindergarten (2006).

End of Summer

2008-08-19T20:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I have not posted for quite some time. The end of summer came quickly. In the last week, we made another trip to Michigan for a cousin's wedding, had our 12th anniversary, took Justin to the doctor for his yearly check-up and physical for soccer, went to an opening ice-cream social for Justin's school, Jon caught a fish with my dad and we have watched quite a lot of Olympics. Although the title of the blog is quite depressing, it seems true since Justin starts school tomorrow.

Blueberry Lover

2008-08-12T22:04:00.001-04:00

Ryan definitely loves blueberries as much as I do. Anytime anyone opened up the refrigerator at my mom and dad's last week, Ryan would try to sneak in and get the bowl of blueberries. Here he is caught in the act!