This is an older video of our family singing happy birthday to Ben's Grandpa, or the kids' great-grandpa. He turned 90 in September and we love him very much. Some people were having issues viewing the video on facebook, so we're going to try here.

It is not the most professional music video ever made, but it does give you a little glimpse into what our life is truly like! 

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

A Family of Five!

Ivy Leigh joined our family outside of the womb @ 2:16pm on Friday, April 20. We are all adjusting to this new wonder and the challenges of kids outnumbering the adults. More will come, but here's a picture of our beautiful daughter:

First Awards Assembly

One of the cornerstones of Crossroads Charter Academy is to highlight student academic and character achievements with a monthly awards ceremony.  During this ceremony, students receive awards recognizing students' abilities to reach academic benchmarks.  The reading benchmark/goal for kindergarten is to read 20 books a month (or 20 chapters in a month, for those of us that are into the chapter book realm--thank you Magic Tree House series).  We have no trouble reading 20 books a month in our house--it's going to be more of a challenge to see if Mom and Dad are diligent enough to fill out the sheet.  Here is a picture of Violet receiving her first kindergarten award:

There were a few tears as she left when she realized that she didn't receive the character award for respect and responsibility, but overall she's learning slowly that life isn't fair, and you don't get a prize for everything.  Her teacher is fantastic in explaining that just because you don't receive the award, doesn't mean that you don't exhibit that trait, but it is hard for a 5 year old to understand!  Next month's award is for diligence, so we'll have to make sure we're working on that at home as well.

It's hard to believe that the first month of kindergarten is gone!  It has been full of fun and exciting things--new schedule, new friends, new activities, field trips, and so much more!  If this is how fast a month goes, it's going to be kindergarten graduation time way too soon! 

Violet goes to Kindergarten!

I will need to rewind and post about our summer, but today marks the beginning of a new era at Possibility Manor--Violet is in Kindergarten.  Here are a few pictures from this morning:

Some pictures

Miles decided to imitate being a baby while in Iowa--he loved Lily's rocker and her abandoned pacifier.

Violet all dressed up for spring picture day...Isn't she beautiful (and so grown up???)

Miles is having difficulty sleeping through the night in his own bed again--this is where he finally fell asleep at 4:30AM--with company. :)

The Talsma Clan, April 2011

Update on Violet

Last Friday, Violet had her yearly appointment with the cardiologist. For those of you that may have not been following the blog over the last year or so, you can read about the journey to this point here

Since, we were tagging a trip to Iowa after the appointment Friday afternoon, we left our house in a little bit of a rush--and of course, Arby's cannot be fast when you need them to be. But, we made it down to Grand Rapids and the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. (Can I say wow--such a great place.) The cardiology department is on the 10th floor, and all the exam rooms are on the outside of the building, giving you a great view of the city while you wait. Both kids enjoyed standing in the wells of the windows to look around.

The appointment went very smoothly; by now, Violet is a pro at having the electrocardiogram and the ultrasound of her heart, and I am just amazed at how kid friendly they have been able to make everything.

The good news is that Violet's condition hasn't worsened. Her heart is growing with her, and the enlargement from blood flow is growing in proportion to the natural growth of her heart. Since we have not noticed any adverse health conditions, the cardiologist strongly encouraged us to wait on the surgery; however, he also encouraged us to get a second opinion if we wanted more information. The main reason for delaying the surgery in his eyes was--if, by chance, they get in there and are unable to fix it properly or at all, replacement of the valve would need to happen, and that brings a whole other realm of side-effects and long-term lifestyle changes. It also would mean that if it was done too early, the procedure would have to be done again because an adult valve does not fit in a child's body.

So, again we sit and wait. In some ways the good news was discouraging for me because it still does not give us an answer. Part of me just wishes we could go in and get the surgery over and done with. But, another part of me hopes that maybe we can avoid the surgery all together. The possibility of that is slim to none, but the cardiologist also told us that he has patients that have gone 15 years without getting to the point of necessary surgery.

The one downer of the visit was that the cardiologist did forewarn us that until the surgery is completed, that he would probably restrict her from many sports (basketball, track and field, soccer, etc.). At this point, Violet has shown more interest in dance than any other sport, so this forewarning may be a mute point, but Ben and I are fairly athletic and sport driven, and the idea of our children not being able to physically participate is a little hard to swallow. Youth sports are not of concern because of the casual/everyone participates philosophy, but upper elementary/middle school/varsity would be of concern.

All in all, we are getting a very large lesson in patience and relinquishing control. We love our daughter and she brings so much joy to our lives and the lives of many other people. And although it may not be the journey we had envisioned, it is a wonderful journey in and of itself.

Thanks again to all of you who keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We ccovet them immensely and will continue to keep you informed/updated.

The big news....

VIOLET CAN READ!

I had really hoped to catch the big news on video, but a big 4-year old will got in the way. :)

Hopefully she'll become a little more comfortable (our little perfectionist does not like to read books if she doesn't know she's going to read all the words correctly) and we'll be able to capture her reading very soon.

Christmas in Iowa

I had a few questions about the absence of pictures from Christmas #3 and Christmas #4 in the slide show. Truth is, we left our camera at Christmas #2, and so relied on Grandma Fynaardt's camera to record moments of Christmas's 3 & 4. To prevent having to send multiple emails, and/or explain to my mom how to get the pictures to me, we just uploaded everything to Shutterfly the last evening we were in Iowa. Those of you who use Shutterfly know it's wonderful for storing and printing photos, but not so wonderful for getting photos off their site onto your computer. But, I did want to show everyone that we had some fun in Iowa while we were there. Enjoy!

Photo slideshow created with Smilebox

What we've been up to

I believe I piqued everyone's curiosity with my last post, but you'll have to wait a little longer for the biggest news that's occurred in the Talsma household. (no, I'm not pregnant). For now, you'll have to live with the knowledge that we've been enjoying life, and staying VERY busy. Miles is entering into that super-fun (yet exasperating) period of constant exploration and disaster making and Violet continues to amaze us as she grows. Enjoy this slide show of some pictures of some events since the last post, and stay tuned for more exciting news from Possibility Manor.

Make a photo slideshow

Still here

Yes, we are still here.  And there have been things happening.  Specific update to come.....

Our little man....

From Baby...

...to little man

Violet's First Day of School

Today marked the start of pre-school for our big girl.  She was VERY excited, and managed to hold off tears until I was just ready to leave--and I think it was more of a domino effect of other kids crying than it was her actually not wanting to be there.  I got word that the tears had stopped very shortly after I had left. 

This year of pre-school is kind of a testing of the waters for us.  With a September birthday, Violet falls on the cut-off date of many states for kindergarten eligibility.  Michigan has a tremendously late cut-date (Dec. 1) so Violet would make that with no problem next year, but since Ben and I are both teachers, we know what a big difference 4 months can make in a 5 year old.  So, we'll see.  We have no doubts that academically she will be ready, but we want to make sure that socially she's not always trying to keep up.  So, we'll see how things go, and let the guidance of our knowledgeable pre-school teacher help us make that decision next spring. 

We are very happy with the pre-school we have selected.  It's a little inconvenient, but feel very comfortable leaving Violet in this teacher's hands.  It also helps that they will be transporting her to her daycare after pre-school is over, which allows me to put in a full day of work during normal hours and not having to make up hours throughout the week.

Here are some pictures of Violet as she headed off to her first day of school--can't believe we're already marking the beginning of having school-age children! 

Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIOLET DAWN!  

It is hard to believe that FOUR years ago today,  you made your daddy and me parents.  We love your smiles, your creativity, your goofy jokes, your penchant for doing things your way, and your unconditional love.  We thank God every day for giving us a wonderful daughter.  We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you. 

Love you lots Big Girl!
Mommy and Daddy

Happy First Birthday!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MILES ELIOT!

We can't believe it's already been a year, yet it's hard to imagine life without you.  You bring so much to our lives--including a lot of mischief making!  We love your dancing, your singing, your love for all things outdoors, and most of the time, we love your penchant for making trouble.  We look forward to many, many more years as you grow up to be a boy and a young man.  It will be interesting, I am sure!

Love you tons and tons, big guy!
Mommy, Daddy, and Violet

Chuckle Bear

Biggby Coffee recently held a competition for its customers to create and name a new drink to help celebrate their 15th birthday.  Out of 7500+ entries, they selected 5 for the final round--and one of them is mine!

To win the competition, Biggby has rolled these beverages out, and set up an online poll.  The drink that has the most votes and orders in combination, will win.  The creator gets their drink on the menu, as well as an I-pad or I-touch!

So, if you wouldn't mind, please head to www.biggbybob.com and cast your vote for the "Chuckle Bear" by June 23.  If you happen to live near a Biggby, head in faithfully over the next few weeks and try one for yourself!

Thanks!

11 months!

Happy 11 months, Miles!  Can't believe you're that big already--and that it has almost been a year since I was frantically completing my responsibilities at school in case you came early!  We all know how that turned out--and know now that was the only time you were going to be slow!  Now we spend all our time trying to catch up and keep you out of trouble.

We love you!

Violet in the Violets

   

     

I don't know what it was about the winter/spring weather, but the violets are in great abundance.  So, we enjoyed the lovely 70 degree weather and took some pictures of our Violet in creation's violets.  We are definitely in the age of asserting our independence; I actually tried to take some pictures of her in the violets with her Easter dress on Easter, but she would have NOTHING to do with it!  On this day, though, it was like I had a little model.  Oh the joys!  I also included the pictures from years' past, just so you can see how much she's grown! 

 Violet 2007

   

Violet 2008

Violet 2009

Violet's Update

First of all, thank you to everyone who has kept Violet and us in your prayers the last few days, and the last few months. We truly appreciate it all, and it makes it much easier knowing that so many people care.

To catch everyone up, in September we were referred to a cardiologist by our family doctor due to him hearing a murmur at Violet's 3 year check up. Many children have murmurs, so we weren't overly concerned; however, the cardiologist did find that Violet had a cleft mitral valve, which was causing moderate leakage, which in time, could cause significant heart enlargement. In October, we were told to come back in 6 months, which would allow the cardiologist to determine whether the leakage was steady, or progressively getting worse.

So, that leads us up to yesterday (April 6). We returned to the cardiologist, and Violet went through another EKG and had an ultrasound done of her heart. Following the procedures, we had another consult with the cardiologist.

The news is bittersweet--good in the fact that Violet's conditions haven't deteriorated, but they are still there. Medically speaking, there is very little chance that Violet's condition will heal itself, so surgery is still on the horizon. Also, there are no trials/tests/etc. for repairing this condition in other ways--and the cardiologist does not see any major advances in the near future.

As for the timing of the surgery, the cardiologist does not see any rush to do it, however, he understands that some parents don't like living with the knowledge of an impending surgery. So we spent much of the consult discussing the pros and cons of postponing surgery, or scheduling a consult with the surgeon to have surgery sooner. Probably the most difficult part of the process right now is that there are no major benefits or detriments to doing or postponing the surgery.

We now, as parents, are discussing and trying to make decisions as to what track to follow over the next few years. Do we go ahead and have the surgery, knowing that once finished, there's a 75% chance that Violet would not have to have any other procedures? Or do we wait another year for another check-up, and see what's happening, knowing that short of a miracle, surgery is in her future no matter what?

Thanks so much for all your support, and we continue to appreciate your continued prayers as we search for guidance to make these decisions.

Charissa, Ben, Violet and Miles

Another long overdue update

No one who knows our schedule should be surprised that our blog posts are very infrequent. Part of it is sheer busyness, but most of it is probably due to a desire to spend the little time we have at home playing with our two wonderful children! Both Ben and I are entering the insanely busy portion of the school year, so our chances to just sit around and be a family are few and far between!

So, news worthy of updates:

• We spent a long weekend in February with Grandpa Talsma and Grandma Jeannee, which was a lot of fun. We are looking forward to spending more quality time with this set of grandparents now that they have moved back stateside. I'm pretty sure they enjoyed their time with the kiddos as well--although their eardrums may need some time to recover from Miles vocalizations. :)
• For all the Iowa people who read this blog and are still digging out from having more snow than we do--we are enjoying a week of 40 and 50 degree weather, and have lawn in our backyard. The downside is that we only got 4 snowdays this year, so I'm still hoping that we have a good spring ice/snow storm yet. You get used to averaging 8-10 snow days a year--4 is just not enough.
  
• Miles had his 6 month appointment in late January (so he was really closer to 7 months) and is still on track to be the next giant to grace this planet. He weighed in at 17 lbs., 10 oz., and was 28 in. long. Earlier this week, I stood him up by Violet's height chart on the wall, and he is even with her 1 year mark.
  
• Having Miles around has made us realize that we were quite spoiled with Violet; EVERYTHING goes in his mouth from cheerios to paper to cat fur to flower girl petals--you name it, he's had it in his mouth. It has also made for some great stories that will be sure to come out on his graduation day or his first date, but I"ll save those for his baby book. He is quite the talker--there is never a quiet moment, and if there is, it usually means there's something in his mouth and we should hurry to get it out.
  
• Miles is showing signs of wanting to scoot or crawl (and at that time we will be in big trouble)--but only if we're not looking. If we're around, he will let us know what he wants with some very loud expressions.
• Violet is... AN EMERGING READER. I like to say she is reading, but we still have to sound out quite a few words, but she is blending in her head, and knows some words just by looking at them. We read a book together last night, where I read one page and she would read the next--that is a very very cool feeling, and one that is very difficult to describe.
  
• We are currently planning on sending her to preschool to see how she does in a couple of different peer groups; with her birthday, she falls right on the cut off date for many states, so we have that difficult decision of do we send her early or sort of late. Michigan is one of those strange states that has a Dec. 1 cut off date, and as a former kindergarten teacher, I know how different a 4 year old is from a 5 year old at the beginning of the year. It made for some very interesting class mixes as well--you could have almost a two year age gap in one room. This particular preschool has told us that they would work with us to let Violet be in preschool this year, and if we decide we don't want to send her to kindergarten, that they would make sure she could have a different preschool experience the following year. From an academic standpoint, she's ready--that is not the difficult part of the equation. The difficulty lies mostly in which social peer group she would fit best in--one in which she's the youngest, or one in which she is the oldest. And part of me can't believe we're to this point in her life already.
  
• Violet's 2nd appointment with the cardiologist is April 6. That has brought a new wave of anxiety and worry, so prayers would be coveted. We knew this appointment would happen, and we hope that after this appointment we will have some more concrete information. However, having it set has brought it back to the forefront of our thoughts.
• Ben and I are still enjoying are positions at Crossroads. Ben is eagerly anticipating (and I am secretly dreading) opening day of track and field season on the 15th. It looks like the team should have a lot of talent, and he's hoping that it will also be large in numbers.
• This is the crazy time of year in my position. I have been working on completing grant applications, meeting compliance deadlines, and attending more meetings on how to do things and what form follows what form than I care to. I'm also very tired of hearing, yes that does sound like a great thing for your students, but no you can't spend the government's money that way. Even though it's disappointing that Michigan did not qualify for the Race to the Top funds, I am secretly relieved as it means I won't have another book to read on how we can and cannot spend the money.
  

So, that's a quick update. I'm sure I"m missing something, but I'd rather get this posted and have to add then have this sitting in my draft posts for another week. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon!