Wow....four months ago....

Yeah, four months ago, I actually blogged.....now, I have things that are a little more important (it seems) than blogging. My apologies for the lack of blogging as of late.

A lot has happened since July,the most exciting, is the blessing of a precious son and brother to our family. Calvin Edward was born by C-Section on September 13. He weighed 7lbs 14 oz and was 19 in. long. He is named after both of his grandpas. He brings such joy to our lives, and we couldn't thank God more for him. He is doing well, after struggling to regain his birth weight, we have been supplementing high calorie formula for the past month and at his 2 month checkup yesterday, he was 10lbs 8oz. He needs to continue the formula until he is 4 months old, but his pediatrician is quite pleased with his progress.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Thanksgiving, and day when we remember all the blessings God has bestowed on us. We are so thankful for all the blessings and "blessings in disguise" that He has given us, but first and foremost for the gift of His son, our saviour. May we always remember to praise and thank him in all things.

I leave you with a few pictures of our precious peanut...and I will hopefully have time in the near future to update you more regularly on our lives.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Time flies when you're having fun.......

Well, it's about that time again. Lest I let an entire month go by before I post again, I'd better sit down and update you all on the lives of the Lottermans.

We are keeping busy, as everyone seems to be, this summer. I'll let you in some of the more interesting highlights.

In the beginning of July, I was able to get together with my sisters and some of my aunts at my parents house to celebrate my grandma's birthday. I had an enjoyable time visiting with my sisters, and catching up with my aunts...some whom I hadn't seen in a while. The kids had fun playing together on the slip and slide, among the many other things they find to do when they are together. Russ joined us when he got out of work, and we stayed for supper as well.

The 4th of July was on Sunday this year, so we were able to celebrate the holiday on Monday the 5th. Russ didn't have to work, so we went to the Grandville Parade, and then went on to Keith and Holly's house for a pool party and lunch for the rest of the afternoon. The kids had a blast swimming in the pool, and playing with all their cousins. That evening we joined most of my family at Aaron and Erin's house to watch fireworks together. We all had an enjoyable and entertaining time (thanks to my hubby) and were exhausted yet happy by the end of the night.

Russ worked for 1 1/2 days that week, and on Wednesday the 7th, we (along with Matthew, Chelsea and Malaya) headed down to Warren Dunes State Park to go camping for a few days. It was very HOT while we were there, but the beach at Warren Dunes, is beautiful and huge so we spent most of the time at the beach. The boys had a great time playing with dad and uncle Matthew (aka FISH) in the water! :-) They also took many bike rides around the campground, and were able to watch Matthew fly his gigantic kite on the beach on the last day. They thought this was sooo cool! We all had an enjoyable time, and headed home on Saturday morning.

Last week Russ had softball on Monday evening, and I was able to join my mom, sister, and the rest of my siblngs at the beach on Wednesday. The water temperature was 75, so we spent a lot of time in the water.

On Friday, I had a doctor's appointment. Things are still going well. My blood pressure was 118/80....I just about fell over and asked her to take it again. I've never made it this far in a pregnancy without having high blood pressure!! Thanks be to God for His care over me and our precious little one so far, we are so blessed with good health! I was however measuring about 3 weeks ahead, same as with Austin at around this point. My Dr. didn't seem to concerned, and said she would just keep an eye on it, and maybe do another ultrasound, just to see how big baby is. Last time, she said I was having a 10 lb baby, and it ended up just being extra amniotic fluid, so we'll see what happens this time!

Saturday, we had the priviledge of celebrating my great grandma's 94th birthday. We got together at Innotech in their gym for lunch and fellowship with all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. We all had a good time, and after a rousing game of soccer in the gym, we headed home. That evening after supper, we met up with some of my younger siblings at Hudsonville lanes and went bowling. The boys loved that, and we all had a good time.

This week has been busy. Austin ended up with a bad eye infection/cold and high fevers Monday into Tuesday and, after a trip to the doctor, he is finally on the mend, with some eye drops to take care of his eyes. Bradyn is attending soccer camp this week at CCHS from 8:30-10:30. He is loving it, and I think he'll be disappointed to be finished after tomorrow.

Tonight we have rehearsal dinner for Alex and Bethany. None of us is in the wedding....which is OK, but we were invited to rehearsal dinner, much to Russ' delight! Friday we look forward to getting together as a family with ALL the Lottermans downtown GR for a family picture. Russ' sister Amy and her family arrive tomorrow, and even Larry will be here on Friday thru Monday, for the picture and the wedding. It will be a busy, but fun time for the family. We pray that God will bless Alex and Bethany as they begin their lives together this Saturday.

I think that's about it for now. We hope this finds you all doing well, and enjoying your summer. May God bless you and yours in the weeks ahead.


Austin and Laura are the best of friends and nearly inseperable!


Building sand castles on the beach at Warren Dunes


Bradyn burying daddy in the sand


Sweet Malaya Lynn who did so well on her first camping trip. Did I mention
how much I love this girl?? :-)


Bradyn helping uncle Matthew fly his HUGE kite


Our campsite


Bradyn all ready for soccer camp

Loving Summer!

Well, I guess it's high time for me to post again. It's hard to believe that a month has gone by since my last update. We've been quite busy around here and the most exciting thing, is that school is officially out! Yes, I realize it's been out for a good four weeks by now, but I'm still so excited about it! ;-)

The week of the last day of school, was of course busy, as all summer weeks seem to be. That Monday we were able to celebrate Memorial Day. We decorated Russ' truck (with the help of some of my siblings) for the Jamestown Parade. We awoke that morning to some thunder, lightening and rain, but thankfully it cleared up by 10 AM and the parade was still held. It was interesting being on the "other side" of the parade, and seeing how many people actually turn out to watch it! We decided if we do it again next year, we will have to have 2 or 3 times as much candy, as we ran out about 1/2 way through. Not so bad for us really, but some of the spectators were disappointed.

That Thursday was the annual field day at Heritage for the K-3rd graders. Austin and I went to watch Bradyn and his team, which mostly consisted of his cousins. They came in 3rd place overall, so he was pretty impressed with that!

Friday was the last day of school. It was not as big of a deal to Bradyn as I remember it being for me! Maybe he likes school better than I did. He wasn't really upset, but he wasn't really glad either. I guess this is a good thing, it would be a pain, if I had to drag him out of bed for school every morning. That evening, we were priviledged to witness the graduation of my brother Ethan from 9th grade at Heritage. Afterwards the whole family went to the Little Dipper in Jamestown for some ice cream. God also blessed us with a new niece on that evening. Keith and Holly had a baby girl, Janelle Mary. All went well, and she sure is a peanut! We thank God for his providential care over Holly and Janelle, and for His blessing of another covenant child to our family.

Saturday, we went to my cousin's open house as he graduated from Covenant this year. Fun times were had there as always. That evening we went to a Whitecaps game. Bradyn and Austin both got free tickets through a reading program at school, so we took advantage of that deal, and made the trip to 5/3 Ballpark with Aaron and Erin and their family, and my parents and siblings. It ended up not being such a fun night as it started drizzling as soon as we got there, and then the game was cancelled because it started pouring. O well at least we didn't pay an arm and a leg to watch 4 innings of baseball.

The next week was a pretty routine week for us. Not a whole lot going on. Russ had his first church league softball game on Monday night at Hughes Park. The boys love to watch him play this year, and if they do get bored, they can play on the toys as well. We were able to go to the beach on Thursday the 10th, with my mom and sisters, for the very first time all year. It was a beautiful day, although the water was only in the high 50's, so it was a little too chilly to swim. The kids made the best of it though and played mostly in the sand. Friday evening Russ and I and the boys had a picnic supper by the beach, and walked the pier. The kids really wanted to play in the water this time, and finally got dad to go in with them after throwing buckets of water at him. We happened to meet Matthew, Chelsea and Malaya while there, and ended up going for ice cream at our favorite ice cream shop....Big Red.

Saturday was our monthly KWTK (Kids with the kids). It was hosted at Keith and Holly's house this time. I have a feeling their house will be the summer hangout, as they have a really nice pool in their backyard that all the nieces and nephews just LOVE!! It was nice to get together with most everyone again, and of course the kids had a blast playing with their cousins in the pool.

Sunday, the 13th, we were blessed to be able to worship in church again. The kids had their first week of Sunday School. This year we have both of them in Sunday School, yes, Austin is going, and he just LOVES it!! We went to Hudsonville in the morning, and Byron Center in the evening for Bethany's fiance Alex's confession of faith. We thank God for this blessed event in their lives!

The beginning of the next week was pretty routine again, doing normal things around the house and trying to keep up with my busy boys, with my waning energy. Monday night Russ had softball again. Tuesday and Wednesday, don't pop in my mind, so must have been not too impressive....:-)

Thursday, the boys and I spent the day, packing and getting ready for our train trip to Chicago. Russ took the day off on Friday and we drove down to New Buffalo, MI (near the border btw MI and IN) to catch the Amtrak to Chicago. We arrived about 30 mins before it was scheduled to arrive and found out when it was about 5 mins late that it was actually delayed an entire hour, because of an accident that morning with a passenger car. Much to the boys dismay, we had to sit for an hour at the "station" (just a slab of cement with one bench and a partial roof over it). The train finally came, and we were able to have an uneventful trip there. The boys thought it was neat whenever the horn blew, and were blown away, when they actually got to talk to a real train conductor. They took to calling him "Mr. Conductor" whenever they saw him, and he got a real kick out of that.

We ended up arriving at Union Station about 2 hrs later than originally planned because of the delay that morning. We walked to our hotel from the station and were able to enjoy the pool (on the roof!) until we saw the black storm clouds start to roll in. We decided we would eat supper while the storm passed. It was quite the storm, and we were glad we were in a sturdy building. We watched it roll through from our restaurant window. Come to find out later, it actually blew in two windows in the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and that was only 2 blocks away from our hotel!! Anyway, after that excitement, it cleared up nicely and we decided to go to Navy Pier. We were able to take a ride on the gigantic ferris wheel, and the boys loved it! We had fun navigating the bus to and from Navy Pier as well, the boys thought it was a blast!

Saturday morning we enjoyed a hot breakfast at the hotel before packing our things up to head to Navy Pier once again. This time we went to the Chicago Children's Museum, on the upper floor of the mall on the pier. The boys had so much fun, wandering (or more like running) to all the different exhibits there. I think their favorite was the Fire exhibit, where they could dress up like firefighters and pretend to drive a fire truck. There were so many different things to do there, it took us over two hours to get through it all, and that was without spending all the time we wanted on some exhibits. When we were finished at the museum, we walked the pier for a while, and got some lunch. Russ and Bradyn play a game of mini golf before it was time to head back to the train. Bradyn thought the object of the game was to score as many points as possible (why not?) and Russ and I didn't have the heart to ruin his excitement when he scored an 86!! :-) We took a water taxi back to Union Station, and it was quite interesting to see all the BIG buildings from the river. Our train departed right on the nose at it's scheduled time and we arrived home at about 8:30 PM. This is something I would definitely do again, except for next time, hopefully we won't have a baby on board as all that walking was just a bit too much for me. All in all we had a wonderful time, and as tends to happen often with vacations, it went by WAY TOO FAST!!

Sunday, we were again blessed to fellowship with our fellow saints, at Hudsonville and Byron Center. We were also able to celebrate Father's day. I am so thankful for all the wonderful fathers in my life. What a blessing it is!!

This past week as a bit of a busier one again especially on the nights. Monday night Russ had softball. Tuesday, I had to get groceries. Wednesday, we had the priviledge of going to our annual church picnic. As always, there was good food, and good fellowship. This year Russ took a turn in the dunk tank. The boys had a riot throwing the balls at the target, and then running up and pushing the button if they couldn't get him to fall with their throws. Thankfully the storms held off long enough, so everything could get packed up, and it started raining on the way home.

Thursday we were able to go to the beach again. This time the water temp was in the high 60's, so the kids played in the water more. It was a beautiful day again. I think the beach is my favorite part of summer! That night, Russ had a meeting at church about a proposal to rennovate and expand our exsisting church building.

Friday, we were invited to a friend's pool in the afternoon. It had a diving board and a slide, so we were all set for about 5 hours. That evening we went back to....you guessed it, the beach! We had a picnic supper again, and went for a walk on the pier. After ice cream at the Village Dipper, we went home and to bed.

Saturday, was just spent around the house working outside. In the afternoon/evening we went to Hughes park for our annual Hassevoort picnic, with my dad's side of the family. The kids had fun with their cousins as always, and there was of course good food and fellowship as well.

Sunday, we were blessed with another day of worship and fellowship. We had a light lunch after the evening service as a farewell for Martyn McGeown, who leaves for Northern Ireland today. We ended the day with KWOTK at Andy and Rebecca's house. There were lots of laughs as always, and also good food and fellowship.

That brings us to today. Another new week to praise God for all he has done for us. It looks to be a cooler more comfortable week, and not quite so busy. May God bless you all in the coming week.


Our train with "Mr. Conductor" waving to us.

Another pic of the train we rode.

Bradyn and the tower he built with dad.

Austin sporting his Firefighting clothes, complete with his cars hat on backwards

Bradyn and Austin catching fish.

Bradyn and Austin....the cutest firefighters I've ever seen!

Austin making pizza...he loved this station.

The inside of Union Station

Russ and the boys, enjoying the train ride.

Feels like summer!

It's been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. We've been keeping busy with lots of things around here.

The boys and I have been keeping quite busy around the house. Bradyn is still in school, only 1 1/2 weeks left!

Friday the 14th we were priviledged to watch the annual kindergarten program, of which Bradyn was a part. The kids all did so very well, and Bradyn did well with his songs and verse as well. I agree with Rev. Lanning, I give the teachers and aides a lot of credit as they were able to harness the energy of almost 60 busy kindergarteners and put on a very well organized program. It was so nice to see and hear all those kids, singing their hearts out in praise to our God.

Saturday, Russ had to work all day, until 7:30 pm, because they are working to finish a parade home down by Green Lake, and are a little pushed for time. When he got home, we decided supper at the Village Dipper sounded good, and had ice cream for dessert.

Sunday, we were priviledged to spend the day in fellowship at church with two wonderful sermons. That evening we were able to visit with some of our good friends at David and Sara Bleyenberg's home. It had been a while since we saw everyone, and it was nice to catch up with them again.

Monday, was a normal busy day, cleaning up from the weekend and doing laundry and such. That evening I went to a bridal shower for my sister-in-law Bethany. We had appetizers and dessert and everything was so delicious, as always. It was nice to see all the aunts and some of the cousins on the Lotterman side again. Always a fun time. Bethany got some really great gifts too....makes me want to have another shower! :-)

The rest of that week was a bit long. Russ worked late everyday, on the parade project, so the days got quite long, and the boys missed their dad quite a bit, as some nights he didn't get home until right before, or right after they were in bed. I think they were sick of just seeing mom all day. We are so thankful that there is work to keep Russ busy, but this is almost too busy! :-)

Friday, I was able to go on a field trip with Bradyn's kindergarten class. We were scheduled to go to John Ball Zoo, but of course it rained all day, so that was cancelled and they went bowling instead. I took Austin with me, and we all had a good time. We went to McDonalds for lunch, quite the fiasco, with all those kids, but we all managed to get them to eat most of their food, before they escaped to the play place for a while. After they were sick of it, we took them back to the bowling alley for an ice cream cone. I give lots of credit to the teachers and aides once again, for how well things were organized and how well things went. I was sure tired at the end of the day, but we all had a good time. That evening, we took the boys bowling again, since they loved it so much, and it was a rainy night.

Saturday, Russ had to work again, but only until 1pm this time. I was able to get my grocery shopping finished, and he mowed the lawn. After supper, we took the boys to the off road derby at the Hudsonville fair grounds. It was a special night and the kids got in free, so it was a cheap night of fun. The kids loved watching the cars speed around the track, and thought it was great, when they'd bang into eachother and almost roll over.

Sunday we were blessed to be able to attend church again. We were relieved that the Lord saw it fit to keep Rev. Eriks in our midst for the time being. We continue to remember those churches who are without a pastor, and all the struggles that this may bring. We were again blessed with two wonderful sermons. That evening we hosted KWOTK (Kids Without the Kids) at our home. Since it was such a beautiful night, we sat outside around a campfire. Good times were had by all, as always, although we missed Alex and Bethany, Andy and Rebecca and Phil, as they weren't able to make it.

This week has been pretty normal once again. We've been blessed with extremely beautiful weather, with highs in the mid to upper 80's. I love it that summer has made an early appearance.

Monday was really quite warm and humid. That evening we had a baby shower for my sister Chelsea and her new daughter Malaya. It was a fun time as always, and nice to see the aunts and some of the cousins on the Hassevoort side. She got a lot of nice stuff, and a ton of pink for Malaya to wear. It was of course fun to see and hold Malaya again, have I said, I just can't get enough of her?? :-)

Tuesday, I had to take Bradyn to the doctor for his six year checkup. He is growing well and in the 80-90th percentile for his height and weight. Afterwards we went to my moms house, she had invited all us girls over for the day, so the grandkids could play together. They all had a blast playing in the water, and even little Anna joined in the fun. Us girls had a good time chatting under the shade tree in the back yard, and of course taking turns holding Malaya and Conner. The kids were none too pleased when it was time to leave.

That pretty much brings us to today. We are still enjoying the nice weather (who wouldn't?) and I especially appreciate that it's not so humid today. We found out that a young couple from our church, Ross and Rhonda Zuverink, lost their baby yesterday. She was only 18 weeks along, and they couldn't find a heartbeat. She was induced today, and gave birth to a tiny, stillborn, baby boy. Please keep this young couple in your prayers. May God comfort them, as only He can.

We hope you are all having a wonderful week, and enjoying this nice weather. May you all have a blessed holiday weekend.

It's a.........baby!

Today we had our 20 week ultrasound....though I am actually at 21 weeks. No we didn't find out the gender of our precious little one, in fact the technician said the baby was being modest and had it's legs crossed the whole time, so it wouldn't have been possible even if we'd wanted to. Everything is looking really good. The baby moved the entire time, and the tech was getting quite frustrated because she couldn't get some of the measurements she needed. Baby started out with it's spine up, so she couldn't get at the heart, head and hand measurements. After she finally let me use the restroom (much to my relief) baby flipped to spine down, so the heart, head and hands were fully visible and she was able to get what she needed. We were told the baby is already 1 lb....O dear, I hope that doesn't mean it will be big, as my book says most are around 10 oz at this point. O well, we won't worry about it at this point. :-) I think that's all for now, I just thought I'd give you all a quick update. I've posted some pictures of our little peanut below. Enjoy! :-)

The Countdown Begins

Hi Everyone!

As of today, there are only four weeks left of school! Yay! I can't wait to be a little more free, and not have to follow a schedule so closely.

The past week was routine again, so, sorry if it's boring for you!

Monday and Tuesday were normal days again, working on getting back into the swing of things after our "mini vacation" to the marriage conference last weekend. Laundry and house cleaning were at the top of my list, as they are almost every Monday. Both were decent days, weatherwise, so much time was also spent outdoors, we love that!

Wednesday, I had my 20 week OB appointment. Austin came along with me this time. He did really well, I was a little concerned that he wouldn't sit, but he did, and also talked my doctor's ear off. She didn't seem to mind though! Everything is still looking good. The baby's heart beat was nice and strong, I was measuring right on, and my blood pressure was 130/76, which she was not worried about. We are so thankful for an uneventful pregnancy so far. We continue to pray for things to continue to go well. God is soo good to us. This week Thursday, we are looking forward to an ultrasound, please pray that all will be well with the baby, and that they won't find any problems. We are NOT finding out the gender of this baby, we prefer to be surprised! :-)

Thursday, I was able to go to some garage sales with my sisters, Erin and Chelsea, we missed mom though! :-) We went to some neighborhood sales in Byron Center for a few hours. I was able to get a few things for us, though I didn't need too much. It was fun seeing Conner and Malaya again too!:-)

Friday it rained all day long and was quite a bit cooler. I ran some errands with Austin and that evening we went to look at the a duplex that was an option for us to move into after we get out of this house. It turned out to be quite a bit smaller than we thought, and did not have 3 bedrooms, like the owner said it would, so we'll probably be moving to the townhouses, unless another really good deal comes up on another duplex. Things with the house are still moving forward. We get emails from our realtor about once every week and a half, and this is the report she has been giving us. We're trying to be patient, and praying that all will go well with the sale of the house. After looking at the duplex, we headed over to Dad and Mom Lotterman's house for our monthly KWTK. Kleyns, Havemans,and Kooiengas were there, and it was nice to be able to visit again.

Saturday was rainy again and pretty much just a routine Saturday. Russ went out to breakfast with his dad, and then to the bank to sign some papers. Dad also went with Russ to pick up his truck from Jack Huizinga, who was fixing it for what we thought was a blown transmission, which would have costed $800-$1000. Turns out it was only a hose that had blown and the total cost was $60! We're soo thankful that is all it was! Later that day, Russ took the boys mother's day shopping and I went grocery shopping. We spent the evening at home just relaxing and getting ready for the Lord's Day.

Sunday, we were blessed with two wonderful sermons, one from Rev. Eriks and one from Sem. Brian Huizinga, as Rev. Eriks had a classical appointment to Byron PRC. We are so blessed to be able to worship freely every Sunday. May we never take for granted this freedom. Sunday was also Mother's Day. The boys were so excited to give mom their gifts. They picked them out themselves, one was a house plant (we'll see if I can keep it alive) and the other was a lilac scented candle...my favorite. Russ also got me a big table that I can set up for any projects and also will be good to take camping with us. After church in the evening, we stopped by my parent's house to drop off a mother's day gift. We were able to have a quick supper with them, and Matthew and Chelsea. We were all also able to hold sweet Malaya again! I just can't get enough of her! We left by 9:15 so Bradyn could be in bed semi-on time for school.

That brings us to today. I found out some hard news this morning. Some friends of ours from Iowa lost their niece in the past week. Her dad was a year younger than me in school. She was scheduled to be born by C-Section and a few days before, her little heart stopped beating. She was delivered on Wednesday and was still born. They believe the cause is because of a knot in her umbilical cord. Please keep these young parents in your prayers during this very difficult time. May God comfort them as only He can.

On a lighter note, today is bright and sunny, although a little cool. We are anxiously looking forward to the end of the week, when highs are forecasted into the mid 60's. May God bless you all in the coming week, and may you enjoy your week and the blessings that it brings.

It's May!!

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's been two weeks already since my last post, time sure is flying!! I'll try to keep it short!

The past two weeks have been fairly quiet, not a lot going on. We are thouroughly enjoying all of the nice, sunny, warm days we have been blessed with! The boys LOVE to be outside, and are beginning to be able to entertain themselves, without me having to be out there with them all the time.

The week of the 19th was a fairly quiet week (at least at the beginning) we spent it mostly at home, no big outings for us, and doing all of the normal activities involved in keeping a home with 2 busy boys and a busy husband. Mowing the lawn, laundry, baking, cooking, etc.

Tuesday the 20th, Russ' oldest sister Amy flew in from Vancouver, BC, Canada, as a surprise for Russ' mom's 60th birthday.

Wednesday morning we had a lunch at Ryan and Katie's house. It was nice to chat with my sisters in law for a while, and Austin had fun (as always) playing with cousins Emma, Tyler and Cody.

I was able to go to some more garage sales on that Friday at Bridlewood in Jamestown. It was not very busy, but they also didn't have much left, so we were finished quite quickly, much to Austin's relief! :-) We were able to visit Russ at work, and brought him and his co-workers some ice cream bars. That evening we had an impromtu get together at Keith and Holly's new house so the kids that weren't at lunch on Wednesday, could see Auntie Amy. It was nice to see the Feenstra's new house and to visit with everyone. The kids of course had fun playing with all their cousins again. So nice that there are so many to play with. For the most part, they all get along well, only a few spats to break up! :-)

Saturday, we got together with the Lotterman side of the family for our monthly KWOTK. We had a fondue dinner at Herman and Lindy's house to celebrate Mom Lotterman's 60th birthday. It was a fun time as always, and interesting for some who have never had fondue. It requires a lot of patience, especially if you're really hungry! :-) For dessert, all of Dad Lotterman's siblings and spouses came as a surprise for mom, and we all had some good laughs! Who knew that a bunch of "old" people could be the life of the party!! ;-)

Sunday we were blessed to be able to attend church twice again, and were able to hear two wonderful sermons.

Monday the 26th was a busy one for me. I brought a meal to Matthew and Chelsea and spent most of the day preparing it. I ended up waking Chelsea up from a much needed nap when I brought it over.....oops! It was so fun to see sweet Malaya again, she is just SOO CUTE!

Most of the rest of the week was spent doing normal household things, and of course mowing the lawn again. I am sad to say that my lawn mowing days are over. I had to quit half way through my job on Thursday, as it was just too bumpy, and hurt my stomach too much to continue. I never realized how bumpy our lawn is. O well, hopefully Russ can find time to do it after work. He has been putting in a lot of hours, for which we are so thankful, and works from 7am to 6:45 pm most days. This gets him home at 7pm and by the time we're finished with dinner, it's 7:30 already, not leaving much time to mow our huge lawn. I guess it's a good thing it is staying light longer, and that the mower has headlights.

Friday was a bit of a fun day for Bradyn at school. It was ABC day. Each child had to pick his/her favorite letter of the alphabet, and do a "presentation" on that letter. Bradyn picked the letter "B" because his name starts with it. We decided to make him Bradyn the Baseball boy with his Baseball cap, baseball bag, and his ball, bat and baseball glove in his bag. I found a pattern for a baseball jersey, and he helped decorate it with puff paint. He also painted his hat and bag. That evening, Russ and I left for the Family Life Marriage Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan. My sister Kyndra stayed at our house with the boys.(Thanks Kyndra!!) We were able to have a very enjoyable weekend, and both were spiritually renewed in our callings as husband and wife and also father and mother. It was brought out many times that Christ NEEDS to be the center of our marriage, and of our household. We would highly recommend this conference to anyone who has thought about going. It will literally change your marriage. Even if you think you have a good marriage, there is always something that you both can do better.

We arrived back home Sunday afternoon, and were able to attend our own church again. We were blessed with a sermon, by Martyn McGeown, on the parable of the Pharisee and Publican. Again we can say, what a blessing it is to be able to worship with fellow saints freely.

That brings us to today. God has blessed us with another beautiful, sunshine filled day, with highs forecasted into the low 70's. I guess my thoughts for a short post were wrong, hopefully, you all were not too bored by it! :-) We hope this finds you all doing well, and may you all enjoy this week and the blessings that it brings!

Another Week.....

Here it is, time to post another blog update, I really can't believe how fast time is going! As of today, Bradyn only has 7 weeks left of school! They are all finished with the alphabet and their letters of the week, so now it's just review time. This past week was fairly quiet, but I tend to like it that way!

Monday was our 7 year anniversary. Russ came home from work with a dozen roses.....how sweet! He actually picked up a tax return for that evening (his last one of the season) so we didn't do anything special. We decided to do one big gift for each other for our birthdays and anniversary. We're attending the Weekend to Remember conference in Kalamazoo on April 30 - May 2. It's put on by Family Life Today, and we've always wanted to attend one, well, he surprised me with that on my birthday. We're both looking forward to it!!

Tuesday was just another normal day, we spent most of it at home, and I worked on the new crib set for the baby.

Wednesday was quiet too, I ran a few errands quick before picking Bradyn up from school, and then we were home for the rest of the night. It was a decent night, nice and warm, so Russ broke out the lawnmower for the first time and mowed the lawn, while the boys and I had a fire (they begged and begged for one). My sister Kyndra also came to hang out for a while. The boys liked having someone different to play with.

Thursday was another very nice day, with highs reaching into the low 80's. I spent most of the afternoon garage saling with my mom and sisters at the neighborhood sales at Georgetown Shores. There were a lot of garages with sales, and since it was such a nice day, it was VERY busy!! I found a few things for Russ, the kids and me, I didn't need a lot though. We ended that day with an unexpected visit from Herman and Lindy. They were on their way downtown, and their car quit as they were passing our house, so they pulled into the driveway, as it was more convenient than leaving it on the side of the road. We had a nice visit with them as they waited for the tow truck to arrive. The boys thought it was cool to watch the car get pulled up onto the flatbed truck.

Friday, dawned nice and sunny, but a little bit cooler. I had to run more errands that day, and even stopped by Russ at work for a bit. While I was out, I received a phone call from my sister Chelsea.....yup, they finally had their baby, about 4 days late! Turns out she went after her doctors appt on Thursday, after garage saling with us!! They were blessed on Friday morning with a BEAUTIFUL baby girl! They named her Malaya Lynn, she was 7lbs 14oz and has the most beautiful blonde hair, and a lot of it too! We were able to go and visit them in the hospital on Friday night, and she is SUCH a sweetie. We are so happy for them, that they are finally able to meet their little one, and that all went well. May God bless you both as you raise Malaya in the fear of His name.

Saturday, was a bit of a busier day. Russ participated in the Hudsonville Showcase at Hudsonville High School, with Lotterman Tax Service, so he was gone pretty much all day. We joined him at lunch time and I walked around a bit with the boys. There wasn't a ton for them to do, but the highlight of the day for Bradyn was watching one of the vendors (a magician) do some of his tricks. I was able to enjoy a back massage by one of the vendors too, that sure felt good!! After the show finished, we went back home for naps, and grocery shopping. That night we spent at home, getting ready for the Sabbath day. We turned in early as we were all tired from our fairly busy day.

Sunday, we were again priviledged to spend the majority of our day in worship with fellow believers. In the morning we were able to witness the baptism of two of our new members, and heard a great sermon on Proverbs 22, with a focus on vs 6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." In the evening we were blessed with a sermon on Psalm 119:105, on how God's word illuminates our pathway to heaven. What a blessing it is to be able to worship so freely.

That brings us to today. It is wonderfully sunny again today, although it started out quite cold, we had frost in the lower spots of our lawn. It looks like it will be topping out near 60 degrees or better, and looks that way for the rest of the week, so another nice week this week. We hope that this finds you all doing well and we also hope you enjoy your week and the many blessings that it brings.

Seven Years Ago......

Seven years ago, Russ and I were blessed to become husband and wife. The Lord has blessed me immensely in the husband he has given me, I thank God for him everyday. He has blessed us richly in giving us two healthy boys, and so far, another healthy unborn child. We thank God for all He has,and continues to do for us!!

This past week, was not too busy, but not too slow. It was Spring Break week for us and for the most part, we were blessed with wonderful weather, except for a couple of days.

Monday, was spent mostly at home, getting my normal Monday chores accomplished. It sure was nice to be able to hang my laundry out on the line to dry. It always smells so good, when it's finished. That night we went to Matthew and Chelsea's house for supper,and Russ also did their taxes. Nope, no baby yet for them. It's been a long couple of weeks for them, and we pray their little one will make it's grand entrance soon! I also slipped away for a while to meet with my mom-in-law, and sisters-in-law, to plan Emily and Bethany's shower.

Tuesday we were up bright and early, for my monthly doctor's appointment. We dropped Austin off at Grandma Hassevoort's house, and Bradyn came with me, because he wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat. After a rather harrowing drive downtown in pouring rain, thunder, lightening and hail, we finally made it (only five minutes late) to the doctor. Things are progressing right on target, and she was able to find the baby's heartbeat right away, she said it sounded good and strong. I'm not sure what Bradyn thought of it all, he didn't really say much, except to tell me that I did very good at the doctor....hmmm, I wonder where he hears that from? :-) My blood pressure was a little high again, I chalked it up to the nerve wracking drive in, but it could very well be that we're starting the pregnancy induced hypertension again, she just told me to go and check it every once in a while at Meijer, and let her know if it stays high. I'm beginning to be feel little flutters, and so look forward to the movements getting stronger! That evening, Russ had a quick 30 minute tax return and then we were all able to relax together.

Wednesday, was another day at home, and inside, because it was cool and rainy. I spent most of that day finishing, things I didn't finish on Monday, and also getting started on a new crib set for the new baby. I'll post pictures when it's all finished.

Thursday,dawned bright and sunny, but it sure was COLD! It only reached a high of 42-45! The boys and I went to visit Russ at work, and bring him some coffee to warm him up!! Then it was back home to start packing for our night away.

Friday was also bright and sunny, but still cold. Russ worked until noon, and then we were off to Surfari Joes, an indoor water park/hotel in Watervliet, MI. We arrived at about 3pm, just in time to get into our room, and then headed down to the water park. My mom and siblings along with my sister Erin and her kids, and my brother Joel, and his family came for a few hours to enjoy the waterpark with us. They left at around 6:30, and we spent the rest of the night in the waterpark. The boys had a ton of fun, but they sure were tired!

Saturday,after breakfast at the hotel,a few more hours in the waterpark, and a couple of games in the arcade, we left the hotel and headed to South Haven. We walked the pier for a bit, until it got too cold, and then went back inland, and the boys had fun throwing stones into the channel and watching to see if dad could throw one all the way across the channel, to hit the other side. He did, and they thought he was just the best! (I think they're right, but not just because he can throw far....:-)) We headed home, and arrived just in time for the boys to have naps. They both slept for 2 1/2 hours!! This gave us time to get unpacked, and for me to get groceries. We met Herman and Lindy, and Russ' parents at the village dipper for supper, and ice cream. I love that place! It's so homey, and the people who own it are so nice. We'll definitely have to make the trips back out here occasionally, after we move away.

Sunday, we were able to enjoy going to church again, we had Prof. Hanko in the morning and Prof. Cammenga in the evening, as Rev. Eriks and his family were on vacation. After church in the evening, was Hudsonville Choral Society's annual Easter concert. Russ sings in the choir, so we stayed for that. The boys thought it was neat to see dad up there! It was a very nice concert, with songs reminding us of the unspeakable gift God gave for us, His people.

That about sums up our week. I am enjoying the beautiful sunshine this morning, and waiting eagerly for it to get warmer! It looks like a beautiful week again! We hope you enjoy it, and the many blessings that it brings!!

Changes.....

Wow! I can't believe another week has gone by already! We started out the week with an eye doctor appointment for Bradyn. The last few weeks, he's been getting headaches, but only on the days he goes to school.....hmm, so we took him in and found out he is in fact far-sighted and needs glasses. Oh boy!! This will be something he (and us) will have to get used to. He likes to take them off and put them back on (all the time) so we'll have to work on keeping them on.....Later that night we received a phone call from sister Emily, she and her boyfriend Phil Miersma are engaged to be married!! Their date is in late October. We are so happy for them!! Now begins a busy time for the Lotterman side of the family!! Two weddings to look forward to! How fun!!

Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly uneventful, with Wednesday being the last day of school for Bradyn before Spring Break. I think I was more excited than he was, for spring break! ;-) Russ sang with church's choir at Sunset Manor, that evening while the boys and I met some friends at Drenthe Grove park to pass the time. Later, Russ met us at the Drenthe Village Dipper for our first (of many) outings to get ice cream! Who'd have thought we'd be getting ice cream for the first time on March 31!!!

Thursday was a beautiful day, and the boys and I spent all day outside, I forgot the sunscreen, so I was rather red by the time night fell.....oops!! Thursday night was fairly busy, Russ had a couple of tax customers, but the biggest news of the night is that we signed a purchase agreement with John Pols for the sale of our house!!! We accepted the lower offer, because the full price one didn't work out, so now we wait to see how inspections will go!! We're waiting on God, and His will for us in this matter, and praying that all will go well.

Friday was a busy one for the boys and me, we met my mom and siblings at Huizinga Park in Zeeland to try our hand at fishing, Russell had a good laugh when I called to ask him where the fishing poles were.....it's a good thing he wasn't there to see the real thing, he'd have been rolling on the ground!!! ;-) We gave up after a while because the fish weren't biting, and let the kids play on the giant playground they have there. Meanwhile us grown-ups had a nice time chatting in the beautiful sunshine!! (Don't worry, I remembered the sunscreen that day!) We ended our outing with another trip to the Village Dipper....:-) That evening was our Good Friday service, with a wonderful sermon on Christ's death, and the meaning of the veil in the temple being rent from top to bottom.

Saturday was another busy day for our family. Russ had three tax appointments throughout the day, and I of course spent some of the day grocery shopping........ugh! Definitely not my favorite job. We also managed to make a trip to pick up Bradyn's new glasses....he looks so handsome! (pictures to follow). The evening was spent with most of my family at my parents house for a "watch party" for the MSU Spartans. If you didn't know, MOST of my family are big Spartan fans, so while the guys watched the game (rather loudly) us women escaped to the other side of the house for more of a quiet conversation.....:-) We were also able to celebrate my niece Anna's birthday, she turns 1 today!! Happy Birthday Anna! We love you and hope you have a great day!!

Sunday, we were priviledged to spend the day in church celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. We were blessed with two wonderful sermons, one on the appearance of Christ, to His disciples, specifically Thomas, to strengthen their faith, and how we too need our faith strengthened, and the other on Lord's Day 52 and "praying for our victory in our spiritual warfare". Makes us realize how blessed we are to have the priviledge of attending church every Sunday.

That brings us to today...we hope you are all having an enjoyable beginning to your week, and we pray that you will all enjoy the blessings of another week!!

Busy Weekend!

It was a busy weekend in the Lotterman household. Starting Thursday evening with Russ off to school, and the boys and me off to Heritage for their Language Arts night. It was nice to see the projects that Bradyn, and all the other students, had put so much work into.

Bradyn and his "I Spy" poster

Friday evening we were invited, along with Herman and Lindy, to Ryan and Katie's house for dinner. It was delicious, of course, and the kids had a blast playing together, especially church. It was really quite cute to listen to them have their own little church service, and even baptize their little babies. I guess they listen more than we give them credit for!! :-) The guys ended the night with a little MSU basketball, I think Russ was the most interested in that, while Lindy and I helped Katie with a few decorating tips. (Actually, most of the tips came from Lindy :-), I just agreed or disagreed with her.

Saturday morning we headed to Mount Pleasant, to watch my sister Caitryn play basketball. She plays for a travelling team called the Grand Rapids Rush, and has had games on various Saturdays over the last few months. It is always a fun time, and I'm really quite amazed at how good she is at basketball, it comes quite naturally for her, and she loves it! We headed back home after her first two games.

On the way home we received a phone call from sister Bethany with some wonderful news! She and her boyfriend Alex Kingma are now engaged to be married! We are very happy for you two, and are thankful the Lord brought you to one another. They are planning, the Lord willing, a July 23, 2010 wedding! Always fun to have a wedding to look forward to!

Later that evening we went to the Grand Villa with my parents and siblings for my parents' 30th Anniversary dinner. We all had an enjoyable time and many good laughs as always, thanks to my brothers and brothers-in-law, and of course my dear husband. :-) There is never a dull moment when you get them together. Thanks to Dad and Mom Lotterman for taking the boys for us! We appreciate it!

Sunday, we of course spent most of the day in church, with two wonderful sermons on Christ's precious saving blood. We ended the day with KWOTK (Kids Without The Kids) at Mike and Heidi's house. We had a good time there as well, with many laughs and delicious desserts.

This morning we begin a new school week, a short one for Bradyn. Spring break begins on Friday, so he only goes today and Wednesday. We are all looking forward to the second half of the week when temperatures are forecasted into the 70's! Yeah! I think spring has finally sprung! We hope this finds you all doing well. Enjoy the blessings of another week!

Bradyn Turns Six!!

I can't believe it's been six years already, since Bradyn joined our family! We have been so blessed by his presence in our lives! Bradyn was so excited to be able to go to school on his birthday....we'll see how long that lasts....He brought a treat, his request was sugar cookies with frosting, and was able to choose a prize from the birthday basket at school, so he had a great day!

We celebrated his birthday last night with supper and cake and presents. Uncle Matthew and Auntie Chelsea came before supper to fly their kite with the boys since it was such a windy day. They ended up staying for supper too! Bradyn's request for a cake was Chick Hicks from the movie CARS. Austin had a Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday, so Bradyn chose Chick Hicks. He told me since Chick Hicks is mean, he wanted to eat him!! OK then. I'm not sure why I agreed to make it, since it took me pretty much all day between baking the cake and frosting it three different times, but we got it finished!

Also a quick "Happy Birthday" to Bradyn's birthday buddy, (and cousin) Corina, out in British Columbia, we hope you had a great day too! Even in a day such as a birthday, we see God's faithfulness to us! We have been blessed with six uneventful years (for the most part) with our son. He is a healthy and happy six year old. What more could we ask for? God has truly been good to us!!

We hope this finds you all well, and enjoying your week! It sure looks like a nice one again!

Getting Started

Well, at the insistence of my husband, I have decided to start a blog. After seeing Larry and Amy's, we decided it looked like a good idea. I think it will be a good way for ALL in the family to keep up with what we are up to, and then I can get rid of my Facebook page, (I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, as I'm getting kind of sick of it):-).

Anyway, things around the Lotterman household have been pretty routine. This is a good thing, and I don't mind it a bit. We have been enjoying the last two weeks of sunshine and warmer temperatures ALOT. The boys love to be outside, riding their bikes and playing with their various toys in the driveway. Bradyn is thoroughly enjoying his days in Kindergarten, and often says he wishes he could go every day, we'll see how he feels about that next year!! (I must admit, I don't mind the every other day thing, as it still gives me a chance to sleep in 2 days a week :-) ) Bradyn is starting to read like crazy, (reading every sign he can while we go down the road) and amazes us every day with the new things he comes home with. He's also starting to tell time and loves to tell me what time it is during the days he's not is school. He has become quite the big helper to me around the house, always willing to pick up his toys, make his bed, and help set and clear the table. He is very excitedly awaiting September when his new baby sibling arrives, he wants a baby sister sooo bad, lets hope he's not tooo disappointed if he gets a baby brother......:-) Austin is a very busy 3 year old, and loves to do everything his big brother does. When Bradyn is home, they are nearly inseperable!! I'm glad they get along so well! On the days when Bradyn is in school, he is very good about finding ways to entertain himself, but is most excited when it's time to pick Bradyn up from school! I don't think he has fully grasped the concept of a new baby coming, and may not until it actually arrives. Hopefully he adjusts better than his big brother, to a new sibling. :-)

I have been keeping busy with my normal household chores, trying to find some extra energy to get it all done. I tell ya, being pregnant and trying to keep up with 2 busy boys and a busy husband is sure tiring! I am happy that I have been feeling better during the days for the past 2 weeks, and only feel yucky at night. By that time Russ is home and can help with the boys if I don't feel up to it. Even this is starting to get better, so hopefully in the next few weeks, it will be all gone. We are currently about 13 1/2 weeks along and are soo thankful that so far this pregnancy has been uneventful. God has been soo good to us!!

Russ is getting back into landscaping again after working for Herman throughout the winter. We are thankful that God provided for us in that way too. Although, he has mentioned a few times that it is quite nice to be able to sleep until 7 am instead of getting up at 5 or 5:30 am. He is NOT a morning person, so this is just wonderful for him!! :-) As of this past Tuesday, he started back at Artistic Landscapes and it looks like they have quite a busy spring ahead of them! Yea! Again we are amazed at how our Father provides!

As you all know, we have had our house up for sale since last September. We've had about 30 walk-throughs since then but no real interest. Until last week, when we had 2 different people take a 2nd walk through!! The first was last Tuesday, and that resulted in an offer. It was quite a low offer, so we of course counter offered, and they countered back at about $5000 than ours. Then on last Wednesday, another couple came through for a second look, and expressed real interest in it, and ended up offering a full price offer, we are currently waiting for them to get their pre-approval letter, and if all is well with them, we will be accepting their offer. We should find out in the next few days on that one. Although it will be hard to move from this nice chunk of land, (I could take or leave the house) we know that in this too, God has a plan for us. This is what He wants for our lives right now, and it is what is best for us!!

So this is just a start, and hopefully brings you up to speed about our lives. I hope to post at least once a week, but may post more often, if something real exciting happens! :-) That's all for now! We hope you all are having a wonderful week!