Kelsea gets braces!!

Today was the day - Kelsea had braces put on this morning at 9:00. She was so excited to get them on! I haven't seen a smile so big! She had braces 3 years ago, to correct for a crossbite, and now this round is for the straightening/alignment/blah/blah/blah...basically it's for no more vacations for mom for the next two years! At any rate, she was a "model patient" as the orthodontist stated at the end of the appointment. In fact, when we arrived home tonight from Kolton's soccer footskills class, there was a message on the answering machine from Dr. Spieske inquiring about how Kelsea was doing and reiterating his statement of how well she handled the procedure this morning. I thought that was so cool that he called! He really is such a nice guy!

She was off to school after the appointment, and has only complained of some mild pain - nothing too bad. She's eating just like normal, and is bummed she has to watch the amount of juice she drinks. She loves juice, but orthodontists don't like sugar! She's got a package of stuff to bring to school - toothpaste, toothbrush, floss - to take care of her teeth after lunch...we'll see how long she's faithful with that, right?

At any rate, she sure looks cute with braces! Take a look...

Before heading in...

She could barely contain her excitement!

Look at that big smile - this is one happy girl!

Boyne!!

We were so fortunate to be able to go skiing/snowboarding several times during Christmas break. My brother Jim lives just north of Charlevoix, which is about 30 minutes from Boyne Highlands.

Our first trip was immediately after the Olthof Christmas party, December 20th. We followed Jim home, and then went to Boyne Highlands on Sunday the 21st, and Boyne Mountain the 22nd. What an AWESOME time! I have NEVER skiid in such incredible conditions. Powder! Fresh powder! It snowed about 7 inches while we were there, so you just cannot beat that. Jim came with us to the Highlands, and looked great on the slopes. Like he's never missed a season of skiing. Kolton was so glad to have someone to take the black diamonds with! Mom isn't so much about that!

Our next trip was 10 days later. We had lost all our snow here in Grand Haven, and with one week of Christmas break left...and tax season looming...I was anxious to get in another trip up north. Luckily Jim was up for having company again! So, we skiid/snowboarded New Year's Eve and New Year's Day...what a perfect way to end 2008 and bring in 2009!

Here are some pics of our outdoor adventure...and one of Jim's roomate, Shadow...

Christmas Gatherings

I wanted to share some family pictures from our two Christmas parties...we had the Olthof side at Grandma Olthof's house on December 20th, and the Burley side at our house on Christmas day. Hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

First, from the 20th at Grandma Olthof's - our group consisted of:

Grandma

Henry, Lynn, Emily, Daniel

Beverly, Eric, Jakob, Christine, Karen

Nancy, Aug, Louisa

Jim, Tracy

Carol, Don, Kelsea, Kolton

Mary, Jeff (D)

Kathryn, Jeff (B) :)

Richard, Karen

Anthony, Courtney

And the Burley side...Grandma Ruth, Jackie, Tony & Tami, Desire, Elizabeth, William and Hannah...

I hope your Christmas celebrations were as fun as ours - laughing, eating, sharing gifts...Christmas is first and foremost a time for FAMILY!

Christmas

Wow-I am behind, aren't I?? My brother Jim commented that I hadn't updated the site in a while - boy was he right! I'll start by saying I hope your Christmas was merry and bright. Our Christmas was excellent. From decorating gingerbread houses, to Christmas band concerts, to the Christmas tree auction at Kelsea's school, and finally to the big event itself, CHRISTMAS, we were busy but joyous. The snow definitely helped, didn't it? We were so excited to have a white Christmas - it just makes the season that much more awesome! Getting out to ski/snowboard four times during Christmas break also made us appreciate the snow that much more...but that's for a different entry.

Here are a few pics of our various Christmas festivities...

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was yesterday - what an AWESOME night we had for trick-or-treating! The weather was just perfect, around 55 degrees. The kids could wear their costumes with no coats, and be comfortable. Kelsea was a hippy this year, and looked so cute! Kolton was a crypt master, and was truly frightful...yikes! We headed downtown Grand Haven for the merchant treats from 4 to 6 and then headed home to do neighborhood treats. As usual, the kids have more candy than they know what to do with! I will have to have some serious willpower to stay away from the leftovers! We bought 3 bags to pass out, and only had 5 or 6 kids so we have candy coming out of our eyeballs! Don is planning to bring some to work for his employees, and I'll plan to bring some to my office as well...we'll fatten everyone else up! Here are the pics from Halloween...

Ready to head out...With McCain/Palin!!

Kelsea w/ Madie Somers...Kolton w/ Tyler Somers

The clan...Kathryn w/ boyfriend Jeff, Eric, Kelsea, Jakob, Kolton, Christine and Karen!!

Grandma's Birthday!

Wednesday was Grandma's 74th birthday - October 29, 2008. We took Grandma to Texas Roadhouse for a birthday dinner, then went back to her house for cake and ice cream! At dinner, one of the kids told our waitress that it was Grandma's birthday and so she came out with a saddle for Grandma to sit on! Grandma opted out of that, but the kids each happily took a turn on the saddle. The waitress LOUDLY screamed to the ENTIRE Texas Roadhouse that it was Gladys' birthday at at the count of three to yell "YEE-HAW" which the ENTIRE Texas Roadhouse did! What a night... Then, to Grandma's for chocolate cake and pumpkin cake - YUM! Here are some pics from Grandma's birthday...

Spring Lake Aquatic Center

The aquatic center is open at Spring Lake High School, and the Intermediate school kids were offered a free night to go check it out with their families. We were so impressed! It was like a mini-Great Wolf Lodge! They also had a lap pool, diving area, and workout facilities - both cardio and weight areas. The kids had a great time...here are some pics of the night...

There is a water slide and lazy river...water bucket and lily pad crossing area...

Kolton's trip down the slide...

Kelsea's trip down the slide...

The kids get ready to dive in for their big race...two laps of freestyle, two laps of backstroke!