An Elk...our first wild animal sighting and a great way to start the trip
We found Paul Bunyan deep in the Red Woods. He actually talked and waved it was so fun...and frightening all at the same time.
Yes I'm holding a baby leopard! We stopped at a wild animal park where you get to hold the animals! So fun!
Our condo right on the beach! We saw three weddings right on our beach!
We spent our time on the Oregon coast with Uncle Gary...So fun and so beautiful!
Kaden flying his pirate kite on the Oregon beach
The Bear line up
Gammie and the cousins at the Portland zoo
All the second counsins
How it ended...

We had an awesome trip up the Oregon coast! We are safely home and enjoying time with Jennie!!! who came today! Praise the Lord for a safe, fun trip...and as for the last picture. I took a bad step...kind of fell out of the hotel into the parking garage, managed not to drop the baby but sprained my left ankle and thought I broke my right foot. So after a trip to the ER I was set for a ride home. I saw the doctor at home and my foot is not broken! Thank the Lord! So now I'm very impatiently waiting for my left ankle to heal so I can run this next week. :) I was quite the sight with my right foot bandaged and hobbling on crutches on a sprained ankle. :)

Hope you all are having a great weekend. We're hoping to get in some major beach time with Jennie! :)

Have you missed me?

So...I told you it was going to be a busy summer! :) We had a FABULOUS time with my daddy and Grandma (being with them was the best birthday gift ever)...and the day they left for Texas is the day we drove off to Oregon. We are loving Oregon. It's just beautiful, and the drive up the coast is breathtaking. I've never seen red woods so big or an ocean so vast. Let's see some highlights...watching Kaden and Caleb stand in awe of the Paul Bunyan statue that talked and waved to them (much more interesting then the trees), stopping randomly at the wild life park to let the boys pet some animals...like a lynx and hold a baby lepoard! Spending time with Uncle Gary, Uncle Jim and Aunt Pam and all the cousins, and running a 5 mile beach run along the Pacific! So great! And vacation's not even over yet! As for pictures those will come soon, but not till we're back home which Lord willing will be on Saturday. As for this moment...it's late and I need to go check on the laundry...yep even on vacation I'm still doing laundry! :)

2 Month's Old!

Papa and Miss Kensington
Can you see where Kensington gets her dimple from! :)
Granny and Kaden

Kensington is two months old...and 2 days. She is a stunning beauty and every time she smiles and her eyes light up I fall in love. She just has these blue eyes that just swallow you up there are so full of light and expression and love. Sweet girl.

Kensington likes:

Her bath

Her brothers talking to her

Talking with mommy

Sitting in her bouncy seat and watching mommy cook, we like to chat while we cook

Sleeping on a shoulder

Cuddling with daddy in the mornings.

Kensington doesn't like:

Caleb picking her up by himself

Wet or dirty diapers

Being hungry

Getting her clothes on after her bath

Being tired

Being kissed in the eye by Caleb

We are LOVING having my dad (aka Papa) here and my Grandma Wood (aka Granny) this week. Such a blessing. Don't think I'm going to let them go home. Kaden had his last t-ball game and ceremony tonight. So proud of how much he's learning...and now on to soccer. A HUGE leap for Matt who doesn't like soccer AT ALL but it's good to have him in sports.

Have a great Sunday, may you know God's presence and love.

Have you ever...

Have you ever had to tell your two and a half year old not to brush his hair with the toilet scrubbing brush? :) Caleb is just so great.

Guess Who Smiles!!!

It's a good smile, when you smile so big you fall over! :)
This picture just makes me giggle, I just love her big eyes.
Loving the double chin. 
I  love this picture of her dimple. :)

Smiling at Mama
I just love looking into her eyes and wondering what's going on in there? :)

  We are LOVING having a smiling baby girl. Her smiles are so precious because they are so sincere. When Kensington smiles her whole face lights up. I just love how everything is so new and amazing to her eyes. Lord, help me to have the eyes and faith of a child. She's is just so beautiful, my heart just swells. :) 

  Hope everyone has a great start to their week. I for one have just OD on chocolate chips (I'm not a big candy fan but I can eat my weight in chocolate chips...straight out of the 72 oz. nestle toll house bag from Costco! :) so I'm going to head to bed and sleep off the sugar buzz, so that we can have a good start to our Monday! :)

 

Check Mark

I get two new check marks in life's "To Do" list... 

  First, Kensington had her first trip to the beach! A very important event in life. I was very proud of myself for getting three kids and all the gear to the beach, down the dunes, spread out on the beach, packed back up, carried up the dunes, wiped down, and put back into the car...all within an hour and a half! :) 

  Second, Kaden had his first sleep over! Another very important event in life. We had our duplex neighbor Aiden spend the night. (Very nice to have his parents on the other side of the wall if needed). We played Legos, games, watched a movie, ate popcorn and gummie worms, whispered in the dark, the ever important pillow fight, and topped it off with pancakes for breakfast. 

  So where are the pictures of these two very important life events...Well...I just didn't have enough hands for the camera at the beach and I didn't have much time to think about getting a picture during the sleep over...Oh well, at least we have the memories. :)

 Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Jesus loves you.

  PS. I got in a 5.1 mile run today...not thrilled with the time...so I'm trying to focus on the distance, woohoo!

  

Finished Project

Hand prints...Kaden is red, Caleb is blue, and Kensington is green. 
Here's how it looks hanging in the living room...I've never been one for painting, but now I am SO ready to move into a house where we're allowed to paint the walls.
So the pictures aren't that great but that's what I get for forgetting to take the picture until after Matt worked very hard to get it hung up...it has two hooks on the back so trying to get the nails evenly spaced out and the picture hung strait was a bit of a challenge...that being said, here are the pictures. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. At least, we'll have this as a special way of remembering how tiny they once were. 

Just in case...

Big Brother and Little Sister reading Charlie Brown on the couch. 
I just love all the different kiddo sizes on the couch!

  Just in case you were going through withdraws of not having enough pictures of the kiddos...here are a couple quick snapshots from this morning, before the day got busy. I just get love bubbles for them every time I see their little faces...of course that may be because they're all sleeping angels in their beds right now and I'm finally having a few moments of mommy time! :) We're enjoying Kaden's first week of summer and gearing up for all the fun ahead in the next couple of months....lots of family and friend visits, a road trip to Oregon, and a trip to Del Rio. Lord willing all the plans will work out, and we'll just take one day at a time. 

  The story for the day is my attempt to be crafty...as many of you may know, I'm not a crafty type person but once in a while I got an idea or two. So we got some professional pictures of the kids done and I wanted to buy a frame for our 8 x10...so I found a frame at Target that has a large white mat around the picture. So I get this idea that it would be neat to have the kids put their handprints on the mat around their picture. Ok, I know that's not a really crafty type thing, but still that's big for me...anyways, Kaden and Caleb successfully make their hand prints on the mat...this is a high pressure situation, as we only have one mat and we're not buying another one...but have you ever tried to get a 7 week old to make a hand print!!! Wow...so much harder then I anticipated! Kensie was NOT at all thrilled to have her hand painted let alone opened up, fingers spread out, and pressed against a mat board! However, we did get a half way decent hand print....so when we get it all put together, I'll post a picture to see what you think. So much for being crafty! 

Good Times

Eric and Linda on the Big Sur drive...I just love this picture of them and the gorgeous California  coast line!
Ok, the background in this picture not near as exciting as Big Sur...but my boys do love posing by the large, over-stuffed, only slightly diseased otter. :) At least I've convinced them to stop kissing and hugging it! Oh and I'm modeling the Moby for you...that's the wrap with Kensie inside. 
It's great to have an Uncle who doesn't just want your picture in the giant clam, he wants to get into the giant clam with you!
The whole reason for the trip! The new baby of the family a 1968 Mustang!
Almost goodbye
We love you!

 

  We had a blast last weekend with Eric and Linda (Matt's sister and her husband)...even if they did show up a whole night early and send me into a slight panic! :) After graduation, Linda and Eric took off for Washington where they picked up their Mustang and then drove it back home, with a stop off in Monterey to stay with us! Such a good time. Now it's back to reality, but hopefully we've convinced them to come see us again soon...where else can you play Little People five times a day and still have time to go see the sights! :)

Blur

The last few days have just been a blur...a fun blur but still a blur! Wednesday was just a jam packed day which started with taking Kensington into the doctor for her six week check up. I always love finding out how much they've grown, so here are the new stats:

  9 lbs. 10 0z (6 lbs. 3oz at birth)

  22 in. long (19 1/2 at birth)

 So fun to see them grow and come into their own. She's really starting to smile and just beginning to coo which just thrills my heart every time I hear it.

  The rest of Wednesday consisted of gymnastics, park, party, and AWANA closing ceremony where Kaden recieved his 2nd book award. And then Wednesday ended with Uncle Eric and Aunt Linda coming! We LOVED having them here for two whole days. The boys just loved them and they were so great to play Little People over and over and over again! :) 

  Now it's Saturday and I'm hoping we can recover from the week before another one starts! :) Oh, one highlight of this weekend...I ran just over 4 miles today! So excited! Thank you Lord!

  Jesus loves you!

 

Six Weeks (and one day)

Look at my double chin and rolls! :) 
Bright eyes
Kaden and KensingtonCaleb and Kensington...not a great picture but I was to worried he was going to drop her or squeeze her to death to try for another. :)

  Kensington turned 6 weeks old yesterday! She's just starting to smile so I'm loving that, and the last couple of nights she's decided that 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. is a great time to hang out with mommy and daddy. :) Wednesday is her 6 week check up so we'll get her weight and unfortunately some shots too. :(  

  Hope everyone is having a great long weekend. Jesus loves you.

  

  

Happenings

Just a quick update on the Van Hook Family...

  Matt: Currently in LA at the Taylor Swift concert!!!

  Michelle: Got to start running this past week! Ran 2.5 miles on Thursday and felt GREAT! Thank you Lord!

  Kaden: Got to play ALL day. First at school, then a play date with his good friend Caleb, and then at Christian and Hunters house tonight...busy day/tired boy.

  Caleb: Has an ear infection :(  But praise the Lord we were able to get him into Doctors on Duty 15 min. before they closed and to Costco to get our prescription filled 30 min. before they closed! Just in time for the long weekend.

  Kensington: Is 6 weeks old tomorrow! I'll try to get some pictures up soon as she is starting to chunk out...Currently she is napping on my lap and my legs are falling asleep!

 

Have a great weeken ! Jesus loves you!

Graduation Pics

Matt and Linda
Eric and Linda

  Just wanted to post some pictures of Linda from her graduation last week! We're so proud of you! WooHoo!

Question of the day

Caleb: Who made God?

Mommy: No one God always is an has been, He made everything.

Caleb: Who made me?

Mommy: God did!

Caleb: Who made gum balls !?!

I just love how their little minds think :) Have a blessed Monday!

PS it's 10:30 pm on Sunday and I am trying to rock a baby to sleep while typing with one hand...what are you doing?

On his way...

Matt's on his way down to So Cal for his sister Linda's graduation!!! I am SO proud of her and her husband Eric. This has been a long uphill road, but they've done a great job and Linda deserves all the joy of a job well done! I'm so disappointed not to be there, but at least we get to watch it via Internet. Love technology.

  Not sure what the kiddos and I will do for entertainment this weekend. We have Kaden's t-ball game...and then we'll see how adventurous I feel with all three of the kiddos on my own. Well, the laundry has buzzed and that means it's time for me to get busy. Hope everyone has a great weekend and knows how much Jesus loves them. May your hope and joy be in Him.

  

Caleb's Day

Straddle
Stretch it out
When he started he didn't know how to jump, now look at him go!

Hand stand
His favorite part of gymnastics, diving into the "pit"
Today it's Caleb's turn to get a post just about him! :) Poor middle child. :) Last week was viewing week at gymnastics so Matt was able to come and get some great pictures of him doing his thing. He has learned so much and it's just so fun to watch him jump and climb and tumble. Sweet baby boy he's getting so big and is so much fun. He has the BEST smile and has an awesome laid back personality, but have no fear he can hold his own wherever he is...he's also our little instigator. He knows just how to drive Kaden crazy and it brings him great pleasure. He's also quite the singer...if any of you have facebook you may have seen/heard him in action...in fact as I type this he's singing again. Caleb is full of joy, full of love, and is a GREAT big and little brother. 

One Month Old!

Sweet baby girl!

  I love how my friend Julie sends out her monthly updates on her little one so thought I'd borrow her idea! :)

I am one month old today!  

 

I Like:

 Taking a bath!

 Getting my hair brushed

 Watching my big brothers play while I sit in my bouncy

 Being Held!

 Sleeping on mommy in the middle of the night!

 Eating!!! (About every 2-3 hours)

I Don't Like:

 Being naked!

 Not being held.

 Being drug in and out of my car seat several times a day while running my brothers around!

 Being hungry!!

  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Kensington with her eyes open! That doesn't happen very often! 
What a pretty baby!
Donna Kay, Michelle Renee, Kensington Eleanor Rose
Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to everyone. While my mom was here we were able to snap a few 3 generation pictures. Such a blessing. My heart is full today as I think about all the undeserved blessings in my life, and reminded as we sang today at church, "You give and take away, but Blessed be Your name!" 

So we've been busy...

Kensington's first "real" bath! Daddy does such a great job.
I love walking into the bathroom and finding Caleb entertaining himself on the potty! :)
Kaden and Caleb posing at Kaden's T-ball game...they played an entire game with only 4 players. Gotta love t-ball!
Kensington hanging out at brother's t-ball game

Family picture after church today
So...I thought I had the three kiddos thing figured out...and then God reminded me that He likes us humble! Whew...Good thing my mom flew in this week!!! It's an amazing thing, the more awake the baby is the less I get done, it takes a really really long time to get everyone dressed, fed, and loaded into the car...and then once we get to where we're going it takes a long time to get everyone out of the car, across the parking lot and into the building, and the less sleep I get the more tired I get! :) All things that I knew but am being reminded of again this week. However, I'm praising God every moment for the recovery I've had (three more weeks till I'm cleared! WooHOO!), the healthy beautiful children He's blessed us with, a wonderfully supportive husband who loves me when I'm grumpy, and the worlds BEST mom who flies across the country just to love on me.

  So since it's been a while since I've been awake enough at night to post I'd thought I'd post two! Bonus! Hope everyone has a great start to the week, and sees God's grace poured out on them at every turn. Jesus loves you.