van BASTELAAR, etc.

Our three year old Kate

2012-01-06T14:00:00.001-08:00

Today Kate turns three years old. What a wonderful addition she has been to our family. God was kind to bless us with her. Here's a quick view of her three years....

3 months old

9 months old

First birthday

18 months old

2 years old

2 and a half years old

3 years old

We love you, Kate!

38 weeks old

2012-01-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy last few weeks and I haven't posted Henry's weekly pictures, but he's continued to grow and mature in spite of it. Today, he helped Gracie and me make cupcakes for Kate's birthday.

Starting 2012...

2012-01-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!

Today we had a delightful brunch with some of my dear girlfriends--Lauren, Amanda and Marina and their families. It was a lovely way to start off the new year.

New Years Eve 2011

2011-12-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed ringing in the new year with my family...well, almost. We all actually headed home before midnight this year because it's a Saturday night and we need to get up for church in the morning; but we had a ton of fun together for most of the hours before midnight.

Newborn Brandon was very cute as he slept under the dining room table.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas day has arrived! After all the planning and decorating and shopping and parties, the day of Christ's birth is upon us. Celebrating Christmas on a Sunday can be tricky, but it is wonderful to be able to worship at church on such a day. After a slightly quicker Christmas morning than usual (and a Christmas morning that was extra special since it was Henry's first), we went to church. From church we drove to Doylestown and spent the afternoon and evening celebrating with Jeff's entire family.
Here are a few pictures from the day.....

The kids love the agonizing wait at the top of the stairs while Jeff and I take pictures and turn on the Christmas lights downstairs.

I'm so happy that Henry decided to learn how to sit up prior to Christmas morning. It was fun to see him "open" his gifts.

Kate loves tutus. She even wears them to bed...and Christmas morning.

Only Grace can pull off a hat and mitten set that includes bunny ears.

Joost was especially happy to receive the Star Wars trilogy.

Even as an adult, it's great to be with your parents on Christmas day.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

We have a busy Christmas schedule ahead of us. Tonight we'll be having a Christmas celebration with my side of the family at Uncle Alan's house. After that we head to church for the Christmas Eve service. The kids are dressed in their Christmas best to help celebrate the coming of our Savior to earth.

Tomorrow morning, the six of us will celebrate Christmas in our own home before heading to church. After church, we will drive to Doylestown to finish our Christmas holiday with Jeff's family.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night....

Christmas at the Capitol

2011-12-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas break is upon us. There's several days before Christmas and the kids are crazy for something festive to do. We've already done everything Christmasy in Hershey--now to the state capitol (which just so happens to be where we live.)

We enjoyed the morning as we looked at the Christmas tree in the Capitol Building, explored the building and had lunch at Strawberry Square.

The kids' agonizing count down to Christmas will soon be over....

Bosworth Christmas a few days early

2011-12-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Since we're spending Christmas in Doylestown this year with Jeff's family, we had our Christmas celebration today with my family. It's nice to spread out Christmas over a week--so much time and effort goes into preparing for Christmas and it's good to drag it out.

We opened gifts....

...and ate a yummy dinner.

After dinner, we opened our Christmas crackers. They seem to be becoming a tradition. I guess that's only appropriate since we have a good deal of British blood in our family histories.

It was a merry start to the holiday!

35 weeks old

2011-12-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

Today we had the treat of seeing one of my dear friends from childhood. Erin stopped by to drop off a Christmas gift (which included loose leaf tea--always a great gift!) and was able to meet Henry for the first time.

34 weeks old

2011-12-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

We're slow pokes in this family. All of the kids have reached the baby milestones many weeks and months after the "average" kid. With Joost, I was worried. By Henry, I know that's just how my babies are. So, here's sweet Henry, just shy of 8 months old, finally deciding to try and sit.

33 weeks old

2011-11-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

One of Henry's newer accomplishments, as of late, is feeding himself. He enjoys the cheerios when they actually make it into his mouth.

The Christmas tree

2011-11-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Every Thanksgiving is followed by the Christmas tree cutting and decorating. We had fun, as a family of six, going out to cut down our tree on Friday and decorating it today.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful day celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. We have so much to thank God for--one of those things is definitely family. God has blessed Jeff and I so greatly with godly and supportive parents, good and encouraging siblings and wonderful children. How kind He is!

31 weeks old

2011-11-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Henry always enjoys time with his sister and grandma.

30 weeks old

2011-11-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today, Henry is 30 weeks old.

Each Wednesday, the kids and I go to church for Kids Club. I teach the 3rd through 5th grade class and Joost, Grace and Kate all participate in their own classes. I thought it would be fun to show some of the people Henry sees at church each Wednesday.

My good friend, Pam, and I teach the 3rd through 5th graders and she's one of Henry's biggest fans....

We have some wonderful girls at the church who are willing to give up their Wednesday evenings to watch Henry and the other children of the Kids Club teachers. Courtney and Danielle are the faces he sees most Wednesday nights. They're great with him--they know exactly how to care for him. They even dress him for bed each night so he's as ready as he can be to hit the sack when he gets home.

29 weeks old

2011-11-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Henry's doing a good job pulling off a happy face, but the past few days have been trying for him. On Sunday, tooth #1 punched through and since then the second tooth has been causing him a lot of grief.

Snow in October?!

2011-10-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

We were all very surprised to have five or six inches of snow fall today. I'm not sure I remember ever having snow in October.

The kids loved playing in the snow....

...it wasn't all fun, though. The heavy snow caused many trees to lose limbs. I saw this one as it was falling--seconds before it hit the ground, a car drove underneath the branch. I felt like I was watching a car insurance commercial where they show best and worst case scenarios. That car was very fortunate!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

...I know, I know. It's not the 31st--but remember, in these parts, we trick-or-treat on the Thursday prior. It almost didn't happen this year because of predicted rain and cold temperatures, but our borough held out and it ended up being a chilly, but dry, night of candy gathering. It was a great family night together, as well. Here are some of our favorite pictures from the evening....

This year Luke Skywalker, 2 princesses and a pea pod gathered candy.

Henry and Owen enjoyed their first Halloween in full costume. Joost was the first to wear the pea pod and it has shown up many Halloweens since the first one in 2003.

Our other nephew, Liam, went as a skunk--I wouldn't turn him down for candy! Who wants to bathe in tomato juice when they could be eating leftover Halloween treats?

28 weeks old

2011-10-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

There's not many milestones to report on, as of late. Henry's working on sitting, but still has a long way to go until he's stable. He's become very interactive and is aware of everything going on around him--he really enjoys life and blesses our house with laughter.

27 weeks old

2011-10-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Henry with his cousin, Owen.

26 weeks old

2011-10-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

He's working on sitting up....

....but we have a long way to go.

25 weeks old

2011-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Henry is doing much better with eating solids. We've even moved on to applesauce.

Gracie's birthday party

2011-10-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

We always have a family party for each of the kids' birthdays. I don't always post them, but this time I took some shots that I thought would be fun to share--especially with our family that's far away.

It's never a small crowd when unwrapping gifts. No matter which cousin's birthday it is, all the kids crowd close enough that most of the adults have no idea what's being opened.

3 of my 4 sister-in-laws...they're all lovely women, inside and out. I feel very blessed to have been given such wonderful sisters. I think it's kind of God that if you aren't born with sisters, you can still get them later in life.

Katie loves her grandparents--both Grandpa and Grandma Bosworth...

...and Oma, too.

It was a cold day, but most of the kids wanted to eat out on the porch.

There were no candles blown out on a cake at Gracie's party this year. Everyone made their own sundaes instead.

Since most of the family has a two hour trip home, pjs are put on before departure. Grace and Matthew were excited to find that they have matching pajamas.

24 weeks old

2011-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

On Gracie's birthday, Henry is celebrating his 24th week.

Our six year old

2011-09-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today Gracie turned six years old. It is amazing to look back at the past year and see how much she has grown and matured in all areas of her life. She is a wonderful part of our family and I thank God for blessing us with her as a daughter and sister. We pray that God will continue to sanctify her and that she will follow Him well for all of her days.

We love you, Grace!

23 weeks old

2011-09-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

This past week I started feeding Henry solids--it's not been overly successful yet. But, we'll keep trying. (I also started potty training with Kate--that has been even less successful. Yep, I feel like a champion mom this week.)

(If this looks to you like last week's picture, I thought that at first, too. I panicked when I first saw this picture and last week's picture next to each other in the computer photo album. I thought I'd forgotten to take a 22 week picture. Then I realized I just had the same 'creative inspiration' two weeks in a row.)

22 weeks old

2011-09-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Henry is 5 months old!

First day of school 2011

2011-09-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

The first day of school has arrived (barely, since they were sent home by eleven o'clock due to the heavy rain and flooding.) Joost is starting 2nd grade and Gracie is starting Kindergarten.

Also, Henry is 21 weeks old today, so he needed to have his picture taken with the school kids on such a momentous day.

Off to school they go. May God bless this school year.

Rehoboth 2011

2011-09-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

Good ol' Irene tried to ruin our vacation, but fortunately, she only delayed it. During the mandatory evacuation days at Rehoboth Beach, it was still very nice weather, so we enjoyed the start of our vacation doing things around Harrisburg that we never make the time to do in normal life--picnicing and boating at Little Buffalo, miniature golf on City Island, and we wrapped up each day with a big family dinner at Mom and Dad's.

When Monday rolled around and the hurricane had passed, we hit the road bright and early. Arriving in Rehoboth around 9, we found it to be in good shape after the storm.

We had lovely weather the rest of the week and had great times digging in the sand,

playing in the water,

building cities,

taking naps,

and enjoying time together as a family.

20 weeks and 37 years

2011-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today Henry is 20 weeks old....

...and Jeff celebrates his 37th year.

Happy birthday, dear husband!

19 weeks old

2011-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Henry has started to roll. It took him awhile to figure it out, but now that he has started, he has mastered both directions (back to front and front to back) in a matter of days.

a visit with Esther--at long last

2011-08-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

My friendship with Esther started over one summer during our college years when we both spent our summers on Indian Reserves in Saskatchewan, Canada. We actually only spent a total of about two weeks together throughout that summer, but we formed a friendship that we just couldn't let go of. Life took us many places after that and we only saw each other here and there over the past 13 years, but we continued to keep our friendship growing.

Today, after a long stretch (the last time was her wedding almost 3 years ago) we were able to meet up again! What a wonderful afternoon and evening we had together at her home. I was able to spend time with her husband and new daughter, as well. She was able to meet Henry and Kate for the first time, too. It is a true blessing to be her friend and I am glad that our friendship continues despite easy access to each other.

Today is Wednesday, so this also counts as Henry's Wednesday picture for his 18 weeks.

Henry's baptism

2011-08-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to celebrate a sacred event in Henry's life--his baptism. What a wonderful sign it is to show that Henry is a part of the covenant community of God. We pray that being a part of such a special community will help him to quickly put his faith in Christ and follow Him for all of his days.

17 weeks

2011-08-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

10th anniversary

2011-08-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

A decade. Can you believe it?
Jeff and I have been married for 10 years today.

I celebrate him as a husband. He has been a strong, godly leader of our marriage and home through the happiest of times as well as the darkest of days. He loves me better and better each day, honors God in his calling and daily work, guides and loves his children with all of his energy and wisdom, and serves his Savior well in our church. Not all girls are as lucky as I am to be blessed with such an exceptional husband. Godly men are rare these days. I know that and I thank God that He was kind enough to place me with one of them.

August 4, 2001

August 2002

law school graduation--May 2003

the birth of Joost--July 2003

August 2004

the birth of Grace--September 2005

October 2006

Oxford, England--June 2007

New York Public Library--March 2008

the birth of Kate--January 2009

August 2010

the birth of Henry--April 2011

July 2011

I look forward to the next decade that Jeff and I will share.

16 weeks

2011-08-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

An evening in the life of Henry...

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

15 weeks old

2011-07-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

Henry, 15 weeks old

14 weeks old

2011-07-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today we had Henry's 3 month professional pictures taken. He did a good job of keeping a smile on his face and gave me plenty of options to choose from.

Joost, 8 years old

2011-07-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Today, our "little" Joost turned 8 years old. My how he's grown--in so many ways. We are so proud of who he is as a son, student, friend and follower of Christ. We pray that God will hold him and keep him as he continues to grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Here's a little flashback of the previous year...

July 2010--Joost boogie boarding, his favorite beach past time

September 2010--first day of school

December 2010--Joost spreading the happy news that he wouldn't be the only brother

December 2010--1st grade performance at the school Christmas program (he's on the top row, last one on the right)

December 2010--Christmas Sunday, dressed to the nines with his sisters

April 2011--Joost and his newborn brother, Henry

May 2011--Joost showing off the missing front tooth

June 2011--Joost and Henry at 9 weeks

July 2011 (today)--Joost's delight in receiving a Wii for his birthday

July 2011--Joost and his siblings

Happy Birthday, Joost! We love you so much!!!

13 weeks old

2011-07-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Henry is 3 months old today...can you believe it?

12 weeks old

2011-07-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Henry is 12 weeks old. He really does smile. I just have a hard time catching it on camera. He's even started laughing hard. It's so wonderful to see a baby develop.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

How blessed we are to live in the United States.
Happy Birthday, America!

Penn State

2011-07-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

WE ARE (clap, clap) PENN STATE!!!

Jeff is a Penn State grad, and, believe it or not, I've never been to State College and seen the campus. This weekend, however, gave us a good chance to go north and visit the college. Jeff's Christian group (Christians-in-Action), that he was apart of during his four years there, held a reunion. It was great to meet so many of his friends and to be able to tour the campus.

11 weeks old

2011-06-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

One of the great adjustments to having more than one child is realizing that you'll never have a picture where all your children are looking and smiling into the camera all at once. For this week's shot, I thought it would be nice to try...

take 1

take 2

take 3

take 4

In the end, I decided that maybe a shot with just Grandma and Grandpa might be nice.

10 weeks old

2011-06-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

60 years

2011-06-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my Father.

Mark Alan Bosworth is a great man that we were able to celebrate today. When I think of all that goes in to making a person, I realize that a great part of that is the person's parents. A father or mother can make or break their child. God was kind and gave me the best of parents. He gave me a godly father who was willing to do whatever it took to raise me in the way that was right and God honoring. He loved me through every stage of life and I have always known that whatever life brings, my father will support me, love me, guide me. He is an outstanding man and I praise God for the 60 years that have been given to him.

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you.

9 weeks old

2011-06-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

His shirt pretty much sums it up--
little brothers ARE awesome.

At least this one is.

Daniel Boone Homestead

2011-06-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'm all about day trips to historic sites. My parents spoiled me all my years growing up with trips to all kind of places of history on the east coast. My favorite was a summer trip we took to the New England states--but that's a whole 'nother story.

I'm very happy that Joost enjoys history, as well. This past school year, he studied Daniel Boone and enjoyed it very much, so I decided that we should visit the place where he was born (which happens to be just around the corner, well, an hour and 20 minutes away.)

Mom and Dad were able to join us for this Friday day trip. We had a great time.

The Daniel Boone Homestead was wide open for us to explore. We had a wonderful tour of his home by a very knowledgeable and amiable man who did a great job of including the kids in the lecture and putting up with a 2 year old's curious and wandering hands.

I learned a day late and a dollar short that if you become an Affiliate of the Pennsylvania Heritage Society (through the State Museum or some other Pennsylvania historic sites) you can get into many historic sites around the state. You might want to check it out if you're a history lover like me.

8 weeks old

2011-06-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

The smiles are starting to come out more and more. It's so nice to be interacting with the little man as he learns to smile and coo.

7 weeks old

2011-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

With temperatures in the high 90s today, the kids and I decided it was definitely a day for a swim at the pool. Henry geared up in his swimwear for the first time. He looked great and would have caught all the girls' eyes except for the fact that he decided to snooze under the umbrella the whole time.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great day with Jeff's family celebrating Memorial Day. As I said in the last post, Jeff's grandparents and aunt from California are visiting, which made the day extra special.

Grandma Pettigrew enjoyed meeting Henry and spending some time with him. She had two new great grandchildren to meet this visit.

This family shot of Jeff's sister, Carolyn, and her husband, JD, and daughter, Brianne, only includes half their family because the older three children were outside with all the other cousins burning large amounts of energy for countless hours on a blow up water slide.

Kate enjoyed lunch with two of her cousins, Lucy and Cameron.

Henry spent some 'quality' time with the other newest addition to the vB family, Julie.

We couldn't resist taking a picture of the great grandparents with all sixteen of their great grandchildren. Some of the children were less thrilled with the plan than others (as you might observe), but the picture was taken none the less.

Gracie's preschool graduation

2011-05-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today Gracie had her graduation from preschool---kindergarten here we come!

There graduation program included some songs sung by the class, as well as the passing out of diplomas.

We really appreciated Grace's teachers who helped her get excited about learning to read.

One of Gracie's favorite preschool friends is Josiah, who lives close enough that some days we were able to walk home from school together.

It's a special treat for all of us that Jeff's grandparents and Aunt Janet are visiting from California and were able to come with his mother for the graduation.

As Grace moves forward towards her grammar school training, we pray that God will bless her life and that she will shine for Him in all she does.

6 weeks old

2011-05-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

little bathing Henry--6 weeks old today.

Our pianist

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Joost has been taking piano lessons for several months now. To wrap up the school year, his teacher decided to have a recital. Joost was pretty calm about the whole event--I think his mother was more nervous than he was.

Shepherd Group 2010-2011

2011-05-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to be a part of a shepherd group through our church. We meet twice a month to study scripture, pray and enjoy each other's company. Today we had an end of the year picnic and were able to capture most of us in this picture.

5 weeks old

2011-05-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Spittin' image of you know who

2011-05-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

So everyone has been asking...who does Henry look like?

Take a look and tell me who you think....

Henry--
1 month old

Joost--
a little over a month old

Kate--
5 weeks old

Grace--
about 6 weeks old

4 weeks old

2011-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

...and another week has passed.

Little Henry boy is four weeks old today.

Kate continues to love her little brother.

With spending all day in school, Joost does not get as much time as he'd like with his little brother, but he certainly enjoys the time he does have with Henry.

Welcome, Owen!

2011-05-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today my brother's 2nd child, Owen Mark Bosworth, was born. I was thrilled to be able to meet him a few hours after his birth.

This is Henry and Owen--less than a month apart in age. What fun they'll have!

Mother of mine

2011-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am very grateful for my mom.
Her love for me is so enduring and consistent.
I praise God for giving me such a godly, selfless mother.
Today we celebrated her.

Andrew, Mom & I

Mom with all her grandchildren

Mom with all of us (except Dad, the photographer)

3 weeks old

2011-05-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Today our little man turned three weeks old. He is a content baby and has made adjusting to life with 4 children very easy (or, at least easier than it might have been with a baby with a different personality.) Kate is doing a great job adjusting to life with a younger brother. She still insists on being called a baby, but she's full of kisses and love for Henry.

2 weeks old. 34 years old.

2011-04-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today Henry is two weeks old and I happen to be celebrating my 34th birthday.

Birthdays are curious things. Some people hate them. Some love to celebrate them. I haven't hit the age yet where I dread the next one, but I can't say that I am filled with excitement over a coming birthday as I once was in my younger years. This birthday, however, I did do some celebrating. I celebrated the kindness of God to prolong my life, to give me two more children, to bless my mouth with words that can be spoken, to move me close to my family, to place me in a church where I can serve Him. There were days in years past that looked dark and without hope; but God, in His great sovereign plan, chose to give me more years of joy on this earth. And this birthday caused me to think about that and to celebrate that I turned another year older. Only God knows what the next five years will bring, but I can take great happiness in the fact that He gave me these past five when I don't deserve them any more than the next guy down the street. How kind He is to show mercy to me by giving me life and then to bless me greatly, beyond what I could have hoped for.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T07:05:00.001-07:00

This Easter was a bit different than others. Since Henry and I had only left the hospital a little over a week before, we could not come to the church service (even if Henry could, I'm not sure I had a single dress I could squeeze into yet.) But, Jeff was able to take Joost, Grace and Kate. They were all dressed in their Easter best.

I was also disappointed to miss Joost's choir singing in the service. Here's a video of their song....

After the church service, we all headed over to Aunt Dee's for a dinner with all the family. It was a nice time. After dinner, most of the kids hunted eggs. Kate and Jayden were napping, but the other 5 were able to find eggs....

Take this hidden egg at your own risk...

...just in the nick of time, too. Heavy rain started just as the counting of eggs was finishing.

1 week old

2011-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Henry meets more family

2011-04-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

Today some of Jeff's family was able to meet Henry.

Henry & Oma (Jeff's mom)

Henry with Aunt Jonelle, Uncle Sean and Julie (the other newest cousin)

Henry Jeffrey van Bastelaar

2011-04-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I started to think about the ideal date for baby boy to be born. As I thought it through, I decided that the Wednesday before Joost's spring break started would work out perfectly. It would mean that I would be discharged from the hospital on the afternoon that began his break from school. It would be so nice to start life with the baby on a schedule that had no 6:30 wake up calls to get him out the door, no running around for other normally scheduled activities and lessons. But, I realized, just because my other three children came early there was no guarantee that this little man would as well. The hope of him coming on that exact day (9 days early) was pretty slim.

But, here we are. It's April 13th, the Wednesday I hoped for, and the little man has decided to come. His listening skills are better than most males I know.

Here's what happened...

Monday night: 6 hours of contractions that ended in nothing.

Tuesday evening: Contractions started again. But, since nothing came of them the night before, I assumed that these would be the same. But, as I bathed the children, my water broke. My OB decided it was best that I come to the hospital. I was only 6 cm dilated at that point (which was a surprise to me since the trend with the other 3 pregnancies was being 9 or 10 cm dilated before going into labor). It was a long night of mild, random contractions. Finally, around 5 am Wednesday morning, my contractions launched into full gear ending in the birth of our beautiful son at 6:34 am.

Henry Jeffrey van Bastelaar was born this morning. He weighs 8 pounds, 11 ounces and is 20 1/4 inches long. He's almost a full pound heavier than Joost and Kate who weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

minutes after birth

A weary, but happy mother

Henry snuggled in and asleep in our hospital room.

Proud Daddy

Our first picture of us as a family of six

Joost and Henry

Grace and Henry

Kate and Henry

Henry had many visitors his first day--family and pastors were excited to meet him.

Henry and his Grandma Bosworth

Henry and his Grandpa Bosworth

Henry with Uncle Andrew & Aunt Rachel
(his cousin is due in just a few weeks)

Retreat 2011

2011-03-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our church, Trinity Presbyterian, has a women's retreat each March. I've been able to help on the retreat committee for two years now. This year Carol Arnold spoke at the retreat and encouraged us to serve well in what ever stage of life we are in. It's a great weekend to get away from the busyness of everyday life, study God's word and have real time with women in the church. I'm blessed, too, to have a husband that encourages me to do this every year and happily serves me by taking care of the kids all weekend.

2011 retreat committee

Dr. Seuss week

2011-03-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

"From there to here, from here to there,
funny things are everywhere!"

— Dr. Seuss
(One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish)

Gracie had a ton of fun with Dr. Seuss week at preschool--they even had green eggs and ham.

A little Shakespeare never hurt

2011-02-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying painting birds right now. In the wintertime, especially, the normal, every day birds (sparrows, wrens, chickadees, cardinals) spend most of their time outside my kitchen windows, eating from our bird feeder. I think their pleasant company motivates me to paint them.

This is a recent watercolor/ink piece that I did to hang on Jeff's and my bedroom wall. It's the quote we used on our wedding brochure.

Things Needful

2011-02-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Thou Eternal Source,

Author of all created being and happiness,
I adore thee for making man capable of religion,
that he may be taught to say:
‘Where is God, my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?’

But degeneracy has spread over our human race,
turning glory into shame,
rendering us forgetful of thee.

We know it is thy power alone that can recall wandering children,
can impress on them a sense of divine things,
and can render that sense lasting and effectual;

From thee proceed all good purposes and desires,
and the diffusing of piety and happiness.

Thou hast knowledge of my soul’s secret principles,
and art aware of my desire to spread the gospel.

Make me an almoner to give thy
bounties to the indigent,
comfort to the mentally ill,
restoration to the sin-diseased,
hope to the despairing,
joy to the sorrowing,
love to the prodigals.

Blow away the ashes of unbelief by thy Spirit’s breath
and give me light, fire, and warmth of love.

I need spiritual comforts
that are gentle, peaceful, mild, refreshing,
that will melt me into conscious lowliness before thee,
that will make me feel and rest in thee as my All.

Fill the garden of my soul with the wind of love,
that the scents of the Christian life may be wafted to others;
then come and gather fruits to thy glory.

So shall I fulfil the great end of my being –
to glorify thee and be a blessing to men.

from The Valley of Vision

The newest--Julie Anneke

2011-02-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

Today we had the chance to meet our newest niece. Julie Anneke van Bastelaar was born this past Monday, January 31st, to Jeff's brother, Sean, and his wife, Jonelle.

Jeff was glad to spend some quality time with Sean and help him through his postpartum depression. (For those of you who don't know Sean, please note that this was purely a joke between the guys. Sean couldn't have depression, even if he tried.)

I always forget how tiny babies start out.

Such a precious little girl!

The kids loved meeting their newest cousin and they loved play time with the cousins, too.

Welcome to the world, Julie. We are glad to have you as a part of our family. May God bless you greatly and bring you to Himself at an early age.

Female Purple Finch

2011-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

I love oil painting. But, it requires a bit of time and a safe place to let it dry. In a house with three energetic children, the later is especially difficult to find. I'm finally (after 4 years) getting around to decorating our bedroom. I needed some personal touches on one of the walls and really wished I had an oil painting to put on it. It was a good reason to push me to get the oil paints out again. I just finished up the finch and am looking forward to framing it...if it safely makes it through it's drying period.

Dinner Dance 2011

2011-01-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Every January, Jeff's firm throws a dinner for their attorneys. It's great fun to dress up and have a special night out. This picture was taken at my brother's house. Andrew and Rachel were kind to watch the kids for us.

All my two year olds

2011-01-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Whenever anyone in our house turns two, I have a picture taken of them in a sailor suit. My collection grew a bit more this morning. One more to go after this.

Joost--July 2005

Grace--September 2007

Kate--January 2011

Kate

2011-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Most posts I put on our blog are to remember an event with the hopes that the pictures I took do it justice, but today's post is simply posted to show off a picture of Kate that I think is too cute not to share.

Kate's 2nd birthday

2011-01-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

And we have a 2 year old! Can you believe it? We celebrated her birthday with macaroni and cheese, gifts and cake.

Both Kate and Joost were a bit under the weather (poor Kate was sick on her first birthday, too.)

She enjoyed opening gifts (her unwrapping skills improved during Christmas and were fully shown off on her birthday.)

I was pleased by how much she enjoyed her gifts. Having to come up with a new set of gifts so close to Christmas is a bit daunting, but she enjoyed the gifts so much that she found a way to play with them all at once--which is impressive when you consider it was a crib for her baby, a tea set and binoculars.

And then Saturday morning arrived with all the family coming for brunch to celebrate Kate.

Instead of cake (it seems weird to eat that before 2 o'clock) she blew her candles out on top of monkey bread (which, in my opinion, is tastier than cake any day).

Gifts were opened with the whole slew of cousins aiding her.

Kate, who is no doubt fully girl, loved some of her gifts so much that she had to try them on immediately. That included a lovely navy blue dress and red patten leather shoes.

We are so thankful that God has given us another year with our dear, sweet Kate. There was a time that we wondered if we'd be able to have a third child and so she is a wonderful blessing from God. We pray that He will save her at an early age and that she might walk with Him for all her days.

Happy, happy 2nd birthday, Katie-bird!

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

This Christmas morning did not start as early as some since the kids were up late enjoying Christmas Eve service and celebrations with many family members. Each Christmas, the kids always feel like the wait at the top of the steps is tortuously long--the excitement and energy to come down and open gifts is hard to contain.

Kate is still working on her gift opening skills.

We enjoyed exchanging gifts.

After the reading of the birth of Christ and a lovely breakfast (provided by Mom the night before) of tea, scones and citrus, we went over to Mom and Dad's for Christmas dinner with the family. It was different this year, celebrating without Grandma, but we all had a lovely, relaxing day--the meal included a Christmas cracker next to each plate, which we all enjoyed the contents of (and felt very British opening it).

Uncle Jeff enjoyed the crown from his cracker enough to wear it outside for his smoking time.

It's great to celebrate with family. We look forward to next Christmas when two more little boys will be joining us.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Sunday 2010

2010-12-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

My Christmas Sweeties

(minus Jeff. We didn't get him a Christmas outfit.)

Christmas with the vBs

2010-12-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with Jeff's family a week early this year. Although a very busy weekend, everyone was able to make it for a Saturday morning brunch at Sean & Jonelle's house.

Here are some pictures from the day (there's too many for me to try and wax eloquent about each one).....

14 cousins (with another to be added very soon. We're looking forward to the end of January when Sean and Jonelle's 4th will be arriving.)

Kate is in love with purses right now. At times I'll find her walking around the house with six purses stacked up her arm. Needless to say, this was a perfect gift for her.

Joost, following in his father's footsteps, loves Legos. Legos were the theme of his gifts this Christmas season.

Sean & Joost

Joshua & Joost

Sleepy Lucy

20 week ultrasound

2010-12-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

Today Jeff and I had the joy of seeing our unborn child up close. I love the 20 week ultrasound! It's so amazing to see the tiny body and all its details. The baby is healthy and all the parts are in the right places. We are so blessed to have another healthy, well-built child on the way.

We were also excited to find out if we should be expecting a son or a daughter. I've had a gut feeling about this pregnancy and it ended up being right....

The trimming of the tree

2010-11-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today we decorated our Christmas tree--and what fun we had. The kids were excited all afternoon about doing it. Once the lights were strung and the star officially placed on top by Jeff, the kids went to town.

Kate was able to take part in the decorating this year. It's been a joy to see her this Christmas season as the house is decorated. Every time she spots a Christmas decoration that she hasn't seen yet, she is thrilled over it and points it out to me as if it is the first time I've seen it, as well.

We were all pleased with the end result. It is a merry start to the Christmas season!

The Christmas Tree hunt

2010-11-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas season has officially begun. Without fail, on either the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving, we always cut down our Christmas tree. This year, I wasn't feeling very much in the holiday mood. I was tempted to skimp on holiday traditions, but my good husband wouldn't hear of it. He insisted we keep with the tree cutting tradition. I'm glad that he did. Afterwards, I was feeling much more in the mood to do all that Christmas requires--and enjoy it while doing it. (We even found the radio station that plays continuous Christmas songs until Christmas day.)

We went to a new place this year--Haring Tree Farm--which we were very pleased with. I was tired of having bloody hands after stringing the lights on the tree and this year we found a farm that offers trees with sturdy branches, but soft needles. After finding just the right Douglas Fir (or rather, a good enough Douglas Fir, since the temperature was low and the winds gusty), Jeff cut the lovely tree down.

We were rather amazed at Joost's strength this year. He's reached that point where he's stronger than he realizes. (I can attest to that. The other day he gave me a playful punch in the back and it hurt a lot!) Joost hulled the tree up the hill from where we cut it to where it would be bagged. There was not one request for help or complaint about it being too heavy.

And then, to our delight, we saw Mom and Dad coming our way. They had decided to cut their tree at the same farm at the same time (you can probably tell where the tree cutting tradition began.)

We then had the tree shaken and bagged. (The shaking was new to us and such a treat upon bringing the tree home--not a single needle to vacuum after bringing it through the door.)

As we went towards the van with our tree, who else should be seen pulling up to the tree farm but my Aunt Dee, Uncle Frank and cousins (along with husband and kids)! It was apparently meant to be a family outing without any of us planning it.

After a busy morning of tree hunting, Kate was worn out and fell fast asleep on the ride home.

Thanksgiving season 2010

2010-11-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's always great to enter into the holiday season. The kids are especially enjoying it with all the extra things they do at school to celebrate Thanksgiving. I forget, sometimes, how wonderful and exciting the holidays are as a child.

Joost made (all with his own little hands) an Indian headdress as a project in class.

Grace's class, in preparation for the Thanksgiving feast they'd be having at school, made both Pilgrim and Indian head ware. They could then choose which to be for the feast. She decided to be an Indian girl named Golden Flower.

After all the different celebrations of Thanksgiving in school happened, the actual day came and we drove to Doylestown to spend the day with Jeff's family. The children had a wonderful time with all their (eleven--7 years and younger) cousins. It was sometimes deafening for the adults, but happy memories were made.

Dinner was delicious with all the traditional sides.

And the turkey made all of us a little sleepy, too.

Word Girl, one more time

2010-10-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Gracie had a repeat performance as Word Girl this morning at preschool. She and all her school cronies were able to parade before parents and grandparents and show off their costumes.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

So last year, creative juices were flowing all over the place while coming up with costumes for the kids. This year, it just wasn't there. There were no unified costumes that strangers from Sweden would comment on. Alas and alack, despite my inability to think outside the box, the kids had a fun night collecting candy.

Kate wore the cow costume that both Joost and Grace wore in earlier years. She was a top notch trick-or-treater, too. No stroller for her--she went door to door on foot for an hour and a half. Joost was a knight, but he was not happy substituting some of the musketeer garb from last October in for a knight costume. No, no. We needed different colors for the tunic and a dragon instead of a fleur-de-lis on the chest. Grace decided, very last minute, to be Word Girl (instead of the previously decided princess. I was hoping for some continuity between Sir Joost and Princess Grace, but who was I kidding?) So, last night, I amazingly found all the supplies around the house that I needed to come up with a halfway decent imitation of a Word Girl costume.

In the end, we had a fun night and we have bulging bags of candy. What more could you ask from 3 costumes?

Even we have princesses

2010-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I know that everyone has pictures of their daughters in princess attire. In a house with two girls, you would think that was a daily occurrence. Not in ours. Let me tell you how things work in our house. Grace, besides her love for the colors pink and purple and pretty shoes, would be just fine playing in a house of boys and their toys. She's very content building Lego castles with Joost. She's up for a game of baseball in the backyard whenever it's offered. She builds forts, wields swords and can imitate a scary dragon. But, when gift list time comes, don't you dare put a doll on that list. That doll will never be cuddled or even noticed.

But, today, we were thinking through Halloween costumes. I have a great lack of inspiration for making costumes this year, so I suggested she try on her new princess dress that she received as a birthday gift. Once on, I suggested she wear the hennin that Jeff and I bought her while in England. She refused (not surprisingly since we bought the hat in 2007 and it's not been used yet), but when Kate saw the hat, her little eyes lit up. She ran over and I tied it on--fully expecting it to be pushed off. Not so. In fact, I could tell she was hoping to wear a princess dress, as well. And thus the picture.

Certain grandmothers are happy that there is now a granddaughter who will enjoy putting dolls on her gift list.

Gracie's 5th birthday party

2010-09-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our Gracie is turning five. Can you believe it? She's grown up quite a bit (not just in height) in the past few months, as well. On Saturday, we had the family over to celebrate another year with her.

Grace had her heart set on a fun activity for her party. At first, she wanted to have an out of season egg hunt...until she saw pinatas in the party store. I, being the cheap mother that I am, could not stand the thought of spending $15 on an empty pinata. So, I decided to make my own.

The cousins enjoyed the pinata, so a week's worth of labor on an item destroyed after five minutes was worth it.

Andrew and Joost looked fashionable as they modeled the pinata after the smashing.

The rest of the day was enjoyed with the family as we ate dinner, cake and opened gifts. The boys had a fun time watching Penn Stave v. Temple--alums from both schools filled the room.

We were also pleased to have my Grandma Bosworth join the party for a bit. Her health is quickly deteriorating and so her activities outside her home are limited. It was special that she could celebrate with Grace.

Happy 5 years, dear Grace! We love you and thank God for you. There's no one else like you and we praise God for giving us a daughter with so much love and beauty in her. May God continue to bless your life and may you follow Him with all your heart for all your days.

Paper Grace, by Grace Elizabeth van Bastelaar

2010-09-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Just as was once created by her brother, so also, Grace has created her own Paper Grace. We arrived last night at Parent's Night at her preschool and seated in all the classroom seats were paper students. The resemblance between the paper students and the real students was so striking that it was difficult to tell if it was a room of real children or not. Since we had left Grace at home, we assumed it was just an amazing replica of her.

Crib, toy box...one in the same

2010-09-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was looking for Kate. Things were too quiet. When I checked in the playroom, I found her nearly asleep in the toy box. How she got in and why she thought it was a good place to take a snooze, I'll never know. But she enjoyed her rest time there.

First day of school 2010

2010-09-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school for both Joost and Grace.

Joost is starting 1st grade at Covenant Christian Academy.

Grace is beginning her school adventure. Today was her first day in preschool. She'll be going three mornings a week.

Kate was up with everyone to see Joost off.

The send off of Joost went well. There was a lot of excitement while we waited for the bus. With all the running up and down the sidewalk, I thought for sure there would be a brush burned knee or a nice grass stain on Joost's pants before the day even began, but he got on the bus looking the same as he did when he left the house.

And then, about an hour later, we loaded Kate in the stroller and Grace and I walked to her preschool (which is only 3 blocks away.)

Grace did great. She was very excited to be going to school and, although I could tell she felt a bit overwhelmed when we first arrived (the room was packed with students, parents and siblings), there was not a single tear. When I picked her up, she was all smiles and enjoyed her first morning.

Those English

2010-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I might officially be a geek if I post this, but I'm pretty sure there's a few of you out there who will be just as excited over this time line as I am.

As I was preparing to teach for this Sunday's church history class, I found this well done timeline of the English Monarchy on Wikipedia....

(you'll appreciate it more if you click on the picture and look at it on your full screen.)

Bosworth family pictures

2010-08-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

In July, we finally got around to taking a picture of the whole family.

the whole clan

Mom and Dad

Andrew (my brother), Rachel and Liam

Grandparents with all their grandchildren

vB family vacation 2010

2010-08-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Although we vacationed with my family several weeks ago, this is officially our summer to beach with Jeff's family. We spent our week with them in Ocean City, NJ and had a great time.

Our days were filled with time on the beach. Each morning, two of the uncles would go down and find a family spot where they set up a large canopy. Then, to make sure that we did not feel cramped, a large hole would be dug in front of the canopy. Sean even stopped for metal shovels on the way to Ocean City to make sure that it was done right.

The kids had a ball playing in the hole--especially as the tide rolled in and filled up the moat.

There were sand creations,

boogie boarding,

afternoon naps,

dinner on the beach,

new courage in water,

and lots of fun with cousins.

Not everything revolved around sand and sunscreen--although some may argue that most of the week did.

We had fun on the board walk, too. One morning adventure took us on a surrey ride followed by boardwalk donuts.

There were evening walks on the boardwalk, as well, that always ended with rides (including the 140 foot ferris wheel that the entire vB clan road as a group activity and nearly made me lose my dinner) or yummy treats.

Not all nights included the board walk, however. The kids have a very fun loving aunt who never fails in coming up with interesting themes for dessert nights. This year, we all had to wear a hat for one of the dessert nights. I think we were supposed to be a bit more creative with our hat selections than I provided for the 5 of us because we only wore our beach hats while others represented the Red Hat Society, the Construction Workers' Union and galaxies far, far away.

The three youngest cousins enjoyed dessert as much everyone else--even if it meant only eating graham crackers on S'more night.

We had a great week together.

joost's 7th birthday party

2010-07-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

This year's birthday party was an especially exciting party for Joost because, not only did family come (per usual), but he was also able to invite friends for the first time, as well. In our family it's a big deal because friend parties do not happen annually. When you have 11 cousins (and more on the way), that's usually enough energy to contain at one birthday shindig.

Fortunately, this summer was also the first time we are members at a local swimming pool--the perfect place for a party! Joost invited all the boys in his class and a buddy from church. Summer's hard because so many travel, but enough were able to come and he had a great day.

Unfortunately, I turned my camera over to an unnamed family member (always a dicey move) to capture the fun and emotions of the day and only few pictures are worth posting. (I'll take that up with that anonymous person later. ;)

Pictures or no pictures, it was a happy day for Joost. We love him for so many reasons. We are blessed to have him as our son and that is worth celebrating!

Duck 2010

2010-07-19T06:01:00.001-07:00

Our annual beach vacations alternate between our families. This summer is a vB summer, but we were able to have an unexpected week with my family, as well, in Duck, North Carolina.

We (especially I) HATE the trip to the Outer Banks. A trip that should only (and I use that word while I roll my eyes) take 7 hours to drive will usually take 12 if you leave at any sensible time, like 6 or 7 am. So, this summer, in an attempt to out fox the traffic, we left at 2 in the morning. Yes, it was dark and we'd only slept about 3 hours--but we did beat the traffic and made the trip in 6.5 hours. Hot dog!

It was great to vacation with Andrew and Rachel since it had been many years since we were able to do so. Liam enjoyed his first trip to the beach.

Kate was a real champ this summer, too. Last summer, if you recall, she despised the beach with every bit of her being. But this summer, she enjoyed the sand and the water.

We had an unexpected treat when, on the first day, we ran into old friends from our Philadelphia days. Brad and Elizabeth Smith, along with their kiddos, were vacationing just a few blocks south of us.

Joost was glad to (re)meet Bradley. Their friendship on the beach was invaluable to all adults. There is an amazing amount of energy in a 6, almost 7, year old boy's body. The two of them had fun keeping up with each other, while the parents and grandparents were able to sit and relax a bit under umbrellas.

On Wednesday, it was a bit cooler and grayer, so we took a trip to Kitty Hawk and visited the Wright Brother museum and monuments.

While at Kitty Hawk, the kids had a fun time flying kites close to the place where the first plane flew.

On Friday, Joost celebrated his birthday. Thankfully, I remembered to pack his gifts (minus the basketball stand that we thought might be a bit bulky to fit in the van.) He enjoyed his day with an early morning bike ride with my mom and dad, time on the beach with Bradley and chili, corn on the cob and Texas toast for his birthday dinner.

It was really great to have an extra week of vacation this summer--having Jeff all to ourselves for a full week. And it was great to be with my whole family. What a blessing to have so many wonderful people in my life.

The return of Mr. Finch

2010-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Since the arrival of his children, we've seen much more of Mr. Finch around the nest. I think Mrs. Finch is glad. He seems to be taking up the role of keeping the last egg warm (because 100 degree weather isn't quite warm enough) while she goes out grocery shopping for the babies. Occasionally they switch jobs--mostly when the babies can't stand being apart from mama any longer.

Our baby turned toddler

2010-07-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late on this post, but Kate reached her 18 month mark yesterday. She has grown up so much in the past 6 months. The fact that she's walking is a milestone in and of itself. Beyond that, it is wonderful to hear her words and songs, watch her carry out detailed instructions, walk around with a purse on her arm, laugh with her brother, enjoy sharing a bedroom with her sister, call for her daddy, and hug and kiss me goodnight. She is a sweet daughter and a delight in our home.

Hatchlings

2010-07-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

We are preparing to travel soon and I was so sure that I would miss the hatching of the finch eggs. But to my delight, I peaked in today and found that some of the eggs were gone and some hatchlings were in their place. Do you think the pink ribbon in the nest means "it's a girl"? It looks like the visible egg might have a tiny hole in it. A new member of the Finch family may soon arrive. Three cheers for God's creation--what an amazing thing it is!

and now there's five

2010-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

(Several days after taking the first pictures of the 2 eggs, I came back to see if any had hatched. Instead, I found 3 more eggs. Also, I might be mistaken. Instead of house finches, they may be purple finches. I think the father might have had some red on his head.)

*********************

"We're here, we're here," cried the baby birds
to their mother who perched on high.
"We were so afraid when we left you -
never more from you will we fly!"

"Oh, yes you will," said the mother bird,
"When the time is right one day,
You'll spread your wings in that big blue sky
and from me you'll fly away."

"Oh no mother dear," said the baby birds
from the nest where they sought to hide.
"The world is so big and scary too,
right here with you we'll abide!"

"For now, dear ones, you'll stay with me
and I'll never leave your side.
Together we will learn and grow
and I will be your guide."

"We'll swoop and dive and chase all fear;
we'll rejoice in being free,
and the day I wave goodbye to you,
you'll turn and wave to me."

The 2nd Annual Cousin Sleepover

2010-06-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

The tradition continued this week. 10 of the 13 cousins (on Jeff's side) slept over at Aunt Jonelle & Uncle Sean's house. The ages of these ten children range from 3 to 7. I have not seen pictures yet of all the energy that happened during those 19 hours, but I have heard the stories. There were fun times--including tie-dying pillow cases.

Yes, I know your jaw has hit the floor by now. Most people's do. But Aunt Jonelle enjoys this adventure (even with morning sickness) and plans to continue it each summer. Three cheers for her and the cherished memories the kids are making.