Dinner with the Tenbrinks

This evening we hung out and had Dinner with Mike, Carrie, Garret and Anna Tenbrink. Maddie and Garret (who is 10 weeks older than Maddie) had such a great time. They even had a little time for smooch'n. :) Anna is their sweet little newborn. She didn't want to have her picture taken today, so that's why this one's a little blurry. :) She wasn't all about a photo shoot. :) Thanks for dinner Tenbrinks!! Can't wait to hang again.

Party 52/25...Good Times.

Last night we celebrated two birthdays, one being Tom's Dad Jamie turning 52 and the other being Tom's sister Katie who will be 25 tomorrow. Maddie had her very first real "babysitter" , Lianne for the night. She was totally excited and said "bye bye Mommy" when we left...kind of broke my heart, but was a good thing at the same time. :) They had a great time all night.

We decided months ago that not only were we going to celebrate these birthdays, but a party was necessary to really celebrate. :) Jamie and Gloria held a great bash and we can't thank them enough. Our almost-cousin Tim's band "Relapse" performed and did an awesome job! Everyone looked like they were having a great time. Here are a couple of pictures from the party. The baby is Breden Anes, is he cute or what??? I didn't take pictures for very long, so there aren't many.

GVSU 2002 Football Team Inducted In G.R. Sports Hall of Fame

This past Thursday night, we spent the evening at the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where the 2002 GVSU football team was honored. The dinner and ceremony was held at the Van Andel Arena and was really well done. Tom, Dan and friends Aaron Hein, Curt Anes and Mike Hoad accepted the award on behalf of the team. What an wonderful honor. We had a great time and enjoyed watching the "boys" get the recognition they so deserve for all they accomplished that year.

GO G.V.S.U!!!

Congratulations Tom!!!

Let me start off by saying that I couldn't be more proud of my husband. Not only for what this post is about, but for being such a strong, kind and really just a wonderful person. I am a very lucky wife.

Tom has moved once more to a new position for Rockford Public Schools. He is now one of three assistant principals at Rockford High School. This is a new adventure that Tom is very excited to take. He had such a strong bond with the staff and students at East Middle, that is was hard for him to leave. I know that Tom will make a huge impact on the students and staff at his new school, but he will most definitely miss East. The staff at RHS has welcomed him and he is loving it already, so that helps with a big move.

Maddie and I are so very proud of Tom and how hard he works. He truly wants to make the school experience the very best for each and every student. That is a very special thing to find. We love you Tom and can't wait to hear all about your first week!!!

32 years of Bliss. :)

We wanted to wish Jamie and Gloria a very happy anniversary. They have been married 32 years and counting. :) We all could see how strong their relationship was and how much love they had for each other while they both were mourning the loss of a parent this year as well as Jamie's recent medical ordeal. They are role models for us kids on what a successful marriage looks like! Thank you both for the love and support for each other and for the entire family!

Swimming with the Pokorzynski's

Today we spent the afternoon at my parents pool soak'n up the sun and getting some swimming in. Maddie, after about 5 minutes in the pool, caught sight of Ella who was swimming (with a life jacket of course) all on her own. She then decided that she too didn't need our help anymore. :) She had the orange floaties on and went to town. She swam for a very long time, and loved every moment of it. Here are some shots of the afternoon.

Mondays With Thys

On Mondays, Maddie and I have a special guest that visits. Thys Vander Wall comes to play, and Maddie just LOVES him. She plays the little mother, giving him his pacifier and wanting to feed him. Johanna has gone back to work a couple of days a week and we couldn't be happier to have him. Here are few pictures from yesterday.

Courtright Family Vacation

This past week, Tom, Maddie and myself spent a week in Gaylord MI, with my Mom's side of the family. We had such a great time seeing all of my family. Many traveled from Virgina and also from Florida. Of course there were a lot of Michiganders as well. :) We spent some time at Lake Michigan, traveled to the Mackinac Bridge and even got out golfing. The weather couldn't have been better that's for sure. It was so wonderful watching my Grandma enjoy all of her great-grand kids and laughing with her own kids. We can't wait to do it again!! Here are some great pictures from the trip.

More Pics...

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday. We took them at home on the porch after the park. :) She is getting so old.