Rock Star...

I guess this is my rocker side, I felt like listening to some of my favorites today. Enjoy the new playlist!!!

Our dress

This is the dress Cara and I get to wear in May!! Its going to be in a deep purple though. I love it, and its comfortable but will be even better when I kick my butt in gear and drop 10-15 more pounds so here I go again...blahhhh. I hate dieting!!! So, they have the church, minister, reception, rehearsal, cake, flowers and her dress all figured out. They are making great progress!! Fun fun!!

All done...

Family Photo

Aprons that Grandma Leona made for all of us girls along with a family cookie recipe. Such a cool idea!!!

A photo from the Prins party that we were at really quickly b/c the girls have bad colds and we didnt want to expose all the little babies. Plus we had another party to go to!


We are all done with Christmas parties!! We have about 4 more get togethers this week for new years but thats okay. I hate that I get so sick of it but its a lot of work with kids. Packing up the food, presents, stuff for the kids,....yadda yadda yadda. Its all very fun, and the girls had a great time so its all worth it! Just glad to start getting back to our normal routine and catch up on some much needed sleep!! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Another Prins Miracle!!

The Prins family takes very seriously when God said be fruitful and multiply!!! My cousin Ben and his wife Laura had their baby this week too!!! Amelia Josephine was born on the 22nd!!! Mom is now doing good and so is baby Amelia, PRAISE GOD for babies and families. Our family has soooo many things to be thankful for, we are so blessed. I know my grandpa and grandma Prins are smiling down from heaven watching all of their 20+ great grandchildren with more on the way. No, not from me right now. :)



A Different Kind Of Christmas


Sometimes Christmas is just overwhelming, it seems,
As we rush around buying up stuff.
We spend without end, and we rack up those bills,
But it feels like it's never enough.


So this Christmas, let's all take a different approach:
Let's try to be more in accord
With God's Christmas gift, the best one of all--
Our sweet Jesus, our Savior, our Lord.


We'll be gentle and patient, and loving and kind,
And we'll keep our priorities straight;
The gifts of the Spirit, the gifts of the heart
Are the ones that we'll all celebrate.


And our stress will decrease, and we'll feel more at peace,
As we decorate, package, and trim;
Our new Christmas will be a pure joy and delight,
As we try to be much more like Him.


By Joanna Fuchs

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!

New baby girl in the Prins family...

Announcing Greta Joy...isn't she gorgeous!? My cousins Matt and Deb welcomed a new baby girl yesterday. She looks just like her big sister Grace!! Congrats guys!!! This is my Uncle John holding her...proud Grandpa!!!

Snow day!!!!

So...what are you doing today?? Our Prins family Christmas party has been cancelled until next weekend and I am so bummed! This was going to be our big kick off to Christmas fun, shoot! The girls and I have started a Muppets marathon! We have 4 videos that are a few hours long!! Days like this are kind of fun. I am hoping to nap, read, work on a puzzle, drink hot cocoa...gotta love winter snow days!!

A little change of subject but I have to share this too. Why is it that when a man hears "avoid traveling on the roads if at all possible" they have to jump in their vehicles and drive somewhere just to prove they can do it???? Maybe this is just my dear husband who seems to love this challenge but it is a bit annoying!! Like they have to prove their manhood by driving on poopy roads?? What is that about? Right now he HAD to go get milk?? Like we haven't ever been without milk for a day??? What a goober! Well, I hope you all stay safe and warm today.

Gingerbread house

Our first gingerbread house turned out okay. I have always wanted to make one so Cara went and got a kit for me at Michaels. There was a lot more to it than I thought. It turned out okay but I dont think I am going to get hired into the cake decorating business any time soon! I still want to take a class just because it is kind of fun!! Anyone want to join me?? The girls thought it was fun and Ellie is very proud to show it off. We will see how long it lasts before Aubrey just chomps into it, or Ellie picks all the candy off! Hopefully this becomes a family tradition and eventually the girls can do it more on their own.

To build or not to build...

So lately I have been going through all of Dans house plan magazines. I have fallen in love with the exterior look of this house. The only thing Dan and I know we want is a "mountain" home and room for all of the toys in the basement when we move in!!! My house looks like a daycare center right now!!
Our problem, is wondering when we should build? The economy stinks as everyone knows so that makes me want to wait. Who knows if this house will sell fast or if we will sit on it for years. I pray about this a lot. I have asked God for a clear cut answer on what we should do! Like this would be ideal: someone would come to our door and want to buy our house for a great price and say they need 6-8 months before moving in. Is that too much to ask??? I know the chance of that happening are slim to none but I do pray that God directs us in the right direction. Until then I am pretty content in our house. Yes its getting smaller but it works, I kind of like cozy! Plus we have done so much! If the time comes to build/move I will be shedding a lot of tears. I am so proud of our little home and all we/Dan has done!! So there is one of my thoughts for the day.

the pics, I got it to work!!

things...

Well, I had a blog all written out and I was going to add pictures of last Sat. dress shopping but silly me used the camera on the highest resolution and it takes wayyyyy too long to put the pictures up!! So...sorry! When we go tomorrow I wont do that so I can show you some pictures! We did see some pretty gorgeous dresses on a very gorgeous girl!! Cara and I had fun trying on silly bridesmaid dresses until she too got sick!! That flu has gotten around our family! Luckly we are all done with it. We hope!!
An announcement...I am going to be an auntie again! Mark and Amanda are expecting their third baby this summer!!! So fun!! So be in prayer for her and baby!!
Another prayer request is for the Leegwaters who are expecting twins any day! You can follow her blog to see how things are going. Praying that those kiddos stay in there just a little longer!!!!
A note of Praise is that I had another spot removed on my back and the results came back just fine!!! It had been a long time since I had any of my moles looked at and I just didnt want to go. I have had pre-cancerous spots taken off before so it just scared me!! I was soooo relieved when I got a postcard yesturday that said normal mole!!! YEAH!!! I have promised myself I will be better about going to get them checked!!!
Maybe next time I will get a little botox and a spray tan too! Dekkingas office has it all!!
One more little story I thought I would share is about Ellie. We were talking yesturday about why we get presents at Christmas and that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday and its the biggest party!! Well, she asked if Jesus was going to be coming over for the party and I explained that He is here right now and He will be with us always, we just cant see Him. Well, then she said "is He at Aidens (her new boyfriend) house?" I tried to explain that Jesus is with all of us all the time. Thank goodness for the faith of a child because she just accepts what I tell her. Today and yesturday, Ellie has been as she says "playing with Jesus, showing Him her room, showing Him our bathrooms..." its so cute. I am sure God is smiling down on that one!!! Child like faith!!!

Stay away from the Nyhof home!!

Last week Friday Aubrey got the flu, the out of both ends flu. Sunday Dan got it, and early Monday I did. We finally were back on top of things, getting the house all sanitized and after spending all day with family and cousins, Ellie got it last night. Grrr, I am bummed and feel so bad for exposing everyone to this nasty bug. Thankfully, Dan and I are competely back to "our" normal and Dan could get movies for her and puzzles for me. I have kept up on all the laundry sick kids bring and got the Christmas lights on outside. Hopefully this is the only flu bug we end up with this winter. Wouldnt that be nice!! Here is a picture of Ellie, she had to smile even though shes feeling poopy. We asked her if she wanted the shade shut and she just said that she loved to see the sunshine, how sweet is that!!
Dan is heading to the football game tonight of Holland Christian in Detroit area! He is really looking forward to it since last week he stayed home and missed going to the Penn State vs. Michigan State game. Sorry babe!
I get to go wedding dress shopping tomorrow with my sisters and mom. (so long as no one gets the flu!!) I am sooooo excited!!! I cant wait to see her in a beautiful dress!! What fun I am sure we will have!!! Everyone have a great day, hope all of you crazy black friday shoppers got some great deals!!!

Give Thanks!!

I found this cartoon, and it cracked me up. I totally have my dads sense of humor!! I truely hope all you bloggers have a fantastic Thanksgiving.

do you know anyone???

Flowers and Cakes...

So, I am privileged to be able to help Angie with her and Jeffs wedding plans!! How fun!! Currently she is on the hunt for a flower person and cake person. So, if you know of someone and happen to have any pics of their work, that would be helpful! Thanks in advance and thanks for all your replies on my Christmas questions!! Blogging is great!!! :)

Girlfriends

To all of my girlfriends: thanks for being who you are. Each of you are a HUGE blessing in my life, you are all so unique and dear to me! I just was thinking tonight how lucky I am to have such a large group of you to turn to for whatever life throws our way! I appreciate you all and love ya'!!

"The better part of ones life consists of his friendships." - Abe Lincoln

"A true friend is one who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." - Bernard Meltzer

questions

I put up our new tree tonight and it looks pretty good. I got a new one because I feel our house is shrinking a bit and so I got a smaller, slimmer tree. Maybe I wont feel like its so in the way like the other one.( i will put up a pic when its all done!) Now I am getting in the Christmas mind set and I have some questions for you all...

First question, does anyone know someone who sells discovery toys? I am kind of interested in getting the little race track set for my girls for Christmas. (hopefully they still sell it!)

Second, every year Dan gets me a new book light for a present and now its kind of a joke that we have wondering how long it will last. Its never very long, I either read too much or have bad luck with book lights. So, if you know of a really great kind that's not too bright or heavy let me know.(or Dan) :)

Third this isn't a Christmas question but just a comment...my three year old is amazing!! When they say that kids grow up too fast, its no joke!! We were watching some country music show and she was critiquing all the girls. One of the winners walked up and Ellie said "she is skinny" and later "oh mom, I like her hair" and again "her dress is sooo pretty". What the heck she is 3!!! What am I teaching the child? Goodness! She cracks me up.

Great book...

You know those monthly book clubs you get in the mail? Well, I tried it out once and really thought it was a great deal IF you dont forget to send the info back in the mail each month. If you fail to do so you will get two books they pick for you and you get stuck paying for. Well, of course that happened to me ONE time!! Luckily one of the books I got was good and called Amazing Kitchen cures. It is an awesome book that is useful to everyone. It takes me hours some nights to fall asleep and many nights I find myself reading this. So, if you're looking for a Christmas present for someone that you just arent sure what to get, this is a good one. Just thought I would pass along the info.

Bummer...

Well...things didn't turn out the way I had hoped. Part of me thinks its pretty cool that we have our first african american president. Another part of me is just plain worried, it just scares me when someone who is okay with taking innocent life (abortion) is about to be in charge of ours. But again, God is still the same God today as yesturday and that is a comfort for us all. So, congratulations to President elect Obama and his family. I am bummed we wont see more of that cute Sarah Palin anymore!! Have a great day bloggers!!

Pray and Vote!!!

Tomorrow is finally voting day!!! This will sound cheesy but I always feel good when I vote, I feel proud that we have the privilege to do it...the FREEDOM! Whatever happens tomorrow, God is still in control. So lets all just pray for our country and for the new people who will be leading it. Happy Voting!!

BIG NEWS!!!!

WOO HOO!! Look at these pictures...my sister Angie and new brother to be Jeff are engaged!!!!!! HOORAY!!!! Not sure when it will be yet but I will keep everyone posted on all the fun planning!! Yea!!!

Here are also a few pics of trunk or treat at church. Fun times!!

Family Cookbook

After a baby shower a few weeks ago, we were discussing family recipes and thought that it would be such a treasure to have a Prins cookbook! So my cousin Alissa is going to put one together. How awesome is that?!!!! So, I got an email yesturday to come up with a title for our cookbook. We are looking for ideas...if you have something cute let me know. I gave Alissa two ideas so far, tell me what you think. Prins Preserves and Faith, Family, Food...Prins family Recipes.

8 years!

Wow, today is our 8 year anniversary! Time is flying!!! We couldnt be happier with the past eight years. God has blessed us and our marriage! We love each other more now than when we met 10 years ago. We pray God blesses us with many, many more great years!! I am such a lucky girl to have such a sweet hubby to love me so special and be the greatest dad to our girls!!

Family Hayride 2008, the pictures tell it all....

stuff

Ready to Vote!???

I am and after listening today to Sarah Palin talk to Dr. Dobson I am even more ready to go to the voting booth!! What a great Christian wife, mom, republican...I just think she is great and that we have to VOTE for McCain/Palin. She and McCain are PRO LIFE and we need them in the white house!! Either way, whoever is elected, we need to be in prayer for our country. You can click here to listen to Dobson and Palins talk....

http://www.citizenlink.org/dailybroadcast/A000008476.cfm

Here is a picture of what we did at MOPS last week. I think they turned out pretty cute. For our moms, we did fall/halloween paper so they could use them for trunk or treat at church or handing out candy at home. I did them to use as gift buckets, crayons for at home, etc.

And one last thing. I never really wanted to use this blanket, normally its in my room on a quilt rack. Dan and I got so cold the other night we threw it on and instantly warmed up. It was my grandmas, Elizabeth Grace Prins. My great aunt Arnola made it for her. Tonight, I washed it and let Ellie lay in it b/c she has another cold and to warm up. Its a treasure to have! One last thing, Aubrey decided to put my phone in a glass of water and its not working so well. So Dan will be bringing it in tomorrow to see what he can do. (in case anyone is trying to get ahold of me)

Fall Festive Fun!!

Saturday night we got together with some friends to eat and carve pumpkins!! It was a riot, like it always is! We are blessed to have a great group of friends!
I asked Brad to take a few pictures while we carved, and he took 53!!!!! What a goof ball!! I love this one of Lyndsey, shes adorable!! (sorry Lynds, I had to!)

Here we are planning out the pumpkins with the kids and at first they were so into it....3 minutes later they're gone and we moms are left to finish them! We honestly didnt mind, it was super fun!!

Max and Ellie had a good time playing with the new neighbors cat. The cat doesnt seem to care what anyone does. It just loves attention, so they decided to cover it in straw, then take it all off, then cover it again....and again. There are the pumpkins all carved.

Lily being so good, just hanging out! She was up the whole night but was super content and happy!! Thats how all babies should be!!! :)

Max- I just love this picture of him. He is the sweetest little guy, I think he may have been up all night for his mom and dad that night. He really enjoyed the bucket of candy! So funny!!

Fun day....

Jason and Kristie
Ry and Cara
Dad and Laura

First, thanks for your prayers! Katie had her surgery and is doing much better, the kidney is doing good!! Praise God!!

Tonight Dan and I and my fam went out to dinner to the City Vu', it was fun like it always is!! Later some of us went back to our house to play Wii, my arms really hurt from the boxing game but it was pretty fun!!! Here are some pictures!!

Angie and Ellie

She really didnt want to go to bed because she wanted to drive some more!

Just the 10 of us!

Cara kicking dans butt! It was hilarious!!