A Peek at the Overbeeks

Carissa turns 1

2012-01-14T21:28:00.003-05:00

Happy 1st birthday, Carissa!

Eve reading Carissa a story

2011-04-21T07:40:00.002-04:00

All fun and games at the CNE

2010-11-12T21:21:00.007-05:00

Just before Anna started school in September, we took a trip to downtown Toronto to see the Canadian National Exhibition. Since our friend Catherine was staying with us for the week, she got to join in on the fun.

Here's a few pre-CNE shots in the car. Sarah's not too sure about the long drive, but Anna and Eve know exactly what's coming!

The girls got to participate in the ballerina circus show. Once Eve was up on stage, she kept twirling and twirling - we were afraid she would be so dizzy she would fall off the edge.

These horse trikes were a definite hit with Anna, who turned out to be a pro at handling the reigns.

At the Farm Exhibit, the children got to practice planting seeds, collecting eggs, picking apples off trees, and milking the cow.

Yay!! - a petting zoo! This was one of the best we've been to, complete with potbellied pigs running under everyone's legs, goats nibbling our pockets for snacks and a miniature donkey who loved to nuzzle our fingers.

Making our own music was great fun, with triangles, bells, and all sorts of assorted instruments.

Sarah's songs

2010-11-02T10:02:00.004-04:00

Sarah loves to sing. Here's a little video of her version of the chorus from "He Arose."

Hello Michigan!

2010-10-20T15:27:00.005-04:00

At the end of August, we made a quick trip into Grand Rapids. It gave us time to celebrate Jodi's 30th birthday with family and allowed the girls and Jodi to enjoy time with Mom and Dad Deur and Overbeek while Don attended meetings and a conference.

The girls had lots of animal time with Manix (the Overbeek's German Shepherd), Scout (the Deur's beagle) and a fun trip to the Hudsonville Fair.

A butterfly birthday bash

2010-10-16T19:42:00.007-04:00

Two years old! Sarah loved celebrating her birthday this August, especially because the birthday cake had "cannies" (candy) on it. The day was full of excitement, including opening the usual presents and trying out paints outside.

WWe had a second party for her when we were in Grand Rapids at Dad and Mom Overbeek's house. The chocolate cake and lemonade ice cream were yummy, but the best part was celebrating with all those cousins!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-10-08T21:28:00.013-04:00

The summer is gone already and we're right into the swing of things with Anna starting Kindergarten and Don starting a second job to help support our family. Our schedules have changed quite a bit, but we are settling into a routine now. Hopefully that will mean posts will be a little more frequent. Here's pictures of some of the fun times we had during the rest of the summer this year.

A visit to the Fintelman farm was a highlight of the beginning of summer, since it meant seeing the new calves and colts, along with many, many squirmy kittens to hold.Many delightful Sunday afternoons have been spent at the Nebitko's home, enjoying the beauties of nature among the flowers.

We were able to connect with the extended Deur family at Brouwer Park for a few days while we were staying with Mom and Dad Deur at their cottage on Clear Lake. Our vacation with the Deurs was full of memorable times - whether playing volleyball or tennis, fishing with Grandpa, tubing and boat riding, a few games of Settlers, and lots of fun just hanging around together.

We were happy to finally find a good beach fairly near to our own home in Newmarket on Lake Simcoe. After living so close to Lake Michigan all our lives, it seems to take quite a bit of investigating to find a nice beach to visit.

The hot days of summer

2010-07-15T13:01:00.007-04:00

Summer is here and the flowers are a bloomin'. Don has enjoyed this pretty sight when looking out of his office:And Jodi has been enjoying the calla lilies that she planted this year. They are so delicate and gorgeous.

Things have been lively here as usual. Though we've been having a heat wave of late, we'll begin with a few photos from when it was a little cooler and rainier. Here are the girls getting ready for a long hike through the woods. They brought bags along to store the treasures they found.

The girls enjoyed some cotton candy and a ride on the VIVA bus at the Police Week Open house. We managed to dodge most of the rain and we all even got to experience being handcuffed and locked into a cell. It was all a little too real for Anna, who panicked and begged that we all be let out of there right away!

We had an enjoyable trip into Grand Rapids over Memorial Day, and got to have a bit of cousin time with the Overbeeks. Here's a little glimpse of the fun we had.

No trip to Grand Rapids in the summertime is complete without a visit to Millenium park. It was the perfect day for a trip to the beach, with blazing hot temperatures and an eager Grandma and Grandpa to join in the fun.

Sarah went through a little streak where she would constantly be taking off her clothes, and sometimes her diaper too!! But she loves trying on all sorts of boots and hats, which can make for quite a combination.

Here's a little video of her we caught, when she had once again stripped down to her diaper!

Bulgogi and Rice Anyone?

2010-07-12T12:53:00.012-04:00

The past few months we have had many opportunities to perfect our chopstick skills as our South Korean friend Catherine treats us to a Korean feast she makes for us each Saturday evening. We've added lots of new foods to our repertoire and surprisingly haven't tasted anything yet we didn't like (although she's steered clear of kimchi for fear that the smell will make us never want to eat Korean food again!).

Here's a glimpse at a few of the tasty treats we've enjoyed:

Notice the green tube of wasabi sauce next to the cucumber. A pea-sized drop of that put some real heat into our bowls. Of course, Don couldn't resist squeezing out five-times more than that and definitely clearing out his sinuses (it was quite a sight to behold!). Roasted seaweed (in the bowl next to the cucumbers) has become a well-liked staple in the sushi rolls and cold soba noodle concoctions we enjoy. Anna has come to enjoy anything Korean as long as it is literally drenched in Korean soya sauce (a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar). You can see the bowl of soya sauce at the bottom of the photo above.

Sarah learning to use the chopsticks!

This is a Korean soba noodle dish: a cold concoction made of wheat noodles, Korean radish, cucumbers, seaweed, soba sauce, and a little wasabi to taste. Korean dessert aways consists of some delicious fresh fruit like strawberries, pineapple, or mangos.

These are Sarah's favorite noodles with black soybean paste. Yum-yum!

Mandu (Korean dumpling) anyone? Just wait - I have to soak it in soya sauce first! :)

Here's Sarah finishing off her plate of yummy noodles and mandu.

Springtime Pleasures

2010-05-04T21:44:00.008-04:00

This spring, we had the opportunity to visit the Kortright Centre for the Sugarbush Festival, where we learned the fine art of maple syrup making. We learned how the aboriginals made it, how the pioneers made it, and modern techniques. It truly made us appreciate how much work goes into making pure maple syrup and why it can cost so much! The girls also enjoyed a ride on a horse-drawn wagon and nature tales from a local storyteller.

In early April, we had a wonderful visit by our dear mother, who spent the week in a whirl of cleaning, reading stories, walks to the park and some cuddling with her granddaughters.

We've recently became friends with Catherine, a woman from South Korea who is living in Toronto for six months as she learns English. Catherine visits us on the weekends so that she can attend church with us in Newmarket. She's been taking part in a few of our fun adventures, while she treats us to Korean food each Saturday night. Here was our first adventure together at a local dog show. The girls love animals, especially dogs, so we all had a blast.

Catching up

2010-04-22T20:54:00.010-04:00

Well, its been a few months since our last post. So we have lots of stories and pictures to catch you up on. At the end of January, Grandpa and Grandma Overbeek visited us. We all had a great time and the girls enjoyed the second round of Christmas/birthday presents.

Eve celebrated her third birthday in style at the beginning of February, complete witha dalmation puppy birthday cake. She's such a cuddly, affectionate girl and full of giggles.

At Newmarket's Winterfest, Anna was able to try her hand at pottery and jump in an air trampoline.

The girls love to practice their artwork - sometimes on each other! While Mom wasn't looking, Anna decided to try her hand at facepainting with Eve as her canvas.

In the picture below, we caught Anna giving her sisters private lessons in her culinary school. The recipe of the day was heavy on the starches, with a unique concoction of oatmeal, rice, potatoes and a whole lot of water.

Here's a random picture of our cutie-pie who has grown up into a big toddler already. In late March, we visited the McMichael Art Gallery. THe kids enjoyed trying their hand at sponge painting, playing in the Arctic dress-up area, and galloping around on horses.

It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed a splendid nature walk around the grounds.

A few weeks ago, Eve managed to sneak off with Anna's craft scissors and give herself a new hairdo. This was the result:

After trying to cover it up for a week or so with ponytails, we decided to just have it professionally cut. Now, she's just darling with a little bobbed cut:

A birthday fit for a princess

2010-01-25T21:56:00.005-05:00

It's already been a week since we celebrated our Anna's 4th birthday - what a fun time we had together as a family! Since Anna's birthday fell on Sunday, we spent our day as usual at church, visiting for coffee and lunch at Sophia's house and then back to church in the afternoon. Anna was showered with love and attention from all of our church family, which made her feel extra special. Then on Monday, we celebrated more, with cake, presents, and a trip to a play place called "Lil Kridders." The kids loved playing in the houses, driving the "cars" climbing up tunnels, jumping in the balls and playing a few games. As a matter of fact, Mommy and Daddy did just about all of the same things as well - Daddy's specialty was being buried in the ball pit, while Mommy actually ventured up into the playstructure. Since Mommy is afraid of heights, Daddy took great pleasure in shaking the nets of the tunnels as she crawled through them. Not to worry though - Anna reassured Mommy that she would "wait at the bottom of the slide to catch you so you won't be so scared!"

Anna picked out a princess castle for her cake. It took Jodi quite a while to decorate, but was eaten up in a hurry! The girls loved the pink and purple frosting, mostly for how good it tasted. Here's a few photos from our time together:

Autumn fun with our girls

2009-11-20T13:45:00.008-05:00

The girls thoroughly enjoyed the kids area at the Binder Twine Festival this September.

Playing around in daddy's "office"

Anna and Eve both took swimming lessons this fall. They love the water and did very well in their classes.

Artists in the making.

Anna was so exhausted after a morning of play that we found her asleep in the living room.

Welcome to toddlerhood!

2009-11-18T20:48:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe how quickly Sarah is growing up. She's just 15 months old, and seems to be developing by leaps and bounds. It was only about two months ago that the words she could say could be counted on one hand. Now, she knows dozens of words and is constantly mimicking what we say. Just today, she started saying "eat" and pointing to an apple, and "bird" when looking through an animal book. Yesterday, she started handing us books and saying "book . . . read" She knows most of her animal sounds and can say several animal names as well.

Besides talking, Sarah is a very physical girl, meaning she loves to climb on things (especially anyone laying on the floor) and come up behind us and squeeze our legs or give her sisters bear hugs. Too often this also means she is biting, pinching and hitting as well, though we are working on making that happen a little less often. Earlier this week, Jodi watched as dinnertime approached and Sarah pushed a dining room chair next to her highchair, climbed up, and then climbed into her highchair and sat down, ready to eat.
Sarah loves to help out and catches on quickly. Whether it is with string cheese wrappers or banana peels, she makes a beeline to the trash basket in the kitchen to throw them away before she eats her snack. She loves to help put laundry in the dryer or hand Mommy pieces of clean clothing to fold. Once, she took a her shirt that Mommy had folded and went into her bedroom and put it away in the drawer. Mommy was so surprised that she folded another and hoped to catch it on video. Instead, Sarah then proceeded to empty out all of the clothes in the drawer and bring them back to the laundry basket to be refolded. That's how her helping usually ends up!
Sarah is definitely a Daddy's girl and scoots downstairs often throughout the day to get a hug and kiss from daddy or to bring him one of her books to read. She misses him when he leaves, often asking for him throughout the night, and squeals and runs to him when he comes home.
As you can probably guess by now, Sarah just loves to look at books.

She's getting better at letting us read them to her too (before, she insisted on turning the pages every which way and at her own pace, which made reading much more difficult). Her favorite books are those with flaps or animals.

What a precious little one she is, with her cute blonde ringlets and toothy grin! She inherited the hair from Jodi, but she definitely inherited another trait from the Overbeeks! She constantly has her tongue out of her mouth, like this:

It is amazing how those traits carry on! While Don usually only does it when he is really concentrating hard, Sarah does it all the time - it's so funny to see.

Sweet, sensitive little Eve

2009-10-19T21:24:00.005-04:00

The posts have been slow in coming, as of late, but that doesn't mean things haven't been rolling right along in the Overbeek household. One big accomplishment has been finishing and mailing in our paperwork application for permanent residency here in Canada. With so many forms and copies of every document imaginable, it was almost an inch high! Now comes the waiting for months on end to hear anything . . .

But, as I promised, here is a little bit about our Eve Marie.
At 2 1/2 she seems to be going through a difficult time in her young life. She's incredibly emotional, spending most of her mornings crying about one thing or another. She is definitely not a morning person and doesn't seem to get over it until after lunch. In the evenings, though, she is full of energy and fun and runs all over the house. She is a cuddly one, and loves to snuggle with her blankie on Mommy or Daddy's lap at all hours of the day. And with her sparkling eyes and infectious giggle, she's hard for Daddy to resist when she begs him to "rough-house" on the floor and toss her up high.

She has a special relationship with her sister Sarah. Eve is constantly making up nicknames for her, and she rarely calls her Sarah. Of late, the nickname of choice has been "Moey," though she's also been calling her "Motobike," "Goldia," and a few others I've probably forgotten. She also often talks to Sarah in a funny voice and has her own little language for her. Unfortunately, Sarah often responds with some aggression, like a pinch, and Eve comes wailing to us. But at other times, they chase each other around the house giggling.

Eve loves helping Mommy, especially with cleaning. Today, she was playing with playdough and came to get the cloth to "wash the table" even though she still also wanted to keep playing with the playdough. It was just getting a little too messy for her to handle. She loves to stand at the sink and rinse the dishes or even try to sweep the floor.

Eve's imagination has really started to take off in the last month or two and you can often find her playing with stuffed animals or with the dollhouse or Little People and making up stories about them. She likes listening to Mommy or Daddy read stories, but often loses interest if they are too long. Her favorite animal is a horse, and since we are blessed to pass many of them on our drives around the area, she's constantly squealing and pointing them out to us all.

Anna loves to be in control, but Eve has a mind of her own, and that creates quite a bit of friction between the two. But lately, they have had fun playing house, with Eve starring in the role of "Baby Missy." Eve really loves to pretend to be a baby, especially if it involves cuddling with a blanket, crawling around, and sucking on a pacifier. They also enjoy playing store and library together. They are also both excited about our latest acquisition, a bunk bed. The switch into the bunk bed went fine, although we had thought Anna might be a little too scared about sleeping on top and Eve, who is a restless sleeper, might fall out of her bed. But they both love it, and it gives them lots more room in their bedroom to play.

Eve loves to sing all the Psalters that she knows during family worship, and she likes to insert her own requests into her prayer at mealtimes. We are glad to see her desire to pray for many things, although she often gets stuck repeating the same things several times until we prompt her for the next phrase. Still, it is sweet to hear even the lisping child speaking to the Heavenly Father. Eve's two favorite questions are "why?" and "what that mean?" Unfailingly, she will listen to the Bible being read, repeat the last word that was said (so we know she was listening) and then ask "what does that mean, Daddy?" The usual conversation goes like this:
What understanding mean Daddy?
Understanding means to know something, Eve.
What know mean, Daddy?
To learn about something, Eve.
What learn mean?
And on and on and on . . .
It always makes us smile, but we also appreciate these opportunities to teach her and encourage her to seek to understand the Word of God.

Anna news

2009-09-19T21:27:00.005-04:00

So much has happened from the last time we posted, that it is a little daunting to try to begin. So we thought we would first share a little about each of the girls individually:
Anna Joy- She's growing by leaps and bounds!! She can often be found playing by herself lately, with imagination in high gear. Usually it is some form of animal "training" taking place, which involves putting "leashes" (necklaces, tape measures, shoelaces, and anything else that might work) on her stuffed animals and little horse she can ride on. Then she drags them around, and trains them to be obedient - it is really quite hilarious! She has a vivid imagination and is constantly making up stories to fit each situation, or retelling those oldies (like "The Three Bears") that she knows by heart. She is very enthused about the idea of school, although her birthday falls in January, which means she won't be eligible for Junior Kindergarten (the Canadian form of preschool) until next year. So, Mommy and her have begun a little preschool teaching at home with the preschool curriculum from Rod & Staff. She especially loves cutting and gluing. She's also become quite confident with her bike, a two wheeler with training wheels. She is always asking to go for a walk and ride along beside us. Now we often have to run to keep up with her.

Some recent Anna anecdotes include:
At the dinner table Anna is constantly asking how each food got to the grocery store so we can buy it. As I was explaining how the farmer harvests the fruit from the trees in his orchard, I mentioned that he needed lots of helpers to pluck the fruit. Anna piped up immediately, "I know who helps the farmer! He has husbands to help him pick the fruit. Husbands are good helpers!"

When visiting our garden plot (part of a city-sponsored gardening area) the girls enjoy playing underneath the branches of a drooping tree and call this their tree house. Recently, we were playing a game of hide and seek there when Anna and Eve found another tree with a similar place to hide in. Anna announced proudly that this was their "tree house cottage"! Obviously, she's visited a few cottages this summer and learned that this is what people call their second house :)

At the grocery store the other day, Anna was trailing behind the cart, checking out the various wares in the baking/seasonings aisle. Suddenly she piped up with a squeal, "Look Mommy, look at this!" She was holding up at tiny bottle of Kitchen Bouquet. "It's a wine bottle just for kids like me!"

Sometimes with a vocabulary growing as much as Anna's does each day, it's hard to keep all those new words straight. She was excitedly telling us a story one day about squirrels she had seen in our backyard. A typical story, but only this time, she kept insisting that "they were right by your meatballs, Mommy!" "My meatballs??" Yes, she said, and began telling the story again. It wasn't until the 5th or 6th retelling that we finally got it straight that she meant "rosebushes" and not "meatballs". How those two words got mixed up with each other, we'll never know :)

One more Anna story:
This morning, Anna was busy playing upstairs while the other two girls played in the garage and Jodi was cleaning the breakfast dishes. Jodi looked up to see Anna walk into the living room with her entire mouth and chin covered in blood. The oddest thing was that Anna wasn't even crying and didn't seem to know she was bleeding. And while Jodi frantically started asking, "What were you doing? Did you cut yourself? What happened?" Anna just refused to respond or say anything. But bringing her up to the bathroom upstairs revealed the whole story - Anna had found Daddy's razor and tried to shave her face. And, of course knowing she was doing something naughty, she didn't want to tell Mommy for fear of being disciplined. The pain that came with cleaning up the wound (quite a big gash on her upper lip) and lingered every time she tried to smile or eat the rest of the day was punishment enough for her not to try that again, we hope.

Another milestone!

2009-08-17T15:51:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday, August 11, our little Canadian baby turned one year old. It has been amazing to watch Sarah develop over the past year, especially the past few months as she has learned to walk and say a few words. She's been walking for well over a month now and chases her sisters everywhere. Sarah seems to have quite a strong personality - while she's full of giggles and loves to give kisses, she definitely knows what she wants and lets the whole world hear! She's also always mimicking what the other girls do - when Jodi brought her to the nursery in Burgessville last week, she immediately found a doll, put the doll in a stroller, and started pushing it around the room! We love you so much little "Ruthie," and we can't wait to enjoy the next years with you, the Lord willing. Happy birthday, Sarah Ruth!

We celebrated Sarah's birthday with cake and presents at home a little early because last weekend was spent up north. Don preached at the Free Reformed church plant in Powassan (near North Bay), and then we went and visited our dear friend Willie Nippius in Markstay (near Sudbury). We went to the beach twice in three days and the girls loved it!! Here are a few quick pictures from that trip.

A quick update

2009-06-24T21:33:00.005-04:00

Summer is here!! After a very rainy and cool spring, this week has been hot, hot, hot, and the girls are loving the new little pool we got for them. It is an oval shape, which gives even Mommy or Daddy room to stretch out in from time to time! Unfortunately, we've also had a bout of colds going through the family, a bit unexpected in the middle of summer. The girls have been feeling quite miserable, and we hope we're all over it by the end of this week. Next week we're headed into Grand Rapids!! Don will be headed to Youth Camp, while Jodi and the girls stay at Dad and Mom Deur's house. Then a day or two to catch up with all of the extended relatives on the Arnoudse side. Sunday morning, Don will be priveleged to preach in the First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids (Rev. Lanning's church. Then it's off to a week at the cottage with the Overbeek clan! We're looking forward to seeing all the relatives, and Sarah's looking forward to showing off her new walking skills. Here's a few recent photos from the fair and a few others of the girls.

Here's a picture of Anna's black eye, which she got from running into a wall!

African Lion Safari

2009-06-03T20:45:00.004-04:00

Recently Dad and Mom Deur and Heather came to visit for a few days. One of the highlights of their trip here was going to the African Lion Safari, which we all enjoyed immensely. Anna was describing it to everyone she met for many days after. We were a little leery about driving through the safari with our new minivan, especially after a few horror stories about trim being peeled off cars by the monkeys. But after removing the windshield wipers, we decided to risk it. It was so great to see those animals up close. I will include some pictures of what we saw, but pictures can't really capture it. Just imagine that practically all of these animals were within 6 feet of our car (or closer - the baboons were taking a joyride on our roof rack!).

Pioneering Days

2009-05-06T21:44:00.006-04:00

On Monday, we took the children to Black Creek Pioneer Village near Toronto. It was a gorgeous day, and we were able spend most of the morning outside visiting the homes inside the village and talking to the "pioneer people". The girls were able to watch sheep shearing done by hand. They also enjoyed the horses, a real covered wagon, and miniature doll houses.

We also found a beautiful spot for a little spring photo shoot. Trying to get a good picture of the three of them was a difficult task, as you can see. But we managed to snap quite a few, anyway. Enjoy!

Rub a Dub Dub, Three Girls in the Tub

2009-03-03T20:51:00.004-05:00

Sarah joins the two girls at times for a splash!

Rough-housing with Daddy!

Eve modeling her new style - she found the bib drawer and decided to try on a few.

Sarah talking to Grandma on the phone.

Peekaboo, Blue Eyes!

Look at me sitting up all by myself!!

She's TWO!!

2009-02-09T22:44:00.006-05:00

Little Eve turned two on February 8 - amazing! We had so much fun celebrating her birthday - we stretched it out and celebrated a little on Saturday, a little on Sunday, and a little on Monday. Eve loves horses, so Jodi made her a "horsey cake" which we all enjoyed. Eve seemed to like the candy licorice better than the cake, though, and was constantly begging for more.

On the Saturday before her birthday, we were able to attend Newmarket's annual "Winterfest" celebration, which meant the girls got to ride ponies, ride a little train and ride on a wagon pulled by horses. We had so much fun and riding a pony for the first time was definitely the highlight of Eve's day. Of course, we forgot the camera, though, so we don't have any pictures to show of that fun time.

It has been wonderful to see Eve develop over the past year, and we have found out how very different she is from Anna. While Anna was extremely late in talking, and only said a handful of words by 2 years old, Eve talks in full sentences all the time and has a huge vocabulary. She's such a petite little girl, especially compared to Anna, which often causes concern when she loses her appetite because of a cold or just toddler pickiness. But she makes up for being small by her strong will and definitely does not like being bossed around by Anna. We've had many battles between the two girls lately, mostly because Eve insists on doing the exact opposite from what Anna wants her to do. Another wonderful quality we are discovering is that Eve actually enjoys picking up her toys and putting things away. She's very good at it too and will diligently works until every last piece is picked up. Mommy especially loves this!! Eve loves to do her "skips" around the house, in which she does her own version of skipping. She concentrates so hard on trying to do it that it makes us laugh each time. We are cherishing every minute spent with our dear Eve and enjoy watching her develop. While with Anna we were often trying to teach her things like the ABCs or her numbers (probably because she was the first child), Eve just constantly surprises us. I had no idea she could count to ten when all of a sudden, she just did it one day! She loves to cuddle and give kisses, although this sometimes turns into a problem when Eve knocks Sarah over as she tries to give hugs. She does become extremely shy, though, whenever we go out and encounter new people. It takes her a very long time to warm up to strangers, and she loves to bury her face in Mommy's shoulder and peek out. We love you Evie!!

A few days without Daddy

2009-02-07T19:16:00.003-05:00

Don was gone for three days early this week to attend a conference in Minneapolis, and Jodi was on her own with the three girls for the longest time so far. We did several things to keep the girls busy - building a fort outside, going to a playcenter, and going to storytime and Bible study at a nearby church. Still, by Wednesday evening the girls and Mommy were definitely ready for Daddy to come home. The girls really started getting into trouble and when Jodi was just pulling supper out of the oven, she heard Eve crying upstairs. When she got upstairs, she saw Eve and Anna looking like this (you may want to click on the pictures to get an even closer look):

They had gotten into the black shoepolish and Anna had painted Eve's face and her own with it. They had also gotten handprints all over our bed. Let's just say that dinner had to be put on hold for quite a while until everything was cleaned up. We sure were glad to see Daddy and tell him all about our adventures.

A Panda Bear Birthday

2009-01-19T21:42:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, our precious Anna turned three years old. Since she now DEFINITELY knows what birthdays are about, we had a big celebration in her honor. Though the guests were few in number - only Mommy, Daddy, Eve and Sarah - we had a great time doing lots of her favorite things. We went to the library and out swimming, ate her panda cake and had Chinese for dinner, and opened several presents. We are so thankful for her and marvel at the changes one year can bring. Last year at this time, she could only say a few words - now she not only talks constantly but can even "read" books to Eve. It is so sweet when we hear her repeat her Bible stories to her dollies or bellows out the song "Hallelujah, praise Jehovah" in the middle of the checkout lane at the store. She has a lively imagination - just today, she renamed her doll "Moses" and put her bib upside-down on her head, attempting to be "Pharoah". She is very attentive to her Bible stories before bedtime and loves to "talk" about what was read. Often she is the one asking questions more than Daddy. As we see her trying to process what happens in these stories, it sometimes becomes quite interesting (Today, after reading the story of Mephibosheth, she asked "Did he eat rice cereal?" It took a moment to realize that she had heard that Mephibosheth was a baby when he fell, and so when David invited him to eat at his table, she thought he must have been still a baby. And what do babies like her sister Sarah eat - Rice cereal!!) What a joy to hear her as she learns to pray and learns new verses and songs to sing praise to the Lord. Sometimes her imagination is a little overactive. She likes to have Daddy pretend to be an animal, but whenever he pretends to be a bear or a snake, she screams in true fear and desperately tries to run away. She has to be reassured over and over again that it is just Daddy, and he is PRETENDING before she calms down again. Growing up with a sister so close in age has caused her to be very possessive at times (she has taken to hiding things she doesn't want Eve to get, or closing the door so that Eve can't get in). And yet, when we take her out to be with other children, we see that their time together has definitely brought out fine qualities, as she is very willing to share and play with other kids and will often initiate friendships with them. How blessed we are to have our Anna Joy as part of our family. She truly brings joy to every day!

2009-01-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

Cousin Fun and a Wedding!

2008-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

When we travelled into Grand Rapids a month ago for Jodi's brother Jonathan's wedding, we all got to meet the new addition to the family, Tyler Scott. Tyler was born to Jodi's brother Ryan and his wife Jeannine just five days after Sarah was born, but weighing 11 lbs. 6 oz. at birth definitely made him the bigger of the two.

Here's Anna enjoying her encounter with another new baby!

The girls also had a blast playing with cousin Faith at James and Julie's house. She was full of giggles, and now that she's walking (and running!) they spent most of the time chasing each other and screeching in excitement.

Everyone wanted a chance to hold our sweet little smiley girl, Sarah!

And last, but of course, not least important was the main reason for our trip back, the WEDDING! Congratulations to Jonathan and Rebeka - we pray that your life together would truly be one of service to God and to each other.

A picture of the growing Deur family (it's hard to believe it used to be just six of us!).

Pumpkin Fun

2008-12-03T16:07:00.003-05:00

Although it's already December, we wouldn't want to skip over all the fun we had with the girls this fall season. In late October, we visited our friends Neil and Beth DenDekker, who have a girl named Cate just two days younger than Anna. They live about an hour and a half away in Woodstock, although Jodi actually went to school with Beth. We all had a wonderful time and can't wait to see them again. Here's a few photos from the trip we took to the pumpkin patch with them.
It sure was hard to catch all three girls in a picture - they didn't want to stay still for a minute!

Here's a little better picture, with her eyes open, of our little chatterbox Eve.
And here's our lovely Anna, who's growing up so quickly.

The rabbits were a big hit!

Anna's concentrating hard to make sure she's driving in a straight line.

Our first snowfall

2008-10-24T13:47:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday of this week, we looked outside to see white flakes flying in the air. We were amazed, not expecting it already - it seems like fall has just begun and already it is almost wintertime. We were especially surprised when by the next morning, we had a few centimeters of snow on the ground. Anna squealed with delight and started begging to go outside with her sled. Eve was constantly pointing out the window saying "yook" (her version of "look").

When the wind died down enough for them to go out, Mommy bundled the two girls up and they played around for a bit outside. It is good to be reminded of the wonder of God's creation, when we as adults are so used to the seasons changing and may even be found dreading the coming of winter.

A few weeks ago, when the weather was still quite warm, we took our girls outside to catch a few photos of them. Here's a few shots of us as we enjoyed the crisp fall air.

An update in pictures

2008-10-07T22:45:00.005-04:00

Well, here is finally the ream of pictures that everyone has been waiting to see on our blog for quite some time. With three little ones, time has become extremely precious, and updating our blog, unfortunately, has fallen by the wayside. Hopefully these pictures will help everyone get caught up with what has been happening here as the summer has turned to fall.

First, we'll begin with a few photos from the week after Sarah was born. After Grandma O's visit, Grandma D traveled here to help out for a while. The girls loved having so much attention again, and Mommy loved the rest that it allowed her to have.

Sarah wasn't too keen on baths at first - she cried through the whole ordeal. Now she enjoys them, and Anna loves to help wash her, though more water gets on Anna and the floor than on Sarah's body!

Exactly two weeks after Sarah's birth (and on Jodi's 28th birthday) we had to rush to the hospital because Jodi had a severe post-partum hemorrhage. We were so thankful that Grandma Deur was staying at our house during this time, so that we could leave Anna and Eve in her care. Jodi ended up needing to stay at the hospital for 2 1/2 days. We are so grateful that God blessed the antibiotics to clear up the infection and surgery was not needed. Two days later, Jodi returned home to a belated birthday celebration - complete with Zucchini Chocolate Cake!

Here's a few pictures of the little munchkin around three weeks old.

Both sets of grandparents, as well as Aunt Heather, were able to come up to see us Labor Day weekend. Anna and Eve got to go to the zoo with the Deurs.

Then, they were able to go swimming in the pool at the Overbeek's hotel. Anna loved the water so much, we've signed her up for swimming lessons!

It was wonderful to have so many of our family there for Sarah's baptism, and extra special as Don baptized her himself. He preached on Abraham's wife Sarah and the meaning of her name in the Bible from Genesis 15.Here's our family picture minus Eve. She was so tired after the service, she went right down for a nap and was probably sleeping by the time this picture was taken.

Sarah has come to really enjoy her playmat. This picture was taken at one month old.

Eve has found the playmat to be pretty intriguing too!

Here are a few of the most recent pictures we have of Sarah, when she was about 7 weeks old. She is such a cheerful baby, with lots of smiles to greet us each morning.

What funny positions babies sometimes sleep in!

Sisterly love

2008-10-03T16:21:00.004-04:00

Sarah is just full of smiles after waking up in the morning or after a long nap. She especially loves to see her sisters, although Mom often has to intervene before they climb on top of her while attempting to smother her with kisses.
Here's Eve, excited as usual to see "Sawa roof" as she calls her.

One month old already!

2008-09-13T19:13:00.005-04:00

Here's our littlest one enjoying some time on her playmat. Anna and Eve were out "puddle-jumping" with Daddy or they would have been all over her. They don't like to leave her alone when she's within their reach and constantly hover over her with toys, hugs, and kisses.

Settling into Life at Home

2008-08-18T22:47:00.006-04:00

Our little Sarah is now one week old, and we are adjusting to life with three instead of two young ones needing attention. Last week we were privileged to have Don's mother with us all week to help us with the transition. What a wonderful help she was, especially in lavishing attention on all three girls. She kept Anna and Eve busy all day, from walks around the neighborhood and time at the playground to playing with puppets and playdough at home. The weather was beautiful, and they spent most of the day outside. While Anna and Eve (and Mommy :) napped each day, Grandma spent some special time holding her new grandchild. We were sad to see her go, but are looking forward to Jodi's mom coming for a visit this Thursday.

This first week, Sarah has been a wonderful baby. Of course she sleeps much of the time, but in the evening especially she's awake and looking all around. A few nights she has gone for a 4 hour stretch of sleeping, allowing Jodi to feel much more rested than the nights when she has to get up every 2 hours or so. Anna and Eve love to give her kisses and try to hold her.

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

A glimpse of our precious gift!

2008-08-11T22:29:00.002-04:00

2008-08-11T22:02:00.002-04:00

Another Precious Gift!

2008-08-11T21:19:00.008-04:00

We are again humbled by the Lord's goodness to us in giving us a third daughter, Sarah Ruth. Sarah was born this morning, August 11 at 6:36 - she weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The labor began around 12:30 a.m., we went to the hospital at 3 and Jodi was fully dilated at 6:25 or so. It all went so fast, Jodi did great, and the Lord is so very wise and wonderful in the execution of all things. Anna and Eve came along with Grandma O. to see Sarah at 11 a.m. (we managed to make it to a play time event at a local park prior to their seeing Sarah) and their joy and love toward Sarah added to our pleasure. Anna enjoyed stroking Sarah's head and Eve lavished Sarah with kisses. It is such a blessing to have Grandma O. here with us, to help with Anna and Eve and to see and hold little Sarah. Please enjoy the pictures below, hopefully a video will be added soon.

It's August already!

2008-08-06T22:15:00.006-04:00

We're sorry about the lengthy time between posts. We've been traveling a little and just keeping busy around home, waiting for Overbeek #3 to make his/her appearance. It hasn't happened yet, although the due date is approaching on Friday! We'll try to post as promptly as possible when the baby arrives.

Here in Newmarket, we've gotten lots of rain, which has left the grass green as can be and the flowers are in full bloom. Here's a glimpse at the clematis we planted this spring.

We've been catching up on visits with friends over the past month and also enjoyed a trip to northern Ontario, where Don preached for a Sunday at a little community church.

The girls have been growing by leaps and bounds. Eve continues to chatter away in her own language, though we are catching on to a few more familiar words we can understand. She is even starting to put two words together at times. Anna carries on her own conversations with her dollies and is starting to try to "read" Eve stories. I caught her the other day pretending to talk on the phone. I was surprised to hear her say "Hello, this is Pastor Overbeek". She must have picked that up from hearing the congregation call him that at church on Sunday!

We've tried to get Anna potty-trained before the new baby arrives, but it hasn't been all that successful. She will do it only if we tell her to, and does not seem to understand on her own when she has to go. After three weeks of LOTS of accidents, we've backed off a little and resigned ourselves to waiting another month or so. Hopefully by then she will be more ready.

We're looking forward to many visitors in the next few weeks. First, Don's mom will be coming out for a week to help with the baby, and then Jodi's mom will be arriving shortly after she leaves. On Labor Day weekend, we are hoping to be able to have the baptism, which would allow for both of our parents as well as Jodi's sister to make the trip up for the occasion.

Don has been busy preparing sermons (he's currently doing a series on discipleship from the book of Matthew) and continuing with Bible/book studies and evangelizing. He is in the process of preparing for a Bible study in our immediate neighborhood which will commence in September.

Jodi has been feeling fairly well, although some of the hip problems that she struggled with in previous pregnancies have returned. Thankfully, she has been given the strength to keep up with the children and household duties, as well as freezing and canning a little of the harvest from our garden (and others who generously gave us of their bounty). We are enjoying every last minute with our girls before the little one comes, because we know the amount of time a new baby demands.

Hopefully the next post will be announcing our new little bundle of joy. Until then, you can enjoy a few pictures of our precious daughters.

Summer Fun in Grand Rapids

2008-07-12T17:33:00.001-04:00

Sun, Sun, Sun

2008-06-10T18:28:00.005-04:00

This past week in Newmarket was beautiful, culminating in record-breaking temperatures Friday through Monday. It isn't often that the air feels over 100 degrees because of the humidity, so we took full advantage of the warm weather. Anna and Eve had so much fun playing in their little blow-up pool. We went to a BBQ party, the library, the farmer's market, a festival in the park, a little league baseball game, and the playground in those few days.

Now the weather has cooled off to more seasonable temperatures, which we are enjoying just as much. Our flowers are blooming, and Don's garden is taking off! Since we don't have any space in our tiny backyard for a garden, the city provides plots of ground for the express purpose of growing your own vegetables. We're excited to have this opportunity to enjoy the homegrown deliciousness later this summer and fall.

The pregnancy is progressing smoothly for Jodi. It's amazing to think that we now have less than two months until the due date arrives. The baby is definitely an active one, just like our other two were, and we can't wait to meet him/her. To give Jodi a little break, Don took the girls on a walk. Unfortunately, we don't yet have a double stroller, so he rigged up this little contraption. Anna loved it!

If you are interested in learning more about Don's ministry here in Newmarket and Toronto and are not on our e-mail list to receive our seasonal newsletter, please drop us a line at don.overbeek@auracom.com so we can send one to you as well. We hope that by keeping you informed of both the needs and the encouraging progress of our work, you can in turn keep us in your prayers.

Fun with our Overbeek relatives

2008-06-04T13:19:00.006-04:00

Here's a glimpse at the fun we had when Grandma Overbeek and Uncle James, Aunt Julie, and Cousin Faith came to visit. Their stay was over way to quickly - we can't wait to see them and all our other relatives at the end of this month.

Our little jabberbox

2008-05-27T15:51:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we were able to enjoy the company of James and Julie, little Faith, and Mom Overbeek. We relished every moment of it. It is so wonderful to see our loved ones again after four months away. Our girls loved having their cousin here to play with - she was so full of smiles and giggles! We'll post pictures as soon as we have a moment to go through them. But we'll give you another short video of our talkative little Eve to hold you over until then. As you can hear, though Eve doesn't know many words, she certainly makes sure she is heard!

Enjoying the sunshine!

2008-05-21T22:13:00.003-04:00

We thought we'd give you a glimpse at our two giggling girls as they entertain themselves. They have begun to play more together, though it also has led to a few more "battles" as they learn the concept of sharing. Here's a little video of Eve and Anna on our deck. Our slider takes a beating sometimes, but it's hard to make it off limits when it provides them with so much fun!

May already!

2008-05-03T15:25:00.009-04:00

Our days last month were filled with lots of outdoor activities, as the girls wanted to spend every spare moment outside. We took walks, played on several playgrounds, went for bikerides and enjoyed hanging out in our little backyard. Grandma Deur came to visit us for a week at the beginning of April, and we took her on all of our usual excursions - to the play area at the mall, to the park and along the trails near our house, and to Anna's special activity class. We loved having company, and Mommy was able to get a little break. Grandma not only played with the girls but also helped with laundry, spring cleaning, washing dishes, and best of all -- changing diapers!!

While Grandma was here, we finished decorating Eve's bedroom, which will also be the nursery for the new baby when it comes. We painted and put up a border, giving the room quite a bit more character that the plain white walls.

Anna is constantly chattering away. She now uses mostly phrases and sentences, rather than just one one word at a time. She loves to "help" mommy wash the dishes or make supper. She is also enjoying learning to ride her new tricycle.

Eve is walking all over and even attempting to run. This has resulted in a few falls, but thankfully nothing too serious. She recently bumped her lip coming down the stairs and had to go to the doctor to check on it, but he thinks it will heal just fine. Eve has four molars coming in at once now, so that has made her a little fussy.
Jodi has finally had her first appointment with the OB (it took almost 4 months to get a referral and appointment). She was very pleased with the doctor - a good thing, since she will be seeing her every two weeks from now on out!

Don is enjoying jogging and biking in the warmer weather as well as the increased opportunity for evangelism in the warmer weather. He has begun going door to door throughout our neighborhood and has also had several profitable times talking to people at our local bus terminal. He has just finished his first sermon series on the Incommunicable Attributes of God and is spending some time deciding what will be his next series. We pray that all of his labors, both within the church and outside, will be blessed by God.

Growing by leaps and bounds

2008-03-26T22:09:00.005-04:00

That's right--you guessed it! Eve is mimicking what Mommy will look like in a few months! Soon there will be a new baby in the Overbeek household - wonder what it will be!?! Since Jodi is now 21 weeks along, she has begun to haul out the maternity clothes again. It will be a different experience for her being in the last months of pregnancy during the hot summer (the baby is due Aug. 8). So far all has gone well with the pregnancy, and we pray that it will continue that way.

Eve is still not walking on her own, but she has really started to imitate what we say and do. She folds her hands for prayer, lifts her arms and wiggles her fingers for "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", and pats her hands for "The Wise Man" song. Anna is learning her numbers and colors and enjoys pointing to letters in the alphabet and having us tell her what they are. So far she recognizes and can say A, E, and O (for her and Eve's name). She loves to try to jump and tumble. Here are a few snapshots of what our two girls have been up to lately.

The end of winter?

2008-03-19T15:12:00.007-04:00

The first day of spring is around the corner - it seemed that it would never come this year!! We've had more snow here in Newmarket than we can ever remember having in Grand Rapids. The latest large snowstorm was a week and a half ago and dumped about 1 1/2 feet of snow. It took a while for the entire neighborhood to dig out - Don gave several neighbors a hand, since we were privileged to have our neighbor snowblow our driveway. Then, he dug out a snow fort for Anna and Eve to play in. We all enjoyed ourselves outside those few days. Here's a few photos taken throughout the winter.

After two days of temps above freezing, we still had tons of snow from the Big Storm! Here's Daddy digging out the snow fort.

A snapshot of our day

2008-03-07T15:54:00.003-05:00

Last night we were thinking how much we would love to just be able to record exactly what each of the girls were doing at this stage in their life so we could be able to remember it in the years to come. They are just at such an exciting time in their development, with Anna's vocabulary exploding and Eve's awareness of her surroundings and ability to navigate them growing by the day.

Well, here is the next best thing. A snapshot of our day so far, which is typical of most days in the week.

Since both of us parents are not morning people, we usually let our children, instead of an alarm clock wake us up. This morning it was 7:30 a.m. when we heard the first calls for Daddy from Anna's room, followed by squeals from Eve. This was a little later than the 6:45 wake-up Eve had been calling out earlier in the week.

We got them out of their cribs and then piled back in bed. This is a time when Mommy and Daddy slowly try to wake up enough to face the day while the two girls play trampoline on us. Anna loves to fling herself down with reckless abandon, and after squishing Eve a few too many times, we all got up to get dressed and greet the new day. Anna hates to get out of her jammies in the morning and usually Mommy has to chase her around the bedrooms to catch her. Daddy goes downstairs to get breakfast ready while Mommy does the rounds of diapers, onesies, clothes and socks.

At breakfast, Eve is usually starving, eating faster than Mommy can put it into her mouth. Anna is more fickle - you never can guess if this morning she will be eating her eggs with gusto or if every morsel will have to be coaxed into her mouth. Anna makes sure we "pay" (pray) before the meal and then asks to pray each time a new type of food is put onto her plate. After breakfast Daddy goes downstairs to work on his sermons and Mommy tries to clean up the kitchen and keep the kids under control. This morning, Anna asked for bowls and proceeded to pretend to fill the bowls with food and then stick her stuffed "puppies" in them to "eat." Eve tried to scavenge on the floor for any food that had dropped from breakfast before Mommy caught her. She then crawled over to the kitchen cupboard and exercised her new-found skill of pulling it open with the handle. It seemed like Mommy just looked away for a minute and the roll of aluminum foil was already half unrolled and wadded up in her hand.

And so the morning went, with more than it's share of dirty diapers (so messy that an entire change of clothes was needed), a pen being used to write on papers that weren't supposed to be scribbled on, and Eve throwing a crying fit and hitting Anna when she wasn't able to get at the book Anna was reading. Anna did make her escape for a little while, playing downstairs where Daddy was while Eve stayed with Mommy. But after banging away on the keyboard and dumping out a bag of toys, she decided pulling all of the books off a bookshelf was better entertainment. Daddy had to discipline her and bring her upstairs so Mommy could keep her out of mischief.

Just before lunch, Mommy found Eve in the bathroom with the toilet paper half unrolled, and Anna in the living room with ink all over her face and hands from the used ink cartridge that should have been in the trash. These girls keep Mommy on her toes.

That's okay, though. Although we do have to discipline them at times, we also have times where we can laugh about their funny antics and just enjoy the way they explore the world around them. It's nap time now, and Mommy has a little break before the evening antics begin. Wonder what new word Anna will learn today? Will Eve try to walk another few steps? We'll have to wait and see . . .

We're back!!

2008-02-14T20:08:00.008-05:00

Wow, time sure got away from us during the month of January and the early part of this month. Now we have so much to catch up on, we don't know where to begin. Most important things first though.

January 17 was our dear Anna Joy's 2nd birthday. She is growing up so quickly - it's hard to remember her as a tiny, helpless infant. Lately she's been talking quite a bit, trying to say new words every day and putting two words together. She has boundless energy and loves to run around the house and tumble with Daddy.

We were just getting used to having a two-year-old in the house when our little Eve turned one!

Already a year has gone by since our second bundle of blessing arrived early in the morning on February 8.

Even with Anna's constant talking, Eve still makes sure she doesn't get missed. With her squeals and screeches, she makes her voice heard as well. She's not quite walking on her own yet, but zooms around, crawling unbelievably fast as she chases after Anna.

Both of the girls' birthdays we celebrated when we were in Grand Rapids. Here's a glimpse of them eating their birthday cupcakes.

A Canadian Christmas

2008-01-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

What an enjoyable Christmas season we have had this year! How wonderful to have so many opportunities to hear the riches of God's Word and the wonders of Christ's birth expounded upon. With so many more sermons to prepare, Don found time to be very precious and at times, the workload to be daunting. But God, who is always faithful, upheld him through it all, allowing blessed freedom to be felt each time Don was privileged to proclaim the Word. Some of our Sundays the past few weeks have been a little unusual - with so many snowstorms happening on the weekends, we had church services cancelled several times and one time Don ended up preaching in someone's home! But we are thankful for the times we were able to enjoy fellowship with our church family.

Though we had a quiet Christmas at home and missed our family in Grand Rapids, we were thankful that Dad and Mom Deur along with Jonathan and Heather were able to travel to our house that Wednesday. We had an enjoyable time with them and even traveled into Toronto to visit the Ontario Science Centre on Friday. On Thursday, we had the pleasant surprise of also seeing Grandma and Grandpa Noorduyn. How we treasure these times together and are thankful for each opportunity we have to see those we love. Here are a few photos of our time together.

Here we are packed into the van on the way to the Science Centre!
Little Eve couldn't quite make it through the entire exhibit and fell asleep!

We can't wait to travel to Grand Rapids later this month and spend more time with family, especially since we get to stay with Grandpa and Grandma Overbeek, whom we haven't seen for a few months!

The Sound of Music

2007-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Both of our girls love music, and Anna has really been having fun at the Toddler Time class we take her to. In this class we sing fun children's songs with lots of hand motions. Some of Anna's favorites are "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" and "Roll the Bobbin Up", as well as one we taught her at home - "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock". Unfortunately, we just had her last class for the season, so we will miss getting out once a week to have fun. Here are a few picture of Anna at the class.

Here she's playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with Ms. Jennifer.

As you can see, Anna gives out kisses pretty freely to the others in the class. Eve has also begun to show interest in music. Here she is playing our keyboard - enjoy!

Celebrating an American Thanksgiving

2007-12-01T11:44:00.001-05:00

This year, we were able to celebrate two Thanksgivings - one in October (Canada's) and one in November with Grandma and Grandpa Deur and Aunt Heather. They arrived in the middle of the night in a snowstorm. We awoke to the first big snowfall of the season - a truly white Thanksgiving.
But inside we were warm and cozy. Anna was a little shy at first, but soon was her cheerful, excited self.We listened to the church service in Grand Rapids and then began the cooking. Anna loved helping Mommy put the potatoes into the pot.Meanwhile, Eve busied herself with getting into Grandpa's bag. Here she comes with her find!
Anna got to play dress-up with some pretty clothes Grandma brought. She didn't want to take this "prairie girl" outfit off! After naps for the girls and lots of catching up chit-chat by the grown-ups, we ended the day by heading to the Bass Pro Shops. The wind was bitterly cold and the icy roads made the trip a little longer than expected, but we all enjoyed ourselves, especially Anna, who loved all the stuffed animals - as long as they weren't too close to her!
Then it was into the tub and into bed to get ready for more fun with the Grandma and Grandpa.

The next day, we headed for Toronto - and learned why people use the bus or the subway to get around. After an hour and a half spent getting into the city, we headed to the Royal Ontario Museum. The air was frigid, so we were all bundled up for the short walk to the museum. Anna could hardly move in all her gear!

We all really enjoyed ourselves, learning about such a variety of things - from animals to Oriental culture, to glass paperweight collections and viewing the world's largest Black Star Sapphire. Eve and Anna enjoyed themselves in the Children's Discovery area.
We grabbed some burgers and enjoyed a yummy lunch in the museum cafe.
Finally it was time to head for home. Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Heather had to leave on Saturday morning. We were sad to see them go, but hope to see them soon, along with lots of our other relatives in GR that we miss! Hugs and kisses to everyone!

Ministry and Multiculturalism

2007-11-15T16:05:00.001-05:00

From a demographic perspective, our small street is indicative of the general trends of Newmarket and the Greater Toronto Area. While most of the people appear to be "Canadians" (as in born and raised in Canada and buying into general Canadian values and norms), there is a definite presence of people from different cultures, especially Asian. Perhaps the differences become most apparent when Anna is playing with their children – her bleach blond hair compared to their black, black hair, her tall stature compared to their (generally) short physical appearance, and her English "hi" and "hello" to their greetings in other languages. Canadians have prided themselves in developing a welcoming society, where people of all different ethnicities can come and find not just a place but a home. This has led, as is to be expected, to rampant pluralism in Canadian culture, which has been raising eyebrows of late and prompting people to take a second look at the overwhelming acceptance there is in Canada to people of different cultures. Here, I am not interested in responding to cultural pluralism as much as to the effects of multiculturalism on ministry – my thoughts are undoubtedly preliminary and at best incomplete.

One of the first things seperating a sociological perspective of multiculturalism from a decidedly theological slant is that, from a biblical perspective, strong unity undergirds apparent diversity. Society maximizes differences, which ends up separating and isolating people. Viewing this multiculturalism from a biblical perspective allows one to appreciate the diversity in light of the unity that underlies it. Socially there is not a very strong impulse to meet the people from a different culture when they are so different, especially when language is an obstacle, but Christians ought to certainly make strong efforts to bridge that gap, because essentially they are so much like us. We are creatures of the same triune God, sinners from the same first parents, people for whom Christ came, and possible members of the same body (see Acts 17:26; Eph. 4:1-6).

Second, viewing multiculturalism from a theological framework gives value to people different than us. When we see ourselves not at the center of the universe but as fellow creatures "living and moving, and having our being from the same God" we will value the different expressions we meet with. It is a given that people from different cultures bring their own religions and their own idols, but that is no different than people of Canadian culture – actually immigrants tend to be much more religious than typical Canadians. From a cultural perspective, value is usually based on contributions each person can make to society. This, though, immediately minimizes the value of immigrants and increases the value of homegrown Canadian citizens, throwing a kink in pluralistic efforts as much as we pretend this is not the case. My point here is that a Christian perspective and a view from ministry brings transcendental value to those who are different than you because of their relationship as God's image-bearers to God.

Finally, the Christian and Christian minister has impetus to enter this multicultural mosaic and extend oneself on behalf of others. Sociologists can write about these things, and so can I, but I can't rest satisfied in writing about them and bring such issues to light; I have to enter this diverse culture, and attempt to impact it by the grace of God. Thankfully, the impact that can be made on such a culture isn't dependent upon our feeble efforts, but comes through the mobilizing power of the Holy Spirit, who is trans-cultural in His ministry and sovereign in His work. Sociologists look to mere time and "luck" to see how the trial of pluralism will end; Christians look to the Triune God as they labor with the certainty that God is bringing together His kaleidoscopic people for His own glory.

So our street is a small picture of a greater occurrence, and Anna and Eve are small representations of the calling that rests upon all Christians – go out, smile, speak with and befriend those who are different. However, don't get caught up in the differences. Instead, appreciate them and bridge them by showing true care and by speaking of the "one Name given under heaven, among men whereby we must be saved."

Crawling into trouble

2007-11-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

Our little Eve began crawling the day of Don's ordination - I guess she didn't want all the attention to be just on Daddy that day. Since then she's tried many different ways of crawling, from scootching with one foot on the ground and one knee to getting into what Daddy calls her "4-point" stance and crawling with her little buns up in the air. It is quite comical!

Anna has taken to doing something that Jodi's family says was her favorite "pastime" when she was young - finding the little fuzzies between her toes . . . and Eve's and Mommy's and Daddy's!

Here she is in action:

Eve makes her escape!

A Young Minister and Family...You can only smile!

2007-11-09T19:08:00.000-05:00

The ministry of the Word is a most serious calling but that doesn't mean that there are not times when one must smile...and even laugh. These, I think, are especially frequent for a young minister and his family, and we have two occasions that we are sure will bring a smile to your face.

As we were visiting a dear family from our church, with whom Don has stayed several times during past trips to Bradford, Don noticed a red food that he thought looked like jellied cranberry sauce. After doing some quick thinking and realizing that the food on the table was an assortment of food that he really enjoys (chicken, baked potatoes, gravy, green beans, salad, etc.) Don stated how this family really knew what he liked - even to the point of getting jellied cranberry sauce! After a moment of silence, the woman of the house said as nice as she could, "that's not cranberry sauce, those are beets!" Don then confessed that he had never seen nor tasted beets, but pledged to try some as a result of his words. He found out that he certainly doesn't care for beets like he does cranberries, but he is glad to have a daughter who, as with anything red and messy, really enjoys them!

The second thing that will bring a smile to your face actually happened during the afternoon service last Sunday. It started off with Anna saying a resounding "Amen" after her daddy finished the congregational prayer - sometimes it is nice to know the congregation is following you! This was not the last thing Anna would do - she was very interested in the service as daddy was leading it. When Don was preaching, he did a hand motion by raising both of his hands above his head. Little was Don expecting that Anna's hands would fly up into the air after he finished motioning. While trying to refrain from smiling, Don realized that Anna thought he had just done "so big" with her (when Don says "so big" and raises his hands, Anna always follows by raising her hands). We don't think anyone saw Anna raise her hands, but it certainly caused a bump in Don's thought process, from which he quickly recovered.

We are certainly a young family in ministry, with which will come many funny moments from Daddy and Mommy as well as the young children. It is amazing that God still promises to use efforts of such people!

Ordination: Come and Gone!

2007-11-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

Having taken up residence in Newmarket, it is amazing how quickly the day of ordination has come and gone. It seems like we were just facing a mountain of boxes to unpack and an empty house to furnish, and an ordination to plan and prepare for - how quickly the mountain of boxes is removed, the house is now our home, and we have entered a life of Gospel service. Highlights from the day of ordination include but are not limited to: (1) Seeing members of our immediate and extended family again...this time on Canadian turf; (2) Receiving such overwhelming support from members of different Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC), especially Jordan, ON, Burgessville, ON, and of course Bradford, where Don will be working; (3) Hearing a fine ordination message by Rev. Mark Kelderman preached on 1 Timothy 4:11-16 under the theme of "Weighty Considerations in the Face of Ordination." He focused on four areas to consider as Don faced ordination, "Life, the Word, God's gift, our Salvation." We found the message very herlpful in orienting us to the life of ministry that lies ahead, especially the clarity with which the text shows the pervasive influence of ministry on all aspects of life - personally, in the family, in the church, and in the world. (4) The laying on of hands really seemed to seal the preached Word that we had heard and was a wonderful witness to the sufficient provision there is for ministry from Holy Spirit.

The ordination service was followed immediately by Don's (now officially titled "Rev. Overbeek") inaugeral sermon, which he preached from the last verse in the book of Jonah (4:11). His title was "A ministry marked by pity" with the points, "minimum pity, medium pity, and maximum pity." Don felt like he had too much to say and not enough time to say it, which minimized the freedom that he felt in delivering it. The central point was that the book of Jonah proves that God's ministry in our world is one of great pity, and that ministers (and all Christians) prove that as well as must practice it in their callings. The inaugeral service concluded with Don addressing people who have impacted him as the Lord molded him for this calling, and ministers and elders who addressed Don on behalf of different churches.

We would like to thank all who attended this memorable day, and ask that you would continue to pray for Don (and us) as he seeks to fulfill his duties with the blessing of the Spirit. We look forward to updating this blog more regularly including "peeks" into our continually exciting family life as well as "peeks" into the joys and sorrows, blessings and challenges of bringing the Gospel.

We made it!!

2007-10-18T10:22:00.002-04:00

We are so thankful that everything went smoothly with our move to Canada. All of our belongings were packed up in record time, travelling across the border went better than expected, and almost all of our belongings are out of boxes! We are grateful for everyone who volunteered to help us - we couldn't have done it without them.

Our only glitch has been our phone and internet service, which has given us many hours of frustration already. We still are without either of them, so we feel quite cut off from our church family and those at home. Hopefully they will be up and running soon, though. In all of the busyness, we haven't had time to take many pictures, so here are a few from our recent trip to Charlevoix.

Fun with Grandpa

2007-10-18T10:22:00.001-04:00

In these last few days of living in Michigan, we've taken every chance we can get to spend time with the grandparents. Here's Anna getting a little goofy with Grandpa O.

Wrapping things up in GR

2007-09-19T21:54:00.001-04:00

The time is drawing near for our move to Canada, with our date to move set for Saturday, Oct. 13. At the end of August we spent a week near Niagara Falls, with Don filling the pulpit for a pastor there two Sundays. Then we headed over to Newmarket, ON to familiarize ourselves a little more with the area and begin looking for a place to live. In God's amazing providence, after three days, we had found the ideal home and applied to live there. We travelled home, and the next day received word that we will be able to rent it. It is a semi-attached (called a duplex here in the States) with a nice little yard and a great neighborhood with a nearby playground. It also is very close to the main road that runs from Newmarket down into the heart of Toronto. Here's a peek at what it looks like:

This will be our half of the home:

While vacationing, we visited the American side of the falls as well as the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Here are a few photos from that trip.

Traveling home, we visited the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, which Anna loved.

We are also excited that we have the sale pending on our house here in GR and hope to finalize it in the next few weeks. God has provided above and beyond what we had anticipated in so many ways. We can truly see that He is preparing the way before us each step of the way.

Canada here we come!!

2007-07-28T14:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been a while since we've written on our blog! So much has happened in the past month and a half. The kids are growing, as you'll see in the pictures below. Anna is now 1 1/2 years old, and Eve is quickly approaching 6 months.

Much of these past weeks were spent in prayer and contemplation as we tried to discern God's will regarding the four calls Don received. Each place (Mexico, Wisconsin, Grand Rapids, Toronto/Bradford) has so much need for a pastor. In them are many people we have come to know and love well. Having to decline three of them was the most difficult thing we've ever had to do. Still, we trust that God will provide them with the pastor they need in His own timing.

When we finally wrote the letter of acceptance to the Toronto/Bradford church, we had such a sense of relief and anticipation to finally begin preparations for our future. During the entire time in seminary our future has been a big question mark, not knowing where the Lord would call us. And now, though leaving Grand Rapids is bittersweet, we are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives. And Don is definitely ready to begin serving the Lord as a minister - he enjoys preaching and pastoral work immensely, along with the opportunity to devote himself more fully to evangelism.

A little about the church we are going to . . .

Don has been there fairly often to preach in the last two years, since they have been vacant for about 4 years. I (Jodi) accompanied him twice. The congregation is small, with around 25 people at a service. Currently services are held in a Christian school which is about 25 minutes north of Toronto in Bradford. We would probably take up residence in around the city of Newmarket, which is less than 10 minutes from the church and a little farther south towards Toronto. At this point, we are not sure how much evangelistic work will take place in Toronto itself, but the city is so big that it feels like Newmarket is still just in the suburbs of Toronto. Don got lis first taste of Toronto traffic coming home from a visit there this week. Fourteen lanes of traffic (7 in each direction) were at a complete standstill. And this was at 1 p.m. - supposedly nowhere near the times for rush hour.

So, off we go in to Canada-land! Don's ordination and inaugural service is tentatively planned for October 27 in the Burgessville, ON church (who will be overseeing the work in Toronto/Bradford). We hope many of you can join us for this special time.

Playing with Tyler Pederson one last time before they left to Pennsylvania!

Going for a ride with Great-Grandma A!

Anna wants to be so close to Eve that she sometime sits on her! Eve doesn't seem to mind in this picture :)

Graduation and beyond

2007-06-06T12:42:00.000-04:00

The last half of the month of May brought the culmination of 20 consecutive years of study for Don - graduation from PRTS. Don worked hard to finish up one of his most demanding semesters (though he is still putting the finishing touches on his thesis). On Friday, May 25 he graduated along with Mark Raines and Bill Boekestein. We were so thankful that Don's brother Bob could come up from Albuquerque to spend the weekend with us. It was especially meaningful to spend time with him after finding out that he will be deployed to Afghanistan for six months in mid-June. Here's a picture of the three brothers:

After passing his examination before Classis back in March, the date for Don to become a candidate within our denomination was set for May 26 (after graduation). And so, that very Saturday, by God's gracious providence Don received two calls. One was to labor in Plymouth, Wisconsin and another was to labor in Agua Prieta, Mexico. We ask for your prayers as we where God will have us to labor.

Looking back

2007-05-30T19:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a look at the past month in photos:

The month began with Don participating in the annual 5K Riverbank Run here in Grand Rapids with Dad Deur and Ryan. Don practiced up a little by losing a few pounds and driving himself extra hard on his daily jogging runs. Race day was beautiful, and Don made the run in good time. Dad and Ryan found the race a little easier than the 25K they ran last year!

Anna has really been enjoying food as of late, though she has gotten a little pickier about when she wants to eat what. Three teeth have popped out in the last three weeks, almost doubling the amount she has. She loves trying to use a fork and spoon, and sometimes even her tongue to lick the bowl clean!

Eve has gotten to be our little smiler and coos all the time.

Anna just loves this and tries to interact with her more. Sometimes that turns into a problem since she tends to squeeze a little tighter than Eve likes.

Spring is finally here!

2007-04-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

Once again time has just been flying by! At the beginning of the month, Don left for a week internship in a Canadian church near Niagara Falls. Mommy and the girls just barely survived being separated from him for that long. We can't imagine how you lasted without Bob for 5 weeks, Susie!! And with four children! God truly does provide the strength we need right when we need it. Don now has a few weeks of staying at home, which we are thankful for. The semester is nearing the end and he has much schoolwork to do, but we've still found time to go to the park and enjoy the beautiful spring weather together.

Eve seems to be finally rid of the thrush that plagued her during the first two months of life. Now, she's our smiley girl, though she definitely still lets her desires be known by wailing now and then. Last night Eve slept through the night for the first time!!! Jodi was able to sleep from 11:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. - what a difference from being up every 3 hours like it has been up until this point. We hope she continues to sleep this well.

Anna has been fighting a horrible cold that has lingered for over three weeks now. This means Daddy's being woken up a lot at night as well, since his "job" is to take care of Anna during the night while Mommy takes care of Eve.

Anna's still been fairly happy during the days, though, and continues to grow and learn new things. The past few days she has become practically inseparable from her dolly - imitating whatever Mommy does with Eve, such as putting her in the swing or on the playmat. She also likes to play with Eve as much as is possible with a 2 1/2 month old.

We also had fun with Tyler, Randy and Sarah Pederson's little guy, who came over last week to play. As you can see, Mommy had to keep a close eye on the three children, since both Tyler and Anna wanted to play with (and sometimes on!) Eve. At Anna's 15 month checkup, she was 22.5 lbs (she actually lost two pounds this past month because of her being sick). And of course, since she seems to take after her daddy in this area, she was way off the charts in height.

Eve's Baptism

2007-04-06T22:23:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, we were privileged to bring Eve before the Lord to be baptized. It seems like just yesterday, we were standing at the front of church having Anna baptized. For Anna's baptism, Rev. VanderZwaag preached on Adam calling his wife Eve, "the Mother of the Living," as a declaration of his faith in God's promise that a seed (Christ) would be born to crush Satan's head. That sermon made us cherish the meaning of the name Eve.
For Eve's baptism, Dr. Beeke preached a sermon that was both relating to Christ's passion and baptism, on the weeping daughters of Jerusalem. It was a powerful message instructing us that we are not to pity Christ as a martyr when we reflect on his passion, but instead, his sufferings must lead us to weep for our sin, which is the cause of His suffering. He also tied this passage with the solemn picture of the possibility of our children falling under the same wrath of God as Jesus if they are not born again. What a incentive to pray earnestly for our children's salvation!

I love my little sister . . .

2007-03-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .

2007-03-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

We wish to share with everyone the goodness of the Lord in confirming Don's calling to the ministry with his passing of the candidacy exam today at our denominational classis and seminary committee meetings. This morning Don went before the seminary committee, who examined him orally for about an hour and a half. After a short deliberation, they announced that he would become a candidate able to receive calls effective May 15. That date is the end of the seminary semester for Don (though he has one more module class after that before his studies are completely ended).
We praise the Lord for His goodness toward our family and wait upon Him for guidance as the location where we will be called to is yet unknown. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support - we sincerely appreciate them.

One month old and growing quickly!

2007-03-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

Cries and Curiosity: Life with Two under Two

2007-03-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since our last post, and we're sure you've already guessed why. A household with two little ones is definitely a challenge to keep under control. We've had much help from family and friends in the form of cards, meals, and help with household chores and caring for Anna and Eve. Don had to be out of town two of the last four weekends, so Jodi's sister Heather was a big help by staying at our home and helping out during that time.

Eve is growing already - we think she may be getting a little chubbier since she eats all the time. She's definitely more alert. In the hospital, she slept and ate much better than Anna and seemed to be a very easy baby. But once we arrived home, and she began to be awake more, we found that the transition from one to two children wasn't going to be quite so smooth. For the next 2 1/2 weeks, she had long crying spells from about 1:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. every morning. Which meant Jodi did not get very much sleep. Things seem to be gradually getting better, although Eve still often spends the evening hours crying much of the time. We're hoping she grows out of this soon.

Anna adapted very well to her little sister. The first two days at home, she showed a little jealousy by whining and wanting to be held a lot. But that soon wore off and now she's the first one to try to run to Eve's assistance when she hears Eve cry. She also learned very quickly how to be gentle in touching Eve, though we still have to watch out for when Anna tries to pick Eve up. Anna's fourth tooth is coming in, and for the first time, she seems to be having some pain with it. She's been waking in the middle of the night crying and needing lots of sleep during the day to make up for the interrupted night sleep. Overall, though, she's still our cheerful, inquisitive little girl. Right now, her mind seems to be like a sponge, learning new things every day. It is amazing to watch her develop, especially in understanding what various words mean.

Don has been very busy, though he's often found the time to give Jodi a break by getting Anna up and ready in the morning, or holding Eve during the day or late at night to give Jodi time for some much needed rest. In two weeks, he will have his examination before our Classis, after which time, if he passes, he would be eligible for a call. We still have no idea where the Lord will lead him to labor, but trust that God will prepare a place where we may be of great use for His kingdom.

God's gift to us

2007-02-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

We are excited to announce the birth of little Eve Marie Overbeek, for whom we are so thankful to God. She arrived this morning at 1:54 a.m., a surprise for Daddy and Mommy, since she wasn't due for two more weeks. She still was a healthy-sized baby, weighing in at exactly 9 pounds and measuring 20.5 inches long. Here's a picture of our little munchkin when she was only a few hours old.

Mommy and Eve are both recovering well. Eve is eating very well, and Mommy is getting more rest than she did with Anna. Anna has done wonderfully well with Eve thus far, though she will definitely have to make the adjustment when Eve comes home. For now, she's been quite gentle with Eve and seems to be aware of how fragile she is.

Busy Days

2007-02-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

The weeks have been flying by - it is hard to believe that we are now in the month of February. Of course that means the countdown to when the baby is born! Less than three weeks until the due date, though we know that the baby could really come any time in the next few weeks.
At this point, Jodi is feeling quite well. During the month of January, she struggled somewhat with pain in her hip, which hampered her ability to walk around comfortably. But with God's blessing on a few sessions of physical therapy exercises, the pain has been relieved. At this point, Jodi is visiting the doctor every week. So far, the baby is head down and has dropped lower, but doesn't seem to be ready to come out just yet.

In some ways, we are hoping that the baby waits for at least two more weeks to come. Don is scheduled to preach in British Colombia this weekend and Iowa next weekend. After that, he stays in town for about a month or so, which will be wonderful. His schedule remains packed, though, since he is preaching eight Sundays in a row, several of which will be in the Grand Rapids congregation after the baby is born. Of course, his main focus still remains trying to keep up with his many seminary classes and preparing for his examination before Classis in March. Facing all of this work can be daunting, but he is finding that it is a profitable lesson as it makes him completely dependent upon God for the strength and the mental stamina to keep up.

Anna has almost completely switched to walking, now. It is amazing how quickly she gave up crawling once she developed enough balance to begin walking well. She loves to read books that have textures to feel (thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Susie, as well as Grandma and Grandpa O.!!)
She often walks around the house carrying her dolly and patting it on the back. As for toys, she enjoys putting the "coins" in her little pink piggy, and she's trying to master puzzles and her shape sorter. She's constantly bringing them to Mommy and Daddy, so they can help her. She's also beginning to babble more often, holding regular conversations with herself.

Birthday girl!

2007-01-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

The days have just flown by since we returned from our trip to Alberta. Don has started out with an intense module course last week and then plunged into regular seminary courses this week. This will be a very busy semester for him as he anticipates preaching in various churches almost every single weekend as well as finishing up his thesis.

One major milestone we celebrated was Anna's first birthday on January 17. She had two parties, one with Grandma and Grandpa Overbeek and the other with the Deur and Arnoudse relatives. For the second party, we had 16 people packed into our little living room! That proved to be a little overwhelming for her at first, especially since she's been suffering from a fairly severe cold.

Here are a few photos of the occasion:

Anna and Grandma Overbeek enjoyed their special time together!

Jodi baked and decorated a special cake for Anna with pink and purple frosting. Anna got her own cupcake to eat. Since this was her first taste of something very sweet, she certainly enjoyed it. At first she just wanted to pick at the frosting and lick it. We finally had to help her take a big bite - after that, there was no turning back!

Anna also got a sled for her birthday. She loved this gift so much she immediately sat down in it in the middle of the living room and spent the next fifteen minutes trying to buckle herself in. Earlier this week, Daddy took her outside for her first real experience of fun in the snow. She was all bundled up and enjoyed sliding down our little hills in the backyard.

One more thing we may have forgotten to mention in all of the excitement of our Alberta trip. Just a few days before we left, Anna took her first steps! Now she's starting to prefer walking to crawling, which means she's tottering all over the place.

Banff Day #2

2007-01-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

Our second day at Banff was much more overcast, with some falling snow. We were thankful to have taken the gondola the day before, since we probably wouldn't have been able to see much if we had gone a day later. This day was spent on the road a little more, which was good for Anna, whose nose had started to run.
Our main journey of the day was up the Icefields Parkway, which leads north all the way up to Jasper National Park. Because of falling snow, this road was quite a bit more slippery, but we took our time. For the most part, we had the road to ourselves, which we liked because it made us feel like explorers. The visibility of the mountains was quite poor, so we couldn't see them as well as we liked, but we still had some view of the glaciers as well as the valleys.

We went up as far as we could until the road was closed due to the danger of avalanches. Then we made our way back to Lake Louise, where we took a sleigh ride along the lake to the other side.

There, we saw a beautiful frozen waterfall, where the ice was actually a blue color.
After a full day once again, we headed back to the townhouse for a good night's sleep before heading out again.

Enjoying God's Marvelous Creation

2007-01-06T12:06:00.000-05:00

What a busy past few days we've had here in Alberta. On Tuesday afternoon, we left for Banff National Park, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Fort MacLeod. We arrived in the evening to our accommodations - a townhouse with a fully equipped kitchen as well as two bedrooms and a large dining/living area. This was generously provided by the Feyters who had a package that allowed us to staythere for three nights.

After an evening finding our way around the town of Canmore (just outside the gates of the National Park), we returned to our place with enough groceries and gas to get us through the next few days.

Wednesday morning was clear and sunny, giving us a breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding us as we headed into the park. Since we had plenty of time, we explored a little in the backroads on Tunnel Mountain and Cascade Pond.

We saw the most wildlife at this time - huge bighorn sheep along the roadside and several female elk. Then, we ventured farther into the town of Banff and beyond, learning about the history of the park at the Cave and Basin Museum and catching a glimpse of the Bow Falls.

Almost all of the lakes and rivers are frozen and snow-covered at this time of year, so we didn't get to see the brilliant colors, but the snow on the trees made every turn in the road picturesque.

For the afternoon, we took a ride on the Banff Gondola up to the top of Sulfur Mountain. This was quite an experience for both of us, since we don't like heights very much. The height didn't affect Anna at all - she was squirming to get off our laps the entire time. The views were stunning, though we took turns holding Anna inside the shelter, since the air was cold and windy.
We ended our day with a ride up the Bow River Parkway - a side road that was somewhat slippery, but definitely worth the drive as we stopped at many lookout points to take pictures and take in the sights.

Hello from the Canadian Rockies!

2007-01-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

We arrived safely in Calgary last Thursday evening (actually Friday morning Michigan time). After a few short delays due to planes coming in late and the cargo door being frozen shut on the airplane, we finally were able to pick up our luggage and met the Feyters, with whom we are staying for these 10 days.

We then climbed into their vehicle and drove the two hours to Fort MacLeod, finally falling into bed at 3 a.m. (5 a.m. EST). Anna did very well on the plane and car ride, sleeping all of the second flight and then all the way to the Feyter's house. It took about a day or two for her to adjust to the time change, but she is now very comfortable here and sleeping even better at night than she does at home.

After spending Friday recovering from our trip, we headed out on Saturday to see the mountains. About an hour and a half drive from Fort MacLeod is Waterton National Park, which is the Canadian half of the Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park. Anna fell asleep in the van and didn't wake up until we had already seen all of the sights! Since it is winter, several of the roads are shut down in the park, but we still had a beautiful scenic ride and stopped often to get a closer look and take a few pictures. Here's a glimpse of the majestic scenery:

'Tis the season for lots of family time!

2006-12-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

Last Friday evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and exchanged Christmas gifts with the Deur family. Everyone was there, including Ryan's fiancee, Jeannine, and Jonathan's girlfriend, Becca. Our family is certainly growing!

Of course, what would a Deur Christmas be without a few surprises in the gifts?

Here's Ryan finding out that what he thought was a new cordless phone system was actually just a few Burger King Bucks (plus several rocks to weight it down)!

Here's Jonathan reading one of the many little notes that accompanied all of the handy gifts he received as a "going away to college" gift (including a kitchen scrubbie, toothpaste, popcorn, toilet bowl cleaner, etc.).

Need a little help with that, Grandma?

And, of course, Anna got to open a few of her own. This Christmas, she was quite interested in the wrapping paper and boxes that everything came in!

No explanations needed . . .

2006-12-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

Climbing like a monkey . . .

2006-11-30T22:10:00.000-05:00

She's not as innocent as she looks!

In this past week, Anna seems to be learning a new "trick" just about everyday. This has really made her a handful, since Jodi is constantly having to intervene before another bumped head occurs (though we've still had our share of those). At the same time, it is exciting to see her develop so rapidly.

Hmmm. Two ping-pong balls but only one mouth!

One of Anna's new favorite activities is to climb into her toy bench and sit inside it, throwing out all of the blocks. She now refuses to play with it any other way, which wouldn't be a problem if she could learn a safe way to "dismount." But she just can't seem to get the hang of climbing out properly - instead she usually takes a dive or flip onto her head. Ouch!

Sittin' pretty!

Her other favorite past-time is climbing up and down our stairway. We are so happy that she has finally learned the art of sliding down on her tummy, though for several days she still only ventured up 2 or 3 steps. Imagine our surprise when one day Don opened the door of the study upstairs to find she had climbed all the way up! Still, with one danger over, there is always another lurking around the corner - she now has gotten a little too confident in climbing up and down the stairs, which resulted in a minor fall (Mommy was there to catch her before she tumbled more than a step or two).

Watch me climb!

The one-socked bandit makes her escape!

As we marvel at how wondrously God has created our bodies to develop each new skill, we are also thankful for each minute that He preserves our little Anna from danger. Though we try to protect her as much as possible, we trust that He who has every hair of our head numbered will also watch over her.

Some things never change...a true Overbeek!

Many reasons to give thanks

2006-11-30T21:13:00.000-05:00

Our Thanksgiving weekend was quite eventful, filled with wonderful fellowship with family and friends as well as delicious food. Since this could be our last Thanksgiving living here in Michigan, we made the most of it.

On Thanksgiving Day, we started off with a wonderful message by Dr. Beeke about the ten lepers. Since Don preached a sermon last Thanksgiving on the same history, it was interesting and refreshing to hear the same text expounded with different applications and emphases. Rev. Beeke clearly contrastd false thanksgiving (manifested by the nine healed lepers who didn't return) and the true thanksgiving evidenced by the returning "stranger." He powerfully pressed this home to our consciences by applying Christ's question - "Where are the nine?" - causing us to gauge whether or not we are truly thankful to God for all His blessings.

From there, we headed off to the next event of the day - a special Thanksgiving Dinner to be held for those we minister to in the local outreach ministry that Don leads. The guests were to be a combination of volunteers from the outreach, families from the community who are "regulars" in visiting the outreach store and attending the Bible study, and several families/singles from our church that were new to the area and didn't have other relatives to enjoy Thanksgiving with.

The dinner has involved much preparation on both Don and Jodi's part over the past month. Don has been busy inviting the guests for the dinner (he did this mostly through door-to-door contacts) and following up with them to make sure they had transportation. Jodi was involved with the planning of the food and decorations.

Everything went superbly with the dinner, and we had about 55 people there. Although some people from the neighborhood didn't show up as we had planned, this was to be expected, and we still had wonderful fellowship with the people who did come. The food was absolutely delicious, and Don ended the meal with a meditation on Psalm 116:12.

By 4:30 p.m. we had everything cleaned up and were headed to our next gathering - a visit with Jodi's family. There, we relaxed while Anna entertained us with her antics. Though she hadn't had much of a nap all day, she was still all smiles and ready to put on a show for everyone!

Thanksgiving with Don's family was enjoyed on Saturday, with a scrumptious dinner cooked by Mom Overbeek - we were glad to eat something other than leftover turkey! Still, the highlight of the meal was her famous stuffing, which was devoured by the Overbeek boys (though Dad Overbeek made sure he had his share).

We certainly have much to be thankful for as we look back on all the blessings God has showered upon our family in this past year. It was a special Thanksgiving for us, since this time we were able to share this special day with many of our neighborhood friends whose souls we feel burdened for. We pray that sharing this meal with them will deepen our relationship, so that we can continue to speak with them of the good news of the gospel.

The Deurs have a party!

2006-11-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

The Deur clan celebrated Dad Deur's birthday Mexican-style at the Little Mexico Cafe in downtown Grand Rapids. With absolutely delicious food, impeccable service, and even a guitar-playing trio to sing Happy Birthday with a Mexican twist, we couldn't have had a more enjoyable evening. Anna was intrigued by the man playing a guitar - he even let her strum a few chords!

Afterwards, we all headed back to the Deur residence to open gifts and finish off the evening with Dad's favorite - carrot cake!

Anna loved helping Grandpa open his gifts.

Our little explorer

2006-11-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

Our Anna Banana has been at it again - getting into all sorts of mischief. It seems that just when we have "baby-proofed" our house to her activity level, she learns how to reach just a little higher and open a cupboard door that she had not been able figure out the day before.
A few days ago, I was dutifully doing some mending on the sewing machine in Anna's bedroom. Usually this works fairly well because she'll crawl around and "investigate" various drawers and nooks and crannies which have long been cleared of anything that can harm her. But this time, in the few minutes it took to sew a seam, she managed to reach up to a jar of A & D Ointment on the nightstand, take the cover off (it had just been set loosely on top), and begin sampling it with several scrapes of her fingers in the goo. I didn't realize what had happened until she crawled up next to me and started patting my leg to get my attention. Let's just say that her shiny face, with the petroleum jelly smeared halfway up to her ears, gave her away, along with the grease marks she was leaving grease all over my shirt. It was quite a mess!!

She's even started to understand that there are objects on high shelves that she might not be able to see. Yesterday, I found her on the kitchen floor with the empty jar of babyfood I had left near the edge of the table. There were just enough pureed carrots left on the sides of the jar for her to smear them all over her face and clothes.

Of course, all of these moments would have been great to capture on camera, but I had to choose between salvaging her clothes before she got them completely stained or running around trying to find the camera. At this point, keeping the damage to a minimum takes top priority, since I know it only takes a few more seconds for her to get into lots more trouble!

Even with a few of these incidents, we really are enjoying her as she develops. Lately, she's become much more responsive - waving when we say hi or bye bye or laughing when she hears us laugh. When Don goes upstairs to study, she will often crawl to the first step and stand there making loud sounds as if she's calling him to come back down and play. That's hard for a daddy to resist!

Prime Rib and Grilled Cheese

2006-11-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

Thursdays are quite enjoyable days here in the Overbeek household. First of all, Don doesn't have classes on Thursday, and often spends the day catching up on schoolwork or preparing sermons for the weekend. This also means that he comes down from his study a little more often and plays follow-the-leader or some other rambunctious activity with Anna, which she thoroughly enjoys. Usually, Jodi spends Thursdays at home as well, which means laundry day! Anna LOVES helping Mommy with the laundry - especially pulling all of the folded clothes out of the laundry basket.

Today, though, Jodi was able to attend the Women's Fellowship Luncheon at Sayfee's Restaurant with Sarah Pederson and many other ladies from the church. Mom Deur took care of both Tyler and Anna while we headed off to a delicious lunch of prime rib and lots of time to chat with others. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even though it felt a little strange to not have any child around needing attention.

Back at home, Don enjoyed his grilled cheese and mustard sandwich, while Anna ate her green beans and tropical fruit with gusto! Don has been busy preparing a special junior youth group topic on North Korea and the persecuted Christians there. He will be the "feature speaker" in their activity this Friday. He's also been studying diligently for an exam in Medieval Church History, which he knows will be challenging.

Anna has been keeping busy with her latest hobby - emptying things. Whether it is her basket of toys, her diaper bag, the laundry basket, or even her dresser drawer, she loves taking out each object one by one and handing it to the closest recipient. If no one is nearby to receive her gifts, she just tosses them on the floor and grabs for the next one. Her favorite thing to empty is the kitchen drawer, which contains so many intriguing utensils.

A little sibling rivalry?

2006-11-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

Of course, with two pregnancies so close together, it's only natural to compare and think about what's different this time around. Thankfully, during this pregnancy Jodi has felt much better with hardly any of the morning sickness that made her miserable when pregnant with Anna.

We're also noticing that the unborn baby seems to respond to Anna quite a bit. When Anna starts crying after another bump to her head or squealing loudly in delight at some new game, the baby will start kicking! And when Anna is squirming in Jodi's arms, the baby will start pushing right back if Jodi's tummy gets jostled more than it likes. Here is a glimpse that we got at the little one inside when we went for the ultrasound about a month ago.

Anna and Grandma

2006-10-31T21:09:00.000-05:00

Anna's gotten to know Grandma Overbeek lots better these past few weeks, since she's been the chief babysitter in the evenings when Mommy and Daddy are gone. Somehow, Grandma can always get Anna to bed much earlier than we've been able to - it must be that veteran touch!

A Warm End to October

2006-10-31T20:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day here. It was so warm we decided to have fun in the leaves - or at least Anna and Jodi did while Don worked hard raking them up! Anna never enjoyed the outside all that much this summer - she doesn't like the sun in her eyes, but refused to have a hat on for more than a minute. Yesterday, we thought it might be the same old story when she winced and curled up her legs every time her bare feet touched the grass. But when we put on her new shoes, she loved it! Here are a few photos of the many we took while she played in the leaves.

Say cheese!

2006-09-07T22:51:00.000-04:00

We're back!

2006-09-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

After a 2-month gap on this blog, you're probably wondering where the Overbeeks have disappeared to!

Well, we're now back in Grand Rapids and strapped to a dial-up modem, which will severely limit our ability to post any pictures :( But since we've heard from many of you that you'd still like us to keep you up-to-date, we'll try to become a little more regular at posting.
We did arrive safely back in Grand Rapids in mid-July, and have settled back into the old routine nicely.

The rest of our summer flew by, due especially to Don's intense involvement with a local neighborhood outreach ministry of our church (HHOM). When we returned from Canada, Don was elected to become president of this ministry and he has really poured his heart (and time) into it. Initially, he and the rest of the leadership team established distinct goals and a plan of action for reaching these goals. This has led the ministry to expand in many ways, which are very encouraging. The core of the ministry is a storefront on Michigan Street near College. The store offers clothing and fellowship, Bible studies, and hosts various community gatherings (like cookouts). Don's been visiting the store almost every day of the week and also really seeking to establish relationships with the neighbors. Jodi and Anna have been able to accompany him at times. We are glad for this opportunity our family has to get a taste of ministering to many people in our city.

Anna is now crawling all over the house, though she doesn't quite lift her tummy off the ground. That doesn't stop her from moving quite quickly and getting into EVERYTHING. She has become our human vacuum cleaner, since she picks up everything from fuzzies to dropped Cheerios and tries to eat them. Mommy has to keep the floors spotless in order to keep her from swallowing something she shouldn't have. Today Anna pulled herself up to stand using a chair for the first time. She also fell, while trying to repeat this trick - keeping her free of bumps and bruises is going to be awfully hard now that she's mobile.

Jodi has been busy helping Don with various events for HHOM, helping to lay out various newsletters and fliers, put together a PowerPoint presentation with him, and using her writing and event planning skills in various other ways. It is amazing how God prepares us to be useful in His kingdom!

Before we close this long epistle, we want to let anyone who hasn't heard yet know our good news! We are expecting Baby O #2!! We are so excited that God has blessed us with another child and are looking forward to expanding our family once again. Jodi has been feeling much better during this pregnancy, for which we are very thankful. She is almost 4 months along, since the baby is due February 20. Stay posted for more updates (and maybe ultrasound photos!).

Our last week in Canada

2006-07-05T18:12:00.000-04:00

As the internship here in Burgessville comes to a close, our activities certainly aren't winding down at all. We have already done a flurry of visits and have plenty more planned. Between visiting the elderly for lunch or over coffee, and then visiting with various families for supper, Jodi will hardly have to cook at all this week!

We have started to realize that maybe staying eight weeks may be more of an ideal length of time for an internship, because just when we are really beginning to feel a bond forming between us and the congregation, we will have to leave.

We have had such edifying talks with people here and have really grown to appreciate the diversity in backgrounds and how the Lord has led them. We have also been very amazed at the work of the Lord in the midst of afflictions. Some of the burdens and struggles various ones have gone through seem unbearable, but to hear them speak of the goodness of the Lord in the midst of these times is amazing and very humbling.

We are looking forward to returning home to see our families and to settling back into our own place. Though the accommodations here have been superb, nothing can quite feel like home. Don can't wait to see how the garden is growing and Jodi is itching to tackle the flower beds.

Staying cool

2006-06-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

Anna went swimming for her first time this week. She thoroughly enjoyed it. Jodi and Anna joined Beth and Cate at the DenDekker's pool. The water was a little chilly, but once we got used to it, it was very refreshing. Cate liked to splash all the time, so we had to watch out!

Mommy has her hands full with both squirmy girls!

Here's Anna catching some rays.

2006-06-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

Another week has flown by. Two weeks from tomorrow we will be headed out of Burgessville back to Grand Rapids. The Keldermans are leaving tomorrow for their vacation, which means we won't be seeing much of them the rest of the internship. They've invited us to make use of their pool while they are gone, which we are looking forward to, since we don't know anyone with a pool back in Grand Rapids.

This week we are planning on visiting with many of the elderly of the congregation as a family. We look forward to getting to know them better and hope to be able to have rich conversations with them. Even back home, we've enjoyed the visits we've had with a few older friends - they often have gained so much wisdom over the years, making it a treat to sit and chat a while.
Anna took her first bath in the big tub today. She loved it - all the more water to splash Mommy with!! We have been blessed with a very cheerful, happy girl who seems to win over everyone she sees with her smiles.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and time of fellowship with the DenDekkers. Since Beth went to school with Jodi and their daughter Cate is two days younger than Anna, we have plenty to chat about. They even provided us with a microwave to borrow for the rest of our stay here - we've definitely been missing that luxury!

In our spare moments, we've been brushing up our badminton skills with the rackets and net the Timmermans have in our backyard. Today, we were hitting around several birdies for a while when we noticed one was missing. We looked for it for several minutes before we realized Anna, sitting quietly in her stroller, was chewing on it. It must have hit her (good thing they are light!) and she grabbed it and decided it would make a good snack!

All smiles!

2006-06-22T14:42:00.000-04:00

A few quieter days

2006-06-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

Today is sunny and warm - around 90 degrees - here in Ontario. We are enjoying ourselves in the air conditioning, though. Since we usually suffer through the summers without any air in our home back in GR, this is a real treat! Plus, the humidity is much less here, making the warm weather much more bearable.
The past few days have been a slower paced, as Don mostly stayed home to write his sermon for Sunday and made a few visits to people with Pastor Kelderman. We are glad because the past two nights have been rough with Anna waking up every three hours crying. We aren't sure what has caused this sudden change in routine, but we're hoping that she'll return to her normal schedule of sleeping through the night soon.

Jodi and Anna have been keeping busy. Yesterday, they went to the store, bought some bread at the baker, and visited with the Keldermans at their produce stand for several hours. Yesterday evening, we celebrated Maarten Kuivenhoven's birthday (a fellow HRC seminary student) and enjoyed meeting his family and many nieces and nephews.

Today, it was off to a 25th Anniversary celebration that Pastor Kelderman and Don attended, while Jodi and Anna joined Donna Kelderman and her daughters at their violin recital.
This evening, we're contemplating stopping by the neighborhood baseball diamond where the youth group will be playing. Don's been invited to play with the young people, while Anna and Jodi may find some shade and cheer them on.

We are now about half-way through the internship and are so thankful with how things have gone thus far. This time away from our usual routine has allowed us to have a taste of what it is like being a pastor's family. Though it is difficult to be away from family, it is very rewarding to serve in the midst of a congregation, and Don loves bringing the Word of God from the pulpit.

Trip to the Falls

2006-06-15T19:10:00.000-04:00

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were very busy, as we journeyed to the HRC in Jordan Station (near Niagara) where Don preached a mid-week sermon on Tuesday evening. We went to Pastor Neels' house for supper and spent the night with the John Beeke family (Dr. Beeke's brother). Both families were delightful to get to know better, and we heard many interesting stories from the Beekes - who have raised 13 children!!

Then, on Wednesday morning - Don's 25th birthday - we were off to visit the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. We had a wonderful time, although we did get a little wet from all the spray blowing around! We marveled at this magnificent display of God's handiwork in creation. It was an enjoyable break for Don after a very busy last few weeks.

By noon on Wednesday, we were back home here in Burgessville so that Don could prepare for a Bible study on Romans he was to lead that evening. We went together to the study as a family, and Anna slept almost the whole time!

We are thankful to everyone who called us or sent cards for Don's birthday, and pray that God will continue to use him in His service here in Burgessville and in the flock he may be called to in the year to come.

Yum yum!!

2006-06-13T13:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Anna had her first taste of food - a little rice cereal mixed with milk. Here is a glimpse at her reaction:

Whatever that is, it tastes very strange!

I can concentrate better with my eyes closed.

That was fun - how about some more!

Relatives and a wedding . . .

2006-06-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Don's cousin Ben and his new wife Karmyn!! We were privileged to attend their wedding near Niagara Falls this past weekend and enjoyed meeting up so many of our relatives again. We pray that Ben and Karmyn will look to Christ as the "Greater Bridegroom" and that they may serve Him in their married life together.

We had a wonderful time with Dad and Mom Overbeek and Grandma Bosma as they spent Saturday and Sunday with us. They tiptoed in quiet as a mouse on Saturday evening (we left the reception much earlier than they did due to Anna's bedtime and Don having to preach in the morning), and we didn't even know they had come home!

Sunday morning Don preached on Peter's second speech in the Book of Acts, especially focusing on the times of refreshing found in Acts 3:19. The Lord helped him greatly and we were all edified by the Word. We had a delicious lunch of burgers and apple pie from the baker down the street. (Though we first had to deal with a screeching smoke detector - it is VERY sensitive and has gone off three times already - just due to boiling water on the stove or a whiff of smoke from the grill outside!)

After we said farewell to the Overbeeks and Grandma, Don prepared for his second sermon - a Catechism sermon on Lord's Day 30. Though it was a difficult Lord's Day to begin on, he was given strength and wisdom from the Lord to deliver a message that was both clear and relevant. Our busy Sabbath day ended with a sing-a-long at church, which Don led.

This morning, he is doing a chapel at Oxford Christian School, and then will work on the Preparatory Sermon he will be preaching tomorrow evening in Jordan, ON. We hope to visit the Kopperts for dinner tonight.

With all of this busyness, at least Jodi and Anna were able to relax!

Anna's newest trick

2006-06-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

On Monday, Anna learned how to roll over from her back to her stomach and has been practicing this trick ever since. Whenever we lay her on her back to play with a toy, she's flipped over in a matter of minutes. This has gotten her into some predicaments, though - especially when she does it in bed. Jodi has had to put blankets around the sides of the bed since Anna keeps sticking her leg through the slats and then turning over - which of course twists her leg badly and causes her to scream in pain. As she becomes more mobile, we're finding that we have to be much more careful to keep her from hurting herself.

Here's a glimpse of our little girl performing her feat:

See how innocent she looks! You'd never know what she was planning to do next!

Here she goes! Help, Mommy! I'm stuck!!

Keepin' busy

2006-06-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

We have been keeping quite busy here over the past few days.
Don is quickly feeling the weight of all of the work a pastor must do, but he is enjoying it. Today, he is accompanying Pastor Kelderman on a visit to the Free Reformed Synod, where they will bring greetings from our denomination. When he returns, he'll probably spend the rest of the day working on his second sermon he is writing this week.
Don already feels that he is learning much by this "hands-on" experience. By watching Pastor Kelderman and discussing various issues/situations, by preaching twice a Sunday and leading many different church activities (senior fellowship hour, youth group, bible study, etc.), and by receiving helpful feedback from Pastor Kelderman after each of these activities.

Jodi and Anna are getting to know the people of the church more. They joined Don at the fellowship hour and Anna was the star of the show with all her smiles. The elderly people that came loved interacting with her. Jodi was able to help Anja Koppert and Alice Klyn in the kitchen and chat a little with them.

Yesterday Jodi took Anna along to the field day at Oxford Christian School where they watched the kids play in all sorts of teamwork building activities. Anna loved being outside and enjoyed every minute of watching the kids. Jodi got to meet many of the moms there and is gradually beginning to put names with faces - as well as understand how everyone is related to each other!

Not so different after all . . .

2006-06-06T20:18:00.000-04:00

While there are many things here that are different than in the States - Celsius temperatures, Eh! after every sentence - we have been reminded once again of how similar Canadians and Americans are. While in church on Sunday, we prayed for Canada because we had just heard that several terrorism suspects had just been caught. As the details emerge, it seems the plot was for a large scale attack on the Prime Minister and other symbolic targets. Most of the suspects lived only about 1 1/2 hours away from Burgessville.

Though Canadians seemed at first not to be touched by terrorism as much as we Americans are - praying for the military or the war in Iraq is not as frequent here since their own troops aren't over there. Yet, we see that no one is exempt from the discord Satan sows in this world, even if we try to remain neutral. We thank God that he has spared Canada and also the U.S. from any recent attacks and pray that this grace may bring both of our countries to their knees.

2006-06-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

Our little Anna has been busy making herself at home here in Ontario. She's been sitting with us at the table and enjoys watching every move Mommy and Daddy make while eating. We're hoping to start her trying her own food in the next few weeks.

She's learning to sit up in the chair by herself, though lately she's ended up on her face several times as she's tried to reach for a toy.

Arriving at our new "home"

2006-06-03T17:44:00.000-04:00

This morning, at around 12:30 a.m. we arrived in our basement apartment in Burgessville, tired and very relieved at the Lord's protecting hand in keeping us safe on the roads. Driving in the dark during a torrential downpour made these country roads especially dangerous last night.
We've unpacked and are spending a quiet Saturday inside (due to heavy rain on and off throughout the day). Jodi made a trip to the local Food Smart grocery store and soon learned why everyone here buys milk in bags instead of cartons - it's lots cheaper! She made it home through another torrential downpour with everything we need for the week. Well, almost everything - due to the exceptionally confusing French/English labels on everything we found out she accidentally bought 12 rolls of paper towel instead of toilet paper :)

Don has hooked up our wireless internet, finished his sermon for tomorrow, and is jogging, since the rain has stopped for a few minutes. He plans to preach from Acts 2:17 - viewing Peter's entire sermon in light of this text. After preaching tomorrow morning, his schedule this week is as follows:
Monday - a chapel talk in a local elementary school
Tuesday - a medidation given at a gathering for seniors
Wednesday - a youth group topic
Friday - attending the Free Reformed Synod
Saturday - attending the wedding of our cousin Ben in St. Catherines.

Anna is sleeping soundly at the moment and seems to be adjusting well, though we had to leave many of her toys behind. For the most part, she's been her smiley self, though it may take a few days for her to adjust to her new crib.

Please pray for our family as we settle in here in Burgessville. We will miss all of our relatives back in Grand Rapids, but are thankful to feel so welcomed here and that God has provided this opportunity for us to learn more about life as a pastor's family. The upcoming weeks will be busy ones, especially for Don. Still we hope to stay somewhat connected by posting updates as the days go by.