Vander Leest Voyage
Currently Living in Sioux City, IA
Vander Leest Voyage
Memories
It is special when a family gets to do something and it turns out to be a great time. On Saturday it turned out to be a really nice day. So while Landon was napping he took Mykala fishing. I decided that I would pack a lunch and meet them down by the river and play at the park. Landon woke up and we got in the car to meet up with Mykala and Dave. We ate our picnic lunch and played at the park. But after that we took a stroll down the pier by the Missouri River. We were all talking and laughing and really enjoying ourselves as a family. It was a great time and we really needed to get out of the house. It is those special times that you really get to look at your family and really enjoy each person for who they are and what they bring to the table as a person. We are all different but we are a family unit and we have to love and laugh in life. It is so fun to see the kids personalities come out and watch them be who God created them to be. I love each member of my family so much. And the privilege to be a mother and wife to them is incredible. God has blessed me so much! I guess I am having a moment, hang with me!! Many of you have families as well, and you know what I am talking about, or you are working on building your family. What a treasure to see children grow up! I am so happy and blessed to be a part of it! I pray that I am doing the best that I can do with the children around me, not only my owe, but all that I come in contact with on a daily bases!
Swimming Lessons
Finally I got around to calling on Swimming lessons for Mykala!! I know a little behind! I called a place called Siouxland Aquatics, where the swimming lessons are inside. a couple of years ago Mykala took swimming lessons, the ones where Mommy swims with the child, and they were outside ones and it was FREEZING!! So we were going to do things right this year! Even Mykala said to me, "mom I would like to be inside where it is warm." When I called they also told me about a 2 year old program that they have which Landon could do. I ask them if I could have a trial run at it with him. They agreed and we had the first lesson on Wednesday. I went well until Landon figured out that if he would cry a little bit the lady would let him crawl out of the pool and sit by me. Keep in mind the kid has a swimmer on, and he want to sit on my lap. Everytime he sat on me I had a gush of water crawl down my leg. But at the same time I had to comfort my son, so I let it happen!! I do not think Landon is ready for his swimming lessons yet. He loves the water but wants the comfort of being with Mommy or Daddy. Mykala on the other hand was a pro. She was kicking and learning the strokes with such ease. SHe even jumped off the block all by herself!!!!
I SEE A FUTURE SWIMMER!!!!
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
 |
| From 2009-06-10 |
I SEE A FUTURE SWIMMER!!!!
Dave's BIG 3-0!!
We celebrated Dave's BIG 3-0! in style this year!! Every day when he came home we had a present waiting for him to open the week before his birthday. By the end or maybe middle of the week he would walk in the house saying, where's my birthday gift!! He loved it! His mom even got to be a prat of the celebration this year. What a treat for him as well as the whole family! We also took him out to Texas Roadhouse for supper and had Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake!! We had a great time celebrating with Dave. I was thinking today that I, Kelly has known him for 8 of the 30 years. Pretty good thinking we met in college!
During the week we went to an Sioux City Explorers game. They lost but it was fun. We had free tickets from a local radio station in town and they gave us 20 of them so we invitied some friends to join us.
One of the days Mom was here we headed to Orange City, IA. There is a cute little Dutch store there, The old Mill, that she likes to go to and there is also a great park. So lanae and her kids met us there for play and food!
We also had to pick Dave up from work and go for a picnic with him. It was nice weather, but a little on the cool side when she was here. But the sun always seem to warm things up so we could got outside and run some energy off!!
From 2009-06-06
This picture should have had Dad and Donna in it but my dad became very ill before they left and come to find out he had Vertigo. He is doing better now, but it was not good for about 24 hours.
During the week we went to an Sioux City Explorers game. They lost but it was fun. We had free tickets from a local radio station in town and they gave us 20 of them so we invitied some friends to join us.
One of the days Mom was here we headed to Orange City, IA. There is a cute little Dutch store there, The old Mill, that she likes to go to and there is also a great park. So lanae and her kids met us there for play and food!
We also had to pick Dave up from work and go for a picnic with him. It was nice weather, but a little on the cool side when she was here. But the sun always seem to warm things up so we could got outside and run some energy off!!
 |
| From 2009-06-06 |
 |
| From 2009-06-06 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
This picture should have had Dad and Donna in it but my dad became very ill before they left and come to find out he had Vertigo. He is doing better now, but it was not good for about 24 hours.
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
 |
| From 2009-06-09 |
Tulip Time
This past weekend we headed to Orange City, IA for Tulip Festival! Actually Dave took the day off on Friday so we could go on a day which was less busy than on the weekend. We met Lanae, Damian, and Desirae there. We got there and had packed a picnic lunch. We spread out our blanket on the courthouse lawn and had a nice picnic lunch together!
Lanae and Desirae enjoying the picnic!
After lunch we walked around to see all of the tulips, they were in full bloom and so full of color this year. It was fun to see them all. We went to a house that sells them the tulip bulbs straight from Holland. We walked through the garden and picked out the ones that we thought would look good in our garden and bought some bulbs!
These are the ones we picked. We thought we better have a couple of tulips since we are Dutch! Mykala liked the pink and white!
After our walk we made our way to the parade route! we had to get front row seats to the parade! First they have all the people from town sweep and clean the streets so they are clean for the royal court to come down and then the parade starts!
Even the little ones help with the street cleaning!
the kids loved the parade! We had to get out our umbrellas a couple of times because it started to sprinkle a little bit, but we did not get wet until we were heading to our cars, which is a good time for it to rain!
Here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy of the kids by the tulips!
Notice how they are holding hands. Landon LOVES his cousin Rae-Rae!!
The kids found a dog to pet at the gardens where we bought our tulips. He did not care one bit that they wanted to pet him, he loved the people!
After the festival we went over to Lanae's house and had pizza with the whole fam. I took some cute pictures of Desirae, I thought I would share!! She is too cute not too!
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
After lunch we walked around to see all of the tulips, they were in full bloom and so full of color this year. It was fun to see them all. We went to a house that sells them the tulip bulbs straight from Holland. We walked through the garden and picked out the ones that we thought would look good in our garden and bought some bulbs!
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
After our walk we made our way to the parade route! we had to get front row seats to the parade! First they have all the people from town sweep and clean the streets so they are clean for the royal court to come down and then the parade starts!
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
the kids loved the parade! We had to get out our umbrellas a couple of times because it started to sprinkle a little bit, but we did not get wet until we were heading to our cars, which is a good time for it to rain!
Here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy of the kids by the tulips!
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
After the festival we went over to Lanae's house and had pizza with the whole fam. I took some cute pictures of Desirae, I thought I would share!! She is too cute not too!
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
 |
| From 2009-05-17 |
Mykala's Preschool Program!
Mykala's preschool class had there winter program in March. It was so cute. They sang a couple of songs, recited "Going On A Bear Hunt" and a couple other rythms! I was a proud mother! She looked so grown up for her big debut! Grandma and Grandpa Mulder got to come down and see the big show. After we went to Dairy Queen to celebrate the big performance!
 |
| From 2009-03-07 |
 |
| From 2009-03-07 |
Julie
Julie has been here and gone and I have not even wrote about our time together. Sorry Julie. She came in early Feb. We loved every minute with her and hated to see her go. But while she was here we had a bleast and did a lot of different things!
The first day she was here it was about 34 degrees. We still had snow on the ground. So Dave decided to take her and Mykala sledding. The week was supposed to be warmer and we did not know how long the snow would be on the ground!
By the time they got home the were pretty wet and ready for some hot cocoa!
We went to Mykala's preschool Valentine's party. They did an opstacle course and made a necklace. It was great that Aunt Julie could come and see her school. Living in Ca she does not get to do that a whole lot, so it was a good treat!
In town they have a center that they open up to the kids during the day, so we took the kids there to run off some energy. We played all sorts of things with the kids. I think Julie and I came home more tired than the kids. Oh well, it was worth it.
One night Dave and I got to go on a date while Julie watched the kids, oh, what a treat. We went to Texas Road house and to Gran Torino! (Very good, lots of swearing though!)
Dave, Julie and Mykala went to a local hockey game on Friday night. It was Julie's and Mykala's first and they both seemed to like it. There were a lot of fights. We had a great time with her and hated to see her go. Come again anytime Julie!
The first day she was here it was about 34 degrees. We still had snow on the ground. So Dave decided to take her and Mykala sledding. The week was supposed to be warmer and we did not know how long the snow would be on the ground!
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
By the time they got home the were pretty wet and ready for some hot cocoa!
We went to Mykala's preschool Valentine's party. They did an opstacle course and made a necklace. It was great that Aunt Julie could come and see her school. Living in Ca she does not get to do that a whole lot, so it was a good treat!
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
In town they have a center that they open up to the kids during the day, so we took the kids there to run off some energy. We played all sorts of things with the kids. I think Julie and I came home more tired than the kids. Oh well, it was worth it.
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
One night Dave and I got to go on a date while Julie watched the kids, oh, what a treat. We went to Texas Road house and to Gran Torino! (Very good, lots of swearing though!)
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
 |
| From 2009-02-14 |
Dave, Julie and Mykala went to a local hockey game on Friday night. It was Julie's and Mykala's first and they both seemed to like it. There were a lot of fights. We had a great time with her and hated to see her go. Come again anytime Julie!
"PLAY ALL DAY"
There is a new play area in Sioux City for kids to go and have fun for the day. It was free for kids to try it out on Monday, so I took the kids and they loved it!! Lanae brought Damian and Desirae down to join in the morning fun. There are a lot of things to do with the kids, bouncy play area, arts and crafts, kitchen area, and many other things for the little ones. Here is the link if you want more info. (http://playsiouxland.com/) I guess this is a little advertisement for them. But the kids tested it out and they loved it!!
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
Big Boy Bed
Landon has officially graduated to a big boy bed!!
He is doing good, but it has been hard for him to just fall asleep. I have been sitting by his bed to comfort him. I have been leaving earlier in the process each night. He is getting close to falling asleep with out me in there. HE has been a trooper and we are very proud of him.
Check out the sheets!! THey are smurf. We got them from a friend! We have to get him a comforter set, but in the meantime, he will be using the Smurf sheets!!
 |
| From 2008-02-13 |
He is doing good, but it has been hard for him to just fall asleep. I have been sitting by his bed to comfort him. I have been leaving earlier in the process each night. He is getting close to falling asleep with out me in there. HE has been a trooper and we are very proud of him.
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
 |
| From 2009-02-03 |
Check out the sheets!! THey are smurf. We got them from a friend! We have to get him a comforter set, but in the meantime, he will be using the Smurf sheets!!
Indoor Fort Picnic
I got an e-mail for Donna yesterday, and she suggested that I have a pizza picnic with the kids. I thought that would be a good idea since Dad is out of town and we are running out of creative ideas. So I made some pizza for us and while it was in the oven, we built a fort to eat it in. We moved all the furniture out of the living room, and started getting out the biggest blankets we have. We have a very big one form our bed, a CA King to be exact! We got it built and the kids put a towel on the floor in case of any spills, while I cut the pizza and got it ready for the fort. We had pizza, bananas and a homemade Chocolate chip cookie! It was good and a lot of fun!
We had a great time and are hoping Daddy wants to do it with us next time, I am sure his FORT will be bigger and better!!
 |
| From 2009-01-30 |
 |
| From 2009-01-30 |
 |
| From 2009-01-30 |
 |
| From 2009-01-30 |
 |
| From 2009-01-30 |
We had a great time and are hoping Daddy wants to do it with us next time, I am sure his FORT will be bigger and better!!
Sioux Center
Dave has been out of town this week, so the kids and I decided to head up to Sioux Center and spend the night at my sister's and brother-in-law's. We got their and had tacos with them and then we got ready to go swimming at the Rec Center in Sioux Center. It was a cold night, but it was hot in there!! The kids loved it! It was something that we have not done for a long time now and they want to go back!! We even got to take Desirae in the water and she loved it as well, but she did not like getting her belly wet!
Uncle Don was a trooper and let them all ride at once. I think he was starting to go under the water with all the weight on his back, but the kids loved getting the kids!! After that we all headed home and the kids got a quick bath and to bed.
We put the kids down for bed and The kids and I were upstairs in the attic bedroom. This works out great for us. But this time was interesting!! Landon was sleeping in a pack-n-play. Let me back up and tell you how you have to get to the attic. There are VERY steep stairs that you have to climb. They make me nervous to go up and down but you have to take your time and you can make it safely! So I put Landon down and pretty soon I hear the door to the attic open, I thought it was Lanae checking on something. I got out of my chair and saw Landon walking towards me. He looks at me and said hi, and walks towards the toy room!! HE crawled out of the pack-n-play and made it down the stairs!! So I took him up there and try again, same results. I ended up rocking him until he was so tired he would not try to get out! We made it through the night and we all got a good night sleep. The next day we let the kids play and went to Wal-mart and got lunch, no big deal! Well we headed home after lunch, I thought the kids would fall asleep and I could put Landon down when we got home. Neither of them slept on the way home and when we did get home, I tried to put Landon in the crib for his nap and he climbed out! UGH!! I mean I tried to put him in the crib about 12 times; he got out all of them! But he has not done it since, so I am grateful for that! We had church that night so by the time we got home, he was so tired from not having a nap after lunch he went right to sleep for me!
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
Uncle Don was a trooper and let them all ride at once. I think he was starting to go under the water with all the weight on his back, but the kids loved getting the kids!! After that we all headed home and the kids got a quick bath and to bed.
We put the kids down for bed and The kids and I were upstairs in the attic bedroom. This works out great for us. But this time was interesting!! Landon was sleeping in a pack-n-play. Let me back up and tell you how you have to get to the attic. There are VERY steep stairs that you have to climb. They make me nervous to go up and down but you have to take your time and you can make it safely! So I put Landon down and pretty soon I hear the door to the attic open, I thought it was Lanae checking on something. I got out of my chair and saw Landon walking towards me. He looks at me and said hi, and walks towards the toy room!! HE crawled out of the pack-n-play and made it down the stairs!! So I took him up there and try again, same results. I ended up rocking him until he was so tired he would not try to get out! We made it through the night and we all got a good night sleep. The next day we let the kids play and went to Wal-mart and got lunch, no big deal! Well we headed home after lunch, I thought the kids would fall asleep and I could put Landon down when we got home. Neither of them slept on the way home and when we did get home, I tried to put Landon in the crib for his nap and he climbed out! UGH!! I mean I tried to put him in the crib about 12 times; he got out all of them! But he has not done it since, so I am grateful for that! We had church that night so by the time we got home, he was so tired from not having a nap after lunch he went right to sleep for me!
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
 |
| From 2009-01-28 |
