Maris turns 2

Maris is 2 - already!

Things I love about Maris:

1. Pretend shopping trips where she likes to buy 'fruit' and say 'Love you' as she carries her purse around the house
2. Dollies and their 'poopy' diapers
3. Monkey tricks on the playground and the bathroom sink
4. 'Self'
5. Big eyes of excitement and awe
6. Her hugs - strong and real
7. The way she says macaroni -- 'Roni'
8. 'Horsey mommy?'
9. The hair!
10. Shoes on the wrong feet

Fun to dream

So, school has started, for 3 of the 4 of us! Elem and Maris have started at the Appletree Christian Learning Center; Gretchen has gone back to Excel Charter Academy. Busy-ness is very much upon us. Fall is here.

However, when I close my eyes, I like to dream. Instead of being a working mom - full time working mom - I am a stay at home mom....My days go something like this:
8:00 a.m. - get up and lounge in PJs and I find the children breakfast. I make pancakes in fun shapes like dinosaurs and dollies.
8:30 a.m. - We read books together, still in our PJs
9:00 a.m. - We have learning time with all the fun preschool activities that I have made. Elem sits nicely at the kids table working on cutting, painting, and drawing. Maris quietly listens to music on her Fisher Price headphones. I lounge on the couch reading a book.
AND THE DAY GOES ON

But then, I wake up again. Hmmm, instead the day looks quite different. The evening really looks like:
5:45 p.m. We pull in the driveway from daycare both kids are crying that they are hungry, sucking their thumbs or pacifiers, clinging to their blankets, wanting 'mommy....' to carry them to the house.
6:00 p.m. Supper is half an hour away from being done. I just stepped on a huge crumb, tripped over three shoes and am having a hard time breathing from wearing pants that are too tight all day.
6:30 p.m. We eat - okay Jeff and I eat. The kids cry about how the dish is too spicy, they don't like beans, and scream out 'how many bites do I have to eat?' Meanwhile pulling and leaning on me, getting my school clothes dirty, as I sit on the broken chair.

UGH.....real life. Dreams are free though, right? SMILE.

We love IKEA!

So if you know the Rottmans, you know that we love IKEA. Jeff and I love to wander the store for ideas and inspiration. We love the prices. Modern, European, versatile, and inexpensive. However, did you ever wish you knew how they name these items? Yikes. How to pronounce the names?! Well, if our family each was a piece of IKEA furniture, here is what we would be called.

Cute eh?

A Lazy Day - Sorta....

So, it has been months since we posted anything to this blog and I feel sad about that. I love reading other people's blogs to see what they are up to, what they have created, or what is just 'on their mind'. I wonder if this blog is any longer a journal from the Rottmans, or just a waste of time. I would choose the first...a journal of life here in GR.

We are home now from all the pottery ventures we made this summer. Check out Jeff's blog from Dutch Lake Pottery to see all the places we traveled! I am so glad to just be home. I love being home!

But Fall is acoming. School is starting. I feel like I have put in lots of work already with my job at Excel. Glad to see friends and co-workers! Glad to see a few students! We start on Tuesday. Wow, where did summer go.

Today we are taking the opportunity to stay in our PJs as long as we can. YIPEE!

Hope you are doing well.

Jeff's Pottery Wins Award

So the summer show schedule is very much underway these days. Here I write from Chicago, while Jeff is at a show in Evanston. He is busy selling pottery! We are busy visiting family and friends! Just wanted everyone to know that last weekend Jeff won a Third Place Award at the Clothesline Art Festival in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was happily surprised to win this award once again. Yeah Jeff. We love you for all your hard work and visions for success in the art world.

Life these days

Working - that is what I do a lot. Tonight I didn't get home till 8:30! Yikes. That is because we did some interviews for 2 Resource Room positions in our school. I was a bit worried and anxious about these interviews. I just don't like having to work with someone new, again. But, I was happily surprised by the candidates and their experiences and personalities. However, now we have the dilemnia of which people to hire! Although the work is often overwhelming and I feel bad missing out on the days of Elem and Maris, I do value the opportunity to work with the kids I do at school and with the amazing staff at both schools this year. It is invigorating sometimes to have a bit of a career and even better to feel some clout and responsibility amongst other adults.

Meanwhile, Jeff and the kids have lots of fun running errands, as well as making trips to Fremont these days. I am not so sure what we would do with out 'Grandpa and Grandma'. People tease Elem about being a country boy and a city boy. I am sure he is starting to feel more country these days. But, just wait until summer hits and we start riding the city bus and exploring Grand Rapids again together more! City boy here we come (:

Our house is messy....but our lives are busy and full. That is something to be very thankful for.

Spring Break Adventures

Anyone see a big bug? We do -- I mean we did. Over spring break, Maris, Elem and I went to the VanAndel Museum to see the BIG, BIG, BUGS exhibit. It was so fun to be together doing Mommy and kid stuff. I miss that often when working. I love these little people so very much. So glad that we can explore the world together!

Elem turns 4

Elem had a special day this past week! He turned 4 years old. The birthday was filled with busyness with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with Grandma Rottman and some extra family, as well as dinner out with our little family to Red Robin's. He also got a chance to spend some money at the toy store. Whew. What a day! Elem wants to try his first blog post: "jmmmmjggvhjbgvfddtttgrhrtgffbbbdrtfcvvvvcmjh" which says, "hooray!" You won't believe this boy is 4 already!!

Retreat Time!

This past weekend we went on a church retreat to the Ausable Institute for Environmental Studies. It is in Kalkaska, Michigan. We all got a chance to ENJOY winter with some friends. Elem got to try Cross Country Skiing for the first time and some Broomball too. We ate lots of yummy food, snacks and all. We talked with friends. Slept lots. Ate more food. Sat by a fire. Played Tag. Went sledding and skiing, etc etc. Very fun. Wish you could come too?

Elem sees his first theater movie!

Elem loves movies! He knows how to work the DVD player at home and could watch for hours. He got a special treat when in Cleveland this year. The day after Christmas some of us went to see ALVIN and the CHIPMUNKS movie. Elem even got to get the kids pack with popcorn, fruit snacks and a rootbeer. Lucky guy, huh?

Lauren Joy Hutt

Introducing our new little niece, born to Josh and Erin (Gretchen's sister) Hutt on December 9th! Lauren Joy. She was born in their new hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Happy New Year

The new year of 2010 has begun. Wow. Life flies by. Maris is already 17 months old. Elem will be 4 soon (in March!). Jeff and I are shocked by their growth and learning and often so very thankful for healthy kids. The Christmas season passed quickly too as we spent nearly 14 days with family in various occasions. A trip to Cleveland, a trip to Cincinnati, and a weekend in Fremont, as well as days with the DeBoe clan in Grand Rapids. It is so wonderful to be a part of such intact and loving families. We are so very blessed.

Some highlights of December included cutting down our Christmas tree again this year, Maris being Santa and saying 'ho ho ho', Elem getting his Christmas wish for a 'weasel' to paint on, seeing our new little niece Lauren in person, and having 3 snow days in a row!