Check out Andy & Adams website

I just visited Andy and Adams website and couldn't believe the awesome pictures of work that they've done. Moms have a obvious right to brag. Anyway, I thought that some of you family members might enjoy the link to look at them also since they'd never post it themselves.
It's: www.Bouldercreeklandscaping.com
Have a great weekend, Rachel

Life in the US :)

WELL...I've been home for almost 6wks and have about 2.5wks to go until I leave on a jet plane again :). My time home (although that word is a bit blurry now for me :)) has been wonderful....very relaxing and FULL of reading! I love to read and finally have the time to...I think I might go through withdrawals when I'm back in Honduras :). Other than reading, my time here has been spent nannying for a little boy, Marcel- a connection Megan hooked me up with. He's 8yrs old and lots of fun, although a bit spoiled...its been great to practice my "mommy" skills. I was able to spend a week with Joel and Megs over on the East side and got to see Joel's classroom and meet his students....they LOVE him (and its easy to see why!). Megs and I did lots of running around and hanging out, and she made lots of yummy food :) (its amazing how my world has begun to revolve around food these days :)) I went up to TC for a weekend while the boys went fishing...its so beautiful there and the company couldn't have been better! AND Trav, Luke, Levi and I just got back from visiting Leah in DC. 5 out of the 7 Scott kids in the same place at the same time...minor miracle :)! I love her city, the weather was perfect, and she has a precious roommate Candace(finally!) :)...although I personally think her best roommates ever have been her sisters ;). We went to an aquarium in Baltimore for a day and it was cool to see all the aquatic life...sharks, snakes, frogs...and we even found Nemo! :). We were able to see Leah play in her softball league from church...she plays a stellar first base! (like her Pa :) The only down side to this trip was gas prices....which, unfortunately were going nowhere down :). Aaahh well, what do you do?!

I fly out for Honduras on June 3....and I'm so excited to go back to my other home and see my honey again! I miss him! We've been able to keep in great contact via Skype and webcams...so he's been able to see my tummy grow and we can talk and see each other almost every day. Its not quite the same as a real life hug, but my mom has been filling in :)! My suitcases are already filling up with random things...a few diapers, baby clothes, and house stuff...I might be paying extra for the 'over 50lb' limit airlines give you :D...oops!

My mom and I did go to the doctor for a check-up on Baby Valladares (I'll practice with you on how to say my new last name when I see you...its a mouth full! ;)) and all is healthy and growing with mom and baby! He/she moves all the time, especially when I'm hungry...which makes me think Baby V might be a boy ;)...who knows though...as long as he/she's healthy, I'm happy! We heard the heartbeat and chatted with the doctor about the possibilities of having the baby here or in Honduras...and we'll see how everything pans out. Mom and Leah have felt the baby kick already...Leah had to work for her kicks (she poked my belly until the baby got annoyed I think ;))...but its all worth it! I love feeling him/her and pray for the baby and my new family every day...

Anyway, thats the long update here from Tasha :)....love you all!

I thought I would be nice and show you my pretty face since it has been awhile since I am sure some of you have seen it. So there you do I gave you a present today of seeing ME!!! The first one is of avary (ben and robin's little girl) and the next one is of me and my friend rachel.

Have a great day!!

ANNOUNCING. . . . .

Tim & Andrea are engaged!

Big Star Lake

Thanks to Nick & Barb for hosting all the siblings up at the cottage. We had a great time, although we missed you after your early emergency departure!

Happy Mother's Day!

Update From Family Headquarters

Well this is Gramps.
We have been without our computor since last Tuesday, our phone
line went dead, so I called A T&T , they cheerfully told me by a voice
that wasn't , we will have your problem fixed by 8:00 P.M. tomorrow
however, tomorrow went by and no one from there showed up. So
I called again and got the same answer. So on Thursday a nice man
came and fixed what was their part of the problem, and told me we
had a short on the wiring in the house.--- so while he was still here
I started to pull telephones off the line, when I got to the computor
he says "thats it " . We now had telephone but no blog (sob-sob)
I talked to Dave he recommended I talk to Ross, who begged off the
help Gramps pick out a new one duty. then Travis just happened to
stop by and said you can buy a new modum for about 15.00 so ,the
light came back into my eyes, he took it with him and installed a
used one I think. So now we can live our life on the blog again.

One week without the Blog makes one WEAK , seriously we do look
forward to what we can learn about our PRECIOUS FAMILY
we have had a new member added, reports from several members
GOOD NEWS from Aaron, and a Great Grandson Named
EVAN MAX-----WELL , . well thats the way I say it. how great
to have another healthy baby in our group . how do we get all the
family to join in the fun and BLOG? No fair peaking if you are not
going to blog. We appreciate the renewed ability to get with it.

Love and Prayers Gramps O.G.I.G.

Hello! Thought I would share a few pictures. My dear friend Nancy (Voorhees) Baker graduated from Cornerstone with her Master's on Saturday! Good job Nanc!

It was David's birthday on Monday, but we celebrated on Sunday night. He is now 48!

I had an appointment in Lake Odessa this morning and then was able to buzz out to Brenda's and see and hold new baby Evan! She gave me permission to post a couple of pictures! Gavin was at school and Caden stuck to his new brother AND mom like glue!

DATE CHANGE!

Hey Everyone, we had to change the date for my open house due to the Family Day on Levi's ship, so........ My open house is now:

June 10, 2oo7
1-5 pm

1051o Lauren Dr.
Zeeland, MI 49464

Hope you all can come! : )

Much Love-- <3
Luke

HAPPY (#48!!!) BIRTHDAY

DAVID SCOTT TERBEEK!

Evan Maxwell

Here's a picture for you....I know there's gotta be a better close-up but my choices were limited since I didn't take them myself! =) Anyhow Brent and Brenda were right....he's ADORABLE!

Kim

Introducing......

Evan Maxwell Thelen born May 2, 8lb. 13 oz. with dark curly hair who looks just like his big brothers Caden and Gavin! Mama and baby are doing well, he's nursing like a champ and sleeps his little heart out. Oh and OF COURSE he's just adorable!!! (sadly I haven't seen him yet but Monday isn't too far off!)
Thought I would keep you all in the loop - Brenda comes home from the hospital tomorrow morning just in time for the weekend to get all settled in! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post but soon enough we'll get some up for you!
Love you all - Auntie Kim

Joel and Megs

Well, Joel and I in just a few short months will have been married for an entire year and will finish our first full year of teaching. As you all know, Joel is a full time 6th grade teacher to a class that adores him and he feels the same about them. It was well worth the long wait and he has been such an encouragement to me to hang in there. I have been subbing for my first full year. I had a long term experience in 1st grade and anytime now I will be covering another maternity leave for a fifth grade teacher in the same school. God has blessed us at our schools this year pressed down shaken together and running over which we are truly are grateful for!
We enjoyed our first spring break as teachers in Florida which did my heart good. If you know me at all, you know I'm not a big fan at all of the winter months, however, I'm a huge fan of summer time! We also went to Joel's 10 year high school reunion this past weekend! I'm very proud of him and all he has done and the many lives he has touched in these past ten years and to also see the lives he touched while he was in high school! Everybody loves Joel! He truly has a God given gift with all types and ages of people. This brings me to my next update.
When Joel first moved over to the east side of the state, a year ago this past December, he moved in with my Grandma Tack. We have kept up a special relationship with her and after much prayer and guidance we have decided to move in with her when our rent is up in June. She lives all alone and has not had a good night sleep since Joel moved out about a year ago. She needs help with things around the house and also needs some company. What she needs most of all is a relationship with our Lord. I have been praying for her since I learned to talk and have talked to her on many occasions. She has had a hard life, but I have seen her heart become a bit softer this past year. Joel has a very special relationship with her and has also talked to her about accepting Christ. If you could pray for this next step in Joel and my life and Grandma Tack's salvation it would be much appreciated. We truly love her and can't imagine heaven without her. I always say that the day she accepts Christ the angels rejoicing in heaven will have some competition with the rejoicing that we will be doing down here!
Joel is enjoying a weekend of fishing and I am enjoying being outside again after a long winter! We have enjoyed keeping up with everyone through this wonderful blog. It definitely has brought a special closeness! We will be spending quite a bit of time this summer on the west side and would love to get together with anyone who wants to hang out! We love you guys!!!

Aaron & Barbara and the boys

Hello Everyone,
I know it has been a long time since we have put an update here. Well I have some wonderful news! I had a Catscan and doctors appointment this week. WELL Dr. Rotman says that the CT shows all clear (even in my lungs) and all my blood counts and markers are normal. Which of course we knew all along, only by the power of God. We serve such a wonderful Lord. I will have a chest X-ray in 2 months and some lab work. Dr. Rotman told us that he will be retiring at the end of June. I will actually be his last patient on his last day of work:)

I have been feeling quite wonderful except for being a little tired. The boys started T-Ball so that takes up 2 or 3 nights a week. Barbara and I will be starting co-ed softball next week. We will play 2 nights a week on Wed and Thurs. So we have been busy and will continue to be busy. But that is fine with us! We are having fun and making up for a lost summer. We are so blessed to be able to be busy and having fun enjoying sports and outdoor activities again as a family.

DC Update

Hey Everyone!!

I thought I'd drop you all a quick note :) Life in DC has been good, but I feel like I'm ready for a break so I decided to head out to Shenandoah Valley this weekend for a quiet, electronic free (this will be tough!!) Saturday. I'm leaving on Friday and will get back in time for some social activities (aka smores over a grill - I've got some "creative" friends :) We're trying to get around the no bonfires rule) Saturday night.
Next weekend, the 20's & 30's group (yes, I'm now officially in the "30's" category!) at my church will be going on a weekend retreat which I am really looking forward to. Some of us girls have got a few pranks planned for the guys :) (we gotta keep them on their toes ya know :) Its sure to be a memorable weekend :) I think we've got a good plan though - we're only gonna be there 1 night, so there's no opportunity for paybacks..... ;)
On the work front things have been going good, never a dull momment as usual! I was invited to attend a dinner at the Dutch Ambassadors residence last week with a couple of my co-workers - we had a great time. Those Dutch folks are a lively bunch!! The dinner was great, but I wasn't quite sure about everything we ate - I figured if I said a quick prayer before (and hoped I didn't gag!!), I'd be okay :) Everything was okay.
Speaking of prayer, I know this is kind of vague, but part of the reason I am heading out of town is so that I can spend some quiet time alone. I'm praying that I will get some clear direction from the Lord, especially concerning some things I'm involved with now and other possibilites in the future. I'd love your prayers :) I want to hear clearly from the Lord. I am constantly reminded of how important family is being out here - DC is full of "independent" people who "don't need" each other, which I KNOW is not true!! It can be tough sometimes, where encouragement (real encouragement w/no hidden motives) doesn't happen often. You all are important and I always look forward to checking this every day!! Everytime I tell people we have a family blog, they are always amazed and tell me how cool that is. One of my co-workers keeps asking if he can make a post....
Seen as I am talking about family, I'm having some VIP's come into town May 11th-May 13th = they are Travis, Tashina (can't wait to rub the belly :), Luke and Levi. We're gonna hang out and have some FFF (friendly family fellowship) that weekend. I'm not sure what we're gonna do yet, but I'm planning a little itinerary (scheduler extrordinare/excel spreadsheet here we come:) I can't wait to see them all!!
I do know one thing we will be doing, and that is going to one of my softball games. The 20/30 group I'm apart of put together a team so we've got a game on one of those days. Should be a good time :)
Well, I think that's all the news from the front here in DC. If you ever wanna visit, I MIGHT "know some people" who could hook you up with a Capitol tour and White House Tour....hint, hint, I'd love visitors :)

Much Luv to you all,

Leah

38 more days!!! : )

Well, to think that my secondary schooling is almost done! Really exciting but a little scary too. lol. Only 38 more days until I graduate, it's almost here!!! Here's some news...

At the Michigan Science Olympiad Regional Tournament at GVSU, we finished 6th! We had one of the best scores in 20 years! Unfortunately though, only the top 5 places went to State at State (its held at MSU). But, we were the first alternate team. Then a couple days later, we got a call saying that we were going. Throughout all the other regions in MI, ours is the hardest and we were chosen as the alternate based on our score. So we are going next weekend! We will see how that goes! lol ; )

Recently I went on a "ride-along" with a deputy with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Dept. He used to be Levi's coach for rocket football, so I kind of knew him before, so that was nice. Besides, he has pulled over most of my siblings but then gave them warnings b/c Levi was such a good player. lol. But anyway, we went to court to begin with b.c a guy was trying to fight his ticket. Then we went to the Jenison Baptist Church and looked for seatbelt violations. BE WARNED! lol they are watching haha. We would spot someone then pull them over, he would go to their car and I would get the ticket and payment envelope ready then would run their license thru the govt. databases. That was a lot of fun. Now it gets INTERESTING!

A call came over the radio about a possible dead body found in Springrove Park! So we responded to the call and went there. About halfway up to the scene, I was told to stay where I was bc if it was a homicide, they have to report and record everyone that was there and why, etc. and its a lot of paper work and I might have had to court later...... Then the deputy came back and said that they def found a dead caucasian male in his 40-50's..... The rest of the details are kind of dirty, so I will spare you. But the detectives said that it was more than likely an accidental death on the behalf of the victim based upon his first look at the scene. So that was really exciting to actually go to the scene of a dead body, even though i didnt actually get to see it. But quite an experience none the less!

I am going to the Lakeshore High School Police Academy June 10-15, at GVSU. That will be a lot of fun, and I can't wait!!

Then, the 17th i fly to CO for SUmmit!!! That will be a BLAST as well! I cant wait lol!! : )

I think my boss might not like me after I take over a month off of work haha ; ) but it will be fine.

Much love!
Luke

Brad, Kelli, Derek, Mariah, and Hailee NEWS

News from down under......

I am officially finished with the Army. I'm still active until July 1st and then I'll be a regular civilian again.......in the meantime I'm on vacation and will start my new practice in May here in Clarksville, TN.

We are all doing very well. Kelli and the kids are looking forward to summer break from homeschooling. They'll be doing some traveling to visit friends and family. Life is great!

We recently took a week and rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains just outside the national park. I highly recommend it. The area is gorgeous. We had beautiful weather that ranged from several inches of snow to near 80! I'm going to try to post some pictures of that trip.

The kids are getting big too fast. Derek is quite the young man. Grampa TB took a picture of Derek showing off his muscles while they were visiting. The girls are beautiful young ladies (inside and out) and have a great time with their friends.

OH....if anyone is looking for a Suburban.....I've got one for sale. Excellent shape....Great price...all the bells and whistles. Call or email for the details.

We love you all.......if you ever come this direction you are more than welcome to visit.

Brad, Kelli, and the Kids.

note for Jen VV

Heh Jen;
I don't have your personal email address anymore and didn't have the time to call around and get it so I'll try this. We thinned out raspberries today and I have extra "raspberry plants/roots" to share. So give me a call or come on over and get some if you're still looking for some.
Love you,
Aunt Rachel

who wouldn't want to live here?

Hello all! It's been a while. Last night Jason and I went over to Presque Isle Park (3 minute drive) and were able to take great pictures and enjoy some time together. We love it up here. I have never lived in a place like this. Yesterday I was on my way home from the bank and while I was waiting at the stop light and I looked ahead and there was a HUGE ship/barge just sitting there. I just had to investigate, so instead of turning I went straight and not only was this ship sitting there, but there was other one pulling away from the ore dock. I love that at any time of the day, in any weather, there is always something beautiful to find even if it's just out the window. And if it's not right out the window, you don't have to go very far at all. It's hard being away from family though, I feel like we miss out on so much, but at the same time, we know this is where we are supposed to be even if it gets a little rough sometimes.
A prayer request for all of you: Jason and I both need jobs. I quit mine (maybe a little too hastily, but hind sight is 20/20) and Jason thought he was going to be able to keep the job he has now, which would have been great for him, but they decided to keep on the people that have been there the longest. So needless to say, we could really use some work.
Other than that we are doing great up here. We have one week of classes left, and after that jason will be done for the semester. I will have exams the first week of may and then i will be done with all these science classes...yuck! We are both taking summer classes. Jason is taking two and I am taking one that will last a month. I am taking my class out of necessity and jason is taking his so he keep learning. (seriously, where did i find this man?)
We are looking forward to seeing ALL of the snow gone and for the flowers to bloom and warm breezes and spring showers. I have to believe that we are done with the snow and that spring is very, very close! But, I won't hold my breath!
I will throw this out there too, If anyone is looking for a mini vacation this summer, Marquette is so amazing in the summer. There is a campground about a mile from us and about 2 miles from the lake. There is a lot of stuff going on UP here this summer. Ok I will quit trying to beg for visitors, I know it's a looooooooong drive, believe me I know! :)












The landscape pictures are from last night. The one in this corner is me standing on a rock, but all you can see of me is my reflection. The other two were taken while I was home last weekend (so great to be home!) Andrea and her boyfriend Tim and the other is my precious niece, Emily. I know that you guys don't know her, but she is so important to me so I wanted to show her off!
I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy the nice weather!

Quick Update

Well....I was sick of not seeing a new post so I thought I'd drop a quick line. This time it really will be quick though. We actually have a lot going on right now. Dan's officially done hanging the drywall - Dad helped him finish when they came to visit this past weekend. Now he's onto muddin and sandin again....it's beginning to really look like a basement though and it's BEAUTIFUL!!!
Makayla continues to grow and keep us laughing. She's finally in her big girl bed and man does she think she's something special. (I suppose she has that right!) She had lots of fun with Elli (Mom and Dad were babysitting when they visited), the two girls played great together. A few 'mishaps' but that's certainly to be expected. I got lots of cute pictures that I'll have to post later - not in the mood to transfer everything to the computer right now! =)
Our visit with Mom and Dad was awesome as usual. I know that we all share the same feelings about family - - how blessed and appreciative I am to have people that care enough to take the time to spend it up here with us. Dad, bless his heart, just jumped right in to help with the drywall. I made sure to feed him his Ibuprofen every night and he seemed hunky dorey!!!! =P And Mom was well....Mom was there to hang out while the boys were busy and of course just chatting about little nothings is always special to me. We even found time to gather everyone up and take a trip to Moomers for some ice cream!
We're headed up to the cottage this Sun for the annual 'spring cleaning'. I don't know about the rest of the girls but I'm kinda excited. It must go back to that 'spending time with family' - plus it always feels good to air 'her' out!!!!
Well as I promised this would be short.....it kinda didn't end up that way. I'll post a real update later complete with pictures! Love you all!
The Veldermans