A Picture Post

Here are some highlights from the the past month:

While I stayed home with an ailing Abby, Lisa took Annika and Jake to Tulip Time in Holland with Mark and Lizzy. We have an outfit that fits Annika and was quite appropriate for the occasion. Can you guess the main ethnicity of her ancestry?

Jake, sporting six teeth now, gets his teeth brushed for the first time:

It's been interesting to see what sort of landscaping we inherited at our new house, since we moved in during late fall. We did get a few nice bushes. This azalea bloomed nicely some weeks ago, while two large rhododendrons are doing their thing in the backyard right now.

There's been a lot of activity in the yard as the weather warmed up. We are somewhat centrally located among the houses that have kids in the neighborhood, and we have one of the flattest front yards. At my last count, there are 2+2+3+3+2+4 = 16 kids in 5th grade or below on our relatively short street, and our neighbors have 4 kids, but in middle school and above. Here's a scene from a recent T-ball game in our front yard:


We started and finished T-ball at Millbrook already, too. Abby was a little young for it, but finally managed to run the bases without any help during the last game. She didn't frequently feel the need to hustle from one base to the other, but she made it eventually. Once she made it most of the way from third to home hopping on one foot. Annika, on the other hand, has officially graduated from Millbrook T-ball. She was easier to get nice pictures of:


Lastly, I've been mowing the lawn, and got some help from the girls this day. Watch for both of them to pump their arms and say "Choo choo!"



Other than that, Lisa and the girls have less than 3 weeks left of school. I'm mostly at home, we've started a few house projects, and we're making vacation plans.

Spring Rain

There is something so lovely about the sound of a gentle spring rain. Part of the joy comes in the fact that you can hear the rain now that it is warm enough to have the windows open. I love the sounds of birds chirping, wind rustling, and raindrops simultaneously gently glancing off the leaves on the nearby azalea bush. And if the sounds are not enough for you, a little breeze filters through the open window bringing with it the scents of spring: dirt, rain, and blossoms. To me, this is the sensory definition of serenity.

Dance Recital

Last week Saturday was a busy day in the Dekker household as we enjoyed watching both girls participate in the Hearts In Step dance recital titled: Journey to Freedom. The recital was three hours long and told the story of Leah and how she came to see God in her life and rejoice in Him despite her struggles and heartbreak. It was very well done and provided ample opportunities for the full range of emotions! Both girls performed in the 11:00 show and Annika performed in the 5:00 show. During the dress rehearsal photographers were present to take photographs which you can now purchase on line. We were surprised to learn that Abby is the link to the Tuesday night rehearsal pictures! If you would like to see the pictures of our girls simply follow the link above and go to page 7 for Abby and page 17 for Annika. There are also a couple of pictures of Annika from the Thursday night rehearsal on page 11. These pictures will only be available until June 1 so take a look before they are gone!