Weekend Update From the Chilly North

Friday evening some Seminary friends came over for dinner. The girls were excited about trying Guitar Hero that one of the couples brought. I decided I am not good at this game and never will be! Give me wii bowling any day!

Saturday morning Troy had his first ever real basketball game through the YMCA. He has been begging for me to "sign him up" for a long time. He hung in there pretty well. Most of the boys are 5 and he is only 4, so they are a bit taller. He loved it, though, and I'm sure we will be attending many more games of his over the years to come!

His jersey is about 5 sizes too big!

This week we have again set records for the weather here in Michigan. (Members of our small group like to tease us about all the records being set during our time here in Michigan!!) We had several days in a row that the temperature did not rise above 20 degrees! One morning driving Kamryn to school my van thermometer said -12 degrees!! I actually did not mind the cold because we had two bright, sunny days. It does make you thankful for a warm home, though. At school they still send the kids out for recess on most of these cold days. It makes me laugh when we used to complain about "cold" recess duties at CVC.

This is a bad picture of my van thermometer reading 6 degrees!

We were excited about the big Calvin win over Hope yesterday. We did not go to the game this time, but enjoyed watching some of it on TV. Also, Scott is looking forward to his quick trip to So. California next weekend to preach at two CRC churches with two other guys from the Seminary. Too bad wives weren't invited!

Christmas Card Collage

I think we have now received our last Christmas/ New Year's card for the season. I always get a bit sad when the flow of greeting cards comes to an end after Christmas. We so enjoy opening cards, letters and pictures from family and friends! It's fun to see what everyone has been up to and how the kids have changed. This is my new collage for the year. I used to take it down after a couple of months, but we enjoy glancing at them so much that we now leave them up. People who visit always get a kick out of checking them over and sometimes recognizing someone they know. As we continue to move around, it's fun to see so many connections even across the country. Anyway, thanks for keeping in touch!

Road Trip!

Happy New Year to all! ...Scott and I just returned from a wonderful and quick trip down to Alabama. We were only gone 4 days and drove all the way there and back! (over 1,000 miles each way!) It was worth it to be able to be a part of Jason and Ashley's wedding, to spend time with some wonderful Visalia friends, and to be able to soak up some sunshine and warmer weather. We look forward to returning to the Gulf Coast to further explore its beauty!

This is at the little beach/pier area in Fair Hope.

This picture is just to prove we were someplace wearing flip flops in January!

Scott as usual studying the map!

We had a great time hanging out with friends from Visalia at the house they rented.

Scott in all his glory-a plate of sea food in front of him!

Here's the happy couple. Sorry these pictures aren't great. My camera doesn't do well too far away.

Here Scott is telling one of his Jason stories. I'm sure Jason was a little nervous, but Scott was kind!

John and Shelley at the reception. It was great to hang out with you guys!

Kristi and sweet little Noah

This is a bad picture of our table assignment card. We weren't sure what it said, but by the end of the night we had some pretty good ideas!
Tearing up the dance floor at the reception!

Jason getting ready to throw the garter.

An Alabama sunset.


Now it's back to reality-school, laundry, groceries, homework, and winter!! :)

Family Christmas Continued

We have now completed all of our family Christmas parties! We celebrated on Christmas Day with Scott's mom and Hank at their house. We had a wonderful meal and hung out with the Zeeland and Denver aunts and uncles and cousins. We ended the day with a rousing game of Apples to Apples which is becoming a family tradition.

Grandma and the gang.

Katie and cousin Kiley.

Troy and cousin Grant with their matching Calvin jerseys.

Playing Apples to Apples.

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We then headed out to Canada to see Scott's dad and his wife, Judi. The kids were quite excited as they had not been to Canada in awhile. We got to stay in a hotel with a nice pool and waterslide. On Saturday evening Uncle George and Aunt Marg hosted 49 Elgersma relatives for another party. Can you say CRAZY?!

Dad passing out his chocolate letters to all the cousins.

Kamryn and Uncle Fred hit it off just great. Here he is singing to her.
Heidi leading the gift exchange.

Checking out Uncle George's cows.

Dad and Judi at the hotel.

After we crossed the border (finally) we took a much needed stop at my cousin Kathy's house. Jim and Kathy have a beautiful home right near the Canadian border and were wonderful hosts for our brief visit. Thanks again!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a great Christmas Eve. After church we headed over to Boppa and Grandma R.'s house. It was nice to celebrate with them without having to travel very far.

Some group shots before opening gifts.

I think this means he likes his new indoor (basement) hockey set!

This is the crew on Christmas morning. We waited until the morning this year, since we don't have church on Christmas morning here.

We will spend the day today at mom and Hank's along with the Zeeland cousins and the Denver cousins. (We're very thankful they made it safely driving over the icy highways from Colorado!!) Tomorrow we will head out to Canada for a couple of days.

More Birthdays and Tidbits

Last night we celebrated Boppa and Kamryn's birthdays. We had dinner and then attempted to go to Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas lights. Unfortunately it was closed, so we headed out to Fifth Third Ballpark to drive through the lights display. We came back for dessert and presents.

Despite the dazed look on her face, Kamryn loves this new snow hat. She has been wearing it all day today-inside and out.

We had another rough day weatherwise. For those of you keeping track at home, we have recieved 50 inches of snow already in December! The average is 13!! Gotta love this state!

We were all kind of going stir crazy at dinner tonight. After we ate, the girls were fighting over who would read the devotions. Of course, Troy had to join in and was asking to read too. Kamryn pointed out to him that he didn't even know how to read. Troy's reply was, "Yes I do... I know mom and gum." There you go!

Kamryn's Birthday-Part 2

So, we woke to more blizzrd-like conditions this morning. Scott was supposed to preach at a church near the lakeshore, but could not travel in this weather. Almost all the churches in the area cancelled this morning. So, we braced ourselves for a long day inside. Kam got to open her presents first thing. She was delighted to open her much anticipated Ripstick. She could not ride it outside, but did find a good spot in the basement to ride it on the cement floor. The rest of the day included a nice meal at lunch, rest time, making clay ornaments, a bit of time outside removing snow from the driveway and sidewalks, and a game with dad. Hopefully the snow will clear and we will again be able to go out tomorrow!

Kamryn and her Oreo cake.

Kam and the Ripstick.

An afternoon activity-making clay ornaments.

Troy concentrating.

Our family in clay.

Kamryn ripping it up in the basement.


An evening game with dad.