The Grimm's

Goodbye to Grandpa Zimmerman

2012-02-07T20:55:00.002-06:00

Amber's grandpa Zimmerman went to his reward last Friday at 92 years old. He served the Lord faithfully for over 70 years, and influenced many many people. He let his light shine to me in the short 8 years that I knew him. His Godly attitude and humble heart were on display daily.

He also showed me how a true Christian marriage should be. He and grandma would call each other "lover" even after 65 plus years of marriage. During the visitation, it warmed my heart to see grandma get up every few minutes, walk over to the casket, kiss grandpa, and whisper to him. What a testimony to all who witnessed it!

Talking to my brother in law Kevin Joos and I in 2005.

Holding Andrew in 2006.

Holding Macy in 2009

Visiting our new house last spring.

Holding Macy 1 month ago as his health was declining.

After the visitation, I brought the kids back to mom Adams' house (where he died). The boys were asking questions about grandpa's bed, machines, etc that were still in the living room. I explained to them that this is where grandpa died. Jayden (who recently learned how to read and is trying to sound out everything he can) looked up to the mantle and said "good thing it says "FAITH" up there!"

I had to think....that is exactly what grandpa would want us to remember. Faith in God above all else. Thanks grandpa for the heritage you left us! We will all miss you, but look forward to that great reunion someday in Heaven!

Pray for the Sauder family

2012-01-26T13:40:00.002-06:00

Please pray for the Derek and Leann Sauder family from Tremont IL. They recieved very bad news today about Derek's cancer. You can follow their blog at http://lrsauder.blogspot.com/.

Jayden loses his first tooth!!

2012-01-21T12:35:00.002-06:00

Experiencing all of your child's "firsts" in life is the best part of being a parent.

After going weeks with a tooth that is about to fall out, Jayden finally asked me last night to pull it for him. I did it once, it cracked loud, started bleeding, and Jayden started wailing in fear..... I went to get changed from my work clothes, thinking that he wont let me touch him for days, and here he comes, bound and determined to overcome his fear. Through his tears, he says "try again, dad". On the 3rd yank, out it came. He was so excited. He was even more excited this morning, when he woke up, and saw money under his pillow instead of a tooth.

The thought I had last night, was that today I pulled his first tooth, tomorrow I will be letting him drive a car for the first time, then watching him get married, etc etc..... Life goes so fast, enjoy each day that God give you!

Minnesota with the Joos family!

2012-01-21T12:19:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we had a great 3 days with Amber sister, and her family. Contrary to popular opinion, Minnesota is hospitable in January (sometimes!).

On Saturday, Kevin and I took the 4 oldest kids to lake Minnewaska to ice fish. Kevin's brother Michael had a bunch of single guys there as well. 55 fish later, we went home..... Andrew and Jayden even got in on the action!

The best part of ice fishing for kids. Hot dogs, unlimited soda, and great times, with no moms around to stop the fun. Below is Kevin and I pulling the kids around their lake with the 4 wheeler.

Adyson, Macy, and Maria having the best of times.

This is a crew. Buzz, Mallory, Mariah, Macy, and Adyson having fun with costumes.

Never having enough

2012-01-02T10:21:00.004-06:00

Macy this morning after breakfast, surrounded by more new toys than you can imagine: "mommy, when is it Christmas so we can open presents".....

oh boy, where did we fail...... LOL

Buzz teaches us about having a pure heart!

2011-12-26T10:02:00.006-06:00

Andrew again showed us what the scripture says of "becoming like a little child" (innocence and purity of mind).

Last week, during the Christmas festivities, Amber was telling the kids about how many millions of kids in the world will be starving this Christmas. Andrew pipes up "no they won't mom, because we made food boxes for them last week with the Sunday School kids!

How many times do we as Christians feel we can't fix all the bad things in the world, so why try. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you see how much poverty, hunger, and trouble there is in the world. Andrew reminded me that it does matter to the one, two, three or ten, that we do help. The bottom line is, am I doing what I have been called to do (serve and obey God, spread the gospel, and help the sick, hurting, and helpless). We do our best, and let God do the rest!!

Merry Christmas from the Grimms!!!

Macy great comment

2011-12-12T21:54:00.002-06:00

Tonight at supper, Macy kept asking when grandma Sharon was coming. In her little girly voice she asked "um, um, is she coming at 20 after naps?".

Buzz thinks dad had 2 moms

2011-12-03T09:49:00.002-06:00

Here is another classic from Andrew.

When I was young, we lived in the house that Barry and Joyce Kloter live in now. I have told the boys this different times.

Recently, Andrew was with Joyce and asked her "Joyce, how old were you when you were my daddy's mom?" Confused, Joyce told him that she was never my mom. Andrew piped up "but daddy said he used to live at YOUR house!!".

It all does make sense looking at it from a 5 year old's perspective, huh??

Funny Turkey Story from Buzz!

2011-12-03T09:44:00.003-06:00

A few weeks back, Amber and the kids were at my aunt and uncles place, Scott and Phyllis Leman. Andrew saw a big stuffed turkey in the corner, and exclaimed "THAT IS THE BIGGEST CHICKEN I'VE EVER SEEN!".

Guess we haven't done a good enough job teaching poultry names to our kids, huh?

Thanksgiving program

2011-11-22T21:41:00.003-06:00

Jayden's 1st grade class put on a Thanksgiving program today for family and friends. Their first performance was at Goodfield school, and then they went to Eureka nursing home and performed there. After that they got to go to Hardees which was a huge highlight for the kids!

They all did so good memorizing cute Thanksgiving songs and speaking up for us to hear! Their little hats and props were cute too!
I'm loving Jayden's grin in this pic!

Trick or Treat!!

2011-11-01T07:11:00.004-05:00

Mom and dad had to join in the trick or treating fun this year........ Great memories!

Buzz wants a door for his birthday

2011-10-26T21:22:00.002-05:00

Andrew's birthday is coming up. A few months ago, he and Jayden accidentally put a hole in mom Adam's basement door. I made a big deal about it to them and made them pay money from their piggy bank to teach them a lesson.

Forward to tonight. Andrew is telling us what he wants for his birthday. In a very innocent voice, he tells Amber "mom, can I have a door for my birthday, so I can give it to grandma Sharon?".

What a guy.......

Photos of new home

2011-10-15T14:57:00.003-05:00

Many of you from out of town have been asking for photos of our new home, so here you go. Sorry they are 7 months late.

A craft blog

2011-10-15T12:45:00.004-05:00

I decided to make an outlet for all my creative imaginations and inspirations! For about the past year or so I have been surfing the craft blog world and loving it! There are so many fun projects and ideas out there! Once I started trying some of the fun ideas I saw I couldn't wait to share them with someone. My family had to get e-mailed pictures of my creations. Now I decided to just post on a blog and if you are interested you can follow and comment! I'd love to hear from you! The new blog is: grimm-inspirations.blogspot.com.

Amber

Generation Gap!

2011-09-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

Found a 1992 edition of "The Sporting News" magazine the other day. At work, a few of us were looking through it, remembering all the players from our childhood. One of our young technicians comes up, looks at it, and says "The Sporting News, whats that? Oh that must have been before the internet".....

Wow, do I ever feel old. Only 7 years age difference, but a total generation apart......

Mike

Kiss mom! Buzz great comment.

2011-09-18T21:20:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, we were driving home from a wedding. Amb and I had to drive separate. On the way home, we both needed fuel. After pulling along side Amb, filling both vehicles, and taking back off, Buzz asked me "dad, why did you pull next to mom at the gas station?". I responded "because I like to be close to her".

Very loud, he exclaims "yeah, so you can kiss her!!".

Andrew, Andrew, Andrew....

Macy swallows a magnet ball.

2011-09-01T19:51:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, the kids were playing our magnet building game. Macy coughed a little and then cried. Amber came into the room and asked "Macy did you swallow something"? She responded "yeah, a BALL!" We worried a little that she may have swallowed multiple magnet balls, so the next morning we got a x-ray done. Bet you can't tell where the ball was??

Thankfully it passed a few days later...Too funny!

Buzz learns to ride a bike (and run away from a cop))

2011-08-28T15:54:00.003-05:00

Jayden teaching Buzz how to ride a bike without training wheels. The funniest part was later when he was riding down the street. He fell down right in front of a police car, and instead of getting help back on his bike, he freaks out and runs home.....

August 2011

2011-08-28T14:47:00.003-05:00

It has been a very action packed summer and we have much to thank the Lord for.

Our out of town potluck group recently got together in Bradford, IL.

We kept our niece, Mallory Joos (from MN) for a few days. Loved having her here.

Jayden off to 1st grade!

A few weeks back, we had a bunch of Amb's cousins from Forrest, IL, for a Sunday. This was one of the calm moments.... Not many of those with 20 some kids running around....

Our good friends, Brandon and Maria Emch from Kansas City, stayed with us for a weekend recently. Very enjoyable time catching up on each other's lives.

Typical moment with the Grimm kids.

Splashdown water park a few Saturday's ago. Boys loved the water slides. Macy loved to whine.

Captured the kids playing "Church" the other day. Below is a video that will make you laugh. Hopefully Buzz learns to sing on pitch one of these days!

Kids do listen in Church....

2011-08-11T09:15:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it is easy to think that kids don't pay attention in Church, but 2 things happened last night to disprove this.

During the service, while the boys were playing, we were reminded to put on the armor of God, and not try to defeat satan on our own. During this topic, the minister stated "don't ever run away from satan" (meaning don't do it on our own without God's help). Both boys looked up right away to me and said "why not, dad?". So the next 5 minutes I got to explain that satan can run faster than us, but God runs much faster, so as long as we trust in God, we will go faster than satan. :):)

Also, during the singing of "God is our Refuge", Andrew pipes up very loud "DAD, WHAT DOES REFUGE MEAN??".

Many Wednesday's, I am tempted to leave the kids at home because it is so hard to get 4 little kids ready for Church. But as Amber always reminds me, we are putting them under the sound of the Word! They hear more than we think!

Kisses??

2011-07-16T17:51:00.003-05:00

Today I told Mariah she was going to get 1000 kisses. Andrew blurts out "NOT ON THE LIPS, EEEWWW". Jayden, a few years older and wiser, tells Andrew "Buzzy, you will HAVE to kiss on the lips when you get married!"

Wisconsin summer 2011

2011-07-11T20:04:00.006-05:00

Random pictures from our trip to mom and dad's cabin in Wisconsin. Had a great time getting away from the business of work/life......

The beautiful northwoods. Worth a trip if you have never been there.

The Bear Trap Inn
Do you think the girls are enjoying their soda?

Good picture of dad, mom, and Matt.

Waiting for the 4th of July parade.

The boys are getting better on skis. We were able to disconnect the trainer rope and they did good.

Apples and popcorn by the fire. Yes, I said fire..... It's a different world up there. My kind of weather. Never too hot, gets cool at night, etc etc. The water is somewhere between freezing and bone chilling cold, but I love it! Amber on the other hand, has a different opinion.

Matt and his nephews on the tube. The boys loved having their uncle with us for 10 days.

Mariah and Jayden helping grandpa play on his phone.

Ready to go out to eat!

We had mom snap a quick family picture by one of the restaurants.

Getting a little crazy waiting for fireworks. It doesn't get dark up there until after 10:30! As you can see, Macy isn't too fond of the loud bangs...

Buzz got worn out the last day. This picture is priceless.

It's always good to go on vacation, and good to come home!

Amber new email and contact info

2011-06-18T15:40:00.002-05:00

As of Monday, June 20th, our home phone number 309-965-2085 will not work. Please delete this number from your contacts. Amber's cell is 309-824-9473, and mine is 309-696-6611.

Also, Amber's email address is changing to "agrimm1981@gmail.com". Please delete her "mag2003@mchsi.com" address from your contacts.

Amb, welcome to the I-phone world! :):)

Wildest......

2011-06-16T18:15:00.003-05:00

Tonight at supper, I mentioned "I have the cutest kids in the whole world". Andrew, with a very sincere and serious look on his face says "yeah, and the wildest........me......". Poor little guy, he is a maniac, and knows it...... so funny.

Lighthouse Paintball Outing

2011-05-26T07:26:00.004-05:00

Every 6 months or so, I take the shop guys out to dinner, etc to get them away from business and in a casual setting for a little bit. The young guys have been begging to go paintballing, so I gave in and we went this Tuesday night. Wow was it fun!

Amber graciously brought in pizza for us to eat during a break.

The group--armed, loaded, and ready to go!

For some reason, the boss was the first one hit every game. I don't undertand why????? :)

The field of play. For some reason, everyone else would hide behind stuff, then I would get impatient, and start running all over the place. Maybe that was why I always got hit first.........

Quick video of the fun.

Girls 2 Year Pics

2011-05-24T09:30:00.002-05:00

Mariah

Macy

Model Airplane!!

2011-05-19T21:39:00.003-05:00

After a 7 year hiatus, I am back in the model airplane business! I told Amber that once the boys got old enough to enjoy it, I would buy another plane. Poof! The boys are old enough. This one is electric instead of gas. No more stalling, greasy fuel, etc.

After my jog tonight, I noticed the wind was calm enough to fly, so we tried it out. My brother Matt is staying with us this week and is ready to get one himself. They are great fun, especially when thy go straight into the ground at 70 mph. Unfortunately this can happen, as everything that goes up, must come down....... :):)

Below are 2 videos of takeoff and a flyby. Pay no mind to the guy with the bald spot on the back of his head. Just don't look directly at it, and you won't be blinded........Oh well, less to comb, and less to cut.

Mommy, can we see God's face??

2011-05-15T14:25:00.005-05:00

Spring has been good. Have to start this post with another Andrew classic. One day last week, he asked Amb "mommy, can we see God's face?". Amber told him "no, not here on earth we can't". He responds........ "but mom, what if He kneels down?"

Classic Andrew. Oh to have the innocence of a child...

My sister Jenni, and her "bosom friend" Janelle Hohulin Ebert visited Amber while Janelle was here from Phoenix. Being childhood next door neighbors and best friends, Janelle and Jenni were quite a funny duo. Many nights I was kept up listening to them giggle in the bedroom next to mine. Oh the memories.....

We hosted mothers day on the Grimm side at our house. Looks calm and peaceful, huh?

My brother Matt, and his friend Josh Robinson helped me set the dock one night last week. Now we just need some sand, and then the twins (and their mom) will go swimming. Until then, don't count on it. :):)

Cookin up a mess of mushrooms. Why is it when you have to work and get food from nature, that it always seems to taste better. I'm pretty sure if I would buy morel's at the grocery store and cook them, they wouldn't taste as good.....

The twins being the twins.

We are finally closing the "building and construction" phase of our house. Grass seed was planted 10 days ago, and we are getting the outside looking like a home. More pictures of the finished house are coming soon for those of you from out of the area....

This video is hilarious. If you want to see how Andrew gets hurt so often, just watch the very end. He always has things like this happen to him. Full speed ahead with no thought of consequences. Hope he learns how to slow down his throttle someday!

That is enough blogging for today.... Now it's time to get my brother Kieth married..... 3 more weeks!

Dude, ready for some sun?

2011-05-02T21:01:00.001-05:00

A snapshot in the life of the Grimm Kids! Too funny.

Boat Lift for sale!!

2011-04-20T12:37:00.002-05:00

Know anyone looking for a mid-sized boat lift? We bought a dock on Craigslist and had to take the boat lift also. Works good and is about 4 years old. Cover is ripped in the back. Asking $500.00. Was over $2000.00 new.

Grimm Garage Sale!

2011-04-12T20:33:00.002-05:00

Please come visit my. . .

Garage Sale! (at Keith's house in Congerville)

107 E Washington, Congerville

4/13 from 12-3:30 & 4/14 from 8-3:30

I'm selling. . .

Girls clothes 0-24months

Boys clothes 0-4T

Lots of household items (from our move!)

Battery operated toddler jeep (needs battery) - $5

Baby swings for swingset - $2

Toddler firetruck riding toy - $10

Almost new black corner desk (Keith) - $100

Filing cabinet (Keith) - $20

Treadmill (Keith)

and much, much more!

Come one and all!

Andrew and Tulips

2011-04-01T19:45:00.003-05:00

Tonight we were watching old home pictures and movies. A photo came up of Amber's flower garden at the old house. Seeing her flowers, she exclaims "I miss my tulips!".

Andrew, hearing this, turns, looks at her mouth, and says "MOM, YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TWO LIPS!".

We just died laughing (and still are, actually).

Best of Friends

2011-03-25T14:42:00.002-05:00

Sharing and having the best of times! I'm so thankful for these girls!

Always in it together :)

I couldn't resist adding this video. The girls love this song and want it to be played over and over. Of course I'm thrilled that they share my love for singing! Hopefully they keep it up!

"Hampster"

2011-03-25T07:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday after my late afternoon Jog, I saw our oldest son, Jayden by the pond with one of my old baseball bats. He said he chased a "hampster" into the lake. After a few more questions to him about size and dimensions, I explained to him what a "muskrat" is....... :)

Anyone want to start trapping??

Macy and Mariah are 2!!!!

2011-03-17T21:12:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago we visited Mom A and Aunts and decided to celebrate the girl's birthday. I made up these sunglasses cakes and they got to open their gifts from the Adams' which they loved!

Joyce helped the girls celebrate with balloons and cookies in the shape of a 2. It was so fun to have her stop by and visit.
Since I made the sunglasses cakes earlier I decided not to make another cake for just our family on the girls' birthday. Instead we decided to make pancake faces for supper.

Grandma/pa Grimm stopped by to give the girls' their presents. We gave them VTech laptops, purses, and flip-flops. Mike thinks they might already be spoiled, but surely not???? :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-03-17T21:01:00.003-05:00

We had a fun morning on Valentine's Day. We invited a couple friends over and made Rice Krispie Treat Kisses. Then we passed them on to a few widows to help brighten their day. We love them all!

Macy is really enjoying the Rice Krispies. Don't worry, we washed in between batches!

Getting the kids involved and "trying" to avoid sticky fingers!

Aren't these kisses so cute?

All wrapped up and ready to deliver!

Brutal honesty of a 4 year old

2011-03-05T09:03:00.002-06:00

Today we were all eating cereal for breakfast. While trying to mind my own business, Andrew suddenly pipes up "DADDY, you have hair inside your NOSE!!!".

I guess sometimes the truth hurts. Anyone have a nose hair trimmer????? LOL.......

February Update

2011-02-13T14:38:00.002-06:00

Time is flying by. We have been in our new house for over a month now and things are finally starting to get back to normal (depending on your definition of normal). I think we win the award for the most Kleenex boxes used in a 2 month time period. Man, whoever said schools were a germ factory, were right. We have had at least 1 person sick in our family for 6 weeks straight.

Ok, time to stop griping, Mike.

We did get our driveway cleared off just in time to make our flight to the Southwest. Thanks to mom Adams for taking the kids so Amb and I could visit friends. Thanks to Josh and Jenn Wyss, and Doug and Janelle Brewer for the great memories! We had a great time.

Josh and Jen during our hike atop South Mountain in Phoenix.

Doug and Janelle Brewer and us during another beautiful San Diego beach sunset!

Scooping a 5 foot drift in front of the garage at 12 noon, just in time to leave to catch our flight in St Louis at 2 pm! Talk about cutting it close!

We kept my brother Matt last week. It is never very hard for him to get the boys riled up!

Yep, I am back in the RC airplane business!! We took a "boys afternoon out" and attended an indoor rc plane airshow in Champaign on Saturday. Having flown gas powered planes during my single years, I thought it was time to take the plunge again since the boys are old enough to enjoy it. This time, I am going electric, so no more greasy fuel, no more stalling engines, and no more mess! Just lots of fun, good memories, and maybe even a few crashes!

Had to post this video of the boys. They found the mask box and were having a blast. Hilarious!!

Buzz great comment

2011-01-25T19:59:00.004-06:00

Last week, I was working in our basement. Andrew came down, asked if he could help, and started taking things to the garage for me.

After 3 trips, he comes back down and exclaims "daddy, you can count on me".

I guess those "Patch the Pirate" cd's are getting through to him........

Goodbye Belaire Ct, Hello Lake Pointe Dr!

2011-01-16T13:53:00.005-06:00

The move is finally done! We started moving with Amber's mom last Saturday, and ended up moving beds, dressers, etc. Slept in a half filled house Saturday night. My family helped finish moving on Monday (finishing with a Mickie's pizza run!). Wow, moving a family of 6 is no small task. In the last week, I have become best friends with my cordless drill, level, and stud finder. It is not my cup of tea, but most everything is hung, and I have not had to re-do anything yet. That in itself is a great accomplishment for me!

One final picture of the old house. Getting it cleaned out and ready for it's new owners, Arlen and Marissa Edelman.

Unloading at the new house. The outside will be a mud mess for a while, but we hope to have the brick, concrete, etc done by early summer (if the weather ever warms up...).

For some reason, Amb and I have always moved on one of the coldest days of the year. Oh well, I always say I love winter.

Boxes, boxes, boxes, boxes.

Two "tough" Adams girls lifting and loading and packing and unloading. Hope I didn't work them too hard!

Amb said she wanted to move the heavy stuff, so I accepted her offer. Don't call me a slave driver! It was her idea.....

Grandma Grimm helping unpack and put things away.

Unpacking fun!

Keith and Peri pausing for a moment during Monday's big move.

Dad and Matt Sauder emptying another trailer full of "stuff" (or "junk").

Girls loving their new bed and bedroom. First night on actual beds. Amber was nervous all night worrying they would fall out of bed, but they never did.

We took the boys bunkbeds apart and set them side by side. They love it!

I interviewed the kids after things settled down. There is never a dull moment in our house right now. Someday we will blink, the kids will be gone, and Amb and I will wonder why it is so quiet in the house (well maybe not, It's always been hard for me to be "quiet").

Jeff Grimm Family Christmas 2010

2010-12-21T12:52:00.011-06:00

Great memories with the "not so small anymore" Jeff Grimm family. 9 kids under 8 along with the not so young adult kids makes for an action packed Sunday afternoon.

Settlers of Cataan with Peri, Keith, and Matt Sauder. Hopefully my humility overshadowed my dominating performance!!

The whole clan eating Christmas Dinner (minus the twins who stayed sleeping).

Jenni and Trevor ice skating.

Sledding with the boys. They would have stayed on the hill for days if we let them. Thankfully, only 1 kid crashed into the creek at the bottom, and there were no broken bones!

Merry Christmas from the Grimms!

2010-12-11T10:10:00.001-06:00

"Frog in her throat"

2010-11-23T19:21:00.002-06:00

Tonight while eating supper, Jayden got a very serious look on his face and exclaimed "You want to know what is really gross? Anna (one of his school friends) got a frog in her throat!". Holding back my laughter, I asked him how it happened. He said "I don't know dad! She must have had her mouth open really big and the frog just jumped in!".

Later I had to explain to him what "frog in the throat" really means. So funny.

No more cribs!

2010-11-18T19:40:00.003-06:00

My how time moves on. This week we sold one crib, and the other one will be gone soon. The girls are moving on to their new "big girl" beds. We thought we needed to get a few final pictures of them in their cribs for the last time. I thought they could be in their crib's for five or six more years, but Amber disagreed...... :)

Happy 4th Birthday Andrew!

2010-11-06T21:01:00.004-05:00

We decided on a Curious George cake made with cocoa pebbles on the outside for Andrew's birthday. He LOVES cocoa pebbles! It's not my best creation, but he loved it.

We love you Buzzy!

Trick or treat

2010-11-04T12:22:00.004-05:00

We had Jayden as an army guy, Andrew as Buzz Lightyear, Macy and Mariah as M&Ms, and then Mike (who just couldn't resist joining in the fun) as a dog! Macy was sick with a fever, but she didn't want to miss out and had to have her M&M shirt on for the evening.

Or maybe Mariah is an army girl.

And Buzz a dog :) He did answer the door a couple times with this on.

They had a lot of fun first getting their own candy from family and friends and then handing out candy to the later trick or treaters at our house.

Carving pumpkins

2010-11-04T12:17:00.003-05:00

All ready to carve! The boys drew faces on their pumpkins and then I helped carve them out.

Of course we had help from the girls too! :)

And the results . . .

Happy fall!

Macy/Mariah 18 mo & Andrew 4 yr pics

2010-10-19T13:01:00.003-05:00

Typical chaos at the Grimm house!

2010-10-16T10:35:00.001-05:00

Andrew's Prayer

2010-10-16T10:09:00.002-05:00

Just have to post Andrew's lunch prayer from yesterday.........

"Dear God! You are my best king!! And I want to see the golden road and fence!! Help us to be good..... AMEN!

He causes us so many laughs. What would we do without him!

Wisconsin Dells for Mom Adams 60th B-Day

2010-10-16T09:30:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we spent 3 days in Wisconsin Dells to celebrate Mom Adams 60th birthday. Oop's, can I say ages of women in public??.......Oh well, too late now...... We had great memories made at The Wilderness. 4 huge indoor water parks, great food, fellowship, and fun, as well as plenty of whining, screaming, fighting, wrestling, yelling, messes, dirty diapers, etc etc.........

Below is mom A taking care of the twins and loving every minute.

Cousins hanging out. I thought this was hilarious as the boys were hot, and the girls weren't. Isn't that how life is.....

Below is Mallory helping feed the twins breakfast.

What would going to the Dells be like without the water parks? So much fun but so loud. I kept trying to think what is more chaotic, indoor water parks, or Chuck E Cheeses......... If you have been to both places, you know what I mean. Tough decision huh??

Mallory enjoying the "in house" kids water park.

Below are the boys and Mallory saying hello to the brown bear...

2 of the most ornery kids I know, Andrew and Mallory. Grandpa Terry lives on in his grand kids!

Hanging out at the Moosejaw restaurant. Stylish hats there ladies!

The Wilderness had a "trick or treat" night, so we brought along some costumes....

The girls doing doing their "girls afternoon out" while the men babysit for hours on end. Wait a second.... that's what I'm doing now while I write this blog......Seems to be a pattern here......Girls go out, guys babysit, girls go out, guys babysit..........Oh well, guess that's life in this "women's lib" era, huh. Ok, everyone on 3 now......1........2.........3.........aaawwww, pooooor Mike........

The entire Adams family getting ready to leave. Not sure why the guy on the left isn't smiling. Maybe he was just looking forward to the morning at the outlet mall......... :):) Actually I took the boys to the Tommy Bartlett space museum. We loved it. Would recommend it to anyone!

Another hilarious Andrew quote

2010-09-27T12:13:00.003-05:00

A few nights ago at the supper table, Andrew was talking a mile a minute, and just kept jabbering on and on. I finally asked him "Buzz, you sure like to talk, don't you".

He instantly replied "Daddy, I love to talk to Jesus' heart".

I am still trying to figure out how he thinks up some of his responses. He sure gives us many laughs...........

The Grimm's are moving!

2010-09-21T16:26:00.002-05:00

Our new address as of January, 2011: 208 Lake Pointe Dr, Goodfield IL.

The Lord has given us direction to build a home in the Lakes at Oak Valley, just south of Goodfield (the other side of the interstate for those of you from out of town). We have tried to seek His will in getting a larger house to be able to better host company and raise our kids. He has closed and opened doors for us the last 6 months and this just all fell into place perfectly. The boys did not want to move at first, but once they saw the fishing/swimming lake, they were hooked. The girls don't care where we live...... :)

Below is the view of our lot from the East.

Below is another view from the West.

And finally, the view from the North.

Garage Sale at the Grimms!! This week only.

2010-09-14T19:46:00.005-05:00

Amber is having a huge garage sale at our house starting tomorrow.

Dates/times: Wednesday 12:30-3:00, Thursday 8:00 am-5:00.

Some of the items we will be selling:

--18' diameter, 4' deep Intex pool (includes ladder, chemicals, and hardware). Also selling sand filter pump that we just bought this spring. Paid $300.00 for filter pump. Selling everything (pool, pump, all accessories) for $200.00.

--Blue "Safari" brand single jogger stroller.

--Tons of name brand fall/winter children's clothing/shoes.

-Boys 0-4 t

-Girls 0-12 mo

--Numerous infant/toddler toys.

--Misc. household items.

As I look at our garage with the all these things for sale, I wonder if we have anything left in the house. We need a bigger garage for our garage sales........

Blessings.... Mike

"3 good men" sung by Andrew Grimm

2010-09-08T07:23:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Andrew was at grandma Sharon's and sang his latest Sunday School song. It went as follows: "3 good men lived very long ago, Shadrach, Meeshach, and a band-aid go"...... Too funny!

Visit to Indiana and Macy Pigtails

2010-09-04T15:07:00.004-05:00

We spent last weekend in Leo, Indiana visiting cousins Tim and Christa Wiegand. The boys had a great time with Jack and Willis, but the adults may have had more fun. Great conversations about kids, reminiscing about years gone by, etc etc. The highlight may have been a moment while playing "Settlers of Cataan" that will go down in history. Even though I lost in the end, it was fun seeing Tim speechless after I played my "monopoly" card and took all of his wood.

All the kids eating gushers together.

This was great. Tim had an old slide projector and 1 roll of slides, so we popped popcorn and watched them. They were taken on our "single in 2002 hike the grand canyon to the river and back in 1 day in 115 degree heat" trip with Josh Wyss. It brought back lots of great memories, but reminded us of how miserable we were after hiking 23 miles in seering heat in and out of the largest canyon in the world. Don't think we will be doing it again soon, but hey, we can brag that we did it once, right???

Best Buddies, Andrew, Jack, and Jayden.

Macy is finally getting enough hair for pigtails, so Amb had to try it out. Quite funny!! Mariah on the other hand will be waiting a while. Still bald on top, but finally starting to get some hair in the back. It will be fun to tease her when she grows up, that as a baby, the older men always thought she was a boy (even with pink dresses, and bows on her head)...

Now it's time to quit loafing and get the pool taken down for the winter. Boo Hoo!

Jayden's first day of kindergarten!

2010-08-24T14:29:00.002-05:00

Off to school and all smiles!!! Jayden is loving kindergarten!

Misc pictures from Wisconsin 2010

2010-08-23T19:24:00.006-05:00

We had a great week in Wisconsin with mom and dad Grimm earlier this month. The only negative was that dad kept winning dominoes and got quite confident. Oh well, maybe next year.....

Amber and mom taking a morning alone at the tea room

The girls hanging out in the coupe car.

We bought a pair of "trainer skis" and the boys just took off. It was quite hilarious watching them go around the lake. Especially when Andrew started dancing around, picking his nose, and just being Andrew, all while skiing.

Uncle Matt and his girlfriends!

Puzzle time in the cabin.

Grandma and her girls!

Jayden was just barely tall enough for the bumper boats, but he sure had fun (until he couldn't get back to the side when the time was up. He kept spinning in circles and got quite worried no one would help him.... ).

Buzz enjoying his grilled cheese and french fries (bring back any memories, Bethany W????).

Macy tired and saying "awe grandpa, do we have to take another boat ride??"

Here is 1 video of Jayden just learning to ski. He is just a little bit unstable, huh....

Vacations are always fun to start, but also make you ready to get back to regular life after a few days. Jayden started kindergarten this week, and life is moving right along. Keep looking to Jesus, where all our help comes from.

Funny Andrew quote #567......

2010-08-16T20:51:00.003-05:00

Today while at the park, Andrew helped Mariah off the slide. When Amber told him how good of a helper he was, Andrew proclaimed "you know why I help, mommy? Because it's my pleasure!"

Not sure where he got that phrase, but it sure cracked us up!

Laptop??

2010-08-03T13:01:00.002-05:00

Last night, Jayden asked me how long until he gets a laptop like mom and dad have... Any ideas on how to respond to that one????

More Family Pictures

2010-07-27T17:12:00.002-05:00

Some of you requested more family pictures, so here they are. Brittany Zeltwanger took these - She does such an awesome job and we love her!!!!

I had to add this as requested. :) I will be submissive to my husband and not order this as our main family picture, but I might have to sneak a 5x7 or something. I still like it even if he thinks it's very unnatural! :)

A Buzz church moment we won't forget!

2010-07-26T10:14:00.003-05:00

Bear with me on this one. This is typical of our 2nd son......

Andrew has had a bad habit the last few months of having to "go stinkies" right in the middle our afternoon church service. I have told him numerous times that he needs to hold it in or go before we go in to church, as we are sick of taking him out all the time.

The last few times he has tried this, I have noticed that he kind of makes a game out of it and doesn't even do what he should be doing. Smelling a rat, I told him last week that from now on, if he says he has to "go stinkies", and he doesn't go, he will get a spanking.

Now we come to yesterday in afternoon church. In the middle of the service he tells me "daddy I have to go pee". I said no, hold it in. He then proceeds to say "I have to go stinkies". Again, I said no, just hold it until church is over. After dancing around and whining for about 3 minutes, I finally took him out with the condition that if he didn't go, he would get spanked.

We head to the bathroom and he sits on the toilet. After about 6 or 7 grunts, he tells me "daddy, I have to sit here a long time so I can go stinkies". I knew he wouldn't go, but decided to wait and see what happens.

After about 2 more minutes of grunting, he starts whimpering. Finally he cries out "daddy, I don't want to get a spanking!".

I had to stick to my word, so, while trying to hold in my laughs, I got him dressed and we went to the basement.........It's always hard to follow through on discipline like this, especially when you see the fear in their eyes, but he definitely learned his lesson!

Hopefully this post generates a few laughs and brings back memories to some of you!

Family Pictures Summer 2010

2010-07-22T08:43:00.003-05:00

We had family pictures taken a few weeks ago. The kids did well enough considering how it could have gone. Dad probably drug his feet more than anyone, since I love taking family pictures about as much as getting a tooth pulled.....

I cooperated until we started doing the "family holding hands while walking next to the lake" and then "sitting on the dock and splashing water with our legs". None of those will make the family album or the Christmas card.......

With Jayden turning 5 and the twins 1, we look back and say "wow, we made it through the last year with baby twins". It is getting more fun all the time with the 2 little squirts running around with their dolls, shopping carts, toy cell phones, and blankets. Man, how are they programmed to like babies, shopping, and cell phones already. I guess girls will be girls, huh.

Buzz looks very innocent, but that is just for show!

Grandpa Wiegand goes to his reward!

2010-07-10T14:07:00.003-05:00

Grandpa Wiegand died early this morning. We rejoice with the Angels that he can go home, but we will all miss his great example here on earth. A few thoughts that come to mind when I think of Grandpa:

--He was a man of few words, but when he talked, everyone listened!

--He had a simple but yet super strong faith in God. His greatest joy at the end of life was when one of his grandkids turned to the Lord in repentance.

--He knew EVERYTHING about farming, animals, hunting, plants, trees, etc. He hated deer because they would eat his corn. One year, we asked him how many deer he got that day during deer season. Instead of saying "3", he said "well, 2 got away".

--Quality time with family was his greatest enjoyment in life.

--He faithfully preached the Word of God for 30 + years.

--He HATED big cities. Another one of my favorite grandpa quotes was when talking about Chicago, "I never lost anything there".

--He showed up early to EVERYTHING. Sometimes 30 minutes to 1 hour early! He always said "its better to be 20 minutes early, than to be 5 minutes late".

And probably his favorite saying toward the end of his life........."Take your time going home, but hurry back!".

We will miss him but rejoice that he is now at home after serving Jesus faithfully for over 70 years!

My 3 girlfriends and their protectors

2010-06-29T07:28:00.003-05:00

My 3 "girlfriends", Amber, Mariah and Macy.

Their "infantry regiment" that offers daily protection. Jayden and Andrew.........

I couldn't resist posting these 2 pictures.......

Jayden turns 5!

2010-06-24T10:51:00.003-05:00

Jayden wanted a cake with marshmallows and chocolate on top, so we came up with a lamb that used miniature marshmallows for the wool and chocolate chips for the face, ears, and feet. I thought it turned out really fun!

We had the Sauder boy cousins come stay overnight. They got to have a pool party and eat pizza.

The next day we took them all to the Children's Museum in Bloomington. They had a lot of fun!

Jayden got a fishing pole from Mike and I. He loves fishing and was thrilled to get his very own pole!

Where is pizza hut?

2010-06-08T07:11:00.002-05:00

A few nights ago, I was telling the boys about our sponsor child from Guatemala. Jayden wanted to know where Guatemala was, so I went downstairs and got the globe. I showed him where America is, where Mexico and Canada are, and finally Guatemala.

Jayden thought for a moment and blurted out "but daddy, where is pizza hut?".

The pool is up!

2010-05-23T14:19:00.002-05:00

This Saturday we started early and got the pool set up. Mike and Buzz are shoveling sand into the wheelbarrow to use to level the ground for the pool. Jayden and I got to rake the sand that was dumped and get it "level".

Next came laying the pool out in the right spot - the boys were VERY excited by this point! Then we filled it up with water - bring on the sunshine!

Something tells me I might have my hands full this summer! :) This is Buzz Sunday after church. He just couldn't resist checking it out!

I had to throw in this Sunday morning picture of the girls. Bows and dresses are so fun!

Are you Rich?

2010-05-18T14:31:00.003-05:00

A very interesting article that puts our worldly possessions in perspective. Makes me feel guilty for ever wanting more money/possessions. It's human nature to seek after more wealth, and is probably one of the hardest things about living in America. We have it so good, it can hurt us spiritually if we are not careful.

How Rich Are You? Most likely richer than you think!

It is our firm belief that living in a country that still supports our freedoms (at least most of them) helps make us the richest in the world.

However, in looking at purely "money" - the World Bank Development Research Group released some calculations as to how rich we really are. The article was featured on Yahoo a few days ago:

How Rich Are You?

As the article reports, the Group has posted a wealth ranking website. If you are earning the American median income for 2009 ($52,000), then you are in the top .97 percentile of all moneymakers.

Here is the wealth-ranking website:

Wealth Ranking Website

This site invites you to share your wealth with others. Of course, there are SO many ways we can help those less privileged that we. Helping those who have legitimate needs is our desire. We are not endorsing any of the organizations of the site, but we do agree with the concept that we are "richer" than we think, and this gives us added responsibility.

Another Buzz Moment!

2010-05-07T10:33:00.003-05:00

Recently we visited the Gridley Apostolic Church. I had both boys with me and we happened to sit next to a respected, middle aged minister in the audience.

After the service, I was introducing my boys to him, and Andrew promptly blurts out "you are old!". The minister thought it was hilarious, but still made me want to crawl in a hole!

Another memorable moment with Buzz. They just keep happening!

To all Buzz lovers!

2010-04-28T13:16:00.002-05:00

Thought you would enjoy this. . .

Garage Sale!

2010-04-20T17:12:00.002-05:00

I plan to have a garage sale this Thursday the 22nd at 8AM (Congerville garage sales) and then again May 1st for Goodfield garage sales. I would love for you to pass this info. along to anyone who would benefit and like to come!
- Boys 0-2T
- Girls 0-9 months
Lots of brand name clothing (Old Navy, TCP, Gap, Gymboree, Polo, Tommy)
- Boys/Girls shoes & coats
- Infant car seat/bouncy seat, infant bathtub, swing (needs fixed), walker, toys, etc. . .
- Medela electric breast pump
- Mens/Womens clothing & coats
- Household (curtains, pillows, bathroom decor, lamp)
- A few NEW sewn items (hooded towels, hotpads)
- Bake sale!
Hope to see you there!

If anyone knows someone who recently had a boy named Andrew please contact me! I have Pottery Barn pajamas (too cute!) and a blanket with his name embroidered on them. I would love to pass these items along for FREE! Thanks!
amber

The Innocence of a child

2010-04-07T21:02:00.002-05:00

God often tells us in His word that we should be as little children. A perfect example of this is what happened at lunch today. Andrew (Buzz) asked Amber if he could have the prayer. So in his typical loud 3 year old voice he bellows "DEAR GOD, UM UM UM PLEASE HELP ME DIE BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE YOU AND GIVE YOU A HUG"

"Girls Weekend Out"

2010-03-31T19:53:00.004-05:00

Megan and Michelle Knapp were nice enough to take 2 busy Mom's (Joan Plattner and Amb) to Chicago last weekend overnight. They took the train, saw a musical, and of course shopped, shopped, and shopped some more. Needless to say Amber loved it. Above is Megan and Joan on the train.

Amber and Michelle.

Hanging out in the motel.

Coffee anyone?? Oh yeah, are you wondering by now where all our kids spent the weekend while Amb was gone? See below..............

Actually, it went very smooth for my brother Matt and I (the above picture is actually staged.....). Amber's mom was nice enough to take the kids for 1 day, then we had them Friday night and Saturday all day. Things went great until about 4 pm. We couldn't take it anymore, so we packed up, ate an early supper at Busy Corner, and proceeded to take a "Saturday afternoon drive" for about an hour and a half until it was time for bed. Do I have a new appreciation for what my wife does everyday? You betcha!

Macy's 1 year picture

2010-03-24T13:53:00.004-05:00

I had to redo Macy's 1 year pictures, so here it is now (even though she still isn't smiling!)

Surprise! Mike is 30!

2010-03-22T15:22:00.004-05:00

I invited Josh Wyss from Phoenix, AZ and Tim Wiegand from Leo, IN to come help surprise Mike for his 30th birthday. These guys haven't spent an evening all together for years, so it was a definite surpise and great birthday present! We all had pizza together before the second surprsie of about 60 more people showing up for the evening.

After supper the rest of the birthday crowd showed up to help celebrate Mike's birthday. Mike had just been getting used to the idea that Josh and Tim were really in his house when everyone else started coming. He was quite shocked by it all!

Many from Lighthouse came to join the fun.

Potluck friends and family also came.

I had asked people to bring 30 of something to help Mike celeberate if they wanted. He ended up with 90 cans of Dr. Pepper, 120 oreos, 30 individual bags of chips, cheese curds, $6.00 in dimes, $30 to Dairy Queen (along with 30 DQ napkins), $30 to Farm and Fleet, a family picture frame, 30 "Ford" Matchbox cars, more candy, etc. . . People were quite creative - thanks everyone who helped make this such a success!

This is Mike walking into the house after work. As you can tell, he was TOTALLY surprised!

Macy and Mariah are 1!

2010-03-17T14:36:00.006-05:00

Happy 1st birthday to my baby girls!!!!

Here is Mariah's 1 year picture. Macy's didn't turn out and I need to retake them. I will post hers later when I get it done.

We celebrated the girl's birthday last night (on the 16th). I think they were a bit overwhelmed, but it was still fun for me to spoil them and throw a small party for them!

The girl's weren't too sure what to do with all the presents! Thank you to all who gave such wonderful gifts!!!

With the girls being born on St. Patrick's Day, I chose clover cakes :)

Mariah and Macy in their "Lucky to be me" shirts.

They totally didn't know what to do with their cake. They looked at it, then at us, then got scared, and Mariah started crying. We tried a couple of times to get them to dig in. Dad is helping Macy figure out what to do (just stick your finger right in and lick it off!)

Someone finally came to the rescue and gave them spoons. Macy had a ball then scooping the icing off the cake and eating it. Mariah never did get too into it. We should have known -- they are such ladies!!! (don't dirty their fingers!!!)

By the end, Macy did have quite a mess. And I think she enjoyed every minute!

God has brought us through 1 year! Wow! What a milestone! I can honestly say I feel so blessed to be experiencing "life with twins". Continue to pray for us that we can make wise decisions and raise all our children to know and worship our Lord and Saviour. God's blessings to all . . .

You know your getting older when.........

2010-03-08T17:00:00.003-06:00

You looked like this during your engagement.......

And your brothers looked like this at your wedding...........

Time marches on. Am I ready to meet my Lord?

Gettin "Naptized"

2010-02-19T19:40:00.002-06:00

Tonight at the supper table, our son Andrew suddenly proclaimed: "mom, when I get big, I'm gonna get my swimmin' suit on, and my goggles, and go on the pulpit and get "naptized".

Minneapolis

2010-02-09T19:22:00.003-06:00

Spent last weekend with Amber's sister and brother in law in the twin cities. Had a great time and the kids absolutely loved being together. Everything was great, until the 7 hour ride home with 2 tired girls......

Kids getting ready to go. Say Cheese!

Buzz "the fish" enjoying the pool.

Hi Macy and Mariah!

The girls were not too sure about the pool at first, but finally got used to it and enjoyed it.

The hotel we met the Joos's at has an indoor play area that is like the Mcdonald play land times 10. It is huge! Why was there nothing like this in the 80's when I could have enjoyed it? Oh well, I guess we did have the Hardees merry-go-round "puke machine" back then, huh?

This slide is about 1/2 way up the play land. Adults were able to go up with the kids, so I sent Amber to take the pictures. Mallory sure is enjoying it!

You can't visit Minneapolis/St Paul without going to the Mall of America. Here are the boys with the "Rainforest Cafe" frog. Where is Amber? Oh yeah, it is a mall. Hide the credit cards.

Leaving the Rainforest Cafe after finding out we would have to wait 3 hours to be seated. Kevin is just loving the mall, can't you tell?

The boys with the "Bubba Gump" Shrimp guy.

Back home safe. This picture sums up what goes through my mind about every other day. "Where did all these kids appear from?" While driving home, it hit me as I looked in the back of the van. I told Amb "this van is stuffed full of people". Life goes so fast. Before long, we will be having weddings and saying goodbye. We must appreciate every moment God gives us and not "waste" life looking ahead or wishing we were in another stage. Easy to say, hard to do, when kids are puking, crying, pooping, and fighting. Am I right, mom's??

10 Months with Twins

2010-01-22T17:12:00.006-06:00

I was thinking today. Are twins . . .

Double the work?

or double the play?

Double the trouble?

Or double the fun?

Double the smiles?

Double the friends?

Double the help?

Is your glass half empty or half full?

I believe ours is overflowing!

Thank you Jesus!

Oregon January 2010

2010-01-20T15:05:00.011-06:00

Last weekend, we headed to Oregon to visit some fantastic friends. Yes, some are probably saying "Oregon in winter? why would you do that?" For the record, it did rain every day, but we didn't go for the weather, we went for "fellowship and fun (oh yeah, and food, also)". It was a little hard for Amb to leave the twins (ok, very hard since Macy had croup), but they were in very good hands (mom Adams). They boys absolutely loved the "adventure". They came to refer to it as "house hopping".

Heading into St Louis airport. As you can see, all I had to carry was the camera..... Jayden was facinated with the airplanes, etc, and when we took off the first time, he exclaimed "mom, I can see the whole world from here". Priceless.

Amber had a great relationship in the young group with the Bob and Linda Kuenzi daughters, and since we have been married, it has grown to a fantastic friendship for me also. We have great times together. Above is Ty Moser (Kuenzi) making sure Nash has enough ice cream.

Jayden, Andrew, and Nash with wagon.

Friday we all went to the coast and stayed in a condo complex. As always, the pool is the number 1 attraction for the boys.

The surf in the northwest is very powerfull in the winter. Above is the view from our condo.

Kids being kids............... Hilarious!

Amber, Phillip Petrovic, and Tasha Petrovic (Kuenzi) getting ready for breakfast on Saturday morning.

Tenille Kuenzi, Ty Moser, and James and Clayton Schneider.

Ashlyn Petrovic, Sam Moser, Phil and Brandon (otherwise known as "brother") Petrovic.

Kids lining up for a picture. Notice Mr "No cooperate" off to the right? Jayden can be quite strong willed and stubborn at very random moments.

Missing the girls, but still had a family picture taken.

Shopping at Lincoln City, Oregon outlet mall. Pictured are Buzz, Jayden, and Brandon Petrovic.

Non stop action for the kids all weekend long.

Intense Rook game with Phil, James, and Sam. Notice James is finally smiling (a few days of losing were starting to wear on him until he and Phil pulled off an upset right before this picture). Great times.

Sunday was great fellowship at Silverton church, then spent the evening with other families that we knew there (some originally from Goodfield). Monday, the rain stopped so we drove to Silver Creek Falls (about 30 minutes up into the Cascade mountains). It is just majesticly beautiful.

The wet view from behind the falls.

Ty, Tonya Schneider (Kuenzi), Phil, Tasha, and us, along with all the kiddos. Thanks to Phil for taking the day off so I wasn't the only guy (oh wait, maybe that wouldn't have been a bad thing).

Jayden had his first bout of "Infatuation" this weekend. Ashlyn Petrovic was a great friend and made him feel so welcome, that Jayden went a little "head over heels" for her. It was so funny to watch. Shy around her, but then non stop talking when we were alone.

Buzz, Ashlyn, Jayden, and Clayton hanging out at the Lodge.

Snack of champions there, Mike. Potato chips and Pepsi.

Bob and Linda Kuenzi. A great couple that raised a great family (with God's help of course). Thanks so much for your hospitality.

Can you tell we ran Andrew a little hard? He slept most of the way home.

Mom reunited with her girls. Notice the smile!

This video is hilarious! We were down by the beach, watching the waves crash in, and while taking a video, a "sneaker wave" roared up the steps and completely soaked Buzz and Amb. Andrew was wet and full of sand from head to toe. Somehow, he is always the one that gets into bad situations. Also notice, none of the Oregon natives were at the bottom of the steps.........

Video of Silver Creek Falls.

Blog post complete, now back to the real world! Continue to pray for those in Haiti.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T20:34:00.004-06:00

We really enjoyed our first Christmas with the twins. The "Mike Grimm Family" Christmas was a great success!

Mariah on left, Macy on right.

Jayden and Buzz with their gifts. Both were a hit.

Quick take a picture while everyone is looking at the camera! No, there aren't any faces that have been altered......

"Jeff Grimm Family" Christmas. Great times.

Macy on left, Mariah on right.

Grandpa holding Macy.

This video is priceless. Watch Jayden's face as he removes the wrapping paper.

Hope everyone has a very blessed 2010.

Looking for part time help at Lighthouse.

2009-12-17T07:43:00.002-06:00

Do you know anyone looking for part time work this winter? We are very short handed in the shop this winter due to sport injuries, etc. Basic mechanical knowledge is the only requirement. If you know someone interested, post a comment, or send me an e-mail at mikeg@lighthousegm.com. Thanks!

Happy T-Giving, Merry Christmas! From the Grimms

2009-12-07T17:00:00.007-06:00

I finally sat down to do a blog update. Trying to delegate this to Amb hasn't worked out too well. Something about 4 kids at home, babies, demands, etc, etc......... :):)

Anyway, here is what is happening at the Grimm house.

We haven't really been away from the kids for an extended period since the twins came along, so we took advantage of the "Sharon Adams Kid Watching Service" and left them all at Amber's mom's last Friday. She says she loves it, so we take advantage of it (Note---don't say you want to watch our kids unless you really mean it, because we remember and take mental notes.). Then took the train from Pontiac to downtown Chicago to shop, ice skate, and just spend "quality time" without any screams, whines, why's, whats, that's, how's, who's, when's, but dad's, but mom's, poop, puke, pee, diapers, bottles, baby food, etc. It was a great day and 1/2!

Does Amber look like she is in her glory?? (hint--you bet)

One night while I was babysitting, we had fun with some "bubba teeth". Looking good boys!

Girls are starting to get very mischievous. We were on cruise control for a few months, but now that they are crawling and not sleeping as much, it is definitely getting more crazy around here.

During thanksgiving, I was thinking how God has blessed us so much with our healthy twins, etc. A generation or two ago, Mariah would have died in the womb during childbirth. Don't we all have so many reasons to be thankful and rejoice, most of all for the shed blood on calvary's cross? Praise be to God!

Deer Fighting

2009-11-14T09:49:00.001-06:00

Saw this last Saturday right below mom and dad's back patio. First time I have seen deer fighting live. Pretty cool. I'm not a die hard hunter, but this got me back in the mood.......
Mike

Trip to MN and Andrew 3 yrs

2009-11-11T14:22:00.002-06:00

Andrew is 3! He chose a zebra cake for his birthday. Can you tell that's what it's supposed to be?

I got to go to MN for a week with my mom and 2 other sisters to visit Kelli. It was so great to all be together, and the kids had a ball playing together! They even got to go trick-or-treating together. We had a little trouble getting Mike up there, but on the 3rd flight scheduled he finally made it! He was so sweet to fly up and drive the kids and I home. I didn't want to tackle a 10 hour drive with 4 kids on my own. :)

Yes . . . . it did snow while we were there, but it melted the next day. Jayden was so excited and wondered if we remembered his boots!

Aren't they cute?

October

2009-10-24T11:03:00.003-05:00

Jayden's preschool class at Ackerman farms in Morton.

The boys helping celebrate their favorite babysitter's (Mallory Bauman) 17th birthday.

Amber's latest picture of the twins. Starting to look more and more alike, huh....

Monday I am loosing my wife and kids to Minnesota for a week and will be here alone, so if anyone has some good, home cooking and an extra chair at the table, my cell # is 696-6611. Actually, I have filled up the week with plans almost too much. I made Amb think that I couldn't wait to be alone. How untrue that is!

Sunday School, Tanners Orchard, and the girls

2009-10-10T13:31:00.005-05:00

We spent a great Sunday afternoon with the Sauder's at Tanner's Orchard. The kids had a total blast!

Girls starting to sit up. How fun.

While we were at Tanner's, we found the perfect spot for the twin's 6 month pictures. Macy above, Mariah below. The pictures turned out great.

Our 6 grade Sunday school wiener roast got rained out a couple weeks ago, so we had a pizza party at our house instead. Above is Nate Wiegand acting normal.

Decorating cookies with the class. Thanks for coming everyone!

Jayden's first day of preschool. Pretty big stuff!

Late Summer '09

2009-09-21T13:46:00.003-05:00

The girls are starting to be on the move more and more. They are both rolling, and Mariah (left) has started to get her knees under her and rock. I can't believe we are already to this point! It is so exciting to see them reach each milestone!

Mike walked in the pumpkin festival parade with the boys for the Chamber. The boys had so much fun wearing the santa hats and throwing candy! They will talk about this now for months! (They are on the left behind the sign)

Mama and her girls - God has truly blessed us!

David and Goliath

I love teachable moments! The boys found their water balloon sling shot and were talking about David and Goliath, so I helped them act it out. They had fun acting this out over and over and taking turns being David/Goliath.

We didn't put our pool up this year, but we found other ways to have fun in the sun!

Eureka High class of 2027, the class of the twins!

2009-09-08T18:19:00.003-05:00

Beware teachers of the Eureka/Congerville/Goodfield school system. Almost 10 percent of the graduating class of 2027 will be twins!

We had each twin family for a cookout Labor Day evening. Families include: Kyle and Christine Watson, Greg and Missy Post, Matt and Lisa Schmidgall, Kevin and Kim Knapp, and the Grimms. It was a great time sharing "horror" stories, as well as getting to know each other better. Thanks for coming everyone!

Potluck, kids, and cutting down trees

2009-08-29T13:20:00.004-05:00

We spent last Sunday with our "out of town" potluck group. Had a great time catching up (Doug and Janelle Brewer are now living in San Diego and we don't get to see them too often anymore). Got to take Amber out for her b-day yesterday without any of the kids! Only the 2nd or 3rd time we have done that since the girls were born. At Biaggis, we saw 2 other couples we knew and found out that both of the wives had birthday's yesterday also. Funny. Today I got to spend some time ripping up a decades old brick sidewalk at my brothers house. In case you don't know, Keith bought a repossessed, century old house in Congerville and is pretty much re-doing the entire place. He is busy buying "how to" books and doing a great job! Although, sometimes I wonder if we are really brothers, because tearing up and rebuilding an old house is about the last thing I would ever want to do.

Have a great weekend and keep "counting your blessings"! So often satan gets us to do the exact opposite.

"Out of town" potluck at Lucas and Diana Gudeman's (Bradford, IL)

Picnic with mom one day this week. More fun while dad is working!

Boys "helping" mom clean out the cabinets!

Cutting down another tree! Before and after.

Another "interesting" day with the Grimm kid's!

Lighthouse Open House!

2009-08-24T08:10:00.003-05:00

A crazy 3 days last week serving over 2,000 at our annual dealership open house. It was fun and we all enjoyed the fellowship with past, present, and future customers.

Hap Zook and Delton Whitaker getting ready!

Food Line.

Our twins hanging out and loving to watch all the people.

Under the tent.

View of the kid's slide, etc.

Minnesota with Zimmerman cousins

2009-08-10T19:11:00.003-05:00

Part 3 of our vacation. A great weekend spent at Amb's sister's in Morris, MN. Many of the Forrest/Fairbury Zimmerman cousins came also. 16 adults, 20 kids. Can you say crazy! Lots of food, skiing, softball, volleyball, "Settlers of Cataan", food, food, and did I mention food? It was great memories and a very action packed 3 days. Typical "Zimmerman" style conversation was also very prevelant!

Honore Zimmerman holding the community cat.

Amber's cousin Ryan holding Mariah.

Great conversation

Jayden thinking he is hot stuff on the softball field.

Macy sleeping with the cat keeping a close eye on her from below deck.

Another very laid back, non competitive volleyball game............

Shrimp boil.......... Now that is real food!

Amber's sister Kelli holding her daughter Adyson.

Tory Zimmerman holding Macy.

Wisconsin with mom and dad Grimm

2009-08-10T18:58:00.004-05:00

Part 2 of our vacation. Great times with mom, dad, and Matt

Boys acting silly with the girls hats.

S'mores. The best!

Dad holding a baby. His favorite thing to do in the whole world (not!).

Mariah with hat.

Relaxing by the fire. Watch out for the low flying bats (no joke, they are all over in the tree tops).

Ice cream at "Cathy's"

Matt Grimm----Stud Muffin/Proffessional skiier/Flight Simulator addict!!

6 years of blissful marriage and going strong!

Dad watching the babies again. Maybe he does like baby-sitting. Hey dad, what are you doing this weekend..........

Vacation August 2009

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Great memories were made with Nate and Brittany last week. We spent a few days at mom and dad's place in northern Wisconisn. After Zeltwanger's left, mom and dad came for 5 days. Then, since we love driving 2,000 miles with 4 kids under 5, we went to Minnessota to be with Kevin and Kelli and a bunch of Amber's Zimmerman cousins. Will show other pictures in the next couple blog posts.

Skiing/Kneeboarding

Best pizza in the northwoods-------"Vinchies"

Brittany and Macy

Getting ready to take out the Hobie-cat!

Shirts to remember the best cheese curds in the word!

Jayden and Andrew with fish. A picture is worth a thousand words!

Nate and Brittany, our kids adopted "aunt and uncle".

"Pig in the Pines" festival. Had to go twice just so we could load up on more cheese curds.

Buzz's vocabulary is quite hilarious!

"Buzzy does it again" and other misc pictures

2009-07-18T13:02:00.003-05:00

A few posts ago, I shared some pictures of Andrew after getting stitches from falling. In the emergency room that day, the nurse said "Boy, I bet this little guy will be seeing us often". We knew it was true! He can get quite out of control and reckless at times.

So last week, he again hurt himself. We were spending an evening outside, and the boys were riding bikes. Andrew decided to take his little "telephone truck" as fast as he could down our driveway. "Daddy, watch this" he said, and took off as fast as he could. When he hit the bottom of the driveway, the front of the little truck caught and he did a complete "end-doe" into the concrete. No stitches this time, but it still made for great memories and good pictures.

Boys having fun at Roxy's pool.

All 4 kids ready for bed!

I took this 5 years ago on a trip to Oregon. As you fly into Portland, you fly right by Mount Hood. It was a clear day and the picture turned out great! God's creation really is beautiful! I personally don't take enough time to thank Him for the beauty that is all around us.

Busy Busy

2009-07-03T14:11:00.005-05:00

It's been a hectic month at work and home, but I had some time today to post some new pictures/videos. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July.

Boys had a total blast camping out at the Goodfield "Father/Son" campout. They thought they were pretty tough dudes!

One of Jayden's "4 year" pictures.

Amber's boys playing the "Curious George" board game. We did not plan to match our mask's with our shirts, it just happened that way. Even Buzz's "pink" mask matched his "pink" skin!

Macy helping on the laptop. Will she be a computer geek like her father???

A new picture of the twins!

Jayden singing Mariah to sleep.

Buzz is hilarious. He even gets himself in trouble at the lunch table!

Summer fun at the Grimm house

2009-06-15T19:45:00.004-05:00

Jayden's 4th birthday was last Saturday. He got to eat cereal twice (his choice), Mcdonalds once, and go to Glenn Oak Zoo and see the new "Africa" exhibit (well worth the trip, by the way. Much improved over the old zoo). Among his many gifts from family was a bow with 3 arrows (all of which are now broken). He loved it and keeps talking about how he can't wait until he turns "5". Also, note the "hippo" cake that my multi-talanted wife created!

Jodi Labudde from Phoenix was in town last week, so Jenni and Amber planned a "mom and kid" fun day at mom and dad's pond. Present were: Amber, Mom Grimm, Jenni, Jodi, Susie Blunier, Roxy Blunier, Joy Roth, and Joan Plattner. Days like this are good ammo for us men to use when the moms start complaining about "being stuck at home all day"......... :) I don't really mean that, I just had to say it because I know Joan will be reading this......

The above and below picts are of the twins. Growing up like crazy and looking cute! They are averaging 8 hours of sleep a night! That is definitely an answer to prayers as both boys did not sleep well through the night until 7 months or so. Thanks to Brittany Zelt for the awesome shirts!

I keep saying that we would recommend twins to anyone!! It is a blast! Amb and I were just discussing that all our blog posts are from "the worst of times" and, in reality, life has been great with the girls. Now that we don't have 4 kids under 4 anymore, maybe we won't get quite as many "wow you must be busy" looks......... Have a great week!

Fun at the lake!

One last thing. Praise God for the new set of lungs he has provided for my cousin Brent Blunier. What an amazing miracle. View his blog at "everydayisagift-brenttrudy.blogspot.com"

May 29 2009. A day to remember........

2009-06-01T18:52:00.005-05:00

Before we get to the good stuff, Here are 2 pictures of the boys helping out at home.

So, on top of everything else, Buzz decides to write all over the walls! Luckily it was with washable crayon and not permanent marker. He did learn how to wipe it off, though....

Ok, now the fun part! Last Saturday, our out-of-town potluck group met at Fon-Du-Lac park in East Peoria. We grilled and had a great time visiting and playing baseball with the kids. After supper, the guys went down to the baseball diamond and started hitting balls around. The kids were hanging around the baseball diamond, and buzz decided to start climbing. He made it to the top of the bleachers (about 6 feet up). All of a sudden we hear a crash and terrible crying. Amber saw him laying on the concrete with blood all over. We knew right away stitches were going to be needed on his chin. We quickly packed everything up and hurried to Methodist where Andrew was a trooper and got 6 stitches on his chin. Thankfully there were no broken bones!

The ironic thing about this episode is the timing. Exactly 1 year ago, we were at another park in Peoria with 1 of the same couples (Lucas and Diana Gudeman), and I dislocated my knee and had to be hauled in to the ER. Next year at this time, we are avoiding parks, and the Gudeman's (no offence Lucas and Diana.....).

Stitches!

Buzz after we got back home. The nurse at the ER told us she is afraid this little guy will visit them often. Just in that short time period, she could tell he was a dandy!

Poor Poor Buzzy......