Dana Turns 30: Flashback 1996

I know I'm posting these out of order, but I think you'll enjoy them anyway. Right Dana? :) PS, I still remember the calf Norman and SO wish I had a picture of him. I probably have gotten one from your mother, but that would have required some forethought. Also, the idea of you at the salebarn picking out a calf cracks me up! Let's do that again sometime k? :)

 I don't remember helping you babysit any cousins so clearly "Mean Old Brice" put the kibosh on that. Or I was off showing cattle or something.

I don't have great pictures from this Dance Line performance, but I have this. Man, were we cool!

 

Marching band! So many great memories stem from the work and trip required for marching band. Quite a few of them are even happy memories. Here's our practice uniforms, obviously. Where's Waldo? Also, are you even carrying your trumpet?

If I still knew how to play an instument, and owned one, you better believe I'd call you up and play you a song. Instead, I'll probably have the kids call and sing to you. I guess they're kind of like an instrument. Full of spit, loud and people get pretty cranky if you drop them.

Kim

VanZanten Family Vacation

The amount I had to look to find something awesome from Dana was way too easy. She sent this in 1999. Just take a look at the envelope. I'm not a hoarder...just following directions.

 

She clearly stole the dinosaur stickers from the letters he brothers were supposed to write for their friends. :)



 

Here's what was inside. In my opinion, a treasure. On a side note, I remember sitting the back of a VanZanten vehicle, writing letters on the way home from ball games using the headlights of the vehicle behind us to see.

I think this picture was from 1998, on a band trip to Chicago, but you get the picture. It'd be a close reference to the letter.

 

 

This picture was most definitely taken at a livestock judging contest. I drug Dana along because we needed another body and her brothers were already going anyway. (at least one of them, I'm not sure if Andy has seen livestock yet). hehe

I expect a letter from the next family trip you take too. :)

Love,
K

On turning 30

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA LEE!

Welcome to the world of 30. Since you plastered my picture all over Facebook (thank you for that, by the way), I figured I'd take a turn and share a few stories and pictures here, in a few installments that will post throughout the day. Enjoy. :)


We met in Kindergarten. Mrs. Poppen's class. I look at Gage's Kindergarten class and pray everyday that he starts a friendship and real and wholesome as ours. Who would have known that 25 years later, we still adore each other. I remember the story your mom tells about calling Mrs. Poppen to ask if 'The Franken Girl' was ok for you to hang out with. Thank goodness she said yes. :) Check out this picture I found of us...there you are in the your white dress, red bows, curled hair and fancy black shoes looking mighty fine. At the other end of the Kindergarten girl line is me, in my Little House on the Prairie dress and lion mask. Crayons are still awesome.

Summers were always difficult. You spent a lot of time in Colton with family, church and activities and I did the same in Madison. The 7 or 8 miles that separated us in the summer might as well have been an entire state. Thankfully, our parents were great about letting us sent letters back and forth. And fortunately, some have survived the test of time. I like this one best.

Throughout elementary school, it was pretty evident that our teachers didn't want us in the same class. Or maybe our parents requested that, at any rate, we were reunited a few times, and especially enjoy joint adventures like this fourth grade field trip. How is there only one fanny pack in this picture, and two pairs of Hammer pants? Also in style: windsuits, tight-rolled pants and cheesy grins.

And then we graduated. Through high school, some of our activities overlapped, others did not. We went our separate ways after CHS, attending different colleges. I really thought the separation would make life between us awkward. I feel so fortunate that our friendship is stronger now than ever before. Getting married and having babies has taken the 400 miles between us and given us something to talk about every day. I value the time we can spend together so much, even if that time is 10 minutes of virtual chat a day. It keeps me sane.

My favorite part of us? Sharing the joys and challenges of being Moms. I think its what we've always been meant to do. Gage was so lucky to spend a day with you last summer. Knowing my kids know you and love you means the world. Thanks for the letter. Anytime I see your handwriting in the mailbox, my heart leaps with excitement and anticipation. You never let me down.

Have a great birthday. Check back again later. I have some great letters you sent me and pictures of some high school adventures. I just need to do a little censoring first. :)

Love you dear,
Kim

F-O-U-R

What comes after three?  Before five?  FOUR!  And we are there.  Easton turned four on November 21^st and we partied in style; a monster truck birthday bash it was!  Daddy pulled out his best artistic skillz to create this bad boy:

And we had ourselves a spectacular time, just as you should at a birthday party for a four-year-old boy, right?

First of all, on his birthday wish list?

1)      A grape harvester

2)      A feller buncher

3)      A telehandler

I don’t make this stuff up (And either does he…go ahead, google it.  That stuff really exists!).  I’m also not making it up when I tell you he got all of those wishes granted.  Every. Stinking. One.  He’s put many miles (or hours?) on each one.  He spends hours playing in his room and his imagination cannot be harnessed.  He is so, so full of life and I love him all the more for it.

Now onto the yearly birthday interview!  Remember back to last year when I did the same interview?  SO fun to look back and compare.  I also added a few questions this year that a) he didn’t have a clue how to answer last year or b) just plain didn’t apply.  I so look forward to doing these every year and watching, on paper and with my own eyes, this little guy continue to grow and turn into the amazing person I just know God is planning for him to be.

 

Also, too funny not to mention: At the end of what must have seemed like a million interview questions Easton says, “Mom, I don’t want to do so many words.”

Steadfast: Faith and Family

From Dana:

I sat down to write a post about Easton…his birthday, how awesome he is, and his latest birthday interview.  That’ll come, I promise.  And I’m excited to put into words how much awesome he injects into our lives.  But right now my heart is too heavy and my mind is too full to write the carefree, fun post that needs to be.

Our family has changed a lot in the past two years; I have gained two sister-in-laws and a sweet, snuggly niece.  It’s great to finally have some girl power in our family (prior to said sister-in-laws and niece my mom and I were the only female figures)!  Family get-togethers and holidays have reached a new level of awesome with each new Van Zanten. J

Last week we were deep into preparations for Easton’s monster truck birthday bash.  We were nearly certain my brother and his wife, Katie, wouldn’t be attending as Katie had been struggling with a migraine for a number of days and was struggling to get a handle on it.  Two hours before party time my mom called.  They were headed to the ER to meet Andy and Katie.  After this phone call, came a series of phone calls from the ER including one which I will never forget.  It was my dad and I listened as he said, “Andy and Katie didn’t get very good news.  They found something in Katie’s brain.”  My response:  “No!”  Many of you probably know the feeling that followed.  Your heart sinks and your stomach falls to the floor.  I told David the news and remember telling him with tears in my eyes, “I’m just so scared for them.”

The minutes, hours, and days that followed were a huge emotional and spiritual roller coaster for me.  I went through times when I was completely convinced that God would, without a doubt, remove the tumor from Katie’s brain.  Other times I was scared and almost downright fearful for what the future might hold.  I reached for the Bible more times than I can count and hoped beyond hope that a verse would jump off the page and give me reassurance that everything would be fine.  I tuned Pandora to the Christian music station and yearned for the perfect song to play.  When I think back it seems sort of silly, but I was grasping for hope.  I know any number of uplifting verses in scripture and can list more than a few songs that bring peace to my soul, but I wanted God to throw it in my face instead of having to find it on my own.

One particular evening during what seemed to be a never-ending week, I crashed.  I crashed hard.  I was exhausted and couldn’t find the energy to do the most menial tasks.  At 8:30pm my husband picked me up off the floor, told the kids to tell me goodnight, and pushed me down the hall to bed.  I was tired, but there was no way I was going to sleep.  I pulled out my Kindle and started reading scripture; this time with meaning and purpose.  When I came across a moving verse, I’d YouTube a song that correlated.  And I cried.   I emptied my soul until there were no more tears to cry.  All those walls that I had built up behind me for support came crumbling down.  But slowly, one by one, I put the bricks back up.  But this time, God was the mortar that was holding it together.  No more hoping for the right song to play.  No more wishing a meaningful verse would jump off the page.  I know my God and I know He’s always there for me.  I didn’t need those things for proof.

My brother and his wife are insanely incredible.  They have not wavered from the very beginning.  They have not lost faith.  They have, in fact, done the complete opposite.  They are soaring high and finding ways to praise and thank God for his goodness.  My brother called to give me Katie’s preliminary diagnosis and the final words of his phone call were, “So send up a few prayers of thanksgiving.”  In a time when they could have crumbled, they held strong and clung to their loving Father.  They are admirable and I just know this story will have an awesome ending because of their faith and love for God.

So that’s it.  This is not the end.  This is the beginning.  This is the beginning of something we have no control over and don’t need to try to control.  God has this.  He has Andy & Katie in the palm of His hand and they are clinging to him as a child should cling to their Father in a time of need.  They are not ignorant, but they are not fearful.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13.  Andy & Katie…they are living out this verse.  Christ has given them the strength to handle this situation and they are making Him so, so proud.

If you’d like to pray for Andy & Katie and follow her story you can visit her Caring Bridge site here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katievanzanten

Celebrating Roy

 As we flipped the calendar into October, we left the terrible two's behind as Max turned three years old on October 2. The transition from toddler to little boy hasn't been 100% smooth, but we cherish these years of innocence while exploring independence and the evolution of Max. His sweet cheeks insist on being called Roy Rogers most of the time, he wears his cowboys boots every day and prefers blue jeans and button up shirts to sweatpants and tees. It came as no surprise when he requested a "Woy Wogers" themed birthday party.

He was thrilled about his horse cake, made with love from Grandma Koreen. He could barely contain his excitement at the first glance.

 

 

But honestly, can you blame him? Grandma did such a great job! The horse on top belonged to Koreen when she was a youngster. A week or two before Max's party, Koreen was able to visit the house she grew up in and brought back some treasures for Roy, including the horse. 

 

It took a little help to get that third finger to pop up. Hehe!

 Roy requested a ride on the ponies at the party. His belt buckle is his initial, "M", but this particular day we got the belt on upside down. I went to turn it around and realized the W was probably more fitting as his little boy language is still working on pronouncing R correctly so Roy becomes Woy. I love this phase.

While I don't think we know Trigger's exact birthday (you guessed it...Max named her), we know she is close in age to Max. As a young three year old, their personalities are similar. There are a few trust issues to overcome, and most of the time they're a lot of fun. But then, out of the blue, they just explode and have a little tantrum. I've no doubt that the two of them will be great buds, but for now, we keep Trigger on a close lead and Jack primarily rides her. She is so calm when the boys are around and off her back, but this was the first time I really caught a bond between her and Max. Such a cool moment in time. Hopefully many more to come!

 Sally, on the other hand is a big pet all of the time. Gage spent quite a bit of time on her this summer, but this was Max's first solo ride. He took the reins and has been doing great learning on her! Both kiddos have come so far in six months. Mom too - I hardly freak out at all anymore. ;)

He is kind of leader-of-the-barnyard. So thankful we were able to have all of our parents here to celebrate his big day!

We celebrated Max's birthday on Sunday, September 30th. When he refers to it now, he'll say "fake birthday" as in, "I had a really cool horse cake at my fake birthday party."

This face of innocence? He was so shy and timid while we sang to him and as we finished up, he head came up and he gave the best belly laugh. I could just bottle him up.

I found this great barn at the Grand River Museum in Lemmon. It was built by a local guy who uses scraps from other projects to put these together. No two are alike and they are super affordable. Max was really pumped to have a barn to play with. It has been used every day since.

 

We were able to celebrate again on October 2nd, with leftover cake and a few more presents. I let Max go to daycare in his superhero costume and PJs that day. He was so shy again during the Birthday Song - love it!!

 

 

Happy Birthday Maxwell James. Your old soul, big heart and compassionate personality are a true joy. While we still have plenty of disagreements and attitude adjustments, I wouldn't change you for the world. PS, you could totally pass for a Roy. Love you dude.

“If I could teach the kids to identify and appreciate their natural environment, then they will have a sense of place and care about [home].” -Roy Rogers

Connected

The number of miles between Dana and I seems endless at times. There never seems like enough time to talk on the phone, chat on the computer or text one more funny photo. When we do get together these days, we generally spend more time serving up snacks, dragging out toys and snuggling babies than catching up on the latest trends in fashion and painting our nails.

It does not mean we are not connected. It funny how, when chatting, we type the answer a question before it even comes out, or say almost the same thing simultaneously. We like a lot of the same things, and (at least in my case) "Dana" is always in my head. "What would you do?" "How would you handle this?" "Do you like this?" She almost always answers exactly how I want and agrees with me. :)

Last night we opened a few gifts with Max for his third birthday. Dana always has a way of nailing the perfect gift for the boys and this year was no exception. When Max pulled out a pair of leather work gloves, my jaw dropped. Over the river and through the hills, and Dana and I picked out the exact same pair of gloves for Max.