the nienhuis family

Robinettes 2009!

2009-10-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

Yes, it goes with out saying, Robinettes is a favorite past time with the extended Lock Family.

Here is a compilation of a few recent trips this Fall. Suffice to say, we all had a great time!

Corn Husk Wreath

2009-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to my sister, Rebekah. She made me this beautiful wreath for our front door out of corn husks from the Farmers Market.

Thank you, sister!

ArtPrize Photos

2009-10-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

What an

awesome display of artistic ability to witness!

The Green Well, ArtPrize, and Good Company

2009-10-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Myka, Jeff, and Rebekah at The Greenwell

Jeff had two ladies on him arms to go downtown Grand Rapids and enjoy good food and ArtPrize. More pics to come of the first open Art Competition in West Michigan. It was amazing to see all the people coming down to celebrate the arts! If you haven't been, you must try The GreenWell... an amazing restaurant on Cherry Street in GR. Click the link below to check out the menu and see what this LEED certified establishment is all about.

The Greenwell Resaturant

Camping Trip '09

2009-08-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Petoskey, MI was the destination, as usual. Fun in the sun with family and friends was definitely had!

Summer 2009 will go down as quite a let down as far as weather is concerned, but we were blessed with one of the most beautiful weeks of the season! Our time was filled with lazy days on the shores of Little Traverse Bay, awesome campfires in the evening, and wonderful fellowship with friends. The kids and adults had a great time and we all can't wait for our trip back next year.

We ended our trip with our usual drive home through Traverse City, eating at the ever tasty Poppycocks!

Our Friends are in Town!

2009-08-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

The VanBoven Family was in town from Florida, nothing like a cool Michigan night on the beach rather than a sweltering heat wave that they were used too! We had wonderful time with them at Doug and Leslie's cottage in southern Michigan.

Elle posing with the cupcakes

MMMMM..... vodka tonic and and a myKakes. great combo!

The crazy Nienhuis boys

Chad and Jeannie, beautiful couple, inside and out...

Henry and his feather

Cole is pumped for marshmallows!

How's that fire look, boys?

A Summer Night at Butch's

2009-08-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a cute photo of the boys... Gotta love Butch's in Downtown Holland! A great "grown-up" menu and the kids menu items are free! Too bad Arie's palette is becoming increasingly sophisticates as he like to order the sashimi tuna! Oh well, the other two ate free and the chef even made pasta for Willem though it had been taken off the list of options!

We're Goin' to the Zoo Zoo Zoo....

2009-07-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

A great day for John Ball Zoo! Arie, Willem, and Henry with John Ball himself. I am sure there is similar photo of me and my siblings in the Lock archives!

Henry lost his first Tooth!

2009-07-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

Summer in Michigan = Douglas Beach

2009-07-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Willem... always at peace in the sand

Arie is one with the lake...

The Twilight Series is perfect for a summer beach read

My little Henry

laying out with my sister!

My boys..... just love 'em!

Happy 40th Jeff!

2009-06-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Forty is the new 20, right!

Tigers~Cubs at Comerica Park

2009-06-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

It was 95 degrees and sunny, but the boys had a great time!

Happy Birthday and Fathers Day!

Mothers Day at the Nienhuis Abode

2009-05-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day in Holland, MI was a cool, but beautiful! We celebrated the day at the house with a bountiful brunch ad plenty of playtime for the kids. The new trampoline was a big hit! Only a minor injury was had, and of course, always the smallest gets hurt. Nuna nursed her leg for a bit, but was back to her old self in no time! Rebekah gets the award for getting the most air, thanks to Ryan!

We finished the day with a rousing game of Horseshoes and a trip to Captain Sundae! There is always room for ice cream!

It's Butterfly Season!

2009-04-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Spring time in Michigan isn't complete without a trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens, Every spring, the Tropical garden features the Foremost's Butterflies exhibit, and it is always spectacular! Willem wore his most colorful shirt as to attract the most fluttering creatures and they did not disappoint! The kids had a blast!

Holland Christian Band Concert

2009-04-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Arie started playing the French Horn this year and he had his first big Spring Concert! It is pretty cool that Anna, his friend since birth, is playing the Horn as well!

Nehemiah Center

2009-01-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

Jeff is home from his mission trip to Nicaragua. He went with 5 other men from our church not knowing what particular work they would be doing, but knowing they would be welcomed with open arms and everyone would be very thankful they were there. They mainly worked on an existing church, tearing down a wall, building a new one, evening the ground, and pouring a new floor.

The guys did get a chance to relax at night playing euchre, and even got to go zip lining the last day!

They were sent there through the Nehemiah Center, an organization that began in 1999.

The Nehemiah Center is a community of service and learning which trains lay and pastoral leaders in an integral, biblical worldview and encourages local, national and international collaboration for a Christ-centered, transformational development of communities and nations

"Motivated by God's love, Nicaraguans and North Americans work together to transform Nicaragua"

http://www.nehemiahcenter.net/

In Memory of Oma on her Birthday

2008-12-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of Oma....She looks so beautiful!

I miss you, but I know you are happy up there with the Lord and you get to spend every day with Opa with no illnesses or sadness...

Happy Birthday!

Sinterklaas visited the Nienhuis Boys!

2008-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Arie, Willem and Henry must have been good boys this year! St. Nick and his white horse along with his Zwart Piet helpers filled their wooden shoes with goodies instead of Straw.

Last night, the boys places their shoes by the door and waited with anticipation and hoped to awaken to treats and trinkets beside the shoes.

Thank you, St. Nick!

Picking out the Christmas Tree at Teusinks Farm!

2008-12-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

As in years past, we

headed to Teusinks Farm to pick out our Christmas Tree! The snow was falling and there were plenty of great trees to choose from.

After we choose the perfect tree, we headed to the Warming Hut for Hot Chocolate and Donuts before we headed off on a hayride around the beautiful farm.

on the hayride around the farm

We had a great day and I am looking forward to a wonderful Christmas with the boys around our beautifully decorated tree!

http://www.teusinksponyfarm.com/

We Gather Together

2008-11-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our family close by and far away.

Love, the Nienhuis'

Now, back to my Chocolate Pecan Pie......yum!

Colonial Punishment

2008-11-24T13:16:00.001-08:00

Arie and the grade 5 classes have been studying the Colonial Days and today they showcased their projects they have been working on. He focused on Colonial Punishment and as his project he built a Pillory with a little help from Jeff!

Good job, Arie!

Now I have something to use when the boys misbehave!

Happy Birthday Willem and Henry......Happy Birthday to you!

2008-11-24T04:19:00.001-08:00

Aunt Bekah shot a little video of the family singing birthday wishes to Henry & Will, and I thought it was too cute not to put on here!

Enjoy!

Bowling for Birthdays!

2008-11-23T13:51:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Henry and Willem!

Henry turned 5 on the 20th of November and Will is going to be 8 (gasp!) on the 6th of December, so we celebrated with the family at Lakeview Lanes in Douglas!

Fun was had, grown-ups and children alike, as we bowled, ate pizza and gobbled up cupcakes with mini bowling balls adorning the frosting!

Even Nuna and Izzy got in the fun at their first experience at the lanes!

Thanks, family, for coming out to share in the fun and celebrate another fun year with out awesome little guys! Our kids had so much fun playing with their cousins Drew, Sam, Nuna, and Izzy!

Henry and Will, we love you! Hope you enjoyed your special day!

Frosty!!!

2008-11-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

A couple pictures of Arie, Willem, & Henry in the backyard having a snowball fight and of our brilliant snowman!

We actually took these at last years first snowfall, but the latest weather we have been having brought back these memories so I thought I'd post a few pics from this fun day!

Winter Wonderland!

2008-11-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

It is so beautiful here in Michigan on our first snowy day of the season! I am sitting in the warm house drinking Constant Comment tea watching the snowflakes fall and drape the trees and ground with a beautiful blanket of snow!

Amazing!

Halloween!

2008-11-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a blast as usual!
Arie was Zorro, Willem dressed as Indiana Jones, and Henry was a spooky Boney Pirate! Fun was had by all as we went to Bosgraafs for trick-or-treating. The guys walked with the children as we ladies stayed warm sipping Pinot while passing out the goodies!

The following day, we headed to the Sinclair Annual Halloween Bash! Fun was had by all! We even one the Best Dressed Parents award!

Robinettes Apple Haus!

2008-10-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, Robinettes!

Since childhood, this little Apple Haus has captured my idea of a perfect Fall Day! Now I get to experience this wonderful memory with my children. The apples are delicious, (Honey Crisp, oh my!), the cider is warm, and the donuts are amazing!

Last year, we even used a photo of the Boys on the apple wagon for our Christmas Card, if you remember!

This particular day, we drove in to celebrate little Karuna's 2nd Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Nuna! We love you!

Family Photo Time!

2008-09-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Yeah!!!!

We finally had family pictures done!

Christy Pacanowski was our photographer and she did an amazing job! The boys were a bit on the wild side, but she managed to capture some great moments!

Thanks, Christy!

http://www.clpphotography.com/

First Day of School!

2008-09-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Backpacks are packed, school supplies purchased, lunches are made, and we are off!

Oh man, am I happy to be back to a normal routine! The boys are as well....they were anticipating the first day of school for awhile. We are blessed once again with wonderful teachers at Holland Christian, and Henry is very excited to begin Young 5's!

Pray for another wonderful school year for our three boys!

Spectacular Spoelhof Wedding Day!

2008-09-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

As promised, more snapshots from the Spoelhof Wedding!

It was, simply stated, perfect!

Rebekah was beaming and Ryan looked so proud to show off his new Bride! Everything went as planned, and we all spent the day celebrating the union off these two special people!

Henry and Isabella were adorable as ringbearer and flower girl, and I loved my position as Maid of Honor!

CONGRATS again, Ryan and Rebekah!

Congratulations Ryan & Rebekah Spoelhof!

2008-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect, the chapel was beautiful, the bride was breathtaking....it was a day to go down in history!

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness you guys!

Love, Myka

(ps. more photos to come after I unwind from such a fun day!)

Lazy Cottage Days

2008-08-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Summer isn't summer unless we have been to the cottage up in Greenville, MI. Whether on the sea-doo with Jeff, tooling around on the pontoon boat with Grandma and Grandpa, or making s'mores by the fire, the boys were always having a grand time!

We even got the tube out once or twice to stay cool on steamy hot days!

Arie is 10!

2008-08-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Wild Chef for Arie's 10th Birthday!

He really wanted to go there and it was a blast! We had a pretty lively chef who wowed the boys with his "Japanese egg roll" and onion volcano! The food was amazing as well!

Happy Birthday, Arie!

We love you!

The Nienhuis Family

2008-08-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of pictures of us at a Restaurant in Jupiter, FL. while on Spring Break. It seems we can never get a photo of the whole family in one shot!

Here we are at the Cheescake Factory.

Congratulations Ian & Alyssa Lock!

2008-08-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

Weddings, Weddings, Everywhere!

2008-08-01T05:17:00.001-07:00

August 2008 is full of love as we look forward to celebrating the marriages of Ian and Alyssa & Rebekah and Ryan!

We had tons of fun at Mangiamo's for Ian & Alyssa's rehearsal dinner. It was a gorgeous August evening despite all the bugs! We were also blessed with having the Lock Family all the way from Switzerland to help celebrate the day! Hope to go to their side of the globe someday and visit them!

Soory about the small pictures! If I can figure out how to make them bigger, I will fix it!

DaniCalifornia!

2008-07-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Henry wants to be rockstar when he grows up and he LOVES the Red Hot Chili Peppers!

He and the boys were over-joyed when we meant the lead singer Anthony Keidis at The Kirby Grill in Grand Haven!

Chicago with the Boys!

2008-02-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

Instead of heading to Chicago by by ourselves, Jeff and I took the boys along for Winter Break.

Among other things, we headed to the Field Museum, the Lego Store (a huge hit), and P.F. Chang's for lunch! Henry loved the calamari and Arie loved all the sauces to go with his dish. The spicier the better!

We learned all about SU at the Museum and even saw her enormous skull!

We all had a blast on an unusually warm day looking up all the tall buildings and just enjoying the wonderful city of Chicago!