The Year in Review: 2007

I don't know if I can give a complete and accurate account of all we did in 2007. It seems like my short-term memory is getting shorter every year! Highlights were:

-Cory turned 9 in February

-Spring Break with the Wagner's & Bilby's in Iowa.

-Reading "The Tale of Desperaux" out loud for 2 hours on the way home from Iowa 'cuz the radio died.

-Cory's double-play the last game of baseball season.

-Emma's dance recital

-Denise & Eric's 10th Wedding anniversary in September.....and our week-end getaway to "The Shack" in Jugville, MI.

-Denise going to the MOPS convention in Orlando.

-Cory FINALLY getting to play center in football....and the picture of him with all the Rocket cheerleaders!

-Emma turned 8 in September.

-Cory starting 4th grade and Emma starting 3rd grade.

-Becoming "official" members of Searchlight Minstries.

-Moo getting trapped in the ice storm a few weeks ago. He came back totally encased in ice!

-Visiting Nana and Papa at the cabin this summer

-Going to Uncle Rich and Aunt Laurie's cabin on Lake Michigan and battling the killer waves.

-Both kids coming down with stomach flu the day before we were supposed to go camping at Mackinac. (We didn't go!)

-Denise and Eric performing in a number of skits as part of Searchlight's drama ministry team.

-Going to the Newsboys concert with Steve and Kara!

-Emma and Denise going to the Hannah Montana concert (I am so thankful that I did not have to go!)

-Eric auditioning for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" at Civic Theatre and bumping into my old pal Scott Mellema!

-The Aluminum Overcast (see earlier post from August)

-Eric celebrating 18 years at GFS.

Well, that's it. My memory bank is officially depleted.

We hope everybody has a safe and blessed holiday!!

Love,

Eric, Denise, Cory & Emma

Christmas Program

The kids were in the church Christmas program on Sunday night. Cory was a shepherd and Emma was in the angel chorus. Both had one line to speak and did very well. The show came dangerously close to being "The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever, Part II", but was very entertaining!

Eric and Denise's Christmas Photo

Here is a picture of me and Denise from the GFS annual meeting. Denise is looking gooooood!!

I don't think I'll wear the vest/shirt/tie combo next year. I was mistaken for a valet parking attendant and a bellhop at various times through out the evening.

Emma the Salesgirl

Here is a picture of Emma in her Girl Scout vest prior to embarking on her sales route. She is hawking, I mean selling, Girl Scout product for their fall fundraiser. They are trying to raise money for a "Night at the Museum" field trip. The girls earn $1 for every item sold. Emma's goal is to sell 75 items. She has sold 60 so far and has until Wednesday to meet her goal. In other words, I'll be buying about 10 cans of Cranberry-Nut trail mix. Yum!!

MOPS Hayride

Denise's MOPS group and their families got together last weekend for a hayride and bonfire. We had lots of food, fellowship and fun. The kids had fun playing with their friends and bouncing on the trampoline.

I had fun eating, Did I mention there was a lot of food?

Football Frenzy

Cory had a pretty good football season. The team finished 3-2, and tied in the playoffs for third place! Cory mostly played guard and tackle but got to play center in the play-off game. (Ask him about his long snap to the kicker!!) Here is a photo of our hero and a few of his fans after their 29-6 victory over the red team! Mom, Dad and Emma are lurking in the background!

Last Year at this time.....

Just for reference, here is last year's first day of school photo!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Johnny Mathis had it wrong. It ain't Christmas, it's the first day of school! Here are the kids upon return from their first day of school. Don't they look happy? Both kids love their new teachers and think this is the best year of school ever! Of course, they've only had four days of class and no homework yet! Let's see how they feel in about six weeks!

Why God gave us kids

"Let it be known that the torch has been passed to a new generation of lawn mowers!" Yes, the most important event in the father/son relationship has arrived: passing on lawn mowing duties! Actually, Cory is still in training but did very well for his first time. Next summer, the job is all his. And he hopes to sell his services to the neighbors to make some extra money. But, most importantly, I don't have to mow anymore! Yee-Haw!!!

New Family Photo

Here is our most recent family picture! It was taken at John Ball Park Zoo at GFS's family picnic. Doesn't Emma look thrilled?

Aluminum Overcast

On August 4, the Aluminum Overcast arrived in GR. She is a vintage WWII B-17 bomber. For $10, your family can walk thru the ship. For $400 PER PERSON, you can take a 15 minute flight! We opted for the tour. It may have been the best ten bucks we ever spent. It was a great learning experience. Everything is hands on, except the cockpit. Fortunately, the machine guns were not operational or Cory would have blasted away everyone one the tarmac. Check their wbesite to see if they are coming to an airfield near you!

Blandford Nature Center

Since the Outdoor Discovery Center trip was so successful, we packed up & headed to Blandford Nature Center the next weekend! The kids brought a few friends along: Allison, Kayla and Cory's fellow Jedi, Brandon. There are many types of wildlife and plant life to see, including the extremely rare "fatandlazius daddysaurus"! Check out Cory's cool walking stick! Our friend John Crans from church made it and gave it to Cory!

Outdoor Discovery Center

We took the rugrats to the Outdoor Discovery Center a few weeks ago. They had both been there before on school field trips. It is a rescue center for wounded animals. It also features a swamp, a bog and a prairie. It is entirely funded by donations and staffed by volunteers. High school aged kids can do summer internships also. If you are ever down in the Holland area, check it out. I have the kids convinced that the falcon in the photo above is Frightful from "My Side of the Mountain"!

Memorial Day Parade

The whole family walked in the Memorial Day parade this year. Searchlight Ministries had an ice cream cart and a bunch of us walked with it handing out tracts. Cory and Emma saw lots of their friend in the crowd. Every couple feet, somebody was calling out their names! They thought that was way too cool! After the parade, our church had a flea market and hot dog roast. Denise & I cooked and served the hot dogs and chips. On the Friday before Memorial Day, we set the tent up in the backyard. The kids had a sleep-over with a bunch of their friends. Of course, the heavens opened at 5:30am and unleashed thunder, lightning & torrential rains! They kids were back inside and wide awake. So were we. That may have been our last camp out for a while!

Emma's Dance Recital

Kathy's Dance Company put on a very exciting recital this year. Emma's class danced to "The Best Years of Our Lives" from Shrek. You could notice some major improvement over last year. Emma is much more confident and did a fa-a-abulous job! She looked straight a head and smiled at the audience during the whole routine. No looking at her feet or her neighbors like last year. AND her best friend Mallory was in her class this year too!

Baseball!

Cory had a great little league season this year! He played for DJ's Pizza. They had a great team and took 2nd place overall in their age bracket. They even won their playoff game 16 - 1!. Cory played a number of positions this year including left, right & center field and second base. He wasn't too keen on playing outfield but we encouraged him to learn those positions as best as he can. After watching a few Tigers games on TV and a live Whitecaps game, he realized that most of the action is in the outfield. I assured him that as they get older and learn to hit farther, outfield will be the place to be! Cory also got 4 hits & 2 RBIs this season. (Cory says player pitch is a lot harder than pitching machine!)WAY TO GO CORY & DJ'S!!

Frederick Meijer Gardens Trip

Emma's class visited Frederick Meijer Gardens this spring. They learned about simple machines and had a great time. It was really hot! Emma had to pull her hair up after about an hour!

I included a picture of Davinci's Horse just cuz' its so darn cool!

King of the Wild Frontier

One of Cory's major assignments in his English class was to research a historical person and write a report on him or her. They also had to present to the class "in character" as the person they wrote about. Cory chose Davy Crockett. He read a book about him in class and looked up some info on the internet. To get him in character, we rented the old Disney Davy Crockett series on DVD. I wanted him to sing the theme song and speak with a southern drawl, but Cory declined my counsel. He didn't need it because he got the highest marks possible in all categories except props.

Next time you see Cory, ask him what he knows about Davy Crockett!

More Art Show!!

As promised, here is Cory's contribution to the Jamestown Art Fair! He calls it "Blazing Sun."

Jamestown Art Fair

Check out Emma's contribution to the art fair!

I'm not sure what her "influences" are, but her art class has been studying Frida Kahlo lately! (Emma likes her because she has one eyebrow. She thinks that's hilarious!) Looks more like an early O'Keefe to me, but what do I know! I asked Emma what the name of her piece is, but she couldn't remember. I call it Pink Bag O' Love!

2007 Baseball Schedule

Here is Cory's baseball game schedule for the 2007 season:

Tues May 1, 6:30 pm
Sat May 5, 1:00 pm
Weds May 9, 6:30 pm
Sat May 12, 1:00 pm
Tues May 15, 6:30 pm
Thur May 17, 6:30 pm
Sat May 19, 9:00 am
Thur May 31, 6:30 pm
Sat June 2, 1:00 pm
Tues June 5, 6:30 pm

Woo-hoo, only 1 9AM game! Cory's team played their first game last Wednesday and won 10-0! We hope to see you at a game or 2. Call me for directions as they are playing at a few different fields this year. Also, Emma's dance recital is on Sat, June 2. Hopefully, we'll be able to host another "grandparents day" at our house and be able to attend both events with all 4 sets of grand-folk!

2007 Eagle's Hoops Season

Way back in December 2006, Cory played basketball with the Hudsonville Eagles Hoops league. I just found these pix on one of our extra memory sticks (thanks Grandpa Wags!) so I thought they should get posted! His team only won one game, but Cory really enjoyed playing. In fact, he says he liked it more than football!

Check out all the photos at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Millhoupt/Basketball?authkey=VYbzgLiEAFQ

Road Trip to Saugatuck

It was sunny and 80 degrees today so we took an impromptu trip to Saugatuck after church. During today's service, the youth group re-enacted John 21, including serving the entire conrgegation fish & loaves of bread!! Since we gorged ourselves on this delicious snack, we skipped lunch and headed straight to the beach after church. For those of you unfamiliar with Saugatuck, it is a fun little resort town on Lake Michigan, 20 miles SW of Grand Rapids. There are many fun little trinket shops, art galleries, bed & breakfasts & countless retaurants. There is also about a mile of boardwalk to walk right on the shoreline. It was beautiful! We browsed the shops, had a yummy lunch at the Mermaid Inn and soaked up the rays while sauntering along the boardwalk. The kids had a blast & we are planning an overnight trip for this summer. Unfortunately, our trip was so spur-of-the-moment, that we did not charge the camera. We took these three pix and then the battery died!

Award-winning Kids!!

Cory and Emma had a very rewarding month! Cory's Cadet Troop had their annual Pinewood Derby race. Cory took second place for his age group! 28 cadets entered the race and only Cory's buddy Derek Lubbers had a better over-all time!

Emma was the recipient of the Jamestown Elementary Citizenship Award. Every month the school focuses on a different character trait, like trustworthiness. March was "Compassion" month. You may not be able to read the words on the certificate, but it states: "This honor is bestowed to Emma Millhoupt in recognition of exemplary behavior and valuable services rendered to students and staff".

Way to go Cory & Emma! We are very proud of you!!

Christmas 2006

Sorry all for the delayed post but it has been a very busy year-end! I promise to write more later. But for now, check out family Christmas party photos and church Christmas program photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Millhoupt/Christmas2006?authkey=ha6tyQXSEBc