Bakker Family

Don Pedro!

2011-12-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

These two are cute together!

This summer us and some friends decided to go to Don Pedro Lake. Joseph loves this lake and weve gone there a few times with his cousins. So when we booked the campsites for June. Who would of thought it would rain!! It was still a great family trip but our last day it rained so bad Vandyks boat had a good inch or two inside it. That was our Que to leave! Theres always next year:)

One Year Behind!

2011-11-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Kids and Dirt!!!!!

We'll after not blogging for almost a year, I'm finally back doing it. Life just gets busy and a big part was our Internet service. It took forever to download which can be a nightmare when you have kids! So you'll be seeing old pics until I catch up:) These pics are of this summer in the garden. The kids loved helping me and of course getting dirty. Our garden was way to big, but it was our first time and when the plants are little and in cute rows it doesn't look like a ton of work. I just couldn't keep up in the picking department. We had so many jalapenos and peppers(6 diff. types) that stuffed jalapenos were our "thing" this summer! Next year I'm definitely down sizing:)

2011-03-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

It was the kidos first time at the snow. It was beautiful up at Shaver. They really had a blast sliding down the trails. I didn't know what to expect from Brody, but he loved it. He walked around, sat and played with the snow and also ate it.

2011-01-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

Santa came and visited the Bakker Christmas this year. I asked my dad to do it and of course he did a great job! We were laughing pretty hard when Santa had a dutch accent. Santa passed out a little gift to the kids and some adults sat on his lap too!! Max of course knew right away it was Opa and we thought we fouled Joey, but after everyone left she said Santa was Opa because she saw his black ring. It was so cute. Next year I guess Santa needs gloves!

Joeys Riding Too!

2011-01-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Its the cutest thing to see Joey put her cute girlie riding gear on and hop on a dirt bike Max's size with training wheels. She loves it!

2010 Christmas tree!

2011-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

For some crazy reason, every year I look forward to getting our tree. Its most of the time Savemart parking lot, but I love having the kids help and the excitement of Christmas. Maybe its because I never grew up with a real tree, so the thought of a nice real tree warms my heart!

Christmas Pictures 2010!

2010-12-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

These are some of the kids Christmas photos that we took this year. They grow up so fast!!

Alvin and the Chipmunks

2010-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Joey definitely can pull off Alvin. I asked if she wanted to be a princess or something else and it was a NO! Just Alvin

Max wanted to be Simon because hes the tallest, but after making their costumes he was realizing it was kindof like a dress and couldn't go on the trampoline to well and didn't want to be him for the next party.

I love costumes that are themed. Joseph was David Seville. I made there costumes 2 nights before and luckily for thrift store turtlenecks! The picture on top is at Rhonda's house with all our friends kiddos. Max didn't want to be Simon again so hes a ninja in the picture-lol. Of course the best part for the kids was walking around the neighborhood getting Candy!

My Big Boy!!

2010-11-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

While Joseph and I were in Reno, the Hamar girls were so sweet and took pictures of the kidos. These pictures of Brody makes me realize how much of a big boy hes becoming. This age is the cutest! Hes talking, or at least trying. My favorite words are more, i want that, stop it(to Joey) and of course mommy as long as its not too much in one day.

1st Tooth gone!

2010-10-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

All these firsts for Max. He woke up the other day saying his tooth was loose, and at dinner he started to eat and suddenly pulled his tooth out! We told him the tooth fairy would come while he was sleeping, he looked at us and said no mom you'll put money under my pillow. I asked him where he heard that and explained that the tooth fairy is real. Hes still little:)

Max's 1st day of kindergarden!

2010-10-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look so excited-lol. The first week was a adjustment for him, and me. He would get sad in the morning and not want to get out of bed, but thankfully it has been so much easier. He loves riding the bus and I'm so glad because that would be alot of driving everyday. His buddy Tanner rides and that helps. He sits in the front row and has received a certificate for best rider of the week-so cute:) He's away from me and that's sad, but I love his teacher and glad shes with him when I'm not.

Tortilla Hats!!

2010-09-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

After our taco dinner the other night the kids decided to use the leftover tortillas as hats.
I was laughing pretty hard especially when they would look down and it would fall off. that's why Max's is so torn up.

A relaxing get away, 15min away!

2010-09-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Like Father, like son Max is totally into flipping! He saw Joseph do it and of course he had to too! He trys flips on anything which gets me worried, but he loves it.

The Race!!!

2010-08-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

Max thought the trophy was the best part
Matt and Matthew and Joseph and Max- Very Proud Daddy's!!!

I loved the look on Max's face as he was starring at the bar, hoping it would go down-so cute!

Matthew did great for his first time, he was battling it out with another racer!

THE CHECKERED FLAG!!

Thought the paperwork was so cute:)

We were not knowing what to expect when we mentioned a race in Hanford to Max. Since hes on the timid side we were shocked when that's all he would talk about for 2 days. So we decided to take him, still thinking there's no way he will. We'll to our surprise he did it. He fell during practice so he wasn't wanting to go again. Some guy could of course tell it was his first time there and prob. the youngest, so he offered him a free shirt if he keeps his head up and keeps going. That got him excited so he did 2 more races. He wasn't fast, but he did it!!! We were very proud of him!

Friends!!

2010-08-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Lauren, Joey and Kamber
Max, Clay, Cole and Tanner

Joshua and Max

JP-7, Max-5, Joshua-5, Joey-3, Capri-3, Jerrick-2 and Brody-1

Over the summer we really enjoyed the pool by having kids over through out the hot days

Morro Bay!!

2010-08-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

We had such a great vacation to Morro Bay. We took the toy hauler and stayed at the Morro Bay State Park. The back opens so its so nice to sit on the couch and watch the kids ride bike. My parents went to so that's so nice for me because they love going in their trailer and hanging out with them-lucky parents-lol. My sister meet us up there for a night and we all went to the beach. The kids love climbing the rocks and by the picture so did Brody. The last picture is the new way Joey sleeps in the car. They both crashed 10 min after we left the park:)

Back in the day

2010-08-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

Instead of the microwave popcorn my kids love the old school popcorn machine. They all stare at it with excitement as each kernel pops! I don't think it taste as good, but they seem to love it. Its almost become a nightly event.

Summer Cleaning!

2010-08-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just love it when the kids are excited to help out. I can ask for help with cleaning inside the house and it lasts maybe 2 min and then they have suddenly disappeared, but boy when you need stuff done outside no matter what it is their happy and willing.

Happy Fathers Day!!

2010-07-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

For Fathers Day we went to my sister, Diana's house. The kids had so much fun swimming and eating and just spending time with family. My nephew, Everet took Joseph on a ride..Buckle up!!

Max's 5th birthday!

2010-05-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

My oldest is now 5! Boy does time fly. Everyday you feel like your flying, doing this and that and before you know it, he's talking about kindergarten and now hes not wanting kisses in public. He still gets teary eyed when I leave him at school, but only will lean in for a hug, no kiss:( So now I hold him down and give him tons of kisses and he may act like he doesn't like it, but I know he does. The big smile gives it away!We had his preschool party and had a sports pinata. The kids had a great time hitting something as hard as they could!

Go Padres!

2010-04-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing is as cute as little kids in baseball uniforms! Max and his cousin Jacob are both in the Cal Ripken league. Joseph is one of the assistant coaches, which Max loves. He's done great this year, he actually runs after the ball:) His favorite part of the games is batting, just like all the kids. Its fun on Saturdays to go as a family and watch him! GO PADRES!

2 Birthdays!!

2010-04-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

The kids birthday was so much fun!! I was kind of worried about combining there birthdays at first, but actually it was easy and fun. We had a big grass area where the kids could run around and it wasn't by the pond so I didn't have to worry about that. It was by a nice swing set and we had a bounce house, bikes and we blew up 25 beach balls which were a hit. We played volleyball and didn't leave until closing. Brody didn't have a nap the entire time and was in the best mood. I was very thankful for that!

Finally Blogging again!!!

2010-03-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

Brody LOVES playing in the dirt!

Poor Joey didn't get the right color lolli-pop she wanted!!

Max and Brody relaxing on the sofa

I finally bought a new camera and still getting use to it. These are just some random pictures of the kidos. The weather has been so great outside we've been outside a few hours a day. It just seems that lately my household has been crazy!!! When I'm outside I forget about dishes and laundry, but as soon as I walk in, I feel overloaded. One moment I'm looking at my kids and thinking how sweet and cute they are, then in seconds I'm pulling my hair out as there fighting and screaming! As I'm blogging I'm looking at these pictures and smiling once again thinking how cute they are but their also quiet and sleeping right now-lol

2010-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

I was in total shock when we came home from the desert on Valentines Day! I've learned after being together for 10 years, that when your dating you receive to many flowers(no such thing as too many-lol)and when your married there all of a sudden a waste of money! Its amazing how a bouquet of flowers can brighten a day. It was a beautiful surprise!!!

Leslie Taylor did my Christmas cards and she also did my flowers! Looks like I'm set in these two categories!! This is a camera phone picture because my cameras broke. Should have it back this week...I hope!!!

Wii

2010-01-31T00:30:00.000-08:00

Max and the two Joshua's

I thought this was a funny picture of three, four year old eyes addicted to the wii!!

Welcome 2010!!!

2010-01-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

A perfect site! We had a cul-da-sac lot and the kids loved riding there bikes

The polar bear plunge happens ever New Year in Caucus! Josephs in the red shorts-lol!!

Most people were in, then out within seconds. The real troopers swam all the way around the pier. We cheered them on!

The kids LOVED just being outside by the fire at night

Writing Max Bakker in the sand

It was really high tide the day before, so the sand was perfect for making sand castles!

This was the best and most relaxing vacation we have ever had! The days weren't all crazy filled with to many things and places to go. It was about the kids and wanting them to have the most fun. That would be going to the beach and simply riding bikes EVERYWHERE! We stayed at Morro Bay Dunes R.V. We called the night before and got in! I was excited! Being there reminded me of Mr. Verkaik. As I would sit in front of the trailer, I would think of how much fun my parents and the Verkaiks had going camping. Making sure that we enjoy every moment of camping and life so we can make great memories with family and with friends!

Christmas Presents

2009-12-29T00:40:00.000-08:00

Max and Joey with their cousin, Elyse!
Max loved his new bike helmet. he'll look so cool

A princess dress for my princess!

Uncle George helping Brody with his present

Santa!!!

2009-12-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

Santa was a big hit this year....with Joey. As you can see Max is not to into it. He kept asking if it was the real Santa. Joey on the other hand didn't even notice Santa's beard coming off or that it was cousin, Dana. She kept saying"Santa we made you cookies" and when he asked what she wanted for Christmas it was "I want a Kai-lan doll". It was so cute to see her face light up, it was memories we'll have for a life time!

Like mother, like daughter!!

2009-12-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Pictures!

2009-12-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Leslie Taylor took our Christmas pictures and I love them! She did a really good job! Shes just starting to do it on the side so if anyone wants them done or prices call her 331-1287. She very reasonable and she touches them up and gives you CD, all for one price.

Dirt-Bike

2009-12-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

Boy, was it hard to capture Max's tire in the air. My camera has a delay so it had to be timed perfectly!! He wanted to make sure I had a picture of him somewhat in the air! Joseph made some dirt ramps for Max and the kids to jump. Max loves it. This is just one of the reasons why I love living in the country. And yes Joey is wearing her swimming tube!

The Christmas Parade!

2009-12-11T13:58:00.001-08:00

The Christmas parade is a huge hit with the kids. They love the floats and all the lights. It's a great way to welcome the Christmas season! Except for that semi that honks to loud and to often!!!

Desert trip!

2009-11-23T22:12:00.001-08:00

These 3 boys are so cute riding there bikes-Cole, Max and Tanner!!

Daddy and Max went riding together. Max loved following him!!

All the kidos-Kamber, Joey, Cole, Max, Tanner and Lauren. Getting ready to eat Kelly VanDyk's birthday cake. She turned 28!! She wishes!!

early mornings outside with our breakfast burritos

Daddy and Joey. She loved her little rides with dad!

One Stitch!!!

2009-11-23T22:07:00.001-08:00

Poor Joey! She slipped on a skateboard and fell. She had to get one stitch put in. She did pretty good except for the 2 needles to numb her lip so they could stitch it. I think that hurt worse than the fall!!

Brody's 1st Halloween

2009-11-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Brody was a race car driver!! He was nice and warm!!
Here are the kids right before we were going to get candy at the Whittens. Max was iron-man and hes holding Brody in the picture and Joey was spider-man!!

Joey and Tanner!!

Carving our pumpkins. We did one happy pumpkin and one scary!

Went to the pumpkin patch. They loved the lawn mower ride.

Preschool at home!

2009-10-28T08:37:00.001-07:00

We had Max's cousin over the other day with the neighbor kids cousins to0. It was like a miniature preschool. There jungle gym was a old fuel tank that was probably to rusty to play on and they all had tractor time. They planted flowers with Josephs drill, which I'm now banned from:)
Joseph put up a tent that was a huge hit!! It was fun having so many kids around. They had a very fun day!

Waking up happy!!!!

2009-10-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Its the best feeling when you walk into your kids room and there none stop smiling when they wake up! Just hearing the door open Brody's legs are kicking and he gets all wild. My favorite is in the morning. Holding them when there nice and warm and cuddly. I LOVE IT!!

Fun in the mud!

2009-10-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for rubber boots!! The kids had so much fun after that little bit of rain, running through the puddles and throwing rocks to get a big Splash!

Opa's surprise 70th Birthday!!

2009-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Opa's 70th b-day party was alot of fun. It was a luau theme with Hawaiian music and great food. Seeing people over 65 doing the hula-hoop was pure laughter!! We skipped the limbo because everyone had some type of injury! We hoped it was a surprise. The day before my mom came over to make food and who do you think scooters over to say hi...OPA! I told him it was for Grandpa Bakker and hopefully he fell for it. It's Davids b-day, our 6th year anniversary and then my dad's b-day. It was a very, very busy weekend. Lots of friends from Visalia and Escondido, it was a great turnout!

Tulare Fair

2009-09-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Max and Joeys buddy Tanner,were all running around having fun!!!

Poor Brody was exhausted

Joey fishing and catching a duck!

What a fun Daddy!!!!!!

The kids had a great time at the fair this year. They loved playing the games and riding the rides! By the pictures we look very happy, but boy was it alot of work! Brody wasnt very happy and screamed off and on. I was exhausted and sweaty, a very bad combo. Even though it was crazy I'm sure next year we will forget and go again! Its all about the kidos!!

BRODSTER!!!

2009-09-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the cutest picture! We went to the midget races and thank goodness my girlfriend had this "pink" headset that is usually for her daughter. "Thank-you Jenna!"

Max's 1st day of preschool

2009-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

To my surprise no tears where shed as we dropped Max off for his first day. Miss Monica is his teacher and she knows Max, which made it easier. He's been getting a little teary eyed the last couple of days when I drop him off, but when I pick him up he's so happy and can't stop talking about the fun things he's been doing. He comes home and always wants to write his letters. My mom babysat him the other day and he had to bring his paper and write letters for her too! I hope he's always this excited to learn!

Cake fight!!

2009-08-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

My kids love baking cakes. They love cracking the eggs, stirring the batter and licking everything!! After these pictures no one will ever want to come over for cake.

I asked Max to smell the cake mix and I couldn't resist!!! Not wanting to be a mean mommy, I let him get me back. He thought it was hilarious!

A dirty kitchen to clean- 1 hour . A cake fight filled with laughter with my kids-memories that will last for a lifetime!!!!

Brody is almost 20 pounds!

2009-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor last week for a checkup and Brody is 19lbs.4oz. He's slimming down and getting longer. He is such a happy baby and so easy! He's always sucking on his thumb or hand so I'm sure a tooth should be coming up soon. He's noticing when I leave the room and come back. It's the best feeling to be wanted so much! I love him!!!!!!!!

Joey growing up!

2009-08-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

She may want to do nails or make-up!!!

This was Joeys month of being a girly, girl. These are just a few of the pictures I took of her making herself pretty. The top picture is her 1st updo. I know you can't see the updo, but my camera was full so it's all I got! She looked so pretty and grown up. I can't wait for her hair to get thicker, I'm going to have a blast as long as she sits still! Then on another day I painted her nails a pretty pink. She then got ahold of my nail polishes, obviously the lid was not on tight enough and comes to me with dark purple on her feet and smiling. I had to laugh once I checked the carpet for stains! I also have to now put my make-up away in a higher cupboard, she'll use a chair if she has to. She got ahold of my lipstick! She said "mommy, me pretty!" I had to agree!!

Max wanting to be just like Daddy!

2009-08-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

This last month has been crazy. I haven't blogged since the forth of July. Max right now is wanting to be like Daddy! Its so cute, but can be annoying. He just started wanting to match Daddy and wear the same color clothes and spike his hair up. The other day he was upset at me for about 1 hour because his hair in the back wasn't "spikie like Daddy's." We just got him to except that God gave him and daddy different hair colors and I can't dye it and make it black like dad's. Joseph's been irrigating this year so we decided to plant some sweet corn by the house and Max's loves to dig and water it like dad! They also have been going to the Rawhide games together. It's cheap entertainment and not only does Max love it, we go once in awhile as a family too. Friday night is the little fireworks show and Max got a ball the last time they went. It made his night. He loves spending time with Joseph!

2009-07-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

Joey is officially scared of slides. I wish my camera could of captured her face on the way down. Big Brown Eyes!

Thank goodness I had Lauren VanDyk helping me with Brody! Who invented whistling pete's anyway? Not my kids favorite!

Max and his buddy Tanner loving the sparklers!!!

We had a fun night on the 4th. The next day I realized that not once did I think about our troops and all the men and women who died for our freedom. With the great food, fun fireworks and the business of being a mom sometimes you forget to take time to think about our country. I realized that not only on the 4th I should think about it, but anyday would be a good day to thank God for the land we live on!

2009-06-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

This is our Honda Hobbit!!! It's alot of fun to ride! The kids aren't big enough to ride it but me and Joseph like it! Max can ride on the back. It takes some muscle. You have to peddle to get the motor going. Joseph's even had to push me a few times. It's just fun to go around the dairy with.

2009-06-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Melissa and Joey, Cassie and Brody!

Max and Gavin loving the slides!
Smile Princess!!!!!!

My niece, Cassie and her friend Melissa from Chicago stayed with us for 5 days in a trailer in front of our house. My kids always wanted to go in it. They woke each morning with"mom, can I go in the trailer?" They were sad the girls left and also the trailer. While they were here we went to the Island park in Fresno, Max loved it! He's a big boy now and went on the kid water slides for the first time. His cousin Gavin was there and that helped! It's not deep in the kid section, so Joey also loved walking around. The next day we went to the DeGroot lake. My kids especially love it there. They played in the sand with their toys and didn't want to leave!

2009-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friends, Leslie bought me this frog bath towel for Brody to keep him warm during his baths. I absolutely love it and so does he. If your baby crys during baths, get this towel, I swear by it! He's so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doesn't Max look adorable in his Mohawk! We had to gel it, blow dry it, and then hairspray it just to get it to stay up. He thought he was so cool! He has some body to his hair, so after he started to sweat, it all came down. We bought some goggles for Max for the pool, but he also likes them in the bath. He was trying to get Joey to look underwater, by saying"It will be O.K. Joey""Just look, it won't hurt""I'll help you Joey" and boy did he. He helped by shoving her under! So we decided to help him "see under water". The look on his face was priceless. I know it sounds mean, but sometimes kids need a taste of their own medicine!

2009-06-02T19:10:00.001-07:00

Well I never thought I would be a "blogger". Never thought I would have time. To my surprise it's very easy and I think I'm addicted! I love being able to capture the memories my family makes and document them. Here are some pictures of the kiddos. I had to put this one up, Joey is trying to cut her own hair. I've cut everyone Else's except hers. Max finished up with baseball and now he is in soccer. Joey's dress has baseballs on it to support her big bro! Brody has gained 6lbs in 7 weeks and is a Brut. He's a great baby! My mom said God knew I couldn't handle another "Joey" so he blessed me with a boy. She's a pistol, but when she says sorry and gives a hug it's precious. Even at the end of the day, when the kids have been acting up I can always sit back and think about how blessed I am. There everything to me!!!

2009-05-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

This was our trip to Cayucos. Brody was only about 3 weeks, so we thought it would be the best time to go because he still sleeps alot. We stayed 3 days and eventhough it was really windy we still had to go to the beach and get dirty in the sand. The kids loved it, we dug holes for them to sit in and they loved watching the hurmit crabs during low tide. We tried shopping in San Luis the last day, but what a disaster. We made it through 3 stores and it was time to go. Three's alot easier at home, than in clothing stores:)

2009-05-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

Max turned the big 4 on May 9! We had a soccer theme, of coarse. This kid loves sports! Thank-goodness his mommy and daddy do too! We had a bounce house with a slide, and it was a hit. We had it for 2 nights for the price of a few hours. Uncle Nathan and Max enjoyed it the most. We of course had a soccer pinata and pony rides. We are boarding 3 horses and a pony for someone and my kids love them. One of his favorite gifts is his Easton bat bag, he takes it to Joseph's baseball games and then we play afterward. Max had a great b-day and still talks about it!

Joeys 2nd b-day

2009-05-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2009 we celebrated Joey's 2nd b-day. It was at my sisters house, Diana. We decided to do a horse theme. The cake was a pasture with horses and the kids party favors were those horses on a stick. Joey loves playing with those.
She says Gide-up and runs, it's adorable. The kids enjoyed petting the horses, chasing the goats, and of course whacking the horse PINATA! Max and Joey look forward to the hitting of the pinata every b-day. She had a blast playing and being the center of attention!

Brody's Birth

2009-05-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to our family, Brody. Not thinking towards the end of my pregnancy, that it could be a boy. We had no name. I didn't have unlimited texting, and I wish I did because the bill for that month was costly, I was texting everyone for suggestions on a name. It did give me something to do at the hospital after visiting hours were over. Finally the next afternoon as we were leaving, we decided Brody. He's been a joy in our life, and I love having another baby in the house. The kids can't get enough of him. Always wanting to kiss him or Joey who always whacks him and then wants to kiss him. I have to watch her 24/7.