July 31, 2010

It has been a very busy and hectic year at the van den Eikhof home. Our house is in various stages of remodel, Jeff became a business owner/partner in a local Civil Engineering and Land Surveying business, and Frances (and Vicki) survived her first year.

In January 2007, we will have lived in Atascadero for 6 years. This is the longest we have ever lived in one location. It has been wonderful to make many good friends and become involved in our community.

Since so many of our friends and family live so far away, Jeff determined to create this website to keep in touch. You will find many pictures in our family gallery, as well as pictures of Jeff's siblings and extended family. The following is a short exerpt of what is happening in each of our lives.

Frances (1) is our little hurricane. We have dubbed her "Hurricane Frances" since she is always into something. At 9 months she started walking. Now she is running from activity to activity. She climbs on anything she can get her leg up on. Recently we found her jumping and dancing on top of the table. We think that she will be the athlete in the family. At 12 months old she already has muscles showing in her calfs, and Aunt Amy commented on her "six pack" abs. We think she will be our tallest girl. She is a very happy and delightful child. She just runs us ragged.

Katherine (4) is a big flirt, and loves to manipulate the men in her life, especially her grandfather, dad, and Uncle Matt. She got a new "Dora the Explorer" bicycle for her birthday and enjoys riding it around our new patio. She loves pretend play, and is obsessed with babies. All of her play revolves around mommies and babies. She is very creative and has started drawing detailed pictures.

Hannah (6) is our family actor. Somehow she inherited, although we are not sure where, a love of being in front of the crowd. She recently sang a solo of "I Am A Child Of God" at church. She walked bravely to the microphone and belted out the song, in her beautiful child's voice. She is a craft-a-holic. If she could, she would spend every free minute creating pictures and crafts. She loves to draw, and wants us to save everything that she creates. She loves school and is the teachers "pet". Unlike at home, she listens attently and does everything that she is asked. She loves doing homework and usually finishes her weeks homework on Monday night. Now if we could just get her to eat something other than pizza and corn dogs!

Wesley (9) is attending the Atascadero Fine Arts Academy. This is a charter school here in Atascadero that is centered around the fine arts. They offer band, dance, drama, art, and various other fine arts. It is very hard to get into this school, and we had to sign Wesley up when he was in kindergarten. The school is approximately 80% female. Luckily, Wesley has lots of experience dealing with his younger sisters. Although Wesley was recently placed on the Honor Roll, he has struggled with the school environment. They have a compressed school schedule, and before noon, they have completed what a regular school finishes in an entire day. The remainder of the day is devoted to the fine arts. He loves cub scouts, and can't wait until his piano "tour of duty" is over.

Vicki stays very busy with 4 children and a house that is being remodeled. Her major goal of "keeping Frances alive during her first year" was a success. This was not an easy task as Frances is so active and there are so many tasty things to sample when you are remodeling (wood, drywall, nails, paint, etc.). After several years, she had to go to Junior level in her "Close to My Heart" business. Unfortunately, being a full-time Mom sometimes takes its toll on the things you like to do. He has been really supportive and patient with Jeff as he slowly works on the house remodel. You can reach Vicki at vicki@vandeneikhof.com. You will receive an e-mail that you must reply to before she gets your messages (Spam filter).

Jeff left the City of Atascadero after nearly 5 years of employment. He determined that the grass was greener in the private sector and is now part owner and Director of Engineering for Geo-West Land Consultants. He is also serving as a Cub Master, and the Past President and current Webmaster of the San Luis Obispo Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is been working on our house remodel for over a year now. Primarily doing the work himself makes for a very long schedule. We went from the 18 month plan to the 5 year plan. The kitchen and pantry are 90% complete, lacking flooring and a backsplash. You can see the model pictures hereYou can reach Jeff at vicki@vandeneikhof.com. You will receive an e-mail that you must reply to before he gets your messages (Spam filter).