stepping out on the water

Oh man this is cold...

2012-02-11T20:39:00.007+01:00

After an unusually mild winter with no snow, the cold has arrived at last! For almost two weeks now our highs have stayed below freezing and did I ever mention that we live directly across from the waterfront? That just makes it plain cold. For the first time here, our kids were both old enough and the cold was cold long enough for us to enjoy skating on the frozen canals. All in all, the last two weekends have been just super fun! I hope these are some of the memories that my kids cherish from their childhood in Holland. I know that these are the memories that I'll cherish from raising them here! In the picture above is the IJburg harbor where we started our route. The harbor has a lock to control water levels into Amsterdam. Below is a dad skating, pulling his kids on a sleigh. You can see the lock behind him.

Skating on the harbor

It was admittedly quite scary at first to just let the kids go out on frozen canals-eek! I never thought about it before but all the snow has to be shoveled off in order to make the ice skate-worthy.

This picture just makes me want to sing "It's two thousand miles I roamed, just to make this dock my home. Now I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away"

I was pretty proud of the kids...they just kept going and going!

Where we ended up, it was a challenge finding a way to get out of the canal and back out onto the street (and not into someone's backyard).

Gooi wat in mijn laarsje!

2011-12-11T15:15:00.009+01:00

Every year Sinterklaas (Saint Klaas) comes from Spain to Holland on his steamboat. Kids go crazy! For three weeks, they set out their shoes at night in hopes that the Zwarte Piet will leave behind a small present or something sweet like Pepernoten (tiny gingerbread cookies). It's a big deal every year to get all dressed up and await the arrival of the Sint. It's a really fun time and this year we returned to Weesp where we formerly lived. We didn't put presents in the kids shoes every night but we surprised them here and there with a chocolate and we went along with the custom of giving them presents on the evening of Dec. 5th (instead of at Christmas.) Enjoy the pictures and the movies at the bottom of the page. In the first movie is a clip from the zwarte piet band/parade (listen for the kids calling "piet!") and secondly is the twins singing a popular sinterklaas liedje.

Our kids & their friends waiting patiently for all the sweets, I mean, to see Sinterklaas.

This is why we will always go back to Weesp to see the Sint come in his Steamboat, gezellig!

Eva "pietje" with her cheeks filled with pepernoten, a tiny gingerbread-like cookie. When these kiddos grow up, I'll miss the cheeks and kisses that smell like pepernoten.

I wonder what in the world these boys are thinking!

A Zwarte Piet

The Sint gets off the boat and rides through the town on his white horse, Amerigo.

I don't think this girl was thrilled about her photo-op.

"Pakjes Avond". This year, we went along with "packages night" on Dec. 5th instead of giving them their presents at Christmas. SO. GLAD. Now Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Piets have returned to Spain and we can completely focus on Christmas! YAY!!!!!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T22:03:00.007+01:00

Every year when Thanksgiving comes around, it brings with it such mixed emotions. Being an american holiday, it comes and goes without any major family gatherings, turkey, sweet potato souffles, football games, Macy's day parade or early bird sales the next morning. Kids will go to school tomorrow, stores will be opened as usual, I have a few appointments will catch up on emails. After J's swim practice we'll have rotisserie chicken for dinner and kids will go to bed. After the kids are asleep, we'll try to catch our families on the phone before they sit down to eat (and before it's time for us to go to bed as well). No friends on the street will wish us 'Happy Thanksgiving'. Our kids have a hard time remembering what the name of the holiday even is. They won't hear the stories or the reason for Thanksgiving at school so we talk about it around the dinner table.

That may sound really depressing and it is a little sad. Here's where the mixed emotions enter. Two weeks ago, we invited a number of neighbors we are acquainted with to join us for a traditional style American meal. On Saturday two of these families plus other friends of ours will come over and we will pull out all the stops. We will eat Turkey that Rob had to special order from the butcher, sweet potato souffle that will make our guests wonder why it does not belong in the dessert category and some strange thing called "stuffing" and green bean casserole. For dessert we'll have melt in your mouth pumpkin pie that I've been dreaming of since last thanksgiving. We'll play games, kids will make indian headdresses and we will have to figure out where everyone will sit in our traditional dutch style house: where the kitchen, eating area and family room are all one. In the future, I look forward to taking our kids to a city about an hour away called Leiden. Leiden was home to the Pilgrims for 12 years before they departed in 1620 to begin to making their journey to the new land. I can't wait to take them to see the museum, experience the history and visit the very church where they worshipped. At some point, they'll learn and understand the story of the pilgrims.

I love all of this, I love remembering what it was like as a kid eating Thanksgiving meals in Aunt Becky's spotless garage (You always find room for Thanksgiving guests, right?!). I love that I get to share this holiday with people who have never celebrated it before. I love making my mom's recipes, I love sharing them with others. I will painfully miss our families from the heart of the south. I will thoroughly enjoy having people in my home from Brazil, Poland, Holland Suriname, Russia and yes, two from North Carolina.

With all the mixed feelings, there are few things that never change. I LOVE this holiday, I love this time that's set aside to remind us to be thankful. I love just being thankful for my family and all that God has given me! That never changes. So, it's with a heartfelt wish that you and your family will also have a wonderful and blessed time tomorrow. With love from Amsterdam, Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Sint Maarten's day videos

2011-11-13T22:01:00.002+01:00

Every November 11th, the children in many parts of The Netherlands pull their coats and mittens on, secure precious homemade lanterns to cheap 50 cent light sticks and head out ready to sing. As the children go door to door, they sing songs for those who open their doors and in response, they receive "snoep" or candy. Our kids were SO excited (understandably!) and having practiced different songs at school, were ready to go! The first video is Jesiah telling us the "real" story of Saint Maarten and the second is of the kids singing with their friends for some candy. You can't see them very well, but it will give you a taste!

"Plucking" Apples!

2011-11-13T21:46:00.005+01:00

Last year we took the kids for the first time to an apples/pear orchard and they've asked all winter, spring and summer if we could go back and pick more apples! It was quite cold but we had a blast and the apples were the best I've tasted in a really long time. Kind of wishing that we could just keep going back in the winter, spring and summer, mmmm... Ah yes, what's not to love about buying a couple of kilos of sweet crisp apples at .80/kilo?

Day #7: MUST. PLAY. OUTSIDE

2011-09-28T21:23:00.004+02:00

We are experiencing absolutely gorgeous weather here in Amsterdam. Somehow the sunshine and warm temperatures that we never experienced this summer decided to show up after all! Seriously, even my hydrangeas are finally deciding to come out and bloom...at the end of September! So, despite the fact that we are all fighting colds, with such beautiful weather, we absolutely can't stay inside. Out we went to one of our favorite playgrounds in Weesp. The kids played till they were completely red and covered in sand and sweat. good times!

Day 6: School with a View

2011-09-28T20:50:00.004+02:00

Day 6: What I get to look at every morning (and afternoon) What is not to love about this view? Every morning when I drop my son off at his school (which is approximately 2 1/2 city blocks from our front door), this is the view from the school grounds. Not bad eh?

Day 5: The Well

2011-09-26T20:34:00.005+02:00

"The Well" is a new thing for us. We have recently started having a simple Sunday night dinner that is followed up by a short time of singing, a Bible reading, and prayer. While "The Well" is hosted by believers in Jesus, the doors are open for anyone who would enjoy coming for a family style dinner and are welcome to stay to sing and pray with us or simply to see what "having church" means.

Rob practicing for worship

Day #4: A traumatic evening

2011-09-24T21:59:00.004+02:00

While I'm posting a picture from my daughter's ballet class this morning, my mind is consumed with how our day ended. This evening as our family walked through a shopping center we found ourselves witnessing a man attacked out of rage right in front of our eyes. He was left for dead. I have never and hope I never experience anything like this again. Finally after a long time, the man gained consciousness and paramedics informed us he would be ok. I'm thankful the man survived, thankful that we decided at the last minute for Rob to walk with me and the kids, and finally that our children did not see any of it (I don't know how?).

For now, I'm praying for peace and rest. I will look one more time at the picture of my baby girl dancing her heart out at ballet this morning and thank God for his protection over us.

Day #3: School Trip

2011-09-24T21:14:00.004+02:00

Went with my son on a school trip to the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam. Jesiah was thrilled because he was in group with me and his three best buddies. Years ago, being responsible for four little Dutch speaking boys on public transportation in Amsterdam might have scared me. Since then I have learned that public transportation is much less intimidating than driving kids into the centrum and secondly I have twins and kids don't scare me. All in all, we had fun!

The hotel has quite history and to understand the symbolism of the chandelier, you'll want to check it out and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Hotel

I'm already looking forward to going back with Rob and trying out their breakfast cuisine...without the kids of course.

Day #2: Thursday Mornings With Rob

2011-09-22T22:50:00.003+02:00

I love Thursdays. After the craziness of the first four days of the week, this is my "morning off" and since all the kids are in school on Thursday mornings so Rob and I usually make this our time for a breakfast-date. This morning we headed to the Espresso Fabriek (Espresso factory) around the corner from us, read our Bibles for a while and sat and talked for a while. And THAT is one of the reasons why I love Thursdays!

40 Days of Snapshots-Day 1

2011-09-21T22:48:00.007+02:00

I'm trying something. In an effort to no longer be the world's worst blogger, I'm taking baby-steps and will post a picture a day for the next 40 days. Hope you enjoy these snapshots of my world, day-in and day out! Day #1: Knutsel Klub (Craft Club). In March, I started a craft club for moms and tots and we have it every Wednesday morning. It tends to be a little crazy for me at times but I love doing it! Here's the son of a friend of mine with his spiky clay creation, the hedgehog, pretty cute eh? Probably the thing that I love the most about Knutsel Klub is to see how a table full of preschoolers can come up with such different and unique creations. So fun!!!

Labyrinths in the Making

2011-09-21T21:41:00.004+02:00

Over the summer, we had a small group of people from the States here on cultural exchange with our non-profit organisation, Bridgemakers Int'l. We had such a great week and they did everything from a Southern Gospel sing-a-long at Blijburg to creating a labyrinth in our shopping center and yes, even a little clogging. The making of the labyrinth was just incredibly fun. This huge piece of art was completed by the team, our kids and even folks passing through. The labyrinth took participants along numerous twists and turns of the bright chalk path was was lined with words aimed at helping them to reflect on life and faith. By far the highlight of the week for me was visiting Omega Kindercentrum here on IJburg. The center is a daycare for severely handicapped children and adults. The team sang two small concerts and since we had a "Clogging hall-of-famer" on the team, he threw on his shoes and gave a whole new definition to the idea of "clogging" to every dutch person in the room. The people there, both the children as well as the staff were just amazing and it was quite special to spend the morning with them. The video below is a clip of Michael clogging at the southern gospel sing-a-long at the beach (for the privacy of the children at Omega, I'm not posting the pictures online).

Our Family's First Camping Trip

2011-07-17T21:50:00.007+02:00

About a year ago, we bought a tent (and everything else that might possibly go along with you on a camping trip) from friends of ours who were leaving Europe. We finally put it to the test and I can say, we had a BLAST! On the way home from a conference in Trier, Germany, we stopped in Luxembourg for the weekend. Definitely a highlight of the trip was hiking up into the trails in an area called "Little Switzerland" where there are beautiful rock-faces, woods and views of this tiny country. The more stressful moment was when it started to rain on Saturday evening shortly after we put the kids to bed and we realized quickly that 1) there was no signs that it would clear up 2)we had NO idea how water-proof the tent was. Thankfully, we all stayed dry and cozy. I know that I need to write all the humorous ways that camping is different in Europe than it is in the States but that will just have to wait until I've had my hot shower and slept in my own bed for a night. Enjoy!

Vier Daagse and a lesson learned from my little man.

2011-05-24T23:20:00.006+02:00

Almost a week ago, our little Jesiah had his cast taken off his leg. Yesterday, he and I joined in with several other hundred kids and parents on the "Four Days" walking (We walk a 5K route every evening for four days, called "Vier Daagse"). He still walks slowly and stiffly and honestly, I didn't think we would make it off our little island. we started out at the head of the pack and by the second block, we were the last ones in his school group. There came this point when we started to climb this really long bridge heading towards the water and nature reserves...no trams, no cars, the only way back was if I carried him. I kept asking him, "Jesiah, do you think we can make it? Does your leg hurt?" To which he answered "I don't know. It doesn't hurt, I just can't walk fast." Sometimes when we were so far behind his group that we were almost mixed in with the school behind him, I'd pick him up until we were caught up with his class and then after he'd walked for a while and we fell behind again, I'd pick him up and we'd catch back up.

Well, I'm really glad to say, that we DID make it, the whole 5 kilometers! What did he say when we were back at the starting point? Yeah, I'm going to do it THREE more days so that I get my medallion. I love it, he has his eyes on the prize.

I love the picture of life as a journey. Jesiah didn't mind at all me carrying him now and then so that we could keep with his friends but he wasn't about to accept any offers to sit in a stroller nor did it bother him to always be the last ones, his goal is simply to get to the end and get his medallion.

Much as I enjoy the picture of life as a journey, Paul refers to it as a race. He wrote to the church in Philippi: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Whether I'm always in the back of the pack, walking slow or needing to be carried for a little while, I'm certain that He is the Goal, the Prize and the One Worthy of my focus and perseverance. Whether you are healing from brokeness, sore, tired or simply unable to "keep up the pace', God will carry you. He's a Father who WANTS us to make it to the finish line and to attain that prize, we are not in this race alone.

We made it! Four evenings and 20 Kilometers later, he received his medallion!

A Date...in our American-Dutch style

2011-05-07T22:10:00.006+02:00

Last week we had two friends from America staying with us for a week. Before they ever arrived, they offered to babysit our kids so that we could go on a date. Before they ever finished offering, we accepted. When the evening arrived, and we were getting ready to head out on our bikes, one of the ladies asked us something about if riding our bikes like this (even going on a date) was fun and relaxing for us. The answer is yes! We enjoy it, it relieves stress, it's cheaper and quicker than public transportation and we knew that a parking space wouldn't be easy to find on a Sunday evening in Amsterdam East. Her question made me realize though that this is one side of life that's just a bit different.

So much of the date is just getting to take in the scenery, the rivers, canals, polders and then into the bustle and small but beautiful streets on this side of the city. I have to admit, the trip into East was much more pleasant than that on the return. The wind was blowing extraordinarily hard against us (after all we were biking towards the water) and by time we were to the cafe where we had planned to have coffee and dessert, all I really wanted was a big tall glass of water and for Rob to just bike me home the last 3 blocks.

Here we go...

Leaving IJburg

Biking past some Roma campgrounds

In the City, over the Amstel River

Amsterdam East (pronounced "Oast")

Oh sure, the Restaurant's lovely, but the parking is just awful :-)

That's what I call a plate of grilled fish!

Biking home, back over the Amstel

This picture does no justice to exactly how long this bridge is and how tiring it is to bike up and even back down against a strong wind!

Rob drinking his tea after polishing off a chocolate tort

at his favorite cafe on IJburg, NAP cafe.

Keukenhof 2011

2011-05-05T10:22:00.003+02:00

Once again we enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL day at the Keukenhof gardens.

Queen's Day felt more like Queen's Month!

2011-05-01T10:45:00.010+02:00

Several months ago, my husband had the idea to contact the Blijburg beach to see if we could set up a small table and do some crafts with kids to publicize our non-profit organization and to offer something fun for the community during Queen's Day, a HUGE fun national holiday on April 30th.

What started out small kept growing bigger and bigger and bigger! After LOTS of planning for crafts, searching for tents and tables to rent and working with some volunteers the day finally arrived although not without some excitement. The basic supplies that we needed for the crafts (#2 pencils-UNSHARPENED and poster board) were much more difficult to find than we expected. I think we searched at least 15 stores before finding some. Monday our friends, Christy and Deborah arrived. Tuesday and Wednesday Rob spent in bed, wiped out from some kind of virus. Thursday Jesiah broke his leg on the way home from school. Friday, I caught the bug and by the evening was making a run to the after hours doc and thankfully came home with an antibiotic and two new inhalers. Saturday however, we woke up to a sunny, windy and beautiful day!

We had a fantastic day and worked alongside friends from IJlife from Raphael North as well as other friends and neighbors. We set out books and promotional flyers, the kids sold lemonade, we sold cotton candy, made balloon animals, painted faces and inside we had a very popular craft table all day long! We made crowns in the morning and pinwheels in the afternoon. By 5 pm, all the supplies were just about gone and we still had some kids wanting to come in!

Blijburg prepared catered an incredibly delicious dinner for all of the volunteers and after a day like that, it was the perfect ending. After a restful morning it is now time to go downstairs and clean up the living room that looks like someone turned upside down and gave a good shaking!

Thanks to all of you who prayed for the day, who helped us and for those who came with your kids to make is so much fun!

Christy stapeling a child's crown together...note to self: buy better staplers!!!

Kids and parents making crowns

Lemonade Stand

J-man getting ready for the big day: he put hundreds of stickers in the books for us!

Passing out bracelets

LOTS of balloon animals!

Deborah at the craft table

WOW were we thankful to Blijburg for such an incredible dinner at the end of the day!

whew...going home!

When Nobody Shows Up...

2011-03-06T20:54:00.004+01:00

For a few years, it has been a dream of mine to start a parent and child coffee morning. The timing has never been quite right until now. In August we moved to IJburg, a new set of islands in eastern Amsterdam. The neighborhoods are filled with young families, tons of little kids but with very little activities offered for children. So, after lots of planning, finding a place to meet and advertising, I was finally all set to begin on March 2nd!

A sweet friend of mine offered to help me the first morning. To quote her I think she said something like "Katy, you're quite enthusiastic, are you expecting the orphanage?". I think she was referring to the numerous baskets ready for the tables, perhaps the big pots of coffee and tea or the number of chairs I thought we should use to make in the circle. Whatever it was, I had every expectation that at least SOME of those preparations were necessary. The clock ticked on though and nobody came. It really sounds a bit depressing when I type those words and see them in black and white, literally nobody came!

I don't know if it was all the encouragement from family and friends both in Amsterdam as well as in America, but I wasn't at all discouraged. In fact, I was just so thankful that a dream of mine had finally come true, I had finally started a parent and child coffee and craft morning and I was all ready for it. Furthermore, I had a friend with me and there's nothing like the presence of a friend to sit and talk over tea or coffee to help us forget that nobody's showed up for the grand opening.

So what does one do when nobody shows up? Well, for readers who live overseas, you know quite well that swallowing your pride is a way of life. So first things first, swallow what's left of my pride after living overseas for 5 year and then tell the world "nobody showed up". After that, my plans this week are to get back out there to pass out more cards, hang up more flyers, pray that people come, and Wednesday morning be prepared for anything!

Blijburg

2011-02-27T20:40:00.009+01:00

This morning we took our kids to "Blijburg" on the beach. The pouring rain and cold wind served as some of the only reminders that we were still in Holland. The Buddha's, caravans advertising "reconnective healing sessions", signs of eastern mysticism and "Mindfullness training" ads are everywhere. I've never experienced anything like it in our 5 years here in The NL.

The tiles read: "All is One, Welcome All"

The Picture Below was taken last summer (thus the sunshine)

Inside Blijburg is incredibly warm and cozy

tapas with the fresh baked bread were quite yummy. We're wondering if this wouldn't be a good place for conversation with people about spiritual matters...tapas and themas?

Vacation Day#1-Amsterdam Central Public Library

2011-02-21T22:03:00.004+01:00

Today is the first day of "Voor jaar" vacation which is like a week long "not-yet-spring, please-go-away-winter" school break. Since we have moved, I haven't been back to the library with the kids. In our old town, the hours are not at all convenient and in our new neighborhood, there is only a temporary library opened one afternoon a week. However, this IS Amsterdam and seeing as Europe's LARGEST public library is just a few tram stops away, me and the kids went off to explore it. It was HUGE and beautiful and I can't wait for more opportunities to go... probably without the kids but with a million books, someone playing the piano in the foyer and looking out over the water, ships and Amsterdam skyline. Until that time, I'm enjoying reading some new and different books with the kids.

Spoorwegen Museum (Train Museum)

2011-02-21T21:14:00.012+01:00

For a long time we've been wanting to take the kids to the train museum in Utrecht and so thanks to grandparents for Christmas gift money, we took the kids this last Saturday and had a BLAST!

Honestly, I probably could have stayed all day learning about trains, enjoying the art and trying my hand at engineering trains but kids only last so long. After all, it was a full morning: wandering in and out of steam locomotives, diesels and modern electric trains, taking a walk thru an old English village where the trains were designed, taking a deceitfully frightening roller coaster, playing on the playground, taking a kinder-train ride and eating Thomas the Train colored ice-cream. Ethan, our little "engineer" just cried and cried and cried when it was time to go and then fell asleep three minutes into the car ride home.

For blog readers in Holland, this was an incredible way to spend a day with the family and it was truly for kids of all ages. By your tickets online ahead of time and go early in the day! Click on the blog title to be directed to the Train Museum.

Jesiah the mean train robber, making his get-away

Ethan on the playground slide

Scale for measuring luggage

This was a game where on a screen you had to switch tracks for the oncoming trains and set them on the right course.

Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

2011-02-13T09:41:00.004+01:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Kiddos!

Here are the twins at their 3rd birthday party and us singing to them before cake. The twins have been talking for weeks about how at their party everyone would sing to them and made us practice beforehand.

We had A LOT of kids in the house, lots of fun and we will be de-toxing for the next month to get all of the sugar out of our systems.

Shepherds from Then and Now

2010-12-16T10:59:00.018+01:00

Last night, Rob and I were joking that we feel like we've reached a new phase or level of parenting; Jesiah was in his first Christmas program at school. What we didn't know was that he actually was more than just a shepherd with his friend Mohammed, he had some lines! Good thing that the video camera had some battery life left!

A little translation of what he's saying in Dutch: -Yeah, I'm going to make a nice warm fire, that is cozy warm -We need to count the sheep first -(counting) "Four" -Fortunately, we still have all our sheep! This was such a sweet program, not just about Christmas but about the shepherds and being a helper and friend to others. Below is a poem that was read by the children (translated from Dutch)

A Shepherd for Others

For whom will you be a shepherd?
For people in the dark?
For people in the cold?
For whom will you be a shepherd?
For people in the corner or hard pressed road?

Who was a shepherd for you
maybe when you were lost?
When someone forgot you?
Who was a shepherd for you
When you had no more hope?

For whom were you a shepherd?
For a grandmother or a friend?
For someone in the park?
For whom were you a shepherd
and who have you helped?

Yet another Saturday afternoon adventure

2010-11-13T21:08:00.007+01:00

It's Saturday again. It's been insanely windy, wet and cold this week. A "clear" day was once again a welcome break for this family! Rob found a nature reserve, Het Twiske, northwest of Amsterdam. We stuck to the bridges, ropes and tunnels but the reserve itself was quite large and beautiful. Maybe on a warmer summer day we'll take advantage of the bike paths and lake.

Sign Reads: "Forbidden to BBQ, Unclothed Recreation not Allowed"

good to know!

Climbing walls are more difficult with muddy rubber boots.

Eva informed us that baby doll was "scared of the tunnels and thinks they're yucky" so she just watched her brothers :-).

Can you tell which child has NO fear?

Ethan and I on a dock where you pulled the chains to get from one side to the other

Rob handing me his iphone before attempting the next bridge...

Apple Pluckin'

2010-11-13T20:44:00.007+01:00

I think these pictures will speak for themselves. A trip to an Olmenhorst apple orchard with friends. What could be more fun on a fall break from school? With rubber boots on and all bundled up, we had a blast.

Everytime I looked at one of my kids, they were working on another apple. I'm pretty sure Ethan ate at least 5 which explains the tummy troubles he had for days to come...

Rob grossing these city kids out by pretending to eat an earthworm.

This is why we wear rubber boots! This is also why Dutchmen wore

(and many farmers still do wear) wooden clogs.

Taking the Fam to the Dam...

2010-10-23T20:30:00.010+02:00

A little bit of history about the heart of this great city. At the very heart of the city of Amsterdam is "Dam Square" (Dah-m). In 1270 the Dutch dammed the Amstel river, a hub for commercial trade and is now one of the most famous landmarks in the whole country. A palace for the queen, the Nieuwe Kerk (the new church) which is now a museum and the national monument for those who lost their lives in WWII are all located here. One day, when our kids are older I'm sure they will care about this and we'll take more time to teach them the history, today however with three kids under 5, we set out to the dam for other reasons.

Usually, Saturdays are family days for us. We wanted to get out of the house but had a late start so instead of exploring we decided just to take the kids to the dam to see the kermis (carnival) that's currently there. Just taking the tram anywhere is enough to excite them so that's what we did and the Dam never fails to be a good place to go. It was freezing cold, windy and rainy but here's a few pics of what made the afternoon great anyway:

There are only two places to get a REAL american style burger in Amsterdam. Hard Rock Cafe or The Burger Bar (Kolgsteeg and now also by Rembrandt Plein). Rob literally discovered this place by following his nose. He smelled chargrilled burgers cooking on his way to Central Station once and in a tiny little alley, he found Burger Bar. Needless to say, this whole in the wall is favorite for us if we're in the neighborhood.

If this is medium well, you should see the rare! I know that I'm adapting by the fact that I still ate the burger this rare AND enjoyed it (usually it's more cooked).

Kids sharing a huge plate of "frites"

And then there were none...

There is a carnaval (Kermis) right now on The Dam. I couldn't believe how high some of the rides were. Tonight during bedtime prayers, Eva thanked God that we didn't ride on these :-).

Now below is one of those very special gifts that God gave to those people who live in this cold, wet, windy land in the midst of long winters with short days and long nights (It's right up there with radiators in the bathroom which are perfect for hanging towels on so that they warm up while you're in the shower).

This is called a baker's window and around the time of Christmas and New Years they start popping up on the streets and at carnivals. They sell olie bollen (literally oil balls) which are similar to funnel cakes in the U.S. but in a ball. We enjoy them plain with powdered sugar but they can be filled with anything and everything (cherries, pinapple, chocolate, cream, cinnamon apples and etc.) Yes, they are quite yummy.

Freezing and soaking wet, we're on our way back to Central Station

Ahhh....pj's on and under the covers for some cartoons and rest!

NEVER AGAIN!

2010-09-21T22:36:00.002+02:00

"Never Again" is what I keep thinking. I hope we never again have to move, at least for years and years and years. By then we will at least not be moving with 2 two year olds. But we survived it, are settling in and are glad to be here! For now, here are just a few pictures from the craziness of the move, think of them as "before" pictures. More "After" to come...

Happy Birthday and Gefeliciteerd!

2010-09-16T21:17:00.008+02:00

THE BIRTHDAY:

"Gefeliciteerd" (Geh-fuh-lee-see-teerd). It means congratulations in Dutch and well, if someone is the Jarige Job (as in the Bible "Job"), that's what you say to them, their momma, their daddy, and and anyone that's related to them. You can imagine my confusion when I went to my 84 year old next door neighbors house and was congratulated on her birthday. All I could think of was "no really, I had nothing to do with it". I quickly learned that when arriving at a birthday party, it's part of the protocol. You walk around the family room where everyone is generally sitting in a circle, shake their hands and "gefeliciteer" them.

There are a few things that are necessary for every birthday in Holland.

1) Slingers: banners with the colored triangles that hang down. They are strung around the family room or in the front windows.

2) Slaagroom taart: A whipcream cake. Often eaten while we sit in a big circle around the family room talking. Always made by the local baker and quite delicious.

3) The Song "Lang Zal Ze Leven": (As translated) "Long shall she live, Long shall she live, Long shall she live in the gloria, in the gloria, in the gloria." Everyone (especially the children) then throw their hands up in the air three times as they shout "hippety hip, hoorah".

We started his day out with a big surprise, his very favorite imported cereal

JESIAH'S BIG DAY

Now, in August our oldest son turned five. Lucky for him, it was also the first day of the new school year (kids here begin school school at 4 so this was NOT his first day as it would have been in the USA). I say he was "lucky" because he was the happiest boy in the world to be able to celebrate his birthday at school. When I arrived at the school for his party, his teacher (or "Juf") had made him a birthday hat and all the children were sitting in the circle with the table in the middle. Here's how it went from there:

Jesiah went and stood up on the table. He looked like he had been waiting for this moment ALL year long. The lights were turned off and Jesiah blew out 5 candles while the children counted off how many years old he was.

The children then stand up for a looong round of songs to the tune of "happy birthday".

First they take a big jump to china where they put on their hats. They fold their hands together and bow as they sing "Hanky Panky Shanghai, Hanky Panky Shanghai...".

The next jump take the children to Russia where they sing something like "vlady nesky nyet nyhet".

A jump to Holland, they pretend to put on clogs and sing "wel te feliciteerd" and from there they jump to America, England, France and so on.

After about 10-12 minutes of singing their hearts out and a gift from his teacher, the "jarige job" gets to treat the class. They sang (another) song and when they closed their eyes, Jesiah magically gets to make the cupcakes appear. Jesiah was very careful to make sure that NOBODY got a cupcake unless their eyes were closed. I have never seen so many patient, quiet and still 4-6 year olds!

Walking home from school with Jesiah I said "See, it wasn't so bad having to go back to school on your birthday". He responded "but mommy, I never said I didn't want to go to school". He was right. After all, what five year old little boy wouldn't enjoy the attention and being made to feel super special on his big day? I think, it was the perfect way to spend the first day of school.

A bicycle Built for Two (or three)

2010-04-22T16:13:00.010+02:00

Bikes are an almost essential part of Dutch living. We bike all the time, to school, to work, to the grocery store, for a family day out, on a date...A LOT. One of our favorite things to do as a family on a beautiful sunny Saturday is to pack a backpack full of snacks and take off to explore a local town or for a distant playground. It's just part of life here. Of course living in such an incredibly flat land where there are bike paths and traffic laws protecting the bikers makes biking more than just a form of exercise, it's a lot of fun. So when we came back to The Netherlands, one of the first things I set out to do was to find a way to bike the twins around. Our oldest enjoys biking on his own more and more so when we FINALLY found this great twin bike for sale on a nationwide second hand website (being sold by a family only a 10 minute walk away), it was answered prayer! Check out some of these pictures of bikes that for us have become a normal part of "street" life...

Stuck in "Traffic": Behind kids coming home from school as we wait on the drawbridge.

The twins asleep in their seats after a long ride

A Fold-Up Bike: folds up small enough to fit in an overhead luggage compartment

Typical Bike Parking Deck at a Train Station. At Amsterdam Central, it is 3 stories!

The Bakfiets or "box bike"

Every Year...

2010-04-09T20:17:00.009+02:00

In case you haven't noticed from my blog posts from the last 4 years, we LOVE and have made a tradition out of going to Keukenhof, better known as the "tulip gardens". The flowers are always breathtaking and if you are ever planning a trip to Europe in April, this should certainly be a part of your agenda. Here are some of my favorite pics from the day. Oh, by the way, after taking hundreds of pictures of flowers in years past, I stuck to taking pictures of the kids :-).

The Letter of the Day is E and the Number is 2!!!

2010-04-03T16:42:00.002+02:00

Just before leaving for Holland, the twins celebrated their 2nd Birthday with an Elmo Birthday party. It was so special to be able to celebrate with our family this time! Thank you especially to our Rob's family for driving all the way from NC, it made for some wonderful memories. The day started with a full afternoon at a park in the beautiful sunshine with our cousins and grandparents and ended with cake with even more family and friends!

Ethan and Eva, I love you and I don't care what they say about "terrible two's". Each day is a gift and I thank God for you individually and together!

A House in America, A Home in Holland

2010-01-17T03:44:00.013+01:00

While saying the blessing over our food, Jesiah prayed "thank you God for my mommy and daddy and Ethan and Eva. Thank you for our food and my monster truck and my house in America and my home in Holland..."

Home...what a complicated word! Multiple times friends have asked us what it feels like to be back at home in The States. It is a question much easier asked than answered. Often, I've felt like I'm walking some sort of tight rope. On the one hand, this is my home country. I love America and her freedoms, the customer service and ingenuity. I love grocery shopping at Publix where I don't have to pay for my cart or bring my own bags AND not only that but someone is actually paid to put my groceries into bags and then into my cart. To top it all off, the bagger pushes the cart all the way to my car, loads the groceries and then takes the cart back inside. Altogether it is almost unbelievable; what's not to love about the American grocery store? But in all honesty, what I love the very most about America is our family and friends we have here. I can't imagine having a more wonderful family and group of people we call our friends. We are so blessed. I have treasured every moment that our kids have spent with grandparents, aunts and uncles and all those fun kids they call "cousins".

I feel an equal and opposite pull on this tightrope towards what my children call "home", namely Holland. Inwardly I desire to foster and nurture that sense of familiarity and security that they associate with their home there. When I heard Jesiah thanking God for "our home in Holland" it felt as if God had given me a gift... that my child considers a land that was "foreign" to me as a place of security and comfort to him. For me, making Amsterdam feel like home often took work for me, and sometimes lots of it, but that wasn't the case for our children. I'll never forget one afternoon when I took Jesiah with me for a walk. I couldn't tell you now if it was spring, winter, summer or fall, it was just an average day, chilly, wet, grey and windy. As we crossed over the bridge in our village with a grey fog covering everything, Jesiah said "isn't it a beautiful day mommy?". Never would I have thought to say something like that, but I knew that Jesiah would be just fine growing up in The Netherlands! It's that sense of appreciation and comfort of our Dutch home that belongs to them that I want to protect and encourage in my children.

Having said all this, I realize that the closeness and security of being with family and friends is what often makes home feel like "home". I'm also reminded that as a believer in Jesus, He said that this earth is only temporary and not our final home. Our ultimate and final home is in heaven with Him, and only there in the secure comfort of his presence can any longing in our hearts be totally and completely fulfilled. Belonging, rooted in one place, secure, in the presence of Jesus. Home.

Look who's Walking: Part 2

2009-09-21T04:56:00.002+02:00

It's tough being a twin but Eva's become quite strategic about it all. She decided that if she just waited until she was 18 months old and in America with lots of family and friends around, she'd get much more attention on those first steps. A few days after arriving as we sat in the family room of some friends, Eva suddenly decided it was time to walk, and she hasn't stopped since...

4 Birthdays for 4 years old!

2009-09-21T04:01:00.002+02:00

Jesiah knows how to time things. He turned 4 just a few days before we left to come back to the States (yes, we are back in America for several months) and so naturally he wanted to celebrate his birthday there first with all his little buddies. On his actual birthday, we celebrated again as a family and went to a classic American Car show in a nearby village. THEN after a long adventurous flight back to the States he celebrated again and again with all of our family. He met more aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins than imaginable and he had a blast. So 4 birthday cakes and 4 birthday parties later here are some pictures. A special thank you to all of our family who made the "coming to America" time special for him!

A day in the Garden

2009-08-16T21:01:00.004+02:00

Our neighbors invited us once again to a very special place... their garden. After about an hourlong bike ride we arrived at this absolutely beautiful spot and enjoyed every moment. The kids loved standing on the dock looking at the water as well as picking flowers and berries. According to Jesiah, he just wanted to stay for a very, very long time. Having neighbors like this and enjoying such a beautiful country, make it very hard for us to think of leaving (for 6 months).

Keukenhof 2009

2009-04-21T20:45:00.004+02:00

It's that time of year again...the world famous flowers of Holland are in bloom. Every year we go as a family to see the flowers of Keukenhof and so this makes 4 years! There are two things that I love and am struck by every time I see the gorgeous fields and park in bloom: first, the amazing creativity of the God I serve and secondly to see His thumb-printed image in man, by his skillful ability to create and produce breath taking art with flowers and of such magnitude. Year after year, I am amazed.

Playground Pals

2009-04-10T21:18:00.003+02:00

Jesiah has two buddies from preschool who are also his playground pals. During the cold wet winter days, it became a tradition to go every Thursday afternoon with them and their moms to an indoor play place. Today however, the weather was absolutely beautiful and warm so we stayed outside. It's the perfect solution...boys get to play (energy is expended!) and moms get to sit and drink a cup of coffee.

Look Who's Walking!

2009-04-08T20:35:00.002+02:00

Here's our Baby Boy taking some of his first steps, watch out world!

Biking with the Buren (neighbors)

2009-04-04T22:20:00.013+02:00

Today we were given a memorable gift for Ethan and Eva's first Birthday. Our neighbors made an appointment with their lifelong friends who are farmers for us to take our kids to see the baby lambs. To begin with, Anton, has worked on this very farm since he was 6 years old and spent every vacation and weekend working on this and the other local farms when he was growing up. Over the years he continued to work here, often helping with the birth of the calves. He's seen somewhere between 500-600 of the local "kooien" being born.

We began the afternoon by biking out to the farm and then after visiting with all the animals, their friend invited us in for tea. After a while we hopped back onto our bikes and went for a really long bike ride in the country, a route that they said they've done a thousand times. It was so special and memorable for Rob and I to share in something that was so special to them and to hear their stories of how they grew up. We always have a good time with them, always come away smiling and always having learned something new from them about this country we've come to love.

Anton and a calf, Jesiah saw the calf sucking on Anton's hand and decided he didn't want to get close enough to the cows to let them eat him.

Jesiah feeding the rabbits

Winny & Jesiah...You can't take this boy anywhere he doesn't want to go.

Jesiah did like looking at these little lambs.

Farmers often will still wear clogs. The yellow ones hanging here are the traditional clogs. Clogs (or "klompen") are worn outside and usually slipped off before going inside because they are for walking in the mud and wet earth of Holland. I've heard that they also protect the farmer's foot should a cow or horse step on him.

I took this picture of the cross stitch that was hanging up in the farmer's home. The farmer, now in his 70's, has raced in the "Elf steden tocht" three times and this cross stitch was made by his aunt or sister in honor of that. This 11 city ice skating race is an overnight race on the canals of Frisland (Northeastern province of The NL) that links 11 cities. This is a HUGE ordeal in Holland and it happens so rarely that to participate or finish the race is a really big deal. They haven't had the race in 12 years because there hasn't been a cold enough winter to freeze the canals enough to support the race. We came very very close this year, but not close enough.

More lambs. I loved seeing the sheep resting her chin on her lamb.

Our afternoon continued with a bike ride that was another 15 kilometers.

A former castle that now has apartments for some famous people?

This is a little tea room where people could come sit and have tea while looking out over the garden or to paint. The little side room is the toilet, (after all that tea, you need something!)

This sheep has 4 little lambs. You can also hear Winny (our neighbor) talking. She's talking about how fat the sheep was before giving birth to so many little lambs. (I just wanted to tell the sheep, I think you look GREAT for having given birth to multiples :-) Enjoy the clip.

Sunshiney day

2009-03-31T22:46:00.004+02:00

Thank you God for sunshine!!!! Here are some recent picts of the kids enjoying the sun. Recently I've realized that our kids are city kids. One of Jesiah's favorite books is Dr. Suess' "Wacky Wednesday". In it, you have to keep finding things in the pictures that are out of place or wacky. I kid you not, my child pointed to a picture of a tree in the front yard and said "that's silly, there's a tree in front of the house!". Oh boy. Anyway, here we are enjoying some fresh air and getting some REAL vitamin D.

This may not look like much of a front yard to our American friends but we LOVE it!!!! We have been blessed with a home with a front and back garden.

Jesiah just learned how to peddle. Most kids learn how to bike on their own at 3 or 4 years old. It's a way of life for us here.

A baby lamb at the "petting zoo" these are all over the place in Amsterdam (although this one's in Leiden). Most neighborhoods of the cities have free small petting zoos to give children exposure to farm animals.

Isn't that cool? On one side of the canal, there are the houses, on the other side, there's a meadow where you can walk right up to pet the cows. We weren't sure if we could pet them or not so we waited around and sure enough some Dutch families walked up to them and started petting them, we felt "pretty safe" about petting them too.

Budapest

2009-03-19T22:13:00.010+01:00

Budapest is absolutely beautiful at night, which is a good thing since we were in meetings all day long.

One little snippet from my college education that I actually get to put into use here in The Netherlands, is getting to be a language coach. Essentially, I help coach Americans coming to live in The Netherlands who are working with a Christian International Organization. I LOVE love love, the language aspect of it. I am PASSIONATE about language and think that if you are going to call a foreign country home (even for just a while), that your life will be greatly enriched by taking the time and putting forth the effort to learn to speak their language and learn their culture. I cannot count the times during my stay here in Holland that I have had the thought "wow, I'm really glad I understood that in Dutch" (including the time a man passed by me at a quiet park warning me that the man following him had a "mes", he was right. I took Jesiah away from there as fast and as safely as possible. Had I not learned that a "mes" is a knife, I could have been naively content to put me and my child in very real danger.)

What does this have to do with pictures of Budapest? Well, I just spent 9 days in Budapest, Hungary learning how to be a better langauge coach! I was very grateful for the training, learned a ton and yet cannot put into words how grateful I am to be back with my wonderful husband and children. Enjoy the pictures...

Mmmm...goulash.

View from my hotel room

Goofing off with my friend who came all the way from Vienna to hang out with me :-)

The elevators down to the metro made me really dizzy but it was just fascinating how LONG they were, I couldn't stop looking

MY FAMILY!!!!! I was so happy to see them waiting for me!

Tjonge Jonge..

2009-02-27T15:07:00.004+01:00

Tjonge Jonge, (oh brother), I'm biking my son to school in the snow, eating krokets , understanding the word "friend" in a different way, going "green", asking direct questions and spending Sundays like God intended...resting!

Stay tuned for my upcoming series of blog posts of how my life has changed and IS changing here in The Netherlands. March 17th marks our 3 yr. anniversary of arriving here in this small, flat beautiful green country so I invite you to see how and why my life is different than it was before our arrival.

Who are you waiting for?

2009-02-27T13:33:00.003+01:00

Last weekend my daughter turned 1 and decided it was time to start crawling. I've enjoyed watching her not only move around but seeing where she wants to go. Finally, she can follow her brothers and get into trouble with them, escape into the foyer and make her way to the stairs where she likes to pound them and listen to the echo.

But what I have treasured the most is seeing where she goes when I'm not here. When I take Jesiah to school, we go by bike so we leave from the back doors and go out the gate. The last two times when I have come home and opened the gate, I see my baby girl just sitting there on the kitchen floor looking out the sliding glass doors. She's not crying, she's just sitting there calmly watching and waiting for me to come home. I love it because I usually spot her first and get to see the expression on her face when she sees me.

That's how I want to be. I serve a God who sent his son Jesus to the world and then after a period of time, Jesus returned to his Father but not without first promising that He would return again and asking us to be ready for Him when He does come.

I am a Christian but in this day an age, that doesn't always say very much about who we are or what we are doing with our lives. For me, knowing that God hasn't forgotten me, makes a difference in my life. It gives me hope and an assurance that my life matters, how I care for my children, how I respond when I'm angry or tired, how I respect my husband, how I spend my time and money matter. It matters to my Heavenly Father that I am watching for His return.

I want to be like my little girl watching, waiting, knowing that someone who loves her very much and takes care of her, is coming back

Ethan & Eva's First Birthday!

2009-02-19T21:41:00.004+01:00

Ethan and Eva turned 1 on Feb. 17th. Here are some pictures of our family dinner.

Eva Christine- Getting Bigger Everyday Part 3

2009-02-15T11:18:00.005+01:00

Sweet Eva...Before I had Eva, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a little girl. I love being the mommy to a little boy and became so accustomed to boys, it was hard to imagine otherwise! Eva however, has made being the mommy to a little girl, one of the most precious experiences ever. It's almost like someone told her to play the part: be sweet, smile, look cute, be a princess, sleep quietly through the night...well, she is a great sleeper but I shouldn't say "quietly" because I've never heard a baby snore like she does. Perhaps we've spoiled her a bit much. While Ethan crawls and walks all over creation, she's always been content to sit on her little bottom playing with whatever is around her. Recently however, the urge to follow her brothers around and to go places is getting the best of her. She scoots on her bottom and is trying to crawl. She's a great "ball player" and thinks that Jesiah is just hilarious. She also doesn't have any teeth yet but that hasn't kept her from eating anything from whole veggies to chicken to cookies. What a joy to have a little girl!!!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T11:13:00.006+01:00

Me and My Valentine! Recently, I was looking for a picture of JUST me and Rob together from this past year and very sadly, I could not find a SINGLE one! There were plenty with kids in them but here is the first picture of us by ourselves in over a year. Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart!

Rob always puts together flowers for an arrangement by himself, doesn't he do an incredible job?????

Daddy's Home...Family Time!

2009-02-12T21:13:00.004+01:00

Rob just returned from being out of the country for 7 full days and I've gotta admit...I'm tired and extremely grateful to have him back! This was the longest we've been apart in the almost 5 years we've been married and DEFINITELY the longest time apart since the twins were born. We survived though and are happy to have daddy home again. We took a day off today for a family day at an indoor playground nearby and had a great time as a family. We are finally getting to the place where we can go and do something as a family and everyone has fun, including the twins, it's a nice place to be...

Ethan-Getting Bigger Every Day Part 2

2009-02-05T22:27:00.003+01:00

Ethan Robert: He's probably the only child that not getting "bigger". He's actually thinning out so fast the doctors told us to make sure we were giving him enough to eat, and to add some butter to the bread. That's hard to believe since he never actually gets tired of eating! Ethan is a go-getter. He's by far the strongest baby out of all three and he's already broken three shelves in our house out of shear curiosity and muscle. He will crawl over a million toys to get to the one thing that is NOT a toy: the remote control, a Bible, the phone, a lamp, the "whatever", as long as it's something that's not a toy. He learned to pull up, crawl and "coast" (walk holding onto something) literally all within a matter of days. He's definitely one that we have to keep an eye on. He may be tough but he is one lovey little boy and is happy being held by anyone and he especially loves his brother and sister.

Holding Eva's hand in their bike cart

This is Ethan after eating blueberries for the first time, I'm pretty sure that some did get into his mouth, in fact I know they did, how could I forget the diaper?

Growing Every Day, Part 1

2009-01-18T16:04:00.002+01:00

There's a saying here in Holland that says a lot about their culture. When people are remarking how fast the children are growing they say "they're growing like cabbage" and it's true, they do!

Here is the beginning of a three part series on each of the kids and how they're growing.

PART 1: Jesiah

Jesiah can be extremely shy and quiet, although not at home. He's been going to Dutch preschool now for one year and although he loves school, he does not speak Dutch and in fact, his little Dutch friends have been picking up English (to the dismay of this teachers). However recently, he's starting singing, responding in Dutch and can even count to 18 in Dutch.

He's now completely potty-trained, even at night
He's becoming more gentle with Ethan and Eva and loves to play with them
He goes to a child/parent gym class with me each week and actually likes it.
He's very good with his manners saying "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am", putting his own dish in the sink and saying "may I have a napkin please!" (as opposed to his shirt sleeve)
He enjoys telling us that God loves him and telling Ethan and Eva that they don't have to be afraid "God is with us and he made all these things"

Here he is showing off his latest gymnastic moves

Happy New Years!

2009-01-18T15:19:00.008+01:00

Wow, it's unbelievable to me that it is 2009, especially as I think of all that this year will hold for us. If I didn't have this past year to remind me of God's faithfulness in changing times, I think I would be a little stressed!

January 20th: Rob's Birthday
February: Katy's parents move to Greece
February 17th: Ethan and Eva turn ONE!
February 23rd: My birthday
March: Training, training, and more training
April: More travel for Rob
May 29: Rob and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary!!!
June-July: hopefully, there will be a few groups coming from the States to work in Amsterdam
August: Attend conference in Germany August 23rd: Jesiah turns 4 years old. If we weren't packing up to return to the USA, he would be starting elementary school, he'll start instead when we return.
August ???: Fly back to America for 6 months
September-November: live in North Carolina!
December-February: live in Georgia!

Prettige Kerstdagen (Merry Christmas)

2009-01-18T15:12:00.003+01:00

Here are some pictures of Christmas this year. Unfortunately me and the boys (Katy, Jesiah and Ethan) were all sick during Christmas with everything from an ear infection to a slight case of pneumonia to just really bad colds and asthma flair ups BUT we all survived, got the meds we needed and are doing great. Sadly, we passed it on to "PaPa" who spent Christmas with us so about the time we were all better, he was feeling pretty bad. That's life with three kids though right? Nonetheless, we had a wonderful Christmas and were glad to have Rob's dad here to celebrate with us. Enjoy the pictures.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T19:43:00.008+01:00

What's Not to Love about Dutch New Year's Eve???

There are three things that I very quickly came to love when celebrating New Year's Eve here in The Netherlands:

1. Fireworks: The Dutch love their fireworks. It is estimated that almost 70 million Euros (100 million U.S. dollars) in Fireworks would be bought this year. Kids and adults alike are all out on the streets shooting them off. What is so different about the fireworks here is that there is no order or "program", they are just going off all around you, sometimes up to 2 hours after midnight. Amazingly enough, year after year, th kids sleep through it all!

Oliebollen: literally "oil balls" these oh so incredibly yummy treats are sold only around Christmas and New Years as they are a traditional New Year's favorite. They taste a bit like a funnel cake except they are shaped like big balls and can be filled with apples, pineapple, raisins, cream and then dusted with powdered sugar and OH SO GOOD!

Greeting neighbors in the street at midnight: At the stroke of midnight, everyone bundles up and heads outside, not only to enjoy the fireworks but to greet neighbors and wish each other a Happy New Year! This is actually how I met most of our neighbors for the first time last year. "Best Wensen" and three alternate kisses on the cheeks and you're ready to enjoy the show!

The video below is from a few years ago off of our front balcony about 1/2 hour past midnight in our neighborhood in west Amsterdam.

Christmas Family Vacation in Limburg

2008-12-28T22:12:00.007+01:00

This year we decided to take a week away for a quiet family vacation before Christmas. It has been a bit of a crazy year and we decided to stay in the beautiful, quiet southern district of Limburg, in the very southernmost part of The Netherlands. We were just 15 minutes from the borders of Germany and Belgium in a village called Mechelen. The home was one of a cluster, originally built in the late 1600's (as I remember). These "gehuchten" formerly housed tradesmiths with their farmlands surrounding them. The current owners informed us that prior to renovation, our home housed the pigs although you would have never known it. It was by far the coziest, most rustic and beautiful vacation home I've ever stayed in. Day to day, we had plenty of rest and would go out for a few hours in the afternoons on outings:

Monday: arrive and unpack. Rob went on a search for a grocery store. Three villages and 1 1/2 hours later he found one! We enjoyed the local pastry (vlaai) left by the owner.

Tuesday: Visited the "three country point" and the highest point in The Netherlands. It started snowing while we were up there. We ducked into a beautifully decorated cafe for Hot Chocolate and then introduced Jesiah to the art of snow-ball fighting.

Wednesday: Visited Valkenburg, A Dutch city with a Christmas market in its endless sandstone caves.

Thursday: Visited Achen, Germany. Germany is renown for it's beautiful Christmas markets which often have hundreds of stalls. Personally, we enjoyed the street food the most and for me a latte at a Starbucks!

Friday: Sadly head home. In 2 1/2 hours we are home again!

Eva and Eva Playing Jingle Bells

2008-12-28T20:18:00.001+01:00

Making Gingerbread Houses (kind of)

2008-12-27T21:39:00.006+01:00

Over Christmas we invited Jesiah's buddies from school over to decorate gingerbread houses. The boys might have gotten a little more than half of the candy actually onto the houses, the rest went straight into their bloodstream.

I bought 4 gingerbread house kits from Ikea, 2 of them were complete, 2 of them were in a million pieces which Rob and I pieced together. With the exception of the boxes of broken pieces, these were great and easy kits.

It's not hard to think of

2008-12-04T20:16:00.004+01:00

This year at Thanksgiving it was not hard to think of what I was grateful for this year...

Almost 1 year ago we moved into our peaceful little home here. The day we moved in, the meadows were covered in snow and there were actually people out ice-skating on the canals, it was almost surreal.

This year however, has certainly not been an easy one. We moved here 4 days before Christmas, we knew no one and then just weeks later we brought two new children into this world. Starting the process all over again with making friends and finding our "place" has also not been easy but God has been amazingly good to us. He has taught me some lifelong lessons about Himself who He has made me to be. He has given Rob and I a deeper understanding of each other and a closer relationship. We have made friends here and enjoyed a period of peace and "rest" in a hectic and changing time. Through it all, I can say that the God I believe in has always proved Himself Faithful, and for that, I am thankful.

Thanksgiving, from head to toe

2008-11-24T08:35:00.004+01:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with neighbors over a wonderful dinner and the snow falling, and with several of our neighbors. Everything went well except for the beginning and the end. To start with, Rob was carrying Jesiah downstairs when Rob slipped on one of the bottom stairs and Jesiah fell with him, banging his head on the railing and then a stair. Of course it was quite a scare for him and he immediately had some big blue knots on the side of this face. After applying some olive oil and ice, our neighbors went and got some salve which also really helped. Dinner went on and we really enjoyed getting to share one of our favorite holidays with our friends. Everyone's heard of Thanksgiving but they were curious exactly why we celebrate it and where the tradition comes from. (Even most Americans don't know that the pilgrams spent 12 years here in The Netherlands, in a city called Leiden, before travelling back to England and then on to Plymouth.) After dinner, I was serving the coffee and tea to have with pumpkin pie. A friend was holding Ethan at the table and just as I had set her tea cup down, Ethan lurched forward to grab her plate, upsetting the tea cup and spilling the hot water on himself. Poor baby, his little foot and ankle were burned and he had a few blisters. We applied more salve but he had a hard time falling asleep so our OTHER neighbor whose a retired nurse went home and got some gauze, wrapped his little foot up and he went to sleep. After everyone left, he woke up crying again. We were completely out of any baby tylenol or anything so at 9:30 at night, Rob went down to our friends house (in the snow :-) to knock on the door and borrow some paracetemol. We had to laugh when we saw all the meds we had left over from three different neighbors. All in all, it was a great night.

Jesiah helping Dad clean out pumpkin for pie

The end result: the best pumpkin pie ever! I was pretty proud of it :-)

Jesiah's head after falling Ethan's bandaged foot didn't hold him back!

We'll celebrate again on Thursday with some Dutch/American friends, hopefully without anymore incidents :-).

Today is...not Thanksgiving

2008-11-20T21:54:00.002+01:00

Today I was feeling a little sad because of thanksgiving...it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving and certainly nobody here is selling turkeys or even thinking about turkeys and in fact, if you want turkey, you better order it a week in advance from the butcher. Rob and I have been trying to tell Jesiah about this important American holiday and talking to him about all that we are thankful for. (In case you're wondering, he was thankful for cookies and lemonade and after some prodding, his family too.) In fact, today felt sooo much unlike Thanksgiving that I think I checked my datetimer two or three times, I even checked email a few times but nobody had written to say Happy Thanksgiving. After dinner we thought we would call family, and I finally got in touch with my sister and said "Happy THanksgiving" to which she sounded a little confused and I immediately knew that Today is NOT Thanksgiving. Oh well, lesson learned, never depend on a Dutch day planner for your American holidays.

Sinterklaas in Holland

2008-11-15T20:41:00.006+01:00

"Santa" arrived in our village today in Weesp. In The Netherlands, Santa "Sinterklaas" arrives on a boat out of Spain with all of these little men called "zwarte piets". The Zwarte Piets throw candy and pepernoten (little gingerbreadish cookies) at the children. Weesp really put on a show, Santa's boat was HUGE and it was such a fun time. Even my shy little Jesiah got caught up in it and gave a Zwarte Piet a high five. After Santa arrives, he gets out and rides on his white horse through the streets greeting the children.

New Tricks & Happy Faces

2008-11-12T14:12:00.004+01:00

Jesiah learned he could pinch his nose with his toes.

YES, it is now officially cold and wet in Amsterdam and this is how we get about. Ethan "drives" with the steering wheel the whole time we're out...such a little man. He is also constantly pulling his hat off though and has now learned to pull Eva's off as well...which makes her mad so she takes his pacifier, let the fun begin.

Eva is a happy, happy girl and were getting used to little girl squeals!

The twins are really starting to play together more... unfortunately this time it was with my latest crochet project, it took HOURS to untangle.

top 10 ways I know I'm a mom...

2008-10-30T19:35:00.006+01:00

So the other day, the thought occurred to me several times within a few hours "I am SUCH a mom..." and here's my top 10 list of ways how I know this:

10. I have at least 1 pair of batman underwear in my purse at all times in case of an accident.

9. I always find at least two pacifiers in my jeans when I'm doing laundry.

8. I have a permanent mark of food on my shoulders from little hands and faces.

7. I actually caught myself saying to my son, "Goodness Gracious Jesiah, sometimes I wonder what those two holes in the side of your head are for?" (don't worry I did not say it meanly but it doesn't matter because he wasn't listening to me anyway).

6. I microwave the same cup of coffee about 5 times before I actually get to drink it (not finish it, just drink it).

5. I have all the songs from 'Dora the Explorer', 'Diego' and 'Wonderteam' memorized...in Dutch.

4. I have become extremely adept at making Jesiah think that he is actually making "big boy" decisions to get him to do what I need him to do such as, "Jesiah, do you want to stand up or sit down to go potty?". Works everytime.

3. My day revolves around nap times, quiet times, meals and bedtimes. My definition of the "perfect storm" is a hungry, tired and sick child.

2. I am guilty of taking a shower or going to the bathroom just to have a quiet moment.

1. One of my greatest treasures in life are the smiles, hugs and kisses from my wonderful, funny, beautiful children! I love my kids :-)

Ok, I know there are others of you out there reading this and thinking "you should have included this" so let me know, leave a comment!

I love seeing Jesiah love on his little sister and brother. Sometimes it's hard for little 3 year old boys to remember to be gentle though...

Ethan is the one, I can't turn my back on for a second...he ALWAYS has his hands into something or reaching for something!

I'm so so thankful for Rob!!! He's such a great dad & helper!

5 WEEKS before Ethan and Eva came into this world...a mommy's tummy never to be the same again but very much worth it!

This is such a memorable picture for me, it was the day after we moved to The Netherlands and Jesiah and I were wiped out. I don't think I'll ever forget how good that nap felt!

Welcome Lydia Kate!!!

2008-10-28T09:35:00.005+01:00

My sister Chrissy and her husband Erik were blessed last night with the birth of a little girl named Lydia Kate. I love all of my nieces and nephews and it's amazing to me that the excitement of welcoming a new little one into the world never diminishes. In fact, with every birth, I grow more and more amazed at the awesome ability of God to create each child uniquely and intricately!

Lydia Kate

Lydia is taken from the Bible in Acts 16:13-15. She was a worshiper of God who had opened her heart to His message. She not only believed the message but she opened her home to Paul and those who had shared this truth with her and her household.

Although her first name was kept a surprise (from everyone but me :-), it was her middle name that caught me by surprise and made me jump out of bed at 2 AM. What a special (overwhelming) gift to have a niece with my name!

Congratulations Chrissy & Erik! I love you both and am so thankful that God has safely brought Lydia Kate into our lives. She is Beautiful!

Jesiah's Pumpkin Dinner

2008-10-24T20:50:00.002+02:00

The other night as I was putting the final touches on dinner, Jesiah started laughing at our dinner... pumpkins. He had taken all the little pumpkins from the table arrangement and put them on our plates. He thought that was pretty clever :-) Even though they don't really paint pumpkin here, Jesiah loves any opportunity to just stick his fingers in paint...

Jesiah serving "auntie Em" a gourd

Jesiah, with hands covered in paint, is a scary thing indeed

Bathtime with Babies!

2008-10-24T20:43:00.002+02:00

I couldn't wait until the twins could sit up well enough to put them in the bath together. They LOVE bath time. Ethan is a squirmy little fellow and likes to blow raspberries on the side of the tub and Eva apparently thinks it's the perfect time to inspect her brother's feet.

Bedtime

2008-10-24T20:35:00.003+02:00

You can see who likes to sleep and who likes to play!

Jesiah's Day in the Sun (and Grass)

2008-10-24T20:03:00.005+02:00

Recently, my friend Emily and I made a day trip to Germany to visit some girlfriends. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and my friend has a gorgeous lawn by our European standards. It was almost sad to see how much my son just LOVED laying in the green grass and running around in the sunshine. I guess three years of city life can't take away a little boy's natural love for the outdoors. Of course, it also helped having "aunt" Julie there to chase him and play soccer until he was completely worn out!

Eet Smakelijk! Enjoy your Meal!

2008-09-28T22:28:00.006+02:00

One of these days, I'm going to write a post about the joys of parenting twins. It may not happen until they're off to college so until then, let me just say that "feeding time" can get a little crazy! Although we make our own baby food, we keep the rest as simple as possible: one bowl, one spoon and then one bite for Ethan, one bite for Eva, one bite for Ethan... you get the picture. They're not always patient with each other and I'm pretty sure that they're already watching to see if the other one gets more on their spoon but all in all, they love to eat and will eat just about anything. Ethan is quite possibly one of the "cleanest" eating babies I have ever seen and he can wear the same bib, 3 times a day. Eva, on the other hand, ends up with food all over her face, bib, hands, behind her ears and occasionally on her brother.

FINALLY... a new camera and some new pictures!

2008-09-28T21:53:00.003+02:00

For the last 2 months our camera has been "kapot" but as of yesterday, we finally have a camera- YEAH!!!!!!! Enjoy these random pictures of the kids having fun. 2 months make quite a difference, haven't they gotten big???

Gefeliciteerd to my big little 3 year old!

2008-09-01T20:27:00.003+02:00

Happy Birthday to my big little boy!!! August 23rd, he turned three years old which is so hard to believe. It's been a busy year for my little guy and just as he has always been, he's been such a trooper. This year he moved to a new house, started preschool, became a big brother (and a great brother he is!) to his twin sister and brother, has travelled to 3 different countries (including The USA and has started learning a new language! Here are two slideshows, the first being some of my very favorite pictures and memories of Jesiah over the past three years. The second is of Jesiah's 3rd Birthday party.

Jesiah you bring more smiles to my heart and face than I ever could have imagined!

Two's Company...

2008-07-25T20:23:00.003+02:00

I'm beginning to think that God knew exactly what he was doing when he gave Ethan a twin sister...he loves being with people all the time! The other day, he kept crying and crying and crying until I put Eva down. When I came to check on them, they were not quite holding hands, but were both holding on to the same rail on Ethan's crib and very content! It was so precious.

Gezellig Picnicken

2008-07-25T20:11:00.005+02:00

We just returned from one of our most memorable vacations ever and unfortunately...I have no pictures to show for it. Our camera is as we say in dutch, "kapot". Anyway, we came home and it's been more than a little stressful and I think that we already need another vacation! A friend reminded me though than "when the tough gets going... remember God's goodness." So although I have no pictures from vacation, here are a few recent pictures of my new favorite spot to picnic in our village. Being here reminds me of how thankful I am for my family, God's beautiful creation and the opportunity to live here. This little spot in particular just makes me happy... it's quiet, right on the water, surrounded blackberry bushes (mmm!!!!) and has a beautiful view.

Happy Birthday to YOU America

2008-07-04T22:18:00.005+02:00

So Jesiah loves to say "Happy Birthday" these days. Yesterday as I wiped poop off his little bottom for the millionth time, he started saying "thank you mommy, thank you, thank you for cleaning bottom...Happy Birthday Mommy...Happy Birthday to You! You want cake mommy?"

(I think his real rational is that everyday, somewhere out there, it is somebody's birthday and thus a very logical reason to eat some cake) Well, today being the 4th of July (and my mom's birthday, happy birthday mom!), I was making a cake so Jesiah was certain it was somebody's birthday and was excited to get to blow some "fire" out. I almost started to correct him but then realized that there was no reason for us not to light candles and sing "Happy Birthday" to America! After all, what better way for a two year old to begin to understand Independence Day? So we put the candles in the blueberry and strawberry cake and sang "Happy Birthday (to America)" and we all loved it. I think it may just become a Darnell family tradition...

Our day...

2008-06-24T22:54:00.003+02:00

I'm sitting here needing to go to bed but I just wanted to share 2 cute photos from our day...it was a good one.

I can't think of anything spectacular the twins did today but, well, I just love them and every day is special :-) I LOVE this picture I have of them just hanging out together in their "box". I was actually just trying to get a picture of Eva with her new hair bow but Ethan wanted to get in on it too... Jesiah had his last day of preschool today before summer vacation and he has done well. He is learning so much Dutch and now when he's playing by himself at home- that's what he speaks. His teachers at preschool have been a God send, I don't know where they find all of the patience, love and energy for so many children but they never seem to run out. After Jesiah came home from school today he had a package waiting for him from his grandparents and he immediately spied some books for him. He forgot all about his snack and took his new books straight to his little chair. Finally, I got to spend a wonderful evening with my husband. A friend of ours came over after we put the kids down and Rob and I went for a bike ride down along a river, over a huge train bridge that crosses the river and then back to the village through some meadows. Afterwards we sat down on a bench along the main canal running through our little village, enjoyed the quiet and wondered what it would be like to live in one of the boats that were anchored for the night in front of us. Finally, we walked over to our favorite icecream shop where I got a cappuccino! mmmm..! I thoroughly enjoyed a night of peace and quiet with JUST Rob :-), the perfect ending to my day.

Praying for Theresa

2008-06-15T21:05:00.005+02:00

Dear Friends – Many of you are faithfully praying for our dear friend and co-worker in Germany, Theresa, as she has been living with her recent cancer diagnosis. She is encouraged and dependent upon those prayers as we seek God’s healing for her body.

This week, beginning June 15, 2008, has been established as a prayer and fasting week for Theresa asking God to reveal His healing powers. Would you be willing to pray with us for Theresa?

As you know, fasting does not have to be solely fasting from food, but could be fasting from watching TV, drinking Starbucks, using the internet, etc.

Since most of us like to have specifics to focus on, here are a few ideas for each day of the week. . .

Sunday: Please pray for the days Theresa must spend in the hospital for treatment. Each time, it gets harder for her to go. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Monday: Please pray for minimum and management side effects from the chemo treatments. These side effects usually include mouth sores, loss of appetite, extreme tiredness, and lost of weight. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Tuesday: Please pray for wisdom for the doctors in knowing the best treatment schedule for her. The doctors are Dr. Karthaus, Dr. Schaefer, Dr. Nibbler, Dr. Schmutterer, Dr. Fleckenstein, and Dr. Williams. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Wednesday:Please pray for the spots on her liver to be gone so that she will be cancer free. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Thursday: Please pray for Theresa’s parents as they are continuing to live in with Theresa taking care of her. Please ask for extra strength, good health, and the continued ability to function in a new culture for them. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Friday: Please ask that Theresa continues to keep her trust in God as she waits for His healing to take place. She has had some opportunities to share her faith with those she has met in the hospital. Please ask God to bring healing to Theresa’s body.
Saturday: Please praise God for all that He has done. Even during the difficulties, Theresa and her parents can still see God’s presence and provisions. He alone is the Ultimate Healer. Many faithful prayer supports have joined in fighting the battle with Theresa. Our prayer and desire is that God will bring healing to Theresa’s body.

Keep in mind that the Bible encourages the sick to seek prayer. (James 5:16) We know that God honors fasting and prayer. Thank you for joining with us and we will keep you posted as to her condition.

Theresa, Me, Jesiah, and Rob in 2006

Happy Father's Day 3 Times Over!

2008-06-14T22:05:00.003+02:00

It's been quite a year for Rob. It was almost this time last year we learned we were going to be adding AN addition to the family and then a few months after that we learned that this was no ordinary adding...it was more like multiplication. Anyway, on this Father's Day, I thought it would be fun to look back at this last year and to thank my husband for being the absolute best dad I could imagine my children having. I love you sweetheart and I'm glad we're in this parenting journey together...Happy Father's Day!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-06-07T20:30:00.001+02:00

In Recent Days

2008-06-02T07:04:00.003+02:00

Here are a few pictures from recent days...It's getting a little busy around here. (Thanks to the advice of my sister's friend who reads this blog) Jesiah is now MOSTLY potty trained with the exception of naps and nighttime!!! Ethan has started eating solids and Eva...well Eva still loves to sleep and talk. Enjoy the pictures

19 diapers later...I still love my kids

2008-05-11T14:47:00.004+02:00

It dawned on me the other day...I change approximately 19 diapers a day. I'm sure the green peace people probably hate me for creating my own little landfill but I don't exactly love going through all the diapers either. I do hate the never-ending diaper changing and washing gooey yellow poop out of onesies. I mean, HOW CAN such little babies get poop under their armpits, between their toes and behind their neck? Where does it all come from???? (oh yeah, I'm nursing or giving a bottle 14 times a day!) I also hate when Jesiah asks me 200 times in a row to watch Dora when she's not even on TV and ugh...how I dislike potty-training. Is there anybody out there willing to come spend a week in Amsterdam to just potty-train my child??? No? I digress. Anyway, What I want to say on this mother's day is that despite the poop, sleepless nights and the stubborn will of a two year old, I LOVE my kids and they make being a mom one of the best things in life. It's the little things that make me smile...

I love hearing Jesiah call his fingers "ningers", watching him play at school, listening to him begin every prayer with "Lord Jesus..." and ending it with "aww man", the way he can't help but dance when he hears music, watching him rub his cheek on Ethan and Eva's fuzzy red heads, and asking for a story about "worms" every time he goes to bed.

I love watching Ethan's big blue eyes trying to take everything in, including his brother's cartoons, listening to him trying so hard to laugh that nothing comes out and seeing him get just the hugest smile on his face as he lays the back of his head back into his bath water.

As for Eva, I love having such a sweet little girl who is just well...girly! I love how big her eyes get when Jesiah talks to her and how she just wants to smile and talk to you when she's done eating.

So for this mother's day, I just wanted to take some time to remember some of the joys my children bring to life and to remember to thank Rob for helping keep me sane and to God who constantly and gently reminds me that He gave me these children for a reason and He'll help me through! Of course, thank you to my own mom for being such a great mom!!!! -

"One who doesn't find joy in a child, cannot see what is most beautiful" (a sign hanging at the children's park, it's much more poetic in Dutch :-)

Me and Jesiah riding a horse around the track

Ethan and Eva sleeping, I'm often guilty of posing them for pictures but this one, they did on their own while asleep

My mom with Ethan and Eva

Jesiah's Impersonations

2008-04-28T23:19:00.003+02:00

Check out the video at the bottom of the blog to see Jesiah's infamous impersonations... careful you just might see your face!

"Banana Come Visit"

2008-04-28T22:35:00.004+02:00

I'm a "little" behind on my updates but well, I think you understand by now! Here are some pictures of the kids with "nanna", Rob's mom (or as Jesiah calls her "Banana"). We had a wonderful week with her and she got lots of hold time in with the babies which was a HUGE blessing for us as well as just getting to spend time with her!

Rob's dessert creation: luxe waffels with icecream and strawberries...hmmm!

More family pictures...

2008-04-12T18:22:00.007+02:00

Ok, can you tell I've had a quiet afternoon??? Three posts in one day! This is just another little collection of recent photos.

Spaceman on the Potty

(if only "spaceman" liked to do more than just sit there)

Hmmm... is Ethan taking more than his fair share of the milk?

This boy is definitely happiest when he's either being held, eating or taking a bath.

Eva's such a sweet, calm baby.

Unlike her brother, she'd rather sleep than eat, but I'm not complaining!

Aunt Chrissy's Visit

2008-04-12T16:33:00.005+02:00

The day after our snowy Easter, my sister Chrissy came to stay with us for a week. It was so great getting to spend time with her and it meant so much that she came, especially since she left her family for a week to come help and visit. My niece was especially not too thrilled about not having her mom for a week and asked her "why can't daddy go and help Katy?". Now, I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law, but the mental picture of Erik coming to change diapers, give bottles and hold babies in the middle of the night is pretty funny! Ethan especially took to her and began to tune into his "aunt Chrissy radar". He would be perfectly content (albeit that is not super common) but when she walked into the room he let it be known, that he needed to be held...which, she gladly did as long as he wanted her to. Jesiah was also happy to have his aunt and especially enjoyed hunting for easter eggs and Eva loved cuddling with her aunt in the mornings when mom and dad needed just a little more sleep. (Incidentally, Eva Christine is named after my sister.)For more (and better) pictures, click on the title of this post to see my sister's slide show on her blog. Thanks for coming aunt Chrissy!

Keukenhoff

2008-04-08T14:07:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we went for our annual trip to see the tulips at Keukenhoff, here are a few of the pics. Unfortunately, it's been a cold, rainy spring so far so most of the flowers were not in bloom yet so I've included some of my favorite pics. from years past. There are also a few of Jesiah from two years ago, it's amazing to see how much both he and our family have grown since then.

Every year I look forward to visiting this absolutely AMAZING garden, there is nothing like it in the world. It's almost overwhelming to try to take in God's beautiful creation and the creativity of the landscaping artists- pictures simply don't do justice!

An Easter to Remember

2008-04-06T20:10:00.002+02:00

There are some things that I could never have anticipated enjoying about living outside of America and one of those things is being able to enjoy some special holidays without all of the commercialism that comes with it in the States. Easter is one of those days. This Easter we went to church for the first time since the twins' birth and it was a special experience to be able to worship with others- the day that we remember and celebrate that Jesus not only took on the death that I deserved but he overcame it as well! I was reminded by my pastor here that the women who came to the tomb on that first Easter morning, did not remember or had not understood his words that He would come back to life, for three days they experienced the intense, deep sorrow of having lost a loved one, a loved one that they had hope to be the Savior. We know the end of the story that they did not know. I can't begin to imagine what they must have thought on finding him gone and then meeting him there in the garden! What a beautiful reminder that my God knows "The end of the story". Here are some pictures of our family on this special day, besides the fact that this was the first white Easter I've ever had, it was one that I will never forget as we celebrated it for the first time as a family (of 5).

Getting Bigger Every Day

2008-03-20T21:27:00.008+01:00

The twins went for their 1 month check up today and Ethan weighed in at 9 lbs. 13 oz. and Eva at 9 lbs. 1 oz. and they both checked out as healthy as can be. Actually, the doctor commented that they had good "cheese heads". He explained that our heads are like cheese and need to be turned when resting so that they don't become flat on one side. Apparently our children have nice round heads...a compliment coming from a Dutchman :-) Here's a few recent pictures:

Don't worry about Jesiah!

2008-03-12T11:47:00.005+01:00

In case you think, we've forgotten about Jesiah (for the lack of pictures), don't worry, he's been having the time of his life with his "me-maw" and "opa". Jesiah's been quite busy going to the playground, eating more than a few appleflappen, feeding ducks, going to get ice cream and visiting the pet shop to see baby chicks and pet kitty cats. He's also started preschool (which is not the favorite part of his week!). So far, He's cool with Ethan and Eva as long as they aren't screaming too long and loud and he as long as he still gets his hugs and stories from mom and dad. He hasn't learned the meaning of "gentle" yet and the concept that newborns don't share his appreciation for matchbox cars is lost on him but other than that, he's very proud of the fact that he's "big brother".

Mijn 30ste Verjaardag!

2008-03-12T11:32:00.004+01:00

Our first birthday dinner together as a family of 5 (wow...5 just seems SO MANY!)

"Me? Eating the vanilla wafers? What makes you think that?"

One of the best parts about coming home from the hospital was coming home just in time to celebrate my big 30 with my whole family...my husband, three children and even my parents.( I don't remember the last time I was together with my parents for my birthday.) Being in a hospital for 5 days, staring at the backside of an orange curtain (with no windows on my side ) of a shared hospital room, I was REALLY REALLY happy to be home. We had grilled hamburgers and then my mom's homemade banana pudding which I've had as long as I can remember for my birthday. (It was nice not to have to make my own birthday pudding and hers is much better anyway) It was certainly a birthday to remember!

2008-03-11T09:39:00.006+01:00

Well, my posts are about to probably change. With newborn twins and a two year old, I'll be doing my best to just get pictures up- the pictures can speak for themselves! We're doing great, twins and the twins are getting big fast!

HAPPY BABIES

MAD BABIES

(look closely and you'll see the Ethan's 2 Bottom teeth that came in when he was 4 days old!)

A Very HAPPY Mommy

And a Happy Daddy

Our 1st Week

2008-02-24T17:36:00.008+01:00

Wow...it's hard to believe it's been a week since the twins FINALLY entered our world. After 38 long weeks they surprised us by starting their arrival on their own. My water broke and in 3 1/2 hours I found myself kissing the cheeks of my Ethan and Eva (pronounced AY-vuh). Laying there in a quiet room in recovery from the C-section, lying on my back with no feeling (which believe me is HEAVEN after feeling every bone in my body hurt from the weight of carrying twins), I couldn't believe that what had just happened could be real. I was afraid of waking up from a dream at any moment. Maybe the epidural and morphine had something to do with such a surreal feeling but the only thing that's changed is that I definitely have feeling back! God has been so good and has carried us through this pregnancy and delivery. My CS went without complications, my 5 days in the hospital was a positive and at times very humorous cultural experience. (It began with the doctor's assistant who told me before inserting my IV that he "wasn't very good with shots"... and he was right. You can imagine what I felt when I saw after the surgery he was the one who had stitched me up.) On arriving home, I received what's called "Kraamzorg". The NL is the only country in the world to offer this care to the newborn babies and mothers and is was INCREDIBLE! My "nurse" Nikki, was great! After a very rough first night at home, Rob and I woke up to her bringing us cereal, tea and juice to bed. She ensured that we rested while she did those chores that I might ordinarily do, the laundry, the bathrooms, vacuuming...you name it. Most of all, she helped to take care of me and the twins and taught us so much about newborns and how to care for them. It was a blessing to have her in our home and a part of our lives during the first days. By the way, we learned that The Netherlands guarantees every mother a certain amount of hours for this care which has significantly impacted the death rate of SIDS in the country (15-17 babies annually). Well, that's a little about the first week in the lives of our newest additions! Mommy is doing well and slowly getting better, happy to be home with both my newborns and my little boy! Rob is also an expert diaper changer, bather, swaddler and temperature taker! It's just nice to be back together with our expanded family. Enjoy the pictures of Ethan and Eva and of course "big brother".

Ethan and Eva have arrived!

2008-02-19T21:46:00.004+01:00

Just after 8AM on Sunday morning, Ethan Robert Darnell and Eva Christine Darnell were born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ethan was a healthy 6lbs, 7 oz and Eva was 6lbs, 3 oz. Both babies surprised us with red hair! They are doing great and Katy is recovering well. Thank you all for your prayers! More to come...

Thuis

2008-01-27T22:35:00.000+01:00

I have finally taken some pictures of our new home in Weesp. We still have some work to do but it's coming along. There's nothing like having twins on the way to motivate one to finish unpacking and get a new house in order! Don't forget to see the little film at the bottom of this page of people ice-skating on a frozen canal in our village.

This is the view from our bedroom of "Herensingel" the beautiful, quiet street we live on . It leads straight towards the village train station which is only a 4 minute walk away (when you're not pregnant anyway). The bells from the church tower still chime every hour.

Our Family Room

Jesiah busy at work playing cars in his room with "apple" his horse behind him

The Babies Room...almost ready! We've been amazingly blessed by others who have given us so much in preparation. I've also had girlfriends help me unpack, wash baby clothes, put them away AND label the shelves...God is good, my special thanks to Astrid, April and the SEBTS girls, as well as all of you who have given clothes, diapers and so much more!

The "zolder kamer", attic room that serves as both guest room and office space for Rob. We love having guests, in fact the day we moved in, friends of our called at 8 PM who were stranded at the Amsterdam airport and they were our first house guests...of course they had to help Rob put the bed together so they could sleep in it :-)

Our crazy stairs and yes, there are two flights of them.

My beautiful Christmas present from Rob, a rocking chair! This may not seem big for our American friends but these are few and far between here in The Netherlands- it was a wonderful surprise. Jesiah likes to sit in it as well and sing "Rock-a-baby, tree top, rock-a-baby, tree top" to his stuffed animals.

Happy Birthday Rob!!!

2008-01-20T21:30:00.000+01:00

Rob turned the big 32 today!!! For the first time, I really can't give him a hard time about being 2 years older than me since...yes, that means next month I'll be entering the world of the BIG "30" myself. There's another and better reason though and that is because I have the most wonderful husband I could ask for. More than ever though, I am so thankful for my "partner in live, love, ministry and goodtimes" as we like to say. Being so far away from many friends and family, I just want to take a moment to say that Rob has gone above and beyond the call to duty. Besides having his own work to do, moving across town, preparing taxes and visa renewal applications, he always makes his family a priority. Yesterday, I was talking to my sister and she asked how I was doing my grocery shopping these days to which I honestly had to say that in the last month, I have only been to the store 2 or 3 times. Rob's been doing all the shopping! (By time I walk to the store, get through the store, load everything out, then back in to the cart, then into my little "wheely" cart- it's all I can do to get me and my aching back out of the store...and then I have to walk back home.) So yes, Rob's been taking up the slack. He gives Jesiah his baths, does a LOT of dishes and yes, he even puts my socks on every morning and never complains. That's love! For his birthday, I planned for him to go racecar driving with a good friend of his but in the end, he just wanted to have a quiet birthday with his family...and do nothing, and he did just that!

Happy Birthday Rob!!!!

Love,

Katy

34 WEEKS!

2008-01-20T16:59:00.000+01:00

My "Twin Tummy" at 33 weeks. Wheww...almost there! I'm now 34 weeks and I officially have 1 pair of pants that I can comfortably wear and officially 2 shirts that actually cover my belly. (I now have to wear those little tummy tube things to cover my belly the rest of the time.) The twins are both doing great. The boy weighs approximately almost 5 and the girl is about 4. 5 lbs. They don't have a whole lot of room to do all the kicking and rolling that Jesiah did but they do their share of "elbowing and squirming". They also get hiccoughs quite a bit which is kind of funny when I can feel it in two different places. (The boy is heads down and the girl is kind of transverse, laying lengthwise across my upper belly). We've been SO SO SO blessed by the love of many friends and family. I've had friends both Dutch and American help me unpack and organize the twins room, and we have been given so much in preparation for their arrival! I've finally finished packing the hospital bag and Rob even painted their room yesterday. It's nice to finally be able to focus on them and anticipate their arrival after months of preparing for language exams, driving lessons, trying to find a place to move and then finally moving! So baby girl and baby boy, hang on at least till the grandparents arrive (only 17 DAYS!!!) and then feel free to come anytime!

Jesiah's 1st Christmas Musical

2008-01-20T15:48:00.000+01:00

This was a big Christmas for Jesiah, the first one where he could begin to understand the meaning behind it as well as some of the festivities that come with it. Since we moved just 5 days before Christmas, it was a simple but memorable day, we may have been surrounded by boxes in a new town where we knew nobody but it was still a special time for our family. We did actually get the tree up in time, Jesiah opened some presents "prizes" and we had a traditional Christmas dinner.

Builder Bob Jesiah with his New Tool Belt

The highlight for me though was going back to our former church in our old neighborhood for the Christmas service where Jesiah even participated in the "nativity play". For those of you who know him even a little bit, the boy loves to dance but we've never seen moves like this before :-). At the bottom of this page is a video of him pulling out all the stops, especially at the end. Merry LATE Christmas!

Making Worms...

2007-12-07T23:05:00.000+01:00

I've put off Play Dough long enough...I could just see it getting everywhere and picking up little bitty play-dough balls off the floor. A friend of mine however gave Jesiah some as a present with a baby gift, he went crazy over it! It made me feel kind of bad actually because he has SO much fun. Sure, I'm picking blue and green play-dough off the floor under his little table, out from his clothes and the little rug but it's worth it. His favorite thing to do is to have me "make worms" which I guess is better than making busses, lions and elephants like at first. He's slowly getting the "worm" technique down himself and he's quite proud of himself for it.

Twice Blessed!

2007-12-03T23:18:00.000+01:00

Tonight I went to my friend Whitney's house where once a month we get together with some other women and pray. This is always a highlight of my month. The friends that come are some of the most genuine and caring that I have met here in The NL and I love every opportunity to be with them. Tonight, I was in for a surprise though, I arrived to find that they were throwing me a surprise baby shower! It was "multi-culti" as my friend called it with everything from American dip and chips to Dutch Apple Tart and "muisjes". (It's tradition when you have a baby to serve these dry round bread 'biscuits" with butter and either blue and white or pink and white licorice type balls on it.) They don't do "baby showers" here, instead they generally come by after a baby is born to visit and bring a present so it was the first baby shower for almost all of the Dutch girls which was really fun! I was so blessed and we got LOTS of handy stuff including diapers, more diapers, wash cloths, lotions, bath soaps and more diapers!!! To my friends and to Whitney...Hartstikke Bedankt!!! To Madeline, thanks for the beautiful crown :-)

A Christmas Jig

2007-11-30T09:16:00.000+01:00

This is TOO FUNNY!!! My sister did this...what my family would look like as elves! Starring my parents, brother and sister-in-law. Click on the title to this post "A Christmas Jig" and be prepared :-)

Oh No, Here Comes the Klepto...

2007-11-27T20:39:00.000+01:00

So for those of you who haven't heard me say it already, growing accustomed to the Dutch grocery stores can be a bit stressful. One must learn the following etiquette: Don't forget to bring your own grocery bags (before leaving the apartment!), Don't forget to bring a 50 cent piece for the shopping cart (which you do get back on returning the cart), Don't forget to put all of your grocery items on the conveyer belt ASAP because nobody else is going to do it for you and ABOVE ALL, don't forget to put that little divider down between you and the person in front of you because well....that just wouldn't be orderly and they like order! Finally, don't zone out while the cashier is ringing up the groceries because she's not about to bag them for you. Oh no, this is self-service people and there's no time for you to bag now, you have to get those groceries into the cart and after you pay THEN you wheel your frazzled self over to a table where you stock your bags full. Didn't bring enough bags? Don't worry, you can always go back and buy one for 15 cents. I could probably write a book of all the funny things that have happened to me and my friend at the grocery stores. Once they wouldn't let me buy bananas because there was no price on them (this is after having waited in line for 15 minutes) so I had to buy them somewhere else. My friend Whitney had bought some veggies and meat for stew as well as some sweet yogurt treats for her little girl who was with her. When she got to the checkout, she was a little bit short so she told the cashier she didn't want one of the yogurt treats to which the cashier responded "But they're for the little girl". With that, the cashier decided to take a bag of vegetables and meat instead and gave Whitney the yogurt back! Oh will the fun never end? A few weeks ago, my FAVORITE grocery store, the one I go to for my sanity sake, closed down for a few weeks to remodel. When they re-opened, it was bigger and better than ever with these little scanners where you scan your groceries as you go, scan your customer card at the end and then you pay. I LOVE IT! I did it one time and have never looked back. It's easy, fast and completely non-stressful. There is a down side, I'm always afraid that I'll forget to scan something and I never knew what would happen if I did forget because it appears to be completely on the honor system. Well, I've learned. Yesterday, at the end I was scanning my bonus card to pay and this little red light above the machine started going off. I'd been randomly selected to make sure than I had scanned everything. I was so nervous, and just knew that they were bound to find something. Sure enough, something was wrong and they pulled me to the side to find out just what it was that I was stealing. Oh, I can't tell you how horrible it was as they went through and rescanned every item...how many items does it look like I tried to steal? would they call the police? I had run up a grand theft total of 2.20 for a bag of chips and block of butter. Fortunately, I can tell you that they do NOT arrest you or decline your "scanning" privileges. I can say with certainty though that at least for the unforeseen future, that little red light does and will go off every time I scan my customer card. It's a little embarrassing I have to admit, but hopefully, I can redeem myself so that I don't have to go back to standing in line.

How big is SHE???

2007-11-22T23:10:00.000+01:00

Ok, Ok, Ok...for all of you who have asked for some side views of me to see just how big I actually am...here you go. Don't tell me I don't look that big, at only 25 weeks, I still have 12 more weeks to go. The twins themselves are measuring just the right size and I'm feeling every bit of it :-) Yes, I still ride my bike just a little but I only have about 1 more week before I stop. I can actually bike much further than I can walk. Granted even the senior citizens on their bikes pass me but I'm not in it for the race.