The Kramer Family

Ultrasound!

2012-03-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Today was the first time seeing our baby! Kees was very interested in what was going on with my tummy. Baby #2 was sleeping so the midwife was trying to get the baby to move for us. This was a big difference from Kees which at his first ultrasound would not stop moving. I like to think baby #2 is going to be mellow. The baby had a strong heart beat. We were even able to hear the heart! I'm now at 10 weeks and 4 days. The due date is what we thought at September 28th. The midwife was nervous about me wanting to have the baby in the hospital after she heard about Kees' birth. I think she is worried if she will make it on time. She is a really great midwife and I thought the clinic was also nice. It is much like the clinic I went to with Kees. My next appointment is on April 2nd.

There is our little one! So exciting and emotional to see my baby for the first time. I wasn't planning on getting to hear the heart this time so that was special to get to hear the heart.

Kees was enjoying the clinic as well. He did great today. I showed him pictures of ultrasounds in my book and what he may see today so that helped him know what was happening. He will touch my tummy and say,"Baby in mommy tummy!" Today was one of those days when it hits you just how blessed you are. So blessed to be a mommy of 2!

Birthday!

2012-02-28T05:03:00.002-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts...I have been having a rough time with morning sickness (which should be called 'all day sickness) anyway it has sent me to bed early. Here are some pictures of Junior's birthday party. Junior is Kees' friend from church. He was turning 4.

This is Junior's mom Ursula. She lived in New York for 21 years so she is a good friend to talk to who understands living in another country.

The super hero cake made by the local baker. Below is a little boy trying out the birthday boy's toys :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

2012-02-13T08:04:00.001-08:00

Snow!

2012-02-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a clip of the snow. It has been freezing here! Kees is in his pajamas in this clip and came back soon after this clip! The snow is beautiful but not so nice to get around in. I'm ready for Spring!!

Baby!

2012-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that we are pregnant with baby #2! We are so excited for a new little one to join our family. Kees is not sure what to think of the news but he did say he wants the baby to sleep in his room and that he wanted to share his doggy with the baby. These are exciting times at the Kramer house!

Library Books

2012-01-28T06:34:00.001-08:00

Birthday!

2012-01-17T03:35:00.001-08:00

2012-01-16T03:52:00.000-08:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet baby boy!

Painting for Kees

2012-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is the painting that I just finished for Kees' room. It was inspired by the inside cover of Kees' Bambi book, the forest animals from the kids area at the library and Kees' love for animals. I wanted his room to feel like being outside. This is the largest painting I have ever done! It is taller than Kees and takes up a good amount of the wall in his room. It was a lot of fun to paint! When I would get a free moment in the evening I would sit down and paint.

Kees loves a stuff animal fox that we see at the library so I thought I would put a fox in the painting. Although Kees informed me that he thinks the fox looks, "Scary." Hopefully he will start to like it and I won't need to get out the white- out! ha

Mr. Owl high above in the tree...

A woodpecker hard at work...

Mommy and baby raccoon. Kees loves raccoon's so I had to add one in for sure!

Someone left some tracks in the dirt...

Little deer peaking out of the tree...

The hiding baby raccoon...

Protective mommy raccoon!

...and then we come to the Oregon Duck. This may seem silly and not fit at all but Kees loves the Oregon duck and we had talked about making his room decorated with the Oregon Ducks. This is a fun added, "animal" to the forest and made the painting specially made for Kees. :)

My professional artist signature :)

Baby!

2012-01-05T09:05:00.001-08:00

Welcome beautiful baby Brinley Skye Kramer! Brinley was 8 lbs 0 Oz. 21 inches born on January 3rd. She is adorable! So excited to have a new niece!

Chicken Salad

2012-01-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

The best!

Chicken shredded

Mayo

Purple grapes

Red onion

Celery

Walnuts

Combine and place on bread or roll.

One amazing sandwich!

Funny!

2012-01-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

If you have seen the movie 'Madagascar' you will think this is hilarious. If you have had a toddler that has repeated, "move it, move it" you will find this funny!:)

Home

2011-12-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share some pictures of our home! This is Kees' room. I'm working on the painting on the wall so more pictures are to come once it is finished. Since we live right in the city I wanted to make Kees' room like it was being outside. The painting is of a forest filled with animals.

Kees likes to get himself dressed now so the sock and underwear boxes make things easier.

The small green carpet to look like grass outside.

Here is my kitchen. I love how it is all white. It is a cozy little kitchen!

Metal tin boxes. Steve got me a new one for Christmas

The local grocery store sells these mugs. Every month or so they come out with a new one. I liked the one with the windmill!

The hanging candle lamp I found at a second hand store for around $3! I didn't plan on putting it in the kitchen but there was a great spot for it above the window so that is where it went! Outside the window is the busy street so I have the curtain up most of the time.

Chocolate!

2011-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

Kees enjoyed all the sweets around at Christmas. He has the chocolate around his mouth to prove it!

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Winter Wonderland in the city center of Maastricht. They put up a ice skating rink, ferris wheel, and the city center is filled with stalls selling anything from hats to bratworst! I was nervous to go on the ferris wheel! Kees loved it! He was so excited to go on the "Big Wheel."

The Kramer 3 at the top of the ferris wheel! What an amazing view!

Our view of the skating rink and market below...

Kees as we were going up,up, and away!

It was one busy day on the market square! I think everyone was trying to enjoy the Winter Wonderland before it closes for the year. Below is the bridge we take over the river to get home from the city center. They put Christmas lights all along the bridge... it is just beautiful! Our apartment is just over the bridge.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

We had a Christmas Eve service at the church last night. Beautiful music!. Kees enjoyed singing along! One of the gals on the worship team has a beautiful voice and sang my favorite Christmas song, 'Mary Did You Know.'

Aachen German Christmas Market!

2011-12-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Kees was all bundled up for the market.

Kees picked out a panda stuff animal from the market.

So cute!

Beautiful Aachen Germany.

Yes...I will take some of those please! Amazing chocolates and cookies for Christmas!

Check-up

2011-12-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Kees had his check-up today. It was his first visit in Maastricht. It is a nice clinic that he will go to until he turns 4. He was average for his height at 3 feet 1.16 inches and 30.25 pounds. They said that he is growing well and a healthy boy! The nurse had Kees put shapes into a box and draw a line and he passed the test! Below is a picture from a while back...my little sweetie pie!

Damascus Road Communion Dinner

2011-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Damascus Road International Church held a Communion dinner. It was a wonderful evening of many nationalities of people coming together to break bread and remember all Christ has done in our lives. Below is Steve praying over the meal.

Kidz

2011-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from last Sunday. I was helping out with the kids so Kees liked helping me set up the class and helped me get the craft ready. He is one great little helper!

Painting

2011-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

I saw this art done in torn paper and thought I would give it a try in black paint. The very white wall in our bedroom was needing something to fill the space.

Ikea

2011-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

It was a big day at Ikea getting everything we need for setting up the Team Netherlands house!
We almost lost Kees in the cart...
Yes...Kees is in the cart!
He got a new dog to be friends with the world famous "dog." Dog is still the #1 choice but new dog and dog are becoming good friends. :)

Raimey Faith!

2011-12-11T06:25:00.001-08:00

We just got the wonderful news and pictures about our niece Raimey!! They are in China at this very moment adopting precious Raimey. The pictures brought me so much joy to see her in the loving arms of her family! Darren and Justin look like they are enjoying every moment with their baby sister. We heard Raimey even gave Darren and Justin lessons in how to use chopsticks!
Some of the first pictures of Dad and Mom with their daughter Raimey!

You know you're Dutch when...

2011-12-07T05:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a blog and thought that it was really funny and very true!
You know you're Dutch when...

The temperature is so low in your house that 2 sweaters is a bare minimum if you want to be remotely warm.
During the winter it's warmer outside than it is inside.
You open the freezer and are excited to find a container of ice- cream, only to open it and discover it's full of homemade soup or stamppot.
When looking in the fridge, you never trust that the yogurt or margarine containers contain what the label says.
You were green before it was popular. Why recycle when you can just reuse!
You have a pair a wooden shoes in your house.
Your china cabinet is filled with Delft.
You like pickled herring.
You've eaten oliebollen at New Years.
You enjoy chocolate sprinkle (hagelslag) sandwiches.
You have cousins who wear size 14 shoes and are over 6'4"
You wash and reuse plastic cups and plastic cutlery.
You have soup and open-faced sandwiches for Sunday lunch.
The most frequent phrase uttered growing up was "Turn off the lights!"
You get a chocolate letter every year for Christmas.
All the tables in your house are covered in tablecloths.
You like croquettes.
You know that Vla is better than regular old pudding.
You drink tea with breakfast, coffee at 10 am, tea at 3 pm, and coffee again at 8 pm (with cookies or biscuits of course!)
You have an afghan knitted by your Oma.
You collect coupons like they're going out of style.
Your Oma had a calendar with everyone's birthdays & anniversaries spelled out in capital letters (bonus points if it hung in the bathroom!)
You've been known to recycle aluminum foil. And ziploc bags.
You own a special utensil that is only used for cutting cheese.
You know that Gouda is the best cheese ever.
You have at least 5 relatives with the same name (and somehow you always know which one is being talked about).
You reuse teabags

When you hear all the "new ways to save energy" you yawn and say "I've been doing that all my life!"
You eat your sandwiches open-faced. "What? You want another slice of bread? I'll make you another sandwich."
You rarely have both meat and cheese on the same sandwich.
You have never met half the relatives at your family reunion
You have 100 roles of toilet paper in your house because they were on sale.
You put a little water into the jar of tomato sauce and shake it to make sure you got it all out.
You have trouble shopping for hats. There should be at least two sizes: 'one size fits all' and 'dutch'.

You wipe the last of the butter out of the container with your bun.
All your cookies taste like almonds.
You make the bed in your hotel room.
You have lace on your windows but not on your underwear.
You like dubbel zout drops, and have occasionally tricked a friend into trying one.
You've put mayonnaise on your french fries.
Your kitchen is filled with milk bags drying, waiting to be reused in the freezer.
You drink Heineken out of pride.
You have a front room but nobody sits in it (or it's only used for special occasions).
You have a spoon collection.
Your favourite mustard comes in jars that can be reused as drinking glasses.
You leave a window open year round to get fresh air.
You eat stroop waffles.
You love the colour orange.
You have a vegetable garden because there's no way you're paying that much for veggies at the grocery store.
Your fridge is always stocked with leftovers. Throw out food? Never!
You go to the "Dutch Store" because the smell brings back so many childhood memories.
You have pictures of windmills around your house.
Everything is Do-It-Yourself - it's cheaper than hiring someone.
You use "washandjes" (facecloths that you can put your hand into).
You have to explain what 'om' and 'tante' means when you're discussing your relatives with non-Dutch people.
You own tea towels and oven mitts patterned with windmills and dancing women in clogs.
You call it "MELK" not "milk".
All your cousins have the same names as your brothers and sisters, because everyone is named after Oma and Opa.
And finally, you know you're Dutch when..
You're laughing along with this list because you can relate to most of it!

Traditional Dutch Split Pea Soup

2011-12-07T04:59:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year in Holland...time for Ertwernsoep!

Ertwensoep (also known as snert) is a typical Dutch winter meal. It is a pretty thick meal of a soup, but that's how it should be. In fact, the Dutch believe that erwtensoep should be so thick that you can stand a spoon upright in it. It's traditional to serve this hearty winter soup with slices of rookworst (smoked sausage) and rye bread topped with katenspek (a type of Dutch bacon that is first cooked, then smoked).

Christmas Cookies!

2011-12-04T07:26:00.001-08:00

It is never too early to start making Christmas cookies! We got cookie cutters while we were in the states so Kees was wanting to try them out. The star was his favorite.
Kees taking a sample of the frosting.
Making colored frosting was a big hit with Kees.

Thanksgiving...late

2011-12-03T10:04:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our missionary field meeting and late Thanksgiving dinner. It was nice to have a real Thanksgiving meal together. Kees has had a cold so he was sleepy on our 4 hour drive to the Amsterdam area.

Even Kees had a special place at the table!

Maastricht International Playgroup!

2011-11-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

This morning and every Wednesday morning from 9-12 is the Maastricht International Playgroup. It was our first time this morning. It was so nice to be able to spend time with other moms who are also away from their home country. Kees loved playing with all the kids! It meets in a karate center so there is a big open space with mats and balls and toys to play with. Today was the Sinterklaas party!
Kees having fun checking out all the new toys. He is so social and loves to be around other kids so I was so happy to find a group like this.
There was a knock at the door and in came a big bag of gifts from Sinterklaas! The lady in the picture has a three year old daughter and is from Scotland.
Kees gettting down to business opening his gift from Sinterklaas!
Hey! A Sinterklaas toy with horse, Zwarte Piet and toy bag! It was an answer to prayer to find a group like this for Kees and I.

Monschau, Germany

2011-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

It was Steve's day off from the office Monday so we like to do something with just the three of us. We decided to go to Monschau,Germany since we are so close now to Germany. They are getting ready for the Christmas markets to open to many stands were being set up. It was beautiful!

DRUM Meeting

2011-11-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last night at the church office was the first DRUM (Damascus Road University Ministry) meeting. It was great to see all the students who came that are interested in being leaders! Each Wednesday at lunch the students of DRUM are going to meet at cafe 'Kiwi' in the city center. We plan on having the main meeting on Wednesday evenings.

Kees enjoys every chance he can get to go to the church office. It works out well that the church we are renting for the office has a nursery. Kees gets the place all to himself in the evening.
This is a look of 'I got to stay up tonight and come to the meeting!'
Busy making sure to play with each and every toy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:41:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

2011-11-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to get over the rough jet-lag we have been having. Kees and I made pumpkin cream cheese muffins to keep ourselves awake...Starbucks in the states had them and they were sooo good. Missing our families after having a wonderful trip home.

2011-10-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

1985

2011-10-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

This my sister and I on Halloween 1985. We look like we were having a great time! Thanks mom for the picture. :)

Office

2011-10-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Kees has been enjoying getting to visit Steve at the church office. There is a play area so Kees has a great time playing. Tonight at dinner Kees told Steve, "Papa, while you were at church office today, I miss you."

2011-10-19T03:37:00.000-07:00

Mom Bike

2011-10-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is my new mom bike. After the front tire of my green bike was going up in the air from the weight of Kees and groceries I decided I better get one built for moms. This is Kees' new seat which will work up until he is 5 years old. I also got bags on the back to carry the stroller when I need to bring it into the city.
We have parking in a underground garage by our apartment for bikes and our car.

Damascus Road

2011-10-17T08:31:00.001-07:00

Here is Kees with his Sunday school class (Damascus Road Kidz). We are enjoying Damascus Road and I have been have been able to help with the kids! The brothers in the white vests mom is American so I have been enjoying getting to know her.
Here is my favorite speaker at the church! :)

Roll!

2011-10-11T06:55:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago Kees and I were reading his potty book. He saw this picture and said, "I do that!" He was very interested in how this little boy in his book could stand like that.
Here is Kees giving it a try...

Again and Again and Again...
"Look Mama Kees do it!" - Kees

I'm Back!

2011-10-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy at the Kramer house. Here is the moving truck arriving at our house in Delft. They parked the truck up to the window and took things out through the windows...a common practice in Holland because of the steep stairs.
This is me making sure it will all fit and hoping this guy doesn't fall off the ladder.
The next morning the truck arrived at our new apartment. It had to park up on the sidewalk and on the bike lane.
Again they brought the things in by way of the windows. It was funny because the movers kept asking me for coffee I thought to myself why would I have coffee when I'm just moving in and all my things are in boxes? One mover informed me that, "Movers only work on coffee!" I told him "If you can find the box with the coffee machine, a box with cups in it and run to the store and get coffee, sugar, and creamer then you would be welcome to have a cup." He got the wrath of a very tired mom! ;) Coffee is a BIG deal here!
Once things calmed down and the movers had finally finished we took a bike ride around the beautiful city!
Here is the church office! Steve already started going to the office and is at a meeting this morning and we just moved in...busy!

We wanted to do something special for Kees so we took him to the zoo. It was a beautiful day of SUN! It actually was hot! The GaiaPark Zoo is the best zoo I have been to. They do an amazing job of making you feel like you are in nature with the animals. Also you can get right up to the glass window and be eye to eye with most animals.
They had a fun park for Kees to play. He loves slides!! He went down this one 500 times! ha
The giraffe was my favorite and the favorite of Kees! It was unbelievable how close you could get. Here is a mommy and her baby.
Kees was trying to figure out how close he wanted to get to this Gorilla.
Look at how close the lion is! My camera has a great zoom but still we were so close. You are looking at him through a large glass window. He was sleeping but at the last minute he put his head up!
Doggy came to the zoo too!
A great day at the zoo! More posts to come!

2011-09-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

Kinderdijk

2011-09-26T00:14:00.001-07:00

A few days we .took a break from packing and went to visit Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands that is located on a polder. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built in 1740.

The name Kinderdijk means, "Children's dike" in Dutch. This is a story about the name :

In 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waardflooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said that when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came nearer, someone saw that a cat was in the cradle trying to keep it in balance by jumping back and forth so that no water could come into it. When the cradle eventually came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry. In some of the stories the cat kept it balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as "The Cat and the Cradle" in English.

No wonder the windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the most popular Dutch tourist sites!

Little Helper

2011-09-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

Kees helped clean up the backyard and wash the windows yesterday. We move on Thursday!
The weather was nice out so we put Kees' little table outside.
Boxes, boxes and more boxes

Washing Machine

2011-09-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

The washing machine story continues... We were in need of a washer and dryer for our new house so we ended up buying some from some of our missionary friends here who are moving back to the states. They used to live in Greece so I have a washer from Greece and a dryer from Holland. Here they are loaded up in the car.
Which button is whites and which is colors...I think I'm just going to have to guess. :)

Done!

2011-09-20T09:44:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of my Dutch exams! As I walked out of the dark, cold, gray exam building I felt like I wanted to climb up a mountain spread my arms out wide and sing at the top of my lungs, "The hills are alive..." Lets just say it was a wonderful freeing feeling to be done! The last two mornings I drove to Rotterdam and took exams for writing, speaking, reading and listening. These tests were important to me. I didn't want it to be just about passing the exams but I wanted to be proud of myself for having the confidence it took just to do it! I'm so thankful for my amazing husband who watched Kees for me the past few days...all day long! He even had ordered a pizza for dinner so I didn't have to cook when I got home! What a guy! I'm also thankful for a God who helps us to do more than we ever thought we could do!

Cars

2011-09-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Kees loves cars! We made a track on paper at a restaurant...it helped keep him busy until the food came!

Pesto!

2011-09-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 cup packed fresh basil
1 clove garlic
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Place basil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, gradually add oil; process until smooth.

Tent

2011-09-13T22:30:00.001-07:00

We have had to play inside because of the wind and rain so we got out Kees' castle tent and set it up in the living room.
Kees playing in the castle kitchen...

Lekker!

I'd Rather Have Jesus

2011-09-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

Kees and I were listening to some Bluegrass this afternoon and heard this old hymn. What a beautiful hymn...

I'd Rather Have Jesus

I’d Rather Have Jesus – The Lyrics
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

I’d Rather Have Jesus – The History
I’d Rather Have Jesus is a song written by Rhea F. Miller with the tune written by George Beverly Shea. This poem, written in 1922, was left on a piano in the Shea home by Bev Shea who wanted her son to find it and change the course of his life.

The words, I’d rather have Jesus, moved George so much and spoke to him about his own aims and ambitions in life. He sat down at the piano and began singing them with a tune that seemed to fit the words. Shea’s mom heard him singing it and asked him to sing it at church the next day.

George’s life direction did change. He was offered a popular music career with NBC, but a few years later chose to become associated with evangelist Billy Graham and sang this hymn around the world.

Making Cookies!

2011-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

The weather hasn't allowed us to go outside this week so we have had to find things to do inside...
Kees and I had a fun time baking cookies together. He did a great job rolling the dough into small balls.
Toddler cookies!
Making the best of a rainy day! There actually has been thunder and lightning during the day here. After hearing the thunder Kees said, "I not like that!" It has been some of the loudest thunder I have ever heard!

My Sweet Kees

2011-09-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Park!

2011-09-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

The sun was shinning in Delft today so we headed to the park!
Kees loves the slide!

"I'm a big boy no help Mama" -Kees

2011-09-02T00:17:00.001-07:00

30

2011-08-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

Fwinkle Fwinkle Little Tar...

2011-08-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

30 in Paris!

2011-08-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

Paris!

2011-08-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Steve took me to Paris for my early 30th birthday present! We only live 4 hours from Paris. It truly lives up to it's reputation...artists lined the path along the river as couples walked the romantic streets it seemed right out of a movie script. It was a beautiful day so that made it even more beautiful. It was a surreal experience to be in Paris seeing the Eiffel Tower! We took a boat tour so it was a great way to see the city.

What a way to spend my 30th. Thank you to my husband for making this dream come true!

Visit From McMinnville First Assembly Church

2011-08-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had a great visit with our friends from McMinnville First Assembly. They have come to minister here in Holland for the week.
Kees also enjoyed the tourist shop!
Steve leading the team through Delft. Here we are at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

We were blessed by these amazing people and their hearts for the Netherlands.

Soccer

2011-08-25T05:13:00.001-07:00

The sun was shinning this afternoon and so Kees and I headed to the soccer field by our house. It usually is taken by older kids practicing but since school has started Kees and I have had the field to ourselves!
Kees loves soccer! I can't wail until he can join a team! I heard of one that started at 6 months of age...they take soccer serious here!
In the background you can get a feel for our neighborhood.
Go Kees! Goal!

My Younger Years...

2011-08-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

Snake!

2011-08-23T13:29:00.001-07:00

Kees and I headed out to the backyard to take the cover off the sandbox when we saw this! I knew that we don't have cobras here in Holland but I still let out a scream, grabbed Kees and ran into the house. I still don't know how it got there but the person who put it there must have gotten a good laugh when they saw my reaction.
Yeah...that is not what you want to see next to your child's sandbox!

Visit!

2011-08-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Charles, Amanda and 6 month old Aidan came to visit us this past weekend. Kees had a great time with Aidan. Kees enjoyed being the "big boy."
I let Kees look at his baby box and pick out a few toys for Aiden to play with. He was so excited to discover all these new things he didn't know he had!
I tried to tell him that he was too big for the clothes in the box but he had to figure that out on his own...

Maastricht, Netherlands

2011-08-18T10:26:00.001-07:00

This past week we went back down to Maastricht to look at a house to rent. Looks like we will be moving at the end of September. Kees and I took an early morning walk before we headed back to Delft. Kees picked me a flower on our walk...what a sweetie!
We saw rabbits all over on our walk and even found their underground tunnels. Kees and I have been reading about Peter Rabbit so it was fun for Kees to see real rabbits!

Beautiful old oak. Reminds me of when I was a kid and would play at my grandparents house under their big oak tree. I love how the branches touch the ground.
This was amazing to see on our walk. A beautiful castle off in the distance.

It worked out well to take Kees for a long walk before the car ride home! He fell asleep in the middle of reading a book.

Flowers

2011-08-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is in full bloom!

The amazing details of Gods design!

Crochet Sweater

2011-08-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

This is my first crochet baby sweater. I still need to find the right buttons for it. The next sweater I want to start on will be with sleeves and then try to make one with a hood. There are endless patterns with so many great ideas...added flowers, matching hats, stripes...
The back with solid double crochet stitch.

Barney

2011-08-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I put Barney on for Kees to watch and this is what he said to me. "Oh sorry...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...I not like Barney." I guess the Barney days are over and we are now entering the world of Mickey Mouse.

2011-08-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Kees let Mickey Mouse have the couch, blanket, and pillow while he sat in his toy box to watch the movie. :)

New Day International Church

2011-08-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

2011-07-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Pooh, Tigger and Piglet

2011-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Kees set up his Pooh Bear and friends in his chairs while playing outside. Thought this was a cute site when I walked outside :)

Shake, Shake

2011-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

We made shakers from paper towel rolls filled with rice. Kees enjoyed dancing around the living room with his shaker!

Panda!

2011-07-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Maastricht, Netherlands

2011-07-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

Trip to the Coast!

2011-07-16T04:27:00.001-07:00

Kees has been asking to ride his bike but it has been raining so much that we couldn't go outside. So, finally yesterday the sun was shinning!! You have to take advantage of it here in Holland because you never know when you might see it again. We decided to take Kees for a bike trip to the coast. Along the coast there are great wide open bike paths. Here is a view out the window of the car on the way to the coast.
Wonderful sunshine!
Kees started out doing great!
Following Papa.
He then decided he was done with the bike. Steve carried Kees' bike on the back of his bike and Kees and I walked the bike path back to the car.
Taking a short stop along the path.
A little Kees print :)
"I like the ocean!" - Kees

Organization...what a wonderful word.

2011-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

I love organization. Lets just say I get a little too excited over the tupperware store. As a kid one thing I loved to do was organize my moms make-up drawer. My house is always perfectly organized. Everything is in its place. Kees' toys are always in a neat row. He keeps all his coloring at the table. Yeah right! Most of the time we have to step over mounds of toys to get to the couch. One thing that I have found that I can keep organized (most of the time) is my purse. I saw this idea and I thought it was really great. We have all had it happen... you go to get your wallet out of your purse and out falls a used tissue, hot wheel car, old receipts, a cracker that the little one took a bite out of and there was no other place to put it. I discovered the use of small zipper bags in your purse! So, say your phone rings and you know it is in the blue zipper bag you can find it in a snap! Why is it that when you finally find your phone in your purse (after digging) it is always right at the time of the last ring?
Need to write something down...oh look a nice little notebook and a pen!
The little lime green bag is made just for kees' toys and crayons.

Enjoy your new organized purse! When the house is a mess you can take satisfaction in your perfectly organized purse :)

Elmo is Back!

2011-07-14T04:10:00.001-07:00

Kees has decided that he likes Elmo once again. Here is Kees sporting the hat line of Elmo gear.
Dancing with Elmo and looking at each other in the mirror. This is his Elmo stocking given to Kees by my parents last Christmas. Kees loves to hear him singing 'Jingle Bells.'

"I like my Elmo" - Kees

Kees!

2011-07-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

Cooking

2011-07-08T11:59:00.001-07:00

Chili con Carne is one meal that we have often. It works well to put it in the crock pot in the afternoon. When it is dinner time and everyone is telling you that they are starving there is a meal all ready to go!
I finally found where to buy cornmeal. Since my discovery I have been making corn bread all the time!
My favorite little helper in the kitchen. Kees has started to set the table for me! Its fun to talk together while I'm cooking. Here he is playing with his toy animals. He likes the giraffe. He describes it as, "long neck one."

Summer!

2011-07-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

It may be a cold rainy day outside but inside we are doing our best to make things feel like summer...yeah for fruit salad!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T11:01:00.001-07:00

We did our best to celebrate the 4th ...Kees and Steve had a parade! Well...they went for a bike ride together. :)
Kees having fun on his "big bike."
We had watermelon with dinner, sang country music songs and reflected on our beautiful country of the USA!

Sleepy...

2011-07-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Bubbles

2011-06-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Today was Kees' last day of school until the end of August for summer break. His teacher gave all the kids a nice note wishing them a great summer. She also gave them a bottle of bubbles to celebrate summer and get their summer off to a great start! Kees wanted to start blowing them on the ride home on the bike but I convinced him to wait until we got home. He was so excited that he could do it himself!

Kees didn't want to put his birthday hat on for the picture but I got it on his head long enough to snap a photo. One of his friends in class had a birthday today so all the kids made hats.

KEES

2011-06-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Kees Update!

Lastest words:

Kees will say, "I like this." If it is veggies we are talking about then it is, "I not like this one."

Kees hears me call Steve sweetie so the other night he said to Steve, "Goodnight Sweetie!"

Kees was about to bite into an orange and said, "No eat the peel....eat fruit."

Things he enjoys:

Riding the bike

Puzzles. I picked Kees up from his class at church and he was sitting at the table doing puzzles.

Hot Wheels! His Oregon ducks car and green Corvette

Going for a walk to the park

Playing soccer with Papa

Watching Sesame Street and laughing at Cookie Monster

Reading books with Mama before bed

Favorite foods:

Pizza

crackers with peanut butter

bananas (only if he can remove the peel himself)

Kees is really growing up! We are still working on that fun thing called potty training. He wears his underwear at home but not yet at nighttime. So proud of my big 2 year old!

Voldoende!

2011-06-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

When we returned from our trip there was a letter in the mail with the results from Steve's Dutch Government exam. The exciting news is that he passed all four parts of the exam! This was such an exciting moment! I remember when Steve and I were just married and going through our things noticing that most of the books Steve had in his library were books on how to learn Dutch. He shared with me that he had even began to study the language at 12 years old! Our first year in the Netherlands we attended Dutch school together (I like to call it boot camp) we would have to learn over 200 new words per week and be ready for the exams on Monday. Grammar was another challenge. At the end of our year of language we took the final exams. Steve got his score back and found out that it was not enough to pass. It was heartbreaking. Instead of giving up, Steve ripped a small piece of paper out from his notebook and wrote his score on it and the date. He looked at me and said, "I'm going to look at this score everyday and let it motivate me to study everyday." In his office is a frame with the score and he has studied everyday since. This week there is a diploma coming in the mail declaring Steve is fluent in Dutch. Steve never gives up at anything he sets out to do. He is an inspiration!

Back!

2011-06-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

We are back! We had a great Anniversary/Father's Day trip! Kees enjoyed getting to do some swimming. We ended up getting sick the last few days of our trip so that was rough. At one point all three of us were in bed with cold washcloths on our heads to keep our fevers down. We are all doing better now!

Maastricht, Netherlands

2011-06-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

We are going to be going on a Anniversary/Fathers Day trip this coming week so I will be away from the computer. Below are some pictures from this past weekend in Maastricht.

Kees enjoying the ride in the car. It is funny because he spent so many hours in the car when we were in the USA but now he hardly ever is in the car. Here he is breaking into a box of crackers in the backseat...sneaky...
We had to stop at one of our favorites and have a little taste of the home land. Kees is not sure why his picture is being taken in front of the Pizza Hut.
We stayed in a hotel in Maastricht for the weekend. We had a missionary field meeting and all stayed at the same hotel. Here is Kees having fun in the hotel room.
Here we are for the meeting lunch break. This is Kees with his buddy Grace. He loves when he gets to spend time with Grace. She was a huge help to me this weekend. She organized projects for Kees, played cars with him, anything his heart desired. Grace and her family are missionaries to children in Holland.
Maastricht is in the province of Limburg. The home of Limburger cheese. At the restaurant they gave us all a sample. It was really delicious and didn't smell like you would think it would.
Tastes better than it looks! On top was a fruit jam. Such a wonderful combination of salty and sweet.
Sunday Steve preached a Damascus Road International Church in Maastricht. I'm so proud of him. It is not easy to preach to so many different cultures and be tired from getting up at 5 with a little boy named Kees jumping on you in bed in the hotel room.It was a great service. Steve's message and testimony touched many lives Sunday.
Geweldig! See you again soon when we return from our trip! Much love to you all!

Marley

2011-06-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

These are the stairs in our house leading to the third floor. Yes...they are almost like a ladder! Marley likes to hang out from the top and watch what is going on below.

Stock Up!

2011-06-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is what a grocery stock up trip looks like for me. I like to call it my two passenger SUV. I think it would be fun to get a 'soccer mom' bumper sticker for the back. There is only so much you can bring home on a bike but not having to go to the store for 3 days is really stocking up! My sweet husband watches Kees for me when I have to go for a big trip. I need all the space I can get including Kees' seat! Kees came running outside when I got home and began to unload the groceries and helped me carry them in the house.

Enjoying his reward for helping mommy!

Pool!

2011-06-02T11:21:00.001-07:00

"Nack"

2011-05-29T03:19:00.000-07:00

Kees kept asking for a "nack." I couldn't figure out what he was talking about for a few days...until I realized he was saying "snack." I thought nack was a new Dutch word he had learned at school. We also have been working on potty training. Kees has decided that it is okay to go pee in his underwear because as he said, "Mama wash." Oh boy...

Puzzle

2011-05-26T09:49:00.001-07:00

It was a cold, wet, rainy day here so Kees had a day in his pajamas and had fun playing with a new puzzle. Marley got in on the fun too.
Kees enjoys having a little buddy around to play with.

Biking and Birds...

2011-05-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

Here is Kees waiting to go for a bike ride to the city. Dog always comes along on the bike too. :)
We stopped by a canal and noticed that there was a nest of baby birds! Kees thought that was pretty neat to see the mom bird feeding the baby birds.
The nest just along the bike path in the canal.

2011-05-18T10:42:00.001-07:00

2011-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Kees came into the kitchen tonight while I was doing dishes and asked for a poky. I asked him again several times what it was he wanted. He then thought for a minute and said, "fork!" I always tell him careful its poky so he thought that was what you called it :) ha.

Marley!

2011-05-16T06:52:00.001-07:00

This is our sweet little Marley! She has been enjoying exploring her new home. The first day she spent under our bed not sure what to make of the toddler living in her new house. Today she played with Kees for the first time and even sat with him on the couch. If Kees keeps calm then she is okay with him. When he begins to be too much for her she will run up stairs and hide out on the third floor!

Soup...I mean Marley!

2011-05-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

We just got home from picking up our sweet Marley. So, I know that we have been saying that the name is Soup but after meeting her and seeing her adorable little face Soup just didn't sound right for her. On the way home we heard Bob Marley on the radio and Steve said, "Marley." It stuck and so that was it! Kees shared the backseat with Marley on the drive home. Kees seems to be very curious about this cat that was coming home with us. She is very sweet and didn't make a sound the entire drive home. Tonight we have here in the Laundry room to rest. I just checked on her to get a picture but she was hiding behind the washer so I will have to get pictures tomorrow.

Crochet

2011-05-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

Some of my latest crochet projects...
I decided it was time to learn to change colors. Black and white scarf and hat set.
Turquoise, cream and white scarf for spring.
Working on different sized flowers...

Tulips!

2011-05-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Beautiful pink tulips!
When you have dinner guests or guests in general to your home it is a Dutch tradition to bring the hostess flowers. We had some of our fellow missionary friends over the other night and she brought me these beautiful tulips!

Chalkboard Paint

2011-05-10T06:47:00.001-07:00

This is a super easy project! Find a cute frame then paint the glass with chalkboard paint. Done!

I made this one for our kitchen with the menu saying in Dutch 'Seize the day'

The Kramer Family

Ultrasound!

Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Snow!

Baby!

Library Books

Birthday!

Painting for Kees

Baby!

Chicken Salad

Funny!

Home

Chocolate!

Winter Wonderland

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Aachen German Christmas Market!

Check-up

Damascus Road Communion Dinner

Kidz

Painting

Ikea

Raimey Faith!

You know you're Dutch when...

I saw this on a blog and thought that it was really funny and very true!You know you're Dutch when...

Traditional Dutch Split Pea Soup

Christmas Cookies!

Thanksgiving...late

Maastricht International Playgroup!

Monschau, Germany

DRUM Meeting

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

1985

Office

Mom Bike

Damascus Road

Roll!

I'm Back!

Kinderdijk

Little Helper

Washing Machine

Done!

Cars

Pesto!

Ingredients

Directions

Tent

I'd Rather Have Jesus

Making Cookies!

My Sweet Kees

Park!

30

Fwinkle Fwinkle Little Tar...

30 in Paris!

Paris!

Visit From McMinnville First Assembly Church

Soccer

My Younger Years...

Snake!

Visit!

Maastricht, Netherlands

Flowers

Crochet Sweater

Barney

New Day International Church

Pooh, Tigger and Piglet

Shake, Shake

Panda!

Maastricht, Netherlands

Trip to the Coast!

Organization...what a wonderful word.

Elmo is Back!

Kees!

Cooking

Summer!

Happy 4th!

Sleepy...

Bubbles

I saw this on a blog and thought that it was really funny and very true!
You know you're Dutch when...