Our Morning Out....

This morning Kees and I went to his new children's doctor clinic to sign him up. It is the same type of clinic that he went to when we lived in Groningen. I was so glad they had one here in Delft. All of his information is still in the computer and he was all set. They are going to call to set his first appointment in a few weeks. It is funny because at the clinic they have you undress your child in the lobby while you wait your turn. So, you have a bunch of kids all playing and running around the lobby in their diapers. You should have seen Kees' face when we walked in! He looked at me like, "Where in the world have you taken me mom?!"After our time filling out paper work (no shots or doctor today) we went to the shopping center to get groceries. Kees remembered about riding on a car with Mickey so we had to make a stop only this time we found a ride on car with the famous ELMO! Kees loves Elmo! Oma got him a suffed Elmo that blows kisses and Kees won't go to bed without his Elmo. I know when Kees is not sleeping in his bed because I hear Elmo blowing kisses when Kees pushes his buttons! We had a fun day out!

Let's not forget to mention Big Bird!

Outside we had to stop at the tractor too :)

I Don't Want to Take A Nap!

I'm not tired!

Kees' First Haircut

House

We really like our new home! We have workers coming to look at a mold problem in one of the rooms but we hope to be able to stay in this house if they can fix it. I like the character of an older house but with it comes some problems. I will keep you posted on that situation. This is Kees' corner of the living room. It is cute to see him sitting at the table reading a book.
No more travel tent for Kees! He loves having so much room in his new bed!
The living room...
Our round table. I always wanted to have a round table. I like how everyone can see each other!

Cute Cake Idea!

Flea Market

This morning I had to take my bike into the shop to have bike bags put on the back and to my delight there was a flea market going on in the city! When I was growing up I would go to the flea market in Santa Cruz with my dad. I love searching for antique treasures and finding great deals.
I got this metal tray stand for $4! I love the little bird on top.
I love wooden kids toys! I found this cute one for $1.50!
This is an antique tea pot given to me by my grandma. It inspired me to start a tea pot collection. I collect building tea pots. My dad is my antique dealer who has found some beautiful ones. It is a adventure to have something rare to collect....you never know where you may find one next!

Laundry Day!

I was busy in the kitchen doing dishes and didn't notice what was going on behind me in the living room. Potty training has sparked an interest in taking off the diaper....so this morning Kees took off all this clothes and decided that he would play in the Laundry basket in the nude....
How he took everything off so fast I still haven't figured out!

Walk in the Sun!

Steve had a meeting at the church this afternoon so Kees and I took advantage of the rare sun and went for a walk around our neighborhood. This is a canal close to our house. Kees had a fun time seeing the ducks....next time we will remember to bring along some bread!
Checking out the canal boats

One of the beautiful things about Delft is all of the canals!

Stuffed Animals

Recently Kees has loved playing with his stuffed animals. We brought Elmo and Pooh Bear with us from the states and when we got here he opened a box from storage of all his stuffed animals he had as a baby.

Bob the Builder Comes to Church!

This morning we went by bike to church. It is only about a 10 minute ride to the church from our house.
I like to call my bike my soccer mom SUV. It is amazing sometimes I see parents with 3 kids on one bike at a time. How they get groceries on too I have yet to figure out. I like the having Papa watch the kids while mamma goes shopping idea better!
Papa and Kees ready to go.
So, I have to start by saying that Kees loves Bob the Builder! Since we got to Holland he has seen it on TV and it is everywhere here! Our church is doing a ministry where they have people who are in the church volunteer time to go and help repair or clean homes of people in the church or neighbors homes for free. They are using Bob as the mascot of the ministry. This morning we walk in and there is a HUGE Bob the Builder in the lobby! This is why I have my camera at all times:) Kees was so excited. He hasn't stopped saying "Bob, Bob, Bob!!!"
This was our fourth Sunday at the church. It was a special day for me today because Kees went into the nursery for the first time without crying and said to me, "Bye Bye Mamma." After over 60 different nurseries during our travels in the states Kees finally has his own class, teacher, and friends.

Waffles!

After some internet searches we have found a store here that has a small American food section! It is random but you can find cake mix, frosting, and even cherry coke. We also found waffle mix and maple syrup!
Wow! These are great!

Kees loves having his own chair at the table!
Yum!

House, Church, and More

Well....we have been busy unpacking and getting our house together. We ran across a few problems with the house like lights missing that should have been installed. Also, we had to have the carpet taken out of one of the rooms so we are waiting to get things moved into that room. We got passport photos today for our new visa cards to live here in the NL. Steve has been working so hard putting all our information together and calling to get things like official copies of birth certificates. It is a process....we are trying to enjoy the process. Our pastor at the church we are working with keeps telling us you need to take 3 months to settle in your home and just get to know the people of the church before you start any ministry. He has been great to support us and make sure that we take care of our family first. I met a really great lady at the church who has a son only a few days older than Kees. She brought me a CD of Christian kids praise in Dutch last Sunday. Then yesterday there was a card in our mailbox she had brought by for us. Her name is Joke(the e sounds like a ). It is really nice to be able to be apart of a church with so many young families! We had a student from Delft over the night before last and are meeting with a girl at the church who has a heart to reach students at the University. I will take some photos of the campus next time we are there so you can see it!

Off to Market...

Kees loves riding on mom's bike! When we are riding I can hear him behind me talking and pointing out things he spots along the way. He put his arms around me when were riding and gave me a big hug...what a sweetie!
Ok...so this shopping center is very rare in Holland! It is all inside and is close to our house so this is where I will be doing my grocery shopping and it also has many other stores. It even has a pet store. When I was a kid I loved going to the pet shop at the Capitola Mall in California. My parents would always let me go in and look at the puppies and kittens. So, I'm continuing the tradition and taking Kees when we go shopping. We are considering getting Kees a goldfish then later moving up to a cat. Kees loves Elmo and Elmo has a goldfish named Dorthy. For some reason Steve doesn't want his son to have a goldfish named Dorthy? I thought it was a cute idea. :). Anyway, this is a huge blessing to be able to shop inside out of the rain with Kees!
They even have a play area for kids that listen and are good shoppers for mommy....Kees enjoying riding the car with Mickey. The only problem was getting him off to leave....lets just say a minor meltdown. But, things were okay once he realized we were headed home on mom's bike.

It is official we are moving into the house in Delft tomorrow!!

9/11

Today I'm reminded of sitting in my parents room watching their television and wondering what was going on in the world that something so horrible could happen. My classes at school were canceled... everything just seem to stop. Everyone was glued to the news that day. Today I'm thinking about the beautiful country of America and all who lost their lives in 9/11. Feeling proud to be an American today. This is a great song for today by Alan Jackson:

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning by Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Park!

Thinking about going down the slide...Maybe I'll look over here...
No, I think I will try to get back up to the slide!
Hey, this is fast and fun!
Again!

And again...
I'm getting tired! Time to go home for a nap. :)