Mickey Car!

Couch Makeover

Our couches were in need of a major makeover! They have been through a lot... moving, the birth of Kees, and now Kees jumping on them.

22 yards of fabric later I have covered one couch and need to finish one more and a chair. A lot of work goes into a cover!

Special Memories

The Asfours

Today Kees and I went to visit our missionary friends Ramzy and Nancy Asfour. They are living near Amsterdam and work as professors at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. A few weeks ago Nancy fell and broke her arm and leg. She is in a wheelchair and had to have a hospital bed put in the living room. Kees and I brought some lunch and Kees cheered up Nancy. When we first visited Nancy after her accident Kees was a little scared of the big cast on her leg (which is red) and the matching one on her arm. Today Nancy had put on a sweatshirt with Pooh Bear and Tigger on it just for Kees. Next thing you know he was sitting on her lap and they were wheeling around the living room together. I thought that was so thoughtful of Nancy to wear that just for Kees. Kees prays for Nancy every night. He says, "Friend owie." What a sweetheart!

Looking More Like Spring!

Pretty flowers blooming in the backyard! I'm ready for Spring and some sunshine!

Talking!

Kees put his first few words together this morning. He said, "Mama-juice-spill-floor." Not what I wanted to hear but I was too excited at the words that I didn't think about the spill. He has been talking up a storm! Today he pointed up at the counter and said, "chocolate!" I guess when he has me as a mom he was bound to learn the word for chocolate soon enough!

Kees en Kaas (Kees and Cheese)!

Cheese here comes in huge chunks and is delicious! It requires a special skill to learn to properly carve a thin slice of cheese off the block. I have yet to master this skill. :) Here are a few pictures of Kees working on the craft of cheese carving.
Hey Kees lets stick to carving the cheese and not the table...

Pet Search

Kees loves animals! We have been talking about getting a pet for a long time. We think we have decided on a cat. Above is the pet shop near our house. He loves to go see the rabbits. Today we went to the local pound and looked for a kitten. The worker told us that there would not be kittens for a few more months. We looked at some of the older cats but decided to wait for a kitten. When I was a little girl my family adopted an all black cat from the pound. She was the best cat (besides Rembrandt:) She really became part of the family. My sister Janelle named her Cinderella and as we got older it turned into Cindy. I asked Kees what he would name our kitty and he said, "Soup." It was lunch time and he had had tomato soup for lunch the day before so I think he misunderstood the question :)
Looking at the rabbits.
Kees gets so excited when he sees the big dog at the pet shop. It looks like his beloved "Dog" stuffed animal only it is huge! He shouts, "DOG!" On the way to get groceries we always make a stop at the pet shop.

New Look

Kees' hair was getting so long it was hanging in his eyes so we went for a new look! I think he is happy with it. Kees looked at his hair then looked at Steve and I and said, "Nice!"

Valentine's Day

My Valentine bear from Steve...so cute! Kees calls him, "Mommy's bear"
Kees and I decorated the living room with hearts.

Kees Loves Hats!

Elmo hat...
Tupperware hat...
Raccoon hat...

Steve got his new Speed the Light scooter this past week. He has been having a great time riding around the city. One of our good friends Ben who was also a student in our Chi Alpha in Leiden came to stay with us. Steve dropped Ben off at the train station this morning on his bike. Kees didn't know what to think seeing Steve riding off with Ben on the back of his bike!
After Steve and Ben left on the scooter Kees got right on his bike and went for a ride around the living room on his bike. He likes that his bike is red like his Papa!

Chef Kees!

Kees has started to enjoy cooking in the kitchen with mom. He likes to try to use the cups and teaspoons. His favorite is the rolling pin!
Helping mom make flour tortillas.
What a helper!

He was Lovin' it!

Steve had the afternoon off so he took the family to McDonald's for lunch. It was the first time Kees got to play and get his first Happy Meal!
What a big boy eating his own cheese burger!
Dutch Happy Meal box.
They didn't have touch screens when I was a kid at McDonald's...I just remember the spinning chairs. McDonald's has gone high- tech.

Time to play!

Maastricht, Netherlands

This past weekend we were able to visit Damascus Road International Church in Maastricht, Netherlands. Damascus Road is a thriving church plant in the city. It was a wonderful service Sunday with beautiful worship, inspiring sermon, and such a loving, welcoming environment to come into. Kees also enjoyed making some new friends in his class. It is amazing to see all God is doing and how he is reaching the students and city of Maastricht. This is the web-site of the church: www.damascusroadic.com.

Maastricht has one of the youngest Universities in the Netherlands. There are over 13,000 students in the city giving it the name a "student city." The city had a vibrant feel with many busy cafe's and beautiful architecture. This is a picture of one of the bridges that connects the two sides of the city. Just beautiful!