Higley Family

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

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Enjoying the Warmth

2011-12-03T11:29:00.002-07:00

Looking back at all these summer pictures makes me miss these warm days of picnics outside and walks to feed the ducks.
After throwing rocks in the water for a while we got in trouble by the grounds workers. Guess they don't like cleaning out all the rocks...woops! Well we had fun while it lasted. And shh, don't tell but we did it again a few weeks later. :)

Then we were off to throw food to the ducks, geese, & birds...
Such fun, warm, summer days...

A Much Needed Getaway

2011-12-02T22:44:00.004-07:00

By this point Jarom had been gone working in Holland for about 5 or 6 weeks and he would still be there for another 5 weeks...which meant that I desperately needed a break!!! SO it was perfect timing when my good friend, Katie, called and asked me to come on a business trip with her. I was very excited! We've known each other since junior high and have kept in touch all these years.

It's amazing how nice flying without kids is after you've experienced flying with them! Only problem is you constantly feel like you are forgetting something because it is much too easy and relaxed.

Once we got to Texas, we had a good time setting up Katie's booth (she's the owner of Oh Katy diapers...p.s. I cloth diaper now...surprised?). We got to meet some fun people, go to a few bars (where we felt pretty out of place drinking our Coke's), go to the world's largest honky tonk, participate in armadillo racing (which meant we actually held an armadillo), ride a mechanical bull, and just catch up with each other and have a good time.

Here's the reason why we needed a room with two beds: one for us and one for our junk!

We had such a good time together and yet it was of course good to get back to our kids again!

Seriously?!?

2011-12-02T22:37:00.003-07:00

Easter...that was the last time I posted? That's a little pathetic! Well, looks like I have a lot to sort through. Don't even know if I remember how to blog any more. :) Here are a few cute pictures my sister took back in April. They're candid and I just love them. They make me smile. I'll start sorting through my dozens of folders to attempt to get caught up!

Easter

2011-05-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Some of the Higley cousins were down from Idaho so Grandma did an Easter egg hunt for them. It was cute to see them all running around together.

Glade was at the back end of the group. He found all the eggs everyone else didn't see.

Pictures of big groups of kids always make me laugh. There's usually at least one person crying!

The Saturday before Easter we went to the city egg hunt. It's pretty much mass chaos! Really fun mass chaos that is.

The bunny picture

Dumping out their goodies once we got home

I always enjoy dying eggs. Thankfully my kids do too. Too bad I'm the only one who will eat them.

Easter Sunday...Glade is so excited! :)

Ready for the egg hunt.

Jimmy snapped this one. I think Myra looks pretty sweet. I look pretty tired but that's just the reality. Counting down those days until Jarom gets back!

These 3 kiddos sure made Easter enjoyable for me!

Hanging out with the Lovelace's

2011-05-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Soon after Jarom left, the kids and I headed to Springville to hang out with my family for a while. Myra really loves grandpa. She actually lets him hold her....which is saying a lot for Myra! She is a momma's girl BIG time.

I have really missed the big family Sunday gatherings with everyone around the table eating, laughing, and playing games.

The boys had a blast playing with cousin Tyce and his baby brother, Kru. Thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to spend some time outside.

Tyce brought a few of his bikes over to share. The boys took turns pushing Myra around for a good hour.

My baby girl

All of my kids have become obsessed with drinking fountains. You hardly ever see a drinking fountain in Europe. Every time we find one they all have to stop and have several drinks. Myra thinks they are the coolest things ever!

My mom and I took the kids to the Bean Museum at BYU.

Jimmy the rhino

Then we stopped at McD's to let the kids run around.

Another day the boys went to Trafalga with Glenn, Amber, and their kids. They had a blast!

We also went to the Dinosaur Museum at BYU.

Of course the boys thought it was really cool!

Finally we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. We had such a good time (and went back a few weeks later). :)

Saying Goodbye Again

2011-05-19T15:47:00.003-07:00

Shortly after getting to the US, Jarom had to leave to go back to Holland to train his replacement. It was a very sad goodbye. He has been gone for 8.5 weeks and has 2 more weeks left. We can't wait to see him again!

The kids miss him so much and ask about him all the time. We've only been able to video chat twice since my internet is so unreliable. Other than that we've just emailed back and forth. It will be nice to have a husband once again!

Pretty much all Glade talks about in his prayers is his daddy. "Help daddy home from airport" repeated over and over.

June 1st can't come soon enough!

Settling In

2011-05-19T15:21:00.003-07:00

Braelyn and Jimmy were so funny when they first saw each other. There was this awkwardness where they both just sat on the couch next to each other smiling, but not looking at each other or talking. It was like they were in junior high! They quickly got to playing and laughing and are best buds again. Not a day goes by where my kids don't ask to play with Braelyn and Ryker!

Myra and Tigger became instant friends. She loves to feed him all the food she doesn't want.

Ryker started calling Jarom "dad" while his dad was on a little trip. It was pretty cute.

The boys got new bikes since we sold theirs in Holland. Jimmy already has a flat in his!

And we tried so hard to catch up on sleep and get used to the time change. It took Myra a month or two to get all adjusted. I hate jet lag! It feels good, yet strange to be back again.

Moving Day!

2011-05-18T14:40:00.006-07:00

We had SO much stuff to lug through the airports: 14 bags of luggage, 2 diaper bags, 1 backpack, 2 strollers, oh and 3 kids! Jarom somehow manned all the luggage and I took the kids, one of the strollers, and the diaper bags. It's exhausting just thinking about it all!

Our good bishop gave us a ride to the airport.

Last picture of our kiddos in Rotterdam. After being in the car for about 45 minutes Jimmy exclaimed, "Are we almost there?" We all just laughed!

I know this isn't the best picture, but it brings back memories of saying goodbye and our last few minutes in Rotterdam.

The last windmill I saw. :(

And then the bishop left us alone with all our stuff. I kept thinking, "I have no idea how we are going to do this!"

Jimmy was a good helper, of course. Keep in mind that even that little bag he's pulling weighed 50 pounds! We stuffed each one to their limit.

I don't have any pictures of us traveling because honestly, we were just lucky to survive. I didn't have an extra hand for picture taking. It was the most stressful day ever! The climax was when our connecting flight messed up our tickets and didn't have seats for 2 of us. They said we'd have to hold 2 kids on our lap. After personally delaying the flight an hour they finally got it figured out and found us seats. Our kids were screaming by the time we sat down because it was 3 am Holland time and the flight attendants expected the kids to stand in the plane aisle for 15 minutes while they figured out where to seat us. It was beyond stressful!

These last few pictures I snagged from my sister, Shelley. These were taken from their perspective as they waited for us to arrive in SLC.

I love this one...the anticipation!

FINALLY! We made it!

Lara and Glade. Glade was shy at first but warmed up quickly.

Myra was exhausted and didn't want anyone (except me) to touch her. Can you blame her?

Grandma Higley!

Grandpa Higley!

Grandpa Don!

...and now to get all of that luggage home! It doesn't seem like nearly so much stuff when you spread it out in our home though. It's a relief to have this move behind us.

Our Final Days in Holland

2011-05-18T13:47:00.005-07:00

Sadly, our last few days in Holland were quite stressful. I had no idea how much work we were getting ourselves into! Thankfully we had so many generous people help us out. I listed our things online for several months and sold things little by little. That took way more time than I thought it would. Here are some pictures of the last few days when we were living with no couches, no beds, no washer/dryer, etc.

The boys loved sleeping on an air mattress in the family room. I, on the other hand, was glad when we got to sleep on a real bed again.

We had an indoor yard sale where we sold everything else off that we hadn't sold in the weeks prior. We ended up giving away lots of things too (including our nice entertainment center). It was a little discouraging to get rid of things we were planning on buying again as soon as we returned, but it was too expensive to ship everything.

Even the light fixtures were starting to disappear. We even had to rip out most of the flooring before leaving. Such a headache!

Thankfully our neighbors brought over some toys for the kids to borrow. We had already sold or packed all of their toys.

Dishwasher gone, boxes everywhere! Packing was so stressful because we had a certain number of bags we were taking, a certain number of boxes we were shipping, and everything had to fit in just right AND be a certain weight. We spent hours moving stuff from bag to bag or box to box, weighing them again, and then moving more things until everything was just right. I believe all of our bags were right on the weight limit!

This is what our bedroom looked like for the last few days. The piles of clothes by the window are the clothes we wore the last few days. I picked clothes we weren't going to take with us so that after we wore them each day we could just toss them or donate them (since we didn't have a washer any more). I'm so glad these moving days are behind us!

Saying Goodbye

2011-05-18T13:16:00.004-07:00

Looking at these pictures has me in tears. Such wonderful memories. Such wonderful people.
I miss these people so much. I miss Holland so much.

Me and Ans (with a stroopwafel of course). I miss stroopwafels too.

Me and Pauli (she was one of the first to tutor me in Dutch).

Jimmy and Amber. Amber's Mom (Jennifer) and I became such close friends. I wish we would've met sooner. We bonded right away. I miss them so much. They are hoping to be able to move back to the states again some day.

Sweet Amber. Don't know why I didn't get a picture of her baby brother, Sam. Or of Jennifer. :(

Saying goodbye to Jimmy's school was sad as well. He started here when he was so little...just 4 years old. This picture is taken of the painting of Martin Luther King Jr, which was done by the students. This was such a great school. Such fond memories of walking to and from school several times each day.

Jimmy and his stool. Is it sad to admit that I cry when looking at this picture too? I'm heartbroken that Jimmy has already forgotten lots of his Dutch. When I speak to him in Dutch he asks me why I'm speaking like that.

juf Melanie

juf Angela

I hope to return and visit Holland again. I miss it so much. I never knew I'd fall so in love with a place and with so many people. What a blessing this opportunity was for our family.

London

2011-05-18T10:30:00.008-07:00

We took one final vacation before moving back to the US. We went to London! We left the boys with some good friends and took Myra with us.

Gorgeous parks

Hamley's toy store was so cool! Of course we bought something for the boys. We wished they were there with us for this part of the trip.

Cupid and Jarom

Red telephone booths

Double decker buses (which we sadly didn't ride)

Westminster Abbey

St. Paul's Cathedral

We were surprised at how small the London Bridge was. In fact it took us a while to find it because we were looking for something spectacular!

Myra did a lot of snoozing during the day, all bundled up in her little cocoon. Too bad this meant she did little sleeping at night.

Tower Bridge...so cool! I loved all the colors and details (which are hard to see in this picture).

We went out to eat on Valentine's day and the waitor gave me a rose.

...or did he give it to Myra? She claimed it as hers.

Sleeping was awful. We did very little of it with the little munchkin snuggled in between us. The bed was pretty much the size of a twin. See that tiny space in between Myra and the wall? That's Jarom's. Yep, it was fun! Babies are a good form of birth control. :)

I had to snap a picture of Jarom carrying Myra and the stroller up a flight of stairs. He did lots of this seeing as there were hardly any elevators or escalators leading to the tube/metro.

Big Ben

Big Ben and the London Eye

The beginning of the changing of the guards.

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben from up in the London Eye. Myra got bored really fast. She was not a big fan!

But she was happy again once we were on the ground and she was snuggled up with Daddy.

In the Tower of London

Notice anything unusual about this picture? In London they don't only drive on opposite sides of the road!

Don't let this sweet face fool you, Myra was a little rascal on the long train rides to and from London. We had a great time and were so happy to get back and see the boys again! Thinking of London makes me want to eat fish and chips. :)

A Different Shopping Experience

2011-04-17T19:15:00.004-07:00

Before leaving Holland I made sure to take some pictures of what my daily life was like. Things like grocery shopping and transportation were such a different experience for me in Holland than in America and I wanted to remember as many details as possible.

Sometimes I walked to the store with the stroller and sometimes I rode my bike. I usually had to go to the store every other day because I could only buy as much as I could carry in the stroller or the bike. I did most of my shopping at Albert Heijn which was about a 4 minute walk from my house and even quicker on my bike. I would usually go to the store after dropping Jimmy off at school so that I had one less kid with me and thus more room in the bike for groceries.

After locking up the bike I would get a cart for me and a small cart for Glade. He loved putting the coins in all by himself. If I came with the stroller instead of the bike then I wouldn't get a cart but would get a basket instead and just carry it, since I coudn't push both a stroller and a cart. Then I was limited to whatever groceries would fit in my little basket...and I usually filled it to the brim and my arm would be aching by the time I checked out. It got heavy once I loaded in the milk and juice. On the days I would buy diapers and wipes I had even less room to buy groceries because the diapers took up so much space.

You have to bag your own groceries and of course bring your own bags as well. I felt so wasteful coming back to the US and using plastic bags.

After done shopping I'd push the cart out to my bike and load it up with food and kids...put back the cart...unlock the bike and we were on our way.

All strapped in and ready to go!

It's strange to shop in the grocery stores in America because they are all SO much bigger! It's kind of annoying because it takes much longer to do shopping when the store is so big. But it is nice to be able to shop just once a week (or less) and be able to buy as much as I need and not worry about carrying it home. I have to say that I still feel lazy driving my car to the store though!

Here we are riding into the pathway that leads to our backyard.

I'd usually ride the bike right up to the house to make unloading easier.

I really do miss my bike, but I have to say it's nice to be able to drive when it's raining or cold.

Return to Normalcy

2011-03-20T20:58:00.004-07:00

So much has happened since my last post. Things are finally returning to a sense of normalcy so I feel I may have time to play a little catch-up. The biggest thing that happened was that we moved from Holland back to America. There will be many posts about that to come. It was a very stressful thing, but I feel so blessed to be living close to family again. Part of my heart will always stay in Holland though.

While I sort through pictures for upcoming posts, here are a few random pictures to catch you up on some of the things we've been up to the past few months:

This is the best picture I have of my munchkins on Christmas day. We had a wonderful Christmas and surprised our families by telling them of our plans to move back to the US...lots of happy tears were shed!

Celebrating New Year's is the best in Holland. We kept the boys up, played games, ate junk food, and watched movies while enjoying fireworks right outside our front window.

Jimmy felt so grown up when I let him walk all the way across the street to his friend Roy's house by himself! He was so cute because he would stop at our curb and look both ways about ten times and then hurry across the road.

We went to the kinderboerderij (petting zoo) a few times with my friend, Jennifer, and her two kids, Amber and Sam. Jimmy and Amber were so cute holding hands while we walked to the farm.

Isn't it so pretty?

Myra has a thing for animals and she squeals so loud when she sees them. She had a great time at the petting zoo. I love her cute red nose!

Cute Jennifer and our clan of kids!

December Recap

2011-01-26T13:53:00.003-07:00

Birthday Catch-up...Myra

2010-12-29T12:44:00.013-07:00

I would just like to know what happened here! Where in the world did the past year go? 2010 flew by faster than any other year. I really can't believe my baby girl is already ONE.

We started out the day with a little shopping at the mall. Myra picked out a cookie. :)

Then she took a little snooze when we picked up Jimmy from school. Doesn't she look so cozy?

Birthday outfit from Gma & Gpa Lovelace

Myra's brothers had a good time wrapping up presents for her and drawing her pictures on the wrapping paper.

Of course we had to make Myra a birthday hat because she loves to put on hats.

More pictures of the adorable one...

When Daddy got home the little boys helped Myra open her presents. She loved her kitten that Jimmy picked out for her.

Then it was cake time...does this cake scream "girl" or what? haha, that's what you get after having 2 boys. When she was first born I dressed her in only pink or purple. I've relaxed quite a bit and she even wears blue (*gasp*) pajamas from time to time. :)

Myra needed her big strong brothers to help her blow out her candles. Don't you love their wife-beater tanks and shaggy hair? Their kool-aid smiles just top the look off!

She's wondering what this stuff is...

...and thinking she doesn't like it so much. I think she tried a total of one bite and the rest ended up on the floor. She was really annoyed that it stuck to her hands!

Do you know why we took this picture? Well if you remember, this was the exact spot where Myra was born. Right there on my bedroom floor in between my bed and my "closet" was where she entered this world.

If you missed that exciting story...click here for "Myra's Grand Entrance" and here for "Daddy's Version" of the story.

My little baby is not so little any more. :(

Yes, it's cliche, but it seems like yesterday I was snuggled up to my brand new baby daughter...still in shock from her crazy fast birth and so totally in love right from the start.

My Myra Girl, I am so excited to see what 2011 holds for us.

You make me happy beyond belief.

Birthday Catch-up...Jimmy

2010-12-09T06:11:00.008-07:00

Now it's Jimmy's turn! Jimmy turned 5 in November and we got to celebrate it for 3 days! Saturday was his party with his friends, Sunday he opened family gifts, and Monday he took treats to his school class.

Jimmy said he wanted a Lego party so I searched the internet for ideas. I was quite surprised how many cute ideas there were. The cake was simple yet when I asked Jimmy if it looked like a Lego he said, "Um, kind of." haha, well, I'm no cake decorator so that worked for me.

I printed mini Lego coloring books. Link here.

Also printed the Lego man boxes and filled them with candy for the kids. Link here.

The Lego trucks were one of the prizes from the games we played. Idea here.

The kids colored these characters and I had hole punched the bottoms of them so we could stick a Lego on each side and they would stand up. Idea from here.

We didn't get any pictures of the kids playing the games because our hands were too busy to snap pictures! I had hid a bunch of duplo Legos around the room and the kids searched for them and saw who could find the most. Also we did a "Lego drop" where the child stood on a chair and there was a jar on the ground where they tried to drop the Legos into it...the kids really liked this one.

Opening gifts got a little crazy. All ten kids crowded around Jimmy and were yelling in Dutch and shoving presents in his face! All of his presents were Legos except one (a puzzle). He was of course absolutely thrilled about this!

Then time to sing "Lang zal ze leven, lang zal ze leven ... Hieperdepiep, Hoera!!!"

Only two kids wanted cake and ice cream. The others all wanted to play instead. So they all ran off to destroy the house and over time a few came back downstairs and ate some cake! They had a great time.

Building with the new Legos

We had kids turned into superheroes and kids "fixing" my walls with the toy hammers! And of course every toy had to be out of the bucket/basket. :)

I had many party games planned and we played a few but the kids didn't want to play any of my games any more. They preferred to run around. Then they decided to go outside and see if they could fit all 10 of them on the playhut at the same time! Only one child cried in the process...success.

And they all went home with nice filthy hands. I'm sure their parents loved me for that! But they really did have a great time!

Then Sinterklaas came to Hesseplaats (our local shopping area) so the boys and I headed there to see him and the Zwarte Pieten. The boys were sad they didn't get to get close to him. It's not like in the US where you get to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want.

On Sunday Jimmy opened the gifts from family.

Glade was sad because Jimmy was getting all these presents and Jimmy so sweetly handed one of the boxes of Legos to Glade and said, "Here Glade, this one is for you!" Awww, one of those moments as a parent where you feel you must be doing something right! Either that or the kid just got too many birthday gifts...we'll go with the former. ;)

And finally on Monday Jimmy got to take a snack to his classmates. Some people go all out on the "traktaties" but this year I didn't. I was worn out from the party so we just made apple cinnamon muffins and called it good!

And here he is Monday after school. Tired, you think?! :) What a fun weekend we had with our Jimmy. He is such a kind and generous boy.

We love him a lot.

Happy Birthday Jimmers!

Birthday Catch-up...Glade

2010-12-09T05:15:00.006-07:00

Now that all my kids have had their birthdays, I think it's about time I blog about it! We'll start with Glade. He turned 3 in October! We had a day all focused on whatever Glade wanted to do. On the way home from dropping Jimmy off at school, we stopped in the store and Glade got to do the grocery shopping. As you can see, he has very good taste!

Then we watched movies, played trains, and ate junk food all morning until it was time to pick up Jimmy from school. He decided he wanted to wear his birthday hat in the bike!

We played and watched more movies and ate more junk and waited until Daddy got home for the party. Then Jimmy helped Glade open his presents. He got Legos and Toy Story toys...his two favorites right now. Oh and some little mini cars. Glade loves anything little he can shove in his pockets or carry around the house in a little bag.

It was kinda funny that Jimmy was more excited about opening Glade's gifts than Glade was! Good thing Glade is (pretty) good about sharing. :)

We love our little goof (or as the boys say it "doof"). For dinner he wanted hot dogs, french fries, and chicken nuggets. Delish!

Putting in those 3 candles...

I think we sang Happy Birthday about 7 times that day!

And he was SO fast at blowing out those candles. The second we finished singing they were out! I only captured the smoke!

Happy Birthday to Glade! You are such a sweet boy. You will always be my "wittle" boy. Love you! I'm so thankful for you...and thankful that you don't decide what we eat every day...I think I was a little sick after a day of junk food and hot dogs!

Difference #7

2010-12-01T02:37:00.003-07:00

#7. School Sibling Pictures

It's standard here to get sibling pictures taken when school pictures are taken. I didn't realize they were going to do this until I picked Jimmy up from school. Glade was not excited about it and strangely enough he ended up smiling the best in the picture! It's not the best picture, but it's always fun to have a picture with all 3 of them in it.

While I'm at it, I'll just post the other two school pictures we got:

Class picture...too bad like 4-5 kids are missing.

And here's Jimmy, age 5. I think it's a pretty adorable first school picture!

They start elementary school here at age 4. Thus they have children starting school all throughout the school year since they come in on their birthday. Jimmy just barely missed the school pictures last year.

In the beginning the kids usually go just in the mornings for the first few days or weeks depending on the child. Then they are at school all day Mon-Fri (except early out days). I think it's too much at such a young age, but thankfully Jimmy has really enjoyed it. He's been in school now for one year and it's weird to think that if we were living in the states he wouldn't start going to elementary school until fall 2011...and wouldn't start going all day long until fall 2012 (that's 3 years later than he started here). I don't like my kids growing up so quickly.

I had a parent/teacher conference last week and Jimmy's teachers said he is doing great! He is speaking so much more Dutch and makes a lot more comments in class now. Last year Jimmy was very quiet in school and actually got into quite a few arguments (we think because he couldn't understand the kids and they couldn't understand him). He's doing so much better now. He really looks forward to school and has learned so much. I love hearing him speak in Dutch and sing in Dutch...so cute!

It's funny because Jimmy often starts jabbering on and on in Dutch and Jarom will just look at me because he has now clue what his son is saying! Guess he's gotta learn Dutch too. :)

Here are links to Difference #6, Difference #5, Difference #4, Difference #3, Difference #2, Difference #1.

Germany: Movie Park

2010-10-25T01:58:00.002-07:00

This is my last post of summer vacation pictures! Can you believe it? I thought I'd never finish. Well we may have overdone it a little with the amusement parks, but we all had such a good time. Our last stop was Movie Park in Germany.

Jimmy was a little cautious at first in jumping but towards the end he was having a blast!

More driving...Glade is just thrilled!

We had such a wonderful summer and feel so blessed that we got to see so many family members...and so many cool places too.

Cologne, Germany

2010-10-24T14:36:00.001-07:00

With a few more days left of our vacation, we stopped in Cologne, Germany.
Here's the Cathedral of Cologne (Dom). It is so huge!

This is possibly one of my favorite pictures from the summer...so sweet.

And there you have the Rhine River

This last stop wasn't planned, but when we saw a Lego store we just HAD to stop! I think the adults had almost as much fun as the kids did! We love Legos.

Oh, and how could I forget, we also went to a Gestapo Prison. It was sad but very neat also. Sadly, no pictures of it.

Germany: Fantasialand

2010-10-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

We've decided the way to vacation (enjoyably) with kids is to split up the seeing of castles, museums, and the like with a day in an amusement park. So our next one was Fantasialand in Germany. Again, we had lots of fun.

Of course it had a carousel (several, actually).

I don't think I've ever seen somebody take so many pictures as Grandpa. It still makes me laugh thinking of all the things he took pictures of (haha, love ya dad).

Can you believe I let my baby play in the nasty ballpit? She couldn't either...and she loved it!

And here was Jarom's favorite ride...it looks like he's riding it alone...haha!

Luxembourg

2010-10-23T02:08:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Luxembourg. I loved it...SO gorgeous! Above is Jarom in front of the Palace of the Grand Dukes.

It was quite humbling to be in the Luxembourg American cemetary and memorial.

We got to see Patton's grave.

Jimmy found a cute little frog friend...ew, sick!

Look at the cool chimney.

To entertain the boys we gave them a toy catalog and crayon. We told them to circle the toys they wanted. I think it turned into torture rather than fun, haha! Jimmy was sad by the end thinking of all the toys he wanted. Woops!

Such gorgeous views

The Casemates du Bock were pretty cool...lots of stairs though! I was impressed how well the boys handled it with their little legs.

I was also impressed with how well the kids did in the car. We did a lot of driving but thankfully did pretty well to split it up so we weren't in the car for too long at a time. The above picture was taken when we had to take a little stop and let the kids stretch and Myra eat.

Jimmy thought it was so cool that he had his own bed. He didn't even care that it was a play pen! :) The boys loved staying in all the different hotels.

My New Nephew

2010-10-22T14:18:00.003-07:00

Glenn and Amber (my brother and his wife) just had their second little baby boy minutes ago!

Kru Conlyn Lovelace

Isn't he just adorable? I love all his blonde hair! Now if I could only hold him. :(

Congrats you guys. I sure love you and miss you all.

Give sweet Kru hugs and kisses for me.

Antwerp, Belgium

2010-10-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

We rented a large van so we could all go on a little adventure together. I was just glad I didn't have to drive at all! Major thanks to Grandpa for doing all the driving...what a trooper! We made our first stop in Antwerp, Belgium.
The boys were thrilled to spot Spidey!
Jarom tried to toss Jimmy in the water.
And Jimmy tried to get him back!
Our cool view outside a little restaurant.
My delicious Belgium waffle....Mmmmm, I want another one right now!
Myra loved the waffle too. :)
And we finished it off with a cool castle.

Efteling

2010-10-21T05:40:00.005-07:00

I figured it's about time to finish up those vacation posts. We went to Efteling (a Dutch amusement park) with Jarom's parents. I love Efteling! It's so gorgeous, well-kept, and of course lots of fun.

It is focused around storytales...some of which were familiar to me and some not. The one above was a donkey that poops out gold coins, which of course was a HUGE hit with my boys! We saw a girl get hit in the head with a gold poop coin. Don't think this would fly in the states!

A cool talking tree

They even colored the feathers on the birds!

Jimmy & Grandma

The huge teeter-totters were SO much fun! That is until Grandma and Grandpa got on them and we started worrying they were going to hurt themselves and we'd be pushing them in the strollers! They got way too wild. :)

The whole park is covered with gorgeous flowers.

Jimmy went on this boat ride with me last year and hated it. He wanted to try again this year and surprise, surprise...he hated it again! Poor kid.

Myra having fun with Grandpa.

Glade loved driving the car.

...As did Jimmy!

We had such a great time!

Difference #6

2010-10-15T07:37:00.003-07:00

#6.

My kids used to fall asleep in the car.
Now they fall asleep in the bike.

As much as I will love having a car again some day, I will miss this bike SO much! It really is lots of fun (when it's not raining or freezing cold).

P.S. Here are links to Difference #5, Difference #4, Difference #3, Difference #2, Difference #1. I should start doing labels on my posts!

Higley Family in Town

2010-09-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have so many fun visitors this summer. Jarom's parents also came!

The boys had a blast wrestling with Grandpa!
He even went down the slide with them.

We went to a Delftware factory.

And can I just say that Myra is a perfect little traveler. She is very easy to take places and she gets lots of attention no matter where she goes!

Finding toys and pens in Grandpa's pocket is one of the favorite activities of all the grandbabies. My boys used to love it too.

Sleeping on the train with Grandpa.

We had a chance to buy some weed in Amsterdam. I told Grandma she should buy the grandkids weed lollipops to take back...they were selling them for one euro!

Went to Kinderdijk again and this is the only picture I got before my camera died (not that I need more pictures of windmills anyway).

Haarlem, Netherlands

So are you sick of my vacation posts yet??? Let's see, I have 4 more left!

Around Town

2010-09-16T01:47:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Lara were able to stay for 10 days and then had to go back to the US for work and school. My Mom and Renae were able to stay for one month! So here are a few of the things we did in those last few weeks (which seemed like only days).
Went to see the windmills (kinderdijk).

Went on several bike rides and found these fun ziplines.

It was nice and warm (maybe even too hot) so we played outside a lot.

Set up the pool for the boys.

Mom and Renae even did a fun treasure hunt for the boys...they loved it! It reminded me of when my Grandma Lyn used to do treasure hunts for all the grandkids.

Mostly we just hung out, chatted, laughed like crazy, ate WAY too much chocolate and junk, and stayed up WAY too late eating, watching movies, and playing games.

Obviously the day they left was one of the hardest ever. This picture is just way too sad. Man how I miss my family. I'm SO grateful they could come though.

Belgium

2010-09-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

We rented two cars for the weekend and drove to Belgium together. We started out in Brugge. As you can see, it's gorgeous.

Everyone with their maps and cameras trying to figure out where to go and what to do! Sadly somehow all my pictures from this trip have disappeared. Thankfully there were many cameras there so I have snagged pictures from my sisters (without their permission of course!).

It was SO fun to be together again. You know all 4 of us used to share a room? Great memories.

I love Lara's face in this one...haha!

A very healthy and delicious meal (not and not).

Glade kept on the look-out for...birds?

Wow, he's adorable. :)

Jarom and I called it quits a little early and headed to the hotel with the kiddos. My parents and sisters stayed out later at night and got some cool night shots.

Here's our hotel (and the lovely Renae).

Myra and Jimmy at the chocolate museum. We also took the kids to a french fry museum. Now those are my type of museums!

And Lara got a new boyfriend out of the trip...lucky Lara!

On the way home from Brugge we stopped in Ghent to see this amazing castle.

It was really anything you'd imagine seeing in an old castle...

...strong warriors...

...torture devices and a guillotine...

...and ancient crapper (in use none the less)...

Yep, it was pretty cool!

And here's the whole gang!

Belgium Waffles anyone?!?

Haarlem

2010-09-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

I was really excited to go to Haarlem. It is a really neat little town with many buildings dating back before the war.
First we stopped in this delicious bakery. We bought a bunch of different pastries and passed them around. My favorite was the hot cheese croissant. Oh wow, I really want one now!
Next we went to the Corrie ten Boom Museum. Have you read "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom? If not then I highly recommend it. It's about a Christian family that hides Jews in their house. The museum is the actual house they hid Jews in. Somebody turned the ten Boom family in and they were taken to jail and eventually to concentration camps. Corrie survived the camps but her family did not. She dedicated the rest of her life to teaching people about Christ. It was so neat to be able to visit the place I had read about and then imagine those events actually happening.
This is the room they hid the Jews in. They would climb in through the hole in the little closet (under that bottom shelf). The hole in the wall was later added just to give visitors of the museum a better look inside the hideout. They never did find the Jews hidden inside. A family member or friend let the Jews out several days after the ten Booms were arrested.

Me and my sisters on top of the roof of the ten Boom house.

Grote Kerk: where the ten Booms often worshipped

This organ inside the Grote Kerk was played by Mozart and Handel.

Dad and Lara

Typical rainy day

And here's Shelley entertaining the boys while we waited for our train.

Amsterdam

2010-09-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

What's a trip to Holland without going to Amsterdam, right?
Enough french fries to last Jimmy a lifetime...or a day.
The famous Anne Frank house

Anne Frank statue on a street named after her

Vondelpark is gorgeous

I can't count how many jumping pictures we took this summer!

Grandma's got a new boyfriend!

After a fun day exploring Amsterdam, we ended with a cafe dinner outside while listening to these musicians. They were actually pretty good.

Den Haag

2010-09-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

I hope you aren't sick of my summer pictures yet because I still have about 12 more posts of them!
The highlight of Den Haag (the hague) by far was Maduradam. It's a miniature city with a whole bunch of models of places in the Netherlands. I was amazed at how closely they paid attention to little details...like the tiny people and dogs and bushes trimmed to look like trees.
Jimmy in front of a tiny windmill

Classic Glade face

Sleeping Beauty

Glade was heart broken when he found out he was not allowed to play with the model cars.

Model of an amusement park...you put a coin in and the rides all came to life!

These next few make me laugh...I'm surprised Lara and Shelley didn't get us kicked out! :)

"Shelley, watch out!"

haha
Are you laughing yet?
"Lara, you are HUUUUGE!"
How many people can you fit in one wooden shoe?
We also got to go to Den Haag temple, which was one of my favorite evenings of the summer!

Emotional Day

2010-09-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I can fully explain how many emotions were there this day...picking up my parents and little sisters from the airport...so I won't even try!
Lara, Mom, Renae
I wish she could have held her when she was seconds old and not months...but still...

What an exciting day this was!

Delft

2010-09-13T02:43:00.006-07:00

Hello Delft, city of Johannes Vermeer and Delft Blue pottery.
Hello storybook views

Hello bored little boy

Hello birds (and not-so-bored-any-more little boy)

Hello sister (miss you)

Hello cool view

Hello again gorgeous girl

Hallo blauwe hart

Hello city hall

Goodbye Delft

Summer Recap: Keukenhof

2010-09-05T06:50:00.008-07:00

Thankfully Shelley got here just in time to see keukenhof. I think when most people think of Holland they think of tulips. One of the things I love about keukenhof is the smell of the flowers!

Unfortunately I can't take credit for these great pictures. Shelley took 90% of them!

Jimmy played inside this glass maze for 30 minutes or more. He loved it and he got really good at it. By the end he was showing some adults how to make it through!

Growing up our Grandpa Ross always took cheesy pictures of people smelling flowers...thus this picture is for him! :)

Gorgeous

They have a fun petting zoo for the kids. The turkey (below) tried to eat us! Not really, but he sure was scary.

Okay, so there's a story to go with this picture. Shelley and Jimmy are sitting on one of those wooden "lily pads" as you can see. Well after they had their picture taken Jimmy and I had ours taken. After Shelley snapped our picture we started to walk slowly across the lily pads. Then Jimmy got this brilliant idea to run across and being the brilliant mother I am, I also thought it was an excellent idea. We took off running and who would've guessed that those wet lily pads would be slippery? Umm, apparently not me and down we both went. My whole right leg went into the water and was wet up to my knee. I slammed into the next lily pad, hitting my chin and lip on the wood. My lip bled for the next few hours and I was cut up on my legs, hands, and face. I was in quite a bit of pain but what hurt even more was my pride. I slowly picked myself up off that wooden board (and of course my child too who thankfully only scratched his little pinky). I carried him very slowly, head down very low, praying nobody was looking. Ugh, I was very embarrassed. And too bad Shelley had put the camera down just minutes before! This was months ago and I still have a scar on my lip from it.

And I leave you with a picture of my budding photographer! If you ever make it to Holland try and come during the spring so you can see all the flowers. I think it's definitely part of the Holland experience.

Summer Recap: Rotterdam Zoo

2010-08-22T10:48:00.007-07:00

We went with Shelley and our friends (Falkena family) to the zoo. I always have a good time at the zoo and of course the kids do too!

They have an awesome playground! The slide (below) was actually REALLY fun!

Glade prefers to lick his ice cream from the table. I wonder how clean those zoo tables are!

See the butterfly? Because I don't!

Shell and Myra bug

Myra wanted to pet the alligator.

We got this cute monkey magnet and Jimmy made this creepy contraption to hold him. Looks like some freaky form of torturing device! :)

Let the Summer Recap Begin!

2010-08-20T12:43:00.003-07:00

I'm finally going to begin sorting through all my summer pictures. We have had quite the adventures and have quite the number of photos. We sadly just said goodbye to our last visitors. We've had guests since the beginning of May and it has honestly been SO much fun! It feels so strange to have just our little family here now.

I suppose I will start from the beginning (or somewhere near it). Shelley (my sis) and I went to Delfshaven. It's here in Rotterdam. It's really pretty...lots of boats, water, a windmill, etc. The old part of Delfshaven survived World War 2.

In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers held their last meeting in this church before sailing to America.

And here's a cute boy who followed us around that day! :)

Rainy Park Day

2010-07-23T06:28:00.004-07:00

I have lots of pictures to sort through from Den Haag, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Belgium, etc. But until then, enjoy some we took today. I went to this cool park with Jimmy and his class right before school got out and I've been excited to take the kids ever since. Too bad the one day we decide to go it started raining. We had already packed our lunches and gathered up everything we needed before I glanced outside and noticed the awful dark sky. I almost gave up and stayed inside, then I thought, "Who cares. What's a little rain anyway!"

Jimmy was shaking his hips to the music...haha...wish I had a video of it! He's wearing a yellow Spongebob shirt under his Spiderman one...this kid's got style!
We had a whole half hour before we started to get really wet. We were there long enough to eat a sandwich, throw a little sand, and hurry back to the bike.
Mr Brown Eyes just sat on the bench and ate the whole time.
Miss Myra enjoyed the juice box leftovers.
It was our first bike ride in the rain. We had a good time even though it was very short. Maybe we'll go back again tomorrow!

First Bakfiets Ride

2010-06-25T13:29:00.004-07:00

Jarom bought me a bakfiets for Mother's day. I got to ride it for the first time today. I love it!

My mom and little sister, Renae, came with us. It was a gorgeous ride and perfect day.

The steering takes a little getting used to but already I feel much more comfortable on it.

Stopping to feed a hungry babe. :)

The boys were ecstatic when we saw a park.

Myra slept in the shade while we played in the heat.

Sweet baby girl

We played a little ball.

...And then headed home. The kids loved it as much as I did. Jimmy said it was so comfy he wished he had his pillow so he could take a nap. And at one point Glade exclaimed, "I'm flying!" We're all looking forward to many more rides together.

She's Here!

2010-05-06T07:16:00.004-07:00

My sister, Shelley, arrived this morning! She is staying for 3 months and traveling all over Europe! I am so excited!!!

Shelley meeting little Myra for the first time. She's the first of any of our extended family to hold Myra.

On the metro ride home...Jimmy was such a chatterbox!

Glade, on the other hand, was very quiet and shy. Shelley gave him fruit snacks and he held the bag for ten minutes before finally taking one out carefully, sniffing it, licking it, and finally eating it!

The boys put her to work digging holes. I'm sure that was on her top list of things she wanted to do in Rotterdam!

We're SO excited to have her here! She's sleeping on my couch right now...how cool is that?! :)

Bitter-Sweet

2010-05-01T14:35:00.003-07:00

I chatted with the fam on the webcam. It's good to see them and chat with them but it honestly makes me depressed after. It makes me homesick and sick about all the things I'm missing out on.

Kara (Jarom's sister) just got married and we missed her wedding. Lara (my sister) has her senior prom tonight...can't believe she's graduating in a few weeks.

Jimmy cried when we got off the webcam because he missed everyone and wanted to see them now. That just breaks my heart more than anything. All that my sweet kids are missing out on. All the little things like birthday parties, family dinners...

Sure we are having wonderful experiences here, but missing experiences there. What did we start? Because you know as soon as we move back I will yearn for the people and experiences we've had here. I already think about it and I don't even know when we'll leave.

It's just all so bitter-sweet.

It's like I now have two homes that I love. Two countries filled with people I love. And I obviously can't have them both at the same time. It makes me feel so torn.

Enjoying

2010-04-23T13:59:00.007-07:00

Wow, so it's really been over one month since my last post? Woops. Guess life just got too busy or something. I sure have been enjoying it though. Here's a little catch-up on my life (aka my cute kids).

Planting trees in the rain...

Loving more sun...Yipee!

Noticing little baby faces turning to little boy faces...

And realizing we no longer call him "Beeb" (short for baby). I thought we'd call him that forever...

Having frequent no make-up/hat days (and catching cute little Myra expressions)...

Dressing my little doll in spring colors...

Feeding Myra her first taste of bananas...

She really liked them...

Until she didn't...

Kissing freshly bathed babies...Does it get any better than this? I'm pretty sure it doesn't!
fyi...notice the way Myra is holding her right hand...cute little thumb sticking through her fingers? This is her signature way to hold her little hands. She often sucks on that cute little thumb sticking out. We'll see if she's a thumb sucker like her mom was, hopefully not. If so, hopefully she breaks the habit before I did. Honestly, I believe I was about 12 years old when I stopped...oh my, did I just admit that? How embarrassing! :)

My Daughter

2010-03-12T14:06:00.001-07:00

You know every day (seriously, every day) since Myra was born I think about how amazing it is to have a daughter. A daughter.

I have a daughter!!! I am equally in love with my boys, don't get me wrong, but there is something miraculous for me about having a little girl.

It's this amazing feeling where every single thing could go wrong and yet I would still be immeasurably blessed because...I have a daughter.

I could be living in a different country from people I love and ache for and yet it's okay because...I have a daughter.

I could be falling in love with a different country (which yes, is kinda scary for me) but don't worry...I have a daughter.

I could have days filled with stress that end up not seeming so bad because...I have a daughter.

I could (still) be waking up every 3 hours at night to a supposedly starving baby, but sometime through each feeding I smile...I have a daughter.

I could feel like I never have a moment just for myself, but at least I'm holding...my daughter.

What's up...

2010-03-08T14:39:00.003-07:00

Well, nothing too exciting really...

Myra's been sick. It's pretty sad to hold a tiny baby over a bucket so she can throw up...but it's better than having her throw up all over herself and everything around her. She's pretty much better now and I'm almost caught up with all the barf laundry...ew, sick! :)

Flip the bear came to stay with us! He is the bear from Jimmy's class. Jimmy had so much fun with Flip and was sad when he had to take him back. Tot de volgende keer Flip!

...and that's really about it!

Hello There, Smiley

2010-02-19T10:30:00.001-07:00

Such a Blessing!

2010-02-17T02:39:00.005-07:00

The thing that stands out to me the most from Myra's beautiful baby blessing (given by her daddy) was that she was blessed to be a peacemaker in our home. I'm already seeing this happen. She brings all of us so much peace and happiness. We all adore her and that will never change. She is absolutely the perfect addition to our family. Here are pictures from the special day:

And here's a little peak from the past...

Did you know Myra was blessed in the same blessing dress as her mommy?

And here's Myra in it...

I love you, Myra. In my eyes you are perfection.

Love

2010-02-14T13:58:00.005-07:00

I just read a scripture about love that I loved:

"God is love;

and he who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,

and God in him."

-1 John 4:16-

Happy Valentine's Day!

(More blessing pictures coming soon.)

Sunday Best

2010-01-17T08:20:00.005-07:00

We took Myra to church for the first time today. It was so nice to go as a family again. We picked a good day to go back...there was soup and bread after the meetings. They do that here about once a month. It's one of those things I LOVE about church here!

Brown Eyed Boy

2010-01-12T14:09:00.002-07:00

After we put Glade and Jimmy to bed tonight, Glade kept getting up over and over again. I'm not sure why. Usually I would be annoyed and eventually impatient with him. However, he just kept staring at me with those gorgeous big brown eyes and saying, "I want Mommy." And of course I melted. Because how can you say no to, "I want a kiss" even if he says it 10 times in a row? Some day he won't be asking me for those.

One Month Ago

2010-01-08T16:20:00.002-07:00

This edited version contains less blood, tears, & nakedness (you're welcome)! Hopefully it's blog appropriate! :)

I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the miracle we experienced that morning.

Such a Boy!

2010-01-07T14:23:00.003-07:00

I was shopping for a few groceries today with the 3 kiddos.

Jimmy said, "Mom, why are you buying more light bullets?"

He meant light bulbs.

With boys everything can be made dirty or violent!

To: Shelley

2010-01-06T13:41:00.004-07:00

Thank you so much for the fun package!

The boys love the little animals.

I adore my new shirt.

Myra's boots are just darling.

We all love the Kool-Aid and Ranch packets.

And your love notes made me cry.

Thanks for making an ordinary day special!

I love you! I miss you like crazy.

New Year's Eve in Holland

2010-01-01T11:06:00.003-07:00

Don't you love this up-the-nose shot? I'm sure Jarom & Kristal do!

I think you have not truly seen fireworks until you have been in Holland on New Year's Eve. Many people light off huge fireworks in their front yards. Picture the fireworks the city usually lets off but then imagine them being let off right in front of your house...by regular citizens. And then picture you live on a street with many houses and you have many neighbors lighting them off at the same time. The results...very loud, very cool, very smoky, and slightly scary!

The Peck family was very kind to invite us over once again. If it weren't for them we'd rarely get out! As you can see, their children thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks!

Myra slept!

Glade frowned and whimpered!

Both boys were happier watching the fireworks from inside. Jimmy was okay outside if his ears were covered.

Here's where Alex & Jimmy were at the stroke of midnight. They cared more about the computer game...wonder where Jimmy gets that from?! ;)

One good thing about 1:00 am bedtime...oh wait two...the kids let us sleep in until 10:30 am and they all took a nap today at the same time.

We wish you all a Wonderful New Year...2010!

See For Yourself

2010-01-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

Keep in mind these are all lit off by ordinary people...right in front of the house. It's pretty cool to be surrounded by fireworks blowing up!

Even from inside the house, the noise is pretty loud. The fireworks were still going when I went to bed around 2:30 am. I could still see the flashes of light out my bedroom window while I went to sleep.

Jimmy enjoyed it...Glade did not!

Christmas 2009 Review

2009-12-31T04:46:00.004-07:00

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

3 Weeks

2009-12-30T14:34:00.002-07:00

(Thanks Chira for the cute sleeper!)

Wow, where does the time go? Myra is now 3 weeks old, 9 lbs 4 oz, and has grown 1 inch!

And as you can see, she gets more darling every day...it's the truth!

To You...

2009-12-26T14:07:00.004-07:00

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone. Hope you all had an excellent one. Love you!

Holiday Break

2009-12-24T07:40:00.003-07:00

Reading & Relaxing

Baking Yummy Goodies

Snuggling My Myra

Watching Movie, after Movie, after Movie

I absolutely LOVE Lazy Holidays!

A Rare Treat

2009-12-19T02:34:00.003-07:00

The boys were ecstatic to wake up and find SNOW!

Boy was Glade jealous of Jimmy's transportation to school!

Our own little Frosty. Jimmy was truly heartbroken when we put Frosty's hat on and he DID NOT come to life!

And our precious Myra stayed warm all bundled up inside.

We had a fun day in the snow. Now pushing the stroller to the store in the snow...not so fun!

Difference #5

2009-12-15T08:08:00.002-07:00

Myra being weighed...I love her little feet poking out!

#5. Kraamzorg : Postnatal Care

Kraamzorg is a program unique to the Netherlands. For the first 8-10 days after the birth of the baby, a trained maternity nurse comes to help the mother and baby. Most (if not all) of the costs are covered by the insurance. The amount of hours you receive varies depending on your situation. I was given 49 hours of care throughout 8 days.

The nurse is there to help with all sorts of things. She does pretty much everything: changing diapers, checking stitches and the uterus, weighing the baby every day, checking temperatures, making meals, doing grocery shopping, cleaning the house, washing laundry and dishes, giving advice, etc. She even writes in a special diary for you with notes about your and your baby's progress.

It was nice to have extra hands to snap pictures like this one and the ones below.

Here is Glade, my little helper, tickling Myra and "showing" her the bunny!

I have to admit, I was a little nervous to let a complete stranger into my home and have her care for me and my children. I worried that it would be awkward or annoying to have someone always there. But I couldn't have been more wrong in my worries. Gemma, my nurse, was absolutely amazing! I created such a wonderful friendship with her and it's sad that today was her last day here.

She just looked for things that needed to be done and did them (I was nervous I would have to order someone around and tell them what I wanted done. "Will you please go clean my toilet!"). She spoke a lot of Dutch to me, which was nice, but she also spoke English so I wasn't totally lost! She made sure I napped every day and watched the boys for me while I did. She even taught me a few Dutch recipes.

I held it in while I hugged her and said goodbye today, but after she left I cried. She has been kind of like a mother to me for the past 8 days and I will miss her. It has been so hard for me to not have either of my moms here, but Gemma made it much easier.

Now why doesn't the U.S. have a program like this? It explains why the women who do give birth in the hospital often go home just hours after giving birth. I've concluded that the Netherlands is an exceptional place to give birth!

Myra's First Dress

2009-12-13T13:47:00.003-07:00

Oh my goodness, little girls are SO fun!

My Hidden Talent

2009-12-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

This picture has nothing to do with my post, but why not throw it in! We have few pictures of Myra actually awake.

When my nurse checked my uterus on day 2 postpartum, she gasped. My uterus at day 2 had shrunken down to where it normally is at day 14 postpartum! That explains the crazy intense contractions I've been experiencing.

How's that for a hidden talent!

I Think He's In Love!

2009-12-12T13:38:00.004-07:00

What do you think?

Daddy's Version

2009-12-10T13:05:00.003-07:00

I'm glad that Jarom wanted to share his version of Myra's birth story as well. Don't worry, his isn't nearly as long as mine and is of course more comical!

I have exciting news. Tuesday at around 4:38 am, my little baby girl Myra arrived.

Erika woke me up at 4:15 or so, and she said it was time to go to the hospital. I was a little skeptical at first, because she had made this same announcement the day before, only to announce 10 minutes later that it was a false alarm. She did not have any more contractions the rest of that day. So when she woke me Tuesday morning, I thought she might be wrong again, but we were in for a surprise.

Erika was getting dressed so we could go to the hospital, and then she stopped and told me the baby was coming. I thought she was having a bad contraction, and after it passed we would go down to the van our neighbor had brought over for us and then drive out to the hospital as usual. Myra had different plans.

Erika yelled to me to help her, because the baby was coming. "I can feel the head" she yelled, or perhaps it was "she is coming now!" I can't remember which she yelled first. I checked for myself, and found it to be true - the baby's head was almost poking out. I thought it would be impossible for me to drive under these conditions, but I still planned on making it to the hospital for the delivery, so at 4:30 am I called 112 (911) and asked for an ambulance. With Erika's labor and my panic, the gentlemen on the other line could hardly understand my English, and I had to tell them my address 10 or so times. Finally, they understood and said they were on their way.

Erika continued to have intense contractions, but I told her I needed to run downstairs and unlock the door, otherwise the EMT personnel would not be able to come in. She told me not to leave her, but I assured her I would only be a few seconds. I ran down as fast as I could, unlocked and opened the door, and ran back up. Erika yelled once more the baby was coming, and after just a few more minutes, out she came. The head and one shoulder came out, and I caught her. I then pulled out the other arm, and out came beautiful Myra. I showed our precious little girl to Erika, and we held her for another moment until the EMT arrived.

I don't know how Erika managed to keep everything together during this time, but she was amazing. When the paramedics arrived, they asked for a blanket to wrap our slimy newborn girl. I looked around and saw Erika's blanket, the one she sleeps with at night, and thought, "her blanket might get ruined, but it's worth it." I offered this blanket to the professionals, but Erika quickly intervened and said to get a towel instead. She had delivered a baby just a few minutes before, but somehow she managed to keep everything together and saved her blanket. Too bad our carpet floor and bed were not so lucky.

My wife and I delivered our beautiful little girl all by ourselves. The labor and delivery, from start to finish, lasted less than one hour. Needless to say, it was an exciting hour.

-Jarom

Myra's Grand Entrance

2009-12-09T09:19:00.007-07:00

I really don't know how to do this story justice. I'll do my best. Although the birth was extremely fast, the details are many so you may want to grab a drink and a snack...or maybe a whole meal! You ready? Here we go...

The few days before her birth I had been having very strong contractions and many times thought labor was right around the corner only to have my contractions stop all together. I thought Tuesday morning may be another one of those.

I woke up Tuesday around 1:30am, 2:30am, and again at 3:45am. Each time having strong contractions that were similar to the ones from the days before. Each time I got up and went to the bathroom and went back to bed.

At 3:45am Jarom was also having trouble sleeping. We both had sore throats so I went downstairs and got us some throat lozenges. Then I crawled back in bed. I had strong contractions pretty close together for the next few minutes. I told Jarom this may be it but of course he was pretty skeptical considering I had said the same thing to him several times in the previous days. I honestly was a little skeptical myself. I once again headed to the bathroom as I couldn't sleep. As soon as I saw the blood in the toilet (tmi? come on this is a birth story!) I knew this had to be it. I started to pack up the remainder of my things.

A minute or so later I had another strong contraction and started to head to the bathroom. I couldn't make it and stopped at our bedroom door, leaning on the door frame for support. Once the contraction stopped I barely made it to the toilet before another one hit. I was moaning through them at this point and definitely thinking something was up!

Then at 4:15am another contraction hit and my water broke. I felt lots of pressure. I called to Jarom, trying to do so semi-quietly so I wouldn't wake up the boys. I tried again and again, desperately calling out his name. Apparently "semi-quiet" was not going to cut it. I YELLED this time as another contraction came, "THIS is it! Call Kristal NOW!" (Kristal is our wonderful neighbor who was bringing her car for us to take to the hospital and she was to stay with the boys.)

Jarom jumped out of bed and called Kristal at 4:21am. I put a shirt on and was in the process of putting on my pants when a HUGE one hit. I could honestly feel the head descending. This is when I knew we would not make it to the birthing center. No more being quiet...at all! I screamed to Jarom, "She's coming NOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" And let me tell you I have never screamed that loud in my life. Jarom ran in the room and I clung to him and moaned/yelled through the contractions.

Jarom was a rock during all of this. He was absolutely amazing. I felt 100% dependent on him. He didn't seem panicked at all. You wouldn't have believed it if you saw me, but I wasn't panicked either. To say I was in incredible pain was an understatement, but I was calm inside and just knew everything would be fine.

Jarom said he had to get his phone to call 112 (911) and I yelled through a contraction, "Don't leeeeeaaaaave me!" He had his cell phone and made the call at 4:30am. Between my screaming in his ear and the language barrier, it took the man on the other line 10 or more times to understand our address. I kept having contractions every minute. I could feel her in the birth canal and could actually feel her head with my hands, although it was still inside me. I called out, "I can feel her head!"

Jarom said he had to go unlock the door for Kristal and the ambulance and that was the point where I did panic. In my mind he was leaving me and I was going to be utterly alone for this. I pleaded with him not to leave me and he calmly said, "I HAVE to unlock the door. I am NOT leaving you. I will be right back. You let me know when I can go. Okay?" I don't remember ever giving him permission to leave but he did eventually. He was back holding me within seconds. We were now both crouched on our bedroom floor in between our bed and the closet, my pants still around my ankles.

Then two scared little boys came wandering in the room. Glade was wimpering and Jimmy asked, "Mommy, are you okay? Is the baby coming?" In between my yelling I "calmly" told him that Mommy was just fine and yes the baby was coming. I told them they could go in their room and play. Jimmy lovingly put his arm around Glade, who was now crying, and said to him, "It's okay. Mommy is okay." Kristal arrived shortly after 4:30 and thankfully she took the boys downstairs, although I have no recollection of her coming upstairs.

I don't know how many contractions I had after that but they were pretty much back to back with no break in between. Another huge contraction and I screamed as her head came out. I was holding her head in my hands. I yelled, "Her head's out!" Jarom told me later that it was actually her head and one of her shoulders that was out. Jarom then reached down and together we brought her out. I felt between her legs...She IS a girl!

She was born at 4:38am. 53 minutes after I woke up! Only 18 minutes after my water broke!

She took her first little breath and made her first little cry and then was quiet. I was in awe. I just gave birth to my daughter. On my bedroom floor. In a matter of minutes.

The EMT arrived at 4:40am. Jarom got them some towels and I told Jarom to grab the camera. I was planning to tape the whole birth. Jarom held the videocamera in one hand and cut the cord with the other. One of the EMTs took Myra to the bed to check her out and the other helped me deliver the placenta, which was suprisingly very painful.

I was still having contractions just as strong as before she was born and continued to have them all day. I still have them today, which I know is normal, but mine have been extremely painful. They weren't near this bad with either of my boys. The nurse said it's because the labor went so quick that now I am experiencing many of the contractions that would've happened before her birth. In fact, when my uterus was checked today I am one full day ahead on recovery. My uterus has shrunken down much quicker than normal due to all the heavy contractions.

Jarom took Myra downstairs to meet her brothers and the EMT helped me down the stairs and onto the stretcher. These Dutch stairs are a blast minutes after giving birth! Just trust me on that one.

We headed outside in the rain (of course) to the ambulance and rode to the hospital where we were both checked out and everything was fine. We were there for such a short time, just long enough to get checked, get one stitch put in (my that hurt), and take a shower. Then we headed back home just a few hours after giving birth.

Looking back, we should have called the midwife rather than the EMT, but we weren't thinking quite straight (can you blame us?). There really was no need to go to the hospital. The midwife could've done the same things right there in our home. However, the call was already made and I do believe the EMTs were glad. They were two men about my Dad's age. They said it's not every day you get to experience something like this. One had just become a grandpa recently and the other was excitedly taking pictures with his phone before leaving the hospital.

So there you have it! Believe it or not I did actually leave out many details for your sake! This experience is one we will obviously never forget and never tire of telling! Thank you Myra, for making this such a memorable day!

Myra Kimberly

2009-12-08T14:27:00.007-07:00

* 08 Dec 2009 * 7 lbs 15 oz (3585 grams) *

I have quite the birth story to tell you, but sadly you'll have to wait a few more hours.

Here's a teaser: total labor and delivery time was less than ONE HOUR.

She was born at home.

On our bedroom floor.

Jarom and I delivered her alone!

And she's absolutely perfect!!!

In Case You're Wondering

2009-12-07T00:43:00.003-07:00

Just thought I'd let you know...no baby yet. That's all, I'm too exhausted to write much more. It seems I am doomed to eternal contractions that are painful enough to keep me from sleeping but not enough to bring the little girl here.

As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep last night, Jarom rubbed my back and sarcastically said, "Don't worry...only a few more days." In case you didn't know, days feel like years to a pregnant woman past the 39th week. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or punch him!

So I smiled (sort of) behind the tears.

That'll teach me to cry wolf.

Labor?

2009-12-05T22:30:00.002-07:00

So my contractions from last night were every 5 minutes for about an hour and a half. At that point I decided that because it was late (1:45 am) and because I was still able to breathe and slightly relax during contractions that I would try to sleep.

I hesitated doing this because I really didn't want my contractions to stop, but I also didn't want to be up all night if she wasn't coming. Thus I slept off and on, waking for moderate contractions from 1:45 to 5:45 am.

It's now 6:30 am and the contractions are once again picking up to be about every 5-7 minutes apart and are moderate intensity. The house is very quiet as everyone else is still sleeping, so for now I will continue to pace and wait. There's no way I could sleep any more right now.

Is it true labor? I really don't know, but it seems very likely that she could be born today! I sure hope I didn't just jinx myself. Gotta go find some wood to knock on!!!

Sinterklaas

2009-12-05T14:33:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Sinterklaasavond (Sinterklaas Evening) tonight. I'm not the most knowledgable on the subject, but here's what I understand about Sinterklaas traditions:

Sinterklaas arrives from Spain some time in mid-November. He comes by steamboat. Some time between his arrival and December 5th (Sinterklaasavond) children can put their shoes out at night. Sinterklaas or one of his helpers, Zwarte Pieten (Black Pete's), put little candies and toys in the shoes for the children to find in the morning. Jimmy and Glade put their shoes out a few days ago and received a little toy car and some candy (leftovers from their Halloween bag...shhh, don't tell!).

According to Wikipedia, "Children are told that Black Pete enters the house through the chimney, which also explains his black face and hands, and will leave a bundle of sticks ("roe") or a small bag of salt in the shoe instead of candy if the child has been bad. If they have been really bad, Black Pete may take them back to Spain in his sack, a tradition now frowned upon under the influence of modern child psychology." :)

On the evening of December 5th everyone gathers and sings Sinterklaas songs while the children wait for their package of gifts to be delivered to their house by Sint and Piet. Below is a video of our boys from tonight. Jimmy knew Sinterklaas would be ringing the door soon and was so excited when he finally heard it!

I'm sure there's much more to the December 5th tradition, but that's my take on it all! I believe most people here then leave Christmas as a time for family. The 25th I think is when they visit with family and the 26th (Second Christmas Day) is for visiting friends. Most of the gift giving is done on Sinterklaas day instead of Christmas.

Okay, what did I leave out? Anyone know more about Sinterklaas or need to correct me? :)

P.S. Lots of contractions going on here, but trying to not get my hopes up and also not go insane. ONE week left.

I raked 3 large trashbags of wet leaves hoping to jumpstart my labor...nope.

And did scrubbing the floor over and over work...nope.

What about walking up and down stairs...nope.

Vacuuming the house...nope.

Scrubbing bathrooms...nope.

Lying on the couch all day long...nope, that one didn't work either!

And I am NOT trying castor oil!

Oh I'm so ready, why isn't she? :)

(Ummm, okay, quick update...I've now had 6 intense contractions each 5 minutes apart...could this be the real thing? You'd think after 2 births I would know. It's after midnight and I should go to bed but I have a feeling I may not be sleeping much tonight, whether she comes or not.)

Inhumane?

2009-11-29T11:41:00.004-07:00

We've had a mouse problem in our attic off and on since moving here. They disappeared for several months and now they are back. A few nights ago Jarom went upstairs to collect his kill. I gladly stayed downstairs.

I heard loud moans coming from upstairs and then a disgusted yell! I called up to Jarom, curious what was going on, but not wanting to see it with my own eyes.

The mouse had flown off the mousetrap and was dead on the carpet. Jarom picked it up by the tail and the tail fell off! That was the cause of the moan I heard. Then he proceeded to pick up the mouse by the squishy dead body only to find it was stuck to the carpet! That was the cause of the disgusted yell!

Let's just say I'm thankful for a husband who takes care of the little vermins so I don't have to. Are we inhumane to use the snap traps? I don't want a live trap because honestly, I'm sure as I release them they will laugh at me and return again the next night. I don't want the sticky traps because then I have to listen to the mice suffer. Only other thing I can think of is a cat. The boys would love one, but they are getting a sister instead!

My New Record

2009-11-26T14:13:00.003-07:00

This is now officially my longest pregnancy ever! 16 days until my due date. So any guesses as to when she's coming? If you're right I'll name her after you. Okay, probably not!

Movie Night

2009-11-24T13:18:00.002-07:00

We just finished watching "Monsters vs. Aliens" with the boys. They were so excited to have a movie night...especially on a school night! Jimmy brought down everyone's pillows and blankets and I made popcorn.

Glade stayed awake for the whole movie. The second the movie ended he closed his eyes. He wouldn't let go of that popcorn bowl though! What a fun night! And the boys were still in bed by 8:45 (not too bad). I look forward to more nights like tonight.

Surprise!

2009-11-20T08:08:00.001-07:00

Jarom and I took a test drive to the hospital so we would know how to drive there once I'm in labor. Good idea, eh? He had never driven here in Holland and it was in a stick shift (like pretty much all cars here) that he had never driven before. He did a great job and actually would've done much better without me in the car. I gave him bad directions several times, even with good old Tom Tom helping! He finally said, "You're not helping you know!" But we finally got there and next time should be much smoother.

The Pecks let us borrow their car and even watched our kids while we drove to the hospital. They also invited us over for dinner afterwards, which was very nice and kind of funny since I had just finished telling Jarom I was too exhausted to make dinner that night! We stopped by their house to pick up our kids and chatted in the entryway for a few minutes.

As I walked into their family room I noticed a whole bunch of people and thought, "Hmm, I wonder what Kristal is doing. Some kind of meeting or something." And I felt bad because she had to watch my kids during her "meeting." It wasn't until everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!" that I actually got it. This was all for me! The ladies in the Relief Society threw me a baby shower. I was pretty shocked!

We had such a good time playing games, chatting, eating, and opening gifts. I am still so amazed at everyone's generosity...in their gifts, planning of the party, the food, and just in coming that night to show their love. I have such great friends here!

Sorry, no pictures of the shower, although many were taken...just not any with my camera. I will be 37 weeks along on Sunday!

Calling All Superheroes

2009-11-19T07:26:00.005-07:00

Here are some shots from Jimmy's Superhero Birthday Party! We had a great turn out. It was so much fun for Jimmy to have his friends come to our house. We had 14 kids here!
They got to decorate masks and capes, play a few games, test their superhero trivia knowledge, and eat cake and ice cream.

Before the party started a few boys (including Jimmy) were spinning each other in our recliner chair. As a result Jimmy threw up twice. Poor kid! He was a sad little boy until present time rolled around. Then he cheered right up! He now tells anyone who tries to even slightly turn him in the chair, "Don't do that. It will make me sick!" Guess he learned his lesson...the hard way!
Overall, Jimmy had a great time!

My amazing artistic skills!

And cake decorating skills!

Cute!

On his actual birthday, Jimmy's teacher made him a cool birthday hat. They made him a cake at school out of clay and he got to blow out a real candle. He thought that was so neat. Then on the way home from school I took him to pick out whatever cake he wanted from Albert Heijn. It was a win-win situation because Jimmy was ecstatic about picking out a cake and I didn't have to bake another one. Oh and he picked the exact one I wanted him to...chocolate of course!

When Jarom got home from work we ate Jimmy's favorites for dinner: chicken nuggets, french fries, macaroni and cheese, and bananas. Yummy!

Then he opened gifts and we all had cake.

Happy Birthday once again Jimmy!

Where Has My Baby Gone?

2009-11-13T07:51:00.002-07:00

Jarom just emailed me this picture. This is my sweet Jimmy. Can you believe he's FOUR today?

How Kind

2009-11-11T03:00:00.002-07:00

Jimmy saw me struggling to reach my toes while I painted them. He kindly offered to help!

What Did You Do?

2009-11-07T12:36:00.004-07:00

Quick question...Did any of you get the H1N1 vaccine shot? It is now available here and I actually have to decide by Monday morning what to do. Did you get it? Did your kids? Why or why not? I am still undecided but kind of leaning towards not getting it.

Thanks in advance!

Btw, Jimmy's Superhero Birthday Party was today. It was a success! Pictures to come.

School Checklist

2009-11-05T06:42:00.007-07:00

Today was a big day...Jimmy started school! In the Netherlands kids start school around their 4th birthday. Thus they have new kids starting all throughout the year.

Here are a few (okay, quite a few) pictures and video clips of our big day:

Breakfast Eaten...Check! (love this face)

Shoes Tied...Check! (almost)

"Mippens" On...Check!

Little Brother Excited...Check!

Backpack & Umbrella Ready...Check!

Walk Down Our Street...Check!

Spot His School...Check! (15 min later)

Arrive at the Doors...Check!

(He kept telling me, "Mom, we don't have time for this!")

Sitting With All the Big Kids...Check!

Mom Returns Home With Only ONE Child...Check! (sniff,sniff)

Glade Happy to Have Charge of the Umbrella...Check!

* * * * *

And Now For the Report After School...

How Did He Do?

Just Look at His Face!

Success!

Before & After Clip:

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T06:49:00.006-07:00

As I mentioned last year, Halloween is not a holiday here in Holland, but more people are starting to celebrate it. This year our neighborhood had a party and arranged trick-or-treating. They asked beforehand which people would have treats for the kids and then made a list of the house numbers so the kids knew where they could knock. There were 27 houses on the list...so the kids got plenty of candy!

Sybren helped Jimmy decorate his Halloween bag. When Jimmy found Sybren, he grabbed his hand and yelled to me, "Mom, look, I found my best friend!"

Both boys love Maurits.

Yummy Cheesecake

The superheroes are ready to trick-or-treat!

And off they go...

The little pumpkin and I stayed home to pass out treats.

The boys returned and dumped out their treasures. I found it very interesting that some people gave out candy that was not wrapped. Jarom said one old man reached right in the bucket of gummies and pulled out a handful for each kid! Ha ha, people would be shocked if they saw someone do that in the states!

And we ended the fun day with a nice scrub in the tub!

We hope you all had a Wonderful Halloween!

and we leave you with 2 fun videos...

Thinking Ahead

2009-10-21T00:12:00.003-07:00

If you're looking for adorable holiday printables, check out Kennalyn.com! Aren't these gift tags way cute?

So I've been thinking about our Christmas cards for this year. I'm trying to decide what to do about a family picture. I would love to get our pictures done now and start on our cards...however, that would mean baby girl would be in my belly for the pictures. If I wait for pictures until after she's born that might be crunching time depending on when she comes. Any better ideas...besides not sending them out at all! :)

Difference #4

2009-10-15T06:19:00.001-07:00

I forgot I started doing these a few months ago. Here's another small difference between Holland and Utah...

#4. The Chips

The closest thing they have to BBQ chips here is Paprika flavored. They taste similar to BBQ, but are, in my opinion, not quite as good. Too bad because BBQ chips are my favorite. Paprika seems to be a popular flavor here. They also have Paprika Cheetos, which I think are absolutely disgusting! I have yet to see regular flavored Cheetos.

So if you're coming to visit me any time soon (hint, hint) bring me a bag of BBQ chips! Oh and a few packets of Kool-Aid, some cinnamon bears, a loaf of Granny Smith white bread, a box of Cheez-its, some fruit snacks, and a bag of tootsie rolls! And Jimmy requests Kraft Mac 'N Cheese and fishy crackers! It's really not fair that many of my cravings are things not available here. I swear that's why I am craving them...because I know I can't have them!

P.S. Here are links to Difference #1, Difference #2, & Difference #3.

Groei Echo

2009-10-14T04:59:00.004-07:00

Today the little boys and I took a bus to have a groei echo done (growth ultrasound). One of my midwifes was a little concerned about the baby. She was measuring small so I was scheduled for a groei echo. I feel this little girl move all the time and wasn't too worried, but more excited for the echo.

Everything looks really good. She is measuring right in the normal range. She is approximately 2 kg right now (4 lbs 7 oz). I wanted to get a good look at her little face and maybe take home a snapshot, but her head is too far down to get a good shot.

Jimmy enjoyed sitting right by me during the echo. He said a few funny things like:

"What is that in your belly?"
"That's not a head, it looks like a moon."
"Why is there fire in your tummy?"
"Uh oh, she has no eyes!" (We were looking at the top of the head!)

Our ride back on the bus was slightly intense. There was construction going on so the bus didn't stop at the normal stops. And keep in mind this is an area of town I have NEVER been in before. So on the way back, the bus stop I looked up online had no buses coming to it since there was construction all around it. I had to wander around hoping to find another stop. I finally found one but it wasn't the right one so I braved it and asked the bus driver if he could help me. I felt bad asking because they have a schedule to follow and can't stop much or they get off the schedule that everyone is counting on. Anyway, he was very kind and even drove me to the right place so I could find my bus. Phew!

The bus ride was very bumpy. Probably partly because of the construction and the small roads and I'm sure it didn't help that Jimmy picked a seat in the very back! The boys were laughing and having a blast the whole ride home. They were so loud! But thankfully it was mostly happy noises. I'm relieved to be home now and of course relieved that the baby looks healthy.

Only 8.5 weeks left until D-Day! We'll see when this little one comes. Jimmy was almost 3 weeks early and Glade almost 4. I have a feeling she won't be early for some reason, but we'll see.

Jimmy the Photographer

2009-10-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

I have these cute shots thanks to my Jimmy.

The handsome fella himself!

He's Two!

2009-10-08T11:51:00.005-07:00

Here are a few of the fun things that filled his day...

Playing Outside

Making the Birthday Cake

Making Kool-Aid

Dinner...Homemade Chicken Nuggets and French Fries

Glade's Speech Before Opening Gifts

(he cleared his throat several times...funny kid)

A New Car

A New Car Garage

One of the seven times we sang Happy Birthday today

Eating Cake & Ice Cream

Playing the new game, Vallende Aapjes (Falling Monkeys)

We love you, Glade!

(Jarom pointed out that Glade has now lived in the Netherlands longer than in the US...crazy!)

Cute Little Voice

2009-10-03T13:40:00.002-07:00

This feisty boy has me wrapped around his chubby finger. Can you blame me?

Sweet Brothers

2009-09-28T05:56:00.004-07:00

I just had to record what Jimmy said today. I told the boys it was time for Glade's nap. Jimmy's reply was so sweet, "Aww, but Mom, he's my best friend...every day!" As I was carrying Glade upstairs, Jimmy called over and over, "Don't take my baby!" I couldn't help but smile.

The problem is, if I don't let Glade nap he ends up crashed on the couch. (He has a thing for hats and is always finding them and not wanting to take them off.)

How did I get so lucky?

Love You

2009-09-21T05:24:00.004-07:00

And Miss You...Lots!

Paris Part Three

2009-09-13T23:13:00.001-07:00

Disneyland Paris! Is it embarrassing to admit that I was more excited for this part of the trip than for the city center? Is it embarrassing to admit that I had to look up how to spell "embarrassing"? Anyway...I found Disneyland Paris to be very similar to the CA Disneyland. Very fun. Very tiring. Somehow magical.

Classic Carousel

Okay, the Dumbo line....oh my, SO horrible! We waited for over an hour. The boys were wasted and so were we. By the end we were just laughing...couldn't believe we actually stayed in line that long. Looks like Jimmy thought it was worth it!

Buzz Lightyear...one of Jimmy's favorites. Actually one of all of our favorites. We rode it twice.

Jimmy had fun carrying around his little autograph book and meeting the characters.

This dragon was pretty cool looking. Jarom kept teasing Jimmy that he was going to throw him in. Poor kid, probably traumatized him for life.

We spent 3 days in Disneyland. This was at the end of the first day. They both crashed before they could eat dinner. Just imagine them on the last day!

Paris Part Two

2009-09-08T06:01:00.003-07:00

We had fun taking cheesy pictures in front of the Eiffel. This day was one of the highlights of the trip for me. There was a cool park with tons of toys for the kids to play on right by the Eiffel. In fact you could see the tower from where we were sitting on our bench. It was nice to sit and watch the boys run around and play.

Beneath Eiffel...nice up-the-nose shot, eh?

I think this one is a keeper.

The park by the Eiffel

Jimmy got to ride on a donkey right in front of the tower. He thought it was pretty cool.

La Basilique du Sacre Coeur...gorgeous

The view from the basilica. It was a pain getting all the way up there with a stroller and 2 kids. Worth it though.

We had a yummy lunch and dessert. I chose the best one...a chocolate fudge filled macaron!

Next up...Disneyland Paris!

Paris Part One

2009-09-08T04:45:00.004-07:00

Notre Dame

We took way too many pictures in Paris to make this only one blog post. So, here's the first post...we'll see how many it takes.

We spent 8 days in Paris. 5 days in the city center and 3 days in Disneyland Paris. We all had a lot of fun, saw some amazing things, made wonderful memories and in the end were completely exhausted and anxious to get back home. We had the two little boys with us so we had to limit the amount of time we spent in museums and break things up with visits to the park and ice cream breaks....both of which I enjoyed also.

Good thing someone locked up their bike! haha :)

The Louvre

Jimmy liked all the statues.

Glade liked the paintings on the ceilings. He kept saying, "Wow, look...up high!" while pointing.

Playing in the dirt outside the Louvre

Jimmy took this picture...we celebrated our 5th anniversary with shopping at La Fayette, seeing the Arc de Triomphe (pic below), and a delicious dinner...I had salmon, Jarom had lamb and the boys had chicken and french fries. We finished with chocolate mousse!

Two downsides: Our hotel had no A/C, which made things incredibly hot. Also the metro system there is horrible if you have a stroller and kids. There are hardly any stations with elevators and there are many sets of stairs that you have to carry the stroller up and down. What a pain! For that reason I am glad I don't live in Paris. The metro system here in Holland is much more convenient.

Any ideas?

2009-09-04T06:08:00.004-07:00

I need your help. One of my good friends just stopped by with SIX bags stuffed full with adorable baby girl clothes. Not only that but she washed them all for me, sorted them, and then rode them over to my house on her bike! And...she has more to come. Can you believe it? I am in awe of her generosity and want to do something really nice for her. Any ideas? Somehow I think a plate of cookies just doesn't quite cut it!

Oh, and I promise pictures of Paris are coming soon. I just got them off my camera.

Say "Cheese"

2009-08-04T06:40:00.003-07:00

I had to share with you the picture I have on my desktop. Are they hilarious, or what?!

You Ready?

2009-07-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

You ready for the news? Well here are a few ultrasound shots...these always just amaze me...that we can peak in there and see a miracle growing. Truly amazing! I found myself grinning through the whole ultrasound. I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of such a miracle.

This is an excellent shot of the mouth and nose. We had an in-depth ultrasound lasting about 40 minutes since Jimmy was born with a cleft. This little one's mouth and nose look great (as does everything else)!

And here is the tiny foot that kicks me throughout the day. And I suppose you want to know the gender? We contemplated not finding out. It would be a really cool surprise to wait until the birth. But we just couldn't withstand when the tech has that wand right there and can so easily tell us. So we found out.

Het is een meisje! Did you not understand? Let me try again...

Het is niet een jongen. Still didn't get it? Guess you need to learn Dutch. :)

And last of all, a belly shot. This was taken on Sunday. I am somewhere between 21 and 23 weeks along. I know, confusing...I'll let you know if I ever get an actual due date!

Okay, here is a clue....something I made for the little one...

It's a GIRL! We are thrilled! I had lots of fun making this tiny dress. I made it from one of my shirts. Click here for the free pattern. It really is quite simple...if I can make it by hand (aka NO sewing machine) in ONE day then certainly any of you can make one too.

We Made It

2009-07-27T12:48:00.004-07:00

Well, I'm sure most of you know this...or assumed, but we made it back to Holland safely. Amazingly the trip back went really well. I felt so proud to be my little boys' Mommy. They were such good kids. It was still extremely long and tiring and at times stressful, but we made it. Do you know how hard it is to fit 3 people in a tiny airplane bathroom? :)

I was even able to pull out my camera for a few quick shots on the way back. Here were a few of the favorite toys/activities I packed for the plane:

A "Magic" bug...excellent dollar store find.
The mini measuring tape distracted them for quite a while. They loved to measure things and tie things up with it.

This dollar store motorcycle was the coveted toy. Too bad I only bought one!

The small Play-doh container was lots of fun for all of us. I still love playing with Play-doh...I love the smell of it. Is that weird?

Daddy had this amazing surprise for the boys! He spent lots of time setting this up and also fixing the backyard so we now are growing grass instead of pokey weeds. In the square underneath the hut we are planning to put sand. For now the boys love digging in the dirt underneath. Maybe we'll just save money and keep the dirt!

Little bambino is growing. I had my ultrasound!!! I will scan the few pictures and then let you all know the results....hahaha....you have to wait! :)

2 More

2009-06-25T21:38:00.002-07:00

Here are two more for you, Jarom.

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat at 16.5 weeks along. I wish you could've been there for it. I am now 18 weeks along.

Here is a cute one of the cousins (Jimmy, Glade, Braelyn & Ryker) making noise together. You may want to turn the sound down for this one! :)

2 Videos for Daddy

2009-06-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

We miss you and love you. We have more videos coming.

What We Did in May

2009-06-23T12:11:00.008-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures to show you what we've been up to since coming to the US. I'm going to post lots so Jarom has many to look at. Poor guy is home all alone. We miss him. Playing with Renae's water frogs just minutes after arriving from the airport. It was about 4 am Holland time when we finally were done traveling.
Both boys love playing with the kittens. I'm not sure the kittens like it so much!

Jimmy opening the door to see his cousin, Braelyn, for the first time in 9 months.

Hugs for Braelyn.

They kept running up to each other and giving each other hugs throughout the day. It was so sweet. Braelyn kept saying, "Jimmy I missed you so much!"

Cousin Ryker has grown lots in the past few months.

Visiting with Gma Kim, Gma Vickie, Aunt Kali & Cousin Ryker

Mean Mommy gave Glade a lemon to taste at Matt & Nikki's wedding luncheon!

Drinking a Root Beer just for you, Jarom...because I love you so much! (They don't have RB in Holland and it's Jarom's favorite.)

At the temple after Nikki received her endowments.

Late night walks with Renae, Grandma and Lara.

The Newlyweds...Nikki & Matt. I was thrilled to be there for their sealing.

My poor boys both woke up throwing up the morning of the wedding. Horrible timing. So sad.

Amber is glad only one of those boys is hers!

With some of the family after the wedding reception.

More pictures to come from June...