First Bakfiets Ride

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!

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

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

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

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...

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