Three Boys

Noah singing his ABC's

2012-01-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Wow...my blog is still active! I know it has been way too long, but finding the time to actually post something is almost impossible!

On our way home from preschool today Noah started singing the ABC song and I thought to myself I better get this on film right away. He is so cute and getting so big.

One of our soccer stars

2011-09-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of video's of Ben this morning.

Disneyland Photo Book

2011-06-09T09:55:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Hail storm

2011-03-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

A hail storm caused quite some excitement this evening! First it had been raining heavy all day, then the hail storm and now it is sunny. Not for long though it suppose to rain, rain, rain for the next few days - starting to look forward to the summer!

My valentines/birthday card from Jim...

2011-02-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

A little late, but finally getting around to sharing this!

Happy Birthday 2011 from Jacqueline Pluijmen on Vimeo.

These are absolutely the best!

Noah @ 21 months

2011-01-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

He is almost 21 months. Weighs 37.5 lbs.

He is a super cute, smart & funny little guy.

Today I heard him say clear as could be: "Oh man!"

Other favorite words are: good job, nice, eat, snack, dog, rock, frog, Josh (we think he likes to say the -sh sound), Joshie, mama, woof woof (his teddy), book, pick up (multiple times in a row). And he loves to make animal sounds...his bunny sound is the cutest !

Besides playing with his big brothers he is all into his shape sorter, puzzles, legos, cars, everyone's shoes and coloring with markers. If you give him crayons, he will throw them across the room.

He recently graduated from a high chair to a booster seat, and he loves to click the buckles even when he is not sitting in it.

The best part is that overall he is a happy boy except when things don't go his way!!! He especially has a hard time when we drop off Joshie at preschool or speech club - he wants to stay and play. Or when he doesn't get to play in the garage! Then he will throw an absolute fit.

Visit to Santa.

2010-12-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

All three did great!!!

2010-12-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of school. Ben and Josh are now home from school for two weeks. Excitement is growing every day...
I am so relieved that we all are feeling better. First Noah got sick and then both Joshie and I came down with strep throat, although mine was without the fever and rash.

Here is 'Nick the Elf' - he sees and hears everything that goes on around the house. Every night he flies to the Northpole to report to Santa and then returns and finds a different spot in the house. The boys run to find him every morning...they thought it was hilarious when he was sitting in the tree one morning.

Today we received mail from the Northpole. Ben & Josh listened intently to what Santa wrote - leaving them with a big smile on their fave when they heard that Santa will be stopping by on Christmas Eve.

Ben proudly showing off his Gingerbread House he made at school.

Noah helping his big brother making Christmas decorations for 'every' kitchen cupboard door.

Wishing that Santa could send me one of his 'Wrapping Elfs'

Mailing letters to Santa.

2010-12-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the boys wrote their letter to Santa. They wanted to make sure he knew they had been very good boys, although I had to remind them that that is not always the case. They agreed to let him know that sometimes they had a hard time listening. Ben also told him that sometimes he acts up a bit when something doesn't go his way and Joshie confessed that he doesn't always eat his dinner. But they both promised to try to do better! Then they let him know what they would like for Christmas. Ben wished for a bike, legos, baseball cards and Wii games and Joshie asked for a castle, legos and more 'CARS' cars.

Christmas tree made out of Legos!

Handmade presents made by Ben!

House full of excitement...

2010-12-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

The boys are super excited. They are coloring, decorating, making ornaments out of perler beads, wrapping, reading Christmas stories, watching Christmas movies and asking thousands of questions. Noah is captivated by Santa and the Christmas tree and so far he has been doing really good with leaving the ornaments on the tree. (keeping my fingers crossed)

Every night after dinner they get to open another door on the chocolate advent calendar. And for extra measure we also had to create our own countdown calendar, which they cross off every morning.

Ben lost his 1st tooth!

2010-12-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Ben lost his first tooth! He was so excited, but dissappointed at the same time because the tooth was nowhere to be found! He thinks he swallowed it.
The toothfairy did come by and left a dollar bill under his pillow (it actually ended up under his bed after a night of tossing and turning).

Getting the tree!

2010-11-29T18:00:00.001-08:00

Sunday we ventured out to get our tree. It was fun to see the boys so excited, although it felt like total chaos at times. Probably because we forgot the stroller for Noah, who just wanted to run free and play in the mud.

Noah did not mind at all not being in the stroller!

For candy we will pose!

Checking out the trees & mud!

I just love being to walk around freely!

Our Christmas Tree spot

The boys hard at work

And off we go!

Photograph by Ben

With lots of assistance from our three little helpers the Christmas tree is up and decorated. Will try take some pictures tomorrow & post them!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:09:00.001-07:00

A skeleton pirate, a sweet little bear and Batman!

Happy Halloween!

GO GIANTS!!!

Ben watching the WorldSeries Game 1 against the Texas Rangers with his buddy Devon.

Ready for Trick-or-Treating.

Oregon

2010-09-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we drove up to Brookings, Oregon to pick up our dog Bella. She had been at 'summercamp' with Mark and Sue in Portland. She is excited to be back home, but I can tell she is missing them! Noah is so entertained by her and does not leave her sight and and uses every opportunity to grab her tail.

Noah's first steps

2010-08-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely Noah is starting to walk....

Visitors from Minnesota...

2010-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

They have been here a week already and only a couple more days before they leave...

Check out Nicole's blog to see what we have been up to!

Noah turns 1!

2010-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Lollipop bribe.

2010-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

I had to bribe Joshie with a lollipop so I could do my workout DVD. He sat and watched me for a while, then he started exercising with me, but shortly after that he began to tackle and wrestle me. At least I got to work on my triceps...they are hurting for sure - feel them with just typing up this post.

Codornices Park

2010-02-15T18:30:00.001-08:00

Today we met Nana and Grandpap for lunch and some playtime at Codornices Park in Berkeley.

The boys played basketball, soccer, had fun on the swings, and explored around the park, but the big winner was the slide. Grandpap brought some cardboard and Jim brought wax paper to make the ride down super fast. It was a great time and it certainly tired them out. Noah and Ben pretty much fell asleep as soon as the car started moving. Joshie barely stayed awake for the ride home, but was fast asleep in his bed by 6pm!

Fort Windsor

2010-02-14T08:39:00.001-08:00

This is how our family room looked like this Sunday morning. Building a fort has become more and more frequent on the weekend. The boys love it and it actually entertains them for hours. This time it was extra special because Devon and Colby were here. Noah keeps a close eye on it all and even made it into the fort a couple of times.

Noah @ 9 months

2010-02-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

I skipped a few months so this is way overdue!

Here are some tidbits of Noah @ 9 months

weighs 28lbs
has 2 teeth and working on 2 more
sleep through the night plus 2 naps during the day
wears size 4 diapers almost needs a 5 though
wears 18 month clothing and some 24 months
crawls all of the place now
tries to stand up
likes to play with his brothers' toys
says "Mama"
gets upset when Mama leaves his sight
pretty mellow baby but can get really upset if he is hungry, needs a burp or diaper change
does NOT lay still for diaper changes, which makes it quite challenging at times
loves playing with his Laugh & Learn Puppy
really likes the swing and going for stroller rides!

Trying to get a decent picture of all three boys together is almost impossible. Either someone is moving, making a funny face, or touching someone...

Ben has been home all week so far with the flu (and Jim was home all of last week). I am really keeping my fingers crossed that no one else will get it, because I am ready for things to go back to normal.

Our baby is crawling...

2010-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Time to babyproof the house again...

Scooting backwards...

2010-01-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

First signs that Noah is on the move...

Santa visit...

2009-12-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today we took them to go see Santa at the mall. Ben and Josh were super excited and ofcourse Noah had no clue, but was a good sport. They both were a little shy at first, but recovered really quick when Santa asked them what they would like for Christmas.

Ben's wished for Lego's and Joshie wished for more Cars...

Swing time...

2009-11-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

My first time in the swing and I love it!!!

Noah @ 6 months

2009-11-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is our little six month old.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T15:11:00.001-07:00

Peter Pan, a lion cub and one scary pirate...

Ben could not decide what he wanted to be for Halloween...for pictures he wanted to be a pirate, for the school parade a baseball player (Timmy Lincecum) and for Trick or Treating tonight he will be a ghost! "It is just such a hard choice", he says.

Happy Halloween everyone!

my three boys...

2009-09-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Not much going on here - just staying super buys with three boys.

Ben started "KinderSkor" which is a 2-year Kindergarten Program. Going to school every day has been an adjustment not just for Ben, but for all of us. Early bedtime, getting him out the door on time, making lunches, homework, paperwork, pick-ups, etc. He loves it though...especially playing tetherball during recess.

These days Ben is very much into Baseball. He is a big San Francisco Giants fan and likes to collect baseball cards. One of his favorite things to do right now is playing catch with Jim...

Joshie now goes to Children's Circle which is a little preschool here in town three mornings per week. He loves his new little 'cool' as he calls it! We CANNOT walk into the building without Joshie wearing his backpack on his back.

We are still working on potty training...we have good days and bad days, but hopefully soon we will be done.

He really likes playing in the dirt and around the house with all of his CARS cars.

Little Noah gets to go for the ride for all the school drop offs and pick ups. He is such a good sport, which makes it a whole lot easier. We are thinking he might be teething already - constanly drooling and putting his fingers in his mouth...

Noah @ 2 months

2009-07-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Noah at 2 months (I know 3 months is only around the corner)

At his 2-month check up he weighed a healthy 15lbs and 7 ounces (6.99kg). The 'little' guy is off the chart with his weight, length and head circumference.

Some pictures of our trip to Carmel/Monterey.

Some pictures...

2009-07-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

1-month old

2009-06-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Noah - 1 month old

Meet Noah

2009-06-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Finally able to sort through some picture and actually upload some. Things have been quite busy and hectic since the arrival of our youngest. Hard to believe that he is four weeks today. had him on the scale today an he weighs 12 lbs (5443 gr.) already. My mom is leaving tomorrow, so Monday will be my first day with three boys by myself. A little nervous, but actually looking forward to hopefully finding somewhat of a routine that will work for all of us.

Overall Noah is a good baby - although he likes to scream at the top of his lungs as soon as he has a wet diaper and will continue to do so until he is nice and dry. He wakes up once or twice at night, and does not take a whole lot of naps during the day unless he is in the car.

My two big helpers. Both very attentative. Ben is very gentle and wants to help in anyway possible. Joshie is a little rougher, but means well most of the time. He is doing a lot better compared to the first couple of weeks - such big changes.

Will try to upload some more pictures tomorrow - all depending how the day goes of course.

Two Boys...

2009-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ben (4 1/2 yrs ) and Josh (2 1/2 yrs)

Two boys...soon to be one more (girl/boy??). I guess I'll have to change the name of my blog. This picture of them was taken about one month ago, and it seems to me they have grown again since then.
When I was trying to take this picture they were chasing each other through the house just laughing out of control. They are so similar yet so different in so many different ways.
Ben loves chocolate Joshie doesn't. Ben falls asleep instantly while Joshie takes forever. Joshie likes potatoes and Ben prefers pasta or rice. And the list goes on...but they both love playing board games and with their cars, doing crafts, wrestling, going to the park, reading books, playing sports outside with their Papa such as Hockey, Baseball, Soccer and Football.

Ben's 1st baseball game.

2009-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we surprised Ben with his first real baseball game. We had held off telling him in case the game would get rained out or if baby arrived. I am still pregnant and the weather cooperated so Jim took him to see the San Francisco Giants play the Colorado Rockies. His uncle Bob and cousin Dan were in town and had tickets for the game.

He was so excited and could not wait to get to the ball park. Jim said the drive down was filled with a thousand and one versions of: "Are we there yet?"

Once there he watched the entire game intently while wearing his glove, asking Jim: "when can we catch a ball?" And: "When can we have candy?"

He got to enjoy a hot dog, some cotton candy (not his favorite) and some ice cream. He saw a home run and kept track of all the players' numbers. It was a short game, Giants lost 5-1, but all in all a big success! And he can't wait to go again!

5 more days...

2009-05-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

to go until my due date.

Today I feel like time is just flying by. It was only a couple of days ago when I thought I was going to be pregnant forever. I am getting really excited to meet this new little person. Funny enough I had a fortune cookie saying that a beautiful, smart and loving person will be entering my life soon.

I get nervous and a little scared at times thinking about how it all is going to work out with another little one.

39 weeks

It's Carnaval - Alaaf!

2009-02-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

It's Carnaval! Hope you all have lots of fun. Alaaf!

Happy Valentines

2009-02-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

My Valentines gift from Jim. I had no clue he was working on this. I was very excited - I love it!

Prins Jim I

2009-02-09T09:28:00.001-08:00

My nephew Jim is Prins Carnaval of his hometown in the Netherlands.

The mayor playfully handed over the reigns of the town to Prins Jim and his Secretary Tristan for this Carnavalseason , which is a festive period of time that usually takes place immediately before Lent. Lots of people will dress up or masquerade during these celebrations, and of course enjoy lots of beers and dancing and singing to carnaval music.

28 weeks

2009-02-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

I am already 28 weeks, but it sure feels like I have an eternity to go. Actually have pulled out the totes of baby clothes and blankets to get them washed. Also did some baby shopping already - we needed to get a new crib mattress (the springs were poking through on the old one), sheets, new bottles and we probably have to get a new car seat.

Ben keeps asking when the baby is going to come out and if he is kicking a lot. And he tells

me that my belly sure is getting big. Joshie is not quite as involved, but when I ask him where the baby is - he will point to his tummy!

Me at 20 weeks...

2008-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

20 weeks pregnant

Last week I reached the halfway mark of my 3rd pregnancy already. It has gone by so quickly - it almost seems like I have less time to think about being pregnant. So here is the scoop at 20 weeks: Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He/she's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana.

More and more I am starting to feel pregnant - I run out of breath easily, lots of heartburn (especially after I eat chocolate), difficulties with putting my shoes on, etc.

Below is a picture of the ultrasound we had done last week. It is always fun to do one of these. We had told the technician that we absolutely did not wanted to find out, but she slipped a couple of times and therefore we are thinking we will be having our third boy in a few months...three boys!

Visiting Santa...

2008-12-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to go visit Santa at the mall. Ben could not wait to see him. I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would go well - our visit to Sinterklaas in Holland was quite scary for Ben. But not Santa - he walked right up to him, gave him a high-five and jumped on his lap. He right away started talking (whispering) to Santa and telling him what he would like for Christmas. He also had some questions, such as were the reindeers where while Santa was in the mall. I told him that Santa asked a local farmer to take care of them while he had work to do in the mall.

Joshie only liked Santa from a distance. He would walk by and smile at him, wave and give him a high-five. But no sitting on Santa's lap - maybe next year.

Tonight we are driving around town looking at Christmas lights and tomorrow we will be making Christmas cookies...

As Ben says: "We are getting closer and closer - only four more days until Christmas Eve and five until Christmas day!"

From Papa

2008-11-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!

Just a quick note from Papa to say I love you and I miss you! Be good for Mama and I'll see you soon.

Big hug and a kiss!
Love, Papa

Playing in the snow...

2008-11-25T12:51:00.001-08:00

We were very excited and a little surprised to see the snow falling this weekend. Usually it does not snow until January or February, which probably why it only lasted a couple of days before melting away. Of course we had to pull out the sleds right away and do some sledding with the boys. Hard to believe a week has almost gone by. We arrived last Thursday and only have a couple of weeks left.

We celebrated Joshie's second birthay on Friday. He really liked it when everyone sang Happy Birthday and when he got to blow out the candles. Oma Vickie practised blowing out candles with him the morning prior to the party, so he knew exactly what to do.

Will try to post some more pictures tomorrow

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2008-10-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Ben could not wait for this day to come, and now he is counting down the hours until it is time to go trick-or-treating. Joshie is not quite sure what is going on, but he is playing along. I am sure he will pick up on trick-or-treating in no time.

Privacy, please!

2008-09-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Joshie needing some privacy to do his stuff...Things got very quiet and I could not find him right away and then I see these little feet and fingers sticking out.

Story Time...

2008-09-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Its story time for Bella. It was very cute to see how Joshie snuggled up to Bella to read one of his favorite books - upside down no less! Especially the elephant picture always seems to make quite the impression. And of course we cannot read without holding onto a garbage truck.

Soccer.

2008-09-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

Ben's first soccer practice. He was so excited to go and very proud to be on an actual team, to wear cleats, to have a soccer coach. He could not wait to find out if the coach would have a whistle, who would all be on his team, and to actually score some goals. After practice it was clear that he was more than ready to join this team, so we signed him up for the whole class. He became the proud owner of his own soccer jersey, which I had to hide or else he would be wearing it day and night.

While his big brother was playing soccer, Joshie made the rounds to all the parents who had snacks out. I am positive this guy ate for an whole hour non-stop. Next time I will have to go prepared and take the whole pantry!

Baby No. 3

2008-09-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know it has been quite some time, and hopefully I will find time to post more often again. Took some pictures today at Ben's first soccer practice, which I will share soon. He had so much fun and I was really excited to see how well he did. Usually in a new environment he gets really shy and somewhat scared, but today he was comfortable right from the start.

Comeback Monday...

2008-07-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

I believe it has been close to three months since I last made a monday post. I just could not find the time to sit down and put these together. This last weekend was one of the first weekends in a long time that we were just home with no plans whatsoever. Funny thing you would think we would just rest and relax, but instead we got so much accomplished around the house.

Our neighbor's new puppy Koa. They adopted him from a rescue shelter in Arkansas.
Our new favorite salad - springmix lettuce, chunks of apple, feta cheese, walnuts carmalized in butter and worchester sauce tossed in Champagne dressing.
Our newly stained retaining wall. One of the projects that Jim worked on this weekend. He comes home from the Home Depot Saturday morning and he tells me he bought everything he needs to stain the retaining wall, we just need to pick out a color. I seriously thought he meant paint brushes, rollers, etc...come to find out he actually bought himself a paintgun. Of course he had the biggest grin of his face! He could not wait to get started.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. The book I am currently reading. Really like it too!
This one is for Nana and Grandpap. We found the powerwasher. It was stored away nicely on one of the shelves in our garage. I have had a funny feeling all along we still had this. Thank you for letting us use it!
Another project Jim worked on this weekend. He painted our awning, of course using his paint gun. Although I think by the end of the day the novelty of the new power tool had worn off. I am glad he did it though, because our backyard has a completely different feel to it now...so much warmer and cozier.
Joshie playing peek-a-boo.
Croqs. Not the most flattering shoe, but they are so comfortable and that's what important to me.
Jim's assistant. He wants to help Papa out in every way he can. He was quite dissapointed this weekend because for the most part he could not help. There was definitely some complaining that he wanted Papa to be done painting.

That's it for now...Happy Monday!

Joke of the Day

2008-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ben has been telling us jokes lately and every day it is a different one.

Ben: "Do you want to hear a joke?"
Me: "Sure"
Ben: "How does a bird sit on a TV?"
Me: "How?"
Ben: "I don't know!"

Of course I laugh, because the way he says it is funny and that he is actually trying to tell a joke. I might have to look into getting him a book with appropriate jokes for kids his age.

More Tahoe pictures.

2008-07-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Just click on the following links for some more pictures of our recent trip to Lake Tahoe.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EaN3Dls1cvPA&emid=sharview&linkid=link2

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbOWrhy2cNGXl&emid=sharshar&linkid=link2

Beautiful Lake Tahoe

2008-07-07T20:54:00.001-07:00

We spent our Fourth of July weekend with our friends up in Lake Tahoe at Ken & Darcy's house. Darcy is an old college friend of Jim's and so are Alexandra and Halle. All have a family of four, which makes for 8 adults and 8 kids.

We got there on Wednesday and before we knew it we were back on the road home again on Sunday. We spent a couple of days on the beach, kayaked, played in the cold cold water, celebrated two birthdays, played some cards, talked a lot, drank some bloody marys and some wine, beer and other alcholic beverages, enjoyed some delicious meals...all this while entertaining 8 kids. Actually they did a lot of self entertaining. You can totally tell they all are getting older and are less needy. Can't wait for next year!

Ben's favorite part of the trip. Kayaking with his Papa on Lake Tahoe.

I wish...

2008-06-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Right now I wish...

I was scrapbooking with Nicole at Scrapbook Plus.
I was at home to watch the Dutch play against the Russians tomorrow...I love the atmosphere during European and World Soccer Championships in the Netherlands - of course that is when the Dutch are still in the game. I hope they win, but then I will really wish I was there. My two little nephews would be besides themselves as a lot of other Dutchies will be!
I could have my scale read the weight I have been trying to reach. Eat less, exercise more...right?
that our house was spic-and-span and no chores needed to be done.
I was playing volleyball. I have played now a couple of times these last couple of weeks and I am really enjoying it. Actually thinking about joining a league.
it was tomorrow morning already and we would be on our way down to the Oakland Zoo knowing Ben and Josh will have so much fun not only seeing all the animals but also spending time with their Nana and Grandpap.

Be sure to check back on Monday for my Monday posts...hopefully!!!

Europe - part 5

2008-06-15T19:50:00.001-07:00

Okay, so here is the final post of our trip.

My cousin Katrin and her boyfriend Martin who live in Vienna - they make a very cute couple. Having them as tourguides made such a difference. And being able to spent some time with them made this trip extra special.
Horse and Carriage Rides in Vienna. Very expensive, but worthwhile. We got to see the old city sights to the clopping of horse hooves on cobblestone. I really liked it, because it was early in the morning and a little chilly, but we were nice and cozy under a blanket. And it was relaxing not to have to worry about traffic or wondering if we were going in the right directions.
Us in the horse and carriage ride.
Homemade apfelstrudel by Katrin...delicious!
Beer and Wienerschnitzel at "Zu den 2 Lieserln". Seriously the best Wienerschnitzel I have ever had.
David, Katrin's younger brother, who also lives in Vienna. We got to meet up with him for lunch at the Naschmarkt and some sightseeing.
Checking out the sights of the University of Vienna - such a beautiful campus, with a lot of charm.

Overlooking the Donau, which was definetly not blue like mentioned in the title of the famous waltz by Johan Strauss, An der schönen, blauen Donau (By the Beautiful Blue Danube). Actually just downloaded this piece for my Ipod - always enjoy listening to this.
Just one of the many pictures we have of Vienna's many statues.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting Schloss Schönbrunn.

The castle itself, the gardens, the views - everything was just stunning. The history was very interesting, especially the time Sissi - the Empress of Austria - lived here. Growing up I must have watched this romantic trilogy of Sissi hundreds of times . Let's just say so many times that I pretty much know the dialogue by heart. Anyway, because of this it was fun to see it all in person. Although I knew the movie was a glorified version of her life, going there was a real eye opener and realizing her life was actually quite sad.

And a couple of videos to give you a better perspective...

Nicole's visit

2008-06-14T21:08:00.001-07:00

I know I am not done yet posting about our trip back home, which I am hoping to wrap up tomorrow when the boys go down for their nap. But I have to post this awesome video Nicole made of our time together while she was visiting. Once again she did such an amazing job putting this together and I cannot help myself watching it over and over again.
I do have to you warn you that it is quite long, but if you want to and have time to do so check it out and you will see how much fun we had.

Europe - part 4

2008-05-27T20:14:00.001-07:00

A free dinner out for just us four. Our parents and Inge & Roy had gift certificates for "De Potkachel"
French fries and mayo in a cone. A 'must have' for when you are in Holland.
Bikes - you see a lot of those. Reminded me of how I would bike to school and work on a daily basis.
Ben's first train ride. He was so excited to he got to go on a train, and give his ticket to the conductor.
Feeding the duckies. Ben actually did feed the bread to them, but Joshie decided to eat it himself.
Took a couple trips to Maastricht for some shopping and to pick up our travel arrangements for Vienna.
Taking a break.
We were quite surprised to see Joshie sleeping. He usually never takes naps in the stroller.
Enjoying an ice cream cone, one of the many ones we had while we were there. Joshie caught on fairly quick what they were and now he wants one for his own all the time, which gets quite messy.

Only one more post after this one...all about Vienna!

Bringing Bella home

2008-05-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to go get our Bella girl. She has been with my brother Mark, who lives up in Portland, for almost a month now. My brother is so kind to meet us at Mt. Shasta, so we do not have to drive all the way up to Portland. It made our vacation so much better knowing our dog was in good hands and was having fun at the same time. I am sure she will be missing him and his dog Sue.

We decided to stay overnight, spend some time with my brother and do some sightseeing while we are up there. Should be fun...Will be back tomorrow!

Europe - part 3

2008-05-23T14:46:00.001-07:00

All these pictures were taken on May 1st, the day of Mike's communion.

Family picture - it sure is hard trying to get a nice picture with two young ones. The either don't sit or stand still, don't want to look into the camera, make funny faces, fake smiles, etc. Out of the 30 pictures my mom took this was the only somewhat decent one.
Mike in the parade on his way into the church. The red hair boy next to him is Stan, my cousin's Rickey youngest son.
My sister Inge and her husband Roy and oldest son Jim after the ceremony.
My cousin Rickey and her daughter Britt. She was so helpful with our kids. If we lived closed she would be our babysitter for sure. She did such a great jobs with the boys.
One of the many attempts to get a family picture.
My mom and dad, who will be celebrating their 37th wedding annivesary next month.
Mike cutting his Communion Cake. Now, Nicole - doesn't that look good?????
My great aunt tante Annie and my cousin Madeleine. It was nice being able to spend some time with them.
My brother's kids Jayla and Roman, who decided he did not wanted to pose for the camera after all.

Europe - Part 2

2008-05-19T22:08:00.001-07:00

Jayla's 4th birthday party. She is such a sweet little girl. A little shy at first, but warms up quickly. She likes to help with chores, make you tea and coffee, play nurse, draw pretty pictures, pick flowers.

Ben likes cake...any cake, but especially strawberry cake.

Soccer. Both Inge's boys play soccer and needless to say Ben got even more into it while we were there.

The end of another busy day. Here are the boys after bath, brushing their teeth in Oma's bed.

A very happy boy. Here is Ben and his Papa, the day after Jim arrived.

Ben on Koninginnedag. Ben took great care in decorating his scooter in the Dutch colors for the parade. Once he got comfortable with the crowd, Ben had a blast! With a marching band, 80 kids on bikes with streamers and baloons and a jumpy house waiting for him at the end, it doesn't get any better for Ben.
After one of the few rainshowers we had during this trip we spied a rainbow. Ben's first and of course he loved it! We took this picture from the car and I really like how it turned out.
The band - with Roy leading the way.
Tulips. Jim took this picture at the farmer's market in Maastricht. It's a huge market in the square that gets so crowded you can barely walk through the rows. They have piles of Tulips for sale in all different colors.

Europe - part 1

2008-05-16T15:12:00.001-07:00

We took a lot of pictures while we were back home and in Vienna, so I will braking it up in several different post. Here is part 1!

Our little world traveler. He has his own Worldperk account and on this trip he got to add quite a lot of miles. He was a true champ on both flight. He was so ecxited to fly, check out the airport, check and claim luggage, showing his passport and boarding ticket. It was quite and experience for this little guy. I do have to say the DVD player was a big success!
Our first dinner in Holland. Oma's homemade zuurvlees (typical dutch meal from the area I grew up) with french fries and mayo. Joshie was all into dipping his fries into mayo or ketchup.
Jim, my sister's oldest son at 10 years.
Roman, my brother's Alfons son at 2 years.
Mike, my sister's youngest son at 7 1/2 years.
Jayla, my brother's Alfons daughter at 4 years.
Playing at the local park in Schin op Geul, the town where I grew up.
Celebrating Jim's 10th birthday. Hard to believe he is already ten. He is the first baby of our family. I remember so well when he was a baby, I had so much fun with him.
Sjuulke, Jim and Mike's little bunny. The boys were really interested in him. Whenever he was out of his cage Josh would constantly follow him and talk to him. No idea what he was saying, though!

More pictures to come soon!

Two monkeys in the bed.

2008-05-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

While getting reading for nap time I caught these two monkeys jumping in Joshie's bed. More and more they are starting to play with eachother and make eachother laugh. Really cute to see. However they are also starting to fight and get in eachother way more and more. Jim and I almost sound like a broken record when we are telling them to share and play nicely. It seems like Josh only wants to do what Ben is doing, so we do make sure that Ben gets his own uninterupted playtime. He usually goes upstairs in the hallway and plays with his garbage truck and makes sure all the gates are closed so Joshie cannot get to him.

We are home!

2008-05-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finally getting back into the swing of things. Three weeks sounds so long, but for me they went by super fast. I could have easily stayed a little bit longer and I would have if I did not have a job waiting for me. Even the boys would have been fine with it too...they were having fun with their cousins.

Since I am not ready yet to make a post about our trip, please check out my cousin's Katrin blog. She wrote about our visit to Vienna and posted even more pictures right here. Thank you, Katrin!

Servus aus Wien!

2008-05-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

We made it to Vienna today. We are really excited to be here and to explore the city. Right now we are at my cousin's Katrin appartment and are about to try her Apfelstrudel. I am sure it will tastes as good as it looks. Will post more soon!

We are here!

2008-04-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

We made it! It definitely was a long flight. Ben was a true champ and Joshie was a handfull, but overall it went fairly well. Joshie had two melt downs, but was able to sleep for the majority of the flight. I sure was relieved to see my sister to have an extra set of hands to help out. We are still getting used to the time difference but at the same time having lots of fun.

Monday - week 15

2008-04-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

Our first outdoor meal of the year. This last weekend we had high 80s and ofcourse we spent most of our day outside. In the morning we worked in th lawn and then after naptime we played with squirt guns.
Silly Joshie...hoping he will sit nicely like this for our upcoming 11 hour flight. I know it will not happen!
A new water heater. Last week we discovered our water heater was leaking, so Jim called around for some estimates. But then he decided to install a new one himself, saving us a great deal of money. I am so proud that Jim is able to do all these things...such a clever handy man!
My Monday workout given to me by Nicole. She e-mailed me her workout and challenged me to do the same. The 0.50 mile at 7mph part was hard and I ended up having it to break it in half. I felt good though that I was able to do it.
I have been packing these last couple of days. Pretty much done and now I just need to pack all the carry on stuff.
5.23 AM - the time I usually arrive at work, give or take a few minutes. Sometimes I amaze myself that I am able to get up so early every morning without an alarm and be at work around 5.30 am. This way I have all afternoon to work out, run errands, go to the park with the boys and Bella, and get stuff done around the house. Of course I exhausted by 8pm.
A new 'must have" hair product. On Sunday night I tried to style my hair like my hairdresser had done it, but no luck. And I knew right away what was missing, so the next day I had to go pick some up.
Our little rockstar...he likes the strum the guitar like his Papa does.
Ben's countdown chart until we go on vacation...today only 1 more night nights...we are so excited to see everyone back home. Although I hope Ben is not going to miss his Papa too much, since we are going ahead and Jim will join us in 10 days.

A new hairdo...

2008-04-13T19:28:00.001-07:00

Bye, bye curls....at least for a couple of days that is. It was so nice to have my straight hair back. I am over my perm and wish it was all grown out. Here is how hair looked the day after getting it done and hopefully I will be able to make it look the same tonight after washing my hair. The hairdresser did thin out my hair a lot, so at least the bulky curly look will be gone.

Happy 30th Birthday!

2008-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

To my dearest friend...Wish we could have celebrated like we did here in San Diego 5 years ago. So much fun and so many fond memories. We were so excited that we got to play the piano that was used in the hit movie Top Gun. Hard to believe how our lives would change later that year! We both got pregnant and here we are today 5 babies later.

Hope you had a wonderful day today and we will make sure to celebrate in June!

Monday - week 14

2008-04-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Decided to treat myself to some tulips...they are my favorite flower.
We have another baseball player in the family. He is constantly picking up the bat and bringing you balls to for you to pitch to him.
How many balls can i carry at once?
Well spent dollars...We have invested into a portable DVD player for our upcoming trip to the Netherlands. And we gave it a testrun on our way down to Berkeley on Saturday and sure enough it was a big hit. We did not hear one one word from either of them.
One pair of pants after the other lately...holes in the knees.
Picked up some new swimshorts for the summer. Ben decided they should both have the same.
Gogurt...yoghurt on the go. Easy to take along for a snack and Ben likes it that he can do it all by himself.
The Geist Boys on their way to the baseball field. On Saturday we visited Nana and Grandpap in Berkeley. After nap time we headed out to the park, while Nana stayed behind and prepared Chicken Parmesan for us. Such a delicious meal!
Fluoride chews or as Ben calls it 'Dr. Darren candy'. We do not have fluoride in our water so we have to give the boys a daily dose. Good thing Ben likes these because he will remind us every day.

Monday - week 13

2008-04-02T20:43:00.001-07:00

Finally figured why I wasn't able to upload...I had the incorrect resolution.

I was quite impressed...we were wrapping a birthday gift and instead of making a card I decided to write something on the present. Ben kept on saying: "I wanna do it, I wanna do it". So I spelled out the letters and he wrote the word 'happy' all by himself.
Everything we do he wants to do.
Jamba Juice smoothie...so refreshing. I really like their new light smoothie, Mango Mantra.
Our big helper. He gets very excited when we clean floors and he keeps him occupied for the longest time.
Safari West. The other day we took a drive out to this park. We were able to see animals by just strolling around the entrance of the park. Tickets get quite pricey, especially if you have to pay for three...they even charge for infants! Ben was quite intrigued by the giraffes and notice right away the papa, mama and the baby giraffe.
Snack time. Very important. I always have to make sure I bring snacks to the park.
I have been incorporating weight into my workout. Usually I only do cardio on the treadmill, but since a couple of weeks now I have been doing lunges with 8lbs weight. I am now able to do 3 sets of 20 until my legs get really shaky.
A sticker Ben got from the librarian, which he wore quite proudly. We went to the library to find books about Holland and airplanes. I encouraged him to go ask the library lady where we could find those books, which he did. He also asked where he could find a book about suitcases...thought that was cute.
I wanted to take a picture of Joshie wearing this vest, but he was obviously not in the mood. Taking a closer look in his mouth today I realized he is cutting more molars, which maybe explains why he has been more fussy lately.

I give up...

2008-04-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

OK...I know I am a couple of days late again on my Monday post, maybe I should start calling them Wednesday posts!. But today I have been trying all day to upload to blogger and I keep getting error messages. It has been rather frustrating.
Getting super excited for my upcoming trip home, yet nervous. Having a 35lbs lapchild on an 11 hour flight is starting to worry me a little bit. I am hoping the flight will not be completely booked and that I will be able to get bulkhead seating.
Anyway, check back tomorrow and hopefully you will see my late Monday post.

Soooo good, but soooo bad!

2008-03-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Easter bunny brought both boys one of these delicious See's Easter bunnies in their basket. Until today I had been able to ignore them, but then Ben and his buddy Devon saw them in the cupboard and asked if they could have some. Well they had some and I had a lot! Ben had fun and enjoyed eating his chocolate bunny and could have eaten the whole thing if I had let him. And I feel so bad right now and wished I could have been stronger and resisted the temptation. By writing this on my blog I am hoping that it will somehow resist me from eating the other bunny! I am depending on all of you to give me a hard time and prevent me from going after the other one.

Ps. Romney, I know I am asking for trouble!

Monday - week 12

2008-03-24T20:38:00.001-07:00

Joshua's first real pair of shoes. Size 7 1/2. Only started wearing them three weeks ago and they are already completely scuffed up.
A monthtly subscription to this scrapbooking kit. Now I just need some time to actually put some pages together.
A beautiful sunset after a day of 75 degrees.
Strawberry Shortcake from scratch made by Jim. On Saturday we celebrated Easter with Jim's parents and this is what we had for desert. Really good!
Benjamin dying Easter eggs. He was amazed how the eggs turned a different color so quickly. And ofcourse had to experiment with dipping the eggs in different colors.
The finished eggs.
Something about Bella's water bowl. Joshie loves to play with her water and eventually dump it, usually leaving him soaking wet.
Another thing he loves to play with...the remote control. He will sit and push buttons or he hides it in places you would never think of to look. A couple of weeks ago we found it the cupboard between the pots and pans.
An Easter decoration made by Ben (with a little help) at his little school. So cute, and I am having a hard time deciding if we are going to save it or not. He makes the cutest creations and so far I have pretty much saved everything in totes. Although I have to keep in mind he is only 3 and if I save everything he makes from now on I will need a whole attic just to store it all. And if I decide to throw it away then it becomes tricky since he is the king of our garbage. He already caught me a couple of times trying to throw some stuff out.

Happy Monday!

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T19:59:00.001-07:00

Hope you all had a Happy Easter! Our Easter was really nice and the boys had a blast. Ben was estactic to see that the Easter bunny came to our backyard and waited patiently to start hunting for eggs & other surprises.

Monday - week 11

2008-03-19T19:31:00.001-07:00

Joshua's favorite book. Reading this book makes him smile or calm down when crying. He gets really excited when he sees the picture of the cow jumping over the moon. Ben did the exact same thing when he was Joshie's age.
Ben's new favorite book (also one of Jim's favorite kids books). Jim read to him at the doctor's office on Saturday and since then he has been requesting this book every night.
Ben's new suitcase. Slowly but surely we are getting for our big trip. Benjamin decided he wanted the suitcase with the rocket ship instead of Thomas the train. This will be his own carry on filled with lots of things to keep him entertained.
Helping Mama with the dishes.
Had to share one last pictures of my tulips...they are starting to fade.
You would think it is fall, but here all the leaves fall of the tree around springtime. Good thing we have such a good little helper. Of course it helps that it all has to go into the 'green'.
So cute to see both boys sitting at the little table eating a snack. Joshie now gets the chair ready as soon as he sees you filling up a bowl with snacks.
Easter cookies ready to be decorated.
He wants to do everything he sees his big brother doing. The other day he tried for the longest time to shoot a hoop!

A couple days late, but oh well!

Update...

2008-03-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

My monday list will have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday even. Just do not have the time or energy right now to put it all together. Kids, a sick kid and a sick dog, work, housework, scrapbooking, exercising and gardening have been keeping me very busy these last few days. Be sure to check back in a couple of days!

Monday - week 10

2008-03-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Some Easter decorations. Ben really likes playing with foam stickers of course I had to help with the spelling.
Jim and I got to go Wine Barrel Tasting on Saturday. Our friends Christy and Tim were able to get us some tickets and they even watched our kids. We dropped the boys off at their house around 11am. After some playing and some lunch Christy took the boys back to our house for their nap and then some more playtime at her house until we picked them up at 4pm. On Sunday the roles were reversed. From 11am till 4pm we watched their kids so they could go barrel tasting.
Pretty spring scenery from our Saturday outing.
My tulips from my aunt Debbie are in full bloom.
Free wineglass from the 30th annual barrel tasting.
We went to several Dry Creek Valley wineries, but A. Rafanelli was our favorite by far. We got to taste their 2006 Zinfandel, which was really good and especially with a piece of dark chocolate. I think I am starting to like and appreciate wine more and more.
A perfect ending to a perfect day out without the kids. Our last stop happened to be a casual winery equipped with a gigantic home theater system and some comfy coaches. Jim and I watched the U2's Rattle and Hum rockumentary while sipping wine. I think the wine tasting got to me a little bit, because before I knew it I had snapped quite some pictures of U2 on the screen.
I was not sure which picture I liked best, so I decided to post both. Joshie is walking 90% of the time and 10% still crawling. Also just had to take a picture of those chubby and strong legs.
And of course had to capture his final days of crawling once more.

Happy Monday!

Still sick.

2008-03-03T20:37:00.001-08:00

I am still sick.

My mom says my temperature is 103.5 and I am cutting five teeth.

I really do not feel good.

Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better.

Monday - week 9

2008-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

1. My tulips are growing like crazy. I bet they will be blooming within the next couple of days.
2. New wall art for Ben's room...every night now we talk about the solar system and then look outside for the moon, stars and planets. A lot of questions for sure.
3. He is definitely walking now. Although the last couple of days he's been sick so not as much.
4. A lazy Sunday afternoon building train tracks and riding trains.
5. A new find at Trader Joe's recommended by friends at work. Super easy to make, really healthy and very tasty.
6. Our first watermelon of the year. During the summer you can always find cut up watermelon in our fridge. The boys really like and I cannot get enough of it either.
7. Another sign of spring...the appearance of the wild mustard flower among the still dormant vines.
8. My first issue of 'Creating Keepsakes'. Plenty of ideas for scrapbook pages now. Jim was truly amazed at how big scrapbooking has become.
9. A new booster seat for Joshie. He is so proud and enjoys sitting at the table with the rest of us.

Our sick boy.

2008-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Right now his fever is 103.5 (39.7 celsius). Poor guy is feeling miserable. He does not want to eat much, drink or play. Did notice he is cutting two molars and he gums are all swollen up. Hopefully he will be getting better soon.

Ben at Bat

2008-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

One Plastic bat - $4.25

One wiffle ball - $.50

Six feet of string $.10

Endless hours of entertainment - Priceless

We Spy : You Spy Photo Challenge

2008-02-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

The prompt for this weeks' challenge is Pattern!

This caught my eye when taking Bella for a walk this afternoon.

Monday - week 8

2008-02-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

1. Last week we had a lot of rain. Ben has no problem gettting his rain gear on to go outside and step in the puddles and look for worms.
2. No. 6 diapers. This weekend we had to pick up a bigger size...today's cost of diapers is $37.99.
3. He does it all by himself and he will sit for a few minutes.
4. Sangria a la Cha Cha Cha's - 1 bottle of red, 1 bottle of white, 1 cup of sugar, 1 orange (cut into 1/8-inch slices), 1 lemon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. Add optional seasonal fruit and spirits (Gin, Grand Marnier or Brandy to taste) if you like - we added some brandy. Serve over ice or, just before serving place ice cubes in the punch bowl. Dangerously good! Jim made it Friday night to bring to a party the next day.
5. Advocado. A new twist on veggie burgers - spread some hummus on the bun, melt a slice of swiss cheese on the veggie burger, add some lettuce, sliced tomatoes and a few slices of advocado. Delicious and overall healthy.
6. "Mama, I got something for you", Ben yells from the backyard. So sweet.
7. A new backpack for Joshie (on the right), out with the bulky diaper bag.
8. Trying to escape. Good thing we have a chain on the door to keep him locked in.
9. A treat made by Ben. Unfortunately the aunts got to it before we did.

Josh is walking

2008-02-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Here is Josh earlier today. Every day he will take a couple of more steps. I am sure by next week he will be cruising all over the place.

My mental age...

2008-02-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

My mental age is 30...what is yours?

You know when your birthday is, but how old should you really be? (just put an x next to the things that apply to you)

[] I know how to make a pot of coffee.
[x] keep track of dates using a calender....
[] I own more than one credit card....
[] know how to change the oil in my car.
[x] I do my own laundry.
[x] I vote every election.
[x] I can cook for myself.
[x] I think politics are exciting.
[] I balance my checkbook.
[] My parents have better things to say than my friends.

total: 5

[x] I show up for school/college/work every day early.
[x]I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse.
[] I've never gotten a detention.
[] I have never smoked a cigarette.
[] I have never gotten completely trashed.
[] I have forgotten my own birthday at least once.
[x] I like to take walks by myself.
[x] I watch talk shows.
[x] I know what 'credibility' means without looking it up.
[] drink coffee at least once a week.

total so far: 10

[x] I know how to do the dishes.
[x] I can count to 10 in another language.
[x] When I say I'm going to do something I do it.
[x] My parents trust me.
[x] I can mow the lawn.
[x] I can make adults laugh without being stupid.
[x] I remember to water the plants.
[x] I study only when I have to.
[x] I pay attention at work.
[x] I remember to feed my pets/child.

total so far: 20

[x] I can spell 'experience' without looking it up
[x] I work out on a regular basis.
[x] I clean up my own mess.
[] The people at Starbucks know me by name
[] My favorite kind of food is take out.
[x] I have gained weight since high school.
[] The first thing I do when I wake up is get caffeine.
[x] I can go to the store without getting something I don't need.
[] I understand political jokes the first time they are said.
[x] I can type quickly.

total so far: 26

[x] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour.
[] My only friends are from my place of employment.
[] I have been to a tupperware party.
[] I have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 & have a job.
[] I have more bills than I can pay.
[] All my friends are older than I am.
[x] I can say no to staying out all night.
[x] I use the internet every day.
[] My wardrobe hasn't changed in a while.
[x] I can read a book and actually finish it.

Now add up your checks for your mental age:
Grand Total: 30
"My mental age is 30" Still feel I should be younger!

Monday - week 7

2008-02-18T19:45:00.001-08:00

1. My Valentine's card made by Jim and the boys.
2. Oranges - we cannot get enough of these lately.
3. Trees are starting to bud around here. Springtime is near.
4. Jim and I both had the day off today and decided to take the boys to daycare. We took Bella for a nice long hike, which was really relaxing and a good workout at the same time.
5. Raspberry Lemon Drop - my new favorite cocktail. It is pureed raspberries with lemon juice and vodka.
6. A birthday present from my Aunt, Tulips from Amsterdam!
7. Blowing out birthday candles. Ben was a big helper, all went out in one try.
8. Jim playing baseball with Devon and Benjamin in the backyard. Ben has got quite the swing, he sent a few balls over the fench. We are thinking about signing him up for Little League Baseball this summer.
9. Conner Robert Phillips was born this afternoon. He weighs 8lbs and 13 oz and 20.5 inches long. I even got to hold him for a little while...what a cutie!

We Spy : You Spy Photo Challenge

2008-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Decided to participate in this photo challenge. Every Tuesday Beth and Nicole will post a new "Something" to think about and you are to capture the word through a photograph.

The prompt for this weeks' challenge is BEAUTIFUL!

33rd Birthday!

2008-02-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today was my 33rd birthday. It is really hard to believe I am 33 already. Nicole had it right when she told me the other day: "Days can seem to be so long, but years are so short".

This one is going to be a little long, but here we go! Thought I would write a little something about my birthday celebration. It feels like it has been going on for days.

It all started on Wednesday when a package from Nicole was waiting for me. It was filled with wonderful things, such as Ali's Edwards book 'Life Artist, a handmade bookmark made of beads that each have a special meaning, a decorative letter 'G', a personalized camera strap, and our special traveling journal to document our friendship.

Later Wednesday night I met some girlfriends for drinks and dinner and a lot of girl talk at one of my favorite restaurants: Willie's Seafood and Wine bar. Friday morning I was surprised when I got to work and my desk was completely decorated. Later that day my coworkers treated me to a yummy lunch at a new little french cafe - I will be going back there!

Saturday morning, I got to see and talk to my family via webcam ...gotta love technology! I went shopping with my friend Romney and got a couple of cute shirts and a pair of jeans for $14.98!!! We also tried on a lot of designer jeans at Macy's that will have to wait for another day... But of course, after all that shopping we got super hungry and decided to have Indian for lunch! Thank you, Romney! I headed back to a very peaceful home, Jim had cleaned the house, the boys were napping and I got a little rest. After naptime, it was time for our date night! I took the boys over to Christy's house and we met our friends Jay and Carol for some wine tasting and dinner. What a great day!

This morning (My Birthday!) Joshie woke up at 5 am, but after a diaper change and a bottle we all fell back asleep until 7.30! Jim made my favorite breakfast: bagel with cream cheese and lox. Needless to say I felt I needed to exercise after all this eating... so I called Christy to go for a hike. We hiked for a good hour, Bella got to run off leash the whole entire walk and we all had a great time.

Later in the afternoon, we went down to Petaluma for my birthday celebration with my grandparents and the rest of the family. Had a wonderful birthday, lots of birthday wishes and nice presents. Thank you everyone for making it special!

On a final note... I have done so much eating over the last few days, I can't believe it! The good news is that I kept up with my daily exercise routine, but I'm really looking forward to tomorrow - a day of healthy eating and exercising!

Monday - week 6

2008-02-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor Mike helping the boys fly kites to about 300ft high. He uses fishing string and a drill to reel it out and back in.
The Time Traveler's Wife - my new book that I am currently reading.
Our clean baby girl. Jim took Bella to a do-it-yourself dog salon. You pay 10 dollars and they provide you with everything you need to give your dog a bath. Sure beats cleaning your bath tub and Bella enjoys it so much more that it is not freezing cold hose water.
65 more days until our trip home.
Decided to start counting my points again. Hopefully this will get me to loose the final baby pounds. WeightWatchers worked for me when I was trying to get to my pre-baby weight with Ben.
So cute how Josh holds on to Teddy when drinking his bottle and trying to find his sleep.
Trying to drink 3 of these per day. So far so good!
He wants to do whatever the big boys do. He cruises all over the playstructure at the park and sometimes gets very dearing.
Ben and his buddy Seth trying to throw branches in between the trunks.

Happy Monday!

Ben singing his ABC's

2008-02-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

He is really interested in the alphabet. He likes playing with his alphabet puzzle (actually pretends the letters are garbage for his play garbage cans), he recognizes letters that he sees in books and on signs and as you will see on the video he loves the alphabet song. He will sing it multiple times a day.

Joshie brushing his teeth

2008-02-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a little video of Joshie brushing his teeth tonight...something he loves to do!

He is just sooooooooooooo cute!

Teddy and Radar

2008-02-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

"Mama, Radar needs a little brother, just like I have", that is what Benjamin been saying. Radar is Benjamin's Teddy bear. So when we were at the store the other day Ben noticed this little guy and of course we had to get it. Ben thought Teddy would be a good name, named after Caillou's teddy bear. And Ben's teddy bear is named after Big Bird's teddy bear. Both boys are really into their teddy bear. Josh likes to hold Teddy while falling asleep and Ben needs to have Radar by his side for his whole bedtime routine. And they need to wear socks or else they will get cold feet.

Monday - week 5

2008-02-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

1. Lunch without kids...Jim and I met for lunch today, while the kids were at daycare. Nice to have a peaceful conversation and no interruptions while eating a meal.
2. Joshie and Grandpap sharing a laugh.
3. Got to go to Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley and bought a couple of neat things. Only had 20 minutes to shop and browse around - definitely foresee a trip in the near future all by myself!
4. More rain last week. This week is suppose to nice and dry!
5. Homemade cookie for Grandpap. He turned 70 and we got to celebrate with him yesterday. Fun day!
6. The boys waiting patiently for Papa to come home.
7. Went to the movies on Friday night with my friend Kathleen and saw this movie. Fun and mindless! I always like to see Diane Keaton.
8. Love holding and the touch of my babies hands.
9. Devon's 6th birthday. The boys had lots of fun at his birthday party.

It's Carnaval....ALAAF!

2008-02-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

Schin op Geul - 1980

I do miss it a lot. Always so much fun to go see the parade, hear, sing and dance to the music, have some beers and simply have a lot of fun!

Back to work.

2008-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am going back to work. I am excited, sad and nervous all at the same time. Excited that I get to work and work with a great group of people, sad that I no longer am home with my boys and nervous how it is going to affect us all. I am sure it will be a transition for all of us.

Monday - week 4

2008-01-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

All toys on the floor. Josh started taking all the toys out of the bins, Ben thought this was funny and joined in. Within 5 minutes our whole downstairs was filled with toys everywhere.
We have been going through a lot of these the last few days. A nasty cold is going around.
Preschool book - Ben is really into this lately, we do a few pages every day. We trace letters, numbers, count, find our way through mazes, look for differences, etc.
Finally purchased some reusable bags. Been meaning to do this for a while now and feels good to say no to plastic bags.
A new bag. Needed something smaller than the diaper bag and bigger than my purse to hold diapers, snacks and sippy cups.
Saturday morning sunrise - the day after a big storm.
Saturday morning we went to the park for a big walk, but got cut short. It had rained so much the day before the park got flooded. Bella had a blast!
My finished craft area...will make a separate post with more details soon.
Joshie taking a break on Bella Wella!

Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday Inge!

2008-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Valkenburg 1975

My sister Inge turned 35 today! Hiep Hiep Hoera!

San Francisco 2003

About us

2008-01-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by my cousin Katrin to do a little Q&A about Jim and I.

What's his name? Jim

How long have you been together? 8 years on March 27th

How long did you date before moving in together? 1 year and 5 months.

How old is he? 36

Who eats more? Hard to say! On most days Jim, but I am right there with him!

Who said I love you first? He did.

Who is taller? Jim is taller. He is 5'11 and I am 5'7.

Who is smarter? Overall Jim, but we have our own areas of expertise!

Who does laundry? I do the laundry, although there are times he will do it all. He does do his own ironing.

Who does the dishes? Usually I do. That gives Jim a chance to play with the kids after dinner. We do have a rule that the kitchen needs to be cleaned up before we go to bed, so when I do not get around to it right after dinner Jim will make sure they get done.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you stand in front of the bed, Jim is on the right side, by the window. In our other house I had the right side, but Jim prefers sleeping by the window for fresh air. Plus I am usually the one who hears the kids in the middle of the night and gets up with them. so it makes more sense to be right by the door.

Who pays the bills? I do. Although most of our bills are on automatic payment.

Who mows the lawn? We both do. However I like to do them during the week, so we can spend our weekends doing more fun things. He does do the edges with the weed wacker, only because he thinks I butcher them.

Who cooks dinner? I do, because I am home and he does not get home from work until 6pm. He usually cooks on his days off.

Who drives when you are together? He always does. Rarely do I drive when we are together.

Who is more stubborn? Definitely me!

Who kissed who first? It just happened - hard to tell!

Who asked out who first? I did. I called him, he did not call me back right away (he was going to wait a couple of days), so I called him again. We went out for Mexican. We met at the restaurant and I remember trying to parallel park and thinking he is watching me through the window, of course I got all nervous and I think it took 5 plus tries before I finally was parked. I walked in and he was sitting nowhere near the window.

Who proposed? He did in Venice, Italy - June 2006. For those of you who are curious: No, we still do not have a wedding planned. Thinking this will be a very long engagement!

Who has more siblings? I do. Two brothers, Alfons and Mark, and one older sister Inge. Jim has one brother, Bob.

Who wears the pants in the family? We both do. We keep eachoter in check.

I tag my sister Inge!

Rainy Thursday...

2008-01-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Rain, rain, rain....right now it is pouring buckets and will continue to do so for another five days at least. I am hoping it will clear for at least 15 minutes this afternoon so we can go out for a quick walk around the block. But for now we are stuck in the house, flying airplanes, coloring, playing with trains, climbing onto anything, folding my never ending pile of laundry! And I thought I was doing a good job fighting this cold I have, but all the sudden it seems it is getting worse by the minute.

This morning we had Sierra, Shelley's baby, visiting. Ben was really cute and helpful with her. Always wanted to make sure she had plenty of toys to play with and that she was happy. Josh on the other hand just wanted to touch her and take everything out of her hands, and got quite upset whenever I would hold her.

Sierra @ 10 months

Joshie now likes to climb onto everything.

The easel my parents got for the boys for Christmas.

My never ending pile of laundry!

A wonderful package...

2008-01-22T18:20:00.001-08:00

Today I found this at my doorstep...a wonderful 'just because' package from Nicole. She had mentioned a package was on its way, but of course she did not tell me the contents. Thank you, thank you, thank you Nicole! Also from Ben - he really likes the puzzle.

Monday - week 3

2008-01-21T05:58:00.001-08:00

Feeling quite proud this is my 3rd Monday posting with pictures.
1. Bella's morning walk - here she is anxious amd patiently waiting to get going, but when the kids go it takes longer to get ready. Also Joshie now insists on holding the leash, something Ben did as well at that age.
2. Finally got around to organizing the craft/games/junk closet last week. I think go in there more now that it is organized.
3. It could not be a Monday post without some picture of Ben relating to the garbage, right? Here he is lining them all up so that after naptime he can put them by the curb.
4. Making sure we fill up the recycling bin. He wants it to overflow, so it is really full!
5. A new haircut, plus more playtime with my camera.
6. An Ipod Nano. One of my Christmas present from Jim. Although I think he wants to pull it from my ears now and then, especially when I singing along to my Dutch and German Schlager music.
7. A babyshower for baby Connor. My friends Shelley and Rob are expecting their second baby next month.
8. Friday night my friend Kathleen and I went out to dinner and the movie 27 dresses. Super cute movie.
9. The start to another beautiful day. This last week we had some gorgeous weather. Today it suppose to start raining again!