New Year's Resolutions

At Oma's request, I'm going to try to bring back our Blog in 2015.

I'm way out of practice but hopefully with the help of an app, I can try to be more timely in posts.

We've just come back from the US - it was our first American Christmas with the family since 2008(!) and Kevin had a great time. While he did miss somewhere to play outside, and practice football daily, he did pick up playing pool this trip due to the pool table Oma and Opa have in their new house.

The new puppy kept him entertained as did the many rounds of Sonic Go Kart played with Uncle Eric and whoever else he could talk into playing!

The most popular Christmas presents were two pair of Nike shoes, his new OSU hoodie and his football blanket and pillow made by Auntie Andrea. He used it every night we were there and it's now on his bed at home, too!

Mom got to catch up on her Mom time with Oma, drinking lots of coffee and even a few completed Cribbage games this trip.

Our 8 days flew by (as we knew they would) but we did our best to make memories - lots of family time and still a day trip to Ashland, all in long johns, to take the kids outdoor ice skating. 

Don't let the blue sky fool you - it was cold!

Even though it's not something you can buy in December in Oregon, Oma and Opa saved some fireworks from 4th of July so we'd have something to ring in the New Year . Our last full day in the U.S. finished with a bang!

All too soon, it was time to say our goodbyes at the airport. We're going to do our best to try to make it back again for Christmas 2015 - but hopefully there will be a lot of blog posts between now and then!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us - including our own Grumpy Cat who is at least patient enough to let Kevin put a Santa hat on him!

Sinterklaas and Christmas 2011

The first post was about our winter in February - then, we skipped ahead to just last week with the School Photo Day, the next post will most likely be about Kev's 7th birthday....so in between I thought "let's copver Sinterklaas and Christmas" - ok,  my reverse timing is random, I know, but I'm trying to catch up with all the photos I've taken and grouped together in anticipation of blog posts - bear with me!

For Sinterklaas this year, Kevin gave a try to writing his own list with words, rather than just cutting out pictures from toy catalogs. I fell in love with this list. Number 1 (though not in that order on the page) was an RC helicopter. That was *the* present for 2011. Also, Lego was high on the wish list, as was anything to do with Cars2...including Lego.

He made his list and I was suprised by what was (and what was not) on it. He explained to me that he wanted to stop where he did becuase he didn't want Sinterklaas (who has to buy presents for all children) to spend too much money on him.

When I realted this story at work (I mean, of course I had to share this one!) one of my colleagues answered a prayer I hadn't yet uttered - she has a helicopter that was still in it's packing and I could have it to give to Kev! Really! When he opened the present on 5 December, it was truly a moment where a picture was worth a 1000 words....

So, as you know from the revois post, we didn't have a White Christmas in 2011 -  we had a house filled with Santas, a real tree and lots of presents -even after Oma said in 2010 she wasn't going to ship over presents again:-) Christmas morning, the living room looked like this:

Also, right around this time, Kevin personified "All I want for Christmas Is my two front teeth" (I had to explain to him there really was this song in English, I wasn't just making it up!)

Anyway, back to Christmas Morning......Kevin woke up and came downstairs (of course wearing his new Christmas PJ's from Oma and Opa)

He opened all his presents, built some lego, showed his mom how to properly ''chill'' in the afternoon,

And then we went to Joe and Nicole to have the most wonderful Christmas Dinner - first time we ever ate a slow cooked, crunchy skinned pork shoulder, chickpeas and yams.....and Little Man cleaned his plate and ate everything!

Merry Merry!

School Photo Day

Kevin is definitely a boy's boy.

1) He loves cars (not only the Pixar kind) - can spot a Porsche from a Ferrari, knows that a Bugatti is one of the most expensive cars in the world
2) All things Soccer (football)  - playing on weekend, training during the week, pick up games during school breaks, after school, going out with Dad, and lately even watching it on TV - all the while telling me which clubs are better - he didn't want to support Ajax earlier this year because they weren't ''very good'' this season...now that they have won the finals, they are OK again.....
3) Lego -building, preserving, remaking sets, leftover bricks, it doesn't matter. All Lego's are good Lego's.
4) Pants - I know my son can walk upright. I see him do it daily - yet his pants tell me the 8 or 9 hours a day I don't see him he must be walking around on his knees. Even given his regular growth spurts, it seems after 3 or 4 washing, the knees in otherwise perfectly good pants are gone.

Now, I'm not a totally useless mother to a boy - I mean, I like the occasional Top Gear, and do my best cheerleader impression along the line every Saturday morning, but exactly how he came to be such a Lego building, car loving, knees walking soccer fanatic is a mystery to me. He's just. all. boy.

I am glad that in one area, I see a small glimmer of myself in my (not so) Little Man - sometimes he just wants to dress up and look polished by wearing more formal clothes for no other reason than he feels like it. He's currently in love with his bright green trousers (not denim jeans) and this year, for school picture day, he wanted to dress nice - in a dress shirt and real (not clip on) tie. Anyone know any good you tube links for tying a windsor knot?

 His twist - he didn't want to tuck the shirt in, because it would ''get all wrinkly''.

I took some photos in the morning at home - and was glad I did, because when I got the proof back from the school.....they had them all lying on their stomachs this year, feet in the air. I mean, cute concept (no shoes, etc) but you can't really see the tie or nice shirt. Mom was a bit bummed - but as his mom, I don't think he can take a bad picture anyway.

These are the proofs, with watermarks, taken from  www.deschoolfotograag.nl.

What do you think?

Season's Greetings

I don't know where the month of December has gone....It feels like I've been waiting since oh, October, for it to be Christmas, but then, all of the sudden, there this two week gap of time - it was just Sinterklaas...and now, it's almost Christmas - and I'm not ready!! How did this happen?? :-)


Long story short (kind of), the Christmas cards are going in the post tomorrow, but since it got so late this year, I'm not sure they will make it in time to everyone in the US.



In the meantime, here is the digital version for everyone - and rest assured, your personalized greetings and Kevin autographed versions are on the way, I promise! (Yes, he signed the Christmas Cards this year all by himself!) :-)

Through all the ups and downs, rough patches, etc......I am reminded how blessed I am to have freinds and family who love and support us in all they ways that they do. Thank you for being there and for being you - we appreciate it more than we can say.

If I ever forget to say it or express it as I should - I'm sorry!

A Very Merry Christmas to you all!

Love,
Sharon & Kevin