Recycling

We try to do our part and recycle what we can here. It's not that convenient, but I try to be good. I am looking forward to returning to my blue bin that I can fill up with recyclable stuff and just put out on my curb once a week... In order to recycle we usually load the stroller up with paper and glass and head to the mall. That's the nearest drop-off place for us. As far as I know our neighborhood doesn't have one, but many do. The Dutch are big on glass containers. Anything you would buy in the U.S. in a plastic jar is usually in a glass jar here. So, we usually have our fair share of glass to recycle and of course we always have plenty of paper goods. There are bins that one can drop off glass, paper, and textiles right by the mall, so that's where we recycle.

One of the few items that come in plastic containers here are soda bottles. We aren't big soda drinkers, but we purchased some this past weekend. Well, the Dutch pretty much force you to recycle your plastic. Not a bad idea, because I'm sure it works. When you purchase soda here you get charged 25 cents in addition to the cost of the soda. After consuming the soda you can bring the bottle back to the store, put it in their little recycle machine, and then you get a voucher for 25 cents that you take to the check-out stand when you purchase your groceries.

Okay, so enough of my rambling. We haven't been to the mall for over 10 days now, so our recycling pile has become quite large. I can't even fit the paper goods in the basket underneath the stroller anymore. I guess it's time to head to the mall... Yesterday the weather was crummy and I had housework to do, so we stayed home all day. Well, the girls found all kinds of ways to entertain themselves yesterday and one of the ways they entertained themselves is pictured below:

Monkey see, monkey do, right??? I don't know who discovered the empty soda bottles in the stroller. Probably Audrey and then if I had to guess Rachel joined her... I believe Rachel was the one to teach Audrey the proper way to chug some soda. Good thing they were empty bottles! :)

Gingerbread House

One of my favorite memories growing up is decorating gingerbread houses. We don't have a free weekend from here until Christmas, so this past weekend we got together with some friends and decorated gingerbread houses. It's definitely a tradition that we will continue. And I have to say I learned a lot this first time around doing it without my mom being in charge. Next time I'm going to have the gingerbread houses put together the night before and ready for the kids to decorate. I also learned that next time we won't use the Ikea gingerbread house kits. My mom always used graham crackers and that's what we'll use in the future. But since a small box of graham crackers costs 7 euros ($10) here, it was a bit cheaper to go the Ikea route.

Anyhow, so here's Rachel in the process of decorating: And then unfortunately here's her house 24 hours later:
Luckily we were all eating dinner and got to witness the cave in. So, we made it fun and there weren't any tears. Rachel was then excited to get permission to eat her gingerbread house. Rachel's house reminds me of the year my brother Paul just broke his roof and filled his house with candy. I guess he was getting a bit old for decorating... :) So, next year we'll go back to graham crackers and see if that holds up longer than 24 hours.

Fall Beauties

The fall colors are almost gone here. Most of the trees are pretty bare and unfortunately will be until mid-April. It's been so rainy and wet here recently that it's been hard to find a day to get some pictures of the girls. I should have tried weeks ago, but I just wasn't on top of it. So, the sun was out today and after lunch we headed out to take some pictures. Rachel was very cooperative and Audrey wasn't so much... Oh well, such is life... So, here's a few of the best I got: The brown-eyed girls in brown!

Love that smile! Guess who she's smiling at??? Her sister. She wouldn't take a glance at me or the camera, but she had big smiles for her sister on the sidelines. :)

Sinterklaas has come to town!

On Saturday the girls and I enjoyed the parade to welcome Sinterklaas to town. If you're interested in the history, go here. It was rainy that morning, but luckily by noon it was a pretty decent day. We walked about 15 minutes down the road and were able to watch the parade, which lasted about 30 minutes. And of course, at the very end Sinterklaas was riding his white horse.

Audrey a bit dazed by the parade and the Zwarte Piets dropping treats off on her stroller tray:

Rachel with her mouth full of treats:

I guess this is what you would do if you had septuplets in the Netherlands. Can you imagine how tiring that would be?:

The Zwarte Piets were quite musical:

A float resembling the factory that makes the famous pepernoten cookies:
Rachel was so excited to see a clown - something she recognized: Sinterklaas:

Some more music to enjoy:

Now that Sinterklaas has arrived Rachel and Audrey can put their shoes out each night by the front door (since we don't have a fireplace) and the next morning they can find something special left for them. This can be done until December 5th. So, the girls score this year with Sinterklaas in the Netherlands and Santa Claus in the U.S. There are some benefits to living abroad... :)

Home Sweet Home

We've had a busy morning, but the girls are still in their pajamas! Andy got back this morning from a quick trip to Houston. The girls were so excited to pick him up at the airport. He's hopefully getting a much needed nap upstairs right now and the girls are having fun in his suitcases. Rachel has turned them into hotels. At first she wanted Audrey to be with her and then she wanted to go to sleep in her hotel, so we got Audrey her own hotel. Silly, but adorable girls... Andy brought us back all kinds of treasures from the U.S. My U.S. friends will probably laugh at my list, but my Holland friends will understand. We got instant oatmeal, crystal light, cheerios, easy mac, cake mix for Audrey's birthday, and a few more random items. My kitchen is running out of room and I can't wait to get back to my pantry in 6 months!

While in Houston Andy was able to do a walk through of our house and all looks well. We've been very fortunate with renters - both times them being empty-nesters. Andy even came back with ideas of how we could arrange furniture and decorate... :) I guess he liked how our current renters have things set up. Andy said our neighborhood and town still look the same, just a few more strip malls and a new hospital. He got to go to church and see some familiar faces yesterday. I think we're getting really excited about heading home for good...

The girls and I survived quite well the past week, but we are definitely glad to have daddy and husband back home. Anytime I opened up our blog this past week and was holding Audrey she'd go crazy pointing at Andy and repeating "dada" a million times. So precious! And Rachel has been asking since Tuesday (he left Tuesday morning) when daddy was coming home. We're glad to all be back together again! :)

Our Little Artist

The other day Rachel enjoyed painting during Audrey's morning nap. Every once in awhile I try to be a good mom and do fun things like this with her while Audrey's napping. Rachel's favorite painting was of a princess in a purple castle. I painted the princess and she painted the castle. :) Check out that concentration!

Two of a Kind

Rachel at 11 months: Audrey at 11 months:

In some ways they can be so different and in other ways so much alike. Of course Audrey found the dryer sheets, not the toilet paper. And if you are wondering why I have dryer sheets in the bathroom, it's simply because our bathroom downstairs serves as a bathroom/laundry room. It's fabulous - note the sarcasm! :) At least it keeps my laundry room from becoming too much of a mess...

The girls enjoyed their first bubble bath together last week. They had a blast and unfortunately they both paid the consequence with their eczema breaking out the next day. I guess the mild Dutch bubble bath isn't going to cut it. We'll have to stock up on some Aveeno bubble bath when we're home for Christmas. Audrey didn't know what to think at first, but she warmed up soon enough. Audrey thought it was absolutely hilarious when Rachel was giving herself a beard. I wish I had gotten video of that.

Daddy Time

Audrey and Rachel are two lucky girls. They have a daddy who comes home from work and gives them quite a bit of attention. It's probably one of the many reasons why they get so excited when they hear him unlocking the front door. :) From the time he walks in the door every night to the time they go to sleep, they spend a lot of time with their daddy. He plays with them, bathes them, and gets Rachel to bed (he'd put Audrey to bed if he could!). Here are some pictures I caught one night as Andy was playing away with Audrey:

One month to go...

Audrey is 11 months old today! It's hard to believe we'll be celebrating her first birthday in one month. Time sure does fly! I took Audrey to the doctor yesterday and they are a bit concerned about her growth. I'm not (maybe I should be), but Rachel was small and I pretty much expect the same with Audrey. I guess their concern is that she's kind of flat lined the past couple months on the growth chart, but I just figure it's because she's finally getting herself around and is much more active. Anyhow, she's 27.16 inches tall and weighs 16 pounds, 12 ounces. Yes, she's teeny but so was and is her sister. We go back for a special appointment the day before her birthday (they do 14 month check-ups here, not 12 month check-ups) to see how her weight and growth is doing. So, we'll keep you posted...

Audrey is doing well though. She is finally sleeping through the night consistently!!! Yay!!! We could set an alarm clock by her - it never fails that she's up by 6-6:30AM. But I'll take it - 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is better than the alternative. Since she gets up so early she's still taking 2 naps a day (1-2 hours each) and then is in bed by 8 PM. Not too bad... Audrey has finally decided to get some more teeth. Her two top left teeth have popped through and her two top right ones aren't far behind. So, by her birthday she should have 6 teeth.

Audrey wants nothing to do with baby food, so table food it is. She also insists on feeding herself most meals and makes a mess of everything - herself, the high chair, the ground, etc... She loves Ikea meatballs, rice, spaghetti, cheese, pears, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, pretzels, cheerios, and yogurt. If she's in the mood she'll eat some mac 'n cheese, ham, chicken, bananas, peas, applesauce, bread, and oatmeal. Audrey definitely has an opinion of food and if you try to sneak in something she doesn't want she has no qualms about pushing it out with her tongue. We'll see how the next couple weeks go as I start the weaning process. By Dec. 1st I plan on being done nursing her and whole milk it is. I figure getting whole milk 10 days before her 1st birthday will be okay... She does fine with yogurt, cheese, and a bit of milk with her oatmeal; so hopefully it will be a smooth transition.

In other news, she's discovered her nose, or more specifically her nostrils. Luckily she doesn't hunt for gold too often... She loves to play and is a very busy baby. Audrey is quite happy that she's figured out how to get around. One of her favorite things to do (if the opportunity presents itself) is to empty out Andy's laptop bag. Audrey has figured out how to shake her head no and is more than willing to tell you no that way. I'm sure it's only a matter of months before she's saying "no".... Audrey also loves to scoot underneath the kitchen table. She she is trying to figure out how to put on and take off her clothes. The other day I left her in her room for a few minutes and when I returned I found her trying to put on a pair of Rachel's panties. Who knows, maybe she'll be potty trained early! :) I love the stage Audrey is in right now. I wish I could freeze time a bit and enjoy it a bit longer. Unfortunately, that's not possible. So, I continue to try to enjoy her milestones a day at a time. Audrey is definitely a blessing to our family and is loved by all! :)

Am I Weird?

So, I'm a total number person. For example, I think it's so cool that Audrey is 11 months old on 11/11. I love certain dates and certain times and whatnot. The other day I was thinking of numbers and realized something. Andy turned 30 right before we moved to Holland and Rachel was roughly 18 months old. When we move back home, I will have turned 30 right before and Audrey will be roughly 18 months old. Is that weird??? Does anyone else notice these things? I'm still waiting to have a child on a really cool birth date. Audrey could have done 12/4/08 (12-4=8) or 12/10/08 (just counting down by twos), but of course she didn't cooperate. And Rachel could have been 5/1/06 (5+1=6), but no that wasn't in her plans either. Oh well, maybe one day a little one will arrive on a extraordinary date, like 11/11/11. I think I could handle that... 10/10/10 too soon... :)

Noah's Ark in Zaandam

On October 31st we went with some friends to see Noah's Ark. It is currently in the Zaandam Port, which is only about 20 minutes away from us. The story behind the whole thing is really quite interesting. If you have some time, check out the info. If you've ever seen Evan Almighty, it reminds you a bit of that... The kids had fun exploring the ark. It was full of life-size animals and scenes of Bible stories. Here's Rachel and Talynn at the entrance checking out the barrels of food: Rachel is quite enthralled with the fact that tigers have tongues as well:
More animals:Noah doing some research???:Checking out the various Bible story displays:

Audrey just chillin' in her stroller:

Up on deck:

Audrey and I stayed inside where it was warm while the others went up top:

After our walk through the ark we then strolled through Zaandam briefly. And of course, even though it was cold and windy, Rachel enjoyed an ice cream:
We then took a quick drive to Zaanse Schans (which is nearby Zaandam) to do some Christmas shopping. While there we couldn't resist taking some classic Dutch pictures:
It was definitely a fun Saturday afternoon! :)

3 1/2

As I was doing Rachel's hair today I realized it was her half birthday. So, I congratulated her on being 3 1/2. She was so excited! Her immediate response was to ask who was coming over. I guess she figured we needed to celebrate! :) So we celebrated some when we ran errands. She got to pick out a candy at the store and she rode the black horse outside the store. Rachel couldn't have been happier! :)

Rachel is such a joy to have in our family. She's becoming so independent and in some ways it scares me. It's crazy to think that soon enough I'll be sending her to school all day. Rachel loves playing with her friends and she is also really good about playing with her little sister. She's really into any type of craft - she loves making and creating things. Currently her favorite princesses are Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Rachel is a very girly-girl. She loves to help me cook, take care of her own babies, play in her kitchen, have her nails painted, and loves putting on lip gloss.

As I consider the future I'm grateful Rachel's been placed as the oldest in our family. She still has her moments, but overall she's a good example to have at the head of the family. Who knows, that may not always hold true... But right now it works great. Rachel loves to learn and to please others. She also loves it when I "leave her" at a friend's house.

About two weeks ago we were having a gorgeous afternoon. So, the girls and I headed to the park down the street. They were bundled up and ready to play. I decided to have the girls go down the slide together on their tummies (it's a very wide, short slide). Rachel loved playing with Audrey. After several times of going down the slide they were playing at the bottom of the slide. Rachel was putting pebbles up on the slide and Audrey was quickly knocking them down. It was about nap time, so I informed Rachel it was time to go home. She protested, but it was a protest I couldn't pass up when she said, "No, I want to play with Audrey more". So, we stayed 10 more minutes. It's so much fun to watch them become playmates.

We are so grateful for Rachel and for the bundle of joy that she is!

Introducting a Pink Fairy and Little Bo Peep...

Halloween was so much fun this year! Rachel was totally in to it and talked for weeks about being a fairy. The Dutch don't really do Halloween, so we always rely on friends who have their children in some type of an international school. This year, my friend Allison, was in charge of her children's school Halloween celebration right here in our town. So, it was a win-win situation. We were able to go trick-or-treating or trunk-or-treating to roughly 24 people that were willing to host passing out candy (obviously parents of children who go to the International School). So, we tagged along with the Rasmussens and had a great time. We couldn't have asked for better weather that night (it was actually on the 30th)! The girls both had 2-3 layers on, but they were able to stay warm enough without putting coats on that would have covered up their costumes. Rachel's costume was inspired by the fairy wings her Aunt Amy brought out for her in July. Audrey's costume was borrowed from my sweet friend Ruth who sewed it years ago for her oldest. So, here are some pictures of us before we headed out to trick-or-treat:I tried to fix this picture - it's a bit washed out. But I absolutely love it - I love the genuine smile, the beautiful eyes, and the dimples!

Little Bo Peep who really doesn't mind giving away her sheep or leaving it behind! :)

Ready to go:

We took the double stroller, but the majority of the night Rachel walked with her daddy:

And was brave enough to go up to the doors with Bailee's help: Sweet pictures with Little Bo Peep, who was just along for the ride/walk:

Rachel walked a ton that night and didn't end up in the stroller until the last couple of houses. I think she was more excited to be in the front part of the stroller since by that time Andy and I were taking turns holding Audrey. I love this picture of Audrey trying to get some of Rachel's candy:
We had fun with our friends and Rachel collected more than enough candy. Even though there were only about 2 dozen stops, we still have candy hanging around the house. Thanks Allison, for organizing such a fun night! :)

On a side note, I've already started talking to Rachel about moving back to Texas. I know it's not for another 6 months or so, but I've just decided to start telling her stories and such to refresh her memory. So, I told her next year that she could go trick-or-treating with our friends in our neighborhood in Texas. I told her we could go trick-or-treating with Adam, Hannah, and Matthew. And her first question to me was, "Are they Dutch?". It cracked me up... So, I had to explain to her that they weren't and why. She was quite relieved to know that they would speak English to her. It's still so odd to me to have a 3 year-old ask me about Dutch vs. English, but I guess it comes with the territory.