Sinterklaas in Texas

We have decided to keep some Dutch traditions alive. This year the tradition of Sinterklaas worked out beautifully! A dollhouse is kind of hard to haul back home in a suitcase, so Sinterklaas brought the girls their big gift this year. A week (in the Netherlands they actually do it for several weeks) before December 5th the girls put a shoe out each night and Sinterklaas left little trinkets and treats for them to discover each morning. And then on the evening of December 5th Sinterklaas dropped a present off while we were visiting Santa Claus. We came home and the girls checked out each door to see if something had been left (normally you'd hear a knock, but we weren't home to hear it). The front door didn't hold any surprises, but the back door did:

It was love at first sight... The girls are certainly enjoying their dollhouse!We then continued on with opening our gifts from each other. The girls received some more accessories to go with their dollhouse from me. Rachel was thrilled with the roller skates that Audrey got for her and both of the girls have enjoyed watching Toy Story 3 (to Audrey, from Rachel). Rachel loves her new pajamas from her daddy and Audrey is enjoying her new book from Daddy. Here's a few pictures of the girls opening their presents:

We are definitely going to keep the Sinterklaas tradition around. Each year will vary, depending on our holiday plans. But it's definitely a tradition we want to keep reminding the girls about. We don't want to forget about our Dutch experiences...