The past few weeks have been really busy around here. When I try to pinpoint what we've done it's nothing grand, just a whole lot of stuff. We've had our fair share of illnesses the past few weeks from the stomach flu to teething to yucky colds with fevers. We've also had our fair share of doctor visits - shots given and blood drawn. I never knew that they would actually draw 7 vials of a blood from a 14-month old, but they will. Audrey's being testing for numerous things to see why she isn't putting on weight. In the meantime we're just trying to be patient as we wait for the results...
We've also had church stuff that has kept us busy, trying to plan our last few trips, and teaching Joy School. A few Saturdays ago I put together a ladies night out and I believe all 11 of us had a good time. One weekend we enjoyed going to an indoor water park with some friends (of course we left the camera in the car). We all enjoyed the water slides and hanging out in the much warmer toddler pool! :) Rachel and I had a date last weekend to see the local international school put on a play of Aladdin. She enjoyed it and when it was over, asked if we could start it again. In the midst of all this we did recognize Valentine's. Andy brought home beautiful roses from Ecuador for me and some smaller roses for the girls. Rachel exchanged valentines with her Joy School friends and the girls also received some special valentines in the mail from their grandmas and grandpas.
The view from our house has looked a lot like this the past few weeks:
That's snow on top of the frozen canal in front of our home. This past weekend there were parents out there shoveling the snow off the ice so their children could ice skate.
We have definitely had an unusual amount of snow and cold days this winter. But we've tried to have some fun with it:
Over at the shopping center near our home there's a new clearance store. When my friends told me about these leotards for one euro, I had to go stock up. The leg warmers were only 50 cents a pair and the girls look pretty cute in their dress-ups. Some days Rachel wears her leotard all day. I don't know how she manages to stay warm enough, but she does...
Since we've had a lot of snow days we've tried to do some fun indoor things. One day we met some friends at a nearby indoor playplace. It was the first time Audrey has been to one since she's been mobile and she enjoyed it as well. It will be much more fun once she finally decides to walk!
We've had fun indoors playing dress-up:
Doing a bit of coloring:
Painting a princess or two:
And trying to sort through all the books to find the perfect one:
Here's a much happier Rachel after about five days of an icky cold:
Audrey's done a lot of cuddling this past week with shots, blood being drawn, teething, and a very yucky cold:
Luckily though Audrey is doing better and was having fun messing around with the computer this afternoon:
Life is definitely keeping us busy. We are down to the phase of trying to figure out where we still need to go visit and what we still need to buy before we end our European adventure. Hopefully the next couple of months I'll find more time to update the blog more often and be able to share some of our last adventures here...
That's snow on top of the frozen canal in front of our home. This past weekend there were parents out there shoveling the snow off the ice so their children could ice skate. 
We have definitely had an unusual amount of snow and cold days this winter. But we've tried to have some fun with it:
Over at the shopping center near our home there's a new clearance store. When my friends told me about these leotards for one euro, I had to go stock up. The leg warmers were only 50 cents a pair and the girls look pretty cute in their dress-ups. Some days Rachel wears her leotard all day. I don't know how she manages to stay warm enough, but she does...
Since we've had a lot of snow days we've tried to do some fun indoor things. One day we met some friends at a nearby indoor playplace. It was the first time Audrey has been to one since she's been mobile and she enjoyed it as well. It will be much more fun once she finally decides to walk!
We've had fun indoors playing dress-up:
Doing a bit of coloring:
Painting a princess or two:
And trying to sort through all the books to find the perfect one:
Here's a much happier Rachel after about five days of an icky cold:
Audrey's done a lot of cuddling this past week with shots, blood being drawn, teething, and a very yucky cold:
Luckily though Audrey is doing better and was having fun messing around with the computer this afternoon:
Life is definitely keeping us busy. We are down to the phase of trying to figure out where we still need to go visit and what we still need to buy before we end our European adventure. Hopefully the next couple of months I'll find more time to update the blog more often and be able to share some of our last adventures here...
And of course, the finished product! I love it and wish we had purchased this two years ago. What were we thinking??? I guess we weren't...
I think she enjoyed the leftover frosting the most! :) 
Christmas morning 2009:
I think everyone got what they wanted, plus some. We are excited to hang the map up that my mom put together and put pushpins in on all the locations we've been while living in Europe. I got some much needed snow boots that are getting used and enjoyed! And the girls were spoiled with lots of fun new toys that we even managed to all get back to Holland. :)
In Texas we finally took the time to take pictures of the girls in their Christmas dresses. It worked out quite well this year. They were able to wear their dresses the whole month of December and each week it was at a different ward! 
The cousins definitely had a good time together. It was so much fun watching Ashlyn and Rachel play together. In March they didn't interact much, but this time they had a ball together! Best buds:
One thing that all of the grandchildren look forward to are tractor rides, even if it's freezing cold outside. :) Twice Rachel fell asleep on the tractor rides. Papa had lined the trailer with blankets and she just made herself at home!
Bonding time with Aunt Cristy watching Persuasion: 
One cold sunny day we attempted to take some pictures of the cousins all together. We thought it was really fun this year how they were 1, 2, 3, and 4 years old. We tried and tried, but unfortunately never came out with that "one perfect one". Maybe next time we're together... Here's a cute one of just our girls that Cristy caught on her camera:
I just love the next two of Aaron and Rachel. You can tell they were having fun. They won the award of being the most cooperative. Ashlyn and Audrey weren't so cooperative...
We had fun one afternoon making a Michaelson classic - chocolate crinkle cookies. The kids loved rolling them in powdered sugar!
Grandma Michaelson made everyone matching Christmas hooded towels. Thanks Grandma - the kids loved them! :)
Audrey enjoyed her first ice cream cone while in Texas. Although, she really enjoyed decorating the high chair tray more than she enjoyed the cold ice cream.
Audrey became quite the fan of Oreo cookies - basically the yummy white stuff in the middle. I thought for sure we'd be able to get her to drink some cow's milk with an Oreo - no such luck! :)
Audrey loved exploring a different house, here she is underneath the kitchen table:
In a basket:
In the toy box:
And just a cute picture:
Rachel and Audrey both enjoyed some mischief when they found in a cupboard some of that stuff that you put under rugs so they don't slip and slide. Sorry, don't know the name of it... Anyhow, the girls had fun playing around with this red stuff:
Our last Sunday there we got some pictures in front of the tree. Papa with his girls:
And then all the girls together:
We definitely enjoyed our time in Texas. It's always fun to go and visit family. I'm glad the girls and I had the opportunity to stay a bit longer. We were spoiled and enjoyed every minute of it! In case you're wondering the girls were absolute gems on the 9 1/2 hour plane ride back home. I was a bit nervous, but all went well with just the girls and I. And as we were struggling through the jet lag as we returned home, I just kept on reminding myself only one more time of dealing with jet lag and little ones... only one more time... :) 
The mass of crazy people:
Giving each other pep talks:
There are no pictures to be had of after the dive. I guess they were all a bit too cold to want to pose for pictures. After a very long flight and a very cold dip in the sea, Andy enjoyed a nice afternoon nap on New Year's Day... 
