More Moments

Christmas Day was also a day of playing games. It is really fun now that the grandchildren are getting old enough to join in. Sam and Grandpa played "Missing Match-Ups," a favorite game when our kids were young. Even Sophie tried to play "Connect 4." "Charades for Kids" had even the adults using desperate measures to act like a dragon (my personal unsuccessful attempt). We should do these things more often.

Moments to Remember

Here are a few random pictures of Christmas moments--the making and eating of the gingerbread houses at our family party, Lydia's delight at getting a 10-piece manicure set as her "white elephant" gift, the visit to the Critter Barn to see and hear the live nativity story, and Elinore's favorite gifts, a big box to sit in and bubble wrap to pop.

Definitely of the Devil

I just finished shelling 18 hard boiled eggs. I had a bunch of extra eggs and thought I would make devilled eggs for the Wolthuis/Goote Holiday party tomorrow night. Usually my hard boiled eggs turn out decent. Sometimes they are a bit hard to peel. To say this batch was hard to peel would be a vast understatement.

I began to peel the first egg and was discouraged at how difficult it was. I moved on, in hopes of finding a good one. It's always good to start off with a few easy ones to get in the groove, right? Well, there were no easy ones to be found. The peels weren't just coming off in tiny pieces...they were coming off in tiny pieces with big chunks of the white attached. I started to understand, perhaps, why there are called "devilled eggs" and began to think of several more sharp nicknames I could give.

At first I got frustrated. Thought of cooking another batch. Pitching this one. Making egg salad and subjecting my family to it for 6 days straight. Are cooked eggs compostable? But then I just started to laugh. This is something that would have thrown me a year ago. I would never have even considered serving these imperfect eggs at a party. Christmas party, no less! But I decided that I will. I'm sure Joseph and Mary weren't feasting on the finest of fare. As a testimony to what God has done in this recovering perfectionist, I can serve way imperfect food...as long as there is enough white left to hold the filling!

Sophie

Sophie, age 16 months, reminds me so much of her father, Brian, from her bright eyes to her curious nature and rather daring lifestyle. I chose the second and third pictures because they illustrate her ability to multi-task (suck on the dog and check out how the toy works) and then to use the toy in another, more thrilling way. Although the toy is called Sit 'n' Spin, Sophie tries to stand 'n' spin. Brian also led a very active, rather dangerous life as a toddler. The beautiful red hair is another similarity.

So often when I see Sophie doing something, it is deja vu for me. I can go back thirty years or so and see Brian. He surprised us, delighted us, and always kept us on our toes. Sophie is sure to do the same. "What goes around comes around," and in this case, it is very good. We love you, Sophie!!

Jingle Dance

This video is from when we had our family party for Sam, Lydia, and Elinore. The girls loved the jingle slippers that Eric and Ang sent, and they all joined in a little dance. We just wanted to share that with you.

I think she's feeling better...

Sophie was sick last week. It started with the middle-of-the-night vomiting session. (Why is it always in the middle of the night??!!) Then for the next seven days she was a clingy, whiny, sleepy, never-hungry grump. On Monday morning she woke up a different person. Happy, playing with Sam & Lydia, eating, laughing, being her goofy self and then I remembered that I like her! So, today, this is what she has had to eat...a 16 month old...

Breakfast: a large bowl of Cheerios, two eggs, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1/2 c applesauce, two donut holes.
Snack: 1/4 bagel and a muffin
Lunch: 1/2 a BOX of mac n cheese, bunch of grapes
Snack and Dinner weren't quite so impressive, but nonetheless, she seems to be making up for the week of fasting.

I think she's feeling better, don't you?

Life in Chiang Mai

On this trip we were able to spend time at Grace International School, both in Gabe's kindergarten class and in Eric's seventh-grade class. Gabe's small group had built this tower, and the teacher mentioned that this group had shown the best cooperation in completing their project that day. For show and tell, everyone had to bring in some seeds and talk about where they came from, if they were edible, etc. Gabe is beginning his presentation about watermelon seeds. Eric's class was taking a test. At the end of the hour, Eric told his students they could ask me anything they wished about him. That was lots of fun, especially answering the question about the most embarrassing thing Eric had ever done. The last picture shows Gabe's great joy at receiving Lego's Aqua Raiders, a birthday gift from his cousin, Sam.

Bangkok--City of Contrasts

Bangkok is truly a study in contrasts--from the beautiful skyscrapers and upscale shopping centers to the places people live along the river where the only way you know people live there is because of the clothes hanging out to dry. One of the stops on the boat tour was a snake farm where poisonous snakes are trained to "perform." One of the most striking things about Thailand is the extreme loyalty and affection the Thai people have for their 80-year-old king who has been ruling for 61 years. There are pictures of him everywhere; this display is at the airport.

Chiang Rai

One of the things we are thankful for during this season is another safe and meaningful trip to Thailand to visit Eric, Angela, and Gabe. These pictures were taken in Chiang Rai, which is about a 3-hour drive north from Chiang Mai. We spent a few days there and learned about the Golden Triangle--where Thailand, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar) meet. It is a favorite site for tourists. The children in the last picture had the day off from school and knew that they could make some money by offering to have their picture taken with the tourists. We did not disappoint them. The first picture was taken from our Dusit Island Hotel window--a beautiful place, available at pre-"high season" rates. It was so nice to spend some time just relaxing, sightseeing, and visiting.

Gabe

Gabe will turn six this week, and we recently spent time with him in Thailand and enjoyed getting reacquainted with him and being able to see first-hand what his current interests are. Since we seldom get to take pictures of him, I'm including four that help explain what he likes to do these days. The first two show his remarkable ability to "recycle" and make things. The first picture shows a "cleaning up robot," sparked by a comic strip he had seen about a boy who designs a robot to clean his room for him. The second picture shows him working on a "mouse gets the cheese" board game he designed from a cereal box.

The third picture shows Gabe at his first soccer practice. Eric thought the most noteworthy accomplishment of the players was the number of water breaks they felt it necessary to take. (It WAS hot!)
The last picture shows Gabe thoroughly enjoying the Muppets Show--Season 2 DVD that we brought as a birthday gift. In fact, we all enjoyed watching that creative and clever show which had entertained our boys when they were Gabe's age. It was wonderful to spend time with Gabe and let him know how special he is to us. We miss you and love you, Gabe! Grandpa and Grandma

I just had to tell you this.

So we just got back from Florida and I am sure Jen will post more about that later...but I just had to get this down before I forgot how it went.

Scene: Driving somewhere in the car.

Elinore: I have a booger, I need a kleenex.

Kevin: Ok, just a minute...

Time elapses while Kevin and Jen look for a kleenex which is not to be found in the rental car.

Elinore: I ate my booger, it was good yum yum.

Kevin and Jen laugh at this for a while.

Elinore: My booger is all gone.

So I guess this answers the age old question...it begins simply out of the need for disposal.

Thanks to all

We had a very nice visit from Grandpa & Grandma this past week or so. I'll let them write more specifics, but we decided that even though there were spectacular deals at beach resorts we'd decided to take advantage of a spectacular deal in the mountains. We enjoyed the cooler weather, the slow pace, the lovely views and this boat ride, pictured above. We also enjoyed an early birthday party for the three of us. Thanks to everyone who sent the presents. We are enjoying them very much. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. I am especially enjoying being able to listen to music on my daily drive to work now that I have inherited Eric's MP3 player. I can't say I've ever been able to fully appreciate Thai radio.

I DIDN"T DO IT!!

It must just be human nature to little boys...
because as we were sorting through cookie cutters the other day in preparationg to make...yup, you guessed it, cookies, we came across some Christmas ones. Sam held a candycane and a stocking in each hand. Holding up the candycane, he says, "Mama, I know this one is a gun, but what is this other one?"

Getting the Hang of It

Last spring Brian and I decided to begin making our own bread...from the wheatberry. A friend is sharing her grain mill with me and we bought a wonderful machine that helps us do this five loaves at a time in about an hour. I think I have finally gotten the hang of it...Look! Isn't it beautiful? (Don't get the wrong impression...I didn't take pictures of the brick hard loaves and botched batches...including the one today. I had to pitch the starter and begin again, but it was worth it!)

Another memory worth noting from today. We were all sitting at the table tonight happily eating our pizza (made with the same homemade bread dough) and Lydia looks at Brian. "Papa, why is your face like that?" Brian: "What do you mean? God made it like this." Lydia: "You should smile more."

We follow in the footsteps of many parents before us...

who have found endless possibilities for cardboard boxes. My parents got us a piece of furniture that came in this box. Once assembly was complete, Kevin transformed it into a car complete with opening/closing door and a steering wheel. I let Elinore color on it with markers, and she has "accessorized" it to make it quite the lounge car. She is loving it. Yesterday she and Kevin pretended to drive to the beach complete with sandcastle building and swimming in the water. I love watching her learn. She is literally learning how to pretend. And I love watching Kevin play with her. It is something I get to do all day, so when he has some time to really get into things with her...it just makes me so happy.

Elinore

Although we call Elinore our "Drama Queen" (in the very best sense of the word) because of her vivid descriptions of all she sees and does ("Grandma, I'm crying."), these pictures show other aspects of her personality. Nearly two years old, she loves being outdoors. This first picture was taken at Williamsburg where, surrounded by historic weapons and buildings, she was most interested in......dandelions. She loves flowers, bugs, and berries and finds them fascinating.

The second picture shows her ability to focus and complete a task, here the Three Pigs puzzle, not easy for a less-than-two-year-old. We often use the word "hilarious" to describe her observations; she is so much fun to have around. Sometimes we wish she could stay just this age.

We love you, Elinore! Grandpa and Grandma

Insights into the Male Psyche

Sam has had a couple interesting things to say about "boys" lately. I thought I would share his insights:

Brian and he were reading about Jesus being circumcised after he was born and Sam, of course, wondered what that meant. After a very frank explanation of the what and why's of circumcision, Sam asked if Lydia and other girls had a similar operation. Brian answered in the negative and Sam replied, "That's probably because boys sin more than girls."

I was telling him a bit of a story from Little Men, which I am reading. The characters I was describing happened to be twins. I reminded them what twins were and he asked if they dressed the same. I answered, "No, this set of twins had one girl and one boy, so they didn't dress the same." Sam immediately replied, "Yeah, because boys have to look cool and girls have to look pretty."

Lydia

These are a couple of my favorite pictures of Lydia who told me this morning that she is almost three years old, and then she "will be as big as the sky." The first picture captures her ability to bring joy and smiles to those around her, in this case her great-grandfather just a month before he died. In spite of his physical problems at that time, he delighted in her. She is fun to be with, and to talk with.
The second picture shows her love of books. She loves to be read to--and to read to others, Elinore, Peter the doll, etc. On Thursday mornings, we go to Story Hour at the library, and selecting just a few books to check out is a real challenge. She would love to take many more home. I am so grateful for her love of reading as I work with adults who cannot read and have never discovered the "worlds" at their fingertips.

We love you, Lydia!

Life Could Be So Simple

Of all the toys we have in the house, Elinore has spent her day attached to two plastic cups and a square of bubble wrap (that doesn't have any unpopped bubbles because she methodically popped them all this morning, but she continues to carry around the used up square). Sometimes I get these little glimpses that my life could be so much simpler...

A Gift From Sam

Even though I hardly ever wear earrings at all...
Even if I did, they would never be "dangly"...
Even though they kinda hurt my ears to wear them...
Because he bought them just for me...
Because he thinks they are pretty...
Because I know how important gifts are to him...
Because his face was so sweet with excitement when he gave them to me...
Because he is my son...

I will wear these.

FYI They are almost 3 inches long :)

Sam

While going through our many pictures, I decided to share a few of my favorite "Grandkids Photos." Today nearly-five-year-old Sam is the subject. The first picture shows how much Sam is loved--by both of us. The second picture shows Sam with his new Lego Street Sweeper, bought in the Netherlands. Since Grandpa knows how much Sam loves Legos, every time we saw a toy store, he would disappear inside to check out their Lego inventory, looking for Lego kits not available in the US. (Gabe will probably also benefit from these trips. :)

Sam, we love you !! Grandpa and Grandma