Hot Weather

This week didn’t seem like the start of a new school year. I didn’t even see any students! Just one day at school to prepare things. That gave us lots of time to work on things at home, and rest a bit too. 

The girls need more time to get used to our new schedule. Big changes for them. New group and new days at daycare. No more dinners there. No more bottle at night - we will cut out the morning one soon. Today we had a nice time at the donkey farm. Basically a big petting zoo with a playground and food. 

I managed to finish up the growth chart, and also collect more maple flooring from some friends who were moving. Opened up a business page on Facebook too. Finished out the day yesterday with a nice BBQ. First time in over a year we have done that just because…

Naomi's birthday flags.

Measuring heights.

Finally the courage to touch the loud, scary drill!

Abigail didn't want to get measured.

Fun in the pool during another hot day!

The finished product.

Two Years!

Our two little ones turned two two days ago. They had lots of fun and attention for their birthday, although the presents that Naomi and I were making for them didn't quite get finished on time. Naomi sewed up some birthday flags and I hope to finish their growth chart today. Yesterday was the big birthday party with family and friends. It is really nice to host people at our new house! We were also thankful to get so many really nice gifts for the girls!

It is hard to remember all that we did this past week because we got so much done! I am typing this out on our new computer which is really exciting. It is an amazing machine. Pictures are so sharp, seemingly in 3D, that is feels like you are there. And it is so fast - too bad our cheap Internet can't keep up!

Our vacation is officially over, although this coming week should be more relaxing than the one we just had. We aren't quite ready to start school, but we will find a way to ease into the new routine. I really hope I will have some time soon to start writing again...

Bringing in the firewood - driving it home felt uphill the whole way.

Before and after - new table saw table.

Daddy gets help with the height board.

Happy Birthday! Amélie was the first to blow out her candles.

Unpacking the box from Great Grandma Harriet.

Progress on the height board.

Watering the flowers during yesterday's party.

Freedom!

Nearly a week ago the girls were meant to be napping, and I heard a house-shaking thud followed by some rather unhappy noises. I went up to investigate and it turned out that Abigail had managed to climb out of her crib and fall head-first onto the floor. Good thing we chose some soft carpeting.

I proceeded to remove the sides from their cribs and put a lock on the door. They were thrilled! Most of the time things have worked out fine - the girls have just gone right to sleep or played for a bit and then slept. There were a couple incidents where it didn't go so well. I had to pull Amélie off of Abigail and we then turned her bed around so the open side was against the wall. Then it was fine.

It seems to be a bit too much freedom for Amélie, but Abigail is doing really well with it. We might just keep Amélie's bed closed for awhile longer...

We also changed their nap schedule. Instead of two per day they now take only one after an early lunch. So far so good. This way we are matched up with how they do things at daycare, but it does make things a lot more demanding for us.

We finally made a start with the baseboards. Hopefully the second floor will get finished up today. We also got a load of firewood (Meranti scraps from a window factory) and had to use some on Thursday because it was so cold. Now that we seem to have some nice weather coming our way we will have to enjoy some time outside too!

Jet Lag

I had a really nice time visiting both sides of the family in Wisconsin. It was fun to see so many people! The two weeks of really flew by, and I am still recovering from it and the jet lag. Fortunately the trip back to the Netherlands went smoothly.

Amélie was really happy and excited to see me. Abigail was a different story. She cried a lot. Rather overwhelming for the little one. It is good to be home though. Trying to relax but there is too much that needs to be done. Bah.

Yesterday the four of us went to the market. I took Amélie to the grocery store while Naomi got veggies with Abigail. On the walk back to where we would meet, both girls were asking for their sister. Not so much for Mommy or Daddy, but they were searching for each other. When we finally met up, they gave the sweetest hug ever. It lasted 50 or 60 seconds, and all the people around stopped to look. Naomi even had tears in her eyes...

Someone thought they could take a shortcut to the beach...

Fun in the UP.