The end of a wonderful year!!

Tonight with a tear in our eye we bid farewell to the year 2006, a wonderful year for our family. Never fear 2006, you will not be forgotten! A new home, a new baby and lots of wonderful memories--it was an exciting year and one that will forever live in our hearts and memories. We are thankful for all of God's goodness this past year...and pray that we will be equally as blessed in the year ahead.

I put together a slideshow of our special first Christmas in the new house. This holiday season has been a wonderful reward for all of our efforts during the building process--cozy Christmas fires, delicious meals prepared in the new kitchen.... It is amazing to have this dream a reality and the baby we dreamed of here with us also to share it! Praise the good Lord!

Happy New Year and blessings to all for a beautiful 2007!

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8 Months Old Today

Today we are celebrating Kaitlyn's 8 month birthday! WHERE in the world do these months go? It seems she was just turning 6 months! We are well on our way to completing 3/4 of her first year!

Kaitlyn now weighs 8.7 kg. Not huge, but just right for her age. She is still nursing several times a day and eating a bit of solids as well. Some days she takes the solids wonderfully and is eager to try new tastes, but other days she isn't interested at all. For Christmas Santa brought her a sippy cup and I am anxious to try it out on her. So far she hasn't had anything to "drink" other than from ME so it will be interesting! I am curious about what her reaction will be to the cup. She is physically ready because her hand/eye coodination is magnificent--this girl is so dexterous! She can pick up the teeniest of tiniest objects with her thumb and forefinger and is constantly moving her fingers in a graceful piano playing motion. She will be able to hold a cup easily--the question is more about whether she will want to drink from it! We'll see!

Kaitlyn has REALLY changed a lot this month. She has become a lot more 'sensitive' to things--to put it gently. She is trying to grow and develop and is seeing the world in a new light. She has mastered cause and effect. She throws a toy over the edge of her exersaucer and watches it drop. She peers over to see where it went and then looks up at us to see who will get it for her. She has become a total chatterbox this month also---mostly in her growling, gremlin voice however. She is saying ba ba, ga ga and go go a lot though in her "normal" voice, and we are very happy to hear her "normal" voice from time to time too! So back to the sensitivity issue--this is frustrating for me, but normal. Because she understands the cause and effect game--and also has come to anticipate events, she can get irritated about things now. For instance when she is finishing up a meal in her highchair she KNOWS that I have to wash her face and she HATES it. She practically cries the moment she she sees me at the sink! Also when I change her diaper or her outfit she knows that I'm going to have to pull something over her head or arms/legs and she doesn't like that either! In her defense, most of the time this irritation comes when she is tired and THIS GIRL NEEDS HER NAPS! She sleeps 2x a day anywhere from 2-4 hours a nap. If she doesn't get her nap--WATCH OUT not to irritate the baby!

When she is fed and well rested she is OH SO CUTE! I just love watching her learn new things and discover her world. She just adores Krista and Erik and loves being included in family activites. She could sit for hours just watching Krista and Erik play together. They can get her laughing and giggling so easily. I just love watching her study them.

So that is a brief update on Kaitlyn. Today in the bath she was trying to grab the water coming out of the shower-head. It was so cute to see her try and grab it! Here's a clip of the water study...Watch out world--determined little Kaitlyn is on the fast track to figuring you out!!

Enjoy the video!!!

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

The REAL Santa

Today was a special day...not like any ordinary day. Today we met Santa, the REAL Santa. There comes an age when the kids start asking who is the real Santa Claus. There is a lot of confusion out there--all the Santas at the malls and shops... all dressed up and all looking so different. Today however, we found him. The real Santa Claus.

In fact today he tapped me on the shoulder when Erik and I were standing in line at Atac grocery store. He had white hair, beautiful blue eyes and the rosiest red cheeks you could imagine. I'd say he was about 75 years or older..but his age doesn't really matter and in fact his looks don't matter either. There wasn't a beard, but if there was he sure would have resembled our idea of what Santa should look like. The fact is... I KNEW he was Santa by what came next....He said he noticed my son in the toy isle. He said he noticed that he seemed to really want something--a BIG stuffed teddy bear. He said he was playing with it and then put it down to stand in line with me. He asked my permission to buy this bear for Erik. He said he would only do it if I said it was okay. I was floored! Erik had indeed seen and played with that big bear..and like a good boy put it back when I told him we had to leave. He didn't ask for it, beg for it, but it WAS clear he would have loved it. So next...this kind soul took Erik by the hand to the toy isle and let him choose what he would like. He proceeded to buy this gift for Erik...and nothing else...just this gift. He paid in cash and he walked away.

We barely had a chance to thank this gentle man. Erik did manage to give him a big hug though before he left and I uttered to him that "maybe Erik had just met the true Santa Claus." He didn't deny it.. he just kindly looked at me and said, "maybe he did." He walked away, I was speechless. We ran to the door and he had disappeared, just as magically as he had appeared---this wonderful soul bringing kindness and happiness to my son.

Thank you Santa and to all the Santa's out there who bring kindness, joy and love to others. All of those who act in the spirt of the true meaning of Christmas.

Our Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

From

Kelly, Toomas, Krista, Erik, and Kaitlyn

Merry Christmas everyone!! We hope your Christmases were very merry! We had a WONDERFUL and fun Christmas with the kids. We didn't have any outside relatives with us to celebrate this year, but at least we did have one additional new member in our family this Christmas.. and a new house to break in as well! It doesn't get much better than that!!! We had a really fun Christmas Eve this year too. Krista had a role in the Children's Christmas Eve mass in our village. It was wonderful to see her participate this year. We very much enjoyed the mass and all of the songs the children had prepared (Kaitlyn didn't seem to enjoy how long the mass was however!). When we came home we had a delicous dinner (a traditional recipe from my Mom) and enjoyed a BIG fire in the fireplace! Erik was worried that Santa wouldn't be able to come down with the fire going. Then Santa actually called us on the phone, and left 2 gifts for the kids at the front door! That was really exiciting....Afterwards the kids headed off to bed in anticipation of the big day. Christmas morning came very early...Erik woke at 3:30 a.m. but we managed to keep him in bed until 7:30. The morning was the usual whirlwind of wrapping paper strewn everywhere and screams of joy and delight....Of course we took lots of video and pictures to capture each special moment. Kaitlyn sat in her playpen and watched the whole thing---we didn't hear a peep out of her for 2.5 hours!

The kids said it was "thier best Christmas ever!"...the ultimate sign of a sucessful Christmas! We are so glad they had fun. Being a parent is perhaps more fun than being the kid who gets all the presents! I just love watching their joy!

Krista's top 5 gifts:
1. Tamagotchi (a little digital pet to take care of and help grow)
2. A NEW big girl bike
3. Diddl bathing suit and towel
4. Littlest Petshop toys
5. A notebook that I had personalized with a photo of her from ballet!
Erik's top 5 gifts:
1. A BIG stuffed teddy bear with a scarf
2. His new big boy bike
3. A pirate pop-up castle
4. Wooden pirate ship
5. Pirate ship for the bathtub

Kaitlyn's top 5 gifts:
1. puppet toy
2. bath seat
3. teething toys (numerous and all appreciated!)
4. Giraffe doudou
5. Clothes

Baby's First Christmas (with yogurt beard)

Toomas and I had a pretty laid-back Christmas. We got only a few gifts for each other--among the top 3 were a digital forhead thermometer, a new coffee machine and a new toaster (matching). We're getting pretty domestic---with all those BORNING gifts ;)

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well. Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and blessed 2007!

Celebrity Look Alikes??

Okay...Christmas is nearing, how 'bout a little bit of fun? Here is a program that uses face recognition technology software to identify which celebrity you look like. Kind of fun! It might be something you might want to try out for kicks too!

I ran it for all of us (except Kaitlyn) and we got some interesting results. Erik is my budding litte Leonardo DeCaprio; and Krista, our future Christy Brinkley. I will post those in an upcoming blog for kicks! See what you think of the ones for myself and Toomas. Is he my Ethan Hawke? Tobey McGuire? Travolta? Carey Grant?? It's the eyes! Hmmmm. You decide!

Here's mine:



Here's Toomas':

Krista's Tap Dance Performance

We are having a busy couple of weeks with all of our shows, concerts and parties! Yesterday we had Krista's "Portes Ouvertes" for her Tap Class. Literal translation: "Open Doors" where parents can stay for the class and see what they're working on. It was a lot of fun to see what she's learned so far this year. This is her 2nd year in tap and she LOVES it! The teacher praised her "ear" yesterday in front of the class and complimented her for listening to the music while dancing. She loves what she's doing and it shows!

Here's a clip of their class. Enjoy!!!

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Christmas Gifts!!

Well...you know it is Christmas-time when Fed-Ex and UPS start visiting you more frequently! :) We had two pleasant surprises this a.m. with some boxes filled with gifts!

First off was the arrival from Alexandra for Kaitlyn. THANK YOU GABRIEL for the Christmas present! What a wonderful and unexpected surprise that was! We LOVE surprises so that just made our day :) I can't wait for Christmas so Kaitlyn can open her gift! You guys are so thoughtful!

Then we had the box from Mike arrive. The kids just love getting those Christmas boxes from Uncle Mike! Lia always does such a nice job wrapping too. Ooooh and gormet Hazelnut Creme coffee for me. I'm so spoiled! Anyway, WE ARE SO EXCITED for Christmas. These little deliveries at the door just make the season so exciting and fun! THANK YOU Alex, Mike and Lia!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

Cookie Time

Christmas Cookie Baking!

We finally got cooking on the Christmas cookies! I'm happy to report that we now have about 5 dozen Christmas cookies to share and enjoy. Krista loved cutting out the dough and rolling it to the precise thickness this year. Erik on the other hand only wanted to do 3 cookies for himself (the nutcracker, santa and a rocking horse). He did enjoy frosting the cookies, but WATCH out for Erik's cookies--they are HEAVY on the frosting and decorations! Erik was too funny. He asked if the cookies had to "calm down" before we could eat them! Krista was my big help this year though..sticking in with me from start to finish (and even helping me remember what time I put the cookies in the oven!). Kaitlyn slept the whole time (THANKFULLY). I was dreading having to go pick her up with flour all over myself. We had a fun time and the end product is of course delicious!

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Krista's Christmas Choral Performance

Last night was Krista's Choral Performance in a neighboring village. There were 3 local villages that joined together to sing in preparation for Christmas. It was a very beautiful show--with both children and adults performing. There were even several songs that the audience was invited to sing along with as well.

The Concert was held in a beautiful, very old Abby in the village right next door to ours. Krista had a really fun time and was thrilled to sing for everyone. Erik really enjoyed the concert too--and was very patient waiting for Krista to perform. Unfortunately Kaitlyn was sick and had to stay home with Toomas. We took lots of video though so Toomas could see the show. Here is a little clip that I put together just now while Kaitlyn was FINALLY napping.

Enjoy the show!

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Kaitlyn is sick

Our news update is that Kaitlyn has an ear infection. It is amazing how different kids can be. When Krista or Erik had infections they always had high fevers...but little Kaitlyn had just over 100 and ended up with pus and fluid coming out of her ear today. POOR BABY! We saw the doctor today and he said that with a perforation of the eardrum, there is a lot of pain but afterwards there is great relief. It came on so quickly for Kaitlyn...a small fever and pain on Saturday, and by early morning today it had ruptured. I really thought that her fussiness was from those new teeth coming through--especially since there wasn't really a fever. She has even been grinding them too--which I thought was to relieve the pain of the teeth coming through. In actuality she was grinding them to relieve the pressure in her ears. She is now on antibiotics and ear drops for 8 days. She is doing much better now that it has drained. Back in the old days before antibiotics, they used to lance (pierce) eardrums to relieve the pressure. Our doctor said that she had it done the "natural" way. He reassured us that it will completely heal and won't be a problem unless there are recurrent infections (which we are praying won't be an issue). She is finally napping again and playing happily! It sure isn't fun with sick little ones though! Last night was a hard one on both of us--she woudn't nurse, or sleep---only cry. Today she is thankfully on the road to recovery--although she doesn't like the medicine one bit!

Europa Park

Christmas Wonderland!

Ice Skating on a beautiful winter day!

Krista and Daddy had a special day together on Wednesday. They went to a fantastic theme park called Europa Park in Germany. I stayed home with Erik and Kaitlyn who would still be a bit to small to appreciate such a big day. It is pretty much the "Disneyland" of Germany --there are hotels and resorts where you can stay so you can get the most out of the park. A day there really wasn't enough for them to see and do everything, but at least Krista got the idea and got to spend the day with Daddy!

During the Christmas season the park is a magificent wonderland of winter magic! Instead of just the usual rides, there is ice skating, tubing as well as wintery, Christmasy decorations all over the park. It looked fantastic!

After the day in the park they re-grouped with other staff members from Toomas' work (there were about 1000 in total who attended) and there was a banquet and visit from Santa. Each child received a little gift from Santa and their share of goodies and food. Toomas' workplace sponsored the entry for the employee's children (which is usually about 30 Euros) and also gave free parking tokens as well as 30 Euros worth of food coupons to use during the day. It was a big hit! Everyone had a great time! Next year Erik should be old enough to go along, but it will still be a few years before Kaitlyn can enjoy this event!

American Christmas Party

Kaitlyn's FIRST photo with Santa!

On Sunday we had the annual American Christmas Party. It was really fun this year. The turnout wasn't huge though, which I think was even better for the kids because it wasn't so overwhelming. They had christmas cookies and cakes for all to enjoy, they sang carols, played pass the present (when the music stops you get the present), had an indoor snowball fight with rolled up tube socks (THAT was fun!) and of course no party would be complete without a visit from Santa Claus! It was a really fun afternoon. Kaitlyn was an angel, despite her teething and cold. She actually WILLINGLY went and sat on Santa's lap. I don't know what she asked for though.... So, here's the token photo of Kaitlyn and her FIRST photo with Santa!

Christmas Events

Village Christmas Market Fun!

The Kids Meet Santa!

I love this time of year...there is always so much going on and so many fun things to do!! This last weekend we had 2 fun events for the kids. The first was the yearly village Christmas Market and the second was the annual American Christmas Party. Today I'll focus on the Village Christmas Market...

Basically the market is a mini-version of the larger Christmas Market that is held in Strasbourg. I love this market because it is just the right size for the kids--there is no major walking, parking or driving. They get to see Santa, get a few Christmas goodies (waffles, cookies) and get into the Christmas spirit, all with a minium effort! There are small booths set up in the village square (where the church that Kaitllyn's Baptism was held). There are crafts, snacks, traditional hot wine and always lots of friends. It is really wonderful.

Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on our American Christmas Party.

Christmas came early!

I'm so excited! Kaitlyn got to open an early Christmas present today from Banjo and Lauren. What was it??? Well, it has to be the CUTEST jacket sweater EVER!! Handmade from Chile, I might add. A rare gem! This was so very sweet of Banjo and Lauren! Now we have to go Christmas shopping (luckily one of my favoite things) to find an equally cute gift for little BJ! THANKS LAUREN :)

All I want for Christmas..

All I want for Christmas...IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH!! You know the carol, right? Well, it looks like this wish might come true for Kaitlyn this year! Two nights ago she cut tooth #3 and #4--her top two teeth. I tried to take a picture last night but it is tricky focusing in on them. They have just pierced the gums, but are quite visible. Poor little baby was in such pain getting them. Now she is GRINDING the 4 teeth together-I can hardly even see them poking out, but I can hear her grind them--I detest the sound!

Baptism Video Footage

Hello again with another Baptism entry. For all of you who couldn't be with us on Kaitlyn's special day, I am attaching some actual video footage that I edited from the ceremony. MUCH THANKS to our good friend Patrick for his fine videography work! I put English titles on this clip so everyone could follow along (the ceremony was in French of course). Anyway, this is a greatly condensed version of the Baptism (it was a 35 minute ceremony... reduced here to a 4 minute clip). Hope you enjoy!

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Christmas Dance Show 2006

Today Krista had her Christmas ballet recital. Every year the mayor sponsors a party for all of the retired individuals of our village. There is a huge catered meal at the cultural center and then for entertainment they invite the Dance School to perform. This is Krista's second year performing for this show...with an audience of over 300 people! She did a great job and had a really fun afternoon. After the show each girl received a big bag full of candy for thier "pay".

Here is a little video of the day.
(p.s. Krista is the smallest one..so if you can't find her--just look for the mini-ballerina).

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Grammy Award Nominees Announced

The 49th Annual Grammy Award nominees were announced today.... and I'm happy to report that The Fray have been nominated for TWO Grammys! Way to go guys!

They were nominated in Field 1 (Pop), Category 7 for Best Pop Performance for the song "Over My Head"... and then they were nominated AGAIN in Field 4 (Rock) Category 16 for Best Rock Performance for the song "How to Save a Life." In the Rock category they are up against some stiff competition: a U2, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay (hmmmm ever hear of any of them???). Anyway, I think that The Fray deserve a turn now, thanks! And even in the Pop category there are some contenders...they are up against Keane and The Black Eyed Peas to name a few.

You can see the Offical Grammy Showlist and also an article from The Denver Post (their home state) newspaper..for more details.

Now the countdown to "Grammy Sunday" on Febuary 11th has begun! It should be a great night! I'm so proud of Mike and the band for all of their hard work. Lets cheer them on!!!!

Kaitlyn's Baptism Slideshow

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Kaitlyn's Christening

Kaitlyn became a memeber of our Catholic Community this weekend! On Sunday we celebrated the sacrament of Baptism in the parish of Saint Maurice here in our village. Kaitlyn is our first child Baptised in France... and unfortunately because of the distance my family was unable to attend. SO, I will make up for their absense by posting a nice blog about the day and share with them of lots of pictures (and video to come)..


The ceremony was absoulutely beautiful! I was really looking forward to celebrating Kaitlyn's Baptism-- and it fulfilled all of my hopes and expectations! I spent a lot of time in the preparation of the programs, the souveneir almond decorations (called "dragees"...a tradition in France for marriages and baptisms), and also with the preparation of the reception. The result was a memorable and special day for all of us. The kids were also looking forward to it for months, and it really helped them understand the meaning of Baptism..as being the sacrament of initiation into our Christian family. They really had a lot of fun too and enjoyed watching their sister be the center of attention.





The ceremony started at 12:15, just after the family mass at St. Maurice (in the center of the village). The church is very old (older than my country!) and very beautiful. The day "weather-wise" was amazing also! I had prayed for warm and sunny weather and God did indeed answer my prayers (plus some!). We were blessed with a very unseasonal day indeed. The sun was shining (not a cloud in the sky) and it was in the mid 60's (16 degrees C), which is fairly unbelievable considering it is December! The kids didn't even need their jackets.


The ceremony went equally as perfectly. Kaitlyn looked like a little angel in the Baptismal gown that her sister wore 7 short years ago. It was really wonderful to see Kaitlyn wear Krista's dress. Kaitlyn was very interested in the ceremony and seemed to understand that something exciting was about to happen. She was "fairly" tolertant of the water ritual, although she did SCREAM at the top of her lungs as the water was poured. (The water was really cold and her head was pretty drenched, so don't really blame her). She was very excited and "bouncy" during the ceremony. She was in such a playful mood, her arms and legs waving the whole time--she seemed to understand that it was a special and wonderful day for her!

The ceremony was just the right length--in all about 35 minutes. We started out the ceremony with a song, some readings and our wishes for Kaitlyn. Then there was the blessing of Kaitlyn baptismal font, followed by a blessing with oil and the passing of the baptismal candle throughout the church. The ceremony was completed by the signing of the church registry at the altar.

We were happy to have Toomas' sister, brother-in-law and Kaitlyn's 2 cousins come from Sweden for the ceremony. Helen is Kaitlyn's Godmother. Janne, her husband was able to be the proxy for my brother Mike, who is the Godfather. It would have been wonderful to share such a big event with my family in the US, but it just wasn't possible. Fortunately we took a lot of video and many pictures to share. On the other hand it was also special to celebrate here in our own village--where we have our first home. We had our friends here in the village with us, as well as Toomas' family and the Estonian community. It was wonderful sharing the day with everyone. There were a LOT of children in attendance also, so it was very lively. In all we had 47 invitees, but not everyone came to the reception (38 came to the reception).


The reception was really fantastic also. We decided to keep it simple and use the reception hall behind the church, instead of going to a restaurant. We had a restaurant from a neighborhing village cater a cold lunch buffet which was very well made and decorative. There were breads and sandwiches of all sorts, caviar, salmon, dips, desserts and of course the cake. All in all...it was quite an event!

We are so happy to have Kaitlyn is now baptised and a member of our Catholic Community. We are also happy to celebrate her...and the blessing that she is to our family!