Country

I love these photos of the kids in the country. We are still about a good hour from being "in" the mountains, but from this village you can at least see them well from a distance. They kids love when we drive close to the mountains. They love looking at, pointing out and talking about all the castles that they spot (and there are a LOT of them). I guess this is one of the fun aspects of living in Europe (where castles are found outside of Disneyland!)

Weaning

I'm in the process of weaning Kaitlyn this week. It isn't easy, but I figure that it will only get harder and harder the longer that I put it off. Up until this week she would nurse in the morning, before her nap, at bedtime and once a night (4x a day!). Since school has started for the bigger kids, and her naps are being cut short, she is very TIRED and is FINALLY sleeping at night. I thought that since one feeding was cut without a problem that I'd try another. Instead of nursing before the nap I just rocked her (and it worked!). A few days later I tried to do the same at bedtime (and it worked!).

At 16 months (and 17 months in 8 short days) she has received her full share of breast-milk and all of its wonderful nutrients! It has offered us a bond that no bottle could ever give. It has been a wonderful year and a half, but the time has now come. It is always sad weaning a child. It is something that you have done EVERY day since they day they were born. It is the FIRST gesture of love and nurture that you offered that tiny, new little being. It IS what has made them what they are. It IS what has sustained and "grown" them to this point!!! So, it is with a tear in my eye that I wean Kaitlyn. Her baby days are drawing to a close...but of course (as I say to all my kids), she will ALWAYS be my little baby! AND I am so proud to see her grow up and develop into an individual.

A few more photos from last weekend:

MY Playhouse!

Kaitlyn just LOVES the backyard! She will stand at French doors and point outside forever if you don't let her out! Her favorite spot is the playhouse. She just adores opening and closing the doors, gate and windows! It is her haven! We had warm weather last weekend so we got to break back into the summer clothes.

On a sidenote about the yard... the grass is looking great again. We had a landscaper mow while were away so it looked nice and neat when we got back, but it REALLY needed a good greening up. When we pulled in the driveway after our 6 week trip it looked so pale! I layed down fertilizer last week and it perked right back into shape. I'm so happy it looks nice again. All that slaving I did last spring was tedious, so I'm glad it is paying off.

Amusement Park Fun!!!

Cowboy Paradise!

We had a blast yesterday, thanks to Daddy's idea to head off to a nearby amusement park. The weather really picked up this past week (we're back in the high 70's) so we decided to make the most of it. The kids had a WONDERFUL day. Erik is back into his Sheriff/Cowboy obsession and this theme park has a real western touch. I took a lot of photos of him since he even dressed "cowboy" for the occassion! I'll put up some more pictures tomorrow of the fun that Kaitlyn had...as well as our roller coaster ride (Erik's FIRST) and other attractions. I'll try to get some video together too. It sure was a perfect day for an amusement park!

Bye Bye Sippy Cup and Current Food Interests

It is offically time to bid farewell to the beloved sippy cup. Kaitlyn is a responsible drinker now! She can drink properly from a big cup and loves being a big girl. Her favorite drink is water, but she will also drink juice that has been diluted, or premixed toddler milk (essentially an older child's "baby formula"). I tried giving her regular cow's milk back in July and she suspiciously developed a rash on the inner creases of her arms and in the creases behind her knees. I haven't given any since (or eggs either) since they were both given that week that she developed the rash. I am holding off until she's 18 months and then I will see how she does. The "eczema" type rash could have also been an allergy to the recently given mmr shot that she had at that time...but since it did persist for a few weeks, I'm assuming it was from milk or eggs. She does fine with cheese or yogurt though (and the toddler formula is fine). I'm hoping it was just a fluke and she doesn't have any real food intolerances. She is still a very picky eater. Here is a list of her favorite foods at the moment: Camembert cheese (she LOVES the stuff!!!), pasta with butter or tomato sauce, saltine crackers, kidney beans, green beans, broccoli, yogurt, sliced edam or hollande cheese, CUCUMBER (with a PASSION!), canned corn kernels (one by one), nectarines (LOVES them!), apples (which she MUST eat whole--and she also eats her nectarines whole...carefully nibbling around the core), bananas, blueberries, cottage cheese, chicken cut up into fine squares or baked chicken fingers....Hmmmm those are the favorites that pop into mind first.

So here is a clip of her this week drinking like a big kid!

First Day of Tennis

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Erik had his first tennis lesson today and LOVED it! I'm so happy he is happy! I really wanted him to find a fun activity for the year and I'm so glad tennis worked out for him. When we arrived there were about 18 kids...born between 1999 and 2002, all of whom were "debutants" or beginners to tennis. The object of today's tests were to place the children in groups based on ability, and not necessarily by birth year. They tested all of the newcomers during the first hour and took notes and after one hour they split the children into appropriate groups. In the last 30 minutes they practiced with the children of their own skill-level. The first hour was a bit rough for Erik because he was standing on the side of the room with the bigger kids (born in '99) so he ended up having to do the tests with the bigger kids. He did fine though and in the end he was placed with kids of his own age! He was running around with a smile on his face and so proud of himself afterwards!!! Way to go Erik!

Sports

Erik is starting tennis tomorrow! I'm really excited for him to have a sport of his own!!! Krista is involved in so many activities (tap dance, ballet and rhythmic gymnastics), so it will be great for him to have athletic accomplishments of his own.

Krista started ballet yesterday and did wonderfully! She is the youngest in her class this year (she's switched levels). We tried out one lesson to see if she could keep up with the older girls and the teacher said she did great and can stay at this level. The other kids are b/w 10-14 years old--Krista looks so small! Tomorrow she will start her regular rhythmic gymnastics practices, and then tap starts the week of the 24th. The trainer for rhythmic gymnastics said she will have between 2-3 trainings per week this year. I'm going to be one busy carpool Mom this year!

(*Wimbledon here I come!)

Car accident

On Wednesday morning on his way to work, Toomas was hit by a semi-truck loaded full with concrete bricks. Ever hear the saying "I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks"...Well that is just how Toomas was feeling Wednesday morning! Luckily he was 100% FINE...not a scratch on him (can't say so much for the car). We are so thankful that God was watching over and protecting Toomas from harm. The worst part for him was the feeling so powerless during the impact.

In a nutshell, he was peacefully driving in the right lane of the highway when a truck wanted to change lanes to exit. The truck claimed he didn't see his car (but I think perhaps he DIDN"T EVEN CHECK) and then the driver proceeded to run into (and over!) Toomas' car. He hit him from behind which caused the car to spin at a 45 degree angle where then he was dragged along the highway for about 75 meters. The driver didn't even see or feel Toomas car stuck under his HUGE vehicle! It was the smoke from the burning tires that tipped him off.

In 5 minutes there were ambulances, fire trucks and police cars ready and waiting...but thankfully the ambulances and fire trucks weren't needed!

Today Toomas goes in to get an expert opinion on the repair costs. It is the full responsibility of the driver's insurance to pay the damages because Toomas was not at fault. It will be a very big hassle while his car is being repaired because they do NOT provide for replacement vehicles at the Audi garage. Public transport is an option...but a long morning. Hopefully we'll get good news soon that they can start quickly on the repairs.

Here are some photos:

Silly Dancer

This is funny. I took this clip back in July, but it is worth posting. It is a riot to watch someone totally get down to "Old MacDonald's Farm." Not quite the music you'd imagine groovin' to.. but obviously Kaitlyn thinks it is. I just love this clip because of how enthusiastic she is about it. She puts her whole self's energy into dancing (and trying to sing) and it even topples her over a few times! Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back to School!

Erik's First Day of Kindergarten (Grand Section)

Krista's First Day of Third Grade (CE2)

And finally...Kaitlyn missing her big brother and sister who went to school today! At least she has her stuffed animal friends to keep her company.

So the school year is offically back in full swing. It went really well this morning. Krista was up at 5:30 am anxiously awaiting the big day, and Erik was actually excited to get the day going too. We had a nice, relaxed breakfast of crepes and hot cocoa and headed off. Toomas babysat Kaitlyn so I could give full attention to the kids.

Since Krista is already a big girl we just dropped her off at the school entrance and off she went. At her elementary school, the parents only escort the kids to the school gate on the first day of school. Only first graders' parents are permitted into the classroom with their children. So along with the other parents, we dropped her off at the gate and she excitedly ran off to see all of her friends and play in the school courtyard until the 8 o'clock bell. She was in 7th heaven to be back in action!

As we came closer to Erik's school I realized he was walking a bit slowly...and literally dragging his feet (which were getting colder and colder with each step). All of his excitement turned into a bit of anxiety, and he announced that he didn't want me to leave him at school. It was a bit difficult for a few mintues (there were some tears involved too), but once he got going he did just wonderfully! When I picked him up at noon, he was all smiles and exclaimed "We didn't do ANY hard work AT ALL today!!" His teacher is really great, so I'm excited for him to get into the routine again. He is a bit nervous about learning cursive though. It is a BIG step into the Grand section and he will be challenged a lot this year in preparation for elementary school. Next year, in first grade they are expected to write exclusively in cursive, so this year he will need to master cursive handwriting. He has told me he is anxious about this and doesn't think he will be able to do it as well as Krista. I know he will do it perfectly when the time comes!

Here's a photo/video montage of the big first school day.

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Summer days gone by....

South Beach

South Haven, Lake Michigan

Summer is officially over! Tomorrow the kids start school. I just can't believe it, another school year already upon us! Ever since the kids started school, the years have been FLYING by. Krista will be in the 3rd grade this year. Seems so hard to believe that she is 1/2 way through her elementary school years already! I also can't believe that our little guy, Erik is starting Kindergarten! How did that happen? It seems like just yesterday he was learning to walk!

I'm still behind on posting summer photos. I WILL put up some of our wonderful vacation pix one of these days! For now enjoy a postcard photo from our time in South Haven.