catching up with Sinterklaas

Last year's Sinterklaas celebration wasn't quite the roaring event it was in 2012 when we invited our Dutch returned missionary friends over to the party. Instead we got together as a family and were joined by one special returned missionary and his family. Spencer Sutherland made a big impact on Sander 14 years ago when he lived in Holland as an LDS missionary and taught Sander about the gospel once Sander decided he was curious. He also quickly became a good friend, and we have stayed friends over all this time. Then we got to know his wife Traci after we moved over here and quickly learned she is pretty great too, so we decided to let her in on the friendship. The best part: seeing our kids develop a new generation of friendship. It seems that especially Julia and Paige have found a kindred spirit in each other. Julia has stated several times that Paige's Birthday party at the Lion House was her favorite moment of 2013! 

As usual the wait to find out if Sinterklaas would pay us a visit this year was quite grueling. Luckily he didn't make us wait too long - there was a loud knock on the door as we were singing all the Sinterklaas songs we could muster and all kids (and some adults) sprang to their feet in excitement/fear. Sure enough, there on our doorstep sat the familiar burlap sack filled with the goodies only Sinterklaas could put together. All were spoiled, and many even received a personal poem written by one of the many helpful (and oh so naughty) Pieten. A few examples:

See what I mean about that naughty streak?

I want to make special mention of my friend Tom Kamstra, who played an important role in the success of our Sinterklaas celebration. Without me asking or even hinting, Tom went ahead and put a special Sinterklaas package together and mailed it to us from the Netherlands. It really made the night that much better to have things like 'strooigoed' there (the candy that Piet traditionally tosses around for the kids to scramble over). So from all of us a big DANKJEWEL to Tom! My dad was also very generous this year and ordered a bunch of traditional Sinterklaas treats for the kids (and adults) to enjoy. It all made for a night to remember! Now for the photos.

what i learned...

from taking the girls out on a little winter location photo shoot:

• if you do not tell children to wear socks in their boots, they will not assume that 'going to take pictures in the snow' might mean cold feet.
• there is a reason a photographer is not also the make up artist - once you've finished primping and prepping your models, you have effectively also finished your energy reserves.
• freezing temperatures make for silly conditions to try and create a staged backdrop
• all piles of snow and bushes are created equal. We really did not need to walk that long to get to a good location for a nice wintery setting, in hindsight the backyard would have probably sufficed .
• I must never assume that my models will understand intricate directions such as 'don't put your foot in that fresh snow in front of you', or 'move your chin down just a little'. 
• Any photo shoot that involves children and lasts longer than 3.42 minutes, is too long.
• Late afternoon and snow all over makes for some stunning natural light bouncing around everywhere!
• the absolute best way to conclude a photo shoot with professional models such as these girls of mine, is by going for a warm brownie a la mode and a huge slice of cheesecake with strawberry topping.
• I have the most beautiful daughters in the world. Okay, I didn't exactly learn that while taking their photos last Saturday, but I was sure reminded of it. I love those two girls, mainly because they are even prettier on the inside.

And now for the results of all this education!

tripod

I really need to start remembering to bring my tripod on our adventures so I can actually be in some of these photos instead of being mysteriously absent from all family excursions!

the detail, the squawk, and the slip-up

When you have kids you generally find out at some point that they talk. A lot. Of course they all have their own personalities in this regard, and each one goes through phases, but they are bound to hit a climax at some point where it seems like their mouths and vocal chords are in continuous motion. For instance, when Lara hit 5, she started relaying and explaining events and experiences to us. As she grew older she added things she had learned, theories she has about life, books she's read... etc. Lara's talking stems from an inherent need to be heard and validated, and an interest in that which is usually least interesting out of the endless list of 'everything interesting this world has to offer'. She is also our detailed child. Add to that an unfortunate tendency to trip over words, and you can imagine the amount of aural abuse those around her endure. Not that I perceive these things as negative mind you. I love that she notices and loves things not everyone else does, and I love the intelligence with which she approaches them.

Julia takes after her mother. Meaning that she will usually be too lost in her thoughts, dreams, memories, and over-stimulation of ideas/plans/responsibilities, to even begin to vocalize much of anything. I mean, she talks, sure. Just not a whole lot. And don't let any of that fool you; linguistically she does just fine. She simply chooses to squeak an elongated 'oookaaaaayyy' as a response to most questions. Actually it's more of a creaking. No, a skuawk. Yes that comes closest.

So then there is Max, whose vocabulary is quickly turning out to be our best source of laughter (and the reason I started writing this blog post). Laughter, and a sincere desire to invest in some top-of-the-line ear plugs. The kid simply never stops talking. Okay maybe when he's asleep, but I'll bet you that even then he is narrating every second of his dreams. His downfall is his whiny tone and need to repeat questions until he gets an answer he likes, which I am very, very careful not to give in to. But back to the laughter! Max has the rib-tickling ability to mispronounce words or phrases, turning them into some of the funniest things I have ever heard. So I thought I'd let you share in some of the giggles, and write down his best slip-ups. I'm going to see if you can figure out on your own what he's trying to say...

1. Booger King
2. Heavenly Phone Evening
3. Drunken Donuts
4. Martin Loser King Jr.

I feel like I should make a special apology to Dr. King, since my kids have not gotten his name right a single time since we moved here! He started out referred to as 'Junior Burger King'! Ah, I just had to stop typing for a minute because I was laughing so hard. Again! They never get old.

a new year...

...and a very happy one thus far at that! Ok so, it's only been 23 hours since 2014 reared its head, but I don't think it's too early to say that I have a feeling this is going to be a darn good one. Not too early at all. We rang in the New Year with loved ones, some very intense games of Pictionary, appelflappen, sparklers, and even a loud and bright piece of firework that Sander was beyond thrilled to light. He was missing Holland an awful lot this new year's eve. Something that the Dutch radio station 3FM apparently picked up on, when they called him up and had him explain on the air what it was about Holland that made him homesick during new year's. Being on the radio lifted his spirits quite a bit, finding out he was pretty darn good at Scattergories brightened his mood further, and lighting his firework finally sealed the deal. For me it's different. I miss Holland a great deal but it hardly ever seems to overshadow the happiness of living here. And funnily enough that sentiment was the same when the tables were turned and I was perfectly content living in Holland whilst missing my family aplenty. I suspect growing up with ADD has taught me to live in the moment, since my brain often times simply couldn't handle the thought of tomorrow. Or that of 2 hours later for that matter! And remembering yesterday (or 2 hours ago, sigh) regularly seemed equally impossible. More importantly, if there is anything I know with total certainty, it's that when I make a change in life that I know God wants me to make only good will come of it, and I will have absolutely nothing to fear. So while I have plenty of blue days, rough moments, and temporary fits of blind rage (usually when someone finishes the Jell-O salad before I can get to it for a third helping), sadness over not living in Holland anymore is generally not the cause of these downs. We took a drive to Antelope Island today for our first activity of 2014, and that calm and content feeling was once again underscored there as I watched my children's cheeks grow rosy from the cold air and their faces smiley from their feet sinking into the snow so deep the insides of their boots got a little wet. We walked together, and marveled at the sheer magnificence that surrounds us so nearby. No, I am not melancholy this year.

I feel this new year will be the sunniest year yet.

p.s. Max isn't in any of the pictures because he has been a little sick the past couple of days so we figured it would be best if he wasn't subjected to the elements just yet. He's getting better every day though :)