Mac upgrade

With all the running around and trying to catch up, I haven't really had much of a chance to experiment with the new features on my Mac upgrade to Leopard. So far, this is the most fun I've had with it...which isn't bad! If you know me, you know how terribly easy I am to amuse.

Ellie says

Further proof that we send her to a British school for playgroup:

This afternoon, Ellie dropped her spoon while eating a snack and calmly assured me, "You needn't panic about it."

Walk of Discovery

Just about any walk with a small child is a walk of discovery, whether or not the adult means for it to be. Of course, it's much more fun if the adult can take the time to appreciate the discovery too. How quick we are to move past all the everyday wonder.


This morning, Ellie and I each picked up a magnifying glass and took a discovery walk while baby Stephanie dozed in the baby carrier. We spent a good five minutes watching a ladybug cling to a leaf (Ellie decided it was sleeping). We also thoroughly examined the flowers growing the grass and the bark of every tree we passed.



If it's been a while since you've slowed down, take a good five minutes and go play outside with a magnifying glass in the shade. You just might get to experience wonder in your world all over again.

Weekend Round-up

We at dipesquad HQ have been a bit manic this week. We have been paddling like mad to keep our heads above water. It's a non-elegant doggie paddle, but it works! We are doing it! The weekend has helped us recoup a lot! Thank you Dutch weather for cooperating this once and giving us two lovely days. Today was almost summery warm, but a stiff wind kicked up in the afternoon and now it feels like autumn again (lest we get too comfortable with having summer in June). One other thing that has helped us recoup a lot is the discovery that Markus's over-the-counter allergy medicine has been making him crazy. He has felt so exhausted and irritable and dizzy and out-of-it and other nasty things lately, but he's been stressed and tired and we'd attributed it all to that. We have been staying up way too late every night watching Eurocup, and we figured we were overdoing our sleep debt (not that this thought made us stop watching). Even so, the nasties got the better of him by the end of the week and we knew something wasn't right. Turns out the allergy medicine he's been taking to kick this awful hayfever has a side effect of "attacking the central nervous system"! Hello! Always read the fine print, people! Yikes! Every awful psychotic symptom he was headed towards are on the list of "potential side effects." Yowsers. Needless to say, he won't be taking those pills anymore.

On to more pleasant things...the weekend round-up!
We really have enjoyed these past two lovely days. The weather was heavenly.
Saturday morning, Markus took the girls to the Blijdorp Zoo while Jennifer got a (seriously overdue) haircut. Ellie had a great time as usual, and baby Stephanie stayed awake and alert to "ooooo" and blow raspberries at the trees and any animals she could make out at a distance.

Pandas eat bamboo, you know


After lunch and a nap, we piled the girls and gear into the bakfiets, Jennifer hopped on the Porsche (our aluminum-frame Cannondale roadbike) and off we went to spend the afternoon on the beach near Meijendel, a lovely dune area about 9 km from our house. There, Ellie and Papa played in the sand while Stephanie supervised and Jennifer got a little carried away with the camera.

my current desktop photo


"Will you quit with the camera already?"


We also had fun watching these smart guys, who decided the best way to get unstuck would be to dig a huge hole and sink further into it. And these are lifeguards. Happy thought.




"I said quit it! Don't make me take it off you."


On the way home, Ellie beheld the biggest dandelion we have ever seen. She loves dandelions for obvious reasons, but the sheer size of this one made her reverent.



The night finished up with the quarter finals between Netherlands and Russia. We watched to the bitter end. Russia played so well that they did deserve to win, but we were sad to see Netherlands knocked out after playing so brilliantly in the first three games. Alas.


Today, Markus took the girls on the bakfiets to Clingendael while Jennifer did some (also seriously overdue) housecleaning. We met up at our friends' house for lunch. They are Italian, so they fed us fantastic food until we burst (and then they offered the next course). The wind kicked up so strongly over lunchtime that Markus had a tough time cycling home (we girls had cycled home earlier for a nap), so this afternoon we were pedestrians instead. We walked into town for kaffee kuchen (German words not Dutch, but a good idea in any language) and over to the Parliament pond to watch the mama and baby swans.
Tonight, the city of The Hague is putting on a classical concert on a small canal.


They set up a small barge, and the ladies are playing beautifully. How do I know? The canal runs in front of our house (see Markus demonstrate location of our house door with stage in the distance).


Thank you, city, for the free concert! It's lovely! We can almost hear it over the Eurocup...

Weekly video post

Since Markus (and thus our family) received a fantabulous new digital point-and-shoot for Father's Day, we've been taking photos and making video clips galore. His latest great idea is to have a weekly video post so friends and family know which day to check in and see some action. I haven't picked the day yet, but here's the first clip. This morning's rainy yuck gave way to a gorgeous (though windy) afternoon. We had lots of fun at the "big playground" (Ellie's name for the Rosarium play park). Pictures can be found in our flickr sidebar, for those interested (Mimi!).

Selling our car, Part 3

Scam or not, I do enjoy these emails. This is the response to Markus's request that the "agent" come inspect the car:

ok no problem.
You can send your contact,
I usually proceed in this way for my transactions.
For me it is more secure, I do not fall in any doubt of anarque with an other process.
. Because I'm association in the exercise
This ancillary activity import of second-hand cars and it has always been the method of my staff.
So we can save time and have a full security funds committed.
there is a cargo loads at the end of this month on port Marseilles.
My staff will contact you if we fall agreed to pick up the car. What is important at this time is that you have money in order to block the car for us.
thank
M. Vandoorne

Baby class reunion at our house

This is just a couch full of cuteness right here:

Selling our car, Part 2

The potential buyer has written again. Do you think this is for real? Makes for interesting email anyway.


Hello
Good reception, Its well but
I need some pictures of the inside car. And i want to take it pleaz at 36000.
If you agree,we will begin transfer, upon receipt of
your bank details, I will go to my order a bank deposit in your account.
Once everything is done, my bank will contact you by fax, mail ... to confirm that the bank has
been well and truly done and you follow the procedure with my
bank so that everything goes well. Once you receive
money in your account within 48 hours or so,
my forwarder will contact you to retrieve the car accompanied by my agent.
I think you have explained the éssentiel the teransaction.
So I hope we agree on prices, I expect yet.
I count on your frank and honest cooperation
Best regards
Mr Vandoorne


**update**

Markus requested the agent/forwarder make an appointment to come see the car, but this was not accepted. They just want our bank details. SCAM. Just goes to show you always need to watch your wallet (and bank details), especially online.

Meanwhile, further research into the move has assured us that bringing the car with us is not an option. We are a bit stuck (even the Volvo dealer said no because it's a base model). Do you want our car? We really need a decent buyer.

More visitors and another Stephanie first

Actually, just one more visitor: our good friend, Tony. In addition to being an all-around great guy, Tony is also the father of our adorable, darling goddaughter Carolina, which gives him rights to extra dessert at our house. Ellie is happy to have another playmate.



Tony seems pretty excited too.

And look who took it into her head to sit up on her own this weekend. She was sitting in my lap with her back against my belly when I realized her little back wasn't actually against my belly at all. I reclined, and there she sat without a wobble in sight. What a strong girl! It's too bad she doesn't trust the camera. She is such a smiley girl, but she's just not sure what to make of the camera and won't smile at it until she's sure.


Our resident myna bird Ellie has picked up on all the "strong baby" comments and now applies them to Lolo. At random times you can hear her ooo-ing and awe-ing in a high-pitched voice, "Look at her standing! What a strong girl! What a clever, clever girl! Strong baby girl, Lolo!" And sure enough, Lolo is standing up in her lap, supported under her arms just like baby Stephanie is in mine.

Selling our car

As mentioned in a previous post, we are having unexpected difficulty finding a buyer for our car, though Markus did get this email in response to our ad on the web here:

Morning,
I dont speak well English me too, but i'll try to do it koz I really love your car.
But for unavailability I cant come try it, I am no longer in France, I work recently in Abidjan, Ivory coast
But I have more pictures from inside the vehicle and you also tell me everything that I need to know about his condition. I expect to receive a discount on your purchase price.
I want to count on your frank and honest cooperation.
Thank you.

Ellie sings!

This week's "Ellie says" must be replaced with "Ellie sings!" As promised, here's a clip of her singing the "ABCs" (words seem to change a little each time), with a bonus clip of her singing "Children Children" (a song to get children's attention they sing at school). Watch out for that micromanagement I was telling you about in the latter clip.

The latest on the move

*Thanks to gail for reminding me to post about this!

The latest on the move to Australia isn't much at all. After the mad scramble and stress of being shown the door in January, we are still here in limbo six months later. HR took seven weeks to get a contract sent to Markus, and they have yet to get our visas going. We're doing our part for the required medical exams. This week, we went to Bronovo and had blood tests and chest x-rays (Kelcey, it was so much less scary here than in Dohot!) to check for HIV and TB. Since a few people have already asked, I'll tell you I'm just not sure what happens if they find evidence of either. I don't know if they would deny entry or not (in Dohot, they would). Thankfully, we aren't concerned that could apply to us; it was just routine. On this coming Tuesday, we will go to the only "approved" doctor in The Hague for visa entry check-ups. I don't know what makes this particular doctor "approved" and our regular huisarts not, but who am I to question? Once we complete the medical exams, we will have done all we can do for the visas. We are told the average wait after the medical is 4-8 weeks, so we could be in limbo for several more weeks...or not. Who knows? Since we are in no hurry to move, we don't really mind all these delays; however, I'd love to be out of the limbo! I wish they could have said in January "you have to move in August." Fine. But no. Alas.

On the upside, Ellie will finish her school year with her friends and teachers. We are happy about that, because she really loves that part of her routine. We were concerned ending that for the move would be very hard for her, but ending school because everyone is going away on summer holiday seems much more normal.
The extra time is also proving to be good because we are having trouble selling our car. In the US, our car would go in a minute. It is relatively new with low mileage, no accidents, dealer maintenance, yadda yadda yadda. But it's an SUV, and filling the tank here costs over 100 Euro. People who go for this type of car here want all the bells and whistles (fully loaded, navigation systems, super duper stereo, DVDs in seats, etc.) and our car is a base model (we went for safety and visibility in Dohot, with rare backseat A/C vents). We are just in the wrong market, and we are a bit stuck. Hopefully, a resolution will present itself. At least the sale doesn't have an urgency yet. Actually, given the limbo, it's probably good we don't have a buyer. They would want the car soon, and we have no idea how much longer we'll be here and needing it ourselves.

And now you know what we know.
Tah-dah!

Life with two kids

It's honesty time again, people, and it isn't pretty. If you haven't procreated yet and plan to, you might want to skip reading this post and move along to some cute kiddo pictures. If you have procreated but only have one child, this might be of interest. If you have more than two kids, you are laughing at me already, so just look at the cute pictures and gloat in the comments section.

As you've probably noticed, the posting has been a bit light of late. Yes, we've had jetlag and sickness and visitors galore...but that's not all. Once again, I've been masking the truth from you, our devoted blog readers. We are just too EXHAUSTED to blog properly. I know this is no excuse. I just posted about the blog as journal, and if I stick to that, we'll have a big hole where the current reality should be, and we can't have that!

So what's been going on? Nearly nine months into her second year, our darling Ellie has discovered her own Terrible Twos (accompany that by the sound cue "dum dum DUM!"). Sometimes it feels like the only moments she's not throwing a fit are the moments she's manipulating me or just ignoring me completely. It's not truly that bad, but when she fakes misery at such volume and false despair that it sets the baby to genuine wailing, it's hard not to lose my mind, let alone my patience. On the rare occasion that I've had enough sleep, her tantrums are actually pretty funny. Ellie is without a doubt a serious drama aficionado. She has studied. She has planned. She has seen the Oscar and she wants it, people! A typical tantrum goes something like this:

"I want chocolate."
We don't eat chocolate for breakfast. How about some cereal?
"I. WANT. CHOCOLATE."
I heard you, but we don't eat chocolate for breakfast. Would you like some Cheerios?
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!" At this point, she deliberately removes herself to a spot where there is no furniture or physical obstacle of any sort (she's very attentive to safety), lays down on the floor with her face in her hands and wails dramatically. Then, when adequate wailing has been achieved, she'll look up and announce in a deep voice plagued with misery, "I'M NOT HAPPY."
Yes, I see that.
Some days, you can really see the benefits of her rigorous training. After the whole tantrum process, while she is still red in the face from whatever serious infractions I've committed, she will exhale deeply, grin all over and cheerfully announce, "Ellie's happy now!"

We've also embarked on the everything-is-mine phase. Just to mix things up, she will also occasionally tell me to "Stop talking, Mama" or "Mama not eat" or "Mama not sit". I need micromanagement, and she is there to fill the job. Last week, she achieved four meltdowns in the hour before I took her to playgroup. When I got there, I met a mother of four who gave me some great advice. She reminded me that they all go through it, and they will grow out of it. She told me to take a break and physically remove myself from the room to cool down when I really needed to, that it would set a good example as long as I refrained from jumping off the balcony in desperation. Good tip!

It's not all bad. Ellie talks so much and so clearly that we really enjoy listening to what she has to say (most of the time). She keeps us well informed on all goings-on, and her logical leaps are quite impressive. She also has started singing for us, something I've been looking forward to for ages and something she was content to have me do for her until now. Her "ABCs" is the cutest I've ever heard, with some German, some repetition, and a bit of mixed Dinglish to muddle through the tough middle part. I will post a recording of it when I get a good one. Her independence is a marvel as well. One morning, she sneaked past me without waking me up. When I awoke and found her room empty and the house silent, I was more-than-slightly panic-stricken. Trying to keep the alarm out of my voice, I went downstairs calling her name...and noticed a cool draft. Ellie had put on her garden shoes and was out in the back garden, happily blowing bubbles in her pajamas. It was the sweetest thing.

Even on her bad days, Ellie is not much worse than an average two-year-old's easy days. We've always gotten off so lightly with her that we can't help but feel plagued when she acts her age. We also know this is probably a reaction to the baby in the house. We are so fortunate that she has never really directed her wrath toward the baby, but the baby-induced peril is there and it is real enough to her. Ellie just wants the attention she feels she deserves, which is everyone's undivided attention (and acquiescence), every minute of every day. I mean, come on! It's not too much to ask, really.

So how's the baby doing? Actually, she's wonderful. And how's her sleeping? Actually, not so wonderful. Baby Stephanie is a Mama's girl in every sense. I love this, but it does make night-times hard. She wants to be as close as possible to me without actually being beneath my skin, though she might go for that option if it were available. I love snuggling close and hearing her sweet baby breathing...but every time she moves even a little, it wakes me up. And lately she's been quite a restless sleeper. The dirty truth is her body is on repeat poo-strikes. We have been told this is quite normal for breast-fed babies, especially in growth spurts, but I think the poo-strike makes her uncomfortable and causes the sleepy squirming. She also still breastfeeds during the night. This fact doesn't bother me, but it got a big reaction at our last Consultation Bureau appointment. The doctor said, "She's not waking anymore to feed at night." This was not a question, so imagine her surprise when I replied that actually, yes she is. With wide eyes, the doctor says, "Only once." No, more than that. Now shocked, "Twice?!" Um, yeah. (Actually, I have no idea. I'm too sleep-deprived to keep tally.) "Mmmm. Twice." The doctor is now murmuring to herself in shocked disdain as she types into the computer: "Feeding in the night!" Horrors.

Now, here are those cute pictures I promised at the start:

Eurocup

It's time for Eurocup, and the whole of Holland is covered in orange vinyl flags. Although I am normally a high-horse rider when it comes to TV and televised sports in particular, I am a huge sucker fan of European football. I can't explain it and I can't help it. All I know is my poor non-sports-watching-yet-patient-with-wife husband is about to be subjected to many evenings of Jennifer screaming at televised (hot) men in shorts. Tonight is a big match: Holland versus Italy. Italy is secretly my team, so let's just say it's a good idea for me to watch this game solo tonight (I might be maimed in a pub).

On my afternoon walk today, I stopped in at the corner grocery to pick up some milk. The ever-cheerful owner was there, smiling away and I asked how he was doing.
"Great! Though I'm a bit nervous."
Why nervous?
"We need to win tonight. We're playing Italy."
No problem! (yeah, right...this is a tough match!)
"No, you can never trust those Italians."

So true.


***later***

Italy. Boys, boys, BOYS.
I publicly announce my support and you go and embarrass me like that.
The offense was sad, sad, sad. Every man for himself is not a good strategy for a team sport!
You have some work to do before next week.

On the other hand...
Netherlands. Wow!
What a game! What beautiful goals! What teamwork!
This is the first time in 30 years that Netherlands has beaten Italy, and they earned it big style!
Congratulations, Orange! We'll be watching you in the next game.

This past week's quote

Our usual "Ellie says" will return this Friday, but we have to give last week's quote to Mimi. She took one look at the church below through the incoming fog and said thoughtfully, "Now, those towers are suggestive, aren't they?"

Jetsetter Mimi

Mimi was here this weekend! She hopped on a plane on Thursday evening and headed across the pond just for the weekend to visit. What a jetsetter! To enhance this image further, we spent Saturday in Amsterdam, fitting in two museums (Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum), fine lunch dining at the Hotel Pulitzer (fresh and delicious!), and some shopping besides. Sunday we visited the Mauritshuis in The Hague to visit "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" again, and we had another girls' lunch. Ellie had a BLAST with her Mimi, and there were many tears on both sides at the airport today.

Blog as Journal

People often marvel at my blog maintenance (okay, maybe not lately, but it has happened), wondering where and how I find the time. The truth is I need the blog as much as they do. It keeps me grounded in the little moments that make life special and it captures our lives (at least the parts we're willing to share with the public) almost as a journal would. I can look back and remember what we were up to and I enjoy reading what you had to say too. Little moments and memories can be fleeting, and if I don't write it down, I don't remember it long. Taking pictures is a requirement for a visual person like myself, and they have the same effect. Take today, for example. I took a photo with my cell phone camera, and when I came to the computer to upload it, I realized that I had many other (forgotten) little moments in there too, including...

The day Ellie discovered she could easily reach the lowest bar on the playground and wanted to check her height against the others (March 31)


The day Ellie realized she could push her sister in the stroller (April 9)


The time I came down from tucking Ellie into her nap and found baby Stephanie napping with a companion in her car seat (April 11)


The first time I "went Dutch" and cycled with Ellie in the kid seat and baby Stephanie in the baby carrier under my jacket (April 13)


The much-anticipated-and-discussed ride on a "carousel" on Queen's Day, only accompanied by Papa of course (April 30)


The day that Ellie inexplicably HAD to wear her princess dress out and about, puddles notwithstanding (May 16)


The wait for Tante Ulla at the train station, made so much nicer when Papa bought a balloon at the florist stand (May 24)


The reward of ice cream for excellent behavior during a visit to the Escher Museum (May 25)


For the moment, I'll just enjoy this trip down Memory Lane and hope you will too.
We'll get to today later.

Baby Stephanie's laugh

Today was baby Stephanie's first ticklish day, conveniently demonstrated within arm's reach of a camera! Excuse the silly mama noises on the recording (us mamas often make little other than silly noises).

Ellie says

Ellie's sentences have been punctuated of late with emphasis words. Her favorite for a few weeks now has been "very very very" (always in 3s, as in "That was very very very LOUD."), though the latest addition has been the amusing "quite actually" (as in, "Quite actually, I want the fish puzzle."). This week's quote comes from our attempt to explain the cats' departure. We told her matter-of-factly that the cats would be moving to live with another family. She didn't flinch. Instead, she looked up and said just as matter-of-factly,
"Yes, I will go see another family too. I will meet some very very very BIG BOYS."
It begins.

Bye-bye, kitty friends

This morning, our two kitty friends met and moved with their new family. When we learned we would be headed to Perth, we started researching bringing our cats with us, and the obstacles started to mount. The biggest one is quarantine. There is a minimum 30 day requirement. Although we think they meet all the criteria for the minimum stay (it can be up to 150+ days!), we aren't sure how well these attached pets would do in separation, not only from us but also from each other. Even worse is there is limited availability at quarantine facilities, and we don't have enough time before the move to guarantee a space for them. We decided if we could find a good home for them, it might be better to leave them here. Fortunately, a very cat-loving family with three kids responded to our ad immediately and seem to be thrilled to get two cats together. They came to meet the kitties today and they took them home. The house feels more empty without their little kitty bells ringing as they dash around or their meows as they wrap around our feet. We are sad to give them up, but we are happy too because we believe this is best for them. Bye-bye, kitty friends! You were great pets and we will miss you!

Smokey is the obvious grey; Bandit is the lightest of the striped orange kittens

watching Baby Einstein



In other news, Ellie has yet another cold. This seems to be the worst one yet. Markus put her back down for a nap when she had a fever at 2pm. This is a new development. Most of her colds are marked by copious snot and coughing, but fevers have been blessedly rare. She looks miserable and of course she doesn't want to sleep (or can't). I guess you could say we're still in our rough patch around here, but we're hanging on.

Self-portrait mit Bebé

Sometimes we have a little too much fun with mirrors.

Visitors!

Markus's mom, Rita, and his sister, Ulla, are here visiting this week. Ellie has been enjoying showing Ulla everything around the house. For days, Ulla has been the person of choice for puzzles, books and bubbles.


Rita is enjoying more time with baby Stephanie, who at 3 months is really starting to interact more. She blows raspberries, does lovely baby talking ("ah-goo!"), and is a big smiler. Baby Stephanie is a very receptive audience to Oma's antics, and they get along great!


Rita and Ulla will be here for a week. The weather has warmed up nicely for their visit. If only the clouds would clear...but we are in The Netherlands after all. Maybe tomorrow will be better for a trip out and about, seeing something new. This week, we've just kept up the usual routine to help Ellie stay in good shape. She hasn't missed a day of school, which makes her a happy girl. We've had a lot of trying Mama's patience lately, vying for attention and experiencing baby envy. Sometimes it's all a bit too much for this mama and I feel like losing it, but I try to remember sometimes it's all a bit too much for Ellie too. I recently read a mommy blog post in which that mommy claimed, "I've really sucked lately. He's sucked too, but then again, he's 3 so he has an excuse." I hear her!

Ellie says

Let's count yesterday's post towards last week for "Ellie says", because this morning produced another quote too cute not to share.

I had just filled my cup from the tap when Ellie wandered over and asked if it was her water. I offered to share; she accepted, took a sip, and then announced,
"This sparkling water doesn't work!"

Bakfiets!

We ordered it just before our trip to the States. What a great way to get around!

Ellie says

Our daughter is a petite gourmet. A supremely selective eater, she has been known to enjoy lobster bisque, fresh pasta with pesto, and Belgian chocolate. She drinks sparkling water from a wine glass. She knows what she likes.
Last Friday, after careful sampling, Ellie thoughtfully pronounced,
"Boogies are yummy!"
Lovely.

The Economics of Sleep

If you have been curious about the recent lack of posting, please see the in-depth analysis below for a general synopsis of our past week or so.

Sleep works just like a bank for energy. Your body needs a certain amount to get by. That amount varies from person to person, and you must budget accordingly. One night you may get less sleep than you need, resulting in "sleep debt." You can repay it the next night or save it up for the weekend, paying it back all in one go. The best plan is to keep it balanced or even accumulate some savings. That being said, parents of young children have no savings. There is no extra energy in the bank. We spend as much as we earn, so when a heavy sleep expenditure comes along, we plunge headlong into debt. It can take days or weeks to undo the damage.

Currently, we are in a recession.

International travel across several time zones is bound to disrupt the internal clocks of even the hardiest travelers. Days and nights are spent trying to normalize, and the jet lag is always worse for small children who cannot force themselves into the new rhythm and instead adjust one hour per day. Our return visits from the States usually have a particular pattern. Bedtime is normal, with a night-time wake-up and playtime before sleep returns; nap times are long. The night waking and partying happens first at 3, then 2, then 1 and so on until we just start going to bed a bit later until the whole time difference is beaten. Of course, the problem with patterns is that children live to mix things up and keep parents guessing. The pattern didn't happen this time. There was no rhyme or reason to Ellie's waking and sleeping the first week after our trip back; instead, she and Markus (the super-duper-trooper Father of the Year who got up with her while Jennifer stayed in bed with baby Stephanie, who didn't have jetlag but rather has no sleep schedule at all) averaged 3-4 hours of sleep per night, with Ellie paying into her sleep deficit account with naptimes and earlier bed times than her papa. Last night was the first time she has completely slept through the night in over two weeks. Now the sleep deficit remains heavy on the parental side.

Debt is a heavy burden, and it requires regular repayments and upkeep for it not to worsen. Markus has been repaying his sleep debt unwillingly. Naps sneak up on him like demons while he's sitting on the couch or trying to watch a movie. Give him 5 minutes of peace and quiet and he is out like a light. Jennifer lies in bed each morning willing the clock to back up a few hours so she can catch some extra Zs. If we budget ourselves carefully and stick to a strict repayment schedule, we imagine we will be fully back on track just in time to move to Australia.

Oh dear.

Back in The Hague

After a whirlwind happy visit to friends and family in Virginia, we are back in The Hague and are relearning the dynamics of existing on toddler jetlag. We shouldn't complain too much, though. Both girls are EXCELLENT travelers, and that is a huge gift! Ellie surprised me with being able to return to school today. She was wide awake and raring to go, despite about 5 hours of sleep last night (though she did pass out cold the moment we returned home).

Our trip was rather busy and full, but we are so happy we went. The only downside was camera-failure the last night, which was the night of a big family get-together. Alas. Jennifer's brother, sister, grandfather and his wife Barbara joined us for Mothers Day dinner at my mom's house. Great photo op that rarely occurs...and camera crapped out on me. Argh argh argh. Barbara had a disposable camera with a few shots left on it, so let's hope those come out! If so, I promise to share.

Another important event of this trip was a bridal shower I threw for my darling friend Meghan, who is getting married in October to her dream man we lovingly call Rocket Boy. Meghan is a dear girlfriend from college, and I wouldn't let just any ol' guy marry her...but Rocket Boy has everyone's blessing. We are sure they will be very happy together and wish them the best life has to offer! Unfortunately, the grey-haired old men in The Hague sent up the white smoke in a way that prevents us from attending the wedding. Perth is just too darn far away, so I maximized the trip this time and threw Meghan a lingerie shower at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. The food was delicious, the setting was elegant, and the bride was...well, the bride was crazy, but then again she always is and that's why I love her.



Check out the humongous red satin "novelty panties". I didn't give them to her, but I sure am glad somebody did. We had way too much fun with those.

Out of the loop

We're not TV watchers. Movies, heck yes, but TV is a no. Commercial interruptions make me crazy, the increased volume makes Markus crazy, and the products they promote are (in our opinion) often pointless. Many TV shows aren't much better, so we just opt out of the whole deal. Of course, I know this puts us way out of US mainstream. Americans are a TV watching people, but I have to say I was still surprised to find a TV on the gas pump this afternoon. I had an empty tank, so hi-ho-hi-ho, off to pump gas I go...and found myself watching "NBC at the pump". I am so out of the loop.

Ellie says

I should start a weekly post of my favorite Ellie sayings. My current favorite is her stopping Markus mid-song by holding up her hand and announcing, "Wait! Let me get the tambourine!" But that's a couple of weeks old now. Our drive to the 'Burg on Tuesday provided this week's sample. We didn't bring her CDs with us and the iPod wasn't working in the car (too many radio stations to play the iTrip), and she was dismayed. Finally, she surrendered to her fate and began singing herself. Ellie has never done this before, so it was extra cute! We did our best not to interrupt or distract her, but she eventually faded out and announced, "It's turned off!" Guess that iPod influence has extended further than we thought.

This one is for Meghan

Meghan, you were worried we would be unhappy about you giving Ellie so many stickers because you were afraid she'd be sticking them all over the furniture. Silly girl. There is a much better place for stickers!

Virginia Beach and Williamsburg

On Tuesday, we drove down to Virginia Beach to visit Great Grandma Marion, Jennifer's grandma. Great Grandma Marion has a HUGE backyard, and Ellie had a blast exploring every inch of it. We had a picnic lunch in the lovely spring weather and enjoyed fabulous conversation with the family matriarch. We were very happy to introduce baby Stephanie to her great grandma, and Ellie enjoyed spending time with her for the first time since she was around 9 months old.





On the way back to Mimi's, we stopped over for a few hours in Williamsburg so Jennifer could stroll her alma mater and Markus could see a bit of Colonial Williamsburg as we wandered the Duke of Gloucester Street (AKA "DOG street, CW's main drag). Markus hadn't seen much of the campus at William and Mary before, so we strolled through the Wren Building and circled the Sunken Gardens, crossing the Crim Dell Bridge as a family. Ellie had a fantastic time running around in the grass and mulch. When Markus asked if she would like to study there, she took a good look around, smiled and said, "Yeah." That's my girl!



already behaving like a college kid...that's my wallet she's digging in!


The meandering along DOG Street didn't impress Ellie much. After having been to Dubai, Paris, Pisa, and Amsterdam, I guess there wasn't much to see...excepting all the rocks. Ellie liked the rocks. And the trees. And she was very aware of all the horse poo-poo in the street. Colonial Williamsburg is an excellent place for the Toddler Walk of Discovery. (see her below, digging in the rocks beneath the tree)

Little notes

Oma went home today. We're happy she was able to see the tulips and meet baby Stephanie! We'll see her again in a few weeks!

Tomorrow we head stateside to visit the Mimi. Hooray! Look for postings from our trip as we go.

For those of you unfamiliar with the flickr display on the left side of the blog, it's a collection of photos we've decided to share that include but aren't limited to what we post within the blog text. Click on it to take a look at more if that's your fancy!

Beautiful Day

This morning, Markus, Ellie and Oma headed to Keukenhof so Oma could get a peek at the glorious tulips while Ellie hit the playground.



Having already been twice this year and survived a failed attempt on Monday (road closing that caused a 2 hour car ride with no viewing), Jennifer and Stephanie opted to stay home and visit the Escher Museum that is literally around the corner from our house. We hadn't been yet as there just never seemed to be a time to go. When something is that close and available, it's easy to put off for another day, and I was starting to think that day might not materialize before we move! I am very happy I went. The joy of visiting museums that center on one particular artist is seeing works I have never seen before or even known existed. While I am intrigued by Escher's images and impressed by his skill, I've never been a huge Escher fan per se; therefore, I hadn't known that he spent a great deal of time in Italy and created a body of realistic images based on what he saw there before he ever created the optical illusions that made him so famous. He apparently transitioned into abstraction and recreating the plane when he moved back to flat Holland and Belgium and lost the views that had inspired him in Italy. Who knew? The museum itself is a converted palace, once the residence of the great-grandmother of the current queen of The Netherlands. It was fun just to walk inside and visualize the grand rooms when they were occupied. When it was converted into a museum, some seriously crazy chandeliers were commissioned; we're talking a huge skull and crossbones chandelier, a guitar, a shark... The third floor of the museum is dedicated to optical illusion exhibits and experiments that are a lot of fun! Stephanie slept the entire time in the baby carrier, so she had a good time too.


This afternoon, the weather cleared up beautifully, so we all headed to the dunes at Wassenaar for a stroll. The afternoon light made everything look incredible, and the air was crystal clear after two days of rain. The kids burned some energy, and we all enjoyed ourselves!