Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Cotton-y Fields Forever

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields


Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about


Cotton-y fields forever


Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see


t's getting hard to be someone but it all works out


It doesn't matter much to me


Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Cotton-y Fields


Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about


Cotton-y Fields forever


Always know sometimes think it's me, but you know I know and it's a dream


I think I know of thee, ah yes, but it's all wrong


That is I think I disagree


Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Cotton-y Fields


Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about


Cotton-y fields forever


Cotton-y fields forever



Cotton-y fields forever


Have a Happy Thanksgiving from Sweet Home Alabama!






Sunday, November 14, 2010

Sinterklaas Kapoentje....

Yesterday some very strange things started going on in our house. We heard knocking on doors and windows, we found pepernoten in random places, and I swear I even heard a zwarte piet laughing. All of these strange phenomenons must have been because Sinterklaas made his grand entrance in Holland yesterday! We've been keeping up with the exciting news via the Sinterklaas Journal and Max & Lucas finally got to put out their shoe last night. 



Max made a picture list and wrote a letter to Sinterklaas to remind the dear old Sint that he lives in America now!


Of course there was a carrot and water for Sint's horse, Amerigo.


This morning Max awoke to find a half-eaten carrot, an empty water bowl, and PRESENTS!


Lief, he?


Max helped Lucas eat his pepernoten


Yum yum!


Hoera! Lucas found musical keys in his shoe, and max found a Lego helicopter!


And then Mommy and Papa were treated to very happy (and slightly messy!) children.

Now it's time to go to bed, because we all know the Zwarte Pieten won't come when we are awake!






Sunday, November 7, 2010

Happy (belated!) Halloween!

Halloween has come and gone, and it's hard to believe it's already November! In the past week I went on Max's field trip to the pumpkin patch, we watched him sing at his Fall Program, and we joined the neighborhood kids and went Trick-or-Treating. 



Trying to get a class picture of nine 3 year olds wasn't easy!


Max is very good at telling everyone else to be quiet, but isn't always good at being quiet himself!


Baby goats had been born the week before we got there 


And Max enjoyed cuddling with him!


There were also very stinky and dirty cute pigs to be petted


And a donkey too!


The kids learned where eggs came from, though Max proudly stated that he got to pick REAL eggs from under Oma's butt. Then I (slightly embarrased!) had to explain that he meant under Oma's CHICKEN's butts! Laughter exploded from the other adults and Max went on the whole day talking about the eggs from under Oma's... you know what.


He got to pick the most apples since he was the only one that could reach to the top! (and yes, those are his classmates that are the same age as him!)


And then there was a tater diggin' race (digging for potatoes for those of you not from the South!)


Ready, Set, GO!


The corn maze was a lot of fun


But going on a hayride was the most fun!


Max got to pick his very own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch


And he even let me take a picture of him on the tractor!


Two days after the pumpkin patch, it was time for the school's Fall Program and Fall Festival


Max was by far the, ahem, "most vocal" child when they sang "Five Little Pumpkins"


After the program we went off to play games. Max loved the cake walk


And left as the proud owner of a yucky and dry beautiful orange pumpkin cake!


He was also quite good at balloon stomping. So good that you might think he had some aggression issues! ;-)


The next day it was time to say goodbye to Max's beloved teacher, Mrs. Amy. She has been so wonderful to him and has made his adjustment to the US much easier. Though we will miss her, I'm sure Max will have lots of fun with his new teacher, Miss Jessica. 



And then it was time for the Halloween activities to draw to an end with Trick or Treating.
Lucas the Lion did not find Halloween very amusing,


But he cheered up after his big brother toted him around!


Max met up with Blake (aka Buzz Lightyear)


And the boys began their evening of fun!


He had been practicing saying, "Trick or Treat" for weeks, and was finally rewarded with candy! 

And then we dropped our sweet, sugar-loaded children off at Mimi and Opa's house so Mama and Papa could go out and celebrate Halloween as well!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

NOD Pre-Halloween Party!

Before Halloween we headed down to Pensacola, FL and met up with the rest of the NOD (Nederlands Opleiding Detachement/ Dutch Training Detachment) to enjoy a day of fun on the beach. It was a costume party, but we didn't get the memo that the costume part didn't start until dinner. So despite utterly embarrassing ourselves feeling a little silly with our grand entrance, we had a great time with some fun people!





Max and Matthew are only a couple days apart in age. They've become good friends since we've moved here, and can understand each other's "Dutchlish"


A student enjoyed some flying time above the water


Anouk worked on her world-series hit


And after a few drinks, people started getting tossed in the water.
It was great fun to photograph


And even more fun to see my soaking-wet hubby walking over to me


Luckily, he thought it was pretty funny too!


Max wasn't so keen on going into the water,


and Mama wasn't either!


But luckily we had costumes to change into! Can you guess who we were?


Yep, that's right... Familie Flintstone!



I didn't have a Pebbles so I had two Bam-Bam's. And I may or may not have put a hair bow in his hair that day!



A group shot before the BBQ that ended a fun day!