Dylan & Travis

cold front

2012-02-09T13:30:00.019+01:00

On 5 February it was officially declared a cold front (koudegolf!) in Holland. 10 days in a row below 0, and 3 nights in a row below -10. It hasn't been this cold, for this long, since 1997. Pretty chilly...

Here we are standing on the the Kralingseplas. This is where we swim in the summer!

Definitely time to strap on the ice skates. Dylan on skates for the first time.

snow!

2012-02-08T15:30:00.004+01:00

It's been below freezing for ages and after about a week of it, it finally snowed! Reason enough for Travis and I to walk to fetch Dylan from school Friday afternoon. The 15 minute walk home took us an hour... loads of fun!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

Dylan?

a snow dance

follow the leader

look, my footprints!

and of course,

snowballs

thrown at Mamaaaaaaaa!

five!

2012-02-07T13:02:00.000+01:00

Dylan has been waiting for this day for over a month now. He has been planning his 5th birthday party and giving us request lists since the day after Christmas. Everything to do with Cars, all Lego and all Playmobil was what it pretty much boiled down to. He wasn't disappointed!

the birthday boy opening presents, early, on Sunday morning

I'm 5!

come on Papa!

Travis lends a helping hand at Dylan's party

admiring himself in his new fireman suit

Cars race track

Dylan still gets shy when everyone sings for him but when it came to blowing out the candles...

he forgot about being the centre of attention and huffed and puffed!

and then the eating of course!

yum!

the pool

2012-01-20T14:16:00.002+01:00

The pool was another highlight of the holiday and the boys were in and out all day.

Diving!?

Jumping

Playing with Grandpa

and with Papa

Making tea

Swimming, all on his own, across the pool!

Relaxing

Pushing Pam in the water,

that was funny!

Examining the local wildlife...

Drying off

Smile!

Christmas morning

2012-01-15T16:53:00.006+01:00

Presents, family, smiles, Christmas carols, chocolate and sunshine! What's not to like!?

monkey business

2012-01-13T18:50:00.003+01:00

After every busy, fun-filled holiday I find it very difficult to sort through the hundreds of holiday photos, to choose just a few, then to sort them into separate posts and then to decide in what order to post them... This time around it was easy to decide where to start. Besides playing, swimming and getting totally spoilt, we also visited Bambelela. It's a Vervet monkey rehabilitation and conservation farm a couple of hours north of Jozi. Here the boys got to interact with the monkeys and they absolutely loved it!

They are as inquisitive as little children and come and check you out, look in your pockets, take your glasses, pull your hair, examine your watch etc.

Cuddle me!

Hanging out

The monkeys LOVED Travis's tummy and he got his belly button tickled and licked by all of them! He loved the attention so kept pulling up his shirt to encourage them...

They were also raising a baby warthog,

and have a resident Kudu called 'Sissy',

who likes to make herself at home.

Sissy kindly left us a present one morning,

which was promptly carried away by this helpfull fellow.

We braaied (a lot),

and so did the monkeys!

The peacocks were an absolute pain because they make an awful noise ALL night!

There was time for football,

and zebra watching

and we even fitted in a visit to the nearby crocodile farm.

bed time

2011-12-11T20:15:00.000+01:00

The floor of the lounge was not quite what I had in mind!

Sinterklaas visits school

2011-12-09T14:31:00.000+01:00

The nervous boys, waiting for Sinterklaas to arrive!

There he is!

With the Pepernoten Piet of course!

Dylan proudly showing off the Zwarte Piet hat he made himself.

Sinterklaas also visited the creche but seeing the man in his classroom was a bit too much for Travis. He sat under the table and ate pepernoten until the Sint and the Pieten left. No photos...

And that was that! I am quite pleased it's over. It's heaps of fun, but 3 weeks of nervous and excited boys is exhausting.

bags full of presents

2011-12-08T16:36:00.000+01:00

We celebrated Pakjesavond at Sander and Wendy's this year, had loads of fun, ate excellent chilli, drank wine with great company and of course, got very spoilt! What's not to like about Sinterklaas?

Can anyone see the Pieten?

The first bag...

and the first present is for... Dylan!

Is there one for me, Sander?

Ja, ja, jaaaaa!

What else is in there? Is it empty? Not yet I hope!

The unpacking frenzy continues.

Time to play, Thanks Sinterklaas!

zwarte piet ging uit fietsen...

2011-12-02T14:44:00.001+01:00

Pieten

2011-11-30T20:15:00.004+01:00

Sinterklaas

2011-11-29T17:08:00.002+01:00

It's that time of the year again and Sinterklaas is back in Holland. We watch the Sinterklaasjournaal every night to keep up to date with the happenings leading up to Pakjesavond.

We went to watch him arrive on his steamboat, (along with the rest of Rotterdam!)

We sang and danced with Disco Piet!

Dylan even got to shake hands with the man himself, after his Sinterklaas party at NN.

Because we have no chimney, we leave our shoes at the door to the balcony, this time with a carrot for the horse and Dylan's wish list.

Time to sing, as loudly as we can, in the hope that we will be heard by the Pieten. Travis thought this was all great fun and marched around Dylan and Papa singing along merrily.

Surprise! A (shoe)present and pepernoten! (The 5th shoe belongs to Pam.)

Travis gets more excited about the pepernoten and sweets then he does about the present.

Ok, we might have done all of this more than once so far...

Hey, that's for Amerigo!

Zie ginds komt de stoomboot...

autumn

2011-11-13T14:39:00.000+01:00

Kralingseplas is a great place to wander around, whatever the season. We had a lovely time last week but I gave up trying to take photos after the first 15 minutes. This time around Travis was keen. So keen that he sat down in the pathway every few minutes and smiled nicely, saying: 'photo, photo, cheeeeeese.' Dylan decided he would pose...

Aaarghh!

2011-11-06T21:50:00.005+01:00

The boys love playing pirates and Friday morning I convinced them to let me take a couple of photos.

Come on Travis, smile.

aaargh!

Then they read books,

went to the shops, to school, on holiday and to work,

and in between all that there was time for a few kisses

and cuddles.

Gotta love 'em...

flashback to 23 months old

2011-11-04T16:13:00.000+01:00

Somehow I managed not to publish this blog... So this was Travis 5 months ago.

what concentration

puzzling

but what a happy face once it all fits together!

time for a happy dance!

still loves music and loves to dance

more tower building

another favourite, squash Papa!

herfstvakantie in Austria

2011-11-04T10:03:00.001+01:00

We were invited to go to Austria with Rob and Petra, and the rest of the family, for the autumn school holidays. (Thanks again!) It was a fantastic holiday and we had loads of fun. We stayed in Hochkrimml. The weather was amazing and we spent a lot of our time outside.We went for quite a few walks and saw some amazing scenery. We also found a few playgrounds so everyone was happy.

We saw the Krimml waterfalls, the highest in Europe. (Ok, you can't see that from the photo but hey, we were there!)

We did see a bit of snow!

and cows...of course.

The kids got along well and amused themselves inside as well.

Singing with Oma and Opa.

my very own Postnet

2011-10-07T22:59:00.004+02:00

Dylan spent a lot of the holiday helping out and 'working' at Postnet with my parents. He loves it there and so his very clever Granny made him his very own Postnet (table tent)! So he could work in his very own office at home.

He loved it and I lost count of the number of letters and parcels I sent and received at Postnet!

The delivery van.

The parcels heading off overseas!

Granny's post getting stamped

Travis helping out

Travis stamping his hands!?

Look, dirty hands.

Waiting for the first customer of the day!

It wasn't all work! The boys also got a new formula 1 carpet!

Here they are baking biscuits...

And of course, eating them!

Now we are looking forward to our next visit! But first we have a trip to Austria and then Sinterklaas to look forward to! Busy, busy, busy!

a sneaky visit

2011-10-06T22:48:00.011+02:00

I decided to take Travis with me to visit Granny and Grandpa. Just because! Dylan decided there was no way we were going without him, so then we were 3. We had a lovely time, as usual, and the boys were spoilt rotten, as usual!

I was quite nervous about flying on my own with the 2 boys but they were absolute angels! Dylan told Travis all about what to expect and Travis loved the adventure of it all.

We got lucky with the weather and got to spend lots of time outside

Playing football,

collecting pine cones,

swimming,

the big pool was still too cold!

watering the plants,

the little pool was just right

eating ice-creams

and going for walks with Granny.

The End

2011-09-20T13:06:00.001+02:00

Finally, the very last of the summer holiday photos.

We had a lovely holiday, the camping and the beaches turned out to be just great. We could have done with a little more sun but that didn't seem to bother the boys too much. They really enjoyed themselves and get along really well. Time to start planning next summer!

Where shall we go?

Travis and his hat

2011-09-19T09:04:00.001+02:00

I spent most of the holiday trying to get Travis to wear his hat! I didn't have much luck until the second last day...

D-day memorials

2011-09-15T13:42:00.001+02:00

a trip to the Normandy beaches is not complete without visiting the D-day beaches and memorials of the allied landing that eventually ended world war 2. There were many museums and memorials all across the Normany shores. One of the most impressive ones is definatelly he American cemetary. Almost 10.000 soldiers are buried here. the seemingly endless rows of crosses, near Utah beach, really show the sacrifice that the Americans (and Canadiens and British) made, to free Europe of the nazi regime.

It's hard to explain to the kids what they were looking at... how do you tell them that this is what a war does...

One of the villages we visited was St, Mere Eglise. The American airborne division landed there on D-Day to take the village and control the main roads that lead to the beaches. one unfortunate paratrooper landed on top of the church and had to watch the fights from up there. On the church is a dummy that illustrates this.

One museum we visited at Utah beach had a real bomber plane in it. impressive to see! the museum itself was really well set out and gave a good impression of the landing.

eventhough the past events were all very serious, we had lots of fun, combining visits to the war-sites with trips to beaches and tourist trips to nearby towns.

on our way to the second Normandy stop, we went across Pegasus bridge. The English captured this brigde at the start of D-day.The English tourists at our bed and breakfast insisted we visited this important site as well.

by accident we found the Canadian cemetary, near Juno beach. this site is a lot more serene than the American one. again lots of soldiers who fought for a free Europe. Respect.

Etretat

2011-09-10T17:38:00.001+02:00

Our last holiday stop off was Etretat, also in Normandy. What a pictoresque town. It was beautiful and we had an amazing few days there too.

The beach close to our hotel wasn't much good for swimming but the pebbles provided a lot of entertainment and the view of the cliffs, which ever direction you look in, is spectacular.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeese!

The cliffs of Etretat were painted by Monet...

Dylan and Marko ventured up the cliffs one evening. Here is Dylan striking a pose at the top.

And another...

and another!

The view from the top

We did manage to find a small beach nearby with a bit of sand which meant we could swim again...and make sand castles, and run about and splash,

and of course mix up 'vieze drankjes'.

Time to dry off.

The playground at the beach was worth a few visits too.

the beach at Arromanches

2011-09-09T12:07:00.002+02:00

Our first summer holiday beach stop off was Arromanches in Normandy. A lovely, big, flat, sandy beach. At least at low tide. At high tide there wasn't much of a beach left at all!

Here the boys are checking out the beach on the afternoon we arrived there.

In for a swim the next day!

The water wasn't very warm!

Ah, that's better.

Dylan couldn't get enough of the water.

Luckily, he had a partner in crime.

We kept it dry.

Football to warm up.

We visited the beach every day and the boys kept themselves busy.

Lots of hard work!

Dylan takes charge...

We need to stop the water taking over the beach!

Lots of play!

Lots of swimming.

We loved the sand and the water! Luckily our next stop off was also near the beach!

camping

2011-08-16T12:57:00.008+02:00

It seems that (almost) everyone we know, with children, goes camping, so we decided to give it a try... I found a small farm camping in Brittany. They had a fully equipped tent available. So off we went for the first week of our holiday. Now I understand why people with (young) children go camping. It's so easy! It's so much fun! And the best part of all... as a parent you get to relax! Anyway here are (quite) a few photos from our farm visit. The boys loved all of it!

Our accommodation

The boys loved having their own rooms

Lazing outside the tent

Just being silly

Asleep? I don't think so!

Every morning the boys fetched breakfast from the farmhouse

Travis took his job very seriously!

I did say every morning!

The boys helped collect eggs and feed the animals every day as well. Travis LOVED the pigs.

Neither of them dared to pat the horses.

On our way out for a walk... past the tractor,

down the road,

and around the farm where we picked mulberries and followed butterflies.

The football goals where outside our tent. Dylan couldn't have been happier!To add to his joy, every evening every one joined in a big game of football. He made loads of friends there and was so sad to leave that he ended up in tears!

Travis tried his hand at... Tennis? Hockey?

Cool!

It's amazing how much fun a tractor can provide.

The boys first words every morning were 'buiten spelen'. They really enjoyed being outside all day even though the weather wasn't great. We will definitely do this again sometime but I think we will stick with the easy option of the ready standing, fully equipped, made-up beds tent.

hello!

2011-08-13T13:11:00.000+02:00

I know it's been a while but I am slowly working my way through photos from before and during the holiday. Hopefully a blog post or 2 to follow shortly.

In the meantime my favourite photo, of the boys together, from our summer holiday! (Etretat, France)

Travis's 2nd birthday party

2011-07-03T09:03:00.000+02:00

His birthday celebrations started early. As soon as we were all awake, Dylan dragged us downstairs. Travis was very impressed by the balloons, flags and all the presents! This year he actually opened all of his presents and tested them all out straight away. I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the attention but he certainly had lots of fun! Dylan had a great time too.

Travis started with the biggest one... with help of course.

Who's this one from?

Oh, Mam (Pam)... let's open it!

More?

A postnet parcel from Granny and Grandpa.

Come on out of there already.

Dora cake! This was Dylan's idea...

Present from Oma and Opa who arrived early so Travis didn't have to wait so long for the party to start. I think it was more so Dylan didn't have to wait so long.

Nijntje!

A rocket!

This is how it works Travis.

Woooosh.....

So pleased.

Happy Birthday to Travis.

Mmmmm, snoepje.

Travis found the best spot in the house to eat his birthday cake.

Concentration!

We should do this every day!

Rosalie enjoyed her cake (icing) too.

1...2...3...tooooooot.

Rodney joins in the fun.

Manon and Emmely, very busy drawing.

Dylan played football (what else?) with the balloons.

Time to check email.

Finally, time to relax quietly with an ice cream and some tv...as demanded by the birthday boy.

Happy Birthday Travis!

Happy birthday Travis!

2011-06-21T12:05:00.001+02:00

2 years old already! Sangita, his teacher at the creche, made him a birthday crown, he loved it. He wore it all day Monday at school and put it back on while we were eating dinner last night. Happy birthday you little monkey! Love you lots, even though you refused to wear the Dora crown I made for your party on Saturday!

the boys build a tower

2011-06-18T10:40:00.001+02:00

Careful Travis!

Teamwork!

Help Papa, it's too high for us now.

How pleased is Dylan!?

Woah! that's high...

...and how pleased is Travis?

Too much temptation, time to knock it over,

there it goes!

And then they start all over again.

picnic in the park

2011-06-12T10:20:00.001+02:00

Dylan still loves to picnic! Lucky for us we live only a few minutes cycle away from Kralingseplas. The perfect spot, and what a lovely day!

Our picnics involve a lot of football! This is Dylan's favourite, favourite! He wants to be 'Keeper' when he is big! Time to work on those skills. Out here he doesn't have to worry about the ball landing on the roof or in the neighbours gardens.

See that smile?

Dylan even managed to get Travis to join in the fun.

Then he got distracted, pretty flowers.

Off to check out the beach,

which way shall we go now?

After all that running around it was time for a nap! Travis wasn't quite sure what we were doing.

Finally, time to eat!

and eat some more... while listening to Papa reading a story.

lovely sunny day

2011-06-10T13:01:00.000+02:00

I hope the summer is filled with sunny and warm days this year! The boys love being outside and especially love the balcony swimming pool! Travis couldn't get enough of the water and was quite disappointed the next morning when he went outside, he found the pool but just couldn't find the water anywhere!

Yes, finally go them all in one hand.

Heavy lifting!

...and out again.

'Painting' the balcony with Opa.

These need a little water...

What? did I hear you say ice-cream?

Yes!

there's nothing like getting your hands dirty!

2011-05-20T13:21:00.003+02:00

Cannero Riviera

2011-05-15T15:03:00.006+02:00

We spent Easter with Granny and Grandpa, in a really beautiful town at Lake Maggiore in Italy. Cannero.

It was typical Italy. Small town, old houses, small cobbled roads, beaches and amazing scenery.

We spent most mornings exploring different towns and Islands.

We also ate a lot. A lot of pasta, a lot of pizza and a LOT of gelato! It was definitely Dylan's favourite word on holiday and he managed at least 2 icecreams a day.

The boys loved the afternoons the most. Then they got to run around and play football, play in the playground and swim in the indoor pool.

I can't wait for summer and our next adventure. This time in France!

the boys

2011-04-19T09:38:00.001+02:00

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago. Dylan and Travis love chasing each other around... and climbing, and dancing, and laughing, and copying each other, and just generally being silly. They each find the other one so funny that it makes us laugh too.

2 wheels

2011-04-17T10:01:00.008+02:00

Marko took Dylan's side wheels off his bike yesterday. It took Dylan a few minutes to get the hang of it and then off he went.

Wobble, wobble,

watch out for the wall!

Aha, that's how I do it.

I did it!

How pleased am I!?

This was taken about 15 minutes later!

By the afternoon I couldn't keep up with him any more, he was racing up and down -with his eyes closed!- like a maniac. He now wants to know if we can cycle on 1 wheel!

Dylanosaurus

2011-04-12T12:31:00.000+02:00

all of 10 minutes

2011-04-10T13:54:00.000+02:00

Travis loves playing with the mega block autos (cars). He has it all worked out and we have to stick to the plan... the 10 minute plan. He's a very busy boy.

First he fetches the blocks,

then he calls me and pats the floor next to him: 'Mama, zitten!'', and I have to help build the ramp.

Brrrrrrm, brmmm.

Enough of that, time to empty out the blocks.

and to tidy them all up again.

And back they go, into the corner, ready for tomorrow.

a taste of summer

2011-04-03T17:50:00.000+02:00

Manon and Rosalie came to play on Saturday and the kids had loads of fun. We had a lovely day outside in the sun. First in the playground and then on the balcony. There aren't many photo's (too busy!) but here are a few of them playing on the balcony...Amazing how long they kept themselves amused with a few watering cans full of water.( I really should have taken before and after photo's too - they started off so neatly dressed and ended up soaking wet and pretty much naked.)

I'm finished

2011-03-21T21:20:00.004+01:00

my family - by Dylan

2011-03-20T17:56:00.001+01:00

Off to big school

2011-03-08T12:57:00.002+01:00

In Holland, when you turn 4, you start school. So Dylan (growing up far too quickly!?) started big school on 7 February. He's at Nieuw Park Rozenburg, in Juf Clowy's class (1/2d). He is enjoying it a lot! He settled in very quickly, with the help of our neighbours Rosa and Niels, who are also in his class. He has gym twice a week and English lessons on Monday. He especially likes that because he knows it all already. He has certainly grown a lot since he last changed groups at the creche. When he turned 3 and went to a new group, he hid himself in the corner for the first few weeks! Now, however, he joins in with everything and is quite happy to share his story when it's his turn to talk in the ring.

Here he is during his first week (stripey shirt on far side of table). Marko or I take him to class and are allowed to stay for about 15 mins. Usually Dylan sends us away sooner though. They start the morning off in the ring. (Phone photo quality...)

At the end of the day we fetch him outside. Can you spot him?

Dylan's class can be found at the yellow fishes! Once he has shaken hands with the teacher it's home time.

school holiday

2011-03-05T10:52:00.000+01:00

Dylan has been going to school for a whole 2 weeks... and he already had his first week of holiday. On the monday I (Marko) took the day off and we spent the whole day together doing fun stuff.

I thought it would be fun to visit Railz Miniworld, an indoor model railroad layout in the centre of Rotterdam. Because we were going to watch the little trains, i decided to take the big train into town (instead of just the metro) and that was fun.
we arrived at Rotterdam central station after only 5 minutes, but we stayed there for long, watching the trains arrive and depart and check the building in progress of the new station. Dylan brought his camera and he tried photographing every train and crane he saw.

here's Dylan's view of the work in progress:

we left the big trains behind us and went to the little trains. there he admired all the little trains and scenery, while trying to make as many photos as he could

unfortunatelly, his skills in photographing aren't that good :) here's what most photos he took look like:

at first I thought he'd watch the trains an want to leave in 15 minutes, but i was wrong! we stayed and watch the trains and scenes for ever and I really enjoyed watching him discovering new things.

We left to have a drink in town and some lunch and i asked him what he wanted to do next. "now i want to go to the big trains and then to the little trains".... so it was back to the train station for us and look at more trains and more building.

I managed to talk him out of visiting the little trains again :) and I am not sure who had more fun today, me or him!

20 months

2011-02-25T13:35:00.006+01:00

What a personality! Travis is a little clown, he still loves dancing and singing and laughing and making us laugh. He does also have quite a temper though and can throw his toys (literally) when he doesn't get his own way. He has started saying quite a lot and is very pleased when we can actually understand him. Can you believe Ipad was one of his first words!? His favourite tv shows are Dora and Diego and if it was up to him, he would watch tv all day... with a biscuit in each hand, because boy does he like to snack. He also likes to join in my conversations and nods very seriously when I am talking and answers 'ja' to whatever I ask him.

He loves sitting in things. First emptying then, then climbing in, and out, and in, and out. Fortunately he also likes tidying up afterwards.

He he, I fit!

Hello Dylan.

Where's Travis?

Shhh, I'm laptop-ing!

When is someone coming to push me around?

Travis also enjoys a good cup of tea!

Note the concentration.

Am I 5 now?

2011-02-10T16:05:00.000+01:00

We had another party on Sunday which caused to Dylan to ask if he had now turned 5!

This time we invited his best friends from the creche: Matthew, Mijntje and Siem. It's quite sad all 4 of them are going off to different schools, they play so nicely together and really enjoy each other's company.

First they iced cakes

then they ate them!

Then we played pass the parcel

They absolutely loved this!

Then we got more energetic and musical statues was followed by musical bumps was followed by jumping up and down and running around like crazy...

...we finally go them to calm down for a few minutes - check out the red cheeks!

No one wanted to go home so it was definitely a succesful day!

Party

2011-02-08T11:08:00.000+01:00

On Saturday we had the family and friends around for a party. And to (re-) quote Dylan: A party isn't a party without cake. He wanted the alien from Toy Story so that's what he got. He helped decorate it! (Actually the Alien was second choice, first choice was Buzz Lightyear which I decided was too much of a challenge!)

Luckily Oma and Opa and Liza arrived early. That meant he didn't have to wait too long to start opening presents!

He was totally spoilt and very happy with all his presents. (Thanks!)

Needed a bit of help with this one. Manon to the rescue.

Time to sing. He had been waiting for this moment all day. He told us that he was only 4 when it was his party and everyone sang for him.

Take a deep breath...

...and blow out the candles. (We did this a few times!)

Time to play. Here is magician Dylan - abracadabra!

Emmely enjoyed herself!

Rodney and Rosalie up to mischief.

Travis, eating as usual.

Dylan and Manon had a lovely time.

Four!

2011-02-07T17:12:00.002+01:00

Dylan has been 'nearly four' for ages and finally, Saturday, he turned four. This means he is big now and can do everything himself, according to himself, that is.What an exciting morning, presents in our bed, and then all the way downstairs to fetch his post from Granny and Grandpa. His new camera, dvd, book, mask and his new lego helped pass the time he had to fill until the party began.

The birthday boy, wearing his crown, which I had to make, it had to be gold. I was also told I had to buy presents for him and hide them so it was a surprise; and not tell him what I had bought so it stayed a surprise; then call him in the morning and give them to him... yes, he had it all planned out.

A Mega Toby mask, nice! (Policeman superhero)

Now I can take lots of photos!

Time out for a milk break while Travis plays with the paper.

This was quite possibly his favourite present...

Look, a parcel for me from postnet!

hmmm, what could it be?

lego!

mid-morning snack

2011-01-21T14:17:00.000+01:00

Mmm, we love grapes!

Say 'cheeese'...

our white Christmas

2011-01-14T16:43:00.000+01:00

I nearly forgot to post these photos. We had a lovely white Christmas and managed to fit in a bit of sight seeing before everyone left back to warmer places.

That meant fun on the sled on Christmas morning!

Great, wintery views from the Euromast! Gotta love Rotters!

A visit to Maastricht, to see the Christmas market and then on to...

... het Drielanden punt. The place where 3 countries meet.

By then I think our visitors had had enough of the cold, ice and snow! They were very pleased that we had organised a white Christmas though...

Christmas

2011-01-07T12:24:00.000+01:00

We were all totally spoilt. Granny, Grandpa and Pam came to stay and Father Christmas brought us all heaps of presents. The boys had an absolute ball opening them all. They enjoyed the build up to Christmas too... decorating the tree, wearing hats, singing carols, and perhaps most of all, our singing, pet reindeers. Unfortunately no photos but, Oma, Opa, Sander, Wendy, Manon and Rosalie came to join us for Christmas dinner and that was heaps of fun too! How many days until next Christmas?

myPad!

2011-01-05T21:38:00.009+01:00

18 months!

2010-12-23T15:56:00.014+01:00

How time flies! It's hard to remember how small Travis was 18 months ago. He is turning into a little person now instead of a baby and it's great watching him interact with, mimic, and follow Dylan around. He loves playing with his big brother. He also loves dancing, our laptop and iPad, his laptop, the tv remote, reading, watching bumba, playing outside...and just generally being the centre of attention. He has started saying a few words (mama, papa, ball, out, MIJN) and can quite firmly shake his head and say 'NEE' when he doesn't want to do something. He understands a lot too in both English and Dutch and enjoys carrying out little tasks like fetching shoes or tidying up. These photos were taken over the last couple of months.

Kinderboerderij

The rabbits were his favourite

Out for a walk

Puzzle time. Note the concentration.

Getting some help from Dylan

Laughing with Oma

I love my brother!

bed time

2010-12-11T13:02:00.001+01:00

Pakjes avond

2010-12-10T12:37:00.000+01:00

Lots of excitement and lots of singing until we finally heard the doorbell. Downstairs as fast as we can to find 2 bags full of presents! No Pieten in sight though.

Time to unpack and unwrap.

Wow!

Look, Travis, for you.

Taking time out from eating pepernoten to check out his new phone.

And then, just when we thought we were done, more bags of presents. This time we followed a trail of pepernoten and sweets up to Dylan's bedroom and found 2 more bags! How did they get there?

Time to play with the presents. Off to the hairdresser, Marko.

Relaxing after all the excitement.

winter has arrived

2010-12-03T14:46:00.000+01:00

the jeep

2010-11-28T08:30:00.000+01:00

tv time

Can't sit still for very long though, what else can we do with this thing? Jump on it,

drive it.

come and jump too Travis

rolypoly, watch me mama.

11 sleeps until 'Pakjes avond'

2010-11-23T13:02:00.003+01:00

Shoes all ready for Zwarte Piet! Lots of loud singing, a carrot for the horse and a drawing for Sinterklaas.

Then we had a little discussion over what exactly Travis's shoe was doing there.

Not convinced...

Ok, if you put it that way...

A quick check to see if the Pieten are already out and about climbing on the roof across the road.

And then of course collecting up all the pepernoten and sweets and presents the next morning!

What's that? A key for the Zwarte Pieten house? We had better makes sure it gets back to them.

Dylan was very pleased and very excited and shouted 'Thank you Sinterklaas' as loud as he could. He then said he really hoped that Father christmas would also bring him such a lovely present. I had to explain that Sinterklaas wasn't over yet... A few more weeks of waiting, putting your shoe out, singing in the hope of little surprises and then finally the big finale: Pakjes avond! Now we are counting down the sleeps.

Sinterklaas is back!

2010-11-14T08:25:00.001+01:00

We joined thousands of others to welcome him to Rotterdam. Dylan enjoyed himself even more than last year. He wasn't scared of the Pieten any more and chased them all down for sweets and pepernoten!

Look what i got!Travis wasn't too sure what was going on but he loved all the people,the music and singing and dancing and especially the pepernoten. Travis was having so much fun I had to chase him through the crowds as he kept racing off to make new friends. We eventually put him in his pram to watch Sinterklaas getting off his steamboat. Note the dirty mouth, the pepernoten kept him happy!Where is Sinterklaas, can you see him?Hello Sinterklaas! He-llloooooo!More sweets, a big one this time!Amazingly enough it didn't rain. The dark clouds did clear the bridge though. The man himself.The last few pepernoten before we went home.

visitors from London

2010-10-28T11:21:00.001+02:00

Martin, Faye, Nicholas and Daniel came to visit and we had a fantastic time. Dylan had his first real sleepover as Nicholas slept in his room, he was very excited. The boys played extrememly well together and I think the highlight of the visit was playing in Kralingse bos. Unfortunately our photos didn't turn out very well but Faye took some great photos, so check them out on their blog post 'Holland'.

Pam's birthday

2010-10-27T16:47:00.001+02:00

So this year Pam celebrated her birthday a little differently, she spent it at home with us! So of course we had to bake cake(s)!
The first taste, mmmm.Then it was time to dive in!Yum, more please!

the rest of the holiday photos

2010-10-26T08:56:00.001+02:00

Mmmmmmmmm.A cuddle with Grandpa (and Jimble).
Kitty!

Travis just had to have the ball...

A quick dipand then a little showing off for us.

This was a game invented by Dylan. I like to call it 'Carry the pool noodle'. Dylan was very happy because Travis joined in and listened to him and Travis was very pleased to be included in the game, he carried the pool noodle like it was the most important project ever!

Nothing like an early morning cycle around the pool...

ballenbak

2010-10-19T17:03:00.003+02:00

in the water

2010-10-18T16:25:00.000+02:00

A visit to Joburg wouldn't be complete without a post about swimming. The weather may have played along, but the water was still pretty chilly. This didn't stop Dylan, Marko and Grandpa from swimming but Travis found it just too cold. He still tried to get in everyday though but generally ended up in the baby pool enjoying himself.

Johannesburg zoo

2010-10-18T16:21:00.000+02:00

We also had time to visit the Joburg zoo and we were amazed at the size of the place! Dylan really wanted to see the crocodiles but wasn't too impressed with them because all they did was lie around in the sun! He loved wathcing the chimps eating and playing and as usual enjoyed the elephants.

thirsty zebras

2010-10-17T08:41:00.004+02:00

Our visit to SA was great fun again. We got very lucky with the weather and most of the time was hot and sunny. I always have far too many photos to sort through after the holidays and never really know where to start. So this time I will start with the highlight. We spent a night at Heia Safari Ranch , with Granny and Grandpa, which the boys loved. It's an amazing spot that makes you feel like you are far away from everything. It's great watching zebra's drink from the swimming pool, watching the giraffes wandering between the rondavels,watching the monkeys, peacocks and impala from your balcony first thing in the morning...admiring the zonky, just generally enjoying the nature, peace and quiet,

and of course swimming and playing...(and eating your toes!?)

taken a couple of weeks ago...

2010-09-10T08:46:00.000+02:00

Dylan and Schaapie

2010-09-02T15:39:00.000+02:00

Oh, how we love our Schaapie... still!

Then (2 1/2 years ago)and now.

3 1/2

2010-08-27T19:48:00.000+02:00

Dylan's latest progress report from school was a pleasure to read. He is a happy, friendly, self confident , imaginative, well mannered (!), fun boy who enjoys just about everything. (Except sitting still and arts and crafts.)

He has such an amazing imagination and doesn't stop talking from the second he wakes up in the morning until he finally falls asleep again at night.

He really loves it when we all join in with his games and stories and gets especially excited when Travis joins in the fun.

The hats were Dylan's idea and absolutely essential to the dance. Nothing beats playing outside.This is what I get when I have been chasing them around with the camera for too long.Him and Manon get on really well these days and Dylan loves it when we go and visit!

14 months

2010-08-25T22:40:00.000+02:00

Hello, anyone there?14 months already! Travis is a real little character. He loves walking around, carrying things that are too heavy and too big for him, climbing on anything, reading books, shouting the odds, playing on the laptop, playing with the tv remote, eating (everything!), cuddling, fluffy toys, throwing things into the toilet or bath, opening and closing doors, and shouting the odds. Most of all he loves playing with his big brother!

enough rain already!

2010-08-24T09:52:00.005+02:00

Summer hasn't been great and the last few weeks have been pretty wet. Today we decided to walk to school in the rain. Just after we left the house, the rain stopped. This didn't ruin the fun and Dylan walked the whole way with the umbrella anyway! Should I jump in that puddle? (Rhetorical question...) You're getting wet, I'm not!

A little dancing on the way.

Keeping dry is serious business..

bath time

2010-08-15T19:19:00.001+02:00

the proof!

2010-08-08T12:19:00.001+02:00

a day out

2010-08-06T16:33:00.009+02:00

We decided to head to Drievliet amusment park on Thursday, while Travis was at creche. Dylan loved it. The first ride we came to was the crazy tractors and I think Dylan would have stayed there all day if given the chance.

A little bit nervous here... not too sure what to expect. He steered the tractor very well!

Then off to the little monorail to check out what else there was in the park.

And then, in the train with papa.

Back in the queue for the tractors. He really wanted the purple one.

So much fun!

While we went on the tractor, papa raced off to the rollercoaster. Can you spot him? (Front right, behind the pole....)

The horse looked a little scary (to him) so I had to go with him.

He then decided to brave it on his own! Go Dylan!

Then we went up on the Ferris wheel.

Before we left we had to have another go on the tractors of course. Again, no purple, but we did get a very funny orange one.

What a day. It also included water games and a go on the water boat which went down a very steep slope and splashed absolutely everything. Including us. Dylan refused to go back again, not because it was scary, but because his shorts got wet...

yoghurt, mmmmmm!

2010-07-31T09:26:00.001+02:00

month 13

2010-07-29T22:39:00.003+02:00

Travis now has 8 front teeth and 2 molars. Strangely enough, his molars came through very early (when he only had 5 of his front teeth).Tooooot.What's this, Dylan? Oh, sand, not so sure about that!Glued to the tv because Bumba the clown is on.Isn't he funny!I want one of these mama! Pam's blackberry was quite possibly Travis' favourite 'toy' ever.

Travis loves to climb!

Clever me! I left Dylan and the sun cream alone for 1 minute... the first thing he said when I came back was: 'It wasn't me, Travis did it!' Why don't i believe him?

Pam's visit

2010-07-23T15:07:00.002+02:00

I didn't take many photos while she was here, sorry Pam!

me and my big brother

2010-07-20T20:40:00.002+02:00

one hot summer day...

2010-07-16T16:26:00.000+02:00

Orange

2010-07-14T19:04:00.000+02:00

What a great month of football. Not only for SA but also for Holland. Ok, the final was a little disappointing but I kind of miss all the hype now it's over. We headed off to see what was happening in Rotters before the big game. Then we went to Ron and Marianne.Dylan stayed up for the entire game and he was probably the only one who enjoyed every minute!

looking forward to our next visit

2010-07-05T14:46:00.001+02:00

Dylan says 'South Africa is always fun!'
If only we could be there for the orange semi!

peek-a-boo

2010-07-04T14:23:00.003+02:00