Picture Post

Here are a couple pics. They posted starting with the most recent. Next time I will try to post them in a better order.


Here is Kaylin mowing the lawn.














Driving the boat with grandpa

Shane enjoying his first boat ride

Playing with grandma

Mini Matt

Such a big boy- 2 month pic

A few of Shane's first smiles



















Fourth of July in Minoqua- it really was fun even if Kaylin and Shane don't look that excited!

Kaylin wearing mama's curlers.

Passports

On Saturday we attempted to apply for our passports. Matt already has his, I need mine renewed and we need to get one for Kaylin and Shane. We went to the Germantown Post office and because they are short staffed they were not accepting passports, but we picked up the paperwork and were told to call the Menomonee Falls post office to see if they could process our paperwork. Matt called them and set up an apt at 11:15 am (it was about 10:45) . He was told the only way they could help us was if we had our paperwork filled out and had our pics taken. So, we headed over to Walgreens to get our pics. It was not a very fun experience to say the least. My pic was taken, they laid Shane on a white board and took his- he had to have his eyes open and had to be looking at the camera and then came Kaylin...after 20 min we decided to come back another time. She wouldn't sit still for anything. The pictures have to be absolutely perfect in order to be processed. So, we had to cancel our apt at the post office and will try again soon! I was really hoping to have crossed that off of the list this weekend! If we could have held her it wouldn't have been a problem, but everyone has to be in front of a white background. Oh well!

We had an open house today and had two parties come through. Hopefully one of them liked it enough to write an offer.

While the open house was going on we went to look for a dining room table and then went to the park. I will have to upload the pics and post them later.

We found out that the temporary housing in Amsterdam will have at least 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, living room, washer and drier etc. I am so relieved! I thought it would just be a hotel room.
Hopefully we will have more to post soon!

Relocation Company

We have just been contacted by the relocation company! This is what they are going to help us with:


SIRVA will assist you with the following relocation services:
Assistance in establishing a US checking account with Citibank Global Executive Banking with 2 free wire transfers per month
Providing transportation from the airport to your temporary accommodation or hotel when you arrive
Arranging for your temporary accommodation
Arranging for Homefinding and Settling-In services with a SIRVA Relocation service partner in Amsterdam
Setting up a 2 day cross-cultural orientation program through Berlitz
Setting up your language training program through Berlitz International
Arranging for the shipment of your household goods through one of PwC's preferred freight forwarders



We have also been given a website with additional info which I will be looking at in a bit.



Tentative departure date: October 4 or 5.

Here we go...

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging and I am a little nervous! Story telling is not one of my strong points so I apologize in advance if this becomes boring. :)
My hope for this blog is to keep family and friends updated on our time leading up to our move and our time in Amsterdam. Also, I think it would be great to be able to look back on once we do come home.
Right now we do not have a set move date. I REALLY hope we know soon. I am not a fan of just floating along...I NEED to plan (thanks Mom)! I do know that we will be leaving around October 1 and will spend up to a month in a hotel until we find our new home. Hopefully we find one right away because I really want to settle in as soon as possible.
Our house here is now for sale and we have had a steady flow of people. Everyone is just so darn picky...we KNOW the trim needs to be painted and some of the wood is rotten...use it as a negotiation tool people! We do have someone coming on Tuesday to give us a quote on painting and replacing the wood. So, we may just go ahead and get it painted. With a new baby, a 20 month old and completely up rooting our lives those kind of things have been pushed down on the list.
I find myself getting pretty emotional lately; especially where the parents are concerned. We just spent some time in Minoqua with my parents and Matt's parents and it was so hard to think about them not seeing Kaylin and Shane as often as they do now. Kaylin sure does need to see her Papas! I think that is what is bothering me the most lately. I just bought a little photo album for Kaylin to put pics of family and friends in so she can carry it around and look at it when ever she wants. She had a great time looking at it with out pictures in it so I am sure it will be a big hit once I put some in it. I think I will give it to her once we get on the plane...it should keep her occupied for a while. That is another thing I want to find...things to keep her occupied on the flight. Ideally she will sleep, but I am not going to hold my breath. Any ideas?
The moving company should be contacting us soon to let us know what we can take with us...once again sooner the better so I can plan it all out and start getting what we can't take along ready for storage. They will also provide us with language and cultural classes which we are looking forward to.
Well, that is all for now. I will write more as we get more info.