1 year

As of October4 we have been in Amsterdam for 1 year! 1 year. Really? I can't believe it. Matt and I have been talking a lot about how fast this past year has gone. Bitter sweet is probably the best word to describe it. We have so much traveling we want to accomplish before we move back. It is just so easy to do here and it is so easy to find dirt cheap flights around Europe.

I feel like there is a lot more to say, but am having a hard time finding the words. This year has just been such a great growing period for us individually, as a couple and as a family. So much has become natural to us; walking everywhere, taking our own bags to the grocery store, going to the grocery store every other day, continually meeting people from other countries, having the bike be our main source of transportation, finding it completely normal when the babysitter arrives 5 minutes late and breathlessly says, " Sorry, I am late! I was riding against the wind! " The list goes on...

It has been a great year!

It is about time that I update on how the kids are growing, too fast, I must admit.

Kaylin is almost 3 going on 10. She is potty trained during the day! We have not attempted trying at night, but will soon. It is SO true that when they are ready they will go. We had tried off and on for a little bit, but it just didn't seem like she really got it. Then one day my friend brought back our bumbo seat that she had borrowed. Kaylin thought it was a potty chair and took off her pants and diaper and sat down. I told her that it wasn't a potty and showed her where her chair was. I put her undies on and since then she has been going on the potty! A couple of accidents at first, but other than that pretty painless! :) And since I finally have a handle on the laundery in our unbelievably SMALL machine and am down to one kid full time in diapers we are back to cloth! Yeah! I also have a friend here who uses them so she told me where the store is for diaper cream etc which has been great! :)

The things that come out of her mouth astound us. Her most common saying lately is, "I see you doing it that is why I want to do it." Referring to ANYTHING Matt or I are doing. She still loves crafts and cooking and DANCING. She LOVES to dance!! We hope to get her in a dance class in the next month or so. The first week of November she will be going to school 2 days a week for 4 hours a time. She understands a bit of Dutch, probably more than I think and often says "Nee" which is dutch for "No." She says it with out even thinking.

Shane is such a sweet little boy and also loves to snuggle. There isn't anything that Kaylin does that he doesn't want to do. He refuses to sit in any type of high chair or booster chair because his big sister is not sitting in one. He SOBS if we try to put him anywhere other than next to Kaylin. Same goes for the bathtub. He is so upset if Kaylin doesn't take a bath with him. He won't even sit down. I think he is going to have the hardest time when Kaylin starst school! Getting a bib on him has also been a bit of a struggle lately...maybe if Kaylin wears one we'll have more luck! He runs, climbs and has really started talking. He says, Mama, dada, bye bye, car, puppy, people, bike, he says Tia for Kaylin, bear, hi, papa, climb, drive, no (with a scrunched up face and cute little shake of the head), cow . I am sure there are a couple of more...he tries to copy everything we say. He also loves to color, paint and cook. He loves animals and he and Kaylin like to pretend to be them. His lion roar is so cute.

We certainly are blessed and couldn't love these two more!

Matt has been working in Belgium a few days each week. We think it is the best case senerio, he is most likely the closest he will be, but doesn't have to be gone weeks at a time.

I have been knitting like a crazy women and will post a few picks later. So relaxing for me after the kids go to bed and when they are playing nicely! A few minutes here and there! :)

Our latest creation...watermelon cookies!