Growing Up!

We

It's offical, my baby won't be a baby much longer. Johnny is making the transition into his "Big Boy Bed." A friend had an extra toddler bed. So, we moved it in this weekend! Johnny thinks he's just about the coolest thing in Western Europe! We'll see how this transition goes! Climbing in and out of the crib was starting to seem a bit dangerous.

I can't believe in a month my baby will be two and my oldest will go to school five days a week! Time flies....so I'll continue enjoying it with them!

Curtis's First Sleepover

Above, Taylor getting her hair washed. Below, Curtis thinking it's the FUNNIEST thing ever!
Below: Curtis and Taylor trying to go to sleep in bed #2, Out of 4 for the night!

This weekend Curtis had his first offical sleepover. His friend's parents went out to dinner and we decided to keep her for the night. I forgot how much fun and how COOL it use to be to have sleepovers. The kids had dinner, played, took baths, watched a movie, ate candy, whispered, and stayed up WAY TOO LATE! After four bed changes, 7 potty breaks, a glass of water, and two "I'm Scared's" the little buggers fell asleep. After a pot of coffee between Erik and I this morning, we have recovered as well!

My Little Ladies Man

Today, I was biking home from a friends house with Curtis on the back baby-seat, and Johnny on my handle bars, on the front baby-seat. When I am biking, Curtis is always helpful with the hand signals, or telling me if the light is green or red at an intersection. So, as we are biking, he keeps saying something. I can't hear him because it's too windy. So, I turn my ear, and as we pass some woman, he yells, " Hey SWEETIE PIE!" -to her! I'm dying, that he's been yelling this to people. So, I tell him that's not appropiate to yell that at people. He's ok with that and seems to understand.

As I keep biking, he starts yelling again. This time as we pass a woman and a man holding hands, he yells "Hey Honey Pie!" I told him to quit yelling and he said, "You told me not to say Sweetie Pie, so I didn't!" Totally thinking that he is innocent!

The more I think of it, I'm trying to figure out where he would learn something like that! I'm pretty sure it's Uncle Kyle teaching him bad habits! But, Big Johnny crossed my mind too! Since he NEVER made a comment about a pretty girl during his visit! (: In either case, We miss BOTH of you!

Save You a Trip!

I thought I'd write this blog to all the mom's and dad's out there with young children. If you were JUST thinking about running out to ALDI to get "cheap" diapers.....I"ll save you the trip! Erik came home last night, smiliing like crazy, with a huge pack of Aldi diapers. He was saying, "Look at all the cool ducks on these diapers Johnny, want to put them on?" (In his "You Have a Present to Open" voice)

A nap later, and I don't want to be that person who says, "I told you so," to Erik. But, I guess I'll buck down and do it! "I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They leak!"

And if that wasn't enough to get you to put your car keys back and keep you from going to Aldi, here's the cheery on top- Their coffee tastes like mud! Who would have thought?

With that said, I DO appreciate my husband getting the grocery's and it is SO kind of him to shop for us. Not bad to only have two complaints for a $100.00 grocery bill! (:

Doctor Part II

In Holland, they don't prescribe antibiotics easily. They do a lot of "Herbal" treatments. Today, I was NOT in the mood to mess around with any "Herbal" treatments. If the doctor wanted to try an "herbal" treatment with Curtis, then I was going to tell him there is no better "NATURAL WAY" to treat my kid, than switch places with him. He could see what it is really like in the middle of the night...all night long! And I'd go to his house to sleep!

So, I called the doctor and told him about Curtis and that I was just in the office a day and a half ago. He told me it's not normal to do this in Holland, but he would just call in a prescription for me to the "Chemist". (Pharmacist) I think he could tell that I might literally turn into that "Crazy American" if he didn't offer some drugs! So, hopefully in a few nights, we'll be sleeping again at night!

Doctor

When my parents were here, Johnny started getting really crabby. He developed a terrible cold. Since then, we have had many sleepless nights. He won't stop coughing and medicine isn't working. So, yesterday, I took him into the International Medical Center. Our regular doctor is on a three week holiday and my friends doctor is on a four week one. (Can you imagine that happening in the US!) So, someone suggested this center to me.

It was quite the ordeal going to the doctor here. First of all, I had to drive there. Now, I am getting much better at driving- if you don't get car sick from the consant jerking of the stick shift. My friend has a TomTom It's a satalite operated computer that sits on my dashboard. I tell it where I want to go, and a lady gives me directions the whole way there! It's definitally something I'm going to have to purchase, as it's been a LIFESAVER!

Anyways, I'm a bit nervous driving to the doctor. The lady tells me to turn left, and Curtis repeats it from the back seat. He does this over and over,in case I didn't hear EVERY command she gave me. Driving down the tram tracks (train tracks) on the middle of the road is another story. It's going ok- but get's me nervous every time. My friend told me, when the train beeps at her to get out of the way, she just honks right back at them, and goes on with her business. I'm not quite as daring.

I decided to bring Vanessa, who is a good friend of mine, that also nanny's for us a few times a week. I knew with a new experience in Holland, I might need back-up. Anyways, we get to this house. It looks like a normal apartment/house. It does have a very small sign outside of it. I can't open the door. So, I ring the door bell. Nothing happens. Vanessa tells me to ring it again, and then I do it again. Finally, I get out my cell phone, wondering what I've gotten myself into. I call the doctor, and as I do, the front door opens. His wife/receptionist answers the door and tells me to come in and go upstairs of their house and wait for her. She needs to finish her lunch and tea. (In my head, I'm dying. Could you imagine your doctor in the US telling you to wait, while they finish their tea at 2:30 in the afternoon!)

So, we climb up the STEEPEST steps ever, that aren't carpeted, and very narrow. If I hear the words- "NO, I DO IT!" one more time at this point, I might go mentally insane! I'm pretty sure one of the kids is going to tumble down the stairs and end up in the hospital. Again, thank goodness Vanessa was with me to walk behind one of them.

Upstairs was a small bedroom that was made into a reception area. They had a few puzzles and some coloring for the kids to do. I always come prepared- but not prepared enough for us to be called back an hour later. (They must have drank a gallon of tea!) Imagine my kids in a small bedroom in someone's house, with the wife sitting at a big desk that takes up half the room, for an hour. Again- thank goodness for Vanessa.

We FINALLY get called back to a bedroom that has been transformed into an exam room. One half of the room is the doctors desk, and the other half is the exam table. I chose this clinic because they specialize in helping expats (English Speaking people living here). The doctor starts talking to us, and I can only pick up a few words of his in every sentence. I'm dying, thinking -this THIS IS GOOD ENGLISH! His accent is SO thick. I am having to concetrate SO hard. Only problem is it's hard to concentrate, while my kids are going behind his desk, climbing on the exam table, emptying out a lego container on the ground, ect. Again, thank goodness for Vanessa.

The doctor is very friendly and great with the kids, if only I could understand what the heck he keeps saying. Finally, after another 45 minutes, I leave. With Vanessa's help, I know that Johnny has bronchitis. We drive back, and for some reason, I'm physically exhausted and so is Vanessa. I'm not sure if it is from the 3 hour adventure, the wait, the driving, a two year old ("I DO IT"), or the transulating that made us so tired. I got home and THANK GOODNESS for Vanessa again- she stayed with the kids while I ordered pizza for dinner and ran to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions...or "recipes" as they call them!

One would think, life would get much better now. I might be able to sleep at night again! WRONG! They gave Johnny a prescription that made his SUPER wild and hyper. (Like he needed any help in the "energy" department!) He was being funny and crazy- but come 3 am when he still wouldn't go to bed for the night, it wasn't so cute anymore. He even went the whole next day without taking a nap- which is rare for him. It was like he was on high gear for over 24 hours! He would crawl in and out of his crib, and open the shades and yell, "Good MORNING!"

Finally he crashed last night at about 7pm and slept for 13 hours! If I could only get Curtis to stop coughing all night long now!



**** By the way, this website is only in Dutch at our house. I can't do spell check or anything, because it's only set up for Dutch. So, excuse my spelling and grammer mistakes in all my blogs.

Pretty, Pretty Princess!

The boys LOVE to go to their friend Emma and Cullum's house from Scottland and dress up like a "Pretty, Pretty Princess!"