Christmas 2009

We started out Christmas with the traditional present opened on Christmas Eve


The kids all got new pajamas and as you can see, they were overjoyed!


Presents were stuffed under the tree including 4 pairs of ice skates. However, these are extra cool ice skates because they also convert to roller skates and roller blades so they can be worn year round.


The kids opened the present found in their stockings. They each got a new pair of slippers.


Alex as well as all the kids, each got new socks and underwear as part of their gifts. How exciting.


Abby loves her Playmobile things and can always use more.


Isaac (wearing his new hat) got a set of "Creepy Magic".


Hannah loves her new guitar. She has started learning new songs via YouTube. The "Guitar for Dummies" book is on its way.

Here is a video of one of the rounds of present opening:


We had a great morning and then relaxed most of the day. The Higleys joined us for a Ham and Sour Cream Potato dinner and then a few games.

Now....if you are REALLY interested in experiencing the full Christmas morning, here is the slideshow of all pictures. It starts with a dinner at the de Jonge home where we had Christmas Eve dinner with the missionaries as well as a couple other families in the ward.

Snow in Holland...

It is official, winter is here. We are currently experiencing more snow than they have seen in decades here in The Netherlands. Over the last few days 20-25 cm of snow has fallen and people don't know what to do. Everyone is driving too slow, the buses stopped running yesterday and today the metro system was completely messed up. It has been an adventure.

Sinterklaas (Part 2)

Well...Sinterklaas came and went and we all had a very good time. I have explained Sinterklaas previous years but for those that missed it, you can read all about it at the trusty 'ol Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas

We heard the doorbell ring and we all ran to the front door


We found a sack overflowing with presents. However, Sinterklaas came earlier than expected. We had still not eaten our dinner so we brought the gifts inside and placed them in the center of our living room. The kids all suffered as we ate because we informed them that we could not open presents until everyone was done eating.

Finally the time came...


Alex opened the first present and found something that the kids (and myself) always wanted...A Nintendo Wii.

They all got a little excited. Here they are caught in a celebratory hug.

The kids continued to open the gifts and found that there was definitely a theme. We all know that the Wii itself is not enough:

Abby examining the Wii Dance Mat for DanceDance Revolution. We ended up getting 2 of them so now they can have Dance-Offs.

Isaac opening Wii Resort. Though we have several games...so far the kids have only played this one. There is soooo much to do it keeps them (and me) busy. Great game!

Hannah with one of two guitars for Guitar Hero 5. We finally just tried this yesterday and it is very difficult. I have played a couple times with my brother Shawn but I have a long way to go. I think I played at 17%.
The kids got VERY excited while playing the Wii Sports Resort Canoeing game.

Well, one holiday down, 2 more Christmas days (the celebrate the 25th AND the 26th) and a New Years eve to go. December is a very exciting month.

Sinterklaas

Every year on the 5th of December the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas. This includes making 'suprises' for other people with a poem attached. This is something that Isaac and I cooked up for a girl in his class (it's a lot like secret santa where you are assigned someone to give to) who really likes dogs.

There is a lot of paper mache action going on here. And it has taken us about 3 days off and on to get it done but I think it has turned out pretty well.

If you pull on the tail, then it opens up and the real present is on the inside. Usually, the surprise is sealed on the outside and you have to break it to get to the good stuff, but we decided to do it this way for the sake of the poem that goes with it. By the way, we wrote the poem without any outside help with the exception of a little help from Abby and some proof reading from Hannah.

Here is the poem:

Sinterklaas is gekommen
op een koude nacht,
en hij geeft je een hond
zo dat je lacht.

Hij heeft 4 witte pootjes
en een witte neus
met 2 flodderige oren
en een bruine vlek rond zijn oog.

Dit puppy is lief
maar heeft een vervelende gewoonte,
hij wil alles op eten
dat hij heeft gevonden.

Het spijt me heel erg
dat je cadeautje is verloren,
want ik heb het op een stoel
achternagelaten.

Wij moeten het redden,
van zijn start op te trekken.

Wij vieren met soepen
toen hij het cadeautje uitpoepen.

Rough translation:
Sinterklaas has come on a cold night and given you a dog so that you smile.
He has 4 white paws and one white nose with 2 floppy ears and a brown spot round his eye.
This puppy is sweet but has one annoying habit, he wants to eat everything that he has found.
I am really sorry that your gift is lost, but I left it behind on a chair.
We must save the gift by pulling on his tail.
We will celebrate with soup when he poops out the gift.

It sounds way better in Dutch but we all thought it was pretty funny anyway.

We will be enjoying the evening with gifts and treats. Maybe someday we will learn all the songs that you are supposed to sing too, but for now we will stick with this. Hope everyone has a great Sinterklaas feestje!