Captured!

We captured this snapshot last night while on Skype:
  Little Lauren Joy has surely captured our hearts.

 May the Lord bless this little one in our family! 

A NEW DAY...

THIS I CALL TO MIND AND THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE:
BECAUSE OF THE LORD'S GREAT LOVE WE ARE NOT CONSUMED, FOR HIS COMPASSIONS NEVER FAIL.
THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING; GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS.
I SAY TO MYSELF, "THE LORD IS MY PORTION; THEREFORE I WILL WAIT FOR HIM."
THE LORD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HOPE IS IN HIM, TO THE ONE WHO SEEKS HIM; IT IS GOOD TO WAIT QUIETLY FOR THE SALVATION OF THE LORD.
     ~ LAMENTATIONS 3: 21-26

Blessed New Year, Everyone!

Tradition...

By now all of my kids have received their packages, or there's a notice in their mailbox to go pick up a box at the post office....Sinterklaas has sent a lot of goodies this year! Although a couple of years did get missed, this has been a tradition that started when the kids were young - a tradition of little gifts and chocolate letters and special baked goods on December 5. Ok - missed several years in between, but I did at least try to bake special Dutch recipes around December 5.
Anyhow, it started in real earnest again when David was in college. Redeemer College had a program whereby parents could send care packages during exam time. We decided that Saint Nick needed to get into the action instead!
Dutch tradition has Saint Nicolas coming around to homes to give presents and pepernoten and marzipein and other goodies on December 5 - often leaving gifts in shoes during the night. It's a very exciting time for all, as there is not usually any gift-giving on the 25th.
I think it's fun, too, and upon reading up on the particular customs, I found that disguising gifts and making up rhymes is part of the fun, too! We have done well in disguising gifts in the past...!
Today, I was on Skype as the Dartmouth crew opened their box - it was fun to watch Maria's and Nicole's excitement as they took everything out. Jingle-bells for the tree, hagelslag, chocolate letters and taai-taai to eat!
And to bring tradition around again - David did mention the other day that they were wondering if Sinterklaas was going to remember them this year...
Enjoy! Hope your season is a little brighter because of this special tradition!

Thanks for Family

Thanksgiving saw David and Stephanie and Anneke join us for the weekend, and on the Saturday, Stevin and Katrina, Naomi, Petra, Rachel and Elijah joined us too. Although we wanted to try climbing Blue Mountain, the children are too young yet for the long hike, and so we walked down to the lake instead, where Naomi tried to put her feet in the water.

 Anneke discovered that the piano keys make really nice sounds...

 On the Sunday, we had dinner with Laurisse and Gwenda, Mark and Tanya, and the children, and Dad and Mom G., at Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Gwenda and Tanya have the pictures to prove that their kids were in the water! The 13kg turkey was cooked under a can with barbecue brickets - and it took only 2 hours and a bit to cook! We also got a hike in on one of the trails and only turned around because it got rather difficult to push the stroller over the rough terrain. The boardwalk was the easy part!

 What's a grandmother to do without a baby on the table?!

 This weekend we were blessed to celebrate Maria's 3rd birthday with her - in Ontario! Emily and the girls are staying at Emily's parents for a couple of weeks, but hope to be here next weekend. After the birthday party at the Schuler's, Maria and Nicole came home with us for a sleepover - letting Mommy (and Grandma!) have a break. Of course, all the toys are out on the floor and going up the stairs. I love this pose of Nicole - a little lady in the making while she plays with our old Fisher Price farm set! You can't really see it, but her right ankle is tucked under her left knee...

 We took advantage of a sunny break and went outside to play in the leaves. Lots of fun! Leaves were raked into a big pile and we threw them around and played hide and seek and pretended we were in a comfy bed.

I'm so glad for opportunities to enjoy my grandchildren. And I'm so thankful that they are being taught how to love the Lord. I was especially blessed this morning to watch and listen as Maria sang with us in church - no words, just a joyful lifting up of her voice. Today's message was about parenting and one of the songs was "Parents, tell your children" - very fitting with Maria's musical contribution! Thankyou, Lord, and thanks to my children for teaching my grandchildren!

an attitude of gratitude...

Between our family Thanksgiving meal and dessert last weekend, we made a long list of things to be thankful for:
chairs
Elijah
God
Jesus
able to walk
flowers
apples and applesauce
Abby (the dog)
sunshine
daughters
nephew!
Opa
40th anniversary
Oma's dinner
family
children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren
clothes
chaise
warm house
shuffel board
outdoors
birds
work
school
school bus
ponytails
food
hugs
Oma
kiss
beds
Mom
Dad
whipped cream
ice cream
sisters, brothers
cousins
fridge
table
blankets
rain
snow
musems
boat
toys
ice
hockey
aunts and uncles
Grandpa and Grandma
music
bodies

Thankyou, Lord, for giving us life!

Ends and Beginnings

Summer season's end brings many activities: this year, we made salsa and tomato sauce. And we discovered that honey bees had moved into the empty hives out back, and we were able to take about 20 pounds of honey off. Rachel loves honey....and enjoyed watching the honey come through the extractor and then sampling it!

September is also Anneke's special month: we celebrated her 1st birthday this weekend in Barrie. She is one happy little girl who got "spoiled" with lots of presents - and all of them she is ready for: puzzles and books and a riding truck and clothes.

May God bless the growth of our little ones! We love them all so much!

A Grand-Boy!!

 Opa and Oma welcome their first grand-boy! Elijah John was born this morning to Stevin and Katrina, and is baby brother to Naomi, Petra and Rachel. Oh, how precious!

"F" is for Family, Friends, Flowers, Food, Fun and Forty!!

August 7, 1971: A new beginning -

August 6, 2011: Forty years later, the yard and gardens were ready to show off -

 The children arrived to pull their plans together, and our youngest son surprised us with his arrival!! Yes, I cried.

 The tables were laden with food and yummy desserts -

Other family members and friends came to join the celebration -

Children added their fun and frolic -

and lastly - the wedding party (sans the flower girl) -

Really, we haven't changed - much....?

We had a lovely evening with family and friends; the weather stayed warm and dry; and the BBQ with salads and cupcakes was delicious!

Thankyou to our very special children who pulled this all together, and thankyou to everyone who added their special presence to our special day. Love you all!

Colour in My Garden

                         

Special People

My aunts came to visit a couple of weeks ago: Tante Netty was in Canada for a few short weeks, and during her last week, stayed here for a few days so she could visit Mom. My cousin, Mary Lynn, drove "the old ladies": T. Netty, T. Ans, and friend, Thea - here on the Sunday and they all saw where Mom lives before they came here for lunch. Of course, the camera was always near, and we got this lovely shot of the three sisters:

 It was a privilege to have Mary Lynn in MY kitchen for a change! I'm usually the one trying to help out in the farm kitchen! Unfortunately the flash was not on, and so this photo is on the dark side.

On Wednesday, it was time to return Tante Netty to the farm, but we had a little coffee break on the way, and she and Great-Grandma were presented with lovely pictures painted by these girls:

Naomi wanted to mark the occasion with photos of her own, so she pulled the planters to the front of the garage door and became a photographer.

In this last photo, she's playing photographer's clown while Petra has a turn with the camera!

All in all, special people during a special week making special memories! Love it!