Belly dance show

The Belly Dance show is here again! Party time! Karen is dancing again, with lots of dresses.

Afterwards there is an Egyptian music band and we all dance too. And I dance with Karen's sister.

And then we eat pizza and ice cream!

Cooking split peas

This is my kitchen table, with pots and pans and in them my split peas.

I cook them and toss them from one pot into another pan. Sometimes I miss, and some of them fall on the ground. So be it. Mama will clean it.

Picknick in the snow

And there it is again!! More snow! We have been to the market to buy vegetables, and have cycled home. But we don't want to go inside yet with such beautiful weather and we eat our cookie on the picknick rug.

Eating through the middle

Just eating is no fun. I think of games all the time. Now I am eating my sandwich straight through the middle. The fresh cheese smears all over my face, but fun it is!

Chicken legs

I am not a big meat eater, but eating bones out of the hands is fun!

Having fun with Grandpa

It is about the time that mama comes back from work. I have been a day at Grandma and Grandpa. A nice sporty play with the bal.

A little boat

Mama says she has to go to a little boat. Pick up some things. I don't question this, although why mama has a boat to visit?

The lake is not frozen, this lake never is. The geese have taken over the land and the restaurant is closed. Just the birds and ducks.

We take the sledge to carry the things over the snow. And then mama helps me climb on board. The boat rolls! The big boat in Switzerland was too big to roll this much. We eat a raisin bun and pick up the things.

I find it very exciting to be on a boat. I don't want to leave. But mama says we will come back in Summer. I hope so. But we go to grandma and grandpa, I like that too.

(this is a little boat from mama's work, the fire extinguishers need checking).

Snow again

Snow again! The winter continues and continues. But it is not a lot of snow, after a few rides I enjoy running up and down the slope best. Yeah! Get that energy out! Come on, mama, you run too!

A day with Simon

Simon's mama is very busy packing for their holiday. Simon is much better off playing with me! It is fun. And then we go shopping. Mama pulls out this wagon, I hadn't seen it before. The picknick draping inside and off we go. Simon and I babble, while mama works hard pulling!

I think Simon is missing his mama a little bit, but then they are finished packing, and we are all eating pasta at our house.

Remember

We are ordering pizza's. While browsing the menus, mama writes notes for me: a paper with 'Mama', a paper with 'Papa', a paper with 'Grandma' and a paper with 'Frank', and so on.

Then it is my turn to write.

PC Hooft

Look at us here! Isn't this fancy, in the most expensive street of the Netherlands we drink a free cup of coffee! Grandma wants us to buy new coffee, and we drink the complimentary cup.

The most exciting part was that we take the subway and the tram to get into town. Tickets for all of them. The new type!

Then mama needs new shoes, it is discount time, so we browse a couple of more shops. En then it is time for beer and fries, the irish way.

And then we have had enough of the big lights!!

Swim suit

My mama has been in town while I slept. She says: "Look what I bought for you, Ces! A swim suit. " That is exciting: would we soon be going to a little beach?

I'll try it on immediately. The pants is easy, but the straps are confusing. My papa is also confused by them. Only mama seems to be able to get me in straight.

Coloring my mill

A rainy day is good for a visit to my wind mill. We haven't been there for a long time, and my papa hasn't been there at all yet. It is an excercise in stair climbing. They are steep and one has to descend backwards. A new trick for me. The mill is impressive with all the wooden beams.

In the shop below I get a drawing of the mill. At home I immediately get onto the task of coloring it in. I have learnt that in day care, my mama had not seen me doing that.

Breakfast in bed

Sometimes Papa brings us tea in bed. A lazy start! I like tea, but I am hungry too, so he brings a toasted sandwich with butter to go with the tea. Hmmm, yummy! I like this routine. The next day I ask for it too! And papa went away for work to his boat, and when he came back, I remembered this and asked for the toast.

But today I have a better idea: 'I make toast, papa and mama!' I say. 'You wait in bed!'. Papa actually has to open the gate protecting the stair case down, but then, off I go. I usually don't walk alone on the stair case, but now I will.

I am rummaging around, papa comes down to help getting started. Then I send him back up. Later mama sneaks down to look. And then we both walk up together and bring all our tea and toast to bed and enjoy!

Ice skating is more fun with others

On this Thursday morning after my music lessons, the pond is all quiet. And it is the most beautiful morning with the sun out.

Finally I am allowed to skate into the inner circle. Last time this is where the big boys were playing ice hockey. I was not allowed to disturb there play before.

But it is boring here without the other kids. I want to go home. Cutting down some bush wood.

A bib for mama

Mama needs to wear a bib. I'll help her.

Ice skating

Yeah!! Finally we can stand on the ice! It has been cold for a long time, but not cold enough. And then the snow: it ruins the ice! But now it is strong enough on the little pond near my house, and the boys have cleaned the snow off. Mama has taken the afternoon off work and Papa has bought new ice skates for me yesterday, so this is really exciting. The ice skates have double irons, so it is easier to stand up, and they have ties to wrap around my snow shoes.

At first mama helps me, and I lean into her arms, like skiing. No, mama says, this time you have to move your feet. Try it!

With ever second step I lend on my bum, but after a while I get the hang of it.

Snow man

Papa and I have made a snow man.

Hanging the laundry

In the winter we hang our laundry on the line in the top floor, right under the roof. Today papa and I are hanging the laundry, mama is doing things on the floor below. I like hanging the laundry. Papa's room and mama's room are there too, and there are lots of things in those rooms. The box of mama's camera I detect. 'Mama, mama! Your box!'.

More snow on Alex's birthday

Alex's birthday today! I am very excited, as I am for every birthday party. The wrapping up of the parcel is already a good warming up. And then to give the parcel with the known gift!!!

Today the wind has calmed down, and the snow is falling calmly too. So, I am eating cake and snowing with my sledge. We even go with all the kids from the party to whoosh down Simon's hill.

There were some kids I haven't seen yet, but I liked playing with them: Felix and Nena. Perhaps I'll see them some other birthday party again? Roos wasn't there: she is about to get a little brother or sister.

Sliding down our 'hill'

Fresh snow! Let's re-live the holiday and glide down a hill. The pole wind also glides, he comes gliding over the river Rhine and blows in our face. But we are prepared and have fun.

I like things like grown-ups do. So I pull the sleigh up the hill. I am strong!!

Cowboy me

Cowboys are still a main interest to me. If anybody wears some kind of head gear, I point out to mama: cowboy. I have found cowboys at the bakery, on the ski field, in the restaurant. I tell you: they are everywhere!

My beautiful party hat is also a cowboy hat. And I have my own horse. I have seen a picture of a horse standing on hind legs: the rider didn't fall off. I am playing that I am rolling off my horse. Yeee - aaaah!!!

Sowing seeds

Today being outside is no fun: snow, cold and a polar wind. But we can feel spring coming about. Better be prepared! Mama and I are sowing seeds so that when spring comes along we have some plants to put in our garden.

I like making a mess. I am also surprised to see little plants two days later.

Cutting and shredding

Whereever I am, I create my hobby table: lots of papers to cut and shred. I love doing that, and I re-cut and re-cut until we have tiny shreds. I can be very concentrated with that, and my cutting skills keep improving.

Then they suddenly disappear overnight. But the larger papers just stay.

Play acting

Recently I have started to like play-acting. I tell myself stories of what I am doing, and I am doing it.

Here I give the rooster his necklace, while I am wearing my 'coat'. The necklace is a metal wire with soft wool around it. I am sure the rooster likes it: he is very patient.

The rooster was Simon's present for mama's birthday. Isn't it great?!

Brushing teeth

Going to bed is a little routine. I go up with mama or papa. I get new diapers, put on my pyjama. 'And now?', mama asks? 'Yell for papa!', I say. I run to the fence at the top of the staircase and I yell: 'Papa!! Brushing teeth!!". Or I yell for mama, if papa is already up.

And then we all brush teeth and read my book. Then it is time to sleep in my bed. But with this routine, I got used to that idea for a while.

Talking talking

We are sitting after dinner, I potter around and talk.

'Buy a ticket for mama, it rains, we get wet! I have to wear a hat! Look mama, here is your ticket. And a ticket for papa. Oooh-ooh.

Down falls my building of tickets....

(this was during my holiday)

Mama sings

We're just back and we slippery-slide to a little village, just outside my town. There my mama is going to sing, with lots of other ladies and men. I didn't know my mama could sing like this! With papa I sit upstairs in the audience. I tell my papa: Not talking! And I wriggle in silence.

It is fun, but after a while I want to go home. But after my sleep I come back to dine with the people.

Cool with tears of sorrow

Going home is sad, this is the cool way to hide tears.

Holiday on ski's

Hello everybody! I am back from my holiday. I like holidays! This morning I said: "Don't wanna go home, want to stay in holiday house." Mama said that she felt the same, but that was just it, we had to leave. Hmmm, not sure if I agree.

You know what I have done in holiday? I have skied!! First mama and papa thought that playing with the sledge would be fun enough. But I saw all the other kids skiing with their mama's and papa's or in classes where they were wearing bibs (so that the teacher would find them back). And when I saw them, I knew that was what I wanted too! 'Papa, also!', I said, meaning that I too wanted to do that. So, the second day I got my own rental boots, ski's and helmet (the best!!) and full of pride I went up with papa in the hoist. And down we sailed, me between papa's legs. Finally, after a couple of these rides, mama had her ski's on as well, and I was ready to ski on my own, as I told them. 'Hands on the knees!', mama said. And indeed, it made me go. Wow!!! I skied from papa to mama to papa to mama. Fast I went! If just for a short stretch at the time, or else I would have canonballed down!!


But after four of five of these rides I was tired. Then the play house and the seesaw were fun, or just rolling about in the show. But the next day, I could ski longer, and the day after also longer. We had lovely days with snow and just one day were it all melted. I have enjoyed skiing so much, but next year I will learn to break, so that the cannon ball may slow down.

The one day were we couldn't ski, was exciting too! We went to take a boat ride. I know that my papa works on a boat, and I have sailed the little ferry behind our house. But this was something different: a big boat. And we had to buy a ticket for it. Ever since mama and I tried to take the train and had to take a bus instead, I have been talking about the ticket. So, the fact that we had to buy a ticket for the boat was great. The boat ride itself was also fun, and the rolling of the boat just added to the fun.