Queen's Day

The day started wonderfull. My papa put the flag out this morning, I wear my orange trousers, and then we take the bicycles into our town.

We walk the flea market and listen to our neighbour singing sailor's songs. And we listen to a girl singing alone (picture). I get orange candy. And we buy lots of toys. Then it is getting really crowded and we go home again.

But the mood sinks as we switch on the tv to watch the queen: 'koningin jarig': an idiot in a car tried to drive into the queen's bus and there are 4 people dead.

Still, in the afternoon we want to see if the music in the park is going. It is, but is getting cancelled. We are mourning and partying at the same time.

I see a cute baby in the park and walk over to her. The baby laughs at me.

We listen to a man beautifully playing guitar.

Ten Lions reading a book

Lion! I say. There is a picture of a lion on the table. We are eating carrot with rice and meatballs in tomato sauce. I like that, but a Lion!!

Ah, yes! Mama says, that is a lion. ''Reading book' I say. Uuuuh??? Ah yes! mama says. The Lion is reading a book! Well spotted, Ces. We look a bit longer at the bottle. There are many lions on the bottle. I count them. One, two, three, three, three. Four, mama says. Four, I say, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!

Then mama is quiet, and claps her hands! I do the counting trick again and again, I miss a number here or they, but I know I can count. And I know what counting is for.

Small and Big

It is morning and we are having breakfast. I have said that I wanna have breakfast in the sun room, not at our dining table. These days we always dine in the sun room, and now I am so used to it, that I lay the breakfast table there too.

I pick up Mama's fork. 'Big fork' I say. Then I take my own fork. 'Small fork', I say. 'Kleine vorkje'. Big fork, small fork, big fork, small fork.

When the day is over, and I am getting ready for bed, I grab my foot and point to my toe. 'Small toe', I say. Then I point to the other: 'Big toe'. Mama agrees, I think I get the hang of this stuff.

Blue

Mama and I are painting again. Just with our fingers this time. Blue, I call this. Although we have green, red and yellow.

I make beautiful brown paintings, with touches of yellow. I am carefull to only make one finger dirty.

After two paintings I want to walk. 'Wait', mama says. I want a full hand. And she shows me how. Full hand in the paint and then on the paper. I grab mama's hand and press her hand in the paint and on the paper. Over and over again, untill the paper is fully covered. But we have a nice painting of my hand too.

Grandpa plays with me

Grandpa spends the day with us. I like grandpa, because he makes lots of jokes. Here we are riding train.



Later in the day, he teaches me a game, while we are reading a book, the touch book of Niffy. First you touch the soft Niffy with two hands and sort of stroke it a bit. Then you do the same with you own cheeks, you stroke them. And then you press your cheeks and it makes a very funny sound. Nearly like passing wind. I laugh and giggle. And we repeat this ritual for 50 times.

Clip

Hair clips, I like 'm and I don't like 'm. I never leave my clips in, but putting them in is fun! I have finally mastered the art myself. "Clip self do, Kaas clip", I say.

And then I put all five clips in.

The frog came out again

We are looking through old picture and see the picture from a long time ago, where I sat in the frog: http://ceslog.blogspot.com/2007/09/grandpas-bee.html. Where is the frog actually? Papa knows! Somewhere in the unpacked moving boxes.

Back in the old picture I didn't like the frog very much, but now he is right my size!!

Eating yoghurt

I like yoghurt very much, but I don't like it straight after dinner anymore. Mama and papa have tried different types of yoghurt, but for now I prefer to have play time between dinner and yoghurt after dinner. A bit of a run around the back yard.

And then it is 'a bite for me, and a bite for mama'. She eats my leftover yoghurt anyway.

We dine in the sunroom mostly these days.

Mama's boots

Are these mama's boots or papa's? Papa used to have them, and mama just got them back from our holiday home. It is always fun to try on boots.

Simon visits us

Simon phoned: shall I come? Of course!! He comes in the afternoon and stays for dinner. First we play in the back yard. I find it sometimes hard to share my toys, but then we find new ways to share, like the bicycle above. And we share the cuddles from our mama's too!

Pan cakes!!

Remember my first birthday? I did not want to eat my pan cake, back in Dubai.

But this morning mama says: 'Do you smell that, Ces?' Pan cakes! I can barely contain myself. I have to wait ten more minutes until all the dough is used. And then I swallow big chunks.

You know I ate a pan cake with Sterre the other day, but now it is official: I like pan cakes!

Climbing my car

I am still mountain goat. Climbing is so much fun! But if it gets really scary, I make sure mama stands next to me: so she can catch me.

But this one is fine for me on my own.

Reading mama's book

This must be interesting: mama is reading this book all the time. If it is so much fun, I'll try it too. 'Boekje lezen' I say (reading a book).

In the theater for the Toddler Festival

The Toddler Festival is in town! I heard of this a year ago and ever since I wanted to go there. And it was great! The photo is at the start, when we were waiting to get into the auditorium. There was a man with a hand organ playing gay music. As you can see, beatuiful tents were everywhere and toys and music instruments. I was a bit shy between all these people. But I make my own way if I want.

The first show was really good fun: dancers and they played a game with a large puzzle. Only they didn't know how to make it, and all the kids in the audience knew better and yelled so! Then we drank lemonade and a woman read a story. A story about a magic hat. And the lady had lots of hats!

The end was a bit strange. Two man were making music, one man played the sounds of animals. It took very long and many children less strong than I had to leave, but I listened to the end!!

It was a great festival.

sKaas is my name

I have not had a chance yet to tell you that I now know who I am, I can tell you too. My name is Kaas - this is the dutch way of writing. My mama always says: Francesca's cup, Francesca's hair and so on. So, Sca's is my name. But the s to start a word is still hard for me. It sounds as Ca's now or sCa's with a very weak s.

A hot day!

Yeah!! It is warm. I can run around without cloths - but you don't get to see that!

In the picture you see my bath outside. I was very excited about this, and wanted to get in as soon as possible. But when I tried my toe, I got very disappointed: cold water. Brrrr. It was actually not much fun the bath.... Nice try mama!

But we enjoyed ourselves running around the garden anyway!

Eating mango

As you see, a mini-series about me eating fruit. I like fruit, but I like mango best. You know I can eat a whole mango by myself!!

The fun thing is to eat the mango off the pit as I am doing in the picture.

The picture was taking on Easter Monday.

Eating pear

Just trying something different today.... Eating

pear straight off the board!

Easter eggs in the back yard

Saturday we have made these Easter Egg baskets. There is a soft green layer of mos in it, and on top some of the little spring flowers we find in the garden. Sunday I was not feeling well, but today I am in the garden again, and you know what I find? 'Poep' (meaning 'snoep' or sweets)! I eat two in a row and then mama tells me I have to collect the rest in the basket.

It is funny, over the next couple of days I keep finding poep, some of them soft from the sun. I have not really searched the backyard, only taking them as I see them.

Easter dinner at grandma

Simon and Alex are having Easter dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa's place. They say: would you like to come as well? We get Indonesian food in! Of course!

Simon and I play lots of games: balloon bouncing, building with Duplo, cleaning Grandma's cupboards (very necessary!), sitting in the sunroom, train running, fitting the memory cards in the frame - both of us prefer this game over memory itself -, eating and more building while the old fooks have after dinner coffee.

I was not feeling very well this morning, perhaps we were a bit too eager yesterday with taking the coat off. But when Simon is there, I cheer up!

Painting eggs

We have 'blue', this means paint. And we have eggs. And a brush. I paint a bit, but I am not totally convinced it is fun. I have to wear a silly plastic jacket and the paint is hard to use.

But: we have painted eggs!!

Bak ... bak ...eppen ... eppen

Aaah, the good season is coming. We can take our coat off in the garden, the sandpit (zandbak or short 'bak')can be open again.

Papa and mama have recently shovelled (scheppen = 'eppen') a lot, remember the truck with sand? It is in the genes, because I can shovel with this large shovel too. And like doing so!! The larger the tool, the better it is. Small stuff is for kiddies.

I shovel sand in little plant pots. We have lots since Frances and Brian came by. Mama makes tower that I take down.

Grease-paint

Grandpa gave me this grease-paint. He tried to put it on my face, but I don't like people putting things on my head or face: no hair-clips for me, no party hats and certainly no paint.

But putting paint on Papa's face is great! I even put some paint on my own face.

Then we go into town!

Mama and I....

Blocks

Another toy I got last year, from Boaz. It has been a long journey to learn these blocks. First I learnt that I can put small blocks in large blocks. Then I learnt I can pile them into a tower ('booouwe" or 'to built)'. And now I know I best put them in order of size for best fit. I have also known the names of all the animals painted on the blocks.

I think these blocks will be fun for another year. There is counting, organising them in animals, flowers or birds and many more games.

Memory

I have a game called Memory. Mama and I play it sometimes. We turn around a pussycat, a dog and Miffy and then I have to remember where they were.

I am playing memory with my puzzle now.

In this week of new toys I return to some of the toys I got for my first birthday. This puzzle I got from Rokaya then.

Blowing bubbles

I have received so many wonderful toys. I got these bubbles, in fact I got two, one from Amber and one from Gabrielle.

I like the bubbles Papa blows, but I can't - yet. I don't know how to control the blowing. Then I try again, and yes! I can! This is good fun. I blow bubbles and I blow more bubbles.

I also want to hold the tube. This must go wrong, my papa says. And it does, eventually. I bend to prick a bubble on the floor and tip the tube upside down. Never mind, luckily we can make more.

Chick has bib

Every day I have another favourite cuddly animal, or rather I add one to my pile of favourites: it is quite large pile!!

Today Chick has 'come with'. Chick sits with me for breakfast. I tell papa that Chick needs a bib. Then I feed Chick. Cooking and feeding is my favourite play.

Strolling into town for ice cream

Of course I want to try out my new bicycle. When papa and mama suggest we go cycling, I run up, lift my bicylce and carry it to the door. Can't wait to put my shoes on!!

The bicycle comes with a push bar, and that is good, because I find it heavy going. Inside on the wooden floor of our house, I can cycle. But outside is still a bit too much. Which makes it perhaps more exciting: something to learn!

It is a warm Sunday afternoon and there are people everywhere. Some have been shopping and need an ice cream. Some come just for the ice cream. Some other girls on bicycles too. We sit and watch them all while we eat.

Birthday!

Today is my birthday! It is such an exciting day! Papa and mama sing for me in bed and I say 'dootje' (gift) because I know birthdays go with gifts. And you know what waits for me downstairs? A bicycle!











And then Sterre arrives and Gabriella arrives and Simon and Alex arrive, and Amber arrives and Loes and Koen arrive. And all my grandparents and Yara! It is very busy and we eat cake and they sing for me. I get lots of lovely gifts. All the kids play and eat lots untill it is time for afternoon nap. And then I am tired and mama and papa are tired too!!

In the afternoon we take a lazy stroll with my new bike. In the evening we go out for dinner. Just because it is a special day.

Cycling and on the seesaw

I don't see mama coming. I am at day care and I cycle!! Amber is pointing mama's attention to me: 'Look mama from Ces, Ces is cycling!'.

Mama is surprised, I can see that. Perhaps that is good news for tomorrow? What will my present be tomorrow?

Well, I have no idea that tomorrow is my birthday, but mama is smiling about the coincidence with the bicycle.
The last couple of days have been full of beautiful weather and we have played outside a lot. Here you see Timo and I on the seesaw. We had lots of fun until Timo banged his head on the seesaw - luckily not too hard.

Hanging the washing

Here I am in Grandma's bathroom. I have pegged a towel really well.

At home I have my own washing line as well. Mama has shown me that the easiest way is to use the pegs upside down.

There are lots of fun things in our attic at home, where we hang the washing, but we always forget to bring the camera. One day....

A new sandpit

An unusual thing: mama is at home on Wednesday. We have been sleeping in, because we are still jetlagged from the daylight-saving change last weekend. But then, suddenly a large truck arrives at our doorstep. He offloads a huge sandpit!!

I go to day care today and tomorrow I go to grandma. In the meantime the new sandpit gets a little bit smaller and our garden higher..... but slow it goes!