Chocolate milk is my new favourite drink. And I want it from the new coffee cup that arrived in mama's boxes. It looks grown up. Papa and mama are wondering how I know what the saucer is for.
Chocolate milk always shows on the face. I won't be able to hide what I have been drinking, will I?
For the first time since I've taken ill, I am going outdoors. Mama, who has been away to sing, says it is lovely weather, and I have healed enough to be able to get a fresh nose.
We will walk a little bit: just TO the bridge, not over it. But in the river before our house we see a boat. A jolly boat with coloured flags and a steam pipe. It is just a boat like Sinterklaas could take!! Sinterklaas has arrived in our country from Spain: it was on the television yesterday. Will this be the boat that he comes to my town in, next week?
Mama and I are telling the colours of the flags: red, yellow, blue. I know quite a few names of colours now, but sometimes I am confused about which colours belong to which names. It is difficult and I have been trying to learn this for a couple of months already.
Then we walk on, to the bridge, not over it. I am disappointed, because I wanted to walk to Gabrielle, just like the last time. But it is too late and far, mama says. We take a circle tour and walk by my wind mill. Sniff, sniff, mmm, that smells yummy: Indonesian food is being cooked in the restaurant below the mill. Why not eat there, papa says! Yes!! that is a good idea. And so, what started as a little walk, ends in a lovely meal. Easy evening and a celebration of my recuperation.
I am ill with the chicken-pox, so I can't go outside today. I don't feel bad, nor do the spots itch too much. But still.
So that I still have some autumn, mama brings me some autumn leaves from our plane-tree. They are huge. We have learnt a leave song with music lessons: 'beautiful leaves, red and yellow, beautiful leaves, they are so many!' While you sing it, you have leaves on your hand, at the end you blow with your mouth, so that the leaves fly away. The lady says this exercises the breathing and strengthens the mouth muscles. Us kids just find it fun to collect the leaves.
Mama is working in the garden. 'Mama! I am coming to help you with my shovel!'.
First we are digging in the hedgehog house, it needs to be burried under the leaves, behind the bushes. We are crawling on our knees to it. We have a little plate with food to tempt the hedgehog. But how will we ever know if the hedgehog has slept the winter with us?
Then we are going to rake leaves, and so many, we may as well take a jolly ride in the wheel barrow.
Faster mama! I yell.
Mama is going with Karen, but first we take a walk through the forest around Soesterberg. It is exciting, because there are lots of fungi and we even see a red one with white dots. "On a large toadstool, red with white dots, sat robin Thinnylegs, rocking back and from. " is my favourite song, because I can tumble when robin Thinnylegs tumbles off the toad stool!
Then mama goes with Karen.... while papa takes me to the Zoo!! First I get a pancake with so much candy that I can't eat the pancake!
It gives me a good base, for a long hike through the zoo: past the tiger, the lion that yawns, and searching for the rhinoceros. We also see a sailing monkey!
When we meet mama and Karen again, we are tired and they are well rested from the sauna. Time for another pancake - but no candy this time!!
It has been such a fun day, weeks later I still say: mama go with Karen, Casa with papa.
I am now two and a half and when I turn four, I will go to school. Today we are going to take a look at the school in my street. The school is about 1 km away, on my side of the street, so I will only have to cross the side roads. The school is called De Windroos. We look around the school and it looks very inviting. I like all the toys I see in the school: can I stay for a lesson?
During dinner I like thinking of playing games. Mama and papa have undivided attention - if they are not talking with each other: 'mama and papa talking'.
Now I am playing with my napkin, and suddenly look like a different person!
I am intrigued with the writing. I understand now that with letters I can read and write. I like reading newspapers and magazines with mama. And while we read, we pick out the o's. I know what the o looks like.
Now I am sitting with my papa and we are writing notes: he writes Francesca, because I ask him. And I write mama and papa back. It is still hard to write, but I do my best to make the smallest wriggly lines.
O-ooh! I tried to play with the red lentils, but they fell! O-ooh! Mama lets me play for a little bit with them while they were spread out on the floor, but in the end we will have to clean it up, unavoidable! I am mama's great little helper!
We continue partying in the afternoon. My grandpa turns 5 and then seventy, but what that means?? I have never heard of that number.
But he celebrates it in fashion again and while outside the winter starts in whoops of rain and wind, we sit on top of a hill overlooking the river Rhine and drink our high-tea. Lots of great chocolate cakes and I can eat as much as I want.
Grandpa also has a gift for all us grandchildren: a horse to run around with. Yeah!
There is also a little dog. In the beginning I think he is big, and I am a bit afraid. But later I just think he is fun!
Simon turns three! Mama and I have wrapped the packages together yesterday. I know what Simon is getting and I like it! First I want to sing for Simon. But Simon doesn't like us singing!! That is strange? We quickly sing anyway.
Simon got a little house, that is fun! The house topples easily, so sometimes we roll with the tent. I like closing and opening the door best.
Later we play with Rose in the backyard, eat pancakes with blue berries and we write mama on a piece of paper.
While Alex doesn't want to sleep and sits on my papa's knee.
My papa comes home again! We pick him up from the airport. We are too early to see the plane landing: they haven't opened the viewing platform yet. So we wait downstairs, where the men stand on the boxes, as I point out to mama.
On the way out we see a field full of balls. Only the door is locked, I can't get in. That is a pity...
Mama has decided that pathways in the garden are fun and a way to handle the wilderness. I like helping mama in the garden: we shovel with one spade together, and we collect the bricks together with the wheel barrow, I am in and mama pushes. Run, run, mama! I shout. We unload the bricks together. And then I give them to mama, who is on her knees making the pathway. The bricks are heavy, the short distance is just fine for me.
When the path is finished, we walk them in circles. I like little pathes very much.
These are my friends from day care, only Gabrielle you don't see. They are called Amber and Timo. Together with Gabrielle, we often play together.
This is my swing. It was here when we first moved into the house. It hangs on the path way to the bike shed. I like the swing, but it was always so high, that I needed mama or papa to get on it.
Now mama has bought a new rope and the swing is lower. I can get on it alone. My feet can touch the ground. But soon we will need to raise the swing: my legs are growing fast!
Even though I can get on the swing alone, I like it when mama or papa helps me: at least for the lazy pushing!!
I just woke up from my afternoon nap. Sometimes I am dizzy from sleeping and cry, but other times I am peacefully playing with my stuffed animals. Then I put them to sleep under the blanket.
I am on my way to day care. I always carry things with me on my way. Mama carries things, so why not I?
When I get to day care we put everything in my basket, and then I get it back in the afternoon. Otherwise everybody gets very confused at day care: what is mine, what is dein, and what do we share?
Here I am carrying my giraffe by the leg and my butterfly puppet. Together they are too big for my basket, so mama takes care of them in our car while going to work until the afternoon.
Have a good day!
'Party Lica!', I said this morning as I woke up. Mama told me yesterday that we would go to a dance party with Felica. And that we would wear our dresses. And take our music instruments with us.
When we get there, Felica is not there yet. While we wait, mama and I dance to the music. There are salsa lessons going on. Felica went straight to the cut and paste table, the creativity table. She is completely taken by the scissors that are there. After a while we can persuade her with our music instruments to go to the music. And even so, she takes the scissors with her.
There are other kids there, that take more interest in our instruments.
But we make good use of it too.
It was a great party. After the paella meal we left to go to grandma and grandpa. "Grandma, I have danced with mama!" Is the first thing tell her. I think mama is blushing.
In mama's boxes are lots of kitchen things. They need washing up. Mama doesn't often wash dishes like this, only grandma I've seen doing this.
I like splashing with water, so I push mama out of the way: I'll wash up! And enjoying it too!
Quiet, Giraffe, quiet. Here is your bottle, don't cry. Yam yam.
Empty, I'll refill the bottle. Don't cry.
Suddenly there is a big truck in front of our house. The men carry 19 boxed into our house. Mama's things! This is very exciting for a curious girl like me.
Out come a bag with all kinds of necklaces and ear rings. And a box with buttons. Sunglasses, bags in jolly colours. And to top it off: a guitar!!!
I run around and open everything, while mama is trying to organise things.
I usually have lots of energy, I wriggle in my chair. And mama likes to walk better than going to the playground. So she say this morning: shall we walk to the bridge, Ces? I am thinking of the bridge last week, where we went with papa. No, mama says, another bridge. Is good too, I think.
But my Miffy needs to come too.
We go, and we cross the football fields, there are no boys playing soccer yet. Then we take the stairs up the bridge, through the glass corridor and see my windmill in the distance, over the railway, then down to the cows with the baby cows.
And then we are nearly at Gabrielle's house. Would she be at home on Sunday morning? Perhaps she is in church? She is, but her papa opens the door and offers a refreshment.
Will we make is back home? It is a bit of a struggle for me. I lie down a couple of times, but in the end I make it all on my own two feet! Yes! Was it two kilometers? We eat a lovely easter bun to reward ourselves. And Miffy made it back home too!
But before we get to washing our sweaters grandpa and aunt Niessia arrive. They kiss me on my red lips. I like it when grandpa comes: he always makes jokes with me. And the one where we squeeze the cheeks is still my favourite.
We drink coffee and I show them how I make my puzzles.
Oops, mama caught me with my hand in her purse. I don't think I can wipe the evidence off my face anymore, can I? It is obvious that I know what lipstick is.
But then mama panicks: oh no! lipstick on my new white irish sweater that papa brought home. Mama and I are now going to wash our sweaters. Another fun thing to do!!
We drive home through the rain on Friday evening. Shall we eat rice, Ces? mama asks. No, I don't want to eat rice. Shall we eat potatoes? No. Shall we eat pasta? No. Hmmm, sure you don't want rice? No. Well, then there is not much left, is there? Mmm, pancakes, but with something healthy, onions.
Yeah! I say, pancakes! I can barely wait untill mama has made them. But it tastes good, this combination.
These two spoons are my spoons for my yoghurt. Actually, I have quite gone off yoghurt, so I make games. This choosing game is one of them.
'Choose, mama', I say and I hold the two spoons out to her. And mama tries to choose, but she wavers. If she chooses the white spoon, I pull it back and say no, mine. And I give her the blue one.
And then we both eat from this one bowl. I eat when I see eating.
Dip and Dap are in the theater: two cartoon giraffes come alive. It is exciting to go to the theater and Simon wants to come too. Unfortunately Aunt Hannie had to stay with Alex at our home: Alex had to sleep. So Simon could sit in my car seat, while I sat on mama's lap. It is very exciting and I talk about it weeks later.
The theater show is very exciting. The giraffes are there, and there is a female singer and a man who can be a magician and a market mand and many more. But the best are the six children jumping and dancing dressed as lions and horses and more.
When we come home, Aunt Hannie asks Simon: how was it? Simon tells: 'We yelled Dip and Dap!! Wake up!! Dip and Daa-a-ap!!' I think he liked that part the best! Simon actually yelled, I was too shy. I did clap my hands though!
After the show we eat cabbage. When I saw Simon eat, I ate. And when Simon saw me eating, then he ate. This is how we got through this difficult vegetable!
I have become quite an acomplished photographer already. Papa, sit down, I say. Smile! I order.
Then I make a couple of pictures of the kitchen floor. Lift up! mama says. I do that and press the shutter. Caught!!
When papa is home, he is cooking. Mama comes home, when I am back from day care and papa and I have started cooking.
Mama can sit down, drink a beer and read the newspaper of the last weekend.
Today is a saturday, so we cook relaxed. Mama likes the warmth of the kitchen, and of course being able to talk to me and papa. So, mama and I sit on my little chairs in the kitchen and read.
