MUCH HAPPINESS

The day God wrote us a card....

2011-08-12T00:16:00.001+02:00

What is your story with God? A question we are asking ourselves lots because Aad is doing a series of videos for a dutch website with personal stories from people who all have experienced something of God - and like to give God the credit.

One thing God has done for us in the last year happened one afternoon in our house. Aad had just launched his business and we were having a hard time making ends meet. We have been there before :-)

As we were chatting what to do we were going through all the options of what we could do to get out of this mess. Robbing a bank was the only thing we did not consider - yet. It was a serious conversation and we were really sad about what happened. Lots of questions and no answers. What were we to do? We gave each other a hug and that made us feel at least a little better. When Aad went upstairs to get back to work he noticed an envelope on the doormat. In the envelope was a card and when we opened it, 200 euro fell out. On the card, which had no name, it said:

'I, the Lord, will look after you'.

Don't know what you would do but we were in tears...of joy this time. We went from desperation to hope. God was with us and he wanted us to know that he will take care of us. Sure enough that 200 euro did not cover everything but God wanted us to know that he knows and he is taking care of us.

Since then God has been faithful to his words and every time things get a bit low in the old bank account, we remember the day that God wrote us a card. Then we are filled again with hope that things will change. And do you know what is so amazing: we are no more special than you! God wants to look after you as well because he is good and he is your father!

Finally, we want to say something to the people who wrote this card: you are amazing! God used you to bless us and give us a new story of God's goodness. We want to be like you and write cards like that too.

Dorset summers

2011-08-08T00:09:00.005+02:00

As teacher Rebecca gets six weeks off in the summer. Not bad! She is now in Poole and has the luxury of spending three weeks in the UK with her mum and dad and with the kids. Aad is finishing some work in holland but joins the family later.

We like to make the summer trip to england a annual tradition. It means Anna and Lottie are emerged in the english language, catch up with friends from play school, enjoy gramps' pasta's, bake cakes with nanna and have a few weeks of fun in Dorset. For us it means we do not have to squeeze too much in a short period.

Sonrise this summer

2011-08-07T23:58:00.000+02:00

This summer we also had people staying with us in Holland. In July a team of five young people came over to join Sonrise, a big sports evangelism project that is held every summer here in Haarlem. The team played sports with local kids and youngsters and shared their faith through drama, testimonies and by just chatting. We connected with a local church in Velserbroek. It's was a great success and there is talk already of next year. And we loved showing our english friends around.

When the project ended we had a few days to do a bit of sightseeing and experience holland at it's best by going canal jumping ('poldersporten').

It's looking sunny

2011-07-04T22:37:00.000+02:00

Good news from the hospital: Aads dad is about to return home again. Tomorrow or wednesday he is expected to get the final go ahead and then he is back where he belongs.

Last week he was home but 24 hours later an urine infection followed by a blood poisoning resulted in another hospital stay. And most of all...lots of pain. He said he never felt so sick in his life. But the infection is gone and hopefully my dad will be gone too - from the hospital straight home.

We are very pleased how he is doing mentally. He is the same old person and he isn't fascinated by handbags anymore (see earlier post). Another big change is that he hasn't spoken so much about the weather but....he hasn't been out so that might change soon.

He is smiling again

2011-06-20T21:44:00.000+02:00

It is great to see Aad's dad smile again. This picture is made today in hospital.

Last wednesday Pa was making half sentences and was mostly in bed. But now he is in a chair, making full sentences, reading the paper, checking his email on a laptop and talks about getting back on the bike. He is bored of hospital and wants to go back home.

Ma tries to slow him down but hey..it's a good sign that he wants to get up and do stuff.

Pa loves to see his grandchildren so today we took Anna and Lottie to hospital.

My dad likes handbags - please pray

2011-06-13T00:23:00.000+02:00

My dads brain has had a big shake since his heart attack. And we are often amazed at what he does know and what he doesn't know.

Each day we tell him many times that he has had a heart attack. Often he says 'Really? No!'. We tell him he fell off his bike and that the reason why his leg is plastered is because it's broken. Five minutes later he points at his leg and says 'what is this?" He often says 'i don't understand'. We feel for him - it must be confusing for him to say the least.

While his short term memory is still recovering from the incident, his long term memory is much better. He does recognise us kids although names are still hard for him to remember. We try to restrain our urge to quiz him too much but it's so tempting to find out what he does and does not know.

We have to laugh. When his grandchildren visit him he keeps saying how beautiful they are. And he can look almost in love while pointing to handbags, grey sweaters and flowers and telling us how pretty he finds it. Refreshing.

We are so amazed how fast things are improving. Last thursday he did not say a word and now he can sit up straight and almost finish a sentence. Praise God for that.

Can we ask you to please continue to pray for my dad. So long as my dad likes handbags he needs your prayers! Please pray that all the puzzle pieces in his head fall into the right place and that soon his short and long memory are back to normal. We appreciate all your prayers, they are having a huge impact but it's not in the bag yet!

Hero woman that found dad just did a resuscitation course

2011-06-11T09:59:00.000+02:00

Nearly a week ago Aads dad suffered a severe heart attack while on a bike ride. He was on a bridge when a woman saw him falling off his bike. Immediately she got down on her knees to give him heart massage. What makes it even better is that a week before the incident she did a resuscitation course (NL: reanimatie). Isn't that amazing? Within minutes she got assistance of an ambulance brother off duty - another person you would like to be around when your heart stops beating.

Meanwhile my dad is making a very good recovery. Yesterday he was strong enough for a body scan and unfortunately he has got two broken ribs and a broken leg. Often heart massage results in broken ribs. He is uncomfortable and has got pain but he also has more upbeat moments. He starts to recognise us and likes to see pictures of his family. He can read the letters on the pictures his grandchildren made. Sometimes we even have a laugh: when someone told him he has got eight kids he was amazed. A response he normally gets from other people. He is making progress every day we visit him and we are hopeful for a complete recovery. They say that only after six months one can tell how far someone will get in the process.

Thanks to everyone for praying. Even though my dad is getting better each day please keep praying for a speedy and full recovery.

My dad nearly died (Aad)

2011-06-07T12:14:00.005+02:00

Last Friday my Dad got a heart attack while cycling. He nearly died.

Some people saw him falling down and tried to resuscitate him. Fifteen minutes later the ambulance arrived and got his heart back working with an electric shock and rushed him to the hospital. There he got another shock and although his heart started working again. But some heart chambers did not function and there were complications. Docters were worried his heart might fail and family was called to the hospital in case he would not make it. On friday night Aad got the news in Tanzania and took the first plane back to Holland.

Thank God he made it. Pappa's heart starting working again and now he is in a stable condition and responds to voices. But we're not 100% sure yet if he recognises us. When nurses ask him squeeze a hand, he doesn't do it.

Aad is now with his mum and his sister Andrea in Limburg. Although we have a strong hope, meanwhile it is hard to see pappa lying there helpless. You know, he is recovering from a severe heart attack and then being cooled down to 33 degrees for 24hrs. He might be suffering from broken or bruised bones. There is a big tube in his throat and his tongue is tied and he is connected by a spagetti of wires and he can't communicate.

But we see good things happening. Yesterday Remco de Zwart, a local pastor, came to annoint and pray for him. We experienced God was there with us. Pappa looked straight into Remco's eyes. The pastor spoke the truth over my dad: Jesus has paid for all our sins and sickness on the cross.

Thanks to all our friends and Facebook friends who care. We hear that even in Tanzania, Japan, Canada and England are praying. All of us say we experience a strong peace in this tough time. We have faith for a great outcome. I believe God is moved by our prayers.

God is also giving us wisdom to pray. Yesterday Aad was waiting at the hospital with his mum and sister Andrea. At one point Aad grabbed his bible and read the story of Lazarus (John 11 and 12). Jesus woke his friend Lazarus from the dead and after that many people wanted to meet Jesus and meet Lazarus. "That is curious", Aad's mum said while looking up from her bible... "right now i am reading exactly the same passage".

In John 11 we read that people told Jesus not to bother to go to Lazarus because he was dead already for three days. But Jesus said: "this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it."

Please pray that my dad will be a modern Lazarus and that God might be praised though this story.

You just can't resist those mini cornetto's!

2011-05-12T21:27:00.000+02:00

Frau Von der Hoeven

2011-05-09T14:38:00.000+02:00

Gutentag! Auf wiedersehen, Ganz gut. Rebecca is getting back into the language that she studied in Manchester because this week she is starting her new job as a german teacher.

Nova College in Haarlem is a regional education centre (ROC) where she will be teaching german to 16-20 year olds. She will be helping tourism and economics students to converse to clients in german.

It's a brilliant opportunity and good working hours, as she works on mondays and tuesday morning only. Aad will take care of the girls on monday and tuesday morning Lottie is going to a lovely lady who has a creche at home.

Rebecca has to create her own curriculum as there a no books or other material. A real challenge but Frau van der Hoeven was buzzing this weekend as she was preparing her first class and got all her dusty old german study books out (cough cough).

My story with God

2011-04-02T13:04:00.000+02:00

This is Steffan, one of the twelve people filmed for a internet video series called 'My story with God'.

About three years ago Steffan was on the verge of becoming a muslim. He has been unhappy for a while in his student lifestyle of messing about with girls, smoking weed and not caring about things. He wanted to change and knew that God could give him a destiny and something to go for. But who is God, he thought.
For months he bowed down to pray to Allah, got a prayer cloth and prayed like a jew to Jehova and also prayed to Jesus Christ. After a confusing time he finally decided on becoming muslim because it made the most sense to him: you follow rules and if you do it well, Allah will accept you. And you become part of a huge group of muslims with a strong identity and feeling of belonging.

But then one day he was walking down the street and suddenly he understood that Jesus died for him, and had to go on a cross to bring peace between him and God. In his own word 'God revealed himself to him'. One moment no one could convince him that Jesus was the way to knowing God, and the next moment no one could convince him otherways.

Last week Aad had his first shooting day of 'Mijn verhaal met God' ('My story with God') and Steffan was one of the three people telling their story. Over the course of the next two months another nine stories will be filmed and edited. The final result is shown on ikzoekgod.nl (translation: imlookingforgod.nl) and via YouTube and Facebook.

It's great working with some fine and talented friends on this project: Jantine (middle: production), Michiel (right: camera/interviews) and Jordi (standing: camera/design).

Fully Dutch

2011-02-28T21:17:00.003+01:00

We finally reached the last stage of (re)-integration in Holland: we now have parallel window decoration.

It's scary but if you move to Holland you slowly pick up Dutch habits and customs, like eating ontbijtkoek for breakfast and cheese on bread for lunch. Or cycling as an adult on ancient looking bike. Or asking personal questions, and lots of it. Or giving your opinion and wanting you life to always be 'gezellig' (cozy, warm, nice) or go on holiday to France. But the ultimate sign of living Dutch is....decorations in your window. Hey...it's important! In Holland we only use curtains at night, if we use them at all, because during the day people must see how gezellig your house is!
We love our window decoration.

Lookalike Lottie

2011-02-14T15:15:00.000+01:00

Here's a current picture of Lottie. Often we hear from people that our kids look like us. Mostly like Aad. Nothing special, that's normal. We just got some pictures from Aad's sister Sophie from an old family album. This is Aad at 7 months.

Sweet, isn't it?! And very alike. Yes, both a bit chubby for a start.... healthy we call it :-)

Cookie monster

2011-02-11T15:45:00.000+01:00

Lottie's first word...

2011-01-12T11:25:00.005+01:00

It's been a stiff competition between her Mummy and Pappa. What would Lottie say first: Pappa...or Mummy? We both had long practice sessions with Lottie - trying to get her to say the word. And finally Lottie decided who to give this special honour. Did the months of breastfeeding and fulltime love and care pay off for Rebecca? Or did Aad's brainwash sessions do the job for him? Listen to this soundbite and you know!

Sisters!

2011-01-06T20:35:00.001+01:00

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Have a great 2011

2010-12-29T23:40:00.003+01:00

We've just arrived back home in Holland, just in time for more parties: Aad's birthday on the 30th and New Year's eve.

Thanks everyone for asking how Lottie is doing. Doctors told us she had bronchiolitis and had to stay in hospital for five days in the running up to Christmas. But the good news is: she is doing fabulous! She is back to her smily self and has hardly been coughing since the day she left the hospital in Poole.

We hope you had a great Christmas. We enjoyed spending Christmas with Rebecca's parents and her brother Jonathan and his family. Lots of presents, playing games, eating Christmas cake (see picture), meeting friends (although we ran out of time to see everyone) and chilling out.

But there is more fun to be done in 2010: tomorrow Aad is 35! And one day later it's New Year's eve and we look forward to the party at our friends Chiel & Harriet.

And to all of you we say: have a great 2011 and be blessed!

Aad and his little girls

2010-12-27T17:52:00.001+01:00

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Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:48:00.001+01:00

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Hi from Poole hospital

2010-12-19T20:37:00.001+01:00

Lottie rough with cough, getting help with breathing and eating at Poole hospital.

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Decorating the Christmas tree

2010-12-17T17:15:00.001+01:00

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Anna & Lottie having fun...

2010-12-13T22:10:00.001+01:00

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Rebecca & Lottie

2010-12-05T08:43:00.001+01:00

ice lolly

2010-12-04T23:50:00.001+01:00

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Sinterklaas festivities

2010-12-04T23:39:00.008+01:00

Tomorrow Holland is celebrating the birthday of Sinterklaas (St. Nicolas). It's the best time of year for kiddies like our Anna. It's the first Sinterklaas with our kids in Holland and it's brilliant. Everywhere Sinterklaas and his black helpers (zwarte Piet's) pop up and it's a hugely exciting thing as they bring sweets and presents. Sinterklaas arrived in IJmuiden by boat and we were there to welcome him.

There are many traditional sweets that we eat these days and Anna has a good share :-)

Sinterklaas and his black helpers also visited Anna's school. Every year Sinterklaas thinks of an original way of arriving, this year by lifeboat.

Today Anna and Aad popped to the hairdresser to have Anna's fringe cut. We were surprised by two special Piet's who did Anna's hair and gave her more sweets. Anna could not stop smiling!

Tomorrow is 'Pakjesavond' (present night) and we are hosting the family in our new house. And we invited the man himself, Sinterklaas, too - so he might come and visit us :-)

First school picture Anna

2010-11-11T21:50:00.002+01:00

Freefall media office @ home = nice :-)

2010-11-11T21:40:00.000+01:00

Sint Maarten

2010-11-11T21:26:00.002+01:00

No, it's not trick or treat. It's better. Today Anna and thousands of other small children in Holland went from door to door with their home-made lanterns, singing songs about St. Maarten. And were rewarded with sweets....lots of them.

It's a Dutch tradition that is hundreds of years old and as a Dutch Dad I am chuffed my little girl was able to experience this event for the first time today.

Rain, lightning and wind could not stop Anna on this special night. She was assisted by her cousin Sabrina who is too old to go on her own but was happy to help her little cousin (and get sweets too...).

Anna made me laugh by singing the shortest songs and saying 'thanks, bye' in less than 1 second, on to the next door. After an hour she was ready to go home and show off the result of her labour.

Keys to our new house

2010-10-29T22:49:00.002+02:00

Today we got the keys to our new, lovely house. Tomorrow painting, sunday and monday we are moving our stuff in and we should be settled by tuesday. Oh no, cable tv won't be connected till week after so no champions league football....ouch.

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Back from Uganda

2010-10-25T20:50:00.000+02:00

One of the most touching pictures of Uganda was an HIV positive mother holding her two year old child in her arms. The child is HIV positive as well and is sweating and looks ill. The mother tells us that every day she has to face a huge dilemma: does she buy aids medicine for her and her child or does she buy food for her nine hungry children?

There are many other pictures stuck in my mind. A classroom with over 200 kids, some of them sitting on the floor. A nine year old that tells us she has to take care of her little sister and brother because her mum and dad dies of Aids. Kids with torn clothes. A little girl carrying her baby sister on her back.

Uganda is a beautiful country and the people even more. Fortunately there is a lot of hope as well. World Vision is one organisation that brings that hope. I was hired to film a team of youth ambassadors of World Vision on a trip to the north of Uganda, where not too long ago the rebels of the LRA went round killing people, burning villages and kidnapping children and turning those 7-12 years olds into child soldiers. The war killed many innocent people, but the biggest killer in the area is HIV/Aids. The youngsters were shown the work of World Vision in the area and they will go round schools to recruit other teenagers to raise money by not eating for 24 hours. This project is called Zip your Lip.

There is lots more to say but I'll save that for another time.

We are staying in IJmuiden for a while

2010-10-15T21:07:00.001+02:00

The next nine months this place on the Kennemerlaan in IJmuiden is going to be our residence. It's got a lovely lounge, four bedrooms (office and guest room), lots of character, a good price and close to our current housing, so Anna's can stay on her school - fantastic! In two weeks time we can move in. We can't wait to get our stuff from storage and receive friends and family from abroad. It's a good day today. God is faithful.

Under here a picture of the lounge when it was still lived in by the owners....we will rent it unfurnished.

Thanks to everyone who helped by keeping their eyes open for a house, praying or us or just asking us how we were getting on.

Andy in Holland

2010-10-11T19:41:00.002+02:00

We enjoyed a few days of catching up with Rebecca's brother Andy. He is a fab uncle to our kids and lots of fun to be around. He always has lots of stories, plans and ideas and we often talk about it over some good coffee.

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And the name is....Freefall Media

2010-10-05T11:45:00.003+02:00

Yesterday Aad made the official trip to the Kamer van Koophandel to register Freefall Media. Aad is going to use this name for all his video/film/edit/production work. A fun and adventurous name in the line of Parachute Media. As you might know, being self-employed is a bit of a jump in the deep. But with the current financial climate many jobs aren't that secure either....and we know that if God is for us - who can be against us?

Aad would have loved to launch the company by jumping out of a real airplane. But there is no money and time for that now. Closest to skydiving will be boarding a plane to Uganda on the 17th of October. Not long now....

Hoping for good news

2010-10-03T21:56:00.003+02:00

Camjo's are camera journalists that often cover 'softer' news items and use creative shots and a personal approach. A role that really suits Aad, he thinks.

A few months ago Aad got in touch with Omroep West, a regional tv/radio station in The Hague, to ask if he could do some freelance work for the broadcaster. Aad worked as a radio reporter for Omroep West during his study.....nearly 10 years ago!

Finally, after a bit of chasing up and letting go,
Aad was invited to spend a day with a camjo tv-reporter at Omroep West in The Hague. Last Wednesday he cycled around Ypenburg, a former airport which has been converted in a huge new housing estate. Now it's hoping for good news :-)

Busy month ahead

2010-09-14T22:04:00.003+02:00

Things have moved swiftly for us in different areas. First of all Aad has won a number of videos jobs and is now busy until the end of October. On top of that a project he has discussed with a client has been received well and if the proposal is accepted could give him another three months of work. The trip to Uganda is now confirmed which is great. As you can imagine, Aad now got lots to think about and organise. Do you know the story of Jesus telling his friends to cast the net on the other side of the boat after a long night of fishing? They suddenly caught massive amounts of fish. Well, it feels a bit like that.

Another big blessing is that friends of Aad's parents have given us their spare car, a Peugeot 106, to use for as long as we like. It comes at the right time because of all the different places Aad needs to travel to for his work.

It's amazing how life can change in a few days. Next big thing is our house as we have to leave our current place 1st of November. Our expectation is growing and we can't wait to see where we will end up living.

Smiley Lottie

2010-09-07T12:10:00.001+02:00

Great expectations

2010-09-06T22:40:00.001+02:00

Aad has by now heard from pretty much every job he applied for. Whilst there is a fair amount of work around there seems to be lots of competition too. Of the 6 or 8 media jobs or so he applied for he was invited for a couple of interviews but he wasn't chosen. He is working as a postie part-time at the moment to bring in some cash. It does mean losing a few pounds which Aad does not mind but we're still holding out for a media job for him.

He has a few video jobs lined up which will bring us income for the next couple of months though, including a wedding in Poole on 18 Sept. Interestingly he has been offered a weeks filming for World Vision in.... Uganda, 17 - 24 Oct. All expenses paid and a salary on top. Just waiting for the video company hiring him for that job to sign the contract with World Vision. He is also going to make a test item for a regional TV-radio station he used to work for to see if they'll take him on their books as a freelancer.

Whilst there is a bit of hope on the horizon we still need a miracle or two! We scrapped our English car in the end as it wasn't worth getting Dutch plates, so are currently carless. We can get around on bikes and buses here but it's not ideal. We are however world record holders in receiving cars, having received 6 in the last five years, so we're in faith for our 7th!

As far as house hunting goes we can't make any moves until we have a set income. If Aad continues to do freelance work it'll be very hard to rent a place; again we're not ruling out a miracle! The Bollenstreek (tulip-land!) area we were initially interested in has a 6 year waiting list so we're having to rethink that one! The housing thing has made us look in to Rebecca getting part-time work as a German teacher. Whilst not officially qualified, her German degree stands her in good stead and teachers are so sought after they are bringing in people from other streams. She has sent off a cv for a job this week and we are waiting to hear back.

We are all happy and healthy and expecting big things! It's not an easy ride but we do know that God has called us here and are very peaceful (most of the time).

First day at school

2010-08-24T09:45:00.002+02:00

Today is Anna's first day at school. She has been looking forward to starting school and meeting new friends for weeks and weeks. Every time we went past the building she would excitedly point it out and shout "my new school!"
We all walked to school together where Anna was met by her two teachers; Monday to Wednesday Juf (Miss) Ina will be her teacher and Thursdays and Fridays her teacher is Juf Ida. Nice short names for the children to spell but a little too similar for the Pappas - Aad is already confused by who is who!
Anna had her own peg, draw and chair with her name on and quickly found her seat. She was also given her own bag with the school logo and her name on for her gym kit. She sat very confidently, posing for all the pictures the parents were taking!

In Holland the children go home each day for lunch and they don't wear uniforms. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the first two years of school are play-based learning. Anna won't be taught to read and write or do sums until her third year, the year in which she will turn 7.
Just as all the parents were walking away Rebecca heard another Mum speaking English to her little girl called Carla. She has a Dutch father and English mother and is bilingual. We hope to get to know them better and that through Anna, we'll all make new friends.

Twelve days without Anna

2010-08-15T22:42:00.004+02:00

We were not 100% sure Anna would cope with 12 days without us. But she is doing so well and making us super proud.

Some of you know Nanna & Gramps' house was pretty much her second home when we lived in England. When Aads sister offered to take her to Poole on her way to Guernsey we believed Anna would love going on holiday to England and spending time with family and friends. So when she left nine days ago with her auntie and uncle from Holland we were confident she wouldn't miss us too much.

Well the news is: Anna keeps telling us on Skype she doesn't miss us. She is being spoilt of course; lots of chocolate cake, trips to the park and Farmer Palmers, playing with her little friends and cousins and watching Shaun the Sheep. But she does miss one person.....her little sister Lottie. We have to admit Lottie is rather gorgeous.

Meanwhile we are enjoying the peace in the house. Yesterday we decided to have a lazy pyjama day and all we did was eat, play board games, watch telly and sleep. Very chilled indeed.

Short greeting video from our new place

2010-07-30T10:56:00.000+02:00

Lottie

2010-07-22T08:04:00.001+02:00

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Anna is four today

2010-07-20T21:43:00.006+02:00

Today is Anna's 4th birthday and she told us on numerous occasions it was her best birthday ever - which is great to hear. Early this morning Anna had to be convinced that her birthday already started: she thought it would start once the cake was dished out. Fortunately we ate cake at 10.30 when the aunties and uncles arrived with lots of cousins. After the hoera's (hoorays) everyone moved on to the local playground which is huge and is guaranteed hours and hours of fun. We took a picnic and had a brilliant time. Click on the photo above to see Anna with 6 of the cousins...

Anna received lots and lots of presents and cards (thank you everyone). As she is in Holland now and you can't not have a bike here, the obvious choice of present for us was a bike, her first one. She had a go on it and loved it (see video - apologies for the bad quality).

Rebecca says you'll say 'this is my best birthday' until you are 13 or so when puberty kicks in and you'll be upset all day long because one of your best friends can't make your birthday. Until then we will enjoy our kids birthdays very much.

Swimming

2010-07-10T20:57:00.002+02:00

We enjoyed a lovely family day out at the local swimming pool. It's only a 10 minute walk away and there are 3 outdoor pools; perfect in such hot weather. Although we live near the beach the pool is a much better option with little ones. Anna loved splashing around and enjoyed the mini-slide (not the big blue one in the photo!) and Lottie relaxed in the shade. As a good (half) Dutch family does, we took the customary flask of coffee along with us :o) Funny thing is, Aad as the Dutchman did the English thing and is now as red as a beetroot!!

Hello from Holland

2010-07-04T17:34:00.002+02:00

Hello from sunny, orange Holland. We have settled in quickly and we are doing good, although a bit tired :-) We love the apartment. Anna likes the balcony and is saying 'hello' to everyone passing by.

We look back on a great couple of last days in England. We did realize how many fab people we are leaving behind - let alone Rebecca's parents. And what about the stunning scenery in Dorset. Aad decided to spend one of his last nights near a cave on the edge of a cliff with a few friends and loved falling asleep watching the stars and being woken by glorious sunshine.

Last Friday we enjoyed an amazing afternoon/evening with the Van der Hoeven family, watching Holland beat (woehoeeeeeeee) Brazil in the World Cup quarter final match followed by a barbeque in the garden. Anna played with her cousins and enjoyed all the attention. Lottie was passed around to different sisters-in-law and had a sleep on different shoulders.

This Tuesday Holland is playing in the semi-final and the 'orange fever' is getting stronger and stronger (see pic). Aad thinks it's great being in Holland for a time like this and is dreaming of a World Cup final. The street where we living is the traditional gathering place for all the fans when Holland wins an important game so we will be in the middle of the action.

Thank you video for The Lighthouse Family Church

2010-07-03T23:43:00.000+02:00

Last Sunday we said goodbye to our church in England. It was an extra special morning for us as we dedicated our baby Lottie to the Lord. Later during the service we said our goodbye followed by a beautiful and tasty bring-and-share lunch.

We loved being part of the Lighthouse Family Church and we will always feel part of it. I just like to share this video we showed this morning with Anna in the star role.....

A perfect day

2010-06-22T22:51:00.002+02:00

Last Sunday we celebrated Fathers Day and Aad had the perfect day. Lottie decided to reward all the hard work Aad put in the last weeks making funny noises and pulling faces and .... smile to him for the first time! It was 7am and the day could only get worse. But it didn't as Aad and Phil were treated to coffee and muffins at Starbucks. While the mummies kept Anna occupied playing the 'shopping list' game, the dads enjoyed reading up on the news.

Later that afternoon we had roast lamb in the garden and we finished the day watching World Cup football. Aaaaaahhhhh - a perfect day for Pappa!

New look

2010-06-18T18:52:00.000+02:00

Finally, new background on blogger!

Busy times

2010-06-17T00:15:00.000+02:00

We have had such busy days packing up the house and cleaning it. We've had great help from friends and family and are glad it's over! We're enjoying some rest - and the football! - now that we're at Rebecca's parents for a couple of weeks. It's so hard to believe that we'll be starting a new life in Holland at the end of the month. We can't wait for Aad's family to meet Lottie. Isn't she cute?!

Funny pictures

2010-05-25T21:27:00.000+02:00

Moving house brings the best and the worse of your stuff on the surface. I came across this picture of myself in my early teens wearing huge glasses and with the earring it was far too much iron for one head. Not mentioning the hair. Ohh - how bad but so much fun to see now. In the same category of pictures-you-wish-never-were-made I found this one of Rebecca :-)

Family likeness?

2010-05-16T15:53:00.000+02:00

Our friend Phil, who is a professional photographer, made a few pictures of Lottie for her passport. The first 15 she was either crying or pulling faces but finally we got a good one.

The photo under here shows Anna as a baby. Do you think they look like sisters?

Opa & Oma

2010-05-16T15:43:00.000+02:00

A week ago Opa and Oma (Aads Mum & Dad) came over from Holland to meet Lottie and to help out. We had a fantastic time. Oma cooked a couple of delicious meals and cleaned places in the house that have never been cleaned before. Opa played with Anna, doing puzzles and reading books. Anna decided her Opa needed a tour of the village and took him for a walk (and nearly got lost). It's great having such brilliant parents.
When we live in Holland we will miss having them over for a few days, but it will nice to pop in on a lazy sunday afternoon around dinner time :-)

First dance

2010-05-16T15:06:00.001+02:00

Following on the last post, Lottie has been to her first wedding. Our friends Nathan & Jen got married on the 10th and we enjoyed a lovely day with good friends. Lottie did well and was happy to go from arm to arm. The bride had a little cuddle and the highlight for us was when our friend Mike, father of the bridegroom, took Lottie to he dancefloor for a ballroom dance.

Party girl

2010-05-04T19:11:00.002+02:00

Lottie has been to her first party (see pics). At 3 days old a very promising start to her life. It was a special occasion because her Nanna celebrated her 65th birthday with family. Her nanna even rushed to the shop to buy a special dress.

It's a girl!

2010-05-01T13:00:00.000+02:00

Meet the newest edition of the family: Lottie Sarah.

Born at 21.30 on the 30th of April (Queens Day in Holland!) and weighing 8lbs5 (3.77kg).

Life is beautiful. God is so good. Rebecca and baby are very well. Anna says this is the 'specialist day of my life'. We were convinced it would be a boy but we love surprises, especially in such a beautiful package :-)

Lots of love from Rebecca, Adriaan, Anna & Lottie.

Outings and activities

2010-04-27T14:09:00.000+02:00

When Rebecca went to collect Anna from pre-school she saw a big poster on the wall called Outings and Activities. All the children had been asked what fun things they do with their families and friends. The list was long: swimming, going to the park, picnics, trips to Farmer Palmers and many others. Under each activity there was a list of the children's names. Rebecca looked hard and couldn't see Anna's name anywhere... until she saw one activity called 'Visits to the Pub'!! (The teacher's name was also under this heading!).

Another title was 'Ice-cream van' with the comment: "All the children at pre-school enjoy visits from the ice-cream van except for Anna."

Poor little girl of ours - that's probably because Mummy always says NO to Anna when he comes round and she asks for an ice-cream!

Moving house

2010-04-22T13:25:00.002+02:00

Exactly 10 weeks today our new adventure will start - yes we are MOVING BACK TO THE NETHERLANDS! For a few months now we have sensed that God wants us back in Holland. We have thought and prayed and talked and got excited and cried (mainly Rebecca but she is hormonal!) and just last week we finally decided to go for it.

From July 1st we will rent a furnished apartment in IJmuiden. Some people from our old church in Haarlem are going abroad for 4 months and needed someone to house-sit for them. Check it out for yourselves:

Once we are in Holland it will be so much easier for Adriaan to find work and for us to look around for a house and city where we want to settle as a family. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the step and we'll see what options open up.

Obviously we have a busy couple of months ahead of us; first of all we're expecting a baby any time now, we will have to pack up our house here and get all our belongings into storage..... and there's World Cup football to watch! We also want to make the most of the wonderful friends and family we have here in Poole, not least the church, before we say farewell.

As Christians we want to follow the plans God has for us because they are the very best, even though sometimes it can be a bit scary or difficult to say goodbye. Whatever God asks us to do, He gives us the strength to do. And the sense of purpose and fulfillment when you follow Him is better than anything else in life.

Baked Beany?

2010-04-19T23:19:00.001+02:00

Tonight we had a quick flip through a few name books. Ever since we got pregnant we are super convinced that we are getting a boy. I won't go into details as most of you would think we are nuts, but the short story is that we believe God has given us some 'inside information'. Not because we are so special but because God enjoys sharing 'hidden secrets' when they are open for it.

One of the stories that still amazes us is of this Christian lady that went to see friends. On the way in the car there she believed that God told her through the Holy Spirit that her friends had a new fridge. She wondered what this was about and asked God why he would tell her that. God said: 'I fancied a chat'. I believe Jesus loves to speak to us and we think it's rather exciting.

Back to the baby names. We got a boys name but for us it seems like a waste of time to think of a girls name, but there is always the chance we are completely wrong. That happened before. So tonight we decided on our back up plan. No, I won't tell you yet.

We did involve Anna in the process. Her suggestion for a babies name was 'Baked Beany'.... we'll think about that one :-)

The egg has flipped!

2010-04-07T17:34:00.000+02:00

Hoorah today we had some fantastic news. We found out the baby's head is down and in the perfect position for a natural birth. What a relief. Thank God for doing a miracle - Rebecca was definitely NOT looking forward to the prospect of having a caesarian.

Wow prayer really does work. Now we can get back to being really excited about baby's arrival :o)

Flipping heck - we need our egg to flip

2010-04-02T14:49:00.004+02:00

Happy Easter everyone! Today we are a month away from the due date of baby Van der Hoeven and expectation is rising. For Rebecca sitting still for more than 30 seconds is an achievement and when she is walking Anna to school, a few 'oeh and aaahh' stops are taken.
Rebecca has more discomfort than with Anna and that is because the baby has not been in a natural position the last few weeks. The midwife could not figure its exact position out when she had a good poke (see pics). This coming week an extra scan will show in what position the baby is.
Meanwhile Anna is so used to Mummy's sudden outbursts of discomfort, that she said to Rebecca one day: "now is when you say 'flipping heck' mummy".

Ballet lessons

2010-03-24T23:30:00.003+01:00

One of Anna's favorite things in life is dancing. Every Tuesday afternoon she goes to 'dansles' (dance lesson). She recently moved up one age group and had to get a ballet uniform. The first weeks she was trying to wear it day and night. Anna loves giving a demonstration of what she learned. On this video you can see a demonstration she gave to her aunties in Holland last week. Apologies for the bad quality of the video, it as taken on a photo camera. Note: not all demonstrations end in tears (bless her).....

Party time

2010-03-01T10:52:00.000+01:00

One of the most fun things about being a child is all the parties. Last weekend Anna's little buddy Ethan turned two. On Saturday morning Anna came in to our room just after 6 o'clock and announced, "Mummy, today I can wear a party dress and eat cake because it's Ethan's birthday!"

Here are some pictures of Anna all dressed up ready for the occasion.

Ha ha ha

2010-02-09T11:59:00.000+01:00

As a family we have lots of fun together. More and more it is Anna who makes us laugh. Every day she brings a smile to our face.
Yesterday she pointed to the flowers in the living room and said, "Mummy, I know what those flowers are called." Quite surprised, Rebecca asked Anna what type of flowers they are. "Dead!" said Anna.

Slowly but surely...

2010-02-09T11:51:00.001+01:00

We only have 12 weeks to go until our baby is due. Rebecca has been getting Anna's room and the baby room ready. Fortunately we haven't had to make major changes; just a couple of pieces of new furniture, some shuffling around and lots of sorting out! It's so much easier to get things ready before the tummy gets too big!

Anna is excited about the baby and regularly kisses Rebecca's tummy. She is looking forward to helping out with her new brother/sister and is a delight around the home. She puts all her own clothes away and even switches the dishwasher on. Nice to have extra hands to help around the house!

Confession time: Kebab

2010-02-02T11:18:00.004+01:00

Since last week two Mediterranean guys are parking their kebab/burger van on the corner of our street. How tempting! For Aad it's been a daily struggle for Aad resist. After the weekly youth meeting some of the lads were getting chips and Aad felt he had to spend some quality time with the guys outside the walls of church - and finally had an excuse to get his doner kebab. It was nice....

Rebecca likes kebabs too, but not the doggy meat (Doner) ones. Once a month, mostly after pay day, we order chicken shish (Boo) and lamb shish with extra saus and extra salad. We love the shish meat flavour to mix with the fresh salad and bread. Speaking for myself (Aad) it beats fish and chips. What do you think?

Welcome Ester

2010-02-01T07:28:00.002+01:00

We have another niece: Ester. She is the beautiful new daugther of Aads brother Luuk (see pic) and his wife Caroline. We are so chuffed for them because they had two boys (Joel & Boaz) and so a girl must be extra special for them.

Honouring the parents.....

2010-01-25T20:07:00.008+01:00

I know it's not Mothers Day or Fathers Day but I read in the bible how important it is to honor your parents. It actually says in Ephesians 6:1-3 that honoring your parents will give you a long and good life (I'll have that as a bonus). I am taking this serious and because our parents our the most faithful readers of this blog, I hope this post will honour you Pa en Ma :-)

Ma - thanks for the cups of tea coming home from school. Thanks for the warm hugs. Thanks for praying for me all those years. And for listening to God and obeying Him years ago, while I was in my first year at Uni: you said that God told you He would help me out with first year exams. You did not know I was on the edge of failing that year. I felt so peaceful going into those final exams even though I wasn't a Christian yet . Thanks for being a sweet Oma to Anna. And for being an easy target for jokes :-) I love you to bits. I am so honoured being your son. And being a spiritual mother to me as well. I have forgiven you for attacking me that summer in Vienna when I was stung by a wasp on my lip. Although you could have warned me before jumping on my lips to suck the poison out of my mouth.

Pa - thanks for your kindness. I love your optimism. Thank you for always putting me and the kids first. And for your support in setting up Parachute Media - so sorry it wasn't the best investment ever. Thanks for being a fun and lovely Opa to Anna. And for always giving your car keys to me because gas is cheaper to drive on. I see Jesus in you. I couldn't wish for a better Dad. We respect both of you so much for being such good parents to eight kids!

And then for Phil & Avril: it feels like having a second Mum and Dad. I feel really loved and accepted by you two. You would do anything for me and Boo. You even took us in for 6 months when we moved to England. I have good memories of that time - watching football with fish and chips on the sofa. Thanks Phil for so many delicious meals and Avril for introducing me to coffee cake (in abundance). You two are amazing people and I respect you very much. Thanks for being so generous.

If this has been cringey - sorry. You know blogs are great for sharing news, photos and videos on your child/cat/political preference. But it also is a great way of making the world know what you love. So here we go: I love you Pa en Ma.

Four minutes please...

2010-01-23T11:06:00.004+01:00

It's funny how kids suddenly have a saying that they keep repeating. For months and months Anna kept saying 'on Tuesday'. When she did not get crisps in the supermarket. Or when she wanted to watch a TV program. Our 'not now darling' was religiously followed by Anna accepting this and saying 'but i can watch this/eat this/go to this on Tuesday'.

Currently it's '4 minutes'. When Aad tells her it's time to get out of the bath, Anna says 'can i stay in for four minutes please'. Or when we leave Nanna and Gramps to go home for dinner, Anna asks us if she can stay up for 'four minutes'. Most of the time we give in ... four minutes is not very long, and Anna can't read time yet, which makes life easier :-)

Meeting Esther in Manchester

2010-01-12T16:43:00.012+01:00

The New Year started brilliantly with the arrival of Esther at the Blakes house. Leonore (Aads sister) and Chris invited us to come to Manchester and meet the new girl. So we are now enjoying a few days with the Blakes and with visiters from the east, Aads parents :-)
Oma is helping out practically with cleaning and washing and Opa is reading a book to Naomi and Anna. The girls are now of the age that they can play together and apart from the odd cry and scream goes well. We are trying to do what we can, like going grocery shopping and then helping to finish all the food. Aad helped Chris making a picture for Esther's passport.
Esther is extremely sweet and holding a newborn makes us long for our baby even more. Only 16 weeks to go and we can't wait...

The Joker ?!

2010-01-10T15:06:00.000+01:00

Nativity play starring Anna

2009-12-05T20:53:00.008+01:00

Anna 'starred' in her first nativity play at pre-school. We offered to film it for the parents and it's great to have this on DVD for ourselves. Anna did struggle a little bit with her outfit as you can see in this short clip :-)

Another 'new' car

2009-12-02T17:08:00.002+01:00

Because our car miserably failed the MOT as expected, we have been carless for a week. In an ideal world we would like to go to a dealer and buy a nice newish car, but with Christmas around the corner and a tax bill to come, we were stuck. In our life we have found out that God wants to take care of us and specially in the car department he has been really good to us. In answer to our prayers we have been given 5 cars in the last few years, sometimes even nice big comfi cars.
This time round we received a call from a couple in our church offering us a car that belonged to a pensioner and although it's a older Volvo and not such a sexy car, it only has 50.000miles on the counter and should run for a few months at least.
We do believe in better and know one day a BMW Z4 will be in our driveway, but until then God is providing miraculously each time.

Beaten in my own game

2009-11-18T13:50:00.007+01:00

Giving support to users with high end fancy Touch phones made by HTC you do get the feeling that you a a bit of a wizard in the area of mobile phone technology. Aad is always keen to help anyone who can't find a function or doesn't know how to bluetooth a picture. His pride did get a bit of a crack the other day. What happened? Early 2009 he bought this simple Samsung E-250 phone. After playing around with it he concluded that there was no speakerphone on the device. Which was a bit of a blow. Being a man, he did not check the manual or the box. Anyway, he learned to live with this handicap. Untill a week ago, when his mother-in-law, of all people, who happens to have the same model phone, found out Aad thought there was no speakerphone function on this phone. After laughing loudly for a while she showed him how to do it.
Result: a huge crack in Aad's authority and a mother-in-law that couldn't stop smiling. Beaten in my own game by a Game.

Polly put the Kettle On

2009-11-12T22:04:00.004+01:00

We posted this video on Anna's cousins' Hyves page but we decided to post it on our blog too, as Anna's song and marching is worth showing the world. She puts a lot of spirit in her singing and dancing :-)

Opa and Oma in England

2009-11-11T00:36:00.007+01:00

Aad's parents visited us last weekend which made us very happy. It's been six months since we saw them. Anna loved having Opa and Oma; pretending to be camping under the duvet with Opa, playing hungry frogs with Oma....too much fun. We went to the Dorset seatown Lyme Regis and enjoyed lovely sunshine and fish and chips. It's always sad to see them going again, but we have booked to go to Holland for Christmas so it won't be long this time.

Amazing or what?

2009-10-20T15:13:00.005+02:00

When Rebecca told the Mum's at toddler group about the new baby one lady seemed extra excited. Her name is Claire and coincidently she used to live in the house we live in; she isn't a Christian but she has started coming to church because she is interested in finding out more about God.
Quite a few months ago at church Rebecca and Claire prayed together; Rebecca asked Claire to pray for a baby. Claire had the thought '27th July' and felt God was saying He would give us a baby. Claire didn't say anything at the time. When Rebecca heard this last Thursday, she grabbed her diary and did some counting. Rebecca would be exactly 12 weeks pregnant on Monday 19th Oct - so she counted back twelve weeks and guess what the date was? Monday 27th July!!

Fire!

2009-10-19T23:38:00.003+02:00

Last weekend Aad went on the annual mens weekend to Dartmoor and he enjoyed it a lot. It was everything you expect from a weekend with only men; fried food, farts & fires. And shooting, which was more fun than expected.

We are pregnant (11 weeks)

2009-10-16T00:23:00.002+02:00

Yes some great news. We are very excited to announce a new baby on its way, due May 3rd which is Rebecca's Mum's birthday. We were very relieved to see the heart beating and find out everything is ok when we went for the scan last week. Rebecca is very blessed to not be at all sick - the only tell-tale sign she is pregnant is that she has gone right off coffee. Not very 'gezellig' for Aad but it won't last forever!

We are extra delighted with this baby because it is a promise from God. Before we even had Anna, Rebecca had a dream that we had a girl and a boy. After Anna was born a very good friend of ours, who knows God well, said she saw a picture in her mind of us with a baby boy. Then a lady from church told us she believed God would give us a son and another lady from church told us more than 2 years ago, that she had a dream we had a baby boy - in her dream Anna was about 3! We will have to wait and see but we have a strong feeling it will be a boy!

New shoes

2009-09-23T11:47:00.003+02:00

Anna got treated to some new shoes and a pair of new boots yesterday. She was so excited, the first thing she did this morning was go downstairs and put the new boots on! She has worn them to preschool this morning and is showing all her friends.

Anna is still a very happy little girl who loves her 3 mornings a week at preschool. They do baking and painting and listen to stories; Anna gets on well with all the children and gets a sticker every day for helping the teachers. She always wants to take part in all the activities and is very enthusiastic. Lovely to hear! Anna has also started dance lessons and loves it!

Aad is back working full-time for his boss at the call centre. The video work dried up and he could go back to full days immediately. It saved a lot of hassle looking for more work. Rebecca's parents now have someone to come and eat all the food in their fridge again!

Rebecca spends her free mornings doing church work; there is always lots to plan and plenty of people to meet to make arrangements. We're going away for a weekend with the 18-25 yr olds and are looking forward to that. This weekend we are going to a posh dinner and dance for Rebecca's cousin's 21st birthday. Fun fun fun!

Arrested for being too gorgeous...

2009-09-15T12:06:00.000+02:00

Football weekends

2009-09-08T10:56:00.002+02:00

This season we will spend a lot of Saturday and Sunday afternoons on the football pitch. Aad joined the local team AC Matravers again after a year out. Rebecca found a ladies team in the area and is following her heart in joining a team again. It's more than 10 years that she played for Manchester University Ladies.

Aad thinks Rebecca is going to do well as through the years she has always played football with a group of men from church. But ... both squads are huge and therefore we need to fight for our place.

And what about Anna? As long as we take Anna to the swings in half-time she is happy to come along to the football. She is even chanting the club name when we ask her to.

Fabulous day

2009-09-08T10:43:00.000+02:00

September has arrived and we are starting to get into our normal weekly routines. Anna had a fabulous day yesterday. First she went to her new pre-school group and absolutely loved it. New friends, new teachers and a new room – and it was excitement all round. She proudly wore her sticker for helping clearing up.

Later she went to her first dancing class. There is a dance school in the village and most girls (and a few boys) in the village are dancing in one of the many age groups. Anna signed up to a new dance class for really tiny ones. Anna loved this too and followed all the instructions from the dance teacher happily and very enthusiastic while a lot of other kids hung on to their mums or cried. In between the songs Anna couldn't stop waving her shoulders and jumping up and down of pure excitement.

Anna makes us laugh, she is a real Goody Two-Shoe and we think the phrase like mother like daughter is appropriate here.

Who needs shades to look cool?

2009-08-22T12:16:00.000+02:00

Games get together

2009-08-18T10:48:00.002+02:00

Our Norwegian sister-in-law May-Elin posted some pictures on her blog of the Games get together in July at our house. She is a very good photographer. We enjoyed having them around for three weeks over the summer and hope to go to Norway soon to visit see them again.

Unforgettable concert

2009-08-18T10:37:00.002+02:00

Still buzzing from the amazing U2 concert at Wembley. Last Friday was one of the highlights of this summer, seeing the band perform before the biggest crowd ever in the UK: 88.000. I grew up with U2 and remember well the LP 'Rattle and Hum' that my brother Luuk played on his room. Then throughout the years I have always liked their music. Many of their songs are real stadium song and I sang/shouted/made noise along many of their classics like 'Elevation' and 'I still haven't found what i am looking for'. Not only the music was great – the massive stage, the lightshow, the impressive stadium....wow. On this video I found on YouTube you can see the huge videoscreen expanding during 'Unforgettable Fire'.

Big Day push

2009-08-14T12:54:00.004+02:00

We are pushing the wedding side of the business a little bit more. First of all there is a new blog website, click here to have a look. Also, you might noticed the Big Day Facebook box on the right of this page. This links to our new Facebook page where you can even become a fan.
Our hope is that our efforts will promote our name and work an generate more hits to the official Big Day site.

We have also started giving deals to customers that book more than one suppliers.
If you know anyone who's getting married that might be interested in a photographer, florist or a videographer – it would be grand if you can refer them to us.

Did you know Aad can do a wedding in Holland too with no extra traveling cost? With the British Pound losing so much in comparisson to the Euro, our UK prices have become very competitive.

Strangled kittens and hiking cats

2009-08-14T12:23:00.010+02:00

Last weekend we went for a walk with Zelda & Dieter, family who are living in the lovely Dorset country side. They are huge cat lovers and had two-week old kittens. Anna wanted to go upstairs and see the animals all afternoon. Zelda was very generous and let her hold the kittens, although we had to tell her not to hold them just by the neck. We were there were no casualties that afternoon :-)

The walk was also funny, because one of their older cats followed us all the way. Well, we had to call her many times to come on and walk on. Can you imagine going for a walk with a 3 year old and a cat? At least Anna was in the carrier for most of the walk.

Pictures made by Uncle Andy on his iPhone. If you click on the second picture, you can actually see the cat.

Anna and her Norwegian cousin Sara

2009-08-05T12:31:00.000+02:00

Milton Abbas Street Fair

2009-07-29T18:31:00.007+02:00

Last Saturday we made a family outing to a Fair in a little town in Dorset. To create an authentic eighteenth century festive atmosphere, home made bunting is hung across and up and down the street from hooks which are already installed just under the thatch. Residents dress in eighteenth century costume and thousands of visitors enjoy dancing, the Farmer Market and Hog Roast. We had fun!

Anna's birthday party

2009-07-29T09:17:00.005+02:00

Last week was Anna's 3rd birthday. We invited family and a couple of friend to come for coffee and cake and had a house full. The neighbours popped in (village life, it's great!) and later that day we took Anna and her Norwegian family out to KFC. Nanna made (another) cake and we munched that for desert.
The day before Anna had her first kids party and we decided to have it in our big church building, which meant space to run around. It was a lot of fun. We had sausages and chips and cake and somebody said it was the most peaceful and relaxed kids party that she has ever been to.
Thank you to all you people who remembered Anna's birthday.

Practising making cappuccinos at home

2009-07-24T10:54:00.003+02:00

We like coffee. One of our most precious belongings in our Senseo machine that makes creamy coffees like the ones you get in a restaurant after a meal. But now there is competition: our new Cappuccino maker! This small, silver powerful machine produces espresso and steam to make frothy milk. So you do not need to look further for an excuse to knock on our door, we'll happily practise our cappuccino making skills on you.

2009-07-24T10:22:00.001+02:00

Z4 Testdrive

2009-07-24T10:21:00.004+02:00

On the 17th of July it was out 5th wedding anniversary, our first jubilee. Amazing how quick those years have gone by.... We went for a testdrive in our dream car, the new BMW Z4 (the car that we drove on the day of the proposal). You might have seen the commercial that British TV is showing all the time – it's a dream car indeed. The roadster has a hard top that moves in 20sec into the boot of the car and a very stylish. We tried to look professional but did not follow the advice of some friends to wear big sunglasses or dye Rebecca's hair blonde :-) We told the salesman we are not sure when we come back to buy it because we are waiting for an inheritance to come to us (God knows it's true!). I made a picture with my phone of Rebecca and the car, see small pic of car under this post.

Z4

2009-07-24T10:15:00.001+02:00

Football Alpha update

2009-07-24T09:27:00.002+02:00

Football Alpha started different then we hoped: only 2 of the 7 guys that said would come, actually showed up. A little bit disappointing and also tiring, because after quickly deciding we might as well still play as we payed for the hall, we got extra players and played 4-a-side. I almost forget how tired playing indoors can be, specially when you play 4-a-side.
We are not sure what will happen next Monday, there is enough interest in the course but will they show up, that is the question.

Football Alpha

2009-07-16T10:54:00.003+02:00

This Monday Aad is starting with Football Alpha. Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions, with a day or weekend away. Football Alpha is a spin-off from this. Instead of starting with a meal we will play footie for an hour. After that we follow the 'normal' ingredients: a short talk and then discussion in small groups.
We play at a local school that has an indoor and outdoor pitch, and a function room to do the talk.
Aad is organizing it with Joel (18), a football mad youngster and with Kev, a friend from church and coach of an under 18 football team. Some lads of his team have said they are coming.
For Aad is a great way of combining his passion for football and for God – and give other (guys) a chance to discover the meaning of life.

Anna is a winner

2009-07-06T11:46:00.002+02:00

Anna is a good runner. We often do little races at home and she loves to run from the bathroom to her bedroom. She is not put off by the many times she knocks her knees while jumping on the bed.
This weekend Anna had her first pre-school Sports Day. Traditionally a day ends with running races. Anna had practised the 'ready, steady, go' a lot and after a flying start she finished first, leaving all competition well behind. I'll never forget the intense but happy face of Anna running towards me at the finishing line. Rebecca, Nanna & Gramps were cheering too. She loved it. After the ceremony Anna ran off and spent the next 15 minutes running up and down the field with a sweaty head.
Not only Anna did very well – Rebecca won the Mum's race :-)
Watch some other highlights of the Sports Day on this video - you will notice that Anna is enjoying herself....

Special task

2009-06-19T13:03:00.001+02:00

Rebecca was reading the Bible with Anna the other day. It was all about how Jesus was sent to the earth because God had a special task for him to do. Rebecca asked Anna if she thinks God has special tasks for her to do. Anna said: I think God has coffee cake for me!

Summer pics

2009-06-19T12:41:00.011+02:00

We're loving the summer, catching up with friends and family, enjoying the garden and looking forward to more of the same in the next couple of months. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to.

Anna in the playzone tunnel with Aunty Sam, Abi and Matthew who we visited at half-term

Enjoying some telly-time under the blankets

Abi, Anna and Matthew munching chocolate buttons yum yum

Anna loving the playdough with big cousin Abi

Chris & Leonore came to visit - 2 of our favourite people

Anna and cousin Naomi enjoying the paddling pool

We love the beach!

Friends and family round for a barbecue

Our lovely back garden again!

Anna and some of her friends on the trampoline. She spends hours jumping on here!

Can I have a word?

2009-06-18T08:59:00.003+02:00

Anna to her playschool teacher: "Miss Rawles, can I please have a word with you?". Miss Rawles: "Oh, well yes, shall we sit down then". Anna and Miss Rawles sit down. Miss Rawles: "What do you want to say, Anna?". Anna: "I forgot.."

Twins

2009-06-11T09:30:00.003+02:00

We just received some pictures from our good friends Chiel and Harriet, proud parents of new twins: Minke en Isabelle. The little baby sisters are doing well and so is the mother. Chiel is enojoying it too and told us at the weekend that in the past 3 days he had not had a moment to sit down yet. Well Chiel, this is only for a few years... (bless him).
It's extra special knowing our friends had to wait a long time before getting pregnant with their first, Roemer.
Meanwhile we are also trying to get pregnant again. It's taking a bit longer than previously, but we are very hopeful it won't be long. So no phonecalls after nine at night, please :-)