scrapbook and journal

This is the first time my children get an advent calendar. We always used to think it would be too much for them with the dutch Sinterklaas, all celebrations in kindergarden and pre-school and christmas.

This year I found a very old advent calendar my parents once gave me a looong time ago (I knew it: moving was really good for something). It’s not really fancy, and I even didn’t put in big presents, but small little things.

Well, the first little bag, filled with two tiny stuffed animals, was emptied within seconds. =) We seldom had that much fun (and so well-humoured children) when having an early breakfast.

...But I’m very curious about how long it takes before they empty more than one bag a day…

Thanks a lot, LauralyBeautiful, for this lovely postcard! Andrea and Max also loved the colouring pages (I’ll post the result once they’re finished) and most of the stickers have already found new homes and made a few boxes a lot more colourful. ;-)
Thank you!

Yesterday morning, my daughter (5) started to ask questions again, which sometimes can go on and on and on… But this time it got interesting. =)

Andrea: Mama, why is it that Pinocchio can move when he is made out of wood?
Me: Well, the fairy gave him the ability to walk and talk.
Andrea: Oh I get it: he’s running on batteries!
;-)

^{Watch out Santa! This little girl will soon discover who’s hiding underneath that beard… ;-)}

From my dear friend Venusian2!

This card was sent to Andrea and she loves it!
I told her about you and showed her on her globe, where you are living, told about your children… She was soooo surprised!

The little magnet is now sticking to her bed to comfort her at night – and keep some scary nightmares away from her. =) (We chose that spot because we don’t have a magnetic fridge…).
Thanks a lot, dear! What a wonderful surprise!

^{Andrea is already very busy painting, drawing and crafting something for you. =)}

I got a beautiful postcard from LauralyBeautiful. Thanks a lot!!! =) It’s really gorgeous (hm… I suddenly feel like planning our vacation for next year!).

^{I hope my card will find you as well, soon!}

This week Max and I had some time to enjoy the nice weather and discover some more playgrounds. We took a walk and Max decided where to go. We ended up on a mountain (I’ve lived in the Netherlands for too long… Every little hill is now a mountain) and had a great view over the landscape and towards a nice park – and playground. We had a little picnic there, played a bit and enjoyed ourselves.
Great!

I got a postcard from Todd Schoonover this morning – what a pleasant surprise. Thank you, Todd! =)

I received two postcards from the Philippines today! What a great surprise – thank you so much, Venusian2! They are really cute (the blue one has already been taken into my daughter’s room because she likes it so very much) and I also found your home town on the map-card (what a long way to travel to Manila for Judien’s treatment!). Thanks again! Now I really have to start a scrapbook! =)

Yesterday we had so much fun in one minute and we were racing towards the hospital in the next. Thank god it wasn’t anything too bad, but it was neccessary to go to the ER nonethless.

We had visitors and were playing, the children were painting and made things with paper which, of course, fell on the floor. But at one moment my son fell, he slipped because of that paper on the floor and hit his head on the table. We heard that terrible sound of head-hitting-something-hard and Max crying right away (a good sign!). I could reach him very fast, took him in my arms and covered his eye with a cloth and something cold. My father was also there (he’s a nurse) to tell us to go to the hospital: Max had a cut above his eye that was too deep and had to be treated.
My husband raced to the hospital and on the way my son started to babble again (also a very good sign) and only was pretty scared when he had to be examined and treated: that cut had to be glued. So, nothing too dangerous, but still scary.
Later, when both children were in bed and we sat with my father, my hands started to tremble when I thought about it again… and what could have happened.

As for Max: he is fine now, only complains that this band-aid is hurting him. But he’s Mr. smarty-pants again, telling everybody about him getting that terrible, terrible wound.

Yesterday I received an e-mail from a very old friend of mine. We studied together and once were very close but we both moved away and lost sight of each other. But we’re still in touch; once every few months we’re speaking on the phone or write an e-mail and attach some pictures of our children.
I was so happy to find a mail of her again, because I had lost her adress and thought that I would have lost her now that we’re moving. I also saw a picture of her two little boys (they are about the same age as my children are) and read about how they are doing. ...I knew that they had allergies, problems with walking and learning and that they were still constantly researching about the boy’s conditions. But the way she wrote about them now I had the feeling, or at least the hope, that they were all doing a lot better now. So I wrote back right away and joked a little about little children’s snotty noses and bruised knees and about the parents sharing it all. But I wasn’t prepared for her immediate reply and for writing that a snotty noses resulted in scarlet fever or a bad bronchitis for the four of them and a bruised knee in an operation on both legs for her eldest, because his sinews were too short. In addition to that, the boys have trouble learning due to brain damage and show behavioural problems…
In short, my dear friend is always and exclusively busy with the health of her sons, their therapies, the doctors and with finally getting diagnosed correctly. Of course, I feel sorry for her but I also admire her for everything she’s doing and for trying to give her sons a life that is as normal as possible.

...And I am fussing about moving and jobs and keeping my children busy…

So now I want to write back and I’m not sure yet what to write. I am so lucky to have those two cute and very healthy children I don’t have to worry about constantly. I have a few ideas for her for the boys and will attach some coloring pages I’m sure they will like.
Well, I’ll think of something, to show my compassion but to not pity her too much. I bet she can use some distraction.