Connected

Hello. For months now, we've been borrowing our neighbor's wi-fi, and we've tried hard to stay connected, but especially in the first weeks, it was very difficult. Our old MacBook laptop could barely pick up any signal, and our Mac was slower than usual. Also, we were busy, and we had no home phone. Yes, things were difficult, and although there are still complications and imperfections in our connection with our friends and family, we are so grateful for God's provision.

I know this post is painfully short, but I just had too say it: We're connected!

Happy Birthday to Abe

Happy Birthday Abe!

I remember the day you were born. I remember when Grandma picked me up from preschool, got me ice cream from the ice cream truck, and took us to the hospital so we meet you,  I remember when we took you home, and I remember when you grew up and eventually realized that your sisters' names WEREN'T Miasadie, Ella, and Robin, and realized that you weren't Batman and mom wasn't your sidekick.

Happy Sixth Birthday, and may you long and adventurous life!

My Very Special Weekend With Auntie Em

As I have posted before, we spend a lot of time touring Holland on our weekends.  However, this week we weren't the tourists.  Auntie Em was the tourist , and it was our job to show her the highlights of Dutch life in just a few days. Because we aimed for about two "highlights" a day, as soon as she got out of the airport, we got to work.

So, on Wednesday, as soon as we picked up Barnabas, we took her on a long trip home: the perfect entry to the Netherlands. Then, for our second highlight, we gave her a full house tour, and treated her to gelato. What fun!

Next, on Thursday, the sea shipment came and although it probably wasn't a highlight for her, it was a highlight for us! We were finally reunited with our Catland friends.  Then, as a more real highlight, we took her to our favorite Belgian chocolate store and got her a fancy, delicate, Belgian chocolate!

Who can guess?  On Friday we DIDN'T homeschool, we toured the country, and had a blast at Naarden.  The highlight, (the one that wasn't Naarden itself, but within Naarden), was defiantly and boldly, and definitely, the hot chocolate.

Saturday: Eight mile bike ride, pancake house, Haarlem (Corrie Ten Boom, Cathedral, etc.)

Sunday: Church, Amsterdam trip with my Mom

By now, I'm sure you get the idea. However, today is Monday, and my Aunt just left. I had a wonderful really long weekend, but I'm really going to miss my aunt!  Here is a slideshow to give you a few snapshots of our time together.

Create your own free slideshow

AEAEMPAFTCSS (This Stands for something)

As I promised in the title, AEAEMPAFTCSS stands for something. In fact it stands for:

Auntie
Em
And
Evil
Mr.
Paws
And
Finally
The
Cursed
Sea
Shipment

See? I always keep my promises!

The reason my Aunt Emily and Barnabas, who I call Evil Mr. Paws, got incorporated into this post and the title, is because half of my latest 48 hours was devoted to bring them safely to the Melkpad. Actually, to be precise, they took up the first half of my latest forty-eight but the reason I DIDN'T post it was because I thought it would sound stupid and I thought that it would be to be precise.

Where was I?

Oh yes! We had to take a train, a car, and lot of motion sickness, but we pushed through and I alone was successful in transporting by brethren and dog to the Melkpad, with a little help form my parents.

Then, I, exhausted, slept and slept, until the morning dawned bright and rainy, and then I got up, and single handedly, unpacked the whole truckload of stuff, with a tiny bit of help from Auntie Em, Mom and some nice Dutch movers.

On a random note, Sadie, Ella and Abe got lovely bunk beds, and beds spreads. My bed didn't fit though the tiny Dutch stairs.

Now Mia ain't got no bed:(

More on that later- but hopefully REALLY later.

My Weekend as a Tourist

Hello. One day later, I still feel like I am in danger of falling asleep. You see-we have had a very busy weekend. I've had several attempts at this post, because we really did do a lot of interesting things, but unfortunately, my sleepy brain refuses to write.

But it doesn't refuse to make slideshows!

I know that I won't ever post about this wonderful weekend if I don't hop to it, and I also know that I have to work quickly so that Sadie and Mommy don't steal all the photos-two good reasons why I should push through my drowsiness. Well here goes nothing!



 You can watch the video here.

Our Catland Adventure

The Great Mountain

Told by: (Characters)

“Kitty” (Katherine) Elizabeth Meowie (Mia)           

Hanna Faith Meowie (Sadie)

Sealie Shelton Meowie (Mia)

“Lucky” (Lucille) May Meowie (Sadie)

“Amy” (Anastasia) Sarah Whuffer (Ella)

“Scurvie” (Scurvy) Bones Pirate-dog (Abe)

“Pup” (Pupfield) Crossbone Pirate-dog (Abe)

Note:

As we have settled into Melkpad, we have been playing “Catland” –the game which we often play with all of our stuffed animals. Ella, Abe and Sadie told this story from the view of their stuffed animals. Enjoy!

Part 1: By Amy Whuffer (or Ella, age 8)

We were all knitting and almost bored out of our minds until Pup came in, and then I had it. I ran to my cave, gathered some of my possessions, and ran out to some caves that Pup had found. The reason we lived in the caves was because of the Abe-land soldiers, who had driven us out of our homes. Kitty and the Meowies were already at the caves. At the caves I was next door to the Meowies. However, our hiding spot didn’t stay secret for long. Soon, Scurvie went out and the Abe-land soldiers saw him and so thy shot bullets into the caves. So, that is how we came here. Currently, we are getting bored again.

Part 2: By Scurvie Pirate-dog (or Abe, age 6)

This crazy adventure started when Kitty told us about the mountain. Then we were like “Hey!!!” and then Kitty told us that we could only climb it once in our lives. Then, we started climbing and soon, although everybody else were some slowpokes, we made it to the top. We met the mountain and he gave us whatever we wanted. I wished for a dagger that could change into any thing, Pup, my little brother, wished for a pond of Sprite and candy in our backyard, and Lucky, my best friend, wished to share a room with her older sister, Hanna. Hanna wished for a house for her family. Sealie wished for a Mac laptop so that he could become a blogger like Kitty, who wanted just to have her family (financially) safe. Lastly, we get to Amy. She wanted… I don’t know what! She got a piece of paper that said “yes.” Then we went down to the house that Hanna wished for to celebrate with a cup of milk, but then a terrible surprise happened.

Part 3: By Hanna Meowie (or Sadie, age 11)

Then, a white pillar started coming at me. “Perhaps it is just an airplane’s remnants.” I said to Lucky, trying to assure her and myself at the same time. However, the “airplane’s remnants” was starting to swirl, and it was starting to come closer to us.

Finally, it was Kitty who said, “It’s a tornado.” After that, we ran as fast as possible, trying to go inside. But Lucky fell, and the tornado, which was already gaining on us, gained even more when I stopped to help her.

All of a sudden, something hit me, and the last thing I knew was I was falling down.

All of us woke up around the same time, which was helpful because the pit which we had fallen in was rather small. Eventually, we got out of the pit, and to our surprise, we found that the tornado had apparently done more than make us fall: it had blown us furniture!

           

Conclusion: By Amy Whuffer (or Ella)

And that is how we became neighbors again with the Pirate-dogs and the Meowies. After an adventure like this, you can’t help but be proud of your friends, and I sure am!