Stolen List of 100 Things

My dear sister Danielle just posted a list of 100 things she may or may not have done... call me a thief, but I prefer to think of it as being somewhat inspired to do something other than pictures on the blog this post. Or maybe it's being somewhat bored. Besides, she got it from someone else anyways. Nothing is truly original, isn't that what they say?

1. Started your own blog - obviously
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower - most memorably in Oma and Opa's backyard...
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - this summer!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - ummm
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - does grade school count?
32. Been on a cruise - to Flowerpot Island, haha
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - I would hope so, living 20 minutes away!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - several times
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - I guess this depends on your interpretation of rock climbing...
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - just in time!
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - with dear little 6 week old Peter
47. Had your portrait painted - well, does a self-portrait count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - haha, in a swimming pool at snorkel lessons
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - not quite big screen but we had fun
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - a holding camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Seen the Lincoln Memorial in person
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - poor finger
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - front page of several!
85. Read the entire Bible
86. visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92.Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby - and one on the way!
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Early December Update

Well, we're into December now - the lights are up, and the house is slowly getting decorated. I seem to have misplaced my creativity again, and this has been making it difficult to make things look semi-festive. Oh well, we don't really spend much of the Christmas season at our house anyways.
The loss of my creativity has not only resulted in a lack of decorating skills, but also in a lack of inspiration for writing blogs. I hope this is not too disappointing for my three readers.
How about I just post pictures.

This is Peter at his first First Birthday party, in Strathroy. Yes, he's standing
on his own... he'll do that if it's his own idea, and this week he's even taken
his first few steps between his Mom and Dad! However, if it's not his idea,
there's nothing we can do to convince him to straighten those noodle legs.Taste-testing the cake with cousin Robert in the backgroundWe got to meet our brand-new nephew Matthew Richard when we
were in Strathroy... I don't really have any great pictures but here he is,
not even 2 days old!Hmmm... the once favourite Blue's Clues book has been completely
destroyed over the last little while. While he used to be so careful with
flap books, Peter seems to have developed the idea that flaps are for
ripping and eating for lunch. Peter at his second First Birthday party, on his actual birthday here in
St. Catharines. What a lucky boy! Two parties, two cakes, two messy
eating sessions... what else could a little boy want? It appears that the cake was fairly goodOf course, with a birthday comes presents. We have to wonder, though,
if the age suggestions on the box might be a little too young, as I don't
see anyone under 20 years old playing with anything in this picture...
actually that big house-looking thing wasn't a gift from any of us - one of
my managers from work gave it to me and I thought I would let Peter play
with it for a while despite the fact that it hardly fits in the living room.
Unfortunately he likes playing with it quite a lot, so I guess we will be
tripping over it for a while yet! Why can't kids like the small toys?
Pictures of Little Vander Deen #2! We had an ultrasound on Nov 26
and it was so exciting to see this little one moving around in there.
I've been feeling little kicks for 5 weeks or so now, and it's exciting
to know we're halfway there to meeting him/her!

Eating spaghetti on his own... of course it's stone cold by the time he
actually gets it in his mouth, but he had fun trying to pick it up.
Definitely an eat-in-the-kitchen ordeal!I turned around the other day from washing the dishes
to see this little milk monster on the floor

Happy Birthday Peter!

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Peter,
Happy birthday to you!!

My dear little Peter,
It's so hard to believe that it's been a whole year since you came, tiny and crying, into our world! On the other hand, it's also very hard to remember what life was like before you, or "BK" as Opa says, Before Kids. You have brought us so much joy and happiness and we are SO thankful to have you in our family! You've learned so much over the past year and it has been so wonderful to watch you grow and develop into a little toddler, yes, no longer a baby. What will this next year bring for you? Walking, talking, becoming a big brother! We look so forward to walking with you and watching you grow in the coming years! Congratulations on your birthday! We love you!
Love Mommy and Daddy

A Few More

Peter loves his books, and sitting on your lap to have them read to himWe used to have one of these horses when we were kids...
we found one at a garage sale and he seems to like it :)On one of those warm November days, we went outside to play in the
leaves. He enjoyed it, and tried to eat as many leaves as possible. He likes to sit in front of his bookshelf, pull all the books off the shelf,
and flip through them one by one.

November Update

Well, we're into November already and the leaves are piling up in the yard. I'm thankful we didn't get any of the snow that other parts of southern Ontario received last week! However we did get a pretty big thunderstorm last Sunday, with enough wind to take down one of the bigger trees in our backyard. Thankfully it fell in such a way that it didn't touch any part of our newly built fence!
We are doing well... Mike is approaching report card season already and is very busy with school. I am doing well, keeping busy at home and trying to keep Peter under control! Although not walking yet, Peter is pulling himself up on everything he can grab, cruising around furniture, and crawling everywhere. He is so happy with his freedom! With his freedom, however, comes lots of opportunities for trouble... I had to do some quick research into the electrical abilities of our front-load washer to find a way to put a lock on the buttons, unless I wanted load after empty load cycling through the machine. Kind of defeats the purpose of an energy-efficient washer don't you think?
Peter loves his books, and enjoys spending time pulling all his books off the shelf and flipping through them one by one. It is so enjoyable to sit quietly with him and read to him, even if he usually wants to turn the page long before the words on that page have been read. We hope that his love for books will continue through the years! Although he hasn't started saying any recognizable words yet, it has been exciting to see that he understands some things that we say. He can clap on demand, and point out our noses and our ears. He knows to sit down when we tell him to, and he understands "no". However, understanding "no" does not necessarily translate into obeying "no" and that seems to have gotten worse over the past week or two, as he has been deliberately defiant in certain ways. Having children is a surefire way to learn a long lesson in patience, and to understand that we are by nature sinful creatures.
It's hard to believe that it's almost Peter's birthday, only another two weeks and he's officially ONE. Where did the time go? The past year has gone by so quickly, with so many changes in him. On the other hand, I look at pictures of him when he was a newborn and I can hardly remember him being so tiny. I'm sure he will look like a veritable giant compared to his little brother or sister come April!
Anyways, on to the pictures!

A few weeks ago, Mike and I left Peter with my parents for the weekend
and we drove to Chicago to visit Gary and his fiancee, Hannah, and
Simon, Jodi and Joash. We spent Saturday afternoon together, touring
downtown Chicago and going out for supper. We went for dinner to the Cheesecake Factory, where we
enjoyed a delicious meal. None of us had room for cheesecake
afterwards, though.
Ummm, I think this was the Trump Tower
Peter received a package in the mail from his Great-Grandma
in B.C. A beautiful knitted blanket! Thank-you Grandma!
What a lovely surprise!
No, Peter doesn't have glasses yet, but doesn't he look just
charming? All he needs is a tie.
Little Joshua Peter Speelman, born to Marty and Rachel on October 22.
Congratulations you guys! He is such a little sweetheart!
The happy Speelman family, finally holding their little one.
We attended the wedding of Janice Dekker and Paul Seney on
October 25 in Chatham. Congratulations to the new couple!
Hmmm..... someone's trying to start an empty load of laundry...

Yeah, so I've Been Busy

It's been a long time since I've posted but we've been so busy over here that I haven't really had a chance. It feels like we've barely been home! We had a wonderful time visiting in Hamilton at the end of September, when all of my Mom's brothers and sisters were visiting from Holland. Wow! It was an exciting visit and very special, as we have never had them all over and will most likely not be able to enjoy such a visit again. It was hard to keep some of this information secret from my poor mother, but the surprises all worked out very well and we had a wonderful time. Mike and I had an additional surprise to share with them all... we are expecting a little brother or sister for Peter in April next year. (some of you may have noticed the subtle addition to the top of the blog) So far everything is going very well, and we feel very blessed with our little family. It will be interesting to see how having two kids in this little house works out, but hopefully they will be able to sleep through each other's crying fairly soon, as they will be sleeping in close quarters!
On to the pictures... I have some random ones to share...

On September 19, Danielle got possession of her new house!
We helped to pack up her stuff and move it to the new place,
and getting her settled in. It is a cozy little place and it has
been exciting to see it being transformed into a home. Here
she is raising the flag...we'll just pretend it didn't get
stuck at half-mast... Peter got a new helmet
Playing with a flashlight
Mom and Danielle enjoying the sunshine and some of the Dutch
company. Oom Klaas and Tante Willie had already arrived earlier
in the week. I think this was right after Tanani arrived along with
*surprise!* Oom Ruurd and Tante Gerda. Oom Johan and
Tante Tineke came the next afternoon, also a surprise. So much fun!
We didn't figure out what the official name of this game was
but we enjoyed playing it all weekend
Three excited sisters got a hold of everyone's cameras and
were playing with the timer options, haha
We went to the Lord Byron Steak and Seafood Restaurant for
dinner on Saturday evening. These are all my Mom's siblings
together in front of the restaurant before eating.
Heather and Shirley came last week visiting with their little ones,
Emma and Alexander. We had a great afternoon of visiting and catching up.
Shirley and Alexander
Hmmm... it appears that someone has inherited a love of
chocolate from one of his parents...
More Mom? Do you have more for me?
Although not very flattering at all, I think this picture is hilarious...
a look of somewhat gluttonous satisfaction
Finally! I was walking across the bridge and there was some action
at the fire station! Well, I thought there was anyways. I watched
for a few minutes and then thought, hey they'll be here still when I get
back from the library. On my way back from the library, there was still
a truck or two there, and there was some smoke coming from the back
of the building but they were done their fire-fighting practice.
A little disappointing...
But then the NEXT week on another walk across the bridge,
they were practicing climbing up and down the building, which was
kind of neat. They climbed up one side...
...and then down the other side upside-down. Not something I'd
particularly want to try, but it was interesting nonetheless.

The next three pictures were emailed (thanks Mom and Dad VD) so they
might not be as clear as the previous ones. They were taken by either
Mom VD or Karen. Here is Uncle Dave with Robert and PeterA family Thanksgiving Day picture with the lovely fall coloursPeter enjoying the tall grass

Yesterday

For some reason, Peter loves drinking water from the spray bottle...weirdSpiked hair
I find this picture a little creepy .

I apologize for the technical difficulties... for some reason blogger is acting
silly and making everything underlined and double spaced...

Year of Plenty??

Well, this year I decided to try a vegetable garden. I started on a pretty small scale, and had a few tomatoes, peppers, beans, broccoli, carrots, and cantaloupe plants. The beans were the first to be harvested, and I'm still getting lots of beans off the plants, which has been great. Next were the tomatoes, which also are still producing well. I had a few peppers but overall peppers didn't work too well for me. I've eaten one cantaloupe, and there are quite a few more out there but they're fairly small and don't look quite ready to eat yet. The broccoli? What a joke. Never mind the broccoli. Last week I decided to harvest the rest of the carrots - I had previously gotten one meal's worth out of the garden, and I was curious to see how much was left. The harvest was a little dismal...

These are the carrots I pickedThese are the carrots we ate
Here we have an amputee carrot
And there were even some vampire carrots in the mix
Some of these vampire carrots were on a diet
I guess the seed package did say "Baby carrots"
But these "Baby Carrots" were a little ridiculous, barely bigger than a raisin
And here we have a carrot... that isn't even there?