Catching up

Sorry it has been a few days since we've blogged. We try to be better about it, but sometimes time slips by, and this is actually the second time we've written this post - Stupid computer!

Anyhow, a few things have happened since we last blogged:

Saturday morning we celebrated Sinterklaas with the kids. They were very excited to wake up and see that he had brought them each gifts (wrapped in child appropriate wrapping paper - Disney Princess for Kaylie and Winnie the Pooh for Keiric). Sinterklaas also brought Mom and Dad a gift: Christmas movies to watch as a family for the holidays, including the original (Black and White) Miracle on 34th Street. I just have to point out, too, that in the scene where Santa is in Macy's store and he talks to the little girl from Holland in Dutch, we all understood what they were saying, and the song that he sings with her is the same song that is on our post from Kaylie's school.

Then in the afternoon we went out to get our pick out our Christmas tree. Christmas trees are relatively new here and are not yet that popular. We chose one that would fit the ornaments we had brought from home (about 10 of our favorites) and one that we could get home on our bike. It's not very big, but the kids decorated it beautifully! We had to bring our stockings from home since they do not do stockings here.

On Saturday night I spent the evening with the Youth Cell Group. They had a Sinterklaas White Elephant gift exchange after the lesson. It wasn't quite as humorous as the College and Career party last year, but then, I didn't have to bring home a 3 foot stuffed dog either!

Sunday morning Kaylie's Sunday school created their own party for Jesus. The kids had a great time decorating the room and setting out snacks. Keiric was excited because he got to go in Kaylie's class that day because there were too many babies in the nursery.

Sunday evening was the English Christmas Concert put on by our International Cell Group. It was an exciting evening, and there were quite a few visitors who were able to hear the beautiful, contemporized Christmas music (most in English and a couple in Polish) as well as an incredible message about the birth and mission of Christ by Peter Hays, one of the missionaries here. We had the opportunity to lead a responsive reading, which, fortunately, people responded to - I was a little afraid we would be up there and have silence in the audience, but thankfully they participated in the readings, which were different verses about Jesus being the real Christmas Light (our theme). After the concert we had the chance to interact with the people who came, and we enjoyed the cookies that we had baked - Kaylie had 3! We were also thankful to Jeroen, one of our Dutch friends, who gave me and the kids a ride since it was so cold and late at night; Jeremy had to brave the cold because they had needed him to help set up and tear down afterwards :( I would post pictures; but unfortunately, though I had remembered the camera, I had forgotten the memory card in the computer where I had been downloading. I'm hoping to get some pictures emailed so I can post them later.

Monday we realized that Christmas is truly right around the corner, and so we have been busy trying to get some of the details and administrative stuff done before the end of the year, including finishing up our Dutch classes before the winter break, Jeremy finishing the editing of several papers for Tyndale students as they finish up their semester, and, of course, a little Christmas shopping. We have also been blessed to have been given the opportunity to go to England for a few days after Christmas (thanks, Holli and family!) Kaylie is exited to see a "real" castle where princesses used to live, and Keiric is just looking forward to another airplane ride. We are doing this in lieu of presents, so we don't have to pack as much home in June, and we hope it's a fun, educational trip. It will be an interesting experience being away from all our family this Christmas. We all have a harder time at the holidays being away knowing that everyone is getting together without us (Kaylie doesn't think its fair that her cousins get to see each other and play without her), but we are learning that it doesn't matter who with or where you celebrate the birth of our Savior, only that you celebrate it!

Kaylie came home from school the other day and said, "Good news, Mom. My teacher believes that Jesus was born on Christmas." They had apparently done a coloring page of the nativity that day. Kaylie went on to say, "but I don't know if she believes what Jesus did for us, or just that he was born." Again, I am just amazed to see the comprehension and awareness of our 6 year old. One of our goals in being here is that we can teach our children to see the lost world and needs of the people around them. In statements like these, I feel like Kaylie is beginning to understand.

Jeremy is also making great progress in the last 10 days of learning the guitar! We can actually tell what he is playing - yeah more Christmas music! Here's few miscellaneous pics. Thanks to all of you who keep up with the blog and are praying for us.