July 16, 2007-- J & J's Wedding

Brother/brother-in-law/uncle J is marrying the love of his life in the Netherlands in July. We return from our vacation in the USA to be part of this event! The girls are invited to be flower girls (bruidsmeisjes) together with cousin B and the daughter of J's best friend. Here they are waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. J & J arrived and here they enter the old city hall in The Hague for the civil ceremony. This is followed by a church ceremony.
Officially married! Aren't they beautiful?
The flower girls took the car with J & J to the beach for the reception, dinner, and party.
Mama and papa are proud and happy on the big day.Beautiful beach girls!

Summer vacation 2007 at Deep Creek Lake, USA

Happy Fathers day Papa!

Look at the bear! We saw a mature brown bear on and around our property twice this summer!

Happy girls, ready to get in the speedboat to buy ice cream at the Lakeside Creamery across the lake.

Cool dude.

Lots of family and friends came to visit us this summer.

Visiting Grandma an Grandpa's house.

J on the wakeboard behind our neighbor's boat.

With oma at the end of the Fourth of July Parade. Two years in a row makes it a tradition!

S and her best summer time friend C. E always gets cast as the baby....

S and uncle J--also known as uncle Croc. He and P spoil these girls to pieces!

And speaking of spoiling... Here they are with auntie C when she visited us in the Netherlands with Nana this May.

Goodbye Montessori School!

Groep A with juf Annelies

The kids made a book for S and gave her a framed photo of the whole class.

S is treating everyone to an ice lolly.

S with her best friends from class. E is happy to be part of things too.

Bye Bye House in The Hague!

We are going to miss this wonderful house behind the dunes...

Our container filled with our treasures, almost ready to be taken to the dock in Rotterdam, onto a freight ship, for its three week journey by sea to the ports of Cambodia.

Loading the last of the many, many boxes.

Last Ballet Practice in The Netherlands

S has taken ballet once a week after school for a year. She loves the stories they act out, the music and the teacher. One of her favorite books? Angelina Ballerina...


Rehearsing for the Ladybug Performance with Juf Annemiek.


My ladybug!

Mice in the Jungle at the Montessori School

S and her class performed in a play about lost indians in the jungle. The indians encountered all kinds of animals while they were lost. They saw some lions, tigers, mice (S and a friend), monkeys and elephants. The teachers had done a great job writing and directing the play, while many parents had helped create the set and costumes.

A Week in France

We spent a week this spring on Ile de Re, an island on the west coast of France. We stayed with E's oldest childhood friend, her husband and kids. It was a week of beach, bbq, excellent rich french food, late nights with good conversation and laughs, fishnets and shells, sand castles and running kids.