Tuesday July 31, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today has been a cold and quiet day at home so I will tell you about yesterday!! We had plans to meet your friends Abby and Ryan Madson and CoCo and Kaelen Custer at the park.  However it was closed!!! We played in the grass around the park for a little while and then decided to go back to the Madson house so you could all run around and play with their toys! Besides you were all a little bored just playing in the grass without any toys.

The Custer's were dog sitting Murphy, your friend Liam's dog, and were going to drop him off at the kennel so they too could go on vacation.  For some reason the kennel couldn't take Murphy so guess what?! We got to bring Murphy home with us!! Murphy is a big fluffy dog that sort of looks like a labradoodle! You think he is the funniest thing.  Any time he does anything more than walk you start laughing hysterically!  It is great!!! Murphy seems to like you but doesn't get too close! 

Murphy the dog

When we got home from the play date yesterday you slept for 3 1/2 hours!  I guess you were tired after playing with all your friends!

Sunday July 29, 2012

Dear Jackson,

It was Sunday today and we decided to take it pretty easy. We hardly even left the house but that didn't stop us from having fun! You and I got up early at about 6:15 and let Mom sleep in. We had fun playing and talking to each other. You also were really hungry, you most be growing! Mom slept in until almost 9, she must have been tired!

The weather was really nice and we playing outside and took a nice long walk with Grace. Yesterday we got you a new toy truck and you enjoyed playing with it today. You kept trying to sit on it and ride it around. It was really funny!

In the afternoon, we got out the soapy water and blew some bubbles. At first you really enjoyed the bubbles and chases them around. Then you took an interest in the lid to the bottle and forgot about the bubbles.

 Getting the bubbles out with Mommy

 Learning how to blow bubbles

 Having fun!

Watching the bubbles go by...



"It's what I love about Sundays" as the song goes. It was such a nice family day at home!

Love,
Dad

Saturday July 28, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Dad here tonight, we had a great Saturday! After a long hot week it finally cooled off, there was some pretty load thunder storms last night but you didn't wake up. We are happy that it is cooler, with no A/C in our house here the nights get really warm.

Today after your nap we went into Eindhoven and did some shopping. We got a nice "airplane" car for you friend Liam's birthday party in 2 weeks. While there you and I looked at toy tractors, there were plenty of John Deeres. We ended up getting you a nice black Truck that looks like Dad's. When we get back home to the States I know you will like riding in the big truck.

After shopping we headed to a park south of the Centrum. It was a nice park that was not busy at all. There was a nice little kids playground where you enjoyed the slide, swing, and the tetor-totor. You really liked swinging! You had the biggest smile on your face. Then we took a little walk through the park and you played hide-and-seek with Mom around a sculpture.

Smiling and Swinging!

Having fun playing in the Park

Having fun playing in the Park

Hide-and-seek with Mom

The London Olympics started last night. We watched some today with you. Over the next few weeks I'm sure we will watch more. Then this fall we will go visit and see all of the stadiums and maybe get some souvenirs.

It was a great Saturday because I got spend all day with you and Mom. My favorite 2 days of the week :-)

Love,
Dad

Friday July 27, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today seems to be the last of the hot days, but it is really hot!!! It was about 90 degrees here and with no air conditioning in the houses it is not fun to be at home!

I took you to Someren, the town closest to us, and we went to an outdoor pool!  You had such a great time.  You played in the baby pool for a long time and tried to hold a little girl's hand. Then you played in your floaty in the big pool for a while.  You are not too sure about it but you thought it was fun to be apart of the action in the big pool.  It was a great way to end the week! 

Running to get to the water

Trying to get your floaty to the water

The baby pool we played in

The big pool you floated in

Mommy and Jackson at the pool

Love,

Mom

Thursday July 26, 2012

Dear Jackson,

The weather here has been so unbelievably warm that we are still playing outside every day! It is pretty much too hot to do anything else!! Today was no exception to that!

Tonight while reading books you made Daddy and I read the same 3 books over and over for about 45 minutes. You love to read with us and are really starting to recognize the pictures in the book!

You got a little package in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Fausch today. You got a new toy boat and a squishy ball and and ISU t-shirt. You thought they were pretty neat!!!

Love,
Mom

Tuesday July 24, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today you and I mostly played at home again but we did do a little shopping because mommy needed to find something for daddy.  It's our anniversary tomorrow!

It was another gorgeous day in the Netherlands so we played outside all day!  You played in your pool so much today.  We put your slide in it so you could land in the water when you went down.  You were so shocked everytime you went down but thought it was very fun!

You also really started to walk around backwards and then would run forwards when you ran into something.  It was funny to watch you!  It is so great to see you learning to do new things!

Love,

Mom

Monday July 23, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today you and I spent the day at home catching up on some laundry and things around the house.  After being gone all of last week there was a lot to do! 

This afternoon was the perfect temperature to play outside and you even got to play in your pool again!  You and Grace liked playing on my lounger chair in the sun and splashing in the water!  It was a great way to get back into the swing of things!

Tonight we took Grace for a walk and you were so worn out that you fell asleep on our walk! You haven't done that since you were just a few months old!

Love,
Mom

Sunday July 22, 2012

Dear Jackson,

It has been a few days since our last blog as we went on a vacation to Rome, Italy! It was definitely an interesting vacation for us all. We will have many memories of trip (both good and bad). On our way there our plane was delayed about an hour but that was ok because you enjoyed playing at the airport so much. When we left we said we were ready for some warmer weather but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Once on the ground in Rome we soon realized just how hot it was there compared to Holland. It was hot!

On our first morning in Rome we pre-booked online a tour through the Vatican. Inspite of our best attempts to make it there on time (most notably a failed subway attempt) we missed our reservation and did not see the inside of the Vatican. We did however, walk around the outside and you played by the fountains and entry. There were allot of people there! Next, we got back on the bus tour and sent back to our hotel. We went up to the roof of hotel to the pool to get some relief from the the heat. This sounded like a great idea but the water was sooo cold you did not want to get in (nor did we). After a quick nap we ventured out again into the city and went to a playground so you could get some exercise. Then had a fine meal at an Italian restaurant, Dad had his first pizza in Italy :-)

The Vatican

Not the happiest guy playing by the fountain

Playing at the pool

Our first dinner in Rome

Pizza

Playing the the park

You wanted to go on this ride but you were too small

On our second full day in Rome we decided to go at our own pace so we took the tour bus to center of the city and tried to find sites on our own. After some frustration we finally found the Piazza Navona and then onto the Pantheon. The Pantheon was nearly 2000 years old! And we decided it would be the perfect place to have some lunch. Unfortunately, at this point you were already tired out from the heat and did not enjoy the historical setting as we hoped. Dad did enoy his second pizza :-) After lunch we found our tour bus again and made our way back to our hotel. We once again ventured up to the roof to find the pool in hopes that it would be warmer today. It wasn't BUT we did find a "hidden" kiddy pool that was perfect for you. We another expensive and dissapointing meal at our hotel and then went back to the room for some R&R.

The Pantheon

Drinking out of the big water bottle at lunch

On our last full day in room we were starting to get the swing of things so we walked all the way to the Colleseum in the morning. We had a great tour of the 2000 year old structure. You climbed and walked all over it! It was hard to believe that long ago Gladiators once fought here; Dad really enjoyed seeing it. We then jumped on our tour bus again and headed to some more amazing sites including the Trevi fountain were we had a fantastic lunch and Dad had his third pizza :-) We had some great Gellato (ice cream) for desert. You loved it! After some pool and rest in the afternoon we went out to eat again for supper. Mom had lasagne and Dad had speghetti (not pizza?!?). You had a nice stuffed pasta that you really liked. It was probably our best meal of the trip!

The Coloseum

Playing outside the Coloseum

Playing inside the Coloseum

Running around inside the Coloseum

Let me in here!

Yummy lunch by the Trevi Fountain

Gellato!!! You're favorite part!

Happiest in our hotel room

After all of this we were ready to get on a plane the next day and get out of heat and back to Holland. You slept almost the entire flight :-)

All-in-all it will be a trip we will look back on and remember for both the good and bad. Rome is an amazing place with a tremendous amount of history, amazing architecture, and culture. We are so glad that we could take you there with us to experience it. Mom and I will have never forget seeing these amazing places with you and making memories that we will cherish forever.

Love,
Dad

Sunday July 15, 2012

Dear Jackson,

You seem to have caught a little cold and have not been feeling the best since Friday.  You are really grumpy and sleeping alot. You have a little runny nose, but other than that everything seems ok.  We hate seeing you feel so yucky!  You are normally just so happy, it is hard to see you upset!

Yesterday we went to Liam's house and you guys played for a little while! We had dinner with them and then you started to feel bad again so we left pretty shortly after that!! You have been sleeping a long time at night and then now have been napping 2 1/2 hours.  So we are just going to rest at home this afternoon and hopefully get you all healed up for our trip to Rome!

Love you,
Mom

Thursday July 12, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today we had our baby group get together.  There were about 10 kids there this time so not as many.  You played a lot with Kaelen and Collette again today.  You seem to get along with them well!

A friend from the group Kelly has twin boys Jack and Christian. They gave us a shopping cart for you to play with and you pushed it around all afternoon and of course you had to climb all over it!  Finally we were able to play outside this afternoon, the sun was shining! 

Climbing in the shopping cart



Pushing around the cart

Daddy got back from England tonight and you were excited to see him!  You said dada alot and not just mama mama mama!!

Love,

Mom

Wednesday July 11, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today we were supposed to go blueberry picking with the North American Women's Club.  When we got there they said it had been too rainy over the last few days and there weren't enough ready to pick.  It was a little disappointing but we still got to buy some berries and then we also got blueberry jam to try out.

A few of us with kids decided to go for coffee right after this and there was a little area for you kids to play in also.  You had a good time playing with Kaelen and Colette.  You were trying to feed Kaelen your peas.  It was nice of you to share but then Kaelen bit your finger and you got really upset!! It was the first time you have been bitten and hopefully the last!!

This afternoon was very rainy so we spent it at home.  While I was making dinner, I pulled up a chair to the sink and you played in the water and splashed around!  You had a great time getting water all over! Daddy is back from England tomorrow!

Love,
Mom

Tuesday July 10, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today you and I went to the Madson's house for a couple of hours to play their daughter Abby is about 6 months older than you and they have a son that is 4.  You guys played together well today and then we stopped at IKEA on the way home.

I got you a new little chair of your own.  You seem to really like climbing in and out of it, you even sat to watch the tv for a few minutes!

Playing in your new chair

Daddy is gone tonight and tomorrow in England.  He has to visit a customer for work.  He is sad to be away from you! I think you were missing him too, you kept going to the window when a car would drive by to see if he was home from work.  It was cute!

Love, Mom

Monday July 9, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today was your first time actually coloring with crayons.  Every time before you have just wanted to put them in your mouth and chew on them!  I think you were having a good time!  You pulled all the colors out of the box and then put them back in over and over! Then you colored for a little while and continued to put them in and out of the box.  You were actually staying in one spot for over 30 minutes which has to be a record!  You're always on the move!

Today you have said maaa maaaa, mama mama, mommy over and over and over!  Probably 1,000 times or more.  You really are starting to talk alot and even said the word that was supposed to be tractor. It sounded like tac tooo.  Pretty good!!! You are also growling like a lion and starting to say chooo chooo for the train!  You are learning more words every day!!

Love,

Mom

Friday, July 6, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Sorry it has been a couple of days since I have written.  On Wednesday, your great Aunt Jan and Uncle Bob came with their kids Nathan and Emily.  For some reason you have have really taken to Nathan, you sit by him on the couch and stand by him always smiling!  I am surprised because normally you are not too fond of men you do not know. 

It had been really hot here so we got out your pool and you have been playing in that during the afternoons!  Of course you love it!  You love everything with water!!!



Playing in the pool!

Resting on the side of the pool

Today we are off to the immigration office to pick up our cards that let us stay in the Netherlands for the next year.  Otherwise we could be deported!

Tonight we played outside with Daddy and you were playing in your empty pool!  You always seem to be happiest when we're all home together!

Love,

Mom

Sunday July 8, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Your Great Aunt and Uncle and 2nd cousins were here still in the Netherlands visiting. Yesterday we took them to Thorn, the white washed town in the southern part of Limburg. You and I played outside in the courtyard of the nunery while Mom and everyone went through the church. Then we went across the street to the Pannekoekenbaker and had ice cream. You loved it! You had a cone in a bowl and got ice cream everywhere.

Eating ice cream in Thorn

Playing in Thorn

Today we went with them to Brussels, Belgium. It was our first time there and we really had fun. It is an amazing town with lots of history and lots of old building and statues and monuments. We took lots of pictures. Your favorite part was the park by the Royal Palace. You played on the swing and teeter toter. After walking back to the centrum of town we said good-bye to Bob, Jan, Nathan, and Emily. They were going to visit Normandy, Paris, and Neuschwanstien Castle. Then they'll come back next weekend. You really liked Nathan, you even let him pick you up and hold you. I think your Great Aunt Jan was jealous.

The Groet Markt in Brussels

Playing with the teeter totter in the park

Riding on the teeter totter

Listening to mom in the rain

Happy with his rain coat on

The famour statue Mannekin Pis

It will be nice to back to a routine again this week but we are getting prepared for Rome next week!

Love,
Dad

Tuesday July 3, 2012

Dear Jackson,

Today you had your very first hair cut!  You did so GREAT, the whole time we were there you just sat on my lap.  You were basically perfectly still except to check out what the lady was doing every once in a while.  I think you were a little nervous about what was going on, so that made you really quiet. 

I got my hair cut after you did and you sat still through that as well!  I imagined it being difficult but you did great! :)

Pre-haircut photo

Side view

Your first haircut

Feeling your hair after it was all done

Back home having a snack

You look like such a little boy now, no more baby!

Love,
Mom