Felix's new bedtime routine: drinks his "hot" (actually tepid) milk and asks to listen to "Blue Skies smiling at me nothing but blue skies do I see" (Willie Nelson) on my iPod.

Felix's new trick: go pee-pee standing up into the big toilet. So funny!!!

Ella's new thing: Being more adventurous with food. Current new favorites are buying her own school lunch a few days a week, and she loves pink grapefruit after trying them fresh from Granny's tree with sugar sprinkled on top.

Only one more week of school for Ella then she's done with her first year at elementary school, all done with Kindergarten. She is going to be in First Grade with a new teacher and different kids (some the same); on Friday we get to find out who her new teacher and where her new classroom is going to be... exciting! Ella was one of the Students of the Month - here she is showing Gabriela the certificate (click on all the pictures to see them bigger).


Amelia, Ella, Yuliana, Gabriela

Ella doing her homework in the beautiful brand new school library

Ella and Felix off to school

She's also done with Dutch school for the summer and will be returning to Groep 2 and Juf Iris in September. They ended the school year last week with a very fun speur-tocht (treasure hunt).

Felix has been taking "dance class" at his preschool with Miss Katie every Thursday. They had an end of semester show with the theme "A Walk Through The Jungle".



The first venture into kitten fostering is almost at an end. A coworker of mine is adopting Charlie and Loki henceforth known as Bhodi and Bub. Her good friends are adopting Tamago and Fez henceforth known as Olivia and Jack Bauer. It's very exciting for all of them as it's their first experience as pet-parents. I am enjoying the last few days of the pitter-patter of tiny paws racing around the house and then we'll be left with Otto, a companion and playmate for Byron and Toots (both of whom are not too enamored or amused with these babies). As I write, Tamago, Fez and Otto are curled up together on my lap. They must be going through a growth spurt or something as they ate two breakfasts and two dinners today!

Tamago and Otto

Charlie

Otto and Tamago

The Sunday after school ends, we leave for our one-week vacation, our first in 3 years and our first as a family of four. We've been on trips before, visiting family and such, but nothing with just the four of us, just hanging out together without any obligations. We've reserved a cute little cabin near Lake Arrowhead, which is not too far of a drive for us.

Happy two-and-a-halfth birthday Felix!

Since we celebrated Ella's five-and-a-halfth birthday earlier in the month of April, Felix is now very aware of "half-birthdays". Exactly two weeks after Ella's half-birthday, April 17, is Felix's two-and-a-halfth! Of course we had to have a cake, or rather, HALF a cake...

The night before his half-birthday, he discovered THIS NEW GAME.
Then he found the toy baby bottle to feed Big Baby and he rocks her in her basinette.

Not one to be camera-shy, he often puts something on and says, "Mama, take picture with (of) me", so here are some of those... (these are just from the last few weeks!)





It was time for Ella's check-up at the dentist, and this time, Felix came along for the first time. He has never been before, but as you can see, he looks like a pro. He just lay there very quietly and let the dentist do her exam, even a cleaning and polish! So proud of my boy!

Kittens!

We've been having a visitor to our yard over the last couple of months, a black and white cat. Byron (he's fixed) has been carrying on a torrid affair with it, which involves a staring contest between the two from opposite sides of the yard. Last week I caught the black and white coming out of the bushes near our side fence and behind tree, and then jumping onto our fence.

Yesterday I was working in yard and discovered a black and white kitten rolling around in the leaves underneath our bouganvillia. Turns out we have five kittens living in our yard, courtesy of the mother, our visitor.




People, just a reminder. Always spay and neuter your dogs and cats!

Jim Comes to Visit

One of my oldest friends, Jim, came to visit over Easter weekend. I've known him for 30 years now, and we met in junior high school. He has lived in the San Francisco bay area, currently San Rafael, for almost 20 years and I still get to see him once or twice a year.

We all took Ella and Felix on a hike in the Sepulveda dam wildlife preserve, and Jim stayed to act as the "Easter Bunny" hiding eggs full of candy in our yard for a hunt.

Palm Desert Visit

The first weekend of April we went to visit my Mom at her home in Palm Desert. Needless to say, Felix was very excited and raring to go:



And dressed very sharp. There were lots of things to do there, blowing bubbles, walking the dogs, playing tennis, riding in the golf cart, or Ella just reading with her Granny.








We also went to Palm Springs to visit with Nicki's grandfather Martin and his wife Sue.

Happy five-and-a-halfth birthday Ella!

April 3, 2009
Ella has been eagerly awaiting her 5 -1/2th birthday so she can be like her classmates (some of whom are now already 6). We marked the occasion with a cake, of course. She is wearing her Easter bonnet here. Now that Ella is 5 1/2, she has only 6 more months to go before she gets the bunny she has been bugging and begging us for. We don't really feel she is quite mature enough but after promising for almost 3 years, what can we do... Also big news: one of Ella's bottom teeth is a little loose so she may lose her first tooth in a few weeks' time.

March

This month marked a couple of memorable occasions. For one, Ella has started attending Dutch School. We go Saturday mornings for 3 1/4 hours while Jim and Felix go to Trader Joe's. Juf Iris and Juf Janneke are fun and the classes are a mixture of learning words, drawing and crafting, and singing songs. Ella has been reminding me that we must speak Dutch together more, so that she will become better and better, so I've really been trying to do that, although with my 7th grade (Dutch) education along with not having been speaking it on a regular basis, it's going to get more difficult. I am hopeful that with the new friends we are both making, we will both become more fluent. We are looking forward to and preparing for the Koninginnedagfeest (Queen Beatrix's Birthday Celebration) at the end of April - the case of poffertjesmix that I ordered has already arrived.

Felix is coming home from preschool with new things all the time, singing songs like Skip To My Lou and Row Row Row your Boat ("barely, barely barely, barely"). Here he is with Miss Maria and Kara:



Next, we celebrated Byron's 10th Birthday. He and Toots got some tuna for cats to eat, we sang Happy Birthday and Byron got a new collar. The white bits glow in the dark.






Here is Ella helping me make one of her favorite dishes, Spanakopita.