I'm Back!!!

Well, I must say it feels good to see my blog post page again, after I left it over a year ago. I can't promise this will continue, but I will keep you posted when I find time to post. If you are wondering why I stopped blogging in November 2006, well it is the same month we started Turtlewings officially. So here are the two sites that are taking up my time now. www.turtlewings.be and www.re-circle.org.

February Birthday's

I have always hated my birthday in February. It is a time when everyone is sick of the winter gray weather and wishing for sun. Then the sun finally peaks it's head out just long enough for you to get antsy for spring and then it ducks back under the clouds for several more weeks of bad winter weather. Anyway, enough complaining! I must say that this birthday season, since Kai and I now both share February birthday's we can call it a season, has been an exceptional one.

It started on the 1st of February which is Kai's actual birthday. We where really busy then, so we planned to postponed it a bit, but the presents started coming in. He received presents up until his birthday party, which was on 16th, when we had 4 of his friends over for a cooking party.

Kai's favorite thing in the world is food & cooking, so we made him a mini kitchen for his birthday. During his birthday party his friends and him made the birthday cake. It was eventful, chaotic, but loads of fun, which ended in an impromptu candle ceremony on EVERYONE's cupcake.



Next, it was my birthday! My lovely husband had a fabulous idea (I am not sure he would say that now!) to cook for me and some of my girlfriends. So, we all settled in and had a wonderful night of amazing food, conversation and great presents!


On my actual birthday the 24th we went with the boys to the sea. It was the first sunny nice day and we really enjoyed being at the seaside again. Some of us more than others! Natan especially had a great time because he got to test out his new skim-board that he received from his uncle for Christmas. I feel I am doomed to be a surfing, skateboarding and general wheely mom. He came out of the water and said "It was great, but the best thing is my feet are tingling.!"

Just to put Natan's surfing obsession in context check out the other children at the beach! Of course this was our first nice sunny day, but there where no other children even close to the water, let alone surfing in it!

Verbeelen Commune Update

Many of you know our living situation and are always full of questions on how it is going, so I thought I would give a "commune" update.

Pieter's brother Hendrik and Charlotte are expecting their second child any day now, a boy! Poor Julie (who you see above) will be a bit short on company at her tea parties. Natan and Kai though are always happy when Julie comes over to play, which is often as she is as obsessed with coming to our house to play as the boys are in going up to her house to play. Up being 5 flights of stairs for those of you who don't realize we all live at the same address. Oma and Opa live in the first few floors of the front house. Pieter's brother lives on the 4th floor and we live in the back house (former horse stable).

This situation although cramped at times is quite nice. Kai and Julie are like brother and sister and for almost a year went to the same day care. Riding together in a bicycle cart every morning and every afternoon. Natan adores Julie and is as great a cousin as he is a big brother. We are looking forward to a new addition to the commune. Things are definitely never dull around here, but we are also never without a babysitter, which is great!