Pretty girl...

In my Holiday marathon blog post,
I forgot to include my favorite photo of Olivia
in her pretty party dress.....

We had ditched her uncomfortable tights
and shoes by the end of the evening,
and the bow was pulled out of her hair,
but she was quite happy to be
barefoot and comfy :)

Happy New Year! Our Holiday in review.....

1.. On December 20th, Harm & Eva arrived from Holland to celebrate the holidays with their Canadian family. They don't really "do" Christmas the same way we do, so we wanted to make sure they did it up right......complete with Egg Nog and stockings filled by Santa Claus!


2.. We had company on Christmas Eve to share some holiday "cheer." Mommy had a lot of holiday "cheer" and had a super fun time :) We want to do the same next year but give people more notice so that they are able to join us. Growing up, Christmas Eve was always a party at our house!!

3.. Christmas morning was an early one......

Olivia worked at her own pace:

Hayden was SUPER excited about this gift!!

Santa Eva!

The newest Flames fan:

The kids had some quality time to play with their toys before
we had to get cleaned up to go to Scott & Tessa's.

The ever popular photos in front of the tree:

4.. Our second Christmas started at Tessa & Scott's around 4pm. We let the kids open all of their presents first so that they could play while we opened our gifts to each other!

Aren't Ralph & Sienna pretty!!

the Christmas keg!

Mams & her boys....

So, after a VERY busy day, it was time to get the kids in their jammies! (Their new matching ones from Oma & Opa!)
5.. We decided to brave the masses and go to Market Mall on Boxing Day. We had fun! Got some good deals, and had fun people watching. Until we got home.......and realized I left a bag with 2 pairs of jeans and a sweater in it at the mall!!!!! I was VERY lucky, and now believe there are still good people in the world, because someone turned it in to Lost and Found!! Whew.

6.. On that note....I LOVE my new American Eagle jeans!! How have I not bought jeans there before??

7.. On New Years Eve, Ralph took Harm to the Flames game......his first ice hockey experience! We partied at Tessa & Scott's Monte Carlo night until 11:45 when Olivia decided to wake up and ring in the New Year with us!!



8.. On New Years Day we were all together again! We had a delicious dinner, and took the opportunity for a big family photo!!


9.. We went tobogganing, for the first time in many years, and we had a blast!! Harm & Eva had NEVER done this crazy Winter activity before, so there were lots of laughs. It was a chilly afternoon, but nothing a hot coffee couldn't fix!

10. Ralph's 33rd Birthday rounded out our holiday. Just a quiet evening of drinks and cake with a few family and friends. I think it's all we had energy for after such a busy holiday!!

Wow.....this post only took me 3 weeks to complete! My New Years resolution is that I will try really hard to post more photos. More often :)

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Happy 33rd Birthday
to my adorable husband!


Ralph is the guy who.....

will never be as old as me, and he never lets me forget it.
would do anything for his family. Anything.
is an amazing Daddy to Hayden and Olivia.
can fix almost anything.....in case you didn't know already,
he's pretty handy to have around.
just built me the greatest shoe shelves. Easy peasy.
doesn't sit still. EVER.
is a great dancer but can't carry a tune......
though he does like to serenade me from time to time
works wonders with crazy glue.
doesn't like peas, but loves split pea soup.
LOVES buying DVD's.
loves the smell of new DVD's. yes that's right. the smell.
has a silly sense of humor that keeps me from being too serious.
is good with numbers.....
which is important because his wife likes to spend money :)

knows that if Matthew McCaughenhey came calling I wouldn't abandon our marriage.
I would just have a "freebie" :)

Why??
'Cause he's the only one for me!

LOVE you!! XOXO

Sinterklaas Celebrations!

This post is going to be a long one! You better grab a beverage and

settle in for the Deters annual Sinterklaas extravaganza!

I found a synopsis explaining this very cool tradition.....

The Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, is an annual event which is celebrated on December 6th. The day is observed by exchanging gifts and making good-natured fun of each other.

All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas lives in Spain. Exactly why he does remains a mystery, but that is what all the old songs and nursery rhymes say. He spends most of the year recording the behavior of all children in a big red book, while his helper Black Peter stocks up on presents for next December 5th. Sinterklaas gets on his white horse, Peter ("Piet") swings a huge sack full of gifts over his shoulder, and the three of them board a steamship headed for the Netherlands.

The old bishop and his helpmate are suddenly everywhere at once. At night they ride across Holland's' rooftops and Sinterklaas listens through the chimneys to check on the children's behavior. Piet jumps down the chimney flues and makes sure that the carrot or hay the children have left for the horse in their shoes by the fireplace is exchanged for a small gift or some candy. During the day, Sinterklaas and Piet are even busier, visiting schools, hospitals, department stores, restaurants, offices and many private homes. Piet rings doorbells, scatters sweets through the slightly opened doors and leaves presents by the front door.

The Dutch are busy too - shopping for, and more importantly, making presents. Tradition demands that all packages be camouflaged in some imaginative way, and that every gift be accompanied by a fitting poem. This is the essence of Sinterklaas: lots of fun on a day when people are not only allowed, but expected, to make fun of each other in a friendly way. Children, parents, teachers, employers and employees, friends and co-workers tease each other and make fun of each others' habits and mannerisms. Another part of the fun is how presents are hidden or disguised. Recipients often have to go on a treasure hunt all over the house, aided by hints, to look for them. They must be prepared to dig their gifts out of the potato bin, to find them in a jello pudding, in a glove filled with wet sand, in some crazy dummy or doll. Working hard for your presents and working even harder to think up other peoples' presents and get them ready is what the fun is all about.

The original poem accompanying each present is another old custom and a particularly challenging one. Here the author has a field day with his subject (the recipient of the gift). Foibles, love interests, embarrassing incidents, funny habits and well-kept secrets are all fair game. The recipient, who is the butt of the joke, has to open his/her package in public and read the poem aloud amid general hilarity.

On the day of the 5th, most places of business close a bit earlier than normal. The Dutch head home to a table laden with the same traditional sweets and baked goods eaten for St. Nicholas. Large chocolate letters - the first initial of each person present - serve as place settings. Early in the evening, sweets are eaten while those gathered take turns unwrapping their gifts and reading their poems out loud so that everyone can enjoy the impact of the surprise. The emphasis is on originality and personal effort rather than the commercial value of the gift, which is one reason why Sinterklaas is such a delightful event for young and old alike.

We started the afternoon with the Dutch-Canadian Club
Sinterklaas celebrations for the little ones:

See Auntie Keri......I can finally wear a barrette!



Yes, Miss Olivia can drink through a straw!
Does she know how to party, or what?!



Hayden LOVES his spekulas cookies!



Opa and Sienna




Tessa & Sienna were coloring.....but paused to say "CHEESE!"

Hayden had to steal a quick hug....

Hayden, Brody & Sienna were anxious to sit with Sinterklaas.....

When we got home, Oma & Opa had
special surprises for the kids:



After dinner, and a LOT of excitement,
it was tubby time for the kids......

Then it was time for the adults
to enjoy their Sinterklaas celebration:

Paps drew Mams' name for the first time
in Sinterklaas history!

She loves to be comfy on the couch under the
infamous red blanket!

Mams drew my name and made me a much needed spa!

It turns out, I didn't have to dig through the mud
(aka chocolate pudding) bath to find my gift!!

Tessa had Paps this year and made him tear apart
"deck" boards to find clues to his gift.....

....but he didn't get off that easy.
He had two decks to demolish before he got his present.

Ralph outdid himself and made a working safe
that Scott had to find the combination for
in order to get his presents!

With some careful calculations, he cracked the code!

Coincidentally, Scott had Ralph!
A specially crafted RALPHSMAN drill held
clues for Ralph's real gift.

I drew Tessa's name and in an effort to help her find
a new hairstyle, created the Tessa 'tato head.....

...complete with accesories!

We always look forward to making our Sinterklaas presents for one another,
and this year was no exception.
It is lots of work, but it is so much fun to see everyone's
reaction when we share our surprises!

Until next year 'Sint!