Talking to Santa on the Radio

This morning we called Santa when he was on CKNW... both Nik and Matt were very excited to chat with him and let him know their wishes for Christmas. Enjoy!

Christmas Spirit

Matt and Nik are both very excited for Christmas this year. They particularly love the music. Here are a couple clips of them enjoying two well known carols in their own way.

A Vaandrager Family Christmas

This past weekend the Vaandrager family got together to celebrate Christmas. Our cousins from Alberta came as well, so all eleven grandchildren were at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We took the opportunity to take lots of pictures since it was fun to have everyone together! There were lots of highlights - a large turkey dinner with twenty-one people around the table, new Lego from Grandpa and Grandma, a gift to open from one of the cousins, and everyone got a stocking full of treats. It took about an hour and a half for everyone to open up all the presents! Aaron was also excited to lose a tooth, and it made us realize that the kids are all growing up. We also took a quick minute for a picture of Grandpa and Grandma with their four children. It was a fun, busy Christmas celebration!

Preschool Christmas Concert

Last Friday Matt and Nik took part in the Christmas concert at preschool. They began with a little dance - Matt danced with Alivia and Nik danced with Caitlin. After a few more songs, including Jingle Bells, they put their costumes on for their Christmas play. Matt was a shepherd, while Nik was an angel, and both boys said their lines loud enough for the audience to hear. It was neat to see them performing with their class, and we were impressed by how much they have learned and how well they can follow the instructions from their teacher.

First Snowfall of the Season

Today we had the first snowfall of the season, which caused lots of excitement at our house! Matt and Nik were outside right after lunch, and had a great time shovelling, driving their tractors, and tasting the snow. Then we took them down to a large hill at the local school so that they could slide on their sleds... they absolutely loved it! This is the first year that they are so excited to play outside in the snow, and they were reluctant to come inside and warm up. The weather forecasters are predicting more snow for Monday night, so Matt and Nik can only hope that they get their wish for more snow!

Gingerbread Houses

On Wednesday, Nik made a gingerbread house at preschool. Matt had a cold and a cough, so he couldn't attend school, so we made one with him at home once Nik gave us the instructions. Yummy sugar!!

Decorating the House

Over the last few days, we've been busy decorating the tree and the house for Christmas. Matt was especially eager to help, and hung lots of ornaments on the bottom part of the tree. Nik hung his own ornaments, but was very careful about where he put each one. Each year Matt and Nik receive a new ornament, and this year we gave them a school bus that lights up, and has space for their preschool photo and the word "preschool" written on it. They loved checking out all the ornaments and we're excited to have the decorations up all over house.

Sinterklaas- Vaandrager style

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Sinterklaas. Grandma and Grandpa spoiled everyone with a gift of chocolate letters and new pajamas. We'll all be getting together again in two weeks when the Alberta cousins come for Christmas - eleven cousins together at gift opening should be fun!

Sinterklaas - de Jager style

Last Saturday evening the de Jager family headed over to Hans and Christine's house to celebrate Sinterklaas together. Oma had prepared the boys so that they could dress up and sing the "Sinterklaas" song. Nik dressed up willingly, while Matt was a little more reluctant to wear the wig and pants. After they sang their song, they closed their eyes and suddenly there were a few presents beside their wooden shoes. After some dancing entertainment from Matt, the adults did a gift exchange as well. Dad and Oom Arie also provided some entertainment by wearing a few of the dressup pieces as well, and we think it's a great look for them!

The Perfect Christmas Tree

Last Saturday we headed down to Dogwood Tree Farm in Fort Langley with Uncle Norm, Aunt Sandy, and Gail to search for the perfect Christmas tree. Nik led the way around the farm, determined to find the biggest tree available, and he didn't stop walking until he was sure that he had found the right tree. After Uncle Norm gave it a hug, Dad cut it down, with Matt and Nik's supervision, and then we followed Gail and Aunt Sandy around to find the perfect Christmas tree for them. Matt gave this tree a hug, and then Gail cut it down so that we could head back up to the main building for hot dogs and apple cider. They had lots of neat decorations there, including a singing deer that fascinated Matt. Matt and Nik were tired at the end from all that walking - Matt pretended to fall asleep on Gail - but everyone had a great time!

Sinterklaas

Each year we celebrate Sinterklaas by putting our wooden shoes out on the evening of December 4. The shoes have carrots for Sinterklaas' horses, and Matt and Nik were very eager to participate in our family tradition again this year. When we woke up on December 5, Sinterklaas had left a note, along with new pajamas and Lego for Matt and Nik.

Matt and Nik are also counting down the days to Christmas with their Lego advent calendars. They love opening up a door each morning to find a new treasure inside. It's neat to see how involved the boys are in the traditions this year!

Playing with Dylan

This morning we met up with Dylan, our friend from preschool, and his mom and little brother to play at one of the local parks. It was sunny but crisp, since it was only 2 degrees, but the boys had a great morning playing together. One of the highlights was when the tow truck and police car arrived to take care of an accident that had taken place down the road - the boys could stand at the fence and watch everyone work. The police officer even used his microphone, sirens and lights to amuse the boys. It was so fun to be outside together!

First Class Photo

Today we received the first class photo from preschool! In order to help the boys remember their first preschool friends, here are the child's names:

Back Row: Teacher Disa, Markus, Bonnie, Andrew, Nadia, Mackenzie B, Dylan, Maxwell, Olivia, Teacher Candice

Middle Row: Leif, Maxim, Megan, Alivia, Quinn, Mackenzie T., Caitlin, Charlea

Front Row: Sandon, Matt, Nik, Jordan

It's nice to have the keepsake from preschool!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Every year since the boys were born, it has snowed on the evening of their birthday, which makes it our "unofficial" start to the winter. This year the weather is very mild, but Matt and Nik keep wishing for snow. Yesterday they even hooked their sleds up to their tractors and pulled each other around the cul de sac while Dad was installing Christmas lights. He put them up on the house and the playhouse - and we think that the playhouse looks very cute all done up for Christmas!

Preschool Party Day

Today was party day at preschool, and another chance to celebrate Matt and Nik's birthdays. This month the boys have been learning about dinosaurs and it's amazing to hear how many facts they can tell us about the Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaurs. The artist of the month was Georges Seurat, and the boys know all about pointillistic painting! We've included a few videos of the songs so that you can see how much Matt and Nik enjoy participating at preschool!

Now they're four...

The boys had their four year photos recently (we once again visited our favourite photographer: www.nadineinksterphotography.com), and here is just a sampling of some of the great shots. We can't believe how grown up they are!

Happy Birthday Matt and Nik!

November 25 was another exciting day as the boys celebrated their actual "birthday day." At breakfast time, Matt received a music mixer and Nik received a drum kit from Mom and Dad. Both were a huge hit! Gammy and Oma came for coffee, and the boys received even more gifts from them - new puzzles from Gammy and a Playmobil truck from Oma and Opa. One of the other highlights of the day was when the street sweeper came to clean our cul de sac. Matt and Nik were so excited to see "Dusty" and they waved excitedly each time he circled the cul de sac. Happy Birthday Matt and Nik! We love you very much!!

Celebrating with Uncle Norm and Aunt Sandy

On Tuesday evening Uncle Norm and Aunt Sandy came over for dinner and a visit to spend some time with the boys and celebrate their birthdays with them. Matt and Nik received new books and Hot Wheels tracks, and they loved launching their new cars. Even Aunt Sandy had to take a turn!

Celebrating with the Vaandrager Family

On Sunday afternoon the boys celebrated their birthday with Grandpa, Grandma, their uncles, aunts and cousins. It was a fun, noisy celebration, and all the cousins had a great time playing together. The boys received more wonderful gifts, including the Lego farm from Grandpa and Grandma, and Lego vehicles and craft things from their cousins. Of course, no celebration is complete without a pinata, and it didn't take long for it to be broken open so that everyone could get at the candy inside!

Celebrating with the de Jager Family

On Saturday evenings we celebrated the boys' birthdays with Oma, Opa, Oom Arie and Uncle Steven. The boys were spoiled again, and Nik received the Playmobil train set, while Matt received the airplane from Oom Arie and Uncle Steven. Mom and Dad gave the boys all the other pieces to complete the train and airport sets. It took several hours to set up all the new toys, with only a break for dinner and cake, but the boys had a chance to play with all their new things before heading off to bed. It looked like a toy store had set up in our family room!

Celebrating with our Friends

Last Saturday afternoon Matt and Nik celebrated their fourth birthday with their friends at Semiahmoo Family Place. Everyone enjoyed playing on the large bouncy slide, making a treasure box craft, and taking a turn hitting the pinata. There were a total of eleven children at the party: Logan, Darcy, Charlie, Graeme, Ethan, Jules, Matthew (their friend who celebrated his own birthday a few weeks ago), Bonnie (Nik's favourite friend from preschool) and Dylan (Matt's favourite friend from preschool). The boys received lots of neat gifts from their friends, including lots of Lego sets, a magic kit, several toy vehicles, Leapfrog toys, and Tonka books. It was a fun afternoon!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It was Dad's birthday this past week, so we had a party on Tuesday night for him. After having a nice family dinner together at the Boathouse Restaurant, Uncle Norm and Aunt Sandy came over for cake. Dad had to work hard to blow out the candles!

Last Sunday we went to Oom Arie and Uncle Steven's house to celebrate with the de Jager family. Dad and Uncle Steven have birthdays only a few days apart, so they both had a cake, and the boys helped them blow out the candles. Matt and Nik especially loved playing on the computers there. Happy Birthday Daddy!

Dinosaur Dig

Matt and Nik have been learning about dinosaurs at school, and today they had a dinosaur dig in the playground. Both boys were very excited to dig in the roped off areas in search of dinosaur bones. At one point, Nik was running around screaming "I found a bone, I found a bone!"

Here is a sample of their artwork from this past week as well. Since it's hard to keep cornflake pictures, this will have to do!

A Birthday Party for Matthew

Today we celebrated our friend Matthew's birthday with a party at his house. Matt and Nik enjoyed themselves, and Nik was very excited when he won the "pin the spider on the spider web" game. We've known Matthew for almost two years now - we met at a music class when the boys were two. It's fun to celebrate with our friend!

Happy Halloween!

Matt and Nik had a very fun Halloween this year! We began the day at Uncle Norm and Aunt Sandy's house... and Uncle Norm was so silly when he tried on Matt's astronaut helmet! We enjoyed brunch together and the boys received a bagful of treats from them.

This afternoon Matt and Nik helped Dad set up the decorations in preparation for the trick or treaters. Dad did a great job carving pumpkins, adding fog machines and inflatable decorations, and installing various lights to the front of the house. The boys loved it! If you look closely, you can see Matt in the playroom with the remote control for the fog machine. He would run to the playroom each time the doorbell rang so that he could create more "fog."

Then it was time for the boys to head out to the neighbours to go trick or treating. They came back with lots of yummy things! Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party with our Friends

This afternoon we went to our friend Jules' house for a Halloween party with our friends. The costumes didn't stay on long, since the kids were all too busy running around and playing to worry about bulky costumes and helmets. They always have fun when we get together! The highlight of the party was when all the kids went trick or treating from door to door since their bags were bulging by the end... Matt and Nik are excited to do more trick or treating tomorrow night!

Preschool Party

Today was party day at preschool, and parents were invited to stay and watch the children sing their songs and talk about all the things that they had been learning throughout this past month. The students were also invited to wear their costumes, and Nik and Matt were excited to show off their "fighter jet pilot" and "astronaut" suits to their friends. As you can see from the photos, both boys were very engaged and participated in all the songs. Nik was excited about the five little monkey poem, and kept trying to tell the teacher about the book that he has at home about the five little monkeys. Matt was eager to answer a question about the artist Emily Carr, and could tell why she was 'eccentric' because she hung chairs from the ceiling so that people wouldn't stay at her house for too long. It's impressive to see how much the boys learn and remember after each class!

After the parents left, the boys enjoyed a party with their classmates, complete with popcorn and treats from their teachers. It was a very exciting day for Matt and Nik!

First School Photos

Today we received the proofs from the photos taken at school last week. As you can see, they were saying "cheese" as the photo was taken... we just can't believe that they are old enough for a school photo already!

Redwood Park

This afternoon we spent about three hours playing in Redwood Park. A new playground has just opened there, so we went to check it out. There were several other children playing there, including a five year old boy named Owen, and he kept the boys busy as they chased him around and tried out all the new equipment with him. As well, the park is full of huge trees that are shedding their fall colours, so we went and explored lots of piles of leaves. What a beautiful relaxing afternoon!

The Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm

Last weekend we took the boys to the Apple Barn to get our pumpkins and apples, and spent some time exploring and playing at the farm. It was a sunny day, which was a nice change after days of rain, and we enjoyed a family day together. Both boys loved the various slides and ran through the maze. The pumpkins look great outside our front door, and we'll carve one or two of them next week!

Nik - Feeling Better!

Nik has been battling a fever and stomach flu over the last few days, so it was a relief when he finally had a peaceful night's sleep last night. In fact, he slept so well that his hair was sticking up everywhere when he woke up this morning! He found this hilarious and wanted his picture taken. It's nice to see him smile again after the last few rough days!

Matt - All Plugged In!

Matt is always fascinated by anything "technical" - and he has already figured out many things work, including our iPhones. When I saw him "plugged in" to Dad's phone listening to music yesterday morning, it made me wonder if this is what we'll be seeing a lot when he's a teenager?

A Day with Dad and Uncle Norm

Last Saturday Dad and Uncle Norm took the boys to Vancouver to watch the Canucks Open Practice at GM Place. Matt and Nik enjoyed watching the team practice, and were especially fascinated by the coaches' whistles. They have been playing "hockey practice" for the last few days, and they are always blowing their whistles!

Then they went down to Yaletown and stopped at the Roundhouse to check out the big locomotive and turntable. They spent time checking out all the levers and dials, and Matt even blew the whistle.

Then they headed out to a restaurant for lunch before heading home. Thanks to Dad and Uncle Norm for a fun day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday at preschool the boys made "apple turkeys" complete with froot loop and candy tails. Nik could barely wait for the picture to be taken before he started eating all the tail feathers!

Wiggles Concert

Last night we took the boys to Vancouver so that they could enjoy the "Wiggles" concert. We began by meeting Oom Arie and Uncle Steven for dinner at a neat pizza place in Kitsilano. They had a great area for the kids to play in and the boys enjoyed spending time with their uncles.

Then we headed to the concert. Both Matt and Nik thoroughly enjoyed the 90 minute show, which featured lots of singing, gymnastics routines, and one of the Wiggles even came into the audience to say hello. It was a very interactive concert, and it was neat to see the boys sing along with some of their favourite songs.

Matt and Nik reluctantly waved goodbye to the performers at the end of the show. Nik said that he liked watching the Wiggles sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" while Matt decided that he loved everything about the concert. It was a nice family evening!

Building with Toothpicks and Marshmallows

Every day, Nik asks if he can "do a craft today." So on Wednesday we got out the toothpicks and marshmallows and spent some time building structures. Matt built a few "turning things" while Nik created long rows of squares and large circles. The structures didn't last long, because Nik insisted on eating all the marshmallows!

Party Day at Preschool

Today was "Party Day" at preschool. At the end of every month, parents are invited for the first half hour of class, and the children sing their songs and share what they have been learning for the past month. It's also a celebration for students who have their birthday during the month. Matt and Nik were very excited about today's party day, and it was so cute to watch them perform all their songs. Both boys were active participants in all the songs, especially the ones about Winnie the Pooh, their "Going for Goodness" song, and their hello and exercise songs. They also entered into the discussion with the teacher as she reviewed some of the curriculum from the last few weeks. It was great to see them so engaged and involved in their school activities, and to meet some of the other students and parents as well!

Frog in the Car!

This afternoon we were heading home when Matt said, "Mommy, there's a frog beside you." Sure enough, we had a little friend who joined us for the ride home. As soon as we parked, Matt and Nik dove into the front seat to try to catch him, and Dad joined in as well. In the end, the little frog was given a new home in our bushes - can you see him in the last photo?