New Beginnings

New Life, New Start, New Beginnings. That's what Easter represents to me this year. Although we were sad to miss the Easter service because of Adrianna sickness, we still rejoiced in remembering that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to you and me. I am glad we celebrate it every year because it reminds me to continually start fresh again, to surrender all that I have and who I am to the Maker and Author of Love. We enjoyed spending time with family this Easter. On Saturday we had a wonderful lunch at Marlen's place. They prepapred a wonderful meal and even made a special little pie just for Adrianna. This is probably the last get together before the arrival of the next baby Buitelaar. Harvie and I can't wait to become Uncle and Aunt for the first time and meet Adrianna first little cousin. Baby Joey (how we all call the little one for now) is already deeply loved by us all. On Sunday we had the Peters extended family gathering. Adrianna enjoyed running around the kids while they searched for their Easter baskets. She didn't quite find hers this year...even though it was on plain sight! But she did spot the chocolate bunny once we gave her the basket!

I also rejoice in the fact that I am finished my Masters of Education. This is the bridge model for my presentation that Harvie and I put together. Yes, I couldn't quite do this one myself, Harvie's engineer skills came quite handy. Marlen also helped us out by finding some drawings we could use as a model. I used the metaphor of "Bridge Building" to weave my paper and presentation together. I have to say that I have a new found appreciation to the design process and other engineering terms. It was really neat to finally understand a little more of Harvie's world. This past week I started dealing with the aftermath of finishing a masters. The living room and dining room have served as my study room. I can finally see the top of the dining table again...but there are still many piles of papers, articles, and books to deal with. It will take another week to get it all organized, filed, and cleaned up. And then, there is the rest of the house which was somewhat neglected the last couple of months. I am looking forward to the next couple of months where I won't have studies on my mind whereever I go.

Adrianna has recently began to play more with her toys. It's so beautiful to watch her line up her animals, stack blocks and build towers, and play with her tea set. I am trying to expand her attention by playing with her, but she is quite busy and likes to move from one thing to the next very quickly. She has finally gotten more teeth, with her pre-molars (I think that's the name) just breaking through these last couple of weeks. This next month I hope to wean her off the bottles (or at least only keep the before bed one). We'll see how that goes.

This past Sunday we met Marlen and Sue in the Tulip field in Burlington. We haven't taken too many day trips with Adrianna because she doesn't sleep well anywhere but her own crib. It was a very warm day. When we got to there, Adrianna didn't quite know what to do with herself...she LOVES flowers and I think she was so excited to run from place to place and admire the beautiful vibrant tulips. I was even amazed, who knew there were so many varieties and colours? Of course, we loved the orange ones! She didn't take a nap there even though we put her in the stroller and walked the perimeter of the field. It wasn't until we were heading home just before five that she finally slept in the car for half an hour. We had such a good time and it reminded me that sometimes I have to let go of trying to maintain her nap schedule to have a fun family day. We need to start having more of days like these and I look forward to having them more often this summer now that my weekends are not spent up at SFU.

We are heading to Seattle for the weekend with Adrianna. We are celebrating finishing my studies (hopefully for good) and Harvie's birthday. Seattle is a special place for us. Harvie lived there for three/four years while we were dating and we have many favourite spots we like to hit while we are there. This is the first time we take Adrianna along and we hope she likes it just as much as we do. On our ambitious list: Outlet Malls, Seattle Zoo, Downtown, Wild Ginger, Zeenas or Thai Tom, a park or two, getting my ring cleaned and checked, and just spending time together the three of us. Let the weekend begin!

March

Adrianna is now 18 months old. Although she is now considered a toddler, she is still our precious baby. She is doing well, growing and developing with each passing week. She has had some weight gains and recovered her percentile (50% weight, 70% length, 90% head) which makes me feel more at peace when having one of our meal battles. Yes, she is still a picky eater, but it is getting easier. Her number one passtime inside the house is looking at books. Harvie decided to build her a little wall with her big books and she loved it...now I have to build the little wall each time she sees these big books...

She also loves to be active, even inside the house. She can be found climbing the couch, pushing the stroller around, jumping on pillows, playing on the stairs or emptying the cupboard that still are not toddler proof. The latest fascination is playing with the broom.

I am glad that my final paper is handed in. I have my final presentation on April 10th before I can say that I am finished. It's been a long year of trying to read and write when Adrianna naps. To get some writing done, Harvie and my mom pitched in to take Adrianna for part of the day away from the house so I could focus. Not that Adrianna minds, since she loves to visit both sets of grandparents. She even has my mom going down slides with her!

Harvie continues to be incredibly busy with work. It's been a challenging couple of months trying to balance work and family. We treasure the moments we have together, mainly on weekends. Every now and then, he manages to get home before 7:30 just in time to kiss Adrianna good night. And, once in a while, even in time for her bath...

We are thankful for the opportunities that we have with work and study. We try remembering that even though these are challenging at times, that through it we learn and grow. I am looking forward to the end of the month when I no longer have studies in my mind. Harvie will continue to be busy through the summer and fall until construction is completed. But, we also pray that this is just a season for Harvie. For now, we just look forward to the Easter long weekend when we together can remember Jesus' sacrifice and celebrate his everlasting gift for us. Easter blessings to you all!

The 2010 Olympics

It's certainly exciting to have such an international event close to home. We are in the second week of the Winter Olympics and have certainly enjoyed it. It has been hard for Harvie to focus on work when just outside his office stands the burning flame and a sea of people. For me, it's been hard to focus on cutting down my paper in half...I have written just under 100 pages but need to cut it down to a maximum of 50 pages. So what to do? Put it all on hold, take in the Olympic moment, for the it will be gone too soon. I ventured down to Vancouver to meet Harvie Friday afternoon with the other thousands of people. It was an adventure to remember. What a sight it was to see Vancouver! Here are some of the pictures Harvie has taken over the last week.

These were the top 6 highlights of our Olympic Adventure according to Adrianna...

Topping the list as #1: The Playground at Yaletown! I know, not an Olympic event, but for our little toddler it sure was. Her laughter and smiles deserve a gold medal!

#2: The flowers on the walkway in Coal Harbour. Flowers are one of Adrianna's favourite things. Her word for flower is "tsi" thanks to my mom always pretending to sneeze when Adrianna points at a flower.

#3: Visiting Daddy's office and running around the maze of cubicles. It was a good thing the office was quite empty...

#4: Being entertained by the crowds of people.

#5: Sitting on Daddy's shoulder for the majority of the time (hard to see anything sitting in the stroller).

#6: The train adventure! And what an experience that was. It was incredible busy on the way back and she refused to sit on my lap. She sat on the floor and was thoroughly entertained by the people around. Even though she stayed up past her bedtime, she was such a joy!

So, with less than one week left, we are cheering for Canada! Go Canada go!

Busy Life!

Well...what have we been up to? Life just seems to be passing us by these days. Harvie is incredibly busy with his work, working long hours and even on weekends. He will continue to be this busy until the end of March. I have had some Saturday and Sunday classes and jave been trying to work on my big paper. I have only nine weeks left on my masters, but there is much to do before I can say I am finished. My paper is due on March 29th and my presentation April 10th, 11th, or 17th (date not yet assigned). Adrianna has been keeping us very busy too. Active doesn't even begin to describe our little princess. She is in love with walking and the outdoors. Since the weather has been so nice, we have left the house in the mornings for a long walk and going to the park most afternoons. I am very thankful that she has been cooperating and taking one longer nap midday. I quite like the one nap thing...it gives me a longer block to write my paper and more time to enjoy the sunny outdoors (sunny at least for now...winter has to arrive sometime!). Here are some pictures of Adrianna enjoying the park...

First Steps

Finally, after months of waiting, Adrianna is learning to walk. During the Christmas season she began demonstrating interest in walking. Because she is such an independent little girl, she did not welcome any help from us. One day, Harvie just put the little walker in front of her (we had tried it time and time again) and off she went!

After a couple of weeks of using the walker, one day without us paying much attention she took three steps at my mom's place. The same day, at home she took six steps. We got the camera, and waited, and waited. Sure enough, she did it again.

Here she is again, just before her bath. I don't think it will be long now until she is walking!

Christmas Celebrations

Christmas is a time of celebrations. Celebrating Jesus' birth. Celebrating God's gift to us. Celebrating with family, friends and food. Christmas is receiving God's love wrapped up and given to us through the birth of a child. I love Christmas and part of it is giving gifts to those around me. I see gift giving as a symbol of Christmas because of God's gift to us. I give with love, I receive with love. Gift giving is partaking in the miracle that Christmas really is. It's sharing love and joy, wrapped up in a present.

We celebrated Christmas early with my family. My dad and brother headed down to Brazil for Christmas. My cousin and her family came from Bellingham to join us. Adrianna was very entertained by the three boys. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, but my cousin did. Unfortunately, her camera wasn't working well, so these are the best shots.

The presents that are the biggest hit in our house: the Little Tikes Wheels from Oma and Opa Buitelaar and the Princess Tent from Oma and Opa Duck.

On Wednesday, December 23rd, we celebrated Christmas with Harvie's family. We had turkey dinner first. This is the sixth year we host the Christmas dinner and each year we improve it a little. This year we added ham to the feast. It was great to be together and catch up. Next year we'll have another little Buitelaar around the table with the arrival of Marlen and Sue's little one in May. We are thrilled for them! Sue is beautiful pregnant and Harvie and I can't wait to become aunt and uncle for the first time!

Adrianna chose to eat goldfish crackers instead of the delicious meal. She doesn't realize what she is missing out on!

We couldn't resist and buy a Christmas gift from Adrianna to her cousin to be. As soon as Sue opened up the gift, Adrianna was eager to play with it. Thankfully I had thought ahead and bought one for her too. Sophie the giraffe has become one of her favourite toys now.

A cozy sweater from Oma Buitelaar.

And the big present from all: her own set of wheels!

It was quite the hit! She kept going in and out of this part of the car. It kept her happy past her bedtime, quite a challenging task at times!

Of course with two engineer brothers, they tried to put the car together right away. But they don't make it easy to put together...it becomes quite comic to watch, but not so fun for those putting it together. It took Harvie a good portion of Christmas eve day to make all the parts fit together!

Cozy sweaters for Oma and Opa Buitelaar...

December 24th, Christmas even morning. Harvie stayed home and before having breakfast, Adrianna just coudn't wait until Christmas day to give her present to daddy, a duo-blokus game, a vest/tie/shirt combo and some Rafaello chocolates. Harvie surprised me with beautiful earrings inside a box of hedgehog chocolates.

December 24th, Christmas eve, we got all dressed up and headed for a beautiful candlelight service at our Church. It was the first time we spent Christmas even just the three of us and I love it! It was quiet, calm and relaxing. (After finishing this post I realized I hadn't fixed the red-eyes...oh well, too late now!)

December 25th, Christmas morning comes with presents for the little girl. We all stayed in our pajamas for the big event. Adrianna was excited to rip the paper, more so than to see what was inside. Each gift was first seen as a place for sitting. Good thing there wasn't anything breakable!

Slowly, the gift wrapping was ripped...

But first, before enjoying its contents, let's jump on the box a little more!

Every little girl needs a doll for Christmas!

No, the little spoon is for your doll!

Ahh, a kiss for the new doll!

I think Adrianna likes her Christmas gifts!

After church and Adrianna's nap, we headed to my mom's place for a late lunch and more presents. First we called my dad in Brazil to wish him a Merry Christmas. We certainly missed Jeff and my dad on Christmas day, but we know he is enjoying his time with family in warm Curitiba. Aunt Jeni spoiled Adrianna with the Barbie camper. It will match the Barbie camping family she gave Adrianna for her birthday. Aunt Jeni is building Adrianna's Barbie collection. She is one lucky girl!

My mom gave three different dog stuffies to Adrianna, each one welcomed with a big hug, kiss and cuddles. Why is it that they receive her affection and we have to beg for it?

Now, the best gift of all. Harvie got a mooning Santa from my mom. Adrianna was cuirous and entertained by it.

On Sunday, December 27th, we had the Peters Family Christmas at Aunt Lydia's place. It was so nice to celebrate with the big family, enjoying a delicious meal and the chaos of opening gifts with eager children. Adrianna received books and stuffies, two of her most favourite things! My cousin Sandy took pictures during the gathering, which I'll post later.

On Monday, December 28th, Harvie's airport group had a holiday dinner at Gotham Restaurant. We took Adrianna along and she was the life of the party. Thankfully they had booked the private room. Adrianna spent most of the time crawling under the tables and walking alongside the perimeter of the room.

Adrianna decided to help out the staff at Gothams by taking down the Christmas decorations from the tree.

This is the fun Adrianna had while we ate the main course. Oh the fun a toddler can have!

We hope your Christmas was a joyous one. We hope the love and peace of Christmas follows you into the new year. May we spread God's love into 2010!