Esther's Fine Fifteen NB Party

Esther’s Fine Fifteen Natural Beauty Party  

Quite a production again! It worked out nicely though with everyone's cooperation! .

Great decorating job, girls!

Yummy chocolate strawberry cake (thanks Sharon/Maria)

It was a lot of fun and they learned something useful too – tho I was winging it more and being kinda goofy & giggly - their giggling is contagious!  

Caught in a rare moment of seriousness:

 Thanks Mom for the delicious and artistic twist on our classic Salmon Ruby Potato Salad

 6 beautiful sister-cousins

March break and Anna's 13th Tea Party

March Break week began with a visit from Rachel and little brother David on Sunday between services and continued with 4 GD girls staying over for several days.

  What fun we had doing a PJ party, giving foot massages, with lots of giggling, girl talk (they even managed to get some tidbits out of Auntie!), eating, playing twister, making my dog do tricks, playing organ & singing, reading, playing with dolls, making bracelets, 

 doing hair, 

 sewing - great job, Sarah!

 exploring the woods, climbing fallen trees and sitting in trees, 

baking an amazing DF,GR Ruby Chocolate Cake decorated with coconut cream icing and raspberries...  

preparing for and having an elaborate Tea Party in honour of Anneke becoming a teenager!

I even took out my special Dutch Tea Set from (Great) Oma N with the Dutch Grandfather Clocks on it!

Opa played Butler as the 6 elegant ladies sat to Tea

The funnest part of the party was the twirling & dancing to classical Ballet music in swirly old-fashioned dresses of mine and costume dresses,   

The girls had a great time - without watching even one movie the whole 3 days!  

We were able to all that and more (and I still got some rest times in) b/c the girls didn’t just sit there and wait to be served & entertained! Rather, they got right in there and helped make things happen!

And they even helped put the house back in order before they left! Thank you!

Such sweet, well trained girls are a delight to have! 

47th Anniversary

October

Dad & Mom's 47th Wedding Anniversary

Congratulations!

Bouts came and made their special day much more special. Enjoying a delicious fall harvest meal of roasted root veggies, boerenkool from our garden, baby greens salad...

  At Chris's for Kenny's 12th birthday - the baby of the family is growing up! 

 

 Good to visit with Mark too who was home on a break from Ottawa U

Also went for Josh's 16th earlier in the month

(wearing Opa's klompen in the Spring)

Mom's 70th guests

So nice that some of Mom's cousins could come to the family's celebration of Mom's birthday at Chris & Maurice's. We missed the others!

Adrie & Gerrit

Jack, Wim (Bill), Ralph

Mom's 70th Birthday!

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations….
Oh, satisfy (her) early with Your mercy, that (she) may rejoice and be glad all (her) days!
Make (her) glad according to the days in which You have afflicted (her)… let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon (her) and establish the work of her hands..”

Psalm 90:1, 14, 15

Our dear Mom, wife, Oma, friend has reached another milestone in her life: her 70th birthday!

To celebrate this milestone we had a number of parties throughout this month, and relatives from Edmonton! over

– and a bunch of church ladies (with kids in tow) came to make all the windows and kitchen squeaky clean the Monday before – what great birthday present!

Dad, Maria & I - and Daniel - tried to keep the kids occupied and out of the ladies’ way

– often unsuccessfully! haha!

- actually Matthew was quite happy most of the time - especially when Daniel was pulling him around in the wagon! Thanks Daniel!
Too bad I didn’t get more photos. Thanks Jo for coming & organizing this! Thanks also to Ann, Liz, Sharon, Andrea, Rachel for your help! And Tinie for trying! (her van broke down en route! :( ) and Heidi for the final cleaning after the cleaning crew :).

* * *
On Sat, Ralph & Sharon’s kids helped us tame the weeds and rediscover the flowers! So cute the way Bethany and Daniel worked together so diligently collecting the stuff and delilvering it to the compost pile.

* * *

On Mom's birthday, June 9, some senior lady friends (& not-so-senior) came over to help us make her special day more special.

Thanks Dad & Maria for your help! Maria was our pretty waitress and Dad wasted not the opportunity afforded being the only male.

Thanks ladies for coming – Mom quite enjoyed it (& so did we) - really nice to have Mrs VM there too -especially for the singing :) -she's still conducting!
Regrettably absent were: Ann, Gerda, Tinie, and the HCH ladies, and Kienie (came to the next one).

Looking young at 70!

Milestones to Give Thanks For

This year there's been other milestones for people in this extended family that haven't been posted on here so I thought I'd do a post to honour them all still.


1) Two weeks after Dad's birthday, the baby of the family turned 35! Congrats Maurice!
We praise God for the way He has worked in your life to bring you to where you are today!


We pray He'll provide good employment soon. (M lost his job a few weeks after his b-day :(

Anyone need a good IT guy? Maurice is a diligent and careful worker, a kind and fun man. )



Wasn't he a cutie!? He was a real charmer too - still is, eh Rachel? Mom?

Of course this picture doesn't do justice as its one of those school mug shots and of course, he had just tried his hand at haircutting!


2) One week after Maurice's birth, Mom's only sister in Canada, Marianne, got married.

Mom was thrilled to show off her new baby boy - and the other 4 kids who were in all in the wedding party!

Mom's family - those who made it from Holland. Mom looks pretty good for just having a baby!

Here's M&Evert's clan today, 35 years later:

Krista (their older daughter) made a beautiful album for her parents which we got to view at the cottage. These photos are from her too (Thx K!)
Congratulations Tante Marian & Oom Evert! and may the Lord grant you many more years together in health and ever closer communion with eachother and the Lord.

Congratulations also to Oom Evert who turned 65 in June! Pray the Lord's blessings on him.


3) In August, Ralph & Sharon's oldest daughter turned 13! Wow! Congrats Rachel C! Rachel is a sweet, caring and willing helper for her mom. She is a diligent student and becoming quite accomplished at the piano under her cousin Heidi's excellent tutelage! She's also working hard at sewing with Oma and we've enjoyed having her over - on her birthday - and other occassions when she's been over to sew....


4) In September, Betty & John celebrated their 10 year Wedding Anniversary in Vancouver, BC! Happy Anniversary and may you be blessed with many more happy years together.


5) 2 weeks later, Rachel Joy, the joy & pride of Maurice's life, turned 30! Congratulations, Rachel! We pray you will have many more years of happy service in your home!

Rachel is a very capeable homemaker and decorator and she spear-headed a house-improvement project for Dad's b-day which took place while we were away camping in Sept. The girls did a great job with the painting and it sure is a huge improvement. We're ready for visitors now :). Thanks Rachel and & everyone who helped!


6) Christine & Maurice's 4th child, Joshua Ralph, turned 13! Wow! a house-full of teenagers they have there - and not just their own, but usually a few to a lot of others. Congrats Josh! Josh is a sensitive, thoughtful boy whose becoming quite handy with his tools and loves to help his dad out. We took him for a trip with Maria to the apple orchard and fun animal farm up north where they had a great time - even though it was raining!


There were a good number of other birthdays and anniversaries celebrated but I can't keep up with blogging as it is so I'm not attempting to post on them all - just the milestones now.


Of course, I should mention the Grand Patriarch & Matriach's anniversary on Friday Oct.30 (because every year of marriage after 34 is a milestone now a days.) Pray for the Lord's blessings on them too and more years in good health together.