Picture Day!

A Glimpse at the Wedding!!

"SPARKLE!" says Luuk

I was able to spend some time in Luuk's classroom to see some of the fun things he's making and learning. One of the games they play to help learn spelling words is called "SPARKLE". The kids get to sit on their desks and spell out words letter by letter. Once the last letter is said, the next person says "Sparkle" and then the next person has to sit down. They loved it! Good job Miss K! Luuk was also working on the cover of his ABC book! Like the fish Opa? And of course Luuk is always willing to assist Miss K with chores! Keep up the good work Luuk!

GRANDMA's Trashroom

We surprised Grandma before school to say Good-Morning! The kids always LOVE to see Grandma and see all the new and lastest things she has in her "store"! They were very excited about the new ankle jump ropes (not sure of the exact name of them- help me out mom!) It brought me back to my past when I had a lemon ankle jump rope! Remember sisters? Mom, you do an amazing job keeping the Trashroom running and organized! Your LC grandkids say THANK-YOU for all you do! We love you!

The Song Flute!

In fourth grade, the kids learned to play the song flute (similar to the recorder). Emily, or should I say "Emmy" or "Em"- LOVED it! Thanks to her piano teacher, Miss Caren, reading notes and learning the music was very easy! She was very excited to play in the school recital! (Like the sweatshirt Tante Emmy and Cuz Em?)

Matsqui Pool

What a gang! The kids all brought their friends swimming in Abbottsford! We looked like the Brandy Bunch! The more the merrier! They had so much fun!

The girls were off and swimmin'! They are 3 peas in a pod!!

Luuk and his friend had a blast riding the "waves" every15 minutes and just bein' boys!

Erik and his buddy were also little fish! They liked the "kiddie" pool slide but they also loved to go into the "BIG" pool and play with the other kids on all the different floating devices they had.

Now there's an inner tube! Rolf had fun spinning them and then pushing them into the middle!

Keep Climbing!

My sister has been getting after to me to update my blog... first I wanted to say thank-you to all who have been praying for my recovery and supporting me (and thousands of others) in raising money for MS research. I am happy to say that my health is improving and I have been feeling more sensation in my legs and feet again, PTL! I still have a ways to go for a full remission but my doctor anticipated 8-12 weeks, so I'm on my way! I am also happy to report that I am almost halfway to my goal of raising $3,ooo!..... I need to keep "climbing". I want to keep trying to reach my goal but more importantly, I feel like I also need to keep "climbing" each day to be a more "Christ-like." There are days when hiking trails are fun and enjoyable but there are also days when the trails are muddy and the hike is miserable....it's so bad you want to quit. I have been asking myself lately what would Jesus do? (WWJD) I know He never quit. To be honest, hiking has never been my forte but the hikes I can remember, the reward of reaching the top was so FULFILLING! Let's keep climbing!

A Sunday Afternoon

We pulled out a 1,000 piece puzzle this past Sunday. It was definitely very clear that Luuk and Rolf are the ones who have the patience and persistence to stare at all those tiny pieces! Personally, puzzles drive me batty! You can see below that Erik and Emily also found other things to do! This is a spot you will often find Erik! On his tummy, on the floor, racing his cars!

And my Miss Emily takes after her father...she loves music and loves to sing! Within minutes of starting the puzzle, she ran to her room to put some background music on...but then soon after that she was off to her room to start singin' and dancin'. Fortunately, she has her own dance moves and didn't inherit her parents bad coordination! (smiley face!)

My Soul Sisters!

" Soul Sisters"

Last night, a group a "sisters" came together to help me raise money for the MS Walk! I want to say thank-you to everyone for their love and support! A special thank-you to Amy and Karen for organizing this fun filled evening! Also a huge thank-you to my sister Jessie for donating a Massage Gift Package for the "raffle" and making us a delicious dessert! I'm not sure where the other gifts came from or who brought all the freezer meals but I want to say that your generosity, love and prayers has touched me deeply!

You have given me a sense of hope and peace! I truly believe having love and laughter in your life is part of the "healing" process...I'm realizing that although my body needs much more time to recover, it is because of friends, family and God's grace that my physical disabilities seem minor. I still struggle with the unknowns and fear of what the future will hold but I know God is Faithful!

2nd Grade HOOPS

Luuk had another fun year playing basketball at the YMCA. As you can see he definetly had a bit of a height advantage (go ole' Dutch boy!) Scott Cline was a great example and wonderful coach! It's fun to watch these boys play...it's all heart!...and skill of course! (smiley face!)

4th Grade Swimming Lessons

It was Emily's year to walk over to the YMCA for 2 weeks for swimming lessons. It was a HI-LIGHT for the 4th graders. Emily was so excited and of course alittle nervous to start but she was off and swimming! She was in the highest level and her confidence in her own abilities have really grown! The last day the class got to play on "Treasure Island"...Emily made it across 10 times!!! What a little fish you are!

Pine Wood Derby Racing DAY!

Well, the day finally came...TIME TO RACE! Luuk really enjoyed the process of making his derby car from a block of wood into a fast moving race car! Luuk and Rolf left early in the morning to help set up. They met at Mt.View Church with the other area Cadet groups. It was great to see the excitement as these boys watched on with great anticipation! They raced 4 cars at a time and had a big TV screen to watch race! Luuk's Derby car did GREAT! Way to go LUUK!

A Surprise Valentine Dinner!

Well, my husband did it again! He had me fooled! What was suppose to be a surprise for him, (going out for dinner with another couple), backfired...it was a big set-up! I figured out that he must be doing something after I called the place where he said he made reservations to add two more people but was then told..."No, we don't have anyone with that name or number." So then I figured: either we're going somewhere else for dinner OR maybe he was going to make us dinner...but there was no food to be found and I still have another couple that is suppose to be going out with us! I was getting a little worried!

But sneaky, sneaky Rolf had been talking with the guys from our bible study group and came up with the plan to surprise us girls with a special "Dutch Gourmet Dinner" (mini-fry pans). It did get more complicated for Rolf because I was home all day with a sick child but in the end he still pulled it off!

All the girls were totally surprised, unfortunately we missed one couple but they were with us in spirit! A special thanks to Joanne for "being a lifesaver"...if it wasn't for her, Rolf said we would of been in trouble! So thankfully, we were able to enjoy a great dinner with lots of candles (sooooo Romantic...) and be able to share it with wonderful friends!!!! What a great memory!

Thank-you Rolf! You are my Valentine!

Valentines Fun!

Emily and Luuk had fun kneading and rolling out the sugar dough for Valentine Cookies. (This is NOT my favorite part, glad they liked it!)

As you can see, Erik was very good with the cookie cutters!

A very HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to all of our family near and far!! A special day to say how much we love and appreciate each other...something I should do much more often... I ended up staying home today because Erik came down with a fever. Yesterday he ate some Cheerios and slept most of the day. Today, he still has a fever but has much more energy. Above is just one of MANY pictures he made....I think he is the next Van Gogh!

"GO LYNCS!" cheers Emily...

Emily had her first experience of "cheer leading" by attending a 1-Day Cheer Camp at her school. I came to watch at the end and she was BEAMING! She had so much fun... bouncing and clapping and kicking and chanting...my oh my... it was quite the scene! She must be a "natural" because she didn't get her coordination and gracefulness (or energy) from me!! Great Job Emily! Go Girl Go!!

Cadets Skating Night

Rolf has thoroughly been enjoying his involvement with the Cadet Program at Sonlight. Rolf has fond memories of "Padvinderij" in Holland, which he says was actually more like a "Boy Scout" program (no church involvement). I think he must have graduated with TOP HONORS given all his many talents!(smile face) However, he and the other men truly have the "heart of servant" and want so much for the these young boys to know Christ. It's so neat to see all these men working and walking along side these young men!

Duck Huntin' with Dad

It was a special day for the boys!! They were up at the crack of DAWN!!... "Can we go now daddy?" Erik asks?... "Pretty soon, Erik," Rolf says. "We'll wait til the sun is up over the mountian." Luuk was a very big brother and helped Erik the whole time!!!