Last week Alex had another checkup where he also got a few more vaccinations injected into his little leg. During the checkup they asked us if Alex knew how to climb a stairs. We did not really try this with Alex but there had been a few times that Alex liked to go up and down some stairs with a helping hand. We said that stairs for Alex were no problem, and a few days later Alex showed us that he really did master the art of climbing!
Author Archives: ajebe
Kycklingbullar
We have not been neighbors for a while now, but we still enjoy visiting the IKEA every now and then. Recently the IKEA made the headlines. It seems that the IKEA meatballs contain some horse. I’m not really clear on what the problem is with that, but the solution IKEA comes with is to remove all meatballs from all shops in Europe.
What a shame because these balls are pretty tasty, but luckily I just bought a bag of balls just a few days ago.
Visiting
Time flies. An time flies even faster when there is family visiting. Alex loved the visit of his niece and nephew and uncle and aunt and so did we!
Scarcity
The departure of queen Beatrix and the arrival of our new king Willem Alexander is of course very big news and just like a lot of other commercial parties the royal Dutch mint is trying to get a nice slice of the cake. They are producing aankondigingspenningen (announcement coins), abdication sets, special 2 euro coins and a lot more merchandise. Right now all products feature the portrait of our queen, but after the 30th of April there will surely be a big number of new coins which are minted with the portrait of the new king Willem Alexander.
The new 2 euro with both portraits of Beatrix and Willem-Alexander will be mixed with the normal 2 euros and there will be 20 million of such coins, so for sure you will encounter a few of them. For collectors the KNM has a different approach. Once again the created an extra nice coin but in a very limited edition. So limited that they were sold out in days. It seems like a standard approach to quickly sell a few coins which then become very rare and expensive.
The last few emissions by the KNM in 2013:
2 euro dubbelportret – sold out in 3 days
2 euro verdrag van rome in coincard – sold out in 15 days
muntrol 2 euro dubbelportret – sold out in 1 day
BU set Nederland 2013 – sold out in 11 days
Once sold out the price of the coins usually quickly doubles. It almost obligates collectors to review the KNM facebook page and website to keep up to date with new releases. I am not sure what exactly is the advantage for the KNM, but coin dealers must be very happy.
Mommy
Alex has been saying daddy for a while, but now he also mastered mommy. He even knows his mother is called Ana.
Cats&Dogs
The wait is finally over. Cats and Dogs, Boys and Girls, a never ending battle between men’s best friends, combined with the most epic battle of all, the battle of the sexes. Action-packed in just half a minute of gaming frenzy.
An easy and exiting game, now playable on your Android phone. Practice your reflexes as you try to keep up with all the action on your mobile. This hot new game is available as an Android App on Google Play now and best of all, totally free!
The object of the game is as easy as it is challenging. Select either cats or dogs and boys or girls and start the action. Avoid touching the wrong animal or gender. Are you able to get the high score of the day, while only playing one minute? Don’t wait any longer! Get this game now!
View the all time high scores and today’s best scores.
Sick
After our nice visit to Madrid we are once again home but this time with a very sick child. On the flight back his temperature slowly went up to around 39 degrees and the only thing we could do was keep refreshing him with a wet towel. Once we landed we headed directly to the hospital where Alex got a big shot of antibiotica.
Now a few days later Alex is getting better. He is sleeping better and he even finds the energy to play a little every now and then. Still he is not his original 100% and sometimes needs to be held, just to show him there are people that love and protect him.
Madrid, here we come
Today we leave for Madrid. A nice few days of holidays with little Alex visiting the capital of Spain. We’ll be flying with Ryanair, so we’re in for some discomfort, but afterwards we’ll be ready to enjoy the three kings celebrations.
Overview 2012
The year is almost past so once again its time for a review of the past year. We are still living in Las Palmas on the Canary island Gran Canaria. In January we got a nice visit from Kees and Nel which was great fun! Alex was really happy to see his grandparents again, and it was difficult for his to say goodbye. Later in the year we went home to Holland to visit brother Bert, Sally, little Annabel and Jack, grandpa Kees, Grandma Nel and a big part of the family.
In the beginning of this year we had some stressful times. Ana needed to undergo some surgery, and her bladder was removed. After the operation it took some time to get back to her normal self, but eventually she could go on without pain and without a very strict diet.
This year we also moved to a new home. We still live in Las Palmas, but now a little more in the city center and in a little bit bigger apartment. Also we now how our own parking space. 2012 was one more year in which the crisis was noticeable. In Gran Canaria there is an unemployment rate which is more than 30% and this is something you can notice. In July I also lost my job and ever since I’ve been a full time dad and looking for some new job.
Our little angel has gone through some tremendous development this year. He now has teeth and is walking around all the time. He knows Spanish and Dutch words. He learned how to swim. He dances! He likes to play hide and seek with us. He likes painting. In all being a parent has turned out to be a fantastic experience.
We wish everyone a very good 2013!
Marry Christmas!
