Friday, July 29, 2011

16 weeks down




I was super anxious to finally get to see our little baby again, so we made a appointment for an ultrasound at 16 weeks and again at 20 weeks. We went in today for my 16 week appointment and Im so glad we did. It reassured me she is well and healthy and is growing perfectly. I was hopeing to have the tech tell us she is forsure a girl but that didnt happen. I guess they wont tell patients til the 20 week appointment. 4 more weeks to wait. John was saying "you know its a girl, so whats the big deal" which Im pretty sure hes right as all Ive been eating lately is fruit and candy and at my early 13 week ultrasound the tech saw the girly parts but until the techs are 99% positive its a girl Ill still be wondering. I never thought I could love another child as much as we love Haylie, but I was so wrong, Ive fallen in love all over again. She is such a precious miracle and we cant wait for her to brighten our lives even more than they are now. Here I am at 16 weeks and here she is growing perfectly. Keep on keeping on baby girl :)

A Stroll in the Park










Yesterday, Haylie and I needed to get out of the house and go somewhere other then the grocery store, so we headed down the street to the local park. It is a nice big grassy area with a walking path, a play structure for the kids, and beautiful vintage looking houses surounding the paths. We started out by the play area but after she was having more fun playing in the wet dirt and putting rocks in her mouth to decided to move on. We made our way around the park which took about an hour with Haylies walking pace and her wanting to pick up every piece of nature she found, but she had a good time and that was my goal. Ive been feeling a little sad for her as we are couped up in the apartment so Im glad we got out and went on an adventure. Here are some pics of her enjoying our stroll :)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I love my family





Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy. This morning I recieved some yummy American food from my family back home. I never thought Id be so excited about food, but I was wrong. I was starting to get a little worried as to what I was going to make for dinners as the grocery store has no American food what so ever...well I take that back they do have dritos and oreos, but who can live off that...NOT I. I am so grateful to my wonderful family for sending all this stuff, I know it was not cheap so I will need to repay them somehow when I return. I cant not wait to reach into the boxes and start cooking, lets hope I dont get too excited and go through it all in a week. A BIG thank you again to my MOM, DAD, SISTERS, and GRANDMA for making this happen. You all are the best. Oxoxox's sent from thousands of miles away. :)

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Today was a good day






Today was a good day...This morning and afternoon Johns co worker Oscar, wife Malika, and 11 month old son Noah took us site seeing through Amsterdam and I have to say it was nice. We were cut short due to the rain and were only able to see a small part, but hopefully it will be continued on a better day. We took a small tour, ate a nice lunch, and headed back to their home for the babies to play. Haylie had so much fun with Noah, by the end of the day they were both wiped out. I look forward to seeing more of Amsterdam as well as spending more time with their family. Fun was definetly had by all, Heres some pics with more continued as our journey continues.

Who Knew...



Who knew something so little would make someone so happy. We all know how much John likes his beer, but what he really likes is a good deal on beer. This whole trip, he's been paying about 11 euros for 10 cans, but not anymore. :) Thanks to his co worker Oscar for informing him that he can get 24 bottles of beer for 12 euros with a 5 euro refund when he brings the bottles back. You can say I have a pretty happy hubby. Its definetly not Keystone but Heineken will do for now. Heres some pics of my cheese ball husband with his new purchase.

PS. He was so excited he got a good deal, it was his decision to blog about it. So just for him, I did. :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Our home Away From Home










Thought Id give you all a glimse of what our home is like here in the Netherlands. Although we are missing our normal living arrangements and its nothing like our house in the US, we will take what we can get, and we will learn to live with it for a short time. I have to say though, as some of the rooms have been updated (kitchen & bathroom) from Ikea, I am loving that modern feel. Just may have to make a little trip to Ikea for little nick nacks when we get back. :) Anyhow, enjoy your tour...Until next time

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Our Daily Grocery Trip






Every afternoon to get out of the house, Haylie and I take a walk down to the local market which is about 5 min away to get our groceries for dinner. Its quite an adventure each time I go only because everythings in Dutch so its pretty much picking and choosing. They have all the main products such as fruits/Veggies, meats, breads, cheese ect but its the little things that they dont have and if they do, you literally stand there for 10 min figuring out if thats what it really is...at least I do :) In fact that was me today, standing by the dairy trying to find sour cream. Well apparently they dont have it because what i thought was sour cream was plain yogurt. YUM. Not exactly what i want on my burritos. Out of the couple of nights Ive attempted to prepare dinner, it hasnt turned out as planned. Tonight was burritos with ginger flavored rice, no beans because we didnt have a can opener, and plain yogurt instead of sour cream (we needed up at Mcdonalds) and last night was tamato based bbq chicken...not exactly my type of meals if you ask me. Ill continue to go on and try new things but i have to say ill be waiting anxiously for the package of food my family is sending me. Ill still be going to market, standing there pretending like i know what im doing, bringing my own bags, packing my own groceries and paying with euros when im still trying to figure out the exchange, but at least all the little things will be taken care of and i can go pick up meats and breads without looking like a total foreigner. Until then...wish me luck :)

We're Here






After a Long 10 hr flight we finally made it to the Netherlands. The airport was crazy and trying to find our driver was hard but nevertheless we got here and we're safe. The man drove us to the Haarlem Fluor office (Johns work) and then to our apartment they had set up for us. We walked into our apartment and it seemed nice, not bad. Other then no linens on the bed, a 15' tube tv thats all in Dutch, a slow internet speed (dont think they believe in high speed interent) and a nasty note from the neighbor to be quiet in morning they need there sleep they left for the cleaning lady...we are great. By this time is was already 330pm their time and we were exhausted from going hours with no rest. We settled in, made 3 trips to the grocery store (when walking you can only carry so much) and called it a night. Our night was rough as it still is with the jet lag, Haylie appartently thought her sleep was naptime so decided to play all night but we made it to morning...or shall I say afternoon. We made it out of bed and realized it was 2pm in the afternoon. Not sure how we slept that late, but we did. We hurried and got dressed and walked the town, known as City Center. Its a big long strip of stores, resturants, cafes, ect. Pretty cool. The hardest part is everyone speaks Dutch and they apparently are not a fan of americans because they dont seem to wanna help nor really care to be friendly, at least thats what we have seen. Hope it gets better. There has been lots of tears since we've been here (from me of course) but I know it will get better. Its such a different life style im not used to living it can be overwhelming at times. I have a great husband, family, and friends who are supportive and for them I am grateful. So Thank you, and so our journey continues...

This is Reality




About 2 weeks before we were scheduled to leave we recieved our package with all details on our living arrangments as in flight details, expensenses, ect. Seeing all the extras I would call it, I actually started to get excited. Not saying thats what its all about but when your able to save money and live somewhere for free, Id think you would be excited too. :) The one thing I was a little iffy on was where we were going to live. I really wanted to know where they would place us as I wanted to research it out and make sure it was decent for our expectations. Well it didnt happen, I dont think they were even sure where we were going to live as the Haarlem office was still searching for a place for us as we were flying there. Thats ok we just went with the flow. Weeks, days, and hours passed, John was getting things organized and I knew the days were drawing closer to say goodbye to family and friends. It was hard, but it could be worse so I kept smiling and (trying) to stay positive. We enjoyed our last gatherings with family and friends days before and took off to LAX on July 6th, 11 bags, 1 car seat, and stoller in tow. John had sweat dripping, heart rate pumping, and a baby in hand by the time we got on the plan. Poor guy, he was trying to do all the carrying and lifting as he didnt want me to over due it with pregnancy, so sweet. We got into our seats and everything was great. Haylie was happy, John had a drink, and I was taking it all in. 10 min. after we take off Haylie starts gets antsy and fussy mainly due because of exhaustion but also she wanted to get down and crawl. I was overwhelmed as we were flying in business class and for 8500 a ticket im sure these people didnt want to hear a screaming child for 10 hrs of our flight. We finally got her to sleep, got our "gourmet" dinner and enjoyed the hour of quietness. Through the rest of the flight we managed to try and enjoy our luxuary seating, amenities, and a baby we wanted to sleep as the time change is different. It didnt necessarly happen that way, but we made it here and thats all that matters. Here are a few pics of our flight...

So our Journey begins

Well, here is our story as I take you through a life in another country through my eyes. For those who are not familar with our story, I will give you a brief detail. My name is Kacie, I am a mommy, a wife, a friend, a cook, a house cleaner, a tear wiper and so my duties could go on and on. My husband John is a successful Chemical Engineer and the best provider/Daddy anyone can ever ask for. We reside in Orange County, Ca but currerently are living in Haarlem, Netherlands where we were transfered for a short time with my husbands company and so this brings me to share with you all "another life we are living."

About a year and a half ago John came to me and explained there could be a chance we would have to move to the Netherlands. He was working with some clients that needed a plant built and that he was the lead Engineer on the project. At the time, I was pregnant with our first daughter and just brushed it aside, thinking in my head it will never happen. Well I was wrong. Our life continued to go on with the subject brought up many times, but there was one time about 6 months ago where is he truely serious and we needed make a decision whether we would go or stay. I of course have barely been to any states let alone to another Country so my immediate response was No. We had talked about the pro's and con's of it all and realized the pro's out weighed the con's and we needed to go and enjoy this experience for what its worth. I was still scared as how I would make it with a one year old baby and (recent news) another on the way but I was willing to do what it took for my husband and his future career. Many would say its three months thats nothing, but for someone who has never been out of the country nor really has any interest too, three months seems like eternity. But I love my husband, would do anything for him and sometimes life throws you in a curve and you realize this is Gods plan, enjoy it. And so we will try...
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