A visit from aunt Stephie

Lautje and his sister immensely enjoy the visits of their auntie Stephie. And it is not hard to figure out why: She still has infinite patience to do all those things that the Mommy and Daddy quite irrationally refuse to do the 150th time around. Like drawing pizzas with cheese (or, in Anneke's case, throwing crayons on the floor and expecting SOMEONE to pick them up again):
Also big on the hit list of things to do is gazing out the back window onto the little courtyard. The fact that it is void of anything that talks, walks or, truthfully, moves in any significant way, somehow never seems to diminish the fascination. So both kids are invariably thrilled to have someone who will happily stand next to them and stare at nothing at all:
Or, more likely, someone who will stare at them while they stare at nothing at all!
One of the best things about the auntie Stephie is, however, that she is not burdened with the Dutch-freakishly-tall gene and thus can do things that the Mommy's body simply refuses to do. And for the dude, it simply does not get much better than a combination of his beloved bobbycar and racing around the apartment together with his auntie Stephie:
Ok, so maybe a chocolate ice cream in his hand would make it even better. But then again, nothing in life is ever perfect.

The Inseparables

It is quite amazing to see the genuine adoration Anneke has for her big brother, and the extent to which this is reciprocated. As soon as peanut announced her arrival, the Mommy and Daddy began to ready themselves for jealousy fits, toy rivalry and sibling violence. Never, however, did they suspect that the challenge might be to keep brother and sister separate for as much as a minute! Lautje and Anneke do everything together - for instance, watching one of their beloved stuffed animals getting an inside view of the washing machine:
And while the Mommy and Daddy are thrilled that the two of them get along so well, they are less excited about the times and places Lautje and Anneke choose to display their affection. Lautje, for instance, loves hugging his little sister while pushing her around in her walking cart, an unsteady business at the best of times...
Also, while it is heartwarming that they cannot even be apart long enough to enjoy their afternoon snack in a more customary spot, say, at the table, the Mommy can't help but wish that one of these days, someone will invent self-cleaning carpets:
Both of them have the family tradition of the "Duzeköpfchen", the affectionate head butting, down to an art. The Mommy and Daddy keep waiting for tears and concussions, but both Lautje and Anneke are surprisingly gentle - with each other, the Mommy and Daddy's foreheads have had their fair share of bruising! All in all, the Mommy and Daddy have decided to enjoy it while it lasts, knowing full well that the conflict potential will grow exponentially with Anneke's increasing range of mobility. And in a few years, surrounded by screaming and crying and door-slamming, they can dig out these pictures, pour themselves a drink and wistfully remember the good, old days...