As she enters her sixtyfirst month on Planet Earth, our Moon Child continues her birthday celebrations, this time at her school, De Akker. Thanks to Oma Naatje, Luna gets to give the children een beautifully decorated goodie bag (row below).

While the children are already in the classroom, Luna waits patiently in the hallway until she is called into the room (middle right). Her brother accompanies her, playing the trumpet (far right).

Luna gets to sit on her teacher's chair (far left), with one of her teachers, Juf Saskia, spending part of the celebration in the chair next to our birthday girl (middle left).

Lior is a little intimidated by Luna's birthday celebration at school, so watches it all from a safe distance (far left). Meanwhile, the children play musical instruments while singing happy birthday to Luna (far right).

And the celebration ends with Luna blowing out the candles on yet another birthday cake (left). Esther-Mirjam is very pleased with Luna being so happy about going to school. The two teachers, Juf Saskia and Juf Lucie, are truly wonderful. And Luna has lots of friends among the children. In fact, mom had told her that Luna was allowed to invite 5 (her age) + 1 children to her party at home, but agreed to invite 7 in the end, because it was so hard to choose.

With the birthday celebrations behind her, Luna prepares for yet another celebration, Christmas (right). Lior and Luna are very proud to be able to help Esther-Mirjam decorate the Christmas tree.

Luna and Lior send warmest wishes for happy holidays to their friends and family (left).

And these pictures give a sense of what a hard time mom had to get a nice picture for the Sent Christmas card (row above, left, and right). Luna and Lior get along especially well when they team up against their mom!

Luna and Lior spend the first Christmas day at papa's home in Apeldoorn, where Luna takes a picture of her sisters (far left), while Lior hangs out with papa (middle left).

And they spend the second and the third Christmas days with their grandparents. With Lior now big enough to stand up against his big sister, the two have found a very nice balance in getting along with each other (rght).

Luna and Lior also take advantage of the holiday time to visit Angeline, Michiel, and their children in Amsterdam. Angeline was Esther-Mirjam's editor-in-chief for a magazine with logical puzzles. The best part of the visit, as far as Lior and Luna are concerned, involves playing games on the television!

The holiday time also gives Luna and Lior the opportunity to create a few wonderful paintings at home (row below). Again, it is wonderful that Lior is now big enough to join in the fun.

Luna and Lior start New Years Eve lighting their own fireworks in the Sent kitchen (row below).

And then Luna and Lior beg mom to get to sleep in the same bed (row below). However, they are so busy hugging each other and having fun together that they are unable to fall asleep. In the end, Lior decides that he prefers to sleep in his own bed. Luna tries to join him in his bed, but there is really not enough room for her, so she finally withdraws into her own bed.

Lior wakes up around eleven in the evening because of the fireworks being lit underneath his bedroom window. And mom wakes up Luna a little before midnight, so she gets to eat an "oliebol" (literally "oil ball," but most like a donut) along with her brother and watch the fireworks at midnight. Lior spends two seconds outside before deciding that he prefers to watch with a window in between him and the fireworks.

Luna and Lior also use the holiday time to go to the Nijntje musical, the Kabouter Plop show, and the Kabouter Plop movie (row above, left, and right). Lior enjoys these outings so much, that he keeps talking about them and asking his mom when the next show will be.

Hip, Hip, Hurray!
Sixty-one Months Old!

While it comes as a bit of a shock to have to get up again early in the morning to go to school, Luna is happy to do so and hang out with her friends again. She quickly gets back into the routine of going to after-school care on Mondays and Tuesdays, and of Opa Ben & Oma Alie hanging out with her on Wednesdays, mom on Thursdays, and Opa Tano & Oma Naatje on Fridays. And then she also has ballet on Wednesdays and swimming lessons on Fridays. All in all, a fun life!