Tess Gaerthé was born at VU hospital, Amsterdam, August 21st, 1991 at 13.05 hrs, half an hour after her twin brother Joël. Her mother had to "hold her breath" for 30 minutes as Tess's left arm was wrapped around her head. It had to be straightened to prevent her arm from being broken in the process of entering this world. For almost a year she slept with her arm wrapped around her (bald) head.

Au pairs and their added values:

Both parents were trying to work full-time so double-trouble had to deal with being looked after by various baby-sitters. As father Robert mainly worked from his home office as an illustrator/ art director, at least one parent was there to keep an eye on both babies' affairs. Of course there was also always Bink, the huge Golden Retriever, and Sofie the cat. The first few months there was also Lady and Tramp, both very furry cats who had to go elsewhere due to allergies.

The first lady to help out was Ilona who was forced to give up in no time. But at least one of the furry cats did find a home with her. Successor Herma found a "normal" job to go to after a few months. The search for the "ideal" au-pair had begun. While waiting for Norwegian Mona, Cath filled the position for a few months, resulting in Tess being able to salsa dance before she could walk.
She did sort of sing already, humming along with every tune she heard. Her favorite being Dolly Parton's "I will always love you" especially the very high part. Meanwhile Joël started his career as a musician, hitting the drums, playing his baby synthesizer, and continued up to Uncle Bert's piano that had moved in with us (the piano, not Bert).
Mona taught them to sing Norwegian songs. Her successor, South African Debbie, moved with the family from Amsterdam to Muiderberg. She taught them to be properly clean. She also potty trained Labrador Duke, the new member of the family, in no time.

Then Jean arrived; also from South Africa but who spoke more English then Debbie (whose language was more "Afrikaans"). A simple picture book was made for all the children's needs such as a peanut butter sandwich or a glass of milk. Jean made great drawings and designs. So did Joël. The book came in handy until they found a way to communicate, which was in English. Without Jean, our Russian adventure (the fostering of 2 big boys in the difficult age group (14/15 years) from Zlobyn, for 3 months) would not have worked so well. With Anton and Pavel, who arrived in Muiderberg along with 2 busloads of other Russian children in need, we had a full house! Soon after their arrival they had double-trouble singing Russian songs.

Another year went by, and we had a new au pair to find. This time we were looking for one from Eastern Europe, Hungary to be precise. The first arrival, Emmie, was not a great success. Emmie was succeeded by Klara, with her big smile and good company! Klara took them out biking often and left us with a good idea how to make great Hungarian goulash.
Klara was followed by a very special lady from Venezuela, Norin. We still dream of her crispy fried turkey filets with sesame seeds. Norin also made great dress up clothing for double trouble. Carnival or Halloween will never be the same!
Back to South Africa where Daphne came from. She was full of fun, and loved watching "Xena" secretly with Joël which was his favorite TV show, mainly because his parents did not agree.

By this time double-trouble was already 8 and were attending the Oranje Nassau school. Joël "played" the guitar like his teacher, Pauline, for quite some time, who he adored. Tess sang in Paulines' children's choir, "Nootje voor nootje". She was always first in line to volunteer for the weekly Friday Afternoon Celebration, in which all the children were involved at one time or another to do something on stage. Tess did not sing by request though. She would get shy to the point of crying.

During one of the family's visits to Uncle Ken's in the USA, where double-trouble spent a lot of time at the lake playing with the neighbor's children, Tess became frustrated at her inability to chat properly. She does not like being in a position where she can better listen then be understood. So the next au pair had better be from an English origin. We found Penny from New Zealand, and she was a teacher! Within 3 months Tess was ready to go back and have a good chat with her American friends. Joel, in the meantime, discovered English humor. He was reading every Calvin and Hobbes book he could lay his hands on and slowly turned into a Calvin.
The last au pair was also a "Kiwi" named Amanda. She is a great dancer and started dance lessons at their school.

At 10 years old double-trouble decided au pairs were no longer needed. They were old enough now to make their own sandwiches, pour milk, and feed the dogs and cats. Even helping take care of the other, meanwhile added, family members: potbellied pigs, ducks, chinchillas, pet rats, and turtles seemed feasible.

Acting!

An aunt of Tess's, who is an actress, had enlisted Tess (after asking) at a Kids Casting agency, Martha Mojet's, hoping Tess and her Aunt's son, Gabor, would make it thru a certain audition as brother and sister. The plan failed. However, Tess was asked to participate in a TV commercial for Mora (Cora had left the scene). Tess gave the saying "lekker belangrijk" (Duhh) a new dimension. She was then invited to audition for a film production by Stijn Coninx with, among others, Huub Stapel, Verder dan de maan. She was quite successful and was asked to play the part of the main character, Caro, but when she was told the shooting would be for 40 days and would have school camp at the same time, she declined. She had promised her friends to do a song-and-dance act together at the camp. Just as well. Neeltje, who filled in the position, would have gotten the part anyway as she was much better suited for such a serious role. Tess was then asked to play a smaller part as Caro's friend, which she did. This worked great for her: shooting was twice a day, for 4 or 5 days, partly in Brussels where her mother worked on a regular basis. This made things easier for Tess, and she could still go to camp! Acting did turn out to be fun, and perhaps will serve as a possible career as a grown up! Apart from singing of course. Nootje voor nootje was still going strong and Tess sang a beautifull mini solo at the church in Muiderberg.

Foster sister!

The summer of 2001 brought us another welcomed addition: foster sister Britt Dannenburg.
Tess and Joël were very exited to have an older, very cool sister, who introduced them to a totally new world of music. Britt is a very big Eminem fan.
Soon however, another change was to follow. The family was moving to Belgium due to a work change. All family members were crossing the border, almost one at a time. The potbellies were moved in a van, not an easy job, so were the ducks.
Britt, now almost 16, moved to Hilversum close to the school she attended and became a weekend foster daughter.

Double trouble, after the initial shock, began to like their new, very big school; so different from the small village school they were used to. They had to start at a lower grade level due to differences in education, and began learning French at the same time.

Singing!

Tess soon found that her new school also offered activities like acting, dancing and singing. They even organized an annual "Young Talent Day". Being too shy and too new she did not register to sing the first year, but performed a dance act with one of her new friends instead. The 2nd year she decided to go for it and registered for a singing act. For weeks we heard her practice Shania Twain's "I'm gonna getcha good". When she finally sang it live on stage we all forgot to tell her to "shut up", conditioned as we all were with her constant singing! We were very impressed by her performance, and so was she. Still very exited with the ovation she received from the audience, she decided there and then, "THIS IS WHAT I WANT!"

What to do now?

Robert began surfing the Internet for singing lessons to see what would turn up. We found Art Promo and Tess began her travels to Gent to meet with Filip. Through his lessons and additional CD recordings she gained a lot of confidence. The first song they practiced and recorded was "je hebt een vriend", once performed by K3, but now the hit of the family sung by Tess at every wedding and any other appropriate gatherings. This song was followed by "I don't know why", a song by Norah Jones, which is Tess and her mother's favorite. This song was also recorded on CD, which came in very handy. When tickets for the upcoming Norah Jones concert were sold out, the only way to see the show was to win tickets by sending in your own version of that song. To then hear your own voice coming out of the radio is quite an experience. Tess won the contest and got to "meet & greet" Norah in person! Very sweet and shy she is. What a great concert!

In the summer of 2004 a lot of lyrics were being written in the back yard. We tested them by singing them out loud. Some good, some very funny, and some got "out of hand", never to be approved to sing in front of an audience. Joël began improving his talents on the keyboards, Mum thinks she can play the drums, while Dad becomes a "great" banjo player and hits the drums as well whenever he gets the opportunity. "Vindt hij me leuk" was born, later renamed "STUPID", and sent in to JSF. The waiting had begun.

Tess needed to get over her fear of singing in front of a "strange" audience and on a bigger stage so she registered for the free-podium in Putte, called Klein Boom. The audience was very impressed, and so was Tess. Shortly after she was invited to audition for the Dutch JSF.

And now, we are on our way to Hasselt!!

Very Important People (apart from the loving family members)

1) Hans Sluiman. The one and only "Oesterman", Godfather # 1. Hans was the first one who dared to baby-sit double-trouble at 6 weeks old, with Mum and Dad being away for the evening for brother Peter's 40th birthday. Hans survived (barely) and so did double-trouble. Their mutual love was there to stay.

2) Ad Veen, the one and only "Sinterklaas", Godfather # 2.

3) Catherine Dinnicombe, stand-in mother, has always been there. Mother of Lucille, favorite child of double-trouble and family.

4) Maisie McNeice, the forever-so-proud Scottish Granny. Maisie taught Tess the real meaning of "being glamorous in a civilized way". Unfortunately she left us way to soon but will be in our hearts forever.

Then, of course, there is the "USA Family". Ken Carroll (Uncle America) and family, and Heather Hoagland and Glenn Geiger, who walked in and out of the "Gaerthé scene", adding music and "gezelligheid" throughout the years. Each one a member of the double-trouble fan club, and visa versa.

Finally, and not forgotten, all the wonderful au pairs who stayed in touch all these years!