Bruges, Belgium

Another easy day trip from our house is to Bruges, Belgium. This was our second time there, and probably not the last. It truely is a fairytale city. Our friends from Boston wanted to experience another country while they were visiting us, so it was a no brainer where we would take them. Once we arrived, we climbed to the top of the Belfry (kids included, very impressed with them) for a wonderful view of the city. Then we took a canal tour were you can see and hear about the town's very old history. One of the best parts of the day was sitting in the market square, eating warm Belgian waffles covered with hot Belgian chocolate and powdered sugar. Everyone should exerience that once in their lifetime. We finished off our trip with dinner before a relaxing drive home (the kids were so worn out, they slept the entire 2 1/2 hours!). I think our guests enjoyed it as much as we did.

De Zaanse Schans

This past Frday we had some friends from Boston fly in to visit for a few days. One of the day trips we took with them was to De Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands. It is an outdoor museum with many of the typical Dutch things to see. There were several windmills, all serving different purposes. We were able to go into the paint mill and watch how everything worked. Then we climbed up a ladder to the top for a better view of all the other windmills and the "town". We watched how wooden clogs were made and were surrounded by every color clog you could think of. There was also a cheese shop that offered samples galore. We spent a few hours there and warmed up inside with lunch. Our friends got there wooden clog and windmill pictures, that is a "must do" when you visit Holland. It was a nice trip and I am sure we will visit again when we have warmer weather.

The Boys are 5 years Old!

Well, I have survived the last of the birthday festivities. The boys turned 5 years old this week, but the celebrating started last Sunday. We had a birthday party with friends from their school, 10 little boys in total. Although I had the entire two hour time period planned out, the kids had plans of their own. They did enjoy the treasure hunt through the house, and the basketball relay held their attention for a bit. What they really wanted to do was play with all the toys in the house. So I gave up after an hour and a half of trying to keep them on task and just let them play. It was a chaotic afternoon, but the boys enjoyed themselves.

Then the Tuesday before their birthday I took treats in for Nolan's class. Since I can't be in two places at once, and they are not in the same class, we decided neither would celebrate at school on their actual Birthday. Thursday, I took treats in for Carter's class.

For their actual birthday, the morning started with their bedroom filled with balloons. Carter came running into my bedroom shouting "I am five years old!". They only had a half day of school, so we invited a little girlfriend of theirs over to play that afternoon. She didn't come to the "all boys party" the Sunday before, so it was nice that they had a chance to see her. Next, the boys skyped with Namma and opened the presents she and Papa sent for them. We also saw Papa on skype while he was at work. Then I made their birthday dinner, we had cake, and opened more presents. Thursday evening, we skyped again with their other Papa, and they opened more presents.

Tonight after dinner, the last of the cake and birthday treats were eaten. It is very tiring having all three of the kid's birthdays so close. At least I am done for the year.

My Baby Girl is 8yrs. Old!

This weekend we celebrated Brooklyn’s 8th Birthday. It started on Friday when I took brownies into school for her Birthday treat. After sharing her treat with the class, the children sang “Happy Birthday” in both English and in Dutch. Then she was able to pick out a pencil, bookmark, and book from the class Birthday Box. We finished off the celebration by me reading a book to the class. It was very nice. Then on Saturday morning, Brooklyn woke up to a room full of balloons. This is a tradition in my family, one that I hope continues forever. I still hope that on the morning of my birthday each year I wake up to balloons! On Saturday night, Brooklyn had 4 friends over for a slumber party. We had pizza and cake, played Freeze Dance and Musical Chairs, the girls put on a talent show for us, and we ended the night with a movie and popcorn. They were up in Brooklyn’s room around 11:00pm and they finally fell asleep around 1:00am. The next morning they were all up by 7:30. I made them breakfast while they lounged around watching television. The last little girl was picked up by 10:00 am. All in all, they did very well. I survived my first slumber party as a mom.

Fun in the Snow

So, this is a little out of order... but needed to blog about it.
When we moved to the Netherlands, we were told that it rarely snows here. Well, that has not been the case. For the second winter in a row, we have had tons of snow. It is difficult to ride your bike to the grocery in it, but the kids LOVE playing in it. We had a few days of winter break in Holland before heading home to the States. So one afternoon, Jason took the kids out back to build a snow fort. Once they were done, our neighbors came over for a snowball fight. The kids (and Jason) had a great time.

Happy Holidays

We spent Christmas and New Years back in the States. It is always nice to be home with family and friends during the holidays. Our flight in was so much smoother than last winter. The kids have really gotten used to flying. We were home for a shorter time this trip so we were constantly on the go. It was difficult to fit in all the "visiting" we wanted to do. Coming home one evening, the kids asked why we had to go somewhere everyday. It's hard to keep a good balance so that everyone enjoys their time. Our flight back was also good, the kids slept almost the entire time. However, Jason and I are exhausted. Trying to get back on schedule is proving to be difficult. I am hoping that we won't have to do this to many more times.

Our First Snow Day!

Well, not totally. The kids were sent home early due to the amount of snow that fell today. We woke up to a lot on the ground, but it continued to fall all day long. We had 6 inches fall. It was wet and heavy. The Dutch are not used to this, so they are not very prepared. Ironically, they use their snow plows to clear the bike paths before the roads. I attempted to ride my bike to the store, but after slipping twice I thought it would be smart to walk the bike home. I still had to go out a few times for small errands and at times it was blizzard like conditions. I will admit that once everyone is home safe and you are warm inside, it is very beautiful to see out the window.