1. We had such a fun trip with our pals the Scheffers to their family farm in Leidschendam. Robin's grandpa let us go out and take a look at all of the new baby lambs. They were so adorable, and the kids had such a great time chasing after them. The only downside, of course, was that we were still trapped in our winter coats due to the chilly temps, but the sun was out so it still felt like spring. Afterward, we headed over to a local petting zoo where the kids climbed right in the pens with the baby lambs and fed them bottles! They also chased around some piglets, goats, and calves. Dayana taught me how to buy some authentic Dutch borenkaas (farm cheese), which I found out later is not even legal in the US because it's unpasturized…aren't I such a rebel? I bought a big hunk of it, and we ate it with the next several meals.
2. We had one nice warm day at the beginning of May, and I just couldn't resist going to the beach. It was a weekday, so I loaded up the kids and picked up Dayana and Fabian and we drove out to Katwijk aan Zee (the north sea). The water was frigid, but it was so warm with almost no wind, so the kids had a great time just playing in the sand. We even saw a couple of groups of horseback riders riding along the water. It was a really pretty day. There was a not-so-pretty incident in which a german boy (I'm guessing he was about 10) stripped down naked to change into his swimsuit. He was right in Kaydree's view, but I decided not to say anything to her and thankfully she didn't even notice him. Europeans and their nudity…haha!
3. Grandma came to visit from the states and we had the best time ever! In the first week, we went to Bruges, Kinderdijk, Keukenhof, and Delft. We also ran all over town preparing to leave her with the kids so we could take our getaway to Greece. It was a very fun and busy week. The highlight for me was the Ascension Day Parade in Bruges, where the townspeople all dress up and re-enact scenes from the life of Christ all the way through the crusades and to the present day. The Scheffers made that trip with us too, so it was extra fun for Carver since he had a friend. During her second week here, Robyn braved Rotterdam with 4 kids alone. She was such a trooper, taking the girls on little outings while the big kids were in school each day, and planning fun activities for after school too. I think the kids were a little disappointed to get back to the normal routine when I came home. Kaydree even made this remark, "That's the thing about Grandma's - they buy you things that you don't even need!" I guess moms and dads only buy 'need' items and grandmas are for the 'want' items. Here are some shots from Keukenhof - we did a little family photo shoot and a baptism photo shoot so K could get some pics while the tulips are still out.
It won't really feel like summer to me until my kids are out of school which is not until (i kid you not) July 19th! Until then, I'm just taking it one day at a time - trying to remember how miserable the heat in Texas is this time of year when I put jackets on my kiddos each morning before school.
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