Tired & Tulips
I am exhausted. I post at night after the kids are in bed. I tell you this so you might understand and overlook any grammar and spelling mistakes. Also, I’m working off the iPad and there is no spellcheck.
I’m leading with photos. You came here to see pics of the kids anyways.
Tired & Tulips: The Words
We made our way to Keukenhof today. My inspiring speech about getting up early and out the door by 10:00am last night had no impact on this morning’s promptness. Everyone (except me) slept in. Miah accidentally fell out of her bed last night. So I put her in bed with me. Then predictably Daniel left the bed and slept in Miah’s.
They all slept past 9:00.
But Keukenhof wasn’t going anywhere, and I’m being “relaxed.”
The day was b-e-a-u-tiful, and the lines to get a bus to Keukenhof were long. I’m super proud of the kiddos for being good while waiting in the long lines. They were cute and sweet. They got a lot of attention while we waited – hugging on each other, tickling each other, playing a game where they pretend they are packing for the beach and then tell each other what not to forget…. Oh. My. Gosh. I literally, just this second, realized my kid’s fun game possibly spawned from their mother’s anxiety and list-making. (Wrong – turns out they picked it up from some youtube channel).
The game was so cute. It went like this:
Samuel singing: “we’re going to the beach; we’re going to the beach…. don’t forget to bring your sunscreen.”
Miah: “don’t forget to bring your shovel”
Sam: “don’t forget bring your towel” then he begins the song again, “we’re going to the beach….” and it continues.
Daniel thought it was cute that they were planning their next vacation while waiting in line of their current vacation. Needless to say, they provided sweet entertainment for many.
Keukenhof was pretty awesome. I’m obligated to say that. It was expensive; we made a whole day of it; and it’s fields of tulips.
The statement is true, it was amazing. But it also makes me appreciate the Botanic Gardens and Dixon Gardens even more. Keukenhof is HUGE, but so is the crowd. There was a ton of beauty to be seen and enjoyed, but there were a ton of people seeing and enjoying it. … I think you get my point.
We all loved it. The kids ran around and hunted for a blue tulip (never found one, but they did find a blue flower, so we counted it.) It was most certainly worth the trip. But it was also very much like any botanic gardens – just on a larger scale.
And it had a windmill.
The windmill was pretty awesome. We got to climb into it.
All-in-all it was a very happy, fun day for everyone.
The trip to and from Amsterdam and Keukenhof was half train & half bus. On the way back, the train is the latter half. We got on the wrong train. Daniel realized this promptly after we passed Central station without stopping. Unfortunately it was 25 minutes later, and another city, before the train stopped again. For the entire trip everything was spoken and written in Dutch – because it was all locals – as that particular route doesn’t cater to tourists, except for the ones who get on inadvertently.
So today, we visited 3 cities/towns in Holland, and traveled about half of the country. Again, super proud of the kiddos. It was dinner time, and we had consumed nearly all the snacks packed, but the kids shared the last apple and never complained. (We bought them some grapes while waiting at Almere’s train stop.)
I haven’t discussed the kids and carrots yet. I bought a bag of carrots from the market. Yesterday, I threw a few of them in my purse (unpeeled and uncut) just in case the kids got hungry as our canal ride was for 11:00.
The boat was late, and the kids were hungry. So I handed them a carrot. I know my kids like carrots, because I prepare them for dinner nearly once a week. But I cook them in apple juice and add cranberries – so they are a little on the tender and sweet side. I’ve seen them pop a raw carrot in their mouths before, while preparing for dinner.
What I didn’t know… was how many and how well they will eat carrots as a snack when hungry. Between today and yesterday, they’ve probably eaten 6 carrots a piece – raw – like they were horses.
Shout out to my husband
I don’t give Daniel enough credit. He’s pretty amazing. Originally I imagined both of us writing this blog. But he supplies me with the pictures and videos while I do the words.
Let’s talk about how Daniel was smart enough to bring a long-sleeve pull over with him today, while Diane decided to stay stylish in her sleeveless dress.
It didn’t take me long to confiscate his shirt and never return it. He went the entire day in short sleeves so I could be warm in his pull-over. Great husband.
Or let’s talk about how he never complains when I make demands for images and spell-checking for my post. He just does it. Because he is good like that.
He also figured out how to work both the oven and washer, which were both in Dutch and symbols.
Since we’re ranking people, let’s talk about me.
- Didn’t put a jacket on the kids = bad mom
- Allowed Miah to stand up on the train while it was coming to a stop and she went head-first into a pole = bad mom
- Didn’t strap kids into stroller and Daniel hit a bump sending them both flying face first into the street = bad mom
- More on this – two girls (roughly 18 yr olds) laughed at our kids when they went flying face down into the street. My first concern was for my kids. But my hand was balled up into a fist and they were lucky they were walking the other direction.
- Got my kids home safely = good mom
- Received no less than 300 kisses from Samuel today = good mom
- Kids are happy and healthy = good mom
When we finally made it back to Amsterdam from our train trip across the Netherlands, Sam told me that he forgave me for getting on the wrong train. It sounds like an insult hidden in an apology, but it’s not, it was sweet.