A day trip to Amsterdam

On Sunday, December 29, we took a train out to Amsterdam for the day.  My dad had been once when he was in high school, and my mom had never been before, so we knew we needed to make a point to explore the city with them.  The weather was spectacular, albeit cold, and we had a highly successful and fun day together.   

Waiting for the train on this cold morning, before the sun broke through for a beautiful day.

Something about this picture brings me peace.

She wastes no time in making herself comfortable, that's for sure!

We were so delighted to have the sun welcome us into the city.

Good lookin' bunch!

We had packed a lunch, and found a cozy corner at the train station, specifically at Starbucks, to enjoy our food (and yummy drinks!).

We found a combo deal for a canal cruise and the Van Gogh Museum, which was a great way to spend a bulk of our time in this great city.

We got off the boat in front of the Rijksmuseum, and took a nice walk to the Van Gogh Museum.

Isn't my mom a beauty? (and no, we did not go ice skating - just took a picture)

This is how we managed to have a highly successful visit to the museum.  Geoffrey napped in the stroller, and we all had audio tours - and Maddie was given the kid-friendly version.  She loved it, and so did we!

This picture was taken for the sole purpose that I am usually the one behind my camera, and it was time for me to get in a group shot.  :)

Beautiful love.

That's a different kind of beautiful love. :)

Maddie had an obsession with putting on Grandma's hat and glasses, and pretending to be her.  It was pretty ridiculous - and by ridiculous, I mean super cute!

We made a return visit to The Pancake Bakery, this time ordering different pancakes for each kid - Maddie had the "magician," and Geoffrey had the "fireman."  :)  They love their new hats!

And we loved our Dutch pancakes!  Yum!

Ready to take the train home.  We had such a wonderful day!

Playful moments

My parents came ready to play with their grandkids, and what a welcome blessing it was!  Whether it was getting on the floor to play cars, teaching new card games, running around at the park, building puzzles, holding bunnies, pushing trains, tickle wars, blowing bubbles, racing around in the wind, reading books, or bouncing and giggling on knees, the joyfulness in our home was overflowing!  I was under-the-weather for the majority of their visit with a bad chest cold.  Their visit could not have come at a more welcome time, and we all appreciated their eagerness and enthusiasm to dive right in. 

A personalized windmill tour

The second day my parents were visiting us, we explored Kampen quite a bit, including a trip to our local windmill (which you have now seen pictures of on my blog a few times).  Being a Saturday morning, we knew the windmill would be open to visitors for a few hours, and the experience we were given was certainly one of a kind.  My parents have never been in a windmill before and the miller was passionate to share every bit of it with them.  It also helps that my father is an amazing woodworker craftsman, so seeing the intricacies of the inside and outside of a windmill was particularly fascinating for him!

Starting the spontaneous tour.

The miller was very aware of my dad's keen interest, and they kept each others attention very well.

My dad asked a simple question about the sails on the mill, and the miller decided to climb up to show him how it all worked (and later admitted that he is not fond of heights!).

Maddie pulled the heavy sack of flour all the way up to our landing.

At this point in the tour, the miller asked Brant and Dad if they would like to climb up to the very top of the windmill (kids are not allowed, so Mom and I stayed behind).  In fact, the general public is not allowed, as the sign leading up the stairs clearly read "verboden."  As I said before, the miller was definitely passionate about windmills and excited about this audience!

Can't get much higher than this.

It offers a great view, that's for sure!

And one straight down.

Now this is a tour!

Pretty cool way to introduce my parents to the Netherlands!

Our Christmas visitors arrive!

On December 27th, Brant and Maddie caught an early morning train headed for the airport to retrieve a very special Christmas package for our family - my parents!!  Aside from being a bit bleary eyed from their travels, my mom and dad arrived ready to experience and have an 11 day European vacation with us, and boy, it did not disappoint!  I will separate our fun adventures into individual posts, so as not to overwhelm you with it all at once.  So be sure to keep checking back!

Nothing better than a hug from Grandpa - it's been too long!

Grandpa and Grandma gave the kids each a special book, with their voices recording the story.  Every other page is either read by Grandpa or Grandma, and the kids love them, and listen to them a minimum of three times a day.  It's such a perfect gift for our current time away from home. :)

We wasted no time and made a trip to De Einhoorn, per custom when visitors come to town.

Cheers with Grandma!

We also wasted no time getting into some great conversation.

Hooray for Grandma and Grandpa being here (and for fun wooden shoe photo opportunities!).