What grandparents do...

...keep you from falling off a boat...

...let you help plant flowers...

...enthusiastically help with your latest project...

...treat you to an "ijsje" more times than is probably good for you...

...take you for walks in the woods (almost every day)...

...carry you when you are tired...

...climb up the tower to see the view with you...

...help you balance and find frogs...

...take you to feed the ducks (almost every night after dinner)...

...not to mention play countless games of "Bunny Hop", paint, go to the store, let help with the recycling, and give great goodnight hugs and kisses.
Thanks for all the great memories oma and opa!

Boy running on beach

These pictures show just how much Jeremiah loved the beach. And just how much he loves running. And just how much I love his long, blond, bouncy hair.

Sunday night notes

I don't usually blog on Sunday night, but the house is quiet and calm now and I am waiting for Aaron to return. I have a few minutes for a quick update so here it is in bullet points again.

- Holland lost in the World Cup final today. It was sad. I had thought for sure they would finally win this year.

- There was some kind of electrical short at our other house. Aaron has spent the evening over there in the heat trying to figure out a) what the problem is b) who's responsible to fix it c) how much it is going to cost. Please pray that the City can fix it and that it won't cost us anything.

- Tomorrow Aaron leaves to help chaperon the summer youth group retreat. He will be gone until Friday. I must say that I am not overly enthusiastic about doing the single parent thing for a week. But I am filling the week up with fun things so hopefully it will fly by. Please pray that I will be patient.

- It felt really good to worship at Highlands again this morning. This particular part of the body of Christ is such a blessing to us.

- My niece Lilly, who is 10 months old, is taking her first wobbly steps. Jeremiah and Nathaniel love her to pieces and like to try and make her laugh. She likes to grab their faces and plant sloppy kisses on them. I can't wait to watch their relationship as it grows.

- Aaron is pursuing a couple of different job opportunities that have nothing to do with teaching. It will be interesting to see what God provides.

- Jeremiah discovered Calvin & Hobbes comics while we were in Holland. So he has started saying things like, "I think my spine is going to telescope!" or "Stop that you tuna brain."

- I really want to post more pictures from our trip, but downloading and organizing 600+ pictures is a bit of an overwhelming task right now.

Back in the USA

We arrived home at 1:30 a.m. on Monday July 5th after a 25 hour day of traveling. My kids surprised me again by traveling like champs. I thought for the most part I was pretty patient, until Jeremiah asked me to please stop talking in my "mean voice." Ah, the truth of a child. We have all slept well our first 2 nights back and I am cautiously optimistic that our bodies may adjust to the time change a bit easier than I had anticipated.

The boys seem happy to be home. Before we left Holland Nathaniel asked me, "Does our house have stairs?" Last night when I asked the boys to take off their clothes and go to the bathtub Nathaniel looked at me and said, "Do we have a bathtub?"

This was the first time in a long time that I was not ready for our vacation to end and to get home. I am not sure why that was. But I really and truly had no desire to get home. I had prayed that I would be able to enjoy each moment of our vacation and so I guess that prayer was answered.

I feel strange being back. Our house feels like home and we are happy to be here, but I still feel a sort of disquiet. Not sure where that is coming from. I am eager to get back to church and see our friends and get back into the swing of things, but at the same time I felt so comfortable in Holland. I miss riding bikes to get around. I miss the weekly market.

I am sure that some of the disquiet comes from being back here in our "real world" and still not having any positive leads at all on Aaron's job search. We don't feel panic yet, but I have a hard time really enjoying our summer when the job situation is still so uncertain.

I have 365 unread items in my blog feed reader. I am pretty sure that I will not have the time to catch up on all of that. Maybe this is my cue to cut down on the blogs I follow since I managed to survive without them for almost a whole month.

I had intended for this post to tell about what a great vacation we had and it ended up being completely random. But we did have a great vacation. We are thankful that we got to go and spend so much time in Holland. We are thankful for my parents who so generously shared their home, time, and food with us. It was obvious that we needed time away to really disconnect and relax. There are more pictures to share but those will have to wait. I am tired and headed to bed.

the Market

One of my favorite things about life in Holland is the local market. In Heemstede we get on our bikes on Wednesday morning and head over to the open air market where you can by anything from doggie toys to socks to fresh caught eel to purses to potatoes. It is so much fun. Walking between the stalls there are groups of elderly women chatting, mothers pushing baby carriages, small children wandering behind their parents munching on a treat. There are smells and colors and interaction with the seller that you just don't get in a grocery store.

Warm, fresh stroop waffles. Yum!

The cheese stand.
Nathaniel quickly figured out that every stand we stopped at would give him a little treat or a taste of something if he asked. He liked the cheese.

Fresh fruits and veggies!
At this stand the boys each got a fresh tangerine one week and a crisp apple the next.

This guy sells nuts of all kinds. So many yummy choices.
For some reason Jeremiah especially liked this stand.

Amsterdam

Aaron and I got to spend an afternoon in Amsterdam last week. We wandered around the town, did some shopping, and watched soccer in the Irish pub that Ben used to work at. It was a perfect afternoon. Amsterdam was her usual beautiful self at this time of year. The outdoor terrasses were inviting for a drink and a chat. Interesting people were everywhere. There is just something special about this city.

Beach

We went to the beach one day last week (I forget which one). We biked 45 minutes each way. We were all very tired at the end of the day. The water was a tad cold and the boys were a bit scared of the waves, but they had a blast digging in the sand and playing in a little tide pool that was warm and shallow. It was a good day.

Nathaniel was sick with a stomach bug and today. So I spent the day laying upstairs in bed with him while oma & opa entertained Jeremiah. They did some painting, took a walk, and then the painting turned into a project (Jeremiah is big on projects these days) which became a radio. We also learned that acetomeniphen (sp?) which is in the infant fever reducer we buy in the States is available only by prescription here. They basically think it is not necessary for kids unless they are really, really sick. May need to look into that when we get home.

We are really enjoying our time here. It has been good to get away.

Soccer, Candy & Bike Rides

This morning we rode on our bikes to a shopping center to take the boys to a candy store. Imagine their excitement when they saw a whole store full of candy and were told that they could each fill up their own little bags with whatever they chose!

Yesterday we got all geared up for Holland's first World Cup game. Jeremiah loved the hats (the one in the above picture has a horn on it) and even though he didn't watch much of the game he cheered enthusiastically to people going by on the street when the end score was 2-0 for Holland. He says "OLE OLE OLE" with great gusto.

We are really enjoying using bicycles to get around. Today we rode to the shopping center, stopped for coffee (and the best chocolate truffle pie ever) on a sunny terras, played at yet another amazing play ground, had a picnic lunch, and then biked home next to sparkling canals. It was like a post card. The sky was blue, the grass was green, the scenery picturesque with windmills, cows, and old interesting houses with beautiful gardens. It was the perfect way to spend the morning.

What we are doing

Walking to the windmill that is next to the "kinderboerderij."

Feeding ducks.

Running like crazy after sitting on the bike.

Practicing soccer.

Sitting next to opa and talking to a certain uncle on Skype.

We are also taking daily walks, eating good chocolate, watching lots of soccer, hanging out with opa and oma, riding bikes, trying to befriend kids on the playground who don't understand English, and generally enjoying ourselves. Today Jeremiah told me, "Mama, when I grow up to be an adult and have to move away from you I think I would like to move to Holland."

Flying

It was great fun to stop at granny and papa Shaw's house to play and eat before heading to the airport. Nathaniel even got a good nap in.

I love airport pictures.

Back in Holland

It is Saturday afternoon here in Heemstede. The weather is gorgeous, sunny and not too warm. This morning we went for a long walk through the woods and let the boys play at the kinderboerderij (petting/children's zoo). They love that place.
We survived our trip over here. In fact, I would even say that we have 2 amazing world travelers on our hands. Jeremiah and Nathaniel slept for most of the plane ride to London. They loved riding on the bus from Heathrow to Gatwick. They were generally good natured and entertained during our 3 hour wait at Gatwick. They were obviously getting tired of airplanes by the time we were landing in Amsterdam, but were still fairly well behaved. Jet-lag was kind to us and we didn't have too much problems getting the boys body clocks adjusted to Dutch time.
It is wonderful to be here! We are enjoying mom's good cooking. The boys are enjoying extra attention from oma and opa. We are able to borrow bikes (with kids seats) from my parents friends and so are going to be able to get around that way together. World Cup soccer started yesterday so we are getting our fill of watching soccer as well.
I have been trying to teach the boys certain Dutch phrases. I guess this afternoon Jeremiah got a tad frustrated and said loudly in the middle of the grocery store, "Doesn't anyone in this country speak English?" That's us, the insensitive and loud Americans in the chocolate aisle. :-)

1000 Gifts (22)

It was a whirlwind week. My to-do list was long and my mind was spinning. This always happens when we get ready for a trip. I fret over clean laundry and clean floors. The to-do list never seems to shorten, even as I mark items completed. My tone becomes impatient and clipped. My children clamor over me to gain my attention that is somewhere else. Friday, after cutting my husband with my tongue, I choke back tears and cry out "This is not how I want to start our vacation!"

Then I realize that I haven't been counting. My vision has been only for myself. My gratitude journal has lain neglected on the bedside table. So I sit quiet and breathe a prayer, "Please God! Show me!"

And my journal begins to fill again:

- Aaron thoughtfully choosing music for Jeremiah to listen to and discover in the morning
- laundry all caught up
- anticipating new books
- the boys increasingly playing well together, making up games
- Aaron home for the summer!
- the boys surprise and excitement at a mid-week family movie night
- grace and forgiveness freely offered and freely received (both of us)
- Aaron finding me a cute pair of jeans, on sale for $7, when my good jeans got a hole
- putting on a frilly shirt that I know will please my husband
- a date night!
- some of the boys favorite library books found at McKays, added to the vacation stash to surprise them
- sleeping in on a Sunday morning because the kids are at the grandparents and there is no Sunday school

Pictures

The USB cable was found! So here are some pictures I transferred to the computer tonight.

These 2 silly boys after we gave Nathaniel his buzzed haircut.

Nathaniel back in the days of having hair and his "ba." He loves our friend's dog Maddie.

Jeremiah entertaining Lilly. He is such a sweet older cousin to her.
Whenever we are with her she watches the boys with curiosity and wonder. I love how her little hand is reaching for his face. I can't wait until they are all playing together!

Nathaniel "reading" books out under the dogwood tree. So sweet.

I have no idea what kind of bush these flowers bloom on, but they bloomed in great profusion for about 2 weeks earlier this spring. I cut huge bunches of them and had them all over the house.

My hydrangeas bloomed this spring. I love them.

On food & stuff

I recently read two books in the same week that were very interesting. I have been thinking about them a lot recently and kept starting to write a post about it, but it never really got very far. Today I had a conversation with a friend (hi!) about them and the ideas in them so I figured I would give it a shot. I apologize in advance if I ramble or have incomplete thoughts on these subjects, but the thoughts in my head are still rambling and incomplete.

It is no secret that Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. This book has been out for a couple of years, but like other "whole food" or "foodie" books I avoided it for a few reasons: 1) I know I would like to eat more organic, grassfed, free-range meats but we honestly can't afford it. 2) Because of that I don't want to read books that leave me feeling discontent with what we have or like I am failing my family and the world by not eating those foods. 3) I don't want to be overwhelmed with information that paralyzes me.

This book did none of those things! It is an enjoyable book that reads like a journal while at the same time giving information. This book outlines the year that the author and her family committed to eating only food they had grown/raised themselves or purchased from local (50 mile radius) sources. I in no way felt judged or overwhelmed with information. I did however feel inspired. While I know that we will not be moving to farm and growing all our food I know that we can continue making baby steps to eating more locally and healthy with the budget that we have. I think we do a pretty good job with this, but I know that there is always room for improvement.

The Story of Stuff was very interesting. Very interesting. The author basically follows trash around the world, looking into how the stuff we consume is made and what happens with our waste. The author also outlines the problems she sees with our culture being a capitalistic, consumer driven culture. I will admit that this book did overwhelm me a bit. It deals with the global scale so there is a lot to think about and process. But it has led me to think about what I consume, why I consume it, and what the impact of my consumption has on others and the world. Even though we are fairly frugal and thoughtful about our consumption I have been thinking even more deeply lately. Like, how many t-shirts do I really need? Especially if that $5 Target t-shirt was made using lots of the earths resources (water, fuel etc.) and made by people living in a 3rd world country who are being exploited? I definitely do not want to be a mindless consumer and this book helped me start thinking in more specific ways.

I have a tendency to swing on a pendulum when it comes to food and consumption issues. I either totally immerse myself and make radical changes that don't last long-term or I completely ignore the issue because I feel powerless. I am learning to take baby steps. I am learning to do the best I can, with the resources that God has given us, and trust Him to take care of us. I am learning to evaluate my beliefs and motives. I am learning that this will be a continual process.

1000 Gifts (21)

Time is flying. We had a great time yesterday at our annual pastor's Memorial Day picnic. I feel so blessed to be part of this particular part of the body of Christ. Aaron will be done working at Summerville Middle School tomorrow. I can't wait for him to be home with us for the summer!

The busyness of our life is good and I just keep counting...

- Travis's reminder in last weeks sermon, "Acknowledge your dependence on the Spirit. If you are struggling with sin quit trying to do it on your own - be filled with the Spirit."
- my hydrangea's are blooming!
- hanging the first load of wash of the day in the still cool morning air
- Jeremiah and Elijah playing well together
- "Mama, I love you more than I love chocolate!", Jeremiah
- loud happy chatter at the dinner table
- Aaron always willing to stop at the store on his way home from work if I ask him to
- yoga again after a 3 week break
- a day to myself to shop and run errands without the boys
- friends over for dinner
- hearing wild, happy laughter from the kids playing together
- Nathaniel calling Libby-Kate "Libby-cake", too sweet
- getting to know people better
- cooling summer evening
- watermelon

I join the gratitude community in purposefully seeing God's gifts on a daily basis. They number 455 in my personal journal. I choose to share some here.