Inseparable

For a few nights this week I had to pull Amélie out of Abigail's bed after they had fallen asleep next to each other. Usually when this happens they just stay awake talking and eventually getting out of bed again to play. Naps have been a challenge. We have taken almost everything out of their rooms so it can't be thrown or broken. Abigail even managed to break her bed by jumping on it.

We are in the middle of a heat wave, so the girls have had a lot of fun in the swimming pools. The one we got for them in the States two years ago is getting a lot of milage! Last night we had a big thunderstorm roll through and it didn't wake them up. Thankfully, because they woke us up not long before the storm did.

Today is really a cleanup day. I installed the doors on the cabinets upstairs. Still need to do a couple drawers and a couple shelves, but they are almost done. It took a lot longer than I expected. Surprise, surprise. Naomi had Thursday and Friday off of work, so we got some extra time.

The mushroom pool is still going strong!

First BBQ of the year.

Three nights in a row!

The never ending cabinet project...

Case of the Exploding Pillow

We woke up to an interesting surprise Wednesday morning. Out from under the door of the girls spread a blast-pattern of dust. Not a good sign. Silence from within. We slowly eased the door open into an apocalyptic world. The entire room was covered in what looked like the ash of nuclear winter. Two dusty little faces peered up at us, cowering in the furthest corner, hoping their rather effective camouflage would shelter them from the wrath of mommy and daddy.

Eventually, Amélie piped up, "there was sand in the pillow!" We tried not to laugh with astonishment at first. Two hours into the joint cleanup process it was no longer funny. In this case, I am glad they don't make things like they used to - worst pillow stuffing imaginable! Good thing this happened on our day off of work.

Speaking of work, I got a little break in jobs so I was able to work on the doors for the cabinets upstairs. They are almost ready to be hung. What a job. Takes so much longer than I expected! I think the final result will be nice, although the mirrors are not perfectly flat, so it will have a rather strange Droste effect...

Mother's Day walk to the Castle.

Abigail is ready to ride!

Becoming Dutch.

The blast pattern.

Entering the kill zone.

The aftermath.

Can they see us?

Dead bunny.

The culprits.

The End

A couple things ended this week. Yesterday was the last soccer match of the season. We finally won a game! The thunderstorms weren't too bad. I didn't get wet until we got home and decided to cook outside. Not the greatest idea - but dinner was great!

On Thursday Naomi and I went to Epe to take part in a little ceremony with the Mayor. I became a Dutch citizen. It has taken awhile, so nice that that process is finally finished. Now I can ask for a Dutch passport. No more worrying about residency issues!

I also should finish up with another project today. I don't like to work on Sunday's, but this client is anxious to get things done. They have a new house which is already behind schedule. As always, things take more time than I expect...

We still find time for naps!

911

About five years ago I signed up for a cell phone contract in Rotterdam. They gave me a cheap phone for free. Never used it as a phone - it has never even seen a sim card. We do use it as an alarm clock though. Yesterday the girls got ahold of it and somehow managed to call the emergency number. Didn't even know that was possible. Needless to say, the lady on the other end of the line was less than thrilled.

It has been a pretty busy vacation. Naomi has been doing a great job of getting more stuff cleaned out of the house. We start to feel a bit more space now. I got a new project. A colleague of ours bought a new house and they want some built-ins. Picked up a European Larch floor as they just want to paint everything white anyway. Figured there wasn't much point in using hardwood.

Even after a two week vacation, we are really not ready to go back to work tomorrow. The time until summer break will go quickly, but it doesn't seem quick enough!

A red-white-blue freedom breakfast for the Dutch liberation day.

Naomi found some nice frames for their first 'school' picture. Abigail was not having fun!

Happy Birthday!

It was Naomi's birthday yesterday. We had a really nice time in The Hague. A couple of our friends lived there so we visited them and went to the beach. The girls loved it. They were really looking forward to it and they did so well! A verrrrry long day for them with no nap at all. They walked for 45 minutes or so to get to the beach, played and had a blast for hours, then walked even longer to get back to the car. We had to pick them up a few times, but they did most of it on their own!

Ron and Edith came to visit on Friday. We had a nice time with them. They got to take the girls to the Donkey Farm. Always fun. I have been working on the doors for the maple cabinets upstairs. They sure take a long time! Trying to get lots of rest in too. I had a full week of 'supernaps' (2 hours or so) until I finally started waking up after 20 minutes, which is more normal.

Hopefully this coming week is a bit more restful. We really need to recharge the batteries...

A King's Day hug.

Walking along the harbor.

Lunch time!

Her first trip to the Sea.

Amélie has more fun destroying sand castles than building them.

Raw herring with onions. Yuck.

Singing in the car.