Back to School

The first week went really well! My new school is definitely the best that I have taught at so far in the Netherlands. Much more of a community feel, lots of friendliness and support from the other teachers. The students seem really nice too. So happy to have the new car as it even makes the commute enjoyable!

The girls, Abigail especially, have had some trouble adjusting to the end of our vacation. At least they don't have much of an adjustment with daycare. We have had some beautiful weather, so we went to a local beach yesterday, and we will go to the Bosrand (a vacation park with a playground where we lived when we first moved here) again in a few minutes.

I will have to keep making lots of trips to the hospital for this kidney issue until it gets sorted out. Very annoying. Takes a big chunk out of my business time. Finally got started on the next project though, so that is good!

Mac&Cheese!

Daddy's arms got tired from pumping all the water...

Guest Week

My best friend from undergrad, Chris, and his wife, Arianne, came to visit us for a few days. It was really great to see them! The last time was at our wedding, five years ago. He is a doctor and his wife is a physicians assistant, so we watched a couple documentaries (Cowspiracy and What the Health) to get their take on it. They made Chris want to quit working for a big hospital, and they made us all want change our diets.

Chris already has a mostly vegan diet, and we decided we would give up most of the meat and dairy we eat. Now we look at it really differently. It doesn't even look that tasty anymore. Hopefully the change will help us to feel healthier.

Yesterday was the twin's birthday. We had a really nice celebration with some family. They got lots of presents and had a great time! Today a couple more family members will come to celebrate. Next year that won't be possible if we are still in the States (or recovering from jet lag)!

We spent a morning at the Royal Palace - the girls were impressed by all the steps.

Making birthday treats for daycare.

I finished up the hall door.

Our present for the girls - a nightlight above their beds.

Last Week of Summer

Things are winding down for us here. We have finally been making progress on the door project. I decided to save some money and some impact on the environment by transforming our old, cheap door into something a bit nicer. Naomi has been wanting updated doors for months now, so I thought I would surprise her while she was gone for the day. Silly idea. She got home and didn't like it at all!

Oh well, I think it will grow on her. We have to finish the painting today, and hopefully the glass will be in tomorrow so we can get them installed. My friend Chris and his wife are coming on Tuesday and leaving Saturday, the girls' birthday. We invited people to come to celebrate Saturday, but some are coming Sunday.

I have to go in to school on Thursday for an orientation, but we both officially start working again on Monday, so that means tomorrow is our last vacation day to ourselves. We could use another month or two! It hasn't been as relaxing as I had hoped. We have been busy.

We had a really nice day in Utrecht on Wednesday. Had to bring the new car in again to get fixed. Spent the afternoon in the city. Trains, paddleboat rides and ice cream. What could be better?!

Work in progress.

Lunch with friends - the twin boys from town.

Perfect lunch spot at the train station.

Through the tunnel...

...and out the other side.

Naptime.

Kind of hard to paddle.

The tower.

Naptime, part two.

Fall is Here

The wind, rain, and clouds have come. Now the nights are crisp and when the sun is shining, the days bright. Still my favorite time of year...seems a bit early though. This summer has been busier than I anticipated, but I also feel some relaxation. Getting some energy back.

Yesterday I went through my hours for work, making some nice progress graphs that update automatically. I set the goal to work 12 hours per week, and so far I have been averaging over 14. This means that I only need about 8.5 hours per week for the rest of the year. I will probably do more, as there are a few projects coming up, but it is a relief to know that I don't have to. I have been busy making sawdust bricks and updating the website, but this coming week I will start on something I am getting paid for...

The girls had a good week. Yesterday we went to the French Fair at the castle. Kind of fun. We had them drawn, but I don't really like how the drawing turned out. A bit too dark. Bumped into some new friends there (this was the third time this week). Nice to be in a small village where you cross paths with the same people.

A little anecdote from a walk into town where we saw something unusual:

Naomi: "What is that??"
Abigail: "A Police car!"
Naomi: (A bit surprised she knew) "Wow, that's right! And what do you think the Police are doing here??"
Abigail: "Nuthin'"

Nice try.

The event of the afternoon - baby spiders.

Fun at the French Fair

Congratulations, Kalia! Wish we could be there!