Back to School

We made it through the first week. Amélie was bummed to be unable to participate in gym due to a sprained knee, and just as that was getting better, Abigail knocked her over and she hit her head hard on our wood floor. Another concussion. We might need to keep her home on Monday. Naomi wouldn't mind some rest before having to meet the parents of her mentor students on Monday night though! 

The girls started the year with new laptops. The teacher even said they would get time to play games on them. We aren't a big fan of this development. The girls agreed to read a book if they get game time. They have a male teacher this year for three days and a female for the other two, so it will be interesting to see if they get along well. Abigail hasn't had a good connection with a teacher yet. This year she will get to spend one hour per week with the 8th grade teacher who will help her with more challenging work, so that is great! 

Naomi and I are really ready to move on from our schools. I applied for a job helping to build organs this week. I don't think anything will come of it, but still fun to think about. Also built a new stand up computer desk as Naomi wants hers back, and I have decided that I like to stand while working at the computer. Helene will be picking the girls up from school twice per week now, Mondays and Thursdays, and on Wednesdays Naomi and I are both home together. It will be nice to have some time with just the two of us! 

We are filling up the freezer!

The first dance lesson.

The first day of school - how did their legs get so long?!

Re-enacting their first day four years ago when they were nervous.

Eight Years

We are wrapping up the holiday with a burst of activity. I was able to apply the tung oil to the branching bookshelf on Monday, so it barely had enough time to cure before installation on Saturday. Tuesday was a chance to breathe for a minute and get things in order. The girls went to a kid's festival (Wednesday and Thursday as well) where they had lots of music, crafts, pallets for building forts, a car to smash, games, and other activities. No parents allowed. They had a blast! 

On Wednesday my friend Drew came for a visit and we had a really nice time with him. He left on Thursday after a long walk in the forest. On Friday the girls had their much anticipated birthday. They have been counting down for months. It was a lot of fun! They got some great presents and Naomi worked hard to put together a really cool birthday party. It was a living board game with the kids as the pieces. They rolled the dice and when they landed on a particular number/color there were activities to do like optical illusions, bobbing for candy, and tug of war just to name a few. We didn't have enough time to finish it all, but it was fun. Then they made their own pizzas. Helene was there for the afternoon and Jan joined us for dinner.

Yesterday was the big trip to Rotterdam. I had to get up at quarter to six and still finished late. It was a really good day though. The weather was beautiful and the girls had tons of fun at the beach while I worked on installing the branching bookshelf. It was Thessa's birthday, so we had special treats she baked and a nice lunch together. In the afternoon Clifton and Karmen joined and Clifton helped a lot with the install. Erik and I didn't have quite the right tools. They were really happy with the end result, and I am proud of it but there are lots of little things that aren't quite right. They have a beautiful home and it belongs there. Fun to have my first and probably last projects in this country as branching bookshelves.

Opening presents.

The game is finished!

Birthday cupcakes.

The final product.

Celebration dinner at our favorite restaurant in Rotterdam.

All part of the game.

Pizzas!

Learning the rules.

Sawdust and Friends

This week has produced a remarkable amount of sawdust. Once the workshop gets too hot, and it has been too hot all week, I don't want to work any more. Still, I managed to stay on track for this build. Should wrap up the final sanding today or tomorrow and then put the tung oil on Monday or Tuesday. Saturday is the big install, and it also happens to be the clients birthday, on day after our girls. Good to round things off before school starts as well. Important that it is done on time! 

Naomi spent a couple nights with a friend near Maastricht, the city where they went to college. They had a lot of fun, and the girls and I did just fine. The hot weather got extended for a couple days though, so it will be over a week of 90 degree temps. It isn't cooling off at night any more and the humidity is rising, so it is getting pretty uncomfortable. 

Before the heat came, on Tuesday, Abigail's best friend slept over and Naomi and Amélie camped out in a tent in our backyard. The day before that we went to the zoo in Arnhem to meet our German friends, followed by a nice Indian dinner. Didn't get to talk much because of the four kids, and it was a late night, but we had a lot of fun!

While Naomi was away on Friday afternoon I had a meeting, so the girls cooked dinner. I helped with a few small things but they made a great team and did almost everything themselves, much of it without any supervision. It was a tasty meal! They are really learning their way around the kitchen.

Fun in Arnhem.

Backyard campout.

The zoo was super busy.

Yummy dinner cooked by two seven year olds!

Vacation Over

Naomi and the girls have lots of extra holiday time now that we are back home and she is filling it right up. Lots of people to see and things to do. I have tons of work though! Trying to get the branching bookshelf done before school starts, but the upcoming heat wave might derail those plans. Making good progress though.

The drive back went fairly smoothly. Hitting Belgium was a culture shock. The gas station was packed full of Dutch people. So many. So rude. The bathrooms cost 80 cents per person, but one of their two entrances was broken (this is normal in Belgium) so the people paying to get in had to wait for the people to leave as the only entrance was also the only exit, but of course some of them didn't, or only let one person through. So much better in France. 

On Thursday we went to a museum called Corpus in Leiden with Jan and Helene. It is a walkthrough of the human body. It was fun. We then went to a nice dinner spot in Dordrecht where they grow a lot of their own food. It was fun to drive though The Hague, past Delft, and right by our old home and the hospital where the girls were born. Brought back lots of memories! 

The last walk by the Atlantic before the big drive home.

Stumbled across a dead octopus.

Redefining the idea of a boat house.

Found some new oven dishes for the States. 

Amélie cooked dinner for the two of us while Abigail and Naomi went out to eat in Apeldoorn.

The restaurant in Dordrecht where the grow a lot of their own food.