Nederland, continued...

We've had lots of fun and a very productive couple of weeks. We have visited Corrie ten Boom's house in Haarlem and Sint Bavo's church, where she attended services and played as a little girl. Mozart also played the organ there when he was just 10 years old. If you don't know the story of Corrie ten Boom's life, I highly recommend one of her books. 'The Hiding Place' tells the story of her life. She and her family hide Jews during WWII in their home and worked closely with the dutch underground. They were discovered by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps. Her story is one of God's provision during this incredibily trying time of their lives and forgiveness. Corrie was the only one in her family to survive the concentration camps and after her release she began an international speaking ministry at the age of 54 that lasted for over 30 years. She was a remarkable woman. It was amazing to stand in her house where so many lives have been saved and touched by the ten Boom family. Below is a photo of us in the secret hiding place which was built behind a wall and accessible by a sliding door in the bottom left hand closet. It was a very tight fit but was to hold up to 8 people. There were 6 people hiding there when the ten Boom family was taken away. They were not found by the Nazis and escaped.



The Sint Bavo church was also having an exhibition while we were there with airplanes. It was a bit strange to see airplanes in the church... but the boys were allowed to make paper airplanes and flew them a bit. The photo is them with their planes in front of the organ that Mozart played.



Our days in Amsterdam were filled with school, markets, ice cream, and walking the streets. Here the boys are enjoying a warm stroop waffel from the market. It's a warm wafer thin butter cookie filled with something like carmel. A sticky and yummy treat we can't get at home!



We've spent this last week at Bart's parent's second home on the island of Texel in the north. It's a beautiful spot of unspoiled country that we always look forward to visiting. Time seems to stand still there. It's full of green grass, cozy villages, and farms... sheep, cows, cheese, fruit, vegetables, tulip bulbs... everything you can imagine. There are little stands dotted around the island filled with fresh produce and boxes for customers to just drop their money in. Everything is on the honor system. We get our daily excerise by biking everywhere while we are there. We spent one day biking around the entire island, which was 28 miles. We made a day of it and stopped at the baker for fresh bread, had a snack in the dunes, walked around one of the villages, had a fresh fish lunch at the harbor, and ended it in 'our' village walking around the market. We've biked everyday, but because of the weather, that was our only 'big' day of biking. The weather turned quite cold (a couple of days in the 50's), spotty rain and very windy for the rest of our stay. It doesn't prevent us from enjoying ourselves though, we just throw on more clothes and keep on going! All the following photos are from Texel...

Here the boys are relaxing after a biking adventure...

Typical Texel...




There are wild horses and Scottish Highland Cows in the dunes on Texel. Here the boys are trying to sneak up on them... they didn't realize that Mommy was not being as sneaky as them while taking their picture!

We are now on our way to France and Italy for our last 2 weeks.... more to come...

The Netherlands

We've stayed busy since arriving in Holland. We've caught up on two full weeks of school and have even found a little bit of time for some fun! The house we've been staying in is in a little village and has a canal in the backyard. The boys have spent a lot of time in the rowboat. They even found some blackberry bushes that they could only get to with the boat. They perfected their teamwork skills and their balancing act and picked us enough for dessert a couple of nights! They've also eaten smoked eel and raw herring on the market. Yuck. They are braver then me! We've enjoyed our time here so far and are looking forward to spending the next two weeks in Amsterdam. It's been wonderful to spend time with family and friends and it always feels like home. For the rest, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy.

Video Highlights of England

England

After an entire day's delay, we finally made it to England! After having our original flight cancelled, we were lucky to experience an easy flight the next day. This is the first time that we have traveled to Europe and the boys did not sleep on the plane. Unlike their parents, they do not suffer from a lack of leg room, so for them, it's a first class experience all the way! They watched movies, played video games, drank juice and ate the entire trip... all the things that they aren't usually allowed to do! Bart and I are happy that it's still such an exciting experience for them... we feel just a bit differently about it though! After making it to our destination in Finchhampstead, we immediately went to bed for a 3 hour nap. We then enjoyed lunch and a cup of tea with our friends, Fred, Janice, their lovely daughter Layla and her sweet twin baby girls, Eva and Elana. Afterwards, we forced our bodies outside for a walk through the countryside to get everything moving... and to help keep ourselves awake. We all felt a bit sluggish and weary, but we made it! As you can see, the boys all stopped for a quick nap while climbing over a fence!

We've spent our days in England relaxing, visiting with our friends, playing, walking, and exploring villages. There are so many beautiful paths to walk here that we don't have to go far! Bart and I have enjoyed some time alone walking in the mornings while the boys play with their favorite playmate, Fred. It is truly an unique experience for us. To have so many paths to explore that wind their way all over the beautiful landscape. Through gorgeous countryside and quaint villages with thatched roofed cottages and window boxes spilling over with colorful flowers. Something else we are incredibly excited about... NO ticks, chiggers, snakes, AND the temperature has been between 65 and 70 degrees everyday! It has felt like paradise!

The first two days were a bit uncertain for us, as Bart seems to have torn his rotator cuff. It happened already a week before we left, but with time and then handling luggage it has gotten much worse. He ended up in the ER and has been given a sling to wear so that his arm won't be strained anymore and will have a chance to mend. Surgery will have to wait, as it's a last resort here. After a few sleepless nights, he has finally seen much improvement in the last day or so.

We've loved our walks here; it has been such a treat. The boys are so sweet, and like to try to outdo each other by seeing who can tactfully fill my hands with the most wildflowers.. I've even had the very unusual gift of a rolly polly bug.
One day we explored old castle ruins with amazing views, and from there, took a long walk through meadows, forests, and villages, and then enjoyed a much deserved picnic on the hillside.

Our longest walk has been over 10 miles along the River Thames. It took 4 hours, and the boys did great! We stopped only once at a pub for a drink and had some healthy snacks along the way to keep our energy up. It was a beautiful walk and afterwards, we enjoyed dinner in the village and then took the red double decker bus back to the town where our car was parked. The bus ride was an eye opener for the boys, as they felt quite proud of themselves when they realized how long they had walked! And actually, if we include the village walking, it was much closer to 11 miles!

One day, we stopped at a little farm and shop and picked raspberries, blackberries, and red currants. The vines were so full of fruit, that tons of it was wasting away on the vines. As we picked, we tried helping out as much as we could by eating our fill, so it wouldn't go to waste. A man was there showing off his birds of prey, and the boys even got to hold an owl!


Fred has always taken up a lot of time with the boys and this trip has been no exception. He has always been one of their favorite people. He is great at making up games to play with them and somehow makes everything seem so fun. They made paper airplanes together and then had contests to see who could fly them the furthest, most accurate and highest. They set up buckets and threw balls at them. They made teams and played billards, with Morgan and Fred winning the much sought after East Court Trophy. They helped play and entertain the twins. Got bombarded with water bombs when they least expected it. The boys even had private piano lessons each day and each picked out and learned their own song... giving us a concert the last night we were there. It was a wonderful time spent with friends and enjoying their generous hospitality. As the boys learned to say in England... We had a 'spiffing wheeze'!

Almost Home! Post from Matthijs

We’ve been really busy since landing in America again. We started in San Francisco. We went to the Pier first and saw some really cool ships. We also saw millions of sea lions on the pier. Next we made our way up the California coast and saw the humongous redwoods. They were so big, you could drive your car through them, and some people even made houses out of one stump! It was fun to walk around the forest looking at all these huge trees and finding lots of sticks to play with. We also used the sticks to protect us from mountain lions! We felt like little elves walking around these trees. Then we drove up the coast of Oregon where we saw some people with telescopes and we were able to look through them at some rare birds with bright orange feet and sea lions. Then we drove through Oregon and some of Washington to Glacier National Park in Montana. We earned a Junior Ranger badge and certificate at the park. The park was amazing and very beautiful. The scientists say that the glacier will be gone in 10 years. You better hurry up and come see it, or you’re going to miss it!
Then, we went to Yellowstone and saw my mom’s dad (my Opa), and his wife, Laura. The thought of them made us happy and cheery. We got to spend four days with them looking at and tracking animals around Yellowstone. We got to see so many animals, including a grizzly bear with two cubs, a black bear, 2 moose, a wolf, millions of elk and buffalo, mule deer, a bald eagle, and the footprints of Bigfoot! We even saw bear tracks with bones around it!
It even snowed on my papa’s birthday and we had a big snowball fight and got snow everywhere! We also got our Junior Ranger badges at Yellowstone. We went to Jackson hole and saw millions of antlers. The boys scouts are allowed to pick them up and sell them to make money every year. We had a lot of fun with Opa and Laura! We wish we could bring them with us on the rest of our trip!
We then had to leave Yellowstone and said sad goodbyes to Opa and Laura and headed to the canyons in Utah. We have gone to Bryce Canyon National Park and gotten Junior Ranger badges there too. Then we went to Zion National Park. They have lots of beautiful red rock mountains. Then we went to Los Vegas, where they have lots of casinos. It was sad to see all those people loose their money. My papa kept his money in his pocket! All the hotels there are amazing. One was a pirate ship, one was a pyramid, one was a castle, and the biggest and best one was just like Venice, Italy on the inside. They even had the canals inside where you could ride gondalas! That hotel was really nice. My mom wants to become mayor of Vegas so she can clean up the city, otherwise she said she’s never coming back. Then we went to San Diego where we swam in a really big nice pool, had huge yummy sandwiches, took walks around the city, and had homemade tortillas with great Mexican food. The Mexican ladies were cooking the tortillas outside on a big stove right beside us. It was soooo good! Now we had left San Diego and have driven up the coast of California. The coast is so beautiful and we even got to walk right up to elephant seals laying on the beach. I was so close, I could almost touch them and I could definitely smell them! They are huge with bulging eyes and their noses are shaped a little like elephant trucks. Just not as long. Tomorrow we go home! Hope we get to see you soon!

Hawaii

Wow! It actually feels good to be in America again! Hawaii has been truly a paradise this week! The scenery is gorgeous, from the most amazing variations in color in the ocean, to mountains in which you can actually see the fingerprints of God. The beaches are fantastic. Each one offering something different, from really great snorkeling, huge waves, or, if you want to relax, completely flat and calm. The atmosphere is so nice and relaxing. In Waikiki, the Hawaiian's are busy dancing and singing in the evenings, which lends to the very tropical feel and doesn't let you forget where you are! We have loved our 'stop' here and it was nice for me to refresh some memories from when I lived here as a little girl. Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for Hawaii...

Kiama & Blue Mountains

Because of the weather, we ending up returning to where we started... Kiama, just south of Sydney. The weather there was perfect and it is a lovely little beach town. We had a house for 6 nights with a beautiful view of the ocean and coast line. We have been nonstop since coming to Australia, so it felt good to stop and relax with a few days on the beach and taking walks along the coast.

Since we have been in Australia, we have spent a lot of time looking up in the trees for Koalas, but with no luck.... so far. We aren't giving up yet!

The birds here are amazing, with every color you could think of. The trees are full of the sounds of loud squawking and we have heard (and seen), on multiple occasions, the crazy monkey-like laugh of a kookaburra. All the birds here are so beautiful to look at, but the beautiful chirps and tweets of song birds are usually drowned out by all the noisy squawks! In this country, outside can be a very noisy place!

Matthijs celebrated his 9th birthday last week. He woke up with us singing 'Happy Birthday' to him with balloons dancing around his head. Ash gave him a classic Australian children's book, full of adventures of all the animals that we have seen here. He loved it. Since Matthijs is our little lover of fine food and good books, he decided to spend the day eating his favorite foods, at the library reading, and at the beach playing in the waves.

After Kiama, we headed to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney for a couple of days. It is a beautiful area, but was a bit strange driving to, as we couldn't find the mountains! The Blue Mountains are, actually, a massive deep gorge, very much like our Grand Canyon, but green and gorgeous. It is full of over 100 different kinds of eucalyptus trees (Still no koalas though!). We did a couple of long hikes and had a great time. We now have our last night in Sydney and leave tomorrow for a week in Hawaii. American soil!
Below is a video of some of our encounters with the wildlife since we've been here, thus far, but be prepared, it's long! Enjoy!