Bon weekend!

I spent the whole evening cleaning our living room and doing laundry. There is still a huge bucket+ that needs sifting through behind the couch, but that seems like it will go quicker if I make it a family affair so it will wait. I'm really determined to get this house organized, not to mention child-proofed! The kitchen has come a long way, and the bathrooms as well. The entry way is feeling like a lost cause, but it'll get there eventually. I haven't even thought about the upstairs yet (actually, I think about it all the time, it drives me crazy!) That sewing cave will be the death of me I think.

Anyway, I think I'm feeling especially motivated because I got a much needed break this weekend. We drove up to the Netherlands to see the Keukenhof tulip gardens (that's actually redundant as Keukenhof means Kitchen Garden). Just about everyone we've ever known here has gone at some point, and we've never gotten around to it. Luckily we extended our tour so this year we finally saw it, and I was pretty stoked that Chris agreed to go!


The flowers were, of course, amazing. The smell was like walking through thousands of flowers- oh wait, haha... and there were surprisingly few bees. ;)











I liked the daffodils almost more than the tulips.




And the trees! The gardens are only about 60 years old (which is very young by European standards) but the trees were giant and amazing.



One spring when Dad was here he made me take a picture in front of a Beech tree because it was so big, he wanted to prove to everyone back home how big it was in comparison. So, Dad, this is for you, the most giant Beech I've ever seen and Chris is standing in front to prove how big it actually is.


And we can't forget a traditional Dutch windmill!


Johnny was also amazing. He was very happy to be outdoors. His car limit is only about three hours tho, and the drive takes four. There are all sorts of smashed foodstuffs in his car seat from us feeding him fruit and snacks to keep him from losing it that last hour!



A friend of Chris's took some family photos, which I'll post later. But he was teaching me a thing or two about my camera. I'm kind of camera illiterate and just wing it most of the time, and luckily the Mac has a good editor ;p So I was practicing some indoor shots, in addition to the outdoor flower ones.





And then there was this funny thing.



We stayed the night right on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Most uneventful Amsterdam trip to date since we all fell asleep almost immediately!

But the next morning we went to Tongeren, Belgium, which is home to Europe's second largest antique market. I don't have pictures to share, but I can't wait to tell you my scores; a WW1 copper bugle for Chris, a pretty green coffee grinder (to go with my new-to-me coffee press I picked up a couple wees ago) and a vanity perfume set for Tricia.
Johnny fell asleep in my arms for one of the first times ever and we headed home.

I'm very thankful that we live in a place that has so much to offer. And it's much easier to go back to the daily grind of diapers, dishes and vacuuming on the inside of the house when you know what's on the outside to look forward to!