Hup Holland... for the World Cup

We did our best to cheer for the Dutch, so while they fell short of the goal, we still had a great time...

Barbara crafted some orange flags and a new addition to Nicholas' wardrobe.


Nicholas strung the flags...




... and we had a great time with friends and family until the 116th minute.

Nicholas and Riley in the 'Topher Trees at Mary Jane

A final boat ride, visit to beach, and Amsterdam

Our last exploration in the boat with Fransje--drinks on board. We found a new area that was truly "Dutch" and beautiful.


A day on the beach with Lyke, Sabien and family. A very windy day, but nothing would stop us from playing in the sand.
Bibi would not let the weather stop her from swimming in the rough sea. As for the Westfalls-we kept our coats on.
Sabien took us into Amsterdam's China Town for feet massages--ahhh, Nicholas loved it.
Dinner in Amsterdam at Sabien's place in Ijberg.

Fransje's B-day and a quick visit to Den Haag

Fransje (my aunt) celebrated her birthday with many friends and the kids were very helpful. Here they are making fruit salad.
Fransje and Martijn...
Enjoying many bottles of wine--the kids were great at keeping the glasses full and Fransje enjoyed moving around the table to sit with different friends.
A walk on the Zwanburger Polder--across from the house. The cows are roaming freely which made us a bit nervous as we have seen them start running before.
The Plein in Den Haag--a popular spot to meet for drinks on a sunny day. Some of the modern buildings are visible in the background. The statue is of Willem van Oranje and he was one of the leaders of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish.
The Binnenhof-houses of parliament. We didn't see any important people.
A visit with Pom and Vera on The Plein--we enjoyed many bitterballen.

Zaanse Schans--a windmill tour

The Zaan is an area formerly known for the use of industrial windmills. It is now one of the top tourist areas, but lots of fun to see with the kids. It lends itself to some good "dutch" scenes.

A Day in Zeeland

Frans and Thera took us out for the day to enjoy Zeeland, which is in the south. It was an area hit hard by flooding in the past. In the early 80's they started the Delta Works project--huge!!! They had to build something that wouldn't interfere with the salt water environment and control the area for future flooding. This is a museum built into the barrier.

A view of the Delta WorksIt is also a lot of fun for the kids with some rides, yahoooo.....
...even Frans enjoyed a ride with the kids.
We stopped for ice cream in Zierikzee, an old fishing village with scenic small roads and lots of red roof tops.

A few random pictures

An evening bike ride after dinner. It has become our routine to go on a walk or bike ride after dinner.
A fun visit with Lyke in Amsterdam. We toured through the canals and spent a lot of time walking and shopping-the kids new pasttime.
Beautiful rainbow between storms.
The kids are enjoying their new toy.