After Dustin’s parents left on Monday, I had a few days to prepare for my Mom and Dad’s arrival that Friday. This visit was going to be different, though, because we weren’t planning any big trips. We planned a few day trips and on our down time, I put my parents to work on some projects around the house.
Jacob and I picked them up Friday around lunch time. They were all smiles, even after the long flight. We headed straight home for a relaxing afternoon (recovery from jet lag).
We woke up Saturday morning with plans to go to the market. My parents really seemed to enjoy it. They even ordered some cheese to be vacuum-packed and picked up the next week so they could take some home.
My Mom was so amazed by the tiny European cars that she had to get a picture on one of our trips out.
The rest of the day we hung around the house making our list of projects. That night we celebrated my birthday. It was nice to have my parents there to help me celebrate. My Mom even baked me a cake. Yummy!
The big surprise for my birthday was flower boxes and flowers from Dustin. We have a balcony outside our bedroom with holders for flower boxes. We just didn’t have any boxes. With my Mom’s help, Dustin picked out some flowers for me. They look so great from the street. Plus, this virtually guaranteed a return trip by my Mom in April / May to refill the boxes.
Sunday we drove to Kinderdijk to see the 19 original windmills of Holland. It was a beautiful day – perfect for pictures!
That night, we had a little celebration for Jacob’s birthday (mainly so my parents could see him open his presents). One of the presents was his Halloween costume – a monkey! He’s going to be so cute!
Monday we worked through our project list – sewing buttons, mending pants, hanging hooks, pictures, etc. I didn’t want my parents to be bored! We also took a stroll to the grocery store so my parents could see what every day living is like. We picked some bread up at the bakery as well as an appeltart for desert.
Tuesday we headed to Amsterdam for the day. The day started out a little slow due to a rain delay. We debated on whether or not to go or wait for another day, but in the end we decided to give a shot. As it turned out, we didn’t have any rain the rest of the day. We first toured Anne Frank’s house. Then, holding true to our past visits to Amsterdam, we had lunch at the Pancake Bakery. After that, we headed to the Rijksmuseum to check out some Dutch masters. Following that, we headed back towards the train station to pick up a canal tour. We needed to rest our feet, so the boat ride was nice. We headed back to Voorburg after the tour.
One thing on my Mom’s list to see while she was here was a Delftware factory. So, we drove to Delft Wednesday morning to see how the famed pottery was made. We took a 30 minute tour of the factory and probably spent 1.5 hours in the gift shop afterwards. We learned that there are 4 Delftware patterns, not just the blue and white that everyone seems to recognize. All are beautiful! It’s amazing that they’re hand painted. It must take some serious patience to do that all day long. We were surprised how expensive Delftware is and couldn’t decide what we wanted to purchase for our souvenir. After walking laps around the store, we decided on what we wanted and made our purchases.
Thursday morning Jacob had his 11 month checkup (he had to get 2 shots). That afternoon, we went to Madurodam in Den Haag. Madurodam is a miniature Holland. You walk through an outdoor exhibit of all the major sights in Holland at 1/25th the scale. The detail in the miniature buildings is unreal, and it really does give you a good feel of the country.
That evening we met Dustin at the beach so my parents could see the North Sea and have a nice dinner out.
Friday, Dustin was able to take the day off from work. We decided to go to Brugge. After visiting the town back in August, we just new my Mom would love it. So, we drove down to Belgium to see some lace and taste some chocolate. We strolled through the cobblestone streets and went in one lace shop after the other. We also learned that Belgium is famous for its tapestries. In the end, my Mom and I each picked out a lace table runner. We also purchased my Mom a tapestry purse for an early birthday present and took a carriage ride through the town. Jacob even rode up front!
On the way back home, we decided on a different route. We drove up along the coast and saw a beautiful sunset!
Saturday we went back to the market and hung around the house the rest of the day. We took my parents to the airport first thing Sunday morning. We had a great visit! I think Jacob had a great time, too!
Jacob and I picked them up Friday around lunch time. They were all smiles, even after the long flight. We headed straight home for a relaxing afternoon (recovery from jet lag).
We woke up Saturday morning with plans to go to the market. My parents really seemed to enjoy it. They even ordered some cheese to be vacuum-packed and picked up the next week so they could take some home.My Mom was so amazed by the tiny European cars that she had to get a picture on one of our trips out.The rest of the day we hung around the house making our list of projects. That night we celebrated my birthday. It was nice to have my parents there to help me celebrate. My Mom even baked me a cake. Yummy!The big surprise for my birthday was flower boxes and flowers from Dustin. We have a balcony outside our bedroom with holders for flower boxes. We just didn’t have any boxes. With my Mom’s help, Dustin picked out some flowers for me. They look so great from the street. Plus, this virtually guaranteed a return trip by my Mom in April / May to refill the boxes.Sunday we drove to Kinderdijk to see the 19 original windmills of Holland. It was a beautiful day – perfect for pictures!That night, we had a little celebration for Jacob’s birthday (mainly so my parents could see him open his presents). One of the presents was his Halloween costume – a monkey! He’s going to be so cute!Monday we worked through our project list – sewing buttons, mending pants, hanging hooks, pictures, etc. I didn’t want my parents to be bored! We also took a stroll to the grocery store so my parents could see what every day living is like. We picked some bread up at the bakery as well as an appeltart for desert.
Tuesday we headed to Amsterdam for the day. The day started out a little slow due to a rain delay. We debated on whether or not to go or wait for another day, but in the end we decided to give a shot. As it turned out, we didn’t have any rain the rest of the day. We first toured Anne Frank’s house. Then, holding true to our past visits to Amsterdam, we had lunch at the Pancake Bakery. After that, we headed to the Rijksmuseum to check out some Dutch masters. Following that, we headed back towards the train station to pick up a canal tour. We needed to rest our feet, so the boat ride was nice. We headed back to Voorburg after the tour.One thing on my Mom’s list to see while she was here was a Delftware factory. So, we drove to Delft Wednesday morning to see how the famed pottery was made. We took a 30 minute tour of the factory and probably spent 1.5 hours in the gift shop afterwards. We learned that there are 4 Delftware patterns, not just the blue and white that everyone seems to recognize. All are beautiful! It’s amazing that they’re hand painted. It must take some serious patience to do that all day long. We were surprised how expensive Delftware is and couldn’t decide what we wanted to purchase for our souvenir. After walking laps around the store, we decided on what we wanted and made our purchases.Thursday morning Jacob had his 11 month checkup (he had to get 2 shots). That afternoon, we went to Madurodam in Den Haag. Madurodam is a miniature Holland. You walk through an outdoor exhibit of all the major sights in Holland at 1/25th the scale. The detail in the miniature buildings is unreal, and it really does give you a good feel of the country.That evening we met Dustin at the beach so my parents could see the North Sea and have a nice dinner out.Friday, Dustin was able to take the day off from work. We decided to go to Brugge. After visiting the town back in August, we just new my Mom would love it. So, we drove down to Belgium to see some lace and taste some chocolate. We strolled through the cobblestone streets and went in one lace shop after the other. We also learned that Belgium is famous for its tapestries. In the end, my Mom and I each picked out a lace table runner. We also purchased my Mom a tapestry purse for an early birthday present and took a carriage ride through the town. Jacob even rode up front!
On the way back home, we decided on a different route. We drove up along the coast and saw a beautiful sunset!Saturday we went back to the market and hung around the house the rest of the day. We took my parents to the airport first thing Sunday morning. We had a great visit! I think Jacob had a great time, too!
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