Sunday, May 9, 2010
Castles
Sean took his parents and the kids to Burg Lichtenberg, a castle not too far away from here, on a Saturday when I was miserably sick. So, I always thought I was needed in order for everyone to have a good time, but these pictures are proof that fun can be had without me. Darn. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. Take a bunch of boys, an old castle, and some cool places to climb, and a good time is sure to be had.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Belgium
This was our second time going to Brugge, Belgium. We only spent a little over a day here, and although time was short, we had a great time and felt we were able to enjoy the city and all of its charm. Brugge has a church that dates back to the eighth century, and many other buildings and churches from the 11th-16 century. You feel like you've stepped back in time with the quaint cobblestone roads and antique architecture. The first thing we did was climb the 330 steps to the top of the Bell Tower. Ella climbed all the way to the top on her own. You go girl!!
Here's Ella after walking up and down the steps in the Bell Tower on her own.
No trip to Belgium would be complete without some waffles. They are so delicious and so much better than any I have had before. I don't know what their secret is, and I don't think they'd tell me if I asked, so we just enjoyed as many as we could find. The kids liked them with powdered sugar (me too) but Sean preferred them plain.
We took a canal cruise in the afternoon to see as much of the city as possible. Our tour guide was Flemmish, and it was fun to hear him recite his tour in Flemmish, French and English. His moustache was super cool too and I wish I would have snapped a picture of it. The kids enjoyed the boat ride through Brugge, which is referred to as 'the Venice of the North'. Thank goodness there were lots of ducks and geese around, so when Mason started getting a little antsy, there were animals around to keep his attention.
Colton and Mason being goof balls on the boat ride.
Now we get to the real reason we went to Brugge: the chocolate. They say there is a chocolate store on every block, and that isn't far from the truth. In fact, I think sometimes there are multiple chocolate stores on the same street. We were determined to find out which shop had the best chocolate, so we loosened our belts and tried as many as we could find. We liked them all and really weren't disappointed with any of them. We decided we liked the big blocks of solid milk chocolate the best, rather than the little squares that were filled with different flavors. And we didn't like the banana filled ones. Oh, and the liquor filled ones; those we discovered on accident. Oops.
We walked around the city and were so impressed with the old bridges and unique buildings. It is just such a colorful, quaint and really charming city.
We met a man sitting on a bridge that was studying to be a priest. He grew up in Southern California, not far from my hometown. Small world.
The kids thought it was cool to stay out late, walking around the city and exploring. They really liked going back to the hotel and instead of going to bed, staying up even later and drinking hot chocolate in the hotel's restaurant. Mason thoroughly enjoyed his.
The next morning we took a carriage ride around the city to learn a little bit more about it's history. Mason and Ella were enthralled with the ride and our horse.
The kids wandered down into this cell all by themselves; (hee hee). They quickly were able to get out though. Made me rethink my current discipline policy though...
We met this man and his musical machine the first day in Brugge. Ella wanted to give him some money and was rewarded wtih a chance to turn the crank and make some music. She was too scared. So, the next day when we saw him again, I wasn't too excited to have a repeat of the day before. But she assured me her courage levels were high and she was ready to 'take the wheel'. She eagerly went over to the musician, deposited some coins, and turned the wheel a few times to make some beautiful music.
The sign over this shop declared it to have the world's best hot chocolate. We were gonna pull a Buddy from Elf and go inside, shouting, "Congratulations! You did it! The world's best cup of hot chocolate. Wow! Great job!" But we realized they probably haven't seen the movie and we would just be labeled crazy Americans, so we bought a few cups to see what we thought. Stick to making chocolate. The hot chocolate was good, but nothing to write home about.
Look how cute Mason is. Doesn't matter that we are in a super cool old town surrounded by amazing buildings and beautiful scenery. Just look how adorable this little boy is.
This is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. We stopped at the side of the road for a bathroom break and found cows. Mason was in heaven. He quickly found some flowers and started picking them for me. What a little ladies' man. I love that kid!
Here's Ella after walking up and down the steps in the Bell Tower on her own.
No trip to Belgium would be complete without some waffles. They are so delicious and so much better than any I have had before. I don't know what their secret is, and I don't think they'd tell me if I asked, so we just enjoyed as many as we could find. The kids liked them with powdered sugar (me too) but Sean preferred them plain.
We took a canal cruise in the afternoon to see as much of the city as possible. Our tour guide was Flemmish, and it was fun to hear him recite his tour in Flemmish, French and English. His moustache was super cool too and I wish I would have snapped a picture of it. The kids enjoyed the boat ride through Brugge, which is referred to as 'the Venice of the North'. Thank goodness there were lots of ducks and geese around, so when Mason started getting a little antsy, there were animals around to keep his attention.
Colton and Mason being goof balls on the boat ride.
Now we get to the real reason we went to Brugge: the chocolate. They say there is a chocolate store on every block, and that isn't far from the truth. In fact, I think sometimes there are multiple chocolate stores on the same street. We were determined to find out which shop had the best chocolate, so we loosened our belts and tried as many as we could find. We liked them all and really weren't disappointed with any of them. We decided we liked the big blocks of solid milk chocolate the best, rather than the little squares that were filled with different flavors. And we didn't like the banana filled ones. Oh, and the liquor filled ones; those we discovered on accident. Oops.
We walked around the city and were so impressed with the old bridges and unique buildings. It is just such a colorful, quaint and really charming city.
We met a man sitting on a bridge that was studying to be a priest. He grew up in Southern California, not far from my hometown. Small world.
The kids thought it was cool to stay out late, walking around the city and exploring. They really liked going back to the hotel and instead of going to bed, staying up even later and drinking hot chocolate in the hotel's restaurant. Mason thoroughly enjoyed his.
The next morning we took a carriage ride around the city to learn a little bit more about it's history. Mason and Ella were enthralled with the ride and our horse.
The kids wandered down into this cell all by themselves; (hee hee). They quickly were able to get out though. Made me rethink my current discipline policy though...
We met this man and his musical machine the first day in Brugge. Ella wanted to give him some money and was rewarded wtih a chance to turn the crank and make some music. She was too scared. So, the next day when we saw him again, I wasn't too excited to have a repeat of the day before. But she assured me her courage levels were high and she was ready to 'take the wheel'. She eagerly went over to the musician, deposited some coins, and turned the wheel a few times to make some beautiful music.
The sign over this shop declared it to have the world's best hot chocolate. We were gonna pull a Buddy from Elf and go inside, shouting, "Congratulations! You did it! The world's best cup of hot chocolate. Wow! Great job!" But we realized they probably haven't seen the movie and we would just be labeled crazy Americans, so we bought a few cups to see what we thought. Stick to making chocolate. The hot chocolate was good, but nothing to write home about.
Look how cute Mason is. Doesn't matter that we are in a super cool old town surrounded by amazing buildings and beautiful scenery. Just look how adorable this little boy is.
This is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. We stopped at the side of the road for a bathroom break and found cows. Mason was in heaven. He quickly found some flowers and started picking them for me. What a little ladies' man. I love that kid!
Holland
We went to Holland over Spring Break. We stayed at a place called Duinrell, a campground with bungalows, or as they call them, dungalows, to stay in. There is a great water park there, and a pretty decent amusement park too. We made it over to the water park the first night, but were so busy the other days that we never got to the rides at the amusement park. We played at a great playground one evening, and Mason and Ella loved climbing up and sliding down some huge slides. We went to a great Dutch village called Zansche Zans. It had traditional Dutch houses, windmills, and shops that showed us how wooden shoes and cheese were made. We sampled some cheese (fairly popular), some waffles (very popular), and some chocolate (extremely popular)! We tried on lots of wooden shoes, climbed to the top of a windmill, and saw some beautiful gardens.
It was a little difficult climbing up the narrow staircase in the windmill with Mason in the back carrier. We made it and had a good view from the top.
No trip anywhere is complete unless we find some farm animals. Luckily, even at Zansche Zans we found a little farm with a goat and some ducks. The kids loved picking grass and feeding it to the goat.
I think this is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. I love that there were four pairs of shoes right outside a shop for my four kids to try on and play in. We were tempted to actually buy a pair, but the novelty wore off quickly and we realized they probably weren't the most comfortable to run around in.
I love this picture of Ella. She just got a new little doll and was so happy to show her all the pretty flowers.
There were a bunch of games for the kids to play with in the afternoon. The boys walked around on stilts for a while, and when we found a rope, Jaxon thought he could beat me in tug of war. Little did he know that nine months of Tony Horton training would mean the cards were slightly stacked in my favor that I could beat him. At least this time.
Normally, I hate jokes about 'body functions'. Poop, pee, or gas jokes can't crack a smile on me most of the time. But even this I found funny. Jaxon was excited to buy some spicy cheese in Holland, and when we got back to the cabin, he couldn't wait to break it open and cut it. Get it: Jaxon is 'cutting the cheese' in this picture. I know, I know, silly, but in a house of four males, sometimes even I have to give in and go with the crude humor jokes.
We spent a morning at Kukenhof, a gorgeous flower garden known for its amazing tulips. Although the winter was long and the weather was still cold, meaning not all the flowers had bloomed, the gardens were amazing and the tulips were spectacular. I have never seen so many different colors of tulips. I wish I could have enjoyed them more, except for one of my children, who will remain nameless, kept ruining the ambience by asking "Are we done yet?" "When are we going?" "How much longer are we gonna be here?". So, I tried to block out those comments as I strolled along the paths and saw the beautiful flowers, but next time he's in a Lego store, I think I might have to hurry him up a bit just to let him know how it feels.
I LOVE pictures where my kids look like they actually like each other!!!
As long as we can find farm animals, Mason is happy. At the gardens there was a petting zoo. Forget tulips, nothing holds Mason's attention like a goat, chicken, or miniature horse!
Colton was such a sweetheart this day. He could tell I wanted to get some nice family pictures with the flowers but that a certain kid wasn't cooperating. So, he tried extra hard to smile and put himself in front of flowers and say "Hey Mom, here's a good picture, take this one!" I sure do love that kid!
Here is one of my few attempts at taking an artistic picture. I usually am just happy to have a shot with a few of the kids smiling in it, but the tulips were so amazing I wanted to try to get a picture to remember how spectacular they were. I think this picture will do the job.
As we left Holland, we were able to drive through the Hague and stop by the LDS Temple there. We walked around the grounds for a few minutes and soaked in its beauty. Its so nice to see temples all over the world and realize the truthfulness of the gospel, no matter where you are. I love temples and are so grateful for them. Thanks to them, my family will be together forever.
It was a little difficult climbing up the narrow staircase in the windmill with Mason in the back carrier. We made it and had a good view from the top.
No trip anywhere is complete unless we find some farm animals. Luckily, even at Zansche Zans we found a little farm with a goat and some ducks. The kids loved picking grass and feeding it to the goat.
I think this is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. I love that there were four pairs of shoes right outside a shop for my four kids to try on and play in. We were tempted to actually buy a pair, but the novelty wore off quickly and we realized they probably weren't the most comfortable to run around in.
I love this picture of Ella. She just got a new little doll and was so happy to show her all the pretty flowers.
There were a bunch of games for the kids to play with in the afternoon. The boys walked around on stilts for a while, and when we found a rope, Jaxon thought he could beat me in tug of war. Little did he know that nine months of Tony Horton training would mean the cards were slightly stacked in my favor that I could beat him. At least this time.
Normally, I hate jokes about 'body functions'. Poop, pee, or gas jokes can't crack a smile on me most of the time. But even this I found funny. Jaxon was excited to buy some spicy cheese in Holland, and when we got back to the cabin, he couldn't wait to break it open and cut it. Get it: Jaxon is 'cutting the cheese' in this picture. I know, I know, silly, but in a house of four males, sometimes even I have to give in and go with the crude humor jokes.
We spent a morning at Kukenhof, a gorgeous flower garden known for its amazing tulips. Although the winter was long and the weather was still cold, meaning not all the flowers had bloomed, the gardens were amazing and the tulips were spectacular. I have never seen so many different colors of tulips. I wish I could have enjoyed them more, except for one of my children, who will remain nameless, kept ruining the ambience by asking "Are we done yet?" "When are we going?" "How much longer are we gonna be here?". So, I tried to block out those comments as I strolled along the paths and saw the beautiful flowers, but next time he's in a Lego store, I think I might have to hurry him up a bit just to let him know how it feels.
I LOVE pictures where my kids look like they actually like each other!!!
As long as we can find farm animals, Mason is happy. At the gardens there was a petting zoo. Forget tulips, nothing holds Mason's attention like a goat, chicken, or miniature horse!
Colton was such a sweetheart this day. He could tell I wanted to get some nice family pictures with the flowers but that a certain kid wasn't cooperating. So, he tried extra hard to smile and put himself in front of flowers and say "Hey Mom, here's a good picture, take this one!" I sure do love that kid!
Here is one of my few attempts at taking an artistic picture. I usually am just happy to have a shot with a few of the kids smiling in it, but the tulips were so amazing I wanted to try to get a picture to remember how spectacular they were. I think this picture will do the job.
As we left Holland, we were able to drive through the Hague and stop by the LDS Temple there. We walked around the grounds for a few minutes and soaked in its beauty. Its so nice to see temples all over the world and realize the truthfulness of the gospel, no matter where you are. I love temples and are so grateful for them. Thanks to them, my family will be together forever.
April 2010
Mason was quiet. That was a bad sign. I had been bringing in groceries and putting them away. I knew Mason was in Ella's room, where he usually likes to play. But he was really quiet. I finally got the nerve to go in there and see what he was up to. He had taken all of Ella's clothes off her hangers, dumped the hangers all over the floor, and shoved all her clothes into her hamper. And he was so proud of it. I had to take a picture of him, before politely asking him to NOT do it again. He did. Less than a week later. Oh well.
My poor little guy has spent much of this month being sick. He has had a hard time fighting an ear infection and a fever. One afternoon he was quiet. Again. In Ella's room. But this time he wasn't up to mischief. He was tired, not feeling well, and decided to curl up in Ella's bed. He fell asleep and took a good nap. This little guy hasn't napped much in the past few months. We had to give up on naps when we started this move. But he still could use one many days, like this day.
Every year we love to decorate eggs. The kids actually like to eat hard boiled eggs, so we rarely keep them til Easter morning. We end up eating them right away. I thought Jaxon might be a little too old to want to dye eggs, but with a little motherly encouragement (threatening), he got in the spirit of things and participated. Colton is Peter Pan, forever a kid at heart, so he loves stuff like this.
The kids were excited for Easter morning. We usually do Easter baskets on Saturday so we can try to focus on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday. Mason and Ella were the first ones awake (what a surprise) and quickly started looking for eggs, candy, and their baskets.
Mason got mad at me. I turned off the movie player in the car since we had arrived at our destination: our house. He threw a fit and refused to get out of his car seat. He stayed in the car for about 5 minutes. I could watch him from the kitchen window. I knocked on the window and started waving and smiling at him. He retaliated with a scowl face and a stuck out tongue. He finally relented and let me take him inside.
Jaxon turned 12 on April 16th. The kid is getting big. He is pretty much a grown up in a 12 year old body. He acts pretty mature for his age and is one smart guy, if I do say so myself. He is no fun though when it comes to presents. For the past few years, he has wanted pretty much one big gift for his birthday or Christmas, so that takes the fun out of surprises when he knows what he is getting. He knew he was going to get an I pod touch, so there wasn't a big "Ah hah!!" moment on his birthday morning, but he was still happy and excited, so that's all that matters.
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