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.