Bremen Goodbyes

Because our apartment looked like this at the end of August:

life has been a tad unpredictable as we try to get everything into it's new order. So my photos and the order they get posted in are also going to be a tad out of order, but when I came across this photo below I wanted to make sure it got posted.

 This is family Spöring. They lived in our building and were the sweetest neighbours we could have asked for. They were always thinking of the kids; bringing cards and small gifts on birthdays and holidays and loved getting to see the kids on their bikes. While we were living there, Hr. Spöring had a really bad fall and was in the hospital for a few weeks and I still remember how worried the kids were that he wasn't home anymore to wave them off from his window each day as we set out on our tasks for that day. Get well cards were made, visits were had and the kids were very happy when he returned home. The Spörings truly are a family who simply exude kindness. So glad to have had them as neighbours, as examples to our children and as friends. 

A day at the park

On our last weekend in Holland we took the kids to the park and met up with the Prins family. We ended up doing a little park-hopping walk and chatting while the kids worked off all their energy. Atticus and Evia get along so well, it's a shame they won't be able to play together as often now. 

Here are a few pictures of the midgets enjoying the afternoon.

Atticus has a thing for pointing these days...

After Atticus sprained his ankle on the slide back in May it took him quite some time to get up the courage to go down the slide, and then to go down the slide by himself. Now he does it like a pro again, and again, and again. 

These two have their "off" moments where one of them wants to hold hands but the other one is adamant on being independent. Those moments typically don't go over well. Thankfully, this was one of their "on" moments where they both wanted to walk together - holding hands. You'll note that they are walking on the grass in the following photos. That is because they seemed to have quite the knack for nearly getting run over by the cycles and scooters.

Jason and Jan seemed to have quite a bit of fun playing the role of Big Kids while the ladies took care of the babies and chatted. When it was time to go, our little playing duet needed to be dragged away kicking and screaming - literally. They were both adequately covered in sand and dirt and very tired. Aside from the cranky ending with the toddlers, it was a lovely visit with the Prins family, as always.

Dutch Days

It feels like we are experiencing a lot of "lasts" lately. Today we had our Last Sunday at church in Holland and it feels completely surreal as though we will be here again next week, cycling to church, talking about the weather (because the weather is always something to talk about). We won't be here though, and boy, that is a sad feeling. 

We have loved our time in The Netherlands. It has only been two short years, but so much has happened. We have had some wonderful experiences, made some incredible friends and even welcomed Milayla into our family. There is so much that we are going to miss, especially the people. We have been blessed with great friends and neighbours who are always there for us. Fortunately, we know it will not be the last time that we see many of them.

Being that this was our last weekend, we wanted to take a break from packing and just make the morning relaxed and enjoy the simple things we love about living here. First on the agenda was eating Hagelslag for breakfast. Sounds like a pretty strange thing to have on our list, but we had yet to try it and while we were a little leery of chocolate for breakfast we did like it. At the recommendation of a friend, we put some peanut butter on with the hagelslag, however, it was far too sweet for us as a breakfast (particularly when we usually eat unsweetened porridge or muesli). Perhaps we will stock up on a couple boxes to use for cupcakes.

Not the most photogenic food - very brown...

Then we packed the kids into the bakfiets (which we are very happy to report we will be taking with us to our new home in Germany) to head to Saturday Market. It was the first time that Atticus and Milayla got to sit beside one another in the bakfiets as Milayla has previously been in her Maxi-cosi. These two loved it! It is quite fun to see them interact with one another.

waiting patiently to get on the road

Holding hands for the journey!

The weather this summer has been a little on the cool side, so we were very thankful that our morning held blue skies and sunshine for us. We love downtown Leiden, especially during market. We strolled around, stopped in a few shops, enjoyed fresh stroopwafel and Jason had his last Herring.

Milayla enjoying a nice snooze while Jason enjoys his Herring

It was a simple, laid-back Saturday morning which have been some of our favorite Saturdays while we have lived here. When we arrived home it was back to the chaos of boxes and the reality that we will soon be saying "goodbye". Just a few more days and everything will be packed into the moving van and we will be driving off. Considering that we will only live 4 hours away, we are hopeful to come back for visits and that we will have visitors come our way as well. 

Our time in The Netherlands has certainly allowed us to grow as individuals and as a family. We leave with fond memories and great things to say about this country and the people who live here. It has been an experience we will forever be grateful for.

On the logistical side of things, once we move we are not sure how long it will take for us to be reconnected (phones and internet). So please be patient as our usual phone calls and emails may take a while to resume. If we have the time we may schedule a few blog posts to fill that void. 

Thank you everyone for all your love and support!

Love,

The Clog Crew