There is so much to tell. Life just keeps hopping, and with it lots of new experiences and happenings...and I can't keep up! So, I'll start with vacation...yes, our family vacation to Drenthe...a beautiful, wooded area with many outdoor adventures in which to partake.
We started our vacation with a stop to the highest waterfall in Nederland...and as we walked towards it, realized there was no water flowing...darn! They were doing some work on it, and there was nothing to see. We still took the little journey there and as I stepped down the 3rd step of the waterfall, crackkkkkk, I felt my ankle pop and down I went. It immediately started swelling and as I sat on the steps crying in pain, all the sadness of a ruined vacation flowed out the tear ducts of my eyes. I couldn't believe my misfortune. I hobbled back to the car using a stick for support and took off my shoe. My ankle was throbbing and swollen 3x the size. We got an ice pack from the cooler and I settled in the backseat using Kaeden as a cushion...he's wiggly...but loving!
We continued on to our destination, and the guys got out and played at the Boomkroonpad along the way. It is a bunch of towers and bridges built into the treetops and when they came back to me at the car I heard shouts of excitement about how high they went and how much they could see. It wa a ncie stop along the way to our vacation home.
When we got to the holiday park we checked in and drove to our house. Nope, no vacation house here...it was like a huge, brick built home, brand new and in tip-top condition. Really beautifully decorated and clean and comfy. Luckily there was a downstairs bedroom where I found my new home. After debating about whether to go to the doctor, we decided to wait til morning. When we got up and called all the docs, there was no answer, so I decided to stay home with my foot up and icing while the guys went off to visit the concentration camp, Westerbork, and the satellite towers. While they were gone, the Great Pumpkin managed to sneak into the house and scatter leaves everywhere, but also left some candy and tickets to Kabouterland. When they arrived home, mama was snuggled in bed and they were so excited to see that the Great Pumpkin came for his yearly visit. After checking every nook and cranny of the house for specail Halloween treats, we had our scary pumpkin and ghost dinner! It was a fun night and we ended the evening playing Uno over and over again.
Wednesday we made the trek to an indoor playground (Speelstad Oranje) with lots of rides and fun stuff for the kids. It was a stormy day with strong winds and we were happy to be inside. We spent the entire day there, and I even managed to hobble upstairs for a round of golf. Erwin won :-( But really, we all won...it was fun to see the kids excited over each ride they jumped into, and since it was not at all busy they could go as often as they wanted without even waiting in line.
Thursday we donned our winter jackets and braved the fall weather to go in search of the hunnebedden. They are gravestones from 5000 years ago and are still in place, piles of rocks on which the kids enjoyed climbing. We managed to see four different hunnebedden that day before heading into Assen for a walk around town. I was moving pretty slow at this point after all of our treks through the woods to reach the gravestones, and after an hour walking through town I couldn't take another step. Erwin and Kaeden went to get the car and we headed back to the house. I took teh kids swimming once we got there and Erwin made dinner...yep, he really did! The kids were in shock that Papa could cook, and went so far as to exclaim that he should do it more often as it was not burned like mama cooks...the nerve of my men!!!
Firday we spent the morning cleaning up and packing as check-out was at 10. We let Jari swim and Kaeden unfortunately was not allowed as punishment for his rotten behavior. He was fine by the time we said goodbye to Landgood Het Grote Zand, and we headed to Kabouterland. There we saw lots of animals, played on skelters, played on the playground equipment, and watched Papa perform a puppet show. It was a really nicely done little park and if the weather had been a bit nicer, there was a lot there to enjoy. The kabouter displays were terrific, with stories to go with each diorama. The kids had a great time. We left Drenthe and headed onto the crowded Friday night highways heading back to Belgium. We stopped for a late dinner at Ikea on the way home and got back to our place about 10.
It was a really good vacation, even with the exception of my little accident. It was relaxing and adventurous all in the same breath. It was time well spent as a family, and energy well spent exploring another area of Holland. It was too short, as vacations always are!
We started our vacation with a stop to the highest waterfall in Nederland...and as we walked towards it, realized there was no water flowing...darn! They were doing some work on it, and there was nothing to see. We still took the little journey there and as I stepped down the 3rd step of the waterfall, crackkkkkk, I felt my ankle pop and down I went. It immediately started swelling and as I sat on the steps crying in pain, all the sadness of a ruined vacation flowed out the tear ducts of my eyes. I couldn't believe my misfortune. I hobbled back to the car using a stick for support and took off my shoe. My ankle was throbbing and swollen 3x the size. We got an ice pack from the cooler and I settled in the backseat using Kaeden as a cushion...he's wiggly...but loving!
We continued on to our destination, and the guys got out and played at the Boomkroonpad along the way. It is a bunch of towers and bridges built into the treetops and when they came back to me at the car I heard shouts of excitement about how high they went and how much they could see. It wa a ncie stop along the way to our vacation home.
When we got to the holiday park we checked in and drove to our house. Nope, no vacation house here...it was like a huge, brick built home, brand new and in tip-top condition. Really beautifully decorated and clean and comfy. Luckily there was a downstairs bedroom where I found my new home. After debating about whether to go to the doctor, we decided to wait til morning. When we got up and called all the docs, there was no answer, so I decided to stay home with my foot up and icing while the guys went off to visit the concentration camp, Westerbork, and the satellite towers. While they were gone, the Great Pumpkin managed to sneak into the house and scatter leaves everywhere, but also left some candy and tickets to Kabouterland. When they arrived home, mama was snuggled in bed and they were so excited to see that the Great Pumpkin came for his yearly visit. After checking every nook and cranny of the house for specail Halloween treats, we had our scary pumpkin and ghost dinner! It was a fun night and we ended the evening playing Uno over and over again.
Wednesday we made the trek to an indoor playground (Speelstad Oranje) with lots of rides and fun stuff for the kids. It was a stormy day with strong winds and we were happy to be inside. We spent the entire day there, and I even managed to hobble upstairs for a round of golf. Erwin won :-( But really, we all won...it was fun to see the kids excited over each ride they jumped into, and since it was not at all busy they could go as often as they wanted without even waiting in line.
Thursday we donned our winter jackets and braved the fall weather to go in search of the hunnebedden. They are gravestones from 5000 years ago and are still in place, piles of rocks on which the kids enjoyed climbing. We managed to see four different hunnebedden that day before heading into Assen for a walk around town. I was moving pretty slow at this point after all of our treks through the woods to reach the gravestones, and after an hour walking through town I couldn't take another step. Erwin and Kaeden went to get the car and we headed back to the house. I took teh kids swimming once we got there and Erwin made dinner...yep, he really did! The kids were in shock that Papa could cook, and went so far as to exclaim that he should do it more often as it was not burned like mama cooks...the nerve of my men!!!
Firday we spent the morning cleaning up and packing as check-out was at 10. We let Jari swim and Kaeden unfortunately was not allowed as punishment for his rotten behavior. He was fine by the time we said goodbye to Landgood Het Grote Zand, and we headed to Kabouterland. There we saw lots of animals, played on skelters, played on the playground equipment, and watched Papa perform a puppet show. It was a really nicely done little park and if the weather had been a bit nicer, there was a lot there to enjoy. The kabouter displays were terrific, with stories to go with each diorama. The kids had a great time. We left Drenthe and headed onto the crowded Friday night highways heading back to Belgium. We stopped for a late dinner at Ikea on the way home and got back to our place about 10.
It was a really good vacation, even with the exception of my little accident. It was relaxing and adventurous all in the same breath. It was time well spent as a family, and energy well spent exploring another area of Holland. It was too short, as vacations always are!
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