Mother’s Day 2015

We overflowed the coffee machine at a rest stop, Finley ate a smashed dandelion in a parking lot and for about six minutes, Shawn and I were in a panic because we thought our car had been stolen.

That’s how the weekend started, and if you know us, it’s a pretty typical way for us to begin a road trip.

Saturday morning, we loaded up the kids and the car and drove to the Netherlands.  I’ve been wanting to go in the spring for as long as we’ve lived here, but each year something has gotten in the way.

We saw the famous cube houses.
And bikes.
Lots and lots of bikes.
Did you know that there are more bikes in the Netherlands than actual people?

Sunday morning we got moving slowly and I sipped coffee as my kids ran around the hotel room, jumped on the bed and watched boats out the window.  It was Mother’s Day and I couldn’t help but think that I love these two with a fierceness I never knew until I became a mom.  

After our leisurely morning, we drove to Keukenhof Gardens, which is in the bollenstreek, or bulb growers region.

The Dutch are serious about their tulips.

And also, clogs.

Motherhood is exhausting, scary, messy and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left the house with cereal smashed in the bottom of my purse, a 2 year old wearing his t-shirt with one arm through the neck hole (like a toga, because he insisted) and both kids eating candy before 9AM, because this was the only way we were all going to make it to school on time and in one piece.

I hope that my kids won’t remember a childhood with a mom who was frazzled and anxious and they’ll forget all the hurry ups and straighten ups and remember their mom laughed a lot, had patience, taught them well and showed them the world.

A mom who saw the humor in being photo bombed by a goat…

And willingly stood in the enormous, touristy wooden clogs in front of a windmill in Holland just for her kids’ amusement.

I’ve been a mom for a little over seven years, and frankly, I feel like I’m an all-over-the-place-mess. 

I’ve birthed a baby in America and one in a foreign country.
I’ve celebrated healthy deliveries and I’ve grieved a miscarriage. 
I’ve breastfed and bottle fed, worn my babies close to my heart and pushed them in strollers.
I’ve been a stay at home mom and I’ve worked full time and part time.
I’ve judged other moms and have been judged by others.

I’m trying my best everyday to teach my children to be gentle – one with his little hands, and one with her words.  Every night when I fall into bed, I pray Lord, protect them.  And please cover up the mistakes I made with them today.

We stayed in Keukenhof longer than planned and returned home pretty late Sunday night.  All of us were exhausted and Hannah hadn’t finished her homework yet, so I declared that we’d all sleep in and take her to school late the next day.  In the flurry of events the next morning, which included window washers showing up first thing (that I had forgotten about) I asked Hannah if she could pack her own lunch, so that we weren’t too too late.  When we got to school, I peeked in her lunchbox to find nearly a pound of salami, a yogurt cup and two peppermint lifesaver candies. 

Clearly, I don’t have any part of this gig figured out.

But despite all the mess and chaos, they’re mine and I’m theirs.
I couldn’t ask for anything better.

The North Sea: We Liked It So Much We Went Back

And this time we took friends!

Last week after school let out, it seemed like a fine time to head to the beach.  So we packed up our car (and Shawn’s sleek, shiny car top carrier) and headed back to the Belgian coast with our British friends.  These folks have become like family to us since we’ve lived in Luxembourg.

The Brits

The Americans

We stayed in a cute little cottage in De Hann, Belgium and spent our days at the North Sea.

We had a very serious bocce ball tournament.
In French, they call it boules, which I think is funny because that’s the same word they use for scoops of ice cream.

The weather was perfect for kite flying.

And Hannah wore her daddy’s shirt when the evening air became chilly.

We ate dinner out, and grilled enough meat for six families on an itty, bitty disposable grill.

When it rained, we simply put panchos on the girls and continued our walk along the shore.

These two shared a room with bunk beds and spent hours working on their rainbow loom bracelets and necklaces, which they called “Scooby Doo’s,” and continually cheered, “We’re knitting for England!” and “We’re knitting for America!” and my favorite, “We’re knitting to save the world!”

For our last day, we crossed the border into Holland and rode bikes. 
Shawn and Hannah did this:

I rode with Finn on the back of my bike.  The lady at the bike rental place warned us that kids always cry when you put a helmet on them.  Finley, however, loved it.  He didn’t want to take it off.

As much as he loved the helmet, he apparently thought the rest of the bike ride was a snooze fest.

We stopped for lunch at a little café on the beach where the kids could play in the sand before and after we ate.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Luxembourg. 
But one last thing: a group shot of the Brits and the Americans.

Because we were riding for England! Riding for America!
We were RIDING TO SAVE THE WORLD.