Brooke, Kevin, Luna, & Kai!

My sister Brooke and family were visiting over the past two weeks. It has taken me a few days to write this blog because I’ve been so sad since they left. We had the best time and I miss them so much already. We’ve been so excited for them to visit us here, and everything was exactly as I’d hoped it would be.

Heading out to ride bikes in Vondelpark
Breakfast crepes at the farmer’s market
Day trip to Zaanse Schans
Found some shade to eat our ice cream
So many clogs to choose from
European heat wave! We had to escape to the North Sea to cool off.
Exploring the canal ring
Lunch on the canal. Kai is wearing his “secret fancy” which is a sequin hair bow that he usually wears under a baseball hat. He asked me to hold it at the zoo and I clipped it on my hat and wore if for four hours until he noticed it and was pissed off I had been wearing it without his permission and he yelled at me for two hours straight.
Luna made a new friend
The Mouse Mansion. I sent them the books for Christmas and promised to take them to see where Sam and Julia live when they came to visit.
Kai brought Julia the Mouse back to her homeland.
Eating some apple cake at the goat playground
We lucked out with lots of sunny weather for boat rides
Busted out the unicorn on the lake!
They are both fabulous
James Wilson made a fancy cake for our boat ride
Boat picnics are the best
And picnics in the Bos Forest aren’t too shabby either

Brooke and Kevin took a little side trip to Paris and that gave me lots of time with Kai and Luna. James Wilson was still in school, which was a bit of a bummer for him but it worked out pretty well because it gave me the opportunity to do all the fun kid stuff with the little ones and then we were all back in time to greet him when he got home. His cousins love him so much and he did such a good job entertaining them.

Hanging with a lemur at the zoo while Brooke and Kevin were in Paris
Kai is into fashion. We did a little shopping and had some ice cream.
The library is awesome
On the roof of the NEMO Science museum. Luna and I had so much special time together. She’s so patient and kind and crazy strong. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
Cousins baking cakes
We were a house divided for the World Cup USA vs. Netherlands game. USA! USA!
Efteling was one of the highlights of their trip. Everyone loved the weird Fairy Tale forest
Turning the key…
To unlock the treasure
I love this picture of them looking at birds.

James and JW left for Virginia today. They are going to spend a week in Nova and then they are heading down to the River to visit with Anne and Jeff and then JW is off to summer camp for two weeks. I’d be feeling so blue right now but I’m not because Dorothy and her mom and sister and niece arrive today!