Day Two-School's In

Oh yeah, we are here for class...Today was back to reality as we started the day with presentations about the countries and schools we were visiting.  True to form, Co-hort VIII started right in with questions and discussion.  Never mind the fact that the world-class city of Amsterdam was right outside our door!

 So one hour behind schedule, Chris and I headed to the Rijksmuseum to take in the Dutch masters.  Seeing works from Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Rembrandt all under one roof seemed like the most efficient way to experience the art of the Netherlands.  After that, we headed for a canal tour.  We bought some Gouda, sausages, Proseco for me, and a beer for Chris and felt most privileged as we cruised along.

 One of the most interesting things about the cruise was spotting a gentleman in a "Southern Proper" baseball cap.  "Southern Proper" is an apparel company founded by a Brenau alum and Board of Trustees member, Emy Howard.  I surreptitiously snapped a photo of the gentleman and cannot wait to show it to Emy.

After our canal tour, we walked and walked and walked some more.  We decided to turn in early for the 8:00am start on Tuesday.

Day 1: Are we there yet???

  We traveled for days and days to arrive in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Well, that is a slight exaggeration, but by the time we sat down for this beer and some local cheese it felt like it.  We began out journey with a ten hour drive to Orlando, where we flew out of to facilitate childcare.  Bright and early the next morning we caught our flight for Amsterdam via New York and Dublin.  A train and tram ride later and we were finally at our hotel. What a joy to see the familiar faces of cohort VIII on the connecting flight and crossing the street in front of the hotel.
  My first impression of Amsterdam is, "Holy Bicycles", I nearly got run over several times before figuring out the sidewalk/bike lane set up.  After lots of walking around taking in the sights we found an Indonesian place for dinner.  Research told me Indonesian cuisine in the Netherlands was very popular dues to the Dutch colonization of that area.  We tried a rijsttafel, a uniquely dutch dish that allows you to sample many dishes at once.  The food quality was excellent , but Indonesian just wasn't our thing.
  Sunday morning we set out in search of a Mass.  Our search was unsuccessful, but we did end up touring the Oude Kirk, a stunning old church that now serves as a museum.  The church was once Roman Catholic and evidence of the destruction that occurred during the reformation was plain to see.  Not to mention we quickly discovered we were walking over tombs in the floor of the church.  Next we toured the Heineken factory, and many of the other wonderful sights of the city.  At last it was time to meet for dinner and get this educational journey started!

A very bad Blogger

Well, it is no secret I have been very busy living life and not writing about it.  The boys are growing up before my eyes, and in addition to raising them and working full-time I am now pursuing my doctorate.  To say I have no time for regular blogging is an understatement, but as I read through the blog when I posted religiously I am so sad I am not taking the time to record these precious memories.  I would like to think I will do better, but honestly I know that is not likely to happen.  I only logged in to complete an assignment for school.  But before I move on to that, here are the two fun sons of late.

Time Marches On...

Last night I attended the parent information session for rising 6th graders.  That's right, middle school.  I sat in the bleachers with tears in my eyes as the stark realization that my baby was going to be one of these smelly, obnoxious creatures.  I have seen this coming-  I mean one day he is playing Legos and the next he wants to download a Wiz Khalifa tune.  I smell the Axe body spray wafting down from his bathroom upstairs, and have seen the looks confirming he believes I am an idiot.  But it wasn't until last night, surrounded by hundreds of them I fully realized he would really be going to this proverbial dark side.

I feel like I am in the first car of the train on a really tall roller coaster.  When you are waiting in line that hill doesn't look so scary, but when you are about to careen head first down your reaction is physical, and it is fear.  Will I/we be enough to stand in the void between this big cruel world and this really good kid and have the scales tip in his favor.  Have we covered him in enough parenting and prayer to get him to adulthood fairly unscathed and mostly virtuous?

Will he know that I don't dislike the young adult he is becoming but I deeply mourn that little kid he leaves behind?

Eventful Easter

One day I will learn to be careful what I wish for. I had all these Pinterest inspired Easter plans in order to make good use of the long weekend. I intended to purposefully make deposits into the boys' memory banks, all the while teaching them about Christ through clever recipes and crafts. After fun filled day of visiting the local creamery, dying Easter eggs, and attending the Good Friday church service we arrived home to make our Resurrection cookies.

This magical moment quickly turned into a spatula sword fight over who was going to get to pour what into the bowl. There was so much chaos, I began screaming the bible verses that corresponded to the recipe actions. Let me just say that my experience did not mimic, at all, the blog post I got the idea from: two adorable little girls dutifully taking in instruction from their mother. Alas, in the confusion a step was missed and our cookies turned into blobs rather then empty tombs. I was, in retrospect, overly upset by the failed experiment.

After the boys went to bed, Chris and I discussed/processed and I told him how sad I get about the boys growing up so fast and the pressure I feel to make special memories for them. ( I also lamented my lack of a daughter, but that is a different story. )

On Saturday we headed up to my in-laws and eventually went for a little hike. Which led to climbing some trees. While this one may look high, it was not the tree that led to this...

As we drove home from the ER with Chase's left arm in a temporary cast, Chris reminded me of my desire to make powerful memories. I suppose I can cross that off the old 'to do' list.

Valentine's Soup

Over the past couple years, we have adopted the tradition of "fancy dinner" to celebrate Valentine's day. Table cloth, candles, and top notch fare mark our celebration. This year we had a crab bisque, steak, baked potato, etc. I am definitely raising two foodies as last year Noel finished his lobster tail before the rest of us had been seated, and Chase was able to identify the Kalamatta olives in the appetizer.
This year it was especially gratifying as the boys were so complimentary and appreciative of the meal. Noel ate the soup like there was no tomorrow only stopping to say, "Thank you Mommy for making Valentine soup." Then he picked up his glass of sparkling cider and insisted we all do "cheers" (this happend approx. 10 times). He finally declared he loved this dinner and this day. I have to admit, I do too!

Hair Prayer

Lately Chase has been sporting a spiked up mohawk (really more of a faux hawk but don't tell him that). He is a totally cool tween these days, and is over the top because he earned an MP3 player by improving his grades this six weeks.
Last night when Noel was in the tub he asked Chris to give him a mohawk, and Chris explained he did not have enough hair to have a mohawk. Noel became somewhat distraught and asked "Why didn't Jesuse give me hair for a mohawk?"