Amsterdam: Flower Market

 Today was my first day exploring the city solo. Mr. Stannix is in his course for the next couple of days which means he leaves the hotel early in the morning and doesn't get back until late in the evening. It was overcast and foggy this morning, so I ate breakfast at the hotel (drank icky carbonated water for the first time) and then snuck in a morning nap. By the time I woke up the skies were blue and the fog had cleared. I bought another two day train pass and hopped the tram into the city to go exploring. 

 I checked our trusty map and grabbed a connecting tram that brought me to the famous flower market. Apparently this is where everybody in Amsterdam buys their flowers from. It smelled incredible as I walked through the market. 

 They had flowers of every kind, bulbs, seeds, plants, and souvenirs. I stumbled upon a Christmas store filled with Dutch hand painted ornaments and spent some time wandering around inside. 

 When I had seen all that I came to see I turned and walked down another street past bakeries, and bikes, and bridges.

 The architecture here is so unique and wonderful! I could stare at the buildings all day. Many of them have date stamps back to the 1600's. It's remarkable!

 Before I knew it, I had found myself back in the museum quarter. This time it was filled with locals wading in the water and jumping in and out of the fountains. Tourists climbed all over the sign and the place was filled with photographers. I didn't realize how far I had actually walked until I ended up here. My feet were hot and achy, so I slipped off my shoes and soaked my feet in the cold water for quite a while. It was so nice not having anywhere to be.

 Once my feet had recovered I put my shoes back on and wandered up another street towards centraal station. I made sure to stick to well peopled areas and kept a close eye out for crazies. At one point, in a busy courtyard full of eateries and tourists, I was approached by a tall pepper-haired man. I stopped abruptly and took a step back as he reached his hand out to touch my shoulder. "Don't worry, you are not my next victim," he said with a thick accent. "We are just a couple of Scandinavian guys looking for someone to share a drink and a meal with us," he added as he pointed to his buddy at the table. I, in no uncertain terms, told him no, and walked away as fast as I could.

 I kept to the streets with trams and bikes for the rest of my walk back. Walking almost seems dangerous here and I have had a few close encounters with bikes. Sometimes I have to close my eyes at busy corners as bikers are turning, cars are honking and trains are dinging. One biker rain his bell and then shouted at the elderly couple in front of me, "Are you DEAF!" It's crazy here. I am surprised there aren't more accidents honestly, but somehow the chaos works for them. 

 I found myself wondering how big the families are here, and then saw a mom bike by me with three kids in the bucket on the front of her bike and her daughter sitting behind with her arms wrapped around her. They use bikes to get everywhere here! It's no neat!

 I also admired these delicacies from the street. 

 I made it back to my hotel by early evening, and my feet were tingling. With no sign of Mike, I decided to have a late nap. 

I was able to chat with the littles back home who had just finished lunch and slept pretty well after all the fresh air and exercise!

Amsterdam: Museum Quarter

This morning started early! We can't seem to sleep past 5:00am here. It's so strange to think that our littles have been sleeping soundly in their beds for an hour or two when we are just waking up to start the day.

 After getting dressed and ready we searched out a good spot for breakfast. The pancake bakery had rave reviews and did not disappoint! It's in the same neighborhood as the Anne Frank house, so we knew how to get there and enjoyed a quiet morning walk. We started out by ordering orange juice and my taste buds were blown away when I took my first sip. It was FRESH SQUEEZED and AH-mazing! They use a special machine with a rotating basket of oranges on top. It's pretty neat!

The dutch pancakes are similar to crepes, but a little bit thicker and full of flavor! I got a Dutch style with Stroop Wafel mixed into the batter, cinnamon ice cream and chocolate chunks. Mike got an American pancake with pears, vanilla ice cream, and whip cream. They were so filling and so delicious!
 

 

 

 

 (The Anne Frank House, less crowded than yesterday evening, a bit overexposed, but you get the idea)

After breakfast we took the train over to the Museum Quarter. There were hardly any people out and about still and it was so nice and quiet! We grabbed a quick picture in front of the famous Iamsterdam sign and then hit up the Rijksmuseum for the morning. It worked out so perfect because it had just started sprinkling rain moments before we went in, and it was a chilly day to be out and about.

We enjoyed the history on the four floors (minus all of the nakey pictures) and the architecture was super cool too! I was glad that we went early though because by the late morning the museum had gotten pretty crowded and it got harder to move around and see the things we wanted to. By the end of the morning our feet ached from all of the extra walking.

When we finished, the rain had stopped. We wandered around the gardens and pretended to play a game of chess. Then we sat on a bench for a bit to rest our feet before exploring some more.

When we were finally feeling up to it we walked a few blocks towards central station and hopped on a canal cruise! They gave us headphones and we got to learn more about the history of Amsterdam and how it's built on reclaimed land. It's pretty neat how they learned to manipulate the tides and built multiple canals all through the city. There's thousands of bridges and over half a million bikes! 

As we looped around near the ferry station it was crazy to see bikes stacked two high all across the docks. This really is the bike capital of the world! After our cruise we grabbed lunch at a delicious italian restaraunt we stumbled on in a secluded alley way. Mike devoured a whole pizza and I enjoyed oven baked pasta. We were too full and tired after to hit up the second museum we had planned on, and made our way back to the hotel for a nap. I ended up sleeping until Mike got back from his course late in the evening. We finished off the day with a plate of nachos just down the street and then slept all night.

Amsterdam: Day One

A few months ago Mr. Stannix was asked if he wanted to attend an international tax course in Europe. It made for the perfect opportunity to celebrate our tenth anniversary a month early with ten days across the pond. We left the littles with Gramma and Grampa and took off for Amsterdam Friday afternoon. The plane was huge and only a year old with so many cool things.

We were served two full meals and drinks every hour. It was relaxing to be together just the two of us and I will never forget Mike's peeling laughter or his huge smile which were good to hear and see! It was fun watching our flight path and seeing that we would be flying over Greenland, and waving to Iceland on our way by.

 The sun set as we flew over Greenland and then I tried to grab a few hours of sleep before our arrival. We arrived in Amsterdam late Friday evening which was actually early Saturday morning here. The flight was so long and I am glad we don't have to get on another plane for a while. Once we arrived it took us a long time to figure out the train system and how to buy a ticket and which train to jump on. Then we walked from the station a few blocks to our hotel and by the time we arrived there we were both absolutely exhausted. The hotel didn't quite have our room ready by the time we made it so we freshened up in the bathrooms and plopped down on some couches until we had worked up enough energy to head into the heart of the city and explore for a few hours.

When we got off the tram we were immediately surrounded by people everywhere. The streets were busy and crazy! We walked a few blocks down the street in search of a cafe and explored a few neighborhoods. When we were finally too tired to walk anymore we settled on a quaint little cafe for brunch. I enjoyed some fried sugar bread covered in fruit and Mr. Stannix grabbed some cheesy fries.

 When we were finished we walked back up the other side of the street to Centraal Station and hopped a train back to our hotel. We slept for a few hours to get ride of headaches and ease the jetlag.

We went back into the city in the evening to explore and find food. We had booked a tour of the Anne Frank House at 7:45pm and hung out in that neighborhood until it was time for us to go in. The audio tour was really well done as they took you through the house and showed you where the family hid. To see how they lived and be there was quite interesting and sobering.

When we were finished we hopped another train and rode it to the food area of the city. There were so many people out enjoying the evening and most of the bars and cafes were packed!

We found a nice steakhouse and got a seat on the second floor balcony, overlooking the crowds and people down below. We enjoyed our meal so much!!

 We finished our evening walking around with gelato in hand soaking in the views and the history. We arrived back at the hotel exhausted! It was late, but we were able to chat with the kids back home who were enjoying an afternoon outside. My feet were aching from all of the extra walking and it felt so good to crawl into bed at days end!

Little Boy

 The air conditioning is busted and I had a terrible nights sleep. We peeled open the windows and some of us have the luxury of running around half naked. This little guy was a huge day brightener. I love his zest for life and curiosity. 

Piles

 We all woke up ready to tackle Monday. Oliver especially looked ready with his ball cap and rubber boots this morning. We ventured to the store to buy everyone new underwear because it seems to disappear around here for some reason. Joe has been so excited about them that he tells everyone (even complete strangers) about his new underwear and how it looks. He thanked me no less than 100 times today for the comfy new undies. There are piles all over my house. Piles of toys in my kitchen to take down stairs. Piles of laundry that need folding on my couch. Piles of dirty clothes to take down and wash. Piles of things to pack. Piles of things to giveaway. Piles. Piles. Piles. Mr. Stannix and I are off to Europe soon and I am busy getting the house ready this week! I also managed to squeeze Joe and Ollie into the chiropractor. They always have magical sleeps after and I am hoping it will be no different this time. They have both been off and definitely needed adjustments. We love Dr. H so much! Happy Monday!

Welcome May

May crept up on us in a blur of sleepless nights. The grass is turning green, the buds are getting ready to pop, and the sun stays with us for the majority of the day now. Most of the house was quiet and still this morning. Finley sprawled out on his bed and fell asleep while the wind blew outside. Joe wanted to be near me and curled up on my bed for a snooze while I cleaned out my closet. With both boys asleep I closed the bed room doors and wandered downstairs to soak up a goofy Ollie who was feeling much better!

In the late afternoon I was exhausted, and hungry. Everyone was feeling better and moving around so we loaded up in the van and enjoyed a quick drive. We stopped at A&W on our way home because I've been craving Onion rings so bad. Just before we reached the drive through window, I heard a puke in the backseat. The poor boy had it all over himself, the carseat, the floor mats and the back of the seat in front of him. There wasn't much I could do given the situation. I looked in the rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of Joe plugging his nose and had to laugh at the insanity of our week. I offered my condolences to the poor boy who puked (and was now feeling much better, and asking for onion rings) and then we drove home with every window rolled down as far as it could go. I definitely did not enjoy my onion rings as much with the lingering scent of puke as the wind blew through my hair. 

When we got home I put the pukey kid in the tub, tore apart the nasty car seat and wiped out and disinfected the van. By the time I had finished, Joe was super cranky and begging for my attention in a loud way. After dressing and tucking in the pukey kid, I belted Ollie up to the table for a snack and excused myself to my room. When I heard Joe picking the lock with a butter knife I ran into my closet and hid like a child behind Mike's dress shirts and cried. It bought me an extra five minutes of not having to deal with life at the moment after Joe managed to break into my bedroom. I desperately needed a few moments to collect myself. 

Camilla and Daddy went off to a fun Daddy daughter Mexican feast at the church and I mustered up all of my strength to make pancakes for dinner. Most of the boys were feeling better and ate well. Poor Fin went to bed super early and didn't wake up until the next morning. At days end I put my back out vacuuming the kitchen and I could hardly walk come bed time. I slowly tucked in each of the remaining children and then put my feet up on the couch for the night. Camilla came home and told me how well she and Daddy rocked the dance off. I am pretty sure May is going to start looking up soon, because we can't go much further down!

The Pukes

This month has been a busy one and we are finishing it off with a bang! All of the little boys have the pukes and I have spent all day cleaning up barf. It started with Joe early this morning. He spent the entire day on the couch with a blanket and barf bucket begging me to snuggle him just a little bit longer. While I have been rubbing heads, kissing feverish cheeks, and snuggling sick boys I have been crossing my fingers that I won't get it! 

The boys were all extra sleepy today which allowed me to get some baking and cleaning done in the quiet of the afternoon. I made a double batch of apple sauce muffins to be enjoyed by the big kids after school and froze for later. Ollie ended up throwing up apple sauce all over my kitchen, under the stove and on the hardwood. At this point I had run out of paper towel and was forced to use left over take out napkins from the cutlery drawer to wipe up the mess while my sweet babe bathed. While the big boys rest and sleep when they are sick, not much changes for a toddler. I enjoyed a few cuddles, but most of my energy was spent trying to keep him still and nearby as I watched for the signs that a puke is on it's way. We managed to hit the bucket the second time, and the toilet the third, but I've had to be on my toes.

Just as I sat down to dinner a boy who I thought was on the mend excused himself to his bedroom to lie down and threw up all over his bedding. I stripped his bed for the third time in two days and cried all the way down to the laundry room. Later that night as I talked with my mom on the phone I told her how I felt "useless and lonely". Hyrum over heard from his pile of lego and piped up, "You're not useless, you're my mom! You work hard and I love you!" I could have cried tears of joy over that sweet statement. The rest of the night was filled with boys running to my bedside on the verge of puking and very little sleep. Thankfully Mom's have super powers and don't get sick!!

Hyrum Turns Seven

 Today our sweet Hyrum turned seven! The years are just flying by! The past seven years with this boy have been pretty easy. He's always been a pretty awesome sleeper (probably because he is ALWAYS growing). We speak the same language and enjoy similar things. He is quiet and soft spoken. Even on the phone today when grandparents called to wish him a happy birthday he had one worded answers and soft responses. He is a pretty deep thinker and a quiet soul. 

 He reminded Daddy that he needed to be measured today! We measure all of the kids on their birthdays and then spend the next few minutes commenting on how much they've grown. Hyrum by far grows the most each year! He is going to be tall I think. 

 His humility and gratitude about brought me to tears today. The weekend played me out and I barely had enough energy to put together a birthday dinner. Hyrum helped me make a homemade ice cream cake while the frozen pizza's cooked in the oven. The whole time I was thinking how lame I was doing as a mom and he was telling me how grateful he was that I let him help and how cool his cake looked covered in sprinkles. I love his quiet gentle ways and his understanding heart.

The other day when he and daddy went to buy a new tire for his bike, he was eyeing this beauty pretty good. Apparently he almost left the store in tears, longing for this new bike with gears and hand brakes. His old bike was a touch to small for him last season and the seat had been raised as far as it could be. After cake Daddy carried his new bike inside from the garage. He was shocked! His reaction wasn't quite as animated as I was expecting it to be. He walked around the bike quietly and said, "Wow! Thanks Dad!" He ran his hands over the handle bars and sat on the seat for a few minutes with that sweet Hyrum smile of his. Then he begged us to let him take it for a spin around the block in the rain. He is looking forward to taking it out tomorrow afternoon for a big ride! Happy birthday dear boy! We love you and the special spirit you bring to this family!