Amsterdam!

October passed quickly, and before long we were headed back to the airport. Usually when we're traveling from here to the States, first we fly to somewhere in Europe, then immediately jump on another plane to fly across the ocean, then there's usually at least one more leg on the U.S. side before we actually arrive at our destination. The cool thing about our November trip was that we got to spread it all out a bit by spending a few days with some wonderful friends who live in Amsterdam. We had a blast getting to spend time with them and experience their cold, damp, green world for a few days.

We only had forty-eight hours, but we crammed them full of activity. The first morning, we drove into Haarlem and walked through the beautiful streets until we came to this building.  

This is the jewelry shop and home of the Ten Boom family, who used it to hide refugees during the Nazi invasion during WWII. Jason and I had both read Corrie Ten Boom's book The Hiding Place years ago, and it was really amazing to actually be there seeing the places we had read about. The house is now a museum, so we got to tour the whole thing.

The kids even got to crawl inside and stand in the secret room where the people were hidden.

After that, we spent some more time walking, shopping, and playing.

Playgrounds are fun on any continent!

On our second day, we took a picnic to a fun touristy spot called Zaanse Schans. It was the perfect place for us to get a good little taste of Dutch life. They had a cheese factory, lots of windmills, and a wooden shoe museum and workshop. Oh, and a big courtyard where the kids could play with traditional Dutch toys. They loved that, of course.

Just her size, don't you think?

They also had this fun little petting area!

Here's me with my sweet friend Ashlie. I love this girl!

Sawyer and Annabelle had a blast together!

I had my kids pose with this sign because I thought it was hilarious. Exactly what are they trying to tell us? 

"No Drowning"? 

"Watch Out for People Dancing in the Water"? 

"If You Fall In, Wave Your Arms and Scream Like This"? 

Seriously, I just couldn't quite figure it out. Little did I know that before the end of the day one of my own offspring would be looking a whole lot like that crazy guy on the sign.

Yes, Little Bit here got just a little too close to one of the canals, and somehow ended up clinging to the side with water up to her waist. Fortunately, her friend Elijah shared his extra change of clothes, so she didn't have the spend the day wet and freezing. Just a few minutes later, she was warm and dry and happily enjoying her PB & J.

Check back tomorrow for pics from the end of our time in Amsterdam, and the story of why Ashlie might never let Jason come visit again!