a WEE mind

Today in the car...

Parker: Mommy? When can I be thwee?

Madelyn: Parker you are four.

Parker: No! (getting irritated) When will I be THWEE?

Me: Parker, honey, you were three last year, this year you are four.

Madelyn: Yeah, you can never be three again.

Parker: NO NO NO! Not thwee...fah fah fah fah fah fah....!!!!!

Me: Free?

Parker: Yes, when will I be fwee (suddenly thwee sounds like fwee!)?

Me: You are free.

Parker: No I am NOT fwee!

Me: Well, what keeps you from being free? (no beat is skipped for his response, it comes immediately....with anguish and despair)

Parker: YOU ARE!!!!! (there is a long pause as his breathing slows down) You ALWAYS tell me what to do!!!! I'm not fwee!

What is he learning at school!?!?!?! This is definitely premature rebellion. Let the games begin!!!!! This is going to be a fun one.

choco-lots!

Lovely Brugge Belgium. I LOVED it there. I loved the feel, the sounds, the smells and the tastes! My children very literally walked around with chocolate on their faces the entire time we were there. It is only a short hour, so we can go back anytime...and will. There is a Salvador Dali exhibition that David is dying to see...next time we will catch that!

I know - don't worry, my hair has since been dyed...don't be too scared. We stopped in this little town called Sluis because we were hungry and they had belgium waffles covered in belgium chocolate. I could check two things off of my to-do list...we later discovered that we were still in the Netherlands...albeit a location that often fights over it's allegiance to the netherlands and belgium...it was very confusing for us, but I think moreso for them.

When we first got into Brugges, after our fakeout Belgium experience, it was raining, but I immediately fell in love with this quaint town. The architecture was unbelievable.

The chocolates were unbelievable!

The beautiful christmas store was unbelievable. I picked up a tree topper, some ornaments and a nativity set.

The Chocolate Story museum was so-so. Not too impressive, but definitely educational...and of course, the ending was sweet!

I mean, where else do you get to see a chocolate kid peeing chocolate pee.

I don't know anywhere else you can take a photo with a chocolate Obama.

This is Parker's begging and pleading stance.

It worked, we took the carriage ride.

We ended our night by eating at a restaurant that Audrey Hepburn loved...the Flemish stew wasn't as good as we had hoped, but it didn't matter in the end...because we had chocolates for dessert!

Family Mission Statement

I bought this beautiful family mission statement at either hobby lobby or michael's when I was in the states over the summer. As soon as we moved into the house I decided that I wanted my children to see it coming and going and that the best place for that would be out entryway where the coats are hung and the keys are kept, where boots come off and gloves and scarfs get draped.

I love it.

It took me approximately 6 hours to do because the letters did not one to seperate from the paper and onto the door, but I got it done!

halloween

It was a bit weird this year...all the kids dressed pretty evil for the most part over here in the Netherlands. Mostly it was what they were selling in the one shop. I took the opportunity to buy some costumes while we were in America from walmart...I know - I'm a complete slacker! I don't care! I say it with pride!!! I remember when the girls were snow white and cinderella. I bought the cheap costumes and then spent HOURS rhinestoning them to dress them up and make them stand out some - they didn't care. It didn't matter to them that I glued in a painstakingly intricate pattern...so this year we went the no hassle route!

The school...I kid you not had 3 seperate parties. Classroom parties, After school party and an in-school all school party. So at least the kids got to wear their costumes a lot! It was a bit exhausting for me though running between 3 classrooms....back and forth and back and forth trying to make things even...

Since we moved here in August we have:

Started school

found a house

worked on procuring said house

lived in a hotel

continuous efforts to become residents of this stinkin' country

not had any boxes

gotten our boxes

gone back to the states for David's mom's funeral

had Angelina's Birthday

had Madelyn's Birthday

had Thanksgiving

had our first snow

gone to belgium

gone to germany

I've auditioned

been in the musical production of Shoah in Amsterdam

auditioned in Paris

Girlcationed in Kathmandu

Visited friends in France and vacationed there

auditioned

got cast in a dutch movie

worried about friends who are not near me

tried new restaurants

toured parts of holland

gone to a greek school play

gone to a thanksgiving program at school

attended numerous school parties

had halloween

halloween parties

halloween party at school x 2

ballet classes

unpacked a few boxes

gone to the temple

gone to church...tried to make friends...sigh

taken some headshots of a friend, makeup application included

researched the biz here...plotted and planned

started trying to get a webpage

sigh....after all of this list I completely understand why I haven't been able to keep up on my blog!!!!!!!!!!!

It is coming though...oh about all of the listed items....promise, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye....well, you can skip the needle part! It doesn't sound too pleasant.

A reminder

There are good people in the world.

Sometimes you forget that living in the Netherlands - land of standoffishness. But this weekend in Paris I was reminded. People said hello, they smiled, they offered to help carry luggage, they served with a positive and prompt manner...it was like I was in the twilight zone. Still in Europe - just a different part. I found that, I too, had become less warm and inviting in comparison. I REFUSE TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN! I am making that commitment.

One of the bigger, more time consuming bits of news is that I auditioned for a movie in Paris. I didn't really have time to sightsee...much. I enjoyed watching the people, racing through the streets to get to a location I thought was closer than it actually was. My feet were tired and my french was rusty, but somehow I still made it through. How? Because people were nice! At the end of my audition, one of the other girls took me to a computer, helped me book my train ticket and went with me on the metro and helped me get my tickets squared away. All I could do in recompense was purchase her pineapple juice. It felt odd - because I wanted to thank her in a much better way! She was soooo nice - and she did it for no reason at all. But mostly, she reminded me the extent we should go to for others, even those we don't know. I owe her big time for that reminder...because in Holland it is far and few between at times.

I should say that my theatre friends (LOVE YOU!) are the exception to this rule - they were warm and inviting as well. But for the most part - I simply don't feel the love here yet.

sidebar

It is always risky writing a blog on a hispeed train, but I figured I would give this a go. It has been two weeks since my return from my Nepal Girlcation and those two weeks have been some of the most intense two weeks of my life. You know those two weeks right after we had Angelina move in and then Parker was born and we literally went from 1 to 3 kids in less than 24 hours...and the chaos that ensued? These two weeks have been much like that. Crazy. First, we must consider the rigging up of the home while I was away so that it would be operational...and it must have worked because everyone is still alive. Then the decompression chamber after Nepal...normally, that would be my comfy bed held in my husbands arms, but I literally got off the plane in Amsterdam and went straight into dress rehearsals and performances for Shoah, the Musical. Oh, I haven't talked about that yet? I will. It was quite the experience and I learned a lot - including that I need to revamp my career. But not now. Then we had Angelina's 9th birthday and Madelyn's 8th birthday. There was also a lot of phone calling to London and France, finally resulting in scathing e-mails from my fingertips to important people - ultimately getting me an audition with a producer - which is how I find myself on a train getting sick at the moment from typing and reading....so I must bid you adieu already...can't show up to the audition green.

Amber

In the treetops

One of the cool things about having a tall daddy:

A legacy

Sometimes there are no words sufficient. Sometimes words are not needed.

As we gathered around the casket, the pallbearer's laid their lapel flower on top. Everyone else was invited to give a last tribute if they so wished. Without hesitation or coercion, one by one, each child took a flower and walked up and laid it on as well. As neices, nephews, sons, daughters, grand-daughters, grand-sons, sisters, step-daughters, son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws...for a solid 5 minutes there was a silent, symbolic laying down of our love. It was beautiful. It was overwhelming as there was not enough room to hold all of the love.

Linda Grace Streeper was a woman who was well loved. I don't believe she allowed herself to bask in that nearly enough. But this day I know she was aware of it. Her greatest legacy were all of the little ones gathered around her body...surely she was able to look upon it in spirit. I'm so very fortunate to be able to hold hands daily with a man who was shaped into a sensitive, caring, thoughtful, hard-working person due in large part to this woman. She instilled these values in her children and taught by example. More than once I arrived at her house to find her outside kneeling, pulling weeds or planting bulbs and aerating the soil. She loved beauty and had a respect for the divine.

The bold, beautiful, bright flowers that surrounded her on this day were simply not ornamental, they were representative of her.

Her beautiful children

Her Beautiful grandhildren gathered with their Grandpa Lanning

Gathered at the Idaho Falls Temple, remembering that Families are Forever. (we never got every child in this shot!)

Our family - a part of a much bigger and more extensive one.

(for a beautiful tribute to Linda please go over to Cami's blog at : http://cami-lu.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-moms-my-heroes.html Cami has a beautiful, descriptive way with words. A talent I don't possess to even half the degree. Sadly, Cami also lost her grandmother that week. I send my love to the side of the family who lost two very dear people within the same week.)

Sweet Smell of Success

Since moving to Holland I have had several bouquets of flowers. All of them have been beautiful and possessing such beauty has been so amazing. They are fresh, gorgeous and live for about a week with no effort on my part. I am going to start a series showing you my weekly arrangements. I pick my bouquets based on my mood or what is going on around me or just because it is unique...

This bouquet was bought right after we moved into our new house and I picked up my new lamp...how do you think I was feeling?

Creme de la Creme

I never finished blogging about our wonderful trip to Chantilly, France. In fact, I left off the all important second day when we actually visited Chantilly. By the way, that isn't Chantilly as in "Chantilly lace and a pretty face!" ala The Big Bopper...but it is said Shantee-ee. Oh yes! Make sure you get that right! Practice saying it.

Before we hit the bigtime Chateau we stopped and got a little breakfast...Yummy!

And then we rocked the castle!

After debating with David for a few days on what actually constituted a castle ... his response: A mote! We were finally able to see a castle. We won't discuss that the house we live in technically has a mote and it is definitely NOT a castle...

This is the outside of the beautiful church that is built into Chantilly. I want a church in my castle...sooo convenient!

I haven't said it yet...but pay attention...if there is ONE castle in all of France to take your children to see, this one is it! They even have toilettes specifically for the little ones down in the dungeon.

The insides were breathtakingly beautiful and well preserved.

Another feature that was absolutely beautiful were the stained glass windows.

After following a stained glass corridor you would enter into this small, very private and remote room which contained 2 pictures by Raphael. They were so close with no barriers. I could have touched them...I could have smelled them...I could have tasted them...there wasn't even glass between us. It was AMAZING. The picture I liked the best was called the Three Graces.

After spending a few minutes relaxing in the chapel, we were off to the horse stables where we were able to see some magnificent horses and watch a show.

We were pretty hungry at this point so we got on a tram (don't forget you have to buy your tickets seperately for this and since they don't believe in upselling, they won't tell you you need it until you can't get on, so purchase these at the start - you will be glad you did, the grounds are massive and there are lots of fun things to do!) We were torn over what to do first: eat or play in the maze! We chose food first which was located at the creamery. This little village, which included the creamery was built specifically for visitors to come and eat Chantilly Cream...which I expected to taste like whipped cream, but it was so much better than that!

While waiting for our order Parker was really hungry.

And this guy kept pestering us...specifically Parker.

But, Oh the JOY when it did arrive! It came in our hot chocolate, on our strawberry pie, on top of our gingerbread and just by itself. YUMMY! (a word to the wise...the cakes and hot chocolate ARE delicious, but a lot pricey. You can still have the experience of eating the famed Chantilly Creme by ordering the $4 version that comes in a large cup.) We had ordered way too much! BUT YUMMMMMMY!

The creme tasted like a cross between cream cheese and whipped cream...a velvety smooth and delicious treat!

After a brief potty break, because who knew how long the next portion of our journey might take, we were off to that labyrinth. It was massive and we were all bubbling with excitement.

The race was on! The winner would be declared soon!

or not...I would say it took us a good hour to get through the maze. Some of us were lost. Some of us, mainly me, cheated. Some had to be lifted with strong daddy arms over barriers. I stopped to take some shots of the beautiful flowers, so my can was getting kicked by the three gigglers running like mad.

In the end we made it out and decided to head through the wild flower garden which wound it's way around, but had only one path. This gave David and I an opportunity to wander slowly holding hands.

As we wandered the song, for the Beauty of the Earth was in my mind. It was a peaceful moment.

Before we left the garden area we stumbled upon a patch of these finger-numbing slugs. Ask us how we know!

Our day was finished, and we had no regrets for anything we chose to do, only for those things we didn't have time to do. We can't wait to have visitors who want to go so we can catch some of the things we missed like the lace museum and the princes rabbit farm.