Exploring Tuesday

Amsterdam with friends

I am trying to get out more when the kids are at school and explore. Why not, right?! 

Two weeks ago I went with a couple of good friend and we explored the Rembrant house, where Amy tried to make paint the old fashioned way. We also found marks and spencer (British grocery store with LOADS of yummy things we don't see often here!) and enjoyed lunch on a door step. No benches in sight and we were famished. Great time. Makes my heart feel happy to spend a day like this with friends. :)

Fall harvest festival

Sunday bike ride to a fall harvest festival

 

fun family bike ride on a beautiful fall day, on bike paths like this. entertainment and fun for the kids at the farm too!

We found pumpkins...different than we have back home...but neat!

In the garden 

Holding a bunny

Farm animals

This is just leaving the farm....beautiful, huh?! 

Is that a horse or a cow? Ha!

Antwerp

Day of adventure in Antwerp, Belgium (belated bday trip) great European city to explore. It's fun to see different cities and soak up their culture. It was our first time in Belgium and we got chocolates and waffles (no beer...as we had to drive home...but we will next time)

Watching an event in the square

Strolling the streets

Me and my kids

By the beautiful church 

Cool things in the center of roundabouts....

Neat street that just needed to be photographed

Waffle time 

Random zebra...for our zebra loving girl! 

Neat buildings

And castles!

And horse drawn double decker carriages!

And a singing group/parade for who knows what reason (not our language!) 

And another waffle!

This city was a fun place to explore. Love that we can do things so amazing like take a day trip to ANOTHER country! Pinch me!

pear/apple sauce making

all little hands on deck

some of the fruit, forgot a proper "before" picture 

 peeling

 where they go....to cook

chopper

 hard at chopping work

 and there they go...into the pan

we made apple/pear sauce from the apples we picked las weekend. Kids were so excited to help peel chop and put the stuff in the slow cooker (totally new- thanks to an army friend!) we had some with our home made pizza tonight and it was fabulous! now I just need to learn how to can it....this year we will enjoy it all quickly, with friends and next year we will work on that! (along with preserving pickles, which I recently discovered how to make since they don't have them here;...another post soon.) 

Oud Valkeveen - fun day out

Crazy drive on the way there...think you were in the middle of nowhere....but then, there it is!

                                      

fun day out with the kids

                                                            
                                                                 driving old fashioned cars

Zwierezwaai ...crazy fun ride

bumble bee

 bumper cars (had to go first with Em, then Aidan)

 Caterpillar roller coaster...front seat!

slides

Caterpillar again...trying the back out.

us selfie

downing some raisins

slow approach

Zebra! her fav!

great day together. me and my two fav kids in the entire world. :)