A week with Nana

While she really had no desire to leave Texas, the power of missing her grandchildren (and me, I hope) won her over and Nana came to visit us in Amsterdam! She arrived the day before Easter and got to spend the whole next week and weekend with us. We had a great time and explored some new areas. Here are some pictures from this past week:

First Day/Night: Shortly after mom arrived, we broke her into Dutch living by renting her a bike :)  She got to ride up and down the canal streets. That evening we biked to Rembrandt Square for dinner and finished up the evening by dyeing Easter eggs.

Egg time

The next morning was Easter! After an Easter egg hunt and the kids digging into their baskets Nana brought, we headed off to an Easter brunch at the Zoo.

Easter Monday:

Here in the Netherlands, Easter Monday is an actual holiday where people get the day off unlike in the U.S. where it's just printed on the calendar. Jake got to spend an extra day with us all so we decided to explore Dam Square and Vondelpark. The weather was really nice.

Royal Palace

Dam Square

Introduced mom to poffertjes

Like a pro

Our week: While sad that Jake had to go back to work, the four of us had a fun filled week! We visited the Maritime museum, Amsterdam Public Library for Storytime, Albert Cupymaart, Sarphatipark, Cafe Nel play area, The Carousel for pancakes and waffles and more!

Poffertjes, waffles and pancakes

Nighttime stories

We wore Emily out!

Last weekend: We had tried to visit the Anne Frank house earlier in the week however arrived too late and were turned away. Not wanting to miss the experience, we went back on Saturday morning 10 minutes before they opened. 2 hrs later, after waiting in the cold, windy, and rainy (at the end) weather, we made it to the entrance. It was such a neat experience. I cannot imagine having to go into hiding in such a small space for so long. The family's story is absolutely heartbreaking. I think I left with a new appreciation of freedom. That evening mom watched the kids while Jake and I went out for a nice dinner.

 

Keukenhof: On mom's last day, we rented a car and drove out to Keukenhof, a huge facility with tons of gardens and scenery outside the city. The flowers were beautiful and the place was pretty kid friendly. We got to see a windmill and the kids got to play on a playground by a petting farm.

 

 

We had a wonderful visit and were sad to see Nana go. It was a fun week but I unfortunately had a few unfavorable things occur (had a package stolen, lost my wallet, and broke my bike (it's fixed now)). So glad I had my mama here to help me through those rough spots!