Last week of summer

So, it rains a lot here. ALOT. I kind of love it. But I thought I had left the land of mosquitoes...not so much. Have I talked about this? I feel like I've talked about this. Here in the Netherlands, there is no such thing as air conditioning in homes. Weird, right? It just doesn't get hot enough for long enough for there to be a need. But, on those few days that it does get warm enough, you have to open your windows to cool down the house. Well, the windows don't have screens. This country needs a lesson in window screens! So, since it rains here, there are mosquitoes. And since there are no screens on the windows, they get into the house. And eat everyone alive. Poor Holly has eleven mosquito bites on her face. And that many on her arm, too.  We haven't been leaving the windows open for a few weeks, but they seem to sneak in when we open the front door. It's like they're a different breed, too. They itch forever and ever, and get all swollen. So, here's hoping we get some cold weather to kill the suckers off. Okay, rant over.

We've just been chillin' out waiting for school to start. Tomorrow is the big day. I think the kids are nervous. New school, new country, new everything.  Trevor's actually in London this week, which means I get to navigate the bakfiets, four kids, and two different schools in the morning. I'm a little nervous, myself! (And a little jealous that he's in one of my favorite cities without me.)

We did have one day of beautiful sunshine this week. So I took the kids to Delft. The place where all the blue and white china comes from. It's only 15 minutes away from our house. It was so pretty outside. We just walked through town and toured the Old and New Churches. The Old Church (Oude Kerk) was built in 1246 and the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) in 1496--so not super new. ;) While we toured the Old Church someone was playing the organ. We all thought it was pretty cool.

New Church

Town Hall

cute kids

Old Church

We stopped for some lunch at an outdoor cafe. 

And then we toured the Royal Delft Porcelain Factory and saw how they made these:

 All in all, a fun day. On Saturday, we ventured out to do some shopping. It really is so much easier to get around this city on a bike, because you don't have to worry about parking.  This time, Trevor hauled the kids. I snapped this pic mid-ride.

And Holly got a new bike! She left hers at Grandma's house in the states so she would have something to ride when we are there. I think she just wanted an excuse to get a new bike here! :)

Isn't it adorable? Dutch bikes are very practical and come equipped with everything you need to haul a lot of stuff. 

Cute girl and a cute bike. Hope it doesn't get stolen!

Wish us luck for tomorrow! First day of school here we come!!

She made it!

The biggest news of the week is this:

She made it!

This girl finally made it to Holland. We've missed her! On Thursday, she turned 13 (I feel so old!) She flew from SLC to Houston and celebrated her birthday with her friends and they spoiled her rotten. On Friday, she went to the One Direction concert and had a great time. She had gotten the tickets last Christmas, before we knew we were moving, so that's why she didn't come over with us.  Then, on Saturday, she flew solo to Amsterdam. I'm so proud of her for being brave enough to do this. (Flying first class is pretty rough :-))  Funny story: she didn't watch a single movie on the flight, because she thought they cost money, and didn't bother asking anyone. Haha. I guess I should have prepped her better. It was her first international flight (not counting Canada and Mexico), so give her a break! We are super excited to have her here. She immediately got thrown into the fire. She's already been on her bike and riding around the city like a pro.

In other news, Trevor spoke in church yesterday, I received a calling to the Young Women as the 1st counselor, and I was asked to speak next week. We have been so impressed with our branch here. Everyone is super welcoming and friendly. We were invited to three different families' homes for dinner this week! Can't wait until we can return the favor.

Not much sightseeing this week. We've been busy little beavers trying to get the house unpacked and set up. Three trips to IKEA were made. I hate that you can't just run in and out of IKEA quickly. It's a minimum 3 hour trip every. single. time. And it has been incredibly busy there. I think maybe because it's the end of summer? I don't know. But I'm hoping it will slow down once school is back, because I have to go back again. 

We were able to FINALLY get our government paperwork in order and approved, so we were able to buy a car. Yay! No more rental. Now we just have to get a permit. Baby steps. Literally. I'm getting better on the roads, and I ventured out with the kids alone on the bakfiets. Like I said, baby steps.

I promise house pics will come soon. Have a great week!

We are not in Kansas (I mean, Texas) anymore!

I think the title says a lot. Things are very different here. As, of course, they should be. This week we had a lot of fun. But as with any move, their are certain adjustments to be made, and here, a very steep learning curve.  Some things that are different here:

1. EVERYTHING takes an appointment. There is no just popping in to the bank to talk to a banker--it requires an appointment...for next week.  You don't just open a bank account in a matter of a few minutes. It takes a few weeks.  You don't just walk into a car dealership and buy a car the same day. Nope, you have to have all your government paperwork done, which takes a couple different appointments over the course of several weeks. So, if you can't buy a car yet, you rent, right? Right. But everywhere you park requires a permit, which you can't get until you own a car, which means you pay the daily rate of 15 euros just to park your car in front of your house.  So, you catch my drift that this is a major lesson in patience for me. New place, new rules.

2. Speaking of new rules. Let's talk about driving. I almost died this week. Several times.  I never knew what all the fuss was about with roundabouts.  My experience with roundabouts consisted of the roundabout by UVU campus in Orem, Utah.  Easy right?  I didn't really realize how big Rotterdam is until this week. It's a big city. Driving in a big city can be pretty stressful all by itself. Well, here roundabouts have about 6 lanes, and if you are in a lane that doesn't correspond with the exit you want, you are pretty much screwed. And then, when you end up on a road that is not your intended route, good luck getting back to where you want to go.  Add to that all the millions of new road signs that I have absolutely no clue what they mean.  They seem to have a LOT of signs. And one way streets. So, when you add up all that with watching for trams, trains, bikes and pedestrians...it's stressful. I may or may not have ended up driving on one of the bike lanes for a short time this week. Like I said, almost died.

3. Tiny refrigerators and freezers. I'm used to going grocery shopping maybe once a week (sometimes two weeks.) I think I've been to the store every day here. Every day. And we have no food in the house. Part of that is because we have been living in temporary housing, so I haven't stocked my pantry yet. So we've been pretty much living on grilled cheese sandwiches and cold cereal. And scrambled eggs.

Despite all the adjustments to get used to, we totally love it. While Trevor was working this week, me and the kids had fun exploring our surroundings.

This is a huge slide that is right by our house.

We went to Madurodam in The Hague. It is basically iconic spots in Netherlands, in miniature. It was a ton of fun. They had a great nautical-themed playground, and lots of interactive areas for the kids.

mini-Amsterdam airport

playing in the sand

They had a miniature Rotterdam port, too

We moved in to our house on Friday.  YIPEE! Suitcase living is over! Well, almost.

Do you see the beautiful canal?? This is where we live!

We were so excited to see our container arrive with all our stuff! We spend the whole day directing movers, and unpacking.  We moved into this great row house that was built in 1908. It's on a beautiful canal and tree-lined street. As we were moving in, Trevor and I just had smiles on our faces the whole day, and exclaiming, "this is such a cool house!" It's definitely a grandma, and has some crazy steep and scary stairs. But it has a great vibe and oozes with character.  I promise I'll post pics. I just need to get out of boxes first!

Corner house, 3 stories

Saturday was our anniversary. 14 years! So, we took a break from unpacking, and took the kids to Brussels, Belgium. It's just two hours by train. Every other August they do a flower carpet in the main square. It's pretty amazing.

That's ALL flowers!

Oh, we also went to a Chocolate Museum.

And ate delicious Belgian waffles.

Don't know the story behind the Smurf statue, but we had to get a pic!

So that was our week! Tot ziens...

A New Adventure

I guess it's time to dust off the old blog and try again. It's been over 4 years since I last posted. It made me so nostalgic and sad and happy looking through all the old posts. Sad because I wish I had kept up my posting, and happy that I HAD posted because my memory is horrible.  My kids have grown up so much! They need to stop doing that. But we are starting a new chapter in our family's life, and I feel like I need to chronicle it. Or I'll really regret it!

So this is the end of week one in Rotterdam. I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that we don't live in Houston anymore and that we live here. It's crazy. Sometimes I feel crazy. We had such a fun month in Utah with family--swimming, hiking, visiting, zoo-ing, aquarium-ing, shopping, etc. It was hard to say good bye.

We have been in transition since the end of June. Living out of a suitcase for that long isn't that great. But we are scheduled to move into our house in Rotterdam this Friday. Currently we are in a corporate apartment. It's super nice, but I'm ready to feel settled in our place.

oops, grace's eyes are closed.

So we arrived in The Netherlands this past Wednesday. No sleep was had on the flight. You would think that flying in Business Class where you can stretch out and get comfortable would make for good sleeping conditions.  I guess not when you are flying with 3 children who want to watch movies all night.

 The kids finally fell asleep a couple of hours before we landed. Which apparently was all they needed, because they were bouncing off the walls all day! It's taken a few days, but I think we are finally adjusting to our new time zone.  We've spent the last few days exploring the city, shopping for dutch bikes, opening bank accounts, letting the dutch government know we are here, shopping for a car, and just hanging out.

It was SUPER windy. I guess ideal for windsurfing!

Those rabbits were huge!

Saturday, we spent part of the day in Wassenaar, where we watched people windsurf on the beach and also found a cute little petting zoo to walk around in. We also explored IKEA, since it's pretty much going to be my new BFF when we finally move in to our place. We ended the day at the Pannenkoekenboot (The Pancake Boat) for a 2.5 hour tour of the Rotterdam port, with all-you-can-eat pancakes, a ball pit for the kids to play in, and ice cream for dessert. Dutch pancakes are kind of like crepes, but a little thicker. Pretty delicious.

A slide down to the ball pit--every kid's dream

Don't worry, James woke up with pancakes and the ball pit.

So there you have it. We survived our first week. Trevor is headed to London tomorrow on business, so it will just be me and the kids.  I'm a little scared to drive, but it's going to have to happen.

...Our Wild Ride...

Introducing:

James Glazier Aitken

Born Sunday March 21, 2010, 7:55 pm--12 days early

Weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

And apparently in a HUGE hurry to get here. So here's the story:

***Let me just preface the story with a warning. If you don't want the details unfiltered with a little mild language, then please don't read***

Let me start this story on last Tuesday (the 16th)...

I went to my weekly doctor's appointment and I was dilated to 4 cm. I had been contracting on and off, and just feeling "different." At dinner I still wasn't feeling right, and my contractions were becoming more regular. I threw up my dinner, and...long story short, we went to the hospital at midnight, they had me walk the halls for an hour to see if my contractions would get to be 2 minutes apart and my cervix show a change (I was still a 4). We walked until 2 am, and while my contractions were definitely 2 minutes apart, there was no change in my cervix, so they sent me home. (With the sage advice to not come back until the contractions hurt! Yes that is said with sarcasm, and you'll see why.)

Well, I threw up the next morning and was still having contractions along with upper intestinal cramps. And then, everything calmed down for a few days. So my theory is I had some sort of intestinal "bug" that caused the contractions, which ended up being false labor. I had been so uncomfortable and contracting so much that I was just really bugged that they sent me home. My doctor had scheduled an induction at 39 weeks, which was the 26th, so I was just planning on not having a baby until then. I did not want to go back to that hospital until they couldn't turn me away...what can I say, I was pretty bitter. So we enjoyed the rest of Spring Break with the girls home and Trevor's brother Brett in town.

Sunday we went to church as usual. It was pretty uncomfortable to sit through 3 hours of church, and my swelling was getting pretty unsightly, but I felt like I needed to be there since I was going to have the baby on Friday at the latest. At 5 o'clock I went to choir practice because I was playing the piano. I had started having contractions, but they didn't seem regular enough to time, so I went to choir and was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. We got home at 6:30, and started figuring out dinner for the kids, and I decided that I better sit down and start timing the contractions "just in case", since they were starting to hurt a little bit. They started out at about 9 minutes apart, then they jumped to 5 minutes apart. But this didn't make me nervous because I had had contractions that close before and they had just sent me home. Well, I think I only had 3 contractions that were 5 minutes apart, and then they went kamikaze on me. They were one right on top of another. I could tell Trevor was starting to panic and started getting my purse and telling me we needed to leave. He had to pick me up off the floor and push me out the door. We were getting in the car at 7:47, and my water broke. Then I started to panic. I knew I was definitely in labor and they couldn't send me home, so as we were racing to the hospital, the contractions got even crazier. Trevor likes to say I was my own siren. And all I kept thinking, and saying was, "I just want my epidural, I just want my epidural, I can't do this, I don't want to do this." Poor Trevor was listening to all this babble in between the wails of pain, while running stop signs and racing through traffic. Luckily the hospital is pretty close, and it was a Sunday night so the traffic was low. Well, we pulled up to the ER, and Trevor raced inside and said "my wife is having a baby!" But, if you know Trevor, he's not really a "freak out" kind of guy, so I don't think the way he told them really motivated them to move. My window was down (still can't remember how that happened), and my screaming "he's coming out...oh $#!T", I think that motivated them to move. I felt all this downward pressure, so I laid my seat back, and all of the sudden he was out. I kept saying, "oh that feels better, that feels better!" Seconds after, the nurses showed up and got him the rest of the way out, cut the cord, rushed the baby inside, put me on a gurney to take me inside, gave me the baby and walked us up to Labor and Delivery. And that is where they delivered the placenta, and stitched me up, etc. For several hours after that, Trevor and I just kept saying "I can't believe that just happened." It never even crossed my mind that I would be having my baby in the car until I was having the baby in the car! And I can now say that I have experienced natural childbirth. I don't know how women do that for hours and hours. But what I think is really funny is that nurse that told me to wait to come when the contractions hurt...I told the on-call doctor that, and she said "Not when it's your 4th baby, and you were already dilated to a 4!" (Well, she was the same on-call doctor that had sent me home the Tuesday before! So Trevor and I just rolled our eyes at each other and smiled.)

(the next morning before the girls went to school, they came to meet their baby brother)


So that's our story of how our amazingly cute and precious baby boy came to our family. Sorry it took me over a week to post it, but I have a new baby...give me a break!

THE END