Favorite Day

Today was my favorite day. Not my favorite day of our trip, but my favorite day of my LIFE. We spent the day at a flower park that calls itself "the most beautiful spring garden in the world," and I don't doubt the veracity of that claim. The Keukenhof website states that the park, which is only open six weeks out of the year, has more than 7 million bulbs in bloom. It was the most breathtakingly beautiful place I have ever been, and it smelled like heaven. It was almost surreal and maybe even a little overwhelming, and I'll be honest, I may have cried a little from pure joy. I blew through two camera batteries and then moved on to using the camera in my phone. I took well over 300 pictures, and yet somehow managed to not even scratch the surface of capturing the magnificence. I had no idea there were so many varieties of tulips (800, in the park) or that some of them could be as tall as my waist or have blooms larger than my hand. And then, there were the special exhibit buildings, which housed orchids and lilies in quantities I can't even fathom. I truly do not have the words to describe it. This has been the part of the trip I have been looking forward to the most, and it did not disappoint.

wooden shoes

the tulips showing a little Aggie love

a beautiful welcome to the orchid exhibit

orchid love

pink and perfect

color explosion

These almost look like fire.

my favorite place, with my favorite people

floor to ceiling lilies

my happy place

a hydrangea bigger than Ruth's head

getting into the Dutch spirit

fields of tulips

rows and rows of red

The kids had so much fun taking pictures in the park and
were excited to find this selfie garden.

a tribute to Van Gogh

hand-sized tulips

such a peaceful place

sensory overload

the view never gets old

color, color everywhere

garden path

the most beautiful spring garden in the world, for sure

fun for the whole family

my signature color

I would never, ever tire of this!

Holland

We woke up in Germany, and we are going to bed in The Netherlands, which is pretty cool, if you ask me. In our pre-trip research, we learned that "Holland" is only a region of The Netherlands and not a alternative name for the entire country, like we foolishly believed before. We are, in fact, staying in Holland, which is the bulb growing region. Our accommodation for the week sits within a super cool holiday park, which is like a KOA on steroids. On site there is a fantastic playground, an amazing indoor/outdoor pool and mini water park, a restaurant, a market, laundry facilities, and a Kid's Club with organized activities happening throughout the day on most days. The kids are already pretty sure they never want to leave. On the way here, we drove past many tulip fields, a few of which were bursting with color. We also saw a couple of traditional Dutch windmills. This has been one of the stops I have been most looking forward to, and so far, it has not been a disappointment.

sweet sleeping buddies, not yet awake in Germany

tulip field {squeal!}

iconic scenery

our home for the week

a most excellent slide 

little monkeys

playground tunnel

Mr. Big

so much more than just a pool

soccer stud

fast and furious

"football" fans

We made it!

We landed in Frankfurt about 8:30 this morning, picked up our miniature "over-sized" car and headed west to the village of Windeck, Germany. After unloading our few belongings at our charming little AirB&B home-for-the-night, we took a lovely hike, through some beautiful country and ended up at the village's interesting castle ruins. It was just what we needed to help us push through the jet lag and to kickstart our adventure.

Our home for tonight

A meeting of the forrest people on our hike to the castle

Windeck Village, as seen from the hiking trail

The Princes and Princess of Windeck Castle

People say you get tired of seeing castles when you're in Europe,
butI I don't see how that's possible! 

hiding out in the creepy dungeon

Hey Little,

You are no longer my favorite "three boy," because you are four! And, really, you're not that little anymore, if I'm honest. But, you'll always be my "Little." You've been explaining to us for months how you will pretty much be able to do everything "when [you] get four." This very day, you are off on an adventure of epic proportions, which I truly hope you will remember. When we first talked about taking this trip, and found this day was the the best day for us to depart, I hoped you wouldn't feel cheated out of a birthday. But, when Dad and I announced our plans, you were probably the most excited of anyone. I should have known you would be, because you've always been our little traveler, so eager to go, go, go. You have been so proud to tell anyone who will listen that we are going on an "erplane" (airplane) on your birthday, on "Cinco 2 Mayo." And, you've poured over the travel books, with so much seriousness and enthusiasm. You absolutely love statues and want to have your picture taken with every single one. That alone should make the trip heaps of fun, even if we don't get to ride around in an "invertible" (convertible) car!

Since your last birthday, you have fully gotten the hang of using the potty, which we are all very thankful for! You are even able to sleep in undies now, instead of a pull-up. In the last month or two, you have also been spending full nights in your own bed, and, though I miss those sweet middle-of-the-night hugs, we have all been benefitting from the extra shut-eye. There are other ways I can tell you are getting so big: You can wash your hands in the little sink in the powder bathroom all by yourself, and you can put most of your clothes on and take them off without any help. You are even able to wash your body in the bathtub mostly by yourself and reach an astounding number of things I feel I have placed well out of your reach.

You like the idea of food, but actually eating it is another story. You can literally go days without a real meal, but you do enjoy sneaking candy from the pantry when no one is looking. Oddly, you genuinely enjoy roasted seaweed snacks and will eat an entire package in one setting, if we'll let you.

You have learned most of the letters and numbers, and you are especially fond of practicing these by playing "ABCs," which is your code word for Starfall (which is so much more than ABCs). And, this you prefer to do on your "little phone," when possible. You have nicknamed yourself the "Rhyming Guy," and you get endless joy from making all kinds of rhymes. You love songs and are particularly fond of "But I like You," "She'll be Coming Around the Mountain," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and "Mahna Mahna." You still enjoy putting puzzles together, and you are always up for reading a book. You know that C-L-A-Y spells your name, and you can pick it out when you see it and can even write it yourself. You speak very clearly and enunciate every word, so people do not have a hard time understanding you in the least.

Among your many friends, there is a special one named Watta JJ, who occupies much of your conversation and imagination. We are always amazed and entertained by the stories you tell about her and her puppy-brother, Spoon Hedgehog. You are so creative and clever, and you make us laugh!

Sweet Clay, you are a lover, and a giver, and a true embracer of life. You awake each morning and announce that "It's today!" You are always giving hugs and kisses and "Rumbles," and you are quick to share with others. You have a ready smile that lights up every room and every heart. People can't help but love you. You are the kind of big-hearted, genuinely happy person I aspire to be. Thank you for being you. You are one of my favorite people in the whole world, and I'm so glad I get to be your mom. Dad and I are proud of you and look forward to seeing how you will learn and grow in this next year, as we travel around the world.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Sweet Boy! I love you so very much!

Love,

Mom

Are you ready for the gun show?

My Sweet Four Boy

Airport birthday party on Cinco 2 Mayo

Mock Trial

Our last piece of business before beginning our great adventure was to attend Ruth's Mock Trial competition in Cedar Park this morning. She and her fellow Challenge B classmates have been preparing all semester for this, and it showed. They all did such a fantastic job! They argued both the prosecution side and the defense side of the same case, and Ruth acted as an attorney on both sides. She put her heart and soul into this, and we are very proud of her hard work! She makes a beautiful and very skillful lawyer, if you want my opinion. 

The lovely lawyer

Team Spicewood

direct examination during prosecution

opening statement for defense

Double Birthday Party

We had so much fun celebrating our two May birthdays with our family today!

monkey travel friends

rhyming cards for the Rhyming Guy

a book about airplanes and a special reading light

chocolate covered strawberry cake, by special request

Happy Birthday, Ruth!

tickets to see the morning exercises and take a tour of the
Spanish Riding School in Austria

a charm bracelet from Nana and Papa for collecting travel memories

turtle cake for our turtle lover

State

Yesterday morning, Jeff and Weston and I headed up to Ft. Worth for the State PSIA contest. We had a celebratory dinner at Medieval Times in Dallas last night, and then Weston competed in his Storytelling contests (prelims and finals) today. Weston got sixth place and represented Watts Homeschool well! We couldn't be prouder of him!

King of the Castle

A royal party

So proud of this boy!