European Adventure, Part 8: Wageningen and the Kaplans!

Stealing a picture from Jane's blog.  Yay, we made it!!

This guy could hardly have loved this game or this playmate any more!

Checking out the dock near their house.

Brave explorer

The boys' introduction to Dutch playgrounds.  Amazing!!

It turns out Isabel would make a pretty good cat burglar, should the need ever arise.

This awesome swing was a pretty big hit (not pictured: me lying down in it when I finally outlasted all the kids and swooped in).

Dynamic duo.

Robert wasn't totally sure about this (good instinct).

Robert pretty much decided he was done after this, but he got to experience it at a low speed (while being clutched for "pretection" by his brother).

Rosie the pusher, getting serious air! (Again, Robert was off at this point--just two wild and crazy four-year-olds.)

Rosie introduces William to the ropes course.

The classic entertainment of rolling down a hill.

I remember the last time I tried this (probably in high school?) and realizing how painful it was.  Why did I/anyone ever think this was fun??

Just a little goofing around on a strange concrete pedestal for the Sportpark!

When we decided it was time to move on, the girls all happily jumped off of this thing.  William wasn't into that idea.  Haha.

Cute, cute!

Back at the Kaplan Manor and working on destroying the house.

Beautiful picture of us (minus Robert--I'm not sure Penelope knew he was for keeps until this trip?) by Penelope.  Who knew Donald knew how to drive a train?!?

Next stop: the sandy playground! (Right across the alley from their house!)

Hard at work building a Home Depot out of sand.  (??)

Rosie the baby whisperer.

Sooooo sweet with her baby cousins!

Robert had a grand old time at this playground!

Until he got too tired and just wanted to snuggle with Mama!

Classic Rahbeet.

Running back from the playground (William moved too fast and was already beyond me before I could get the complete picture).

Rosie continues her magic with Robert as we get our gezelligheid on at Het Oude Pakhuis.

Cousins in Wageningen!

Posing with a giant ice cream cone (and getting excited about going to get ice cream the next night for Rosie's birthday)!

I'd say William was pretty fired up.

Jane and Peppy head back home after dinner!

European Adventure, Part 7: Off to the Netherlands!

Departing:

Loving the train.  Not interested in sitting down. (At least he had a seat of his own to stand in on this one!)

Similarly transfixed, but sitting like a reasonable person.

It was a hard fought battle, but on this trip, I achieved the holy grail--a Robert nap on the train.  I had purchased a special treat before we left Paris to share with William if I could get him down.  I covered his eyes in the hopes that his awkwardly-posed train chair nap would go on for longer.

Success! William chowing down on his half of a large and so, so delicious dark chocolate macaron from Laduree's chocolate shop.  Europe was a bit of a dessert wonderland for him (and for me, haha).

The Mighty Machines travel binge continues.

Arriving in...

So. Many. Bikes.

Robert in his strange little Dutch car seat.

William in his travel vest! Haha.

Pretty sure it's not a great idea to fall asleep and slump over like this in your travel vest... Oops.  Tiiiiired guy.

Hey! That way to Wageningen! Our hotel was actually in Wolfheze, but still! Wageningen!

An unrepresentatively cooperative-looking picture of these two guys at our late night (but still bright outside!) dinner upon arrival at the hotel.  When the waiter asked us if we wanted a kids' menu, and I said, no, we've already figured out what we want to order from the main menu, and he said "Okay" and walked off, with no apparent plan to return to collect that order.  Oh, the Dutch! Haha.

Pretty excited by the weird little nook our bed was in at the Buunderkamp.

So tired.  But so uninterested in actually going to sleep.