In the kingdom of Wifflesplatch

All spring the boy has been participating in a theater workshop. 4 months of rehearsals and instruction on how the theater works. Last weekend was the final project- the performance of their show before friends and family!

Joshua played Thurber, the Word-Wizard in training who is on a quest to save King Lingophile's voice before the king has lost it forever and no new words will ever be able to be called into being. Along the way he and his trusty bat friend, Kester encounter the Verb Vultures, crosses the Gerund River, solve riddles from the wise toadly guardians of the Latinous Pool (Hiram and Herodotus), and discover that the king's trusted advisor, Crop Clip, may have a dastardly part in the king's illness.

He had a great time and I think he may have a bit more of this acting "thing" in his future...

Thurber P. Smorgasbord, Word Wizard in training

A little backstage fun before lights up

warm ups

opening scene

Inside Emily's cabin

Thurber solved the crime!

"More proof that the pen is mightier than the sword!"

entire cast and director, Miss Amy

Joshua was supported by lots of friends from church--the next best thing to having family around. Here are some of them who came Saturday night and made it even more special for him...

Bird-chirping weather

The last couple of weeks have been perfect spring days. Some gorgeous, warm, fragrant, flowery, fantastic days and some gray, soaking, cuddle up on the couch with a good book days. We've been outside as much as we can, going on walks and bike rides, and putting down the windows in the car. Glorious

We finally got to go to the Dinosaur Park in Kaiserslautern. We haven't been there since Joshua was a baby and I knew he would just love it! We went on a beautiful day with some sweet friends of ours and had a great time...

Kady and I  ready to go down that big curly slide!

We are so very thankful for the friends the Lord has given us every place we've lived! What a sweet blessing to be able to pray ahead of time that He would provide friends at our new location and then meet them when we arrived. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow...

 Because we needed more flowers (ha!) we went to pick some at our local tulip patch....

Have you ever seen one of these? It's called Romanesco, and it's a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. It's distinctive design actually makes a fractal, which makes this vegetable both body-healthy and brain-healthy! (Joshua hates math problems at dinner...)

Anyway, we got it at the farmer's market and I've cooked it two different ways--both were wonderful. It's milder than broccoli and slightly sweeter. Definitely something we'll try again!

And, oh, the wonderful farmer's markets here. I posted on IG recently that if I had to live in the city, my favorite place to be would be the farmer's market. Such a beautiful place with so many wonderful choices. 

It's spargel (asparagus) season here and we have it in abundance! This week I'm going to try a Spargel Suppe recipe I found recently. 

And how much do you love my giant dough-bowl? Ive been on the look for one since we got here. Our pastor knew it and one day he and Mrs. Drake showed up with this beauty. They had it "on loan" from an antique store he had visited to see if I was interested, and boy, was I ever! So many possibilities....

Last weekend it was just the boy and me. We took a little drive to a village about half an hour away that was having a medieval market. It was a neat little market and he got an awesome terracotta Ocarina, which he is learning to play so well already! But, as usual, the highlight of the event was the food. Oh, how will I ever go back to fried Snickers and cotton candy after the culinary delights here...

traditional bratwurst and brotchen for the boy, venison and cheesy Spatlzle for me.....yummm

his giant Apfelschorle was pretty awesome

He cooked bread on a stick over a fire

And I'll leave you with an idea of what the days look like right now. I tried so hard to get a good picture of these fields, but my phone just can't do them justice. Field after yellow field of rapeseed, used to make canola oil. So very beautiful against both the cloudy and blue skies...

Flower Power

After last year's incredible anniversary celebration, I was completely convinced this year would be subdued and quiet. Instead, we had another wonderful, beautiful weekend together (and with our happy tagalong..).

Saturday morning we got up and headed down to the Keukenhof. When I put the directions into my phone I almost decided we didn't have to go--the map was beautiful enough!

The day was beautiful and flowers were gorgeous--the perfect combination. We wandered around for several hours, had a snack at the outdoor cafe, found our way through the maze, visited the petting zoo and the playground, walked through the pavilions, and watched the little baby ducklings. And generally enjoyed being together at one of the most beautiful places on earth...

26 years with my love...

And then we headed home.
But a fun little detail of our trip home....

And last weekend we even had the opportunity to have a little weekend, just the two of us. 

Dinner out Friday night, the delightful (and delicious) farmer's market Saturday morning, then a little shopping and wound up with a nice afternoon walk. The anniversary celebration that never ends. ;)

Dutch-land, part 2

So we left Haarlem and set off to find our hotel. We chose to stay at the beach this time. The North Sea is cold in April, but being near the sand and water is still one of my favorites.
Our hotel was interesting. Very small but nicely furnished. The owners were friendly and the breakfast was yummy. It worked out fine for us, although I can't say I would really recommend it to others.

pretty breakfast area

I love European breakfasts

Our bathroom was TINY 

walking down a little lane to the train station

We took the train in to Amsterdam and for a full day of sight-seeing.

Amsterdan Central Train Station (tip: get a city map from one of the info people. It's free, has all the transportation lines, and comes with coupons to different museums, stores, and restaurants)

 We took a canal boat tour. It was a great way to see the city and get a little interesting historical and architectural information. Plus it was just fun. :)

Our main plan, though, was to walk around the city. Amsterdam is pretty compact and it's pretty easy to walk most places. We hopped on a bus once but the rest of the day was exploring on foot! We walked through the old Jewish section and the daily flea market, through the market square (yet another obnoxious carnival obscuring the views!), to the cafe for Stroopwafels, past monument after monument.

 We had reserved tickets to visit Anne Frank's house. We got a secret tip that although the website probably says there are no reserved tickets available, they release a few more each day. So I refreshed the site over and over again a couple days before we left and scored tickets! We were glad because this was just part of the line waiting to get in...

Joshua outside the actual entrance to the museum. And below, the same location, different kids,  ten years ago. :)

The Anne Frank house was still as moving as ever. We are reading the Diary now and recently watched the movie, so being in the actual place really put the event into context for Joshua.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day. It emcompasses everything that makes Amsterdam so charming. Blue skies, canals, bikes, cafes, and tulips. I think I may print it out and hang it up.

Our favorite thing from the day was actually something I don't have any pictures of! The couple we met while we were waiting to tour the Ten Boom house recommended the Dutch Resistance Museum (Versetzmuseum) and we LOVED it. We actually didn't get there until an hour before closing (continuing the trend) so we had to choose to visit the adult section or the junior section. We chose the junior section because the night before, while we were in our hotel, Joshua spent some time exploring the website and had become very interested in the stories he learned about on there, through the short films and virtual tour. (www.verzetsmuseum.org. Admission is 10 euro for adults, but we had a 2 euro off coupon from the free map we got!)
It was actually the best hour of our day, and we wished we could have spent much more time there. Lots of interactive exhibits that encouraged discussion and thought on the various positions families found themselves in during the war. It was very well planned and executed-- even the little seats for viewing the films were made of related items (suticases for the family who went into hiding, ammo cases for another....)If we ever go back to Amsterdam, we will DEFINITELY go back there.

 We hopped back on the train to Zandervoort before things got too rowdy on a Friday night and enjoyed a delicious dinner (and fancy dessert) on the beach.

Before I stop for today, I should say something about Amsterdam. It is a beautiful little city which just oozes charm. Everyone is so friendly (and speaks English), it's convenient to get around, the museums are wonderful, and the architecture is beautiful. But it really just breaks my heart. Such a beautiful place has been so corrupted by decadence and sin. It's not easy to move around the city without encountering vulgar examples of mankind's obsession with sin. We were careful about where we went, but even so, had opportunities to teach lessons in averting our eyes from unclean things and in seeing how one little acceptance of sin as "not that big of a deal" can lead to a lifetime of slavery to it.
If anyone asks me, I will tell them, "Go to Amsterdam. It's so beautiful and has so much to offer. Have a plan and be aware of your surroundings. Talk to your children if you do encounter something because, unfortunately, this is the world we live in. Don't stay overnight in Amsterdam. Take the train in from the country or the sea. And take the opportunity to pray for those souls in need of a Savior."


Up next, FLOWERS! :)