Time for the holidays

In the Netherlands they celebrate with Sinterklaas on the 5th of December so Jackson was pretty lucky and Sinterklaas came to visit him and brought along a small gift for him aswell. This was the first gift he has ever opened and he did really well.  Of course the wrapping paper is a better gift than what is actually inside :) Jackson was also lucky enough to get a nice gift from our neighbors here, we're kind of spoiled!!

Up until now there has not been alot of "to-do" about Christmas here, no black Friday or anything!! I did hear about a little Cyber-Monday on the radio but nothing like back in America!!! It is getting more and more popular to celebrate Christmas in The Netherlands, it seems to be as children get older they celebrate Christmas more and more. 

Germany is like America and Christmas is everywhere.  We kept hearing about the Christmas markets so last weekend we went to Dusseldorf, Germany to check one out.  It was so neat!!! There were vendors everywhere selling all kinds of sweets, Christmas ornaments, bratworsts, and my favorite warm mulled wine. They also had a cross country skiing track set up with "fake" snow, an ice skating rink and a little sledding slide for the kids.

When we got there it was a little overwhelming!  People everywhere, we couldn't even get through with the stroller without hitting someone.  (sorry to those people)  We weren't the only crazys with a stroller though!!! First off, we hit up the wine station and got some yummy brats then Jackson and Josh took a little ride on the merry-go-round! It was such a fun afternoon, I'm sure we could've spent all day there!!!

What are you thankful for?

Here are a few things we are thankful for this year:

1. Our amazing son Jackson-he is such a happy baby who brings so much joy to our lives!

2. Family- we have a great support system back home and we miss them like crazy

3. Josh's job: we're very luck for him to have such a great job that allows me to stay at home and be with Jackson everyday and also gives us this great opportunity to travel all over Europe!

4. Friends-we love to hear what is going on back at home with you all and are glad that we can still feel like we're in the loop and part of the "circle" of friends.

5. Facebook- it's kind of silly but we really stay connected to not just our friends but our family as well by sharing pictures and posts all the time.

6. Skype- what a great invention. We get to Skype with our family so they are able to see our little guy growing up so quickly.

7. The new friends we have met in Holland: we are so happy and lucky to have met such great people here that make us feel like we're right at home!

8. Living in the Netherlands- while it may be tough some times we are so thankful to be able to experience living in a new country and getting to see things we would have never known even existed.

9. Traveling- this year we have been some pretty amazing places in the Netherlands, France, and Germany and are planning to go some pretty amazing places next year as well.

10. The small things in life that may not be so small to some people like food on the table and a roof over our heads!

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Don't forget to take a minute to think about what you are thankful for!!

8 months old

Hi Everyone,

Today is my 8 month birthday and I completely surprised my mommy this morning by sliding across the floor to get that silly paper she takes my picture with each month.  I just had to push myself along and in about 5 seconds flat I had that paper in my mouth, soon to be followed by that tasty bone the dog always chews on. 

I also really love walking around holding onto someones hands, it is proving to be the fastest way to get anywhere!!! Besides my walker that is.  That is by far my favorite thing and I chase Grace around all day.  I don't think she really likes it but I think it is hilarious!!

I finally decided to give my mom a break here and there and am sleeping through the night.  Not every night though, I don't want her to get too much sleep!!

We have been cheering on the Cyclones and my mommy and daddy can't believe how good they have been doing!  Me, I have had faith all along!!

I am also working on another tooth so pretty much every picture you will see of me I have drool all over my shirt! It's not very comfortable but I can't help it!!

That is pretty much all I have been up to, my mommy and daddy are dragging me all over the country trying to get their Christmas shopping done and in 1 month on my 9 month birthday we will be back on the airplane to see our family for Christmas.  I can't wait!!!

That is all for now!
Jackson

Delft

The Netherlands is traditionally known for it's blue and white pottery so yesterday we set out to go to Delft, the place where it is all made.  We took a tour of the Royal Delft factory which is the last remaining Delftware factory dating back to the 17th century.  Each piece is still handmade by one of seven painters and you can even watch them making it (if you go during the week). 

They have a Christmas plate collections which is really neat and while taking the tour I was determined to get one.  That is, until I saw the price.  One plate is nearly 500 Euros so around 700 dollars. I quickly changed my mind!!! Even the plates from the past years are around 300 euros.

The city of Delft is also known for its beautiful churches and architecture.  You can see the old buildings leaning in all along canals which are decorated with Christmas lights. So far I think it is my favorite city that we have been to in the Netherlands!

7 months

Well really where does the time go????

Jackson is now 7 months old and just getting cuter and sweeter every day.  He is sitting up like a champ now, only the occasional tumble over.  He loves jabbering away, especially if you're having a conversation, he does not want to be excluded.

He is not crawling yet ( yeah for us) but is doing a nice peak with his behind up in the air.  I'm sure the day will come all too quickly! Right now he prefers to stand and bounce like a crazy man! 

There is no Halloween in the Netherlands but we carved a pumpkin anyways and had our own little photo shoot in the backyard!

We're loving every second with Jackson and it just melts your heart now when he looks and you and lifts his arm for you to pick him up :)

Gernany

Sooo sorry it has been such a long time since our last post!  You would think we have been busy or something!  A couple weeks ago now Josh had a few days off so we decided to take a trip into our bordering country, Germany.

Maybe you have heard of the Disney World castle?!?! Well we went to the castle that it was based off of.  The Neuschwanstein castle is about 6 1/2 hours from our house in the Netherlands.  So not too terrible but still quite a trip with a 7 month old in the car. 

Along the way we stopped at the Mercedes Benz museum which was pretty neat.  Kind of a boy thing to do but fun to see all the old cars!!

Then we were back on the road and heading into the mountains.  It was the perfect time of year to go with all the leaves turning colors!  We made it to the hotel just as the sun was starting to go down making the moutain view even more beautiful!

While visiting the castle we stayed in this very small village that survives off of the thousands of tourists that come through each day.  The only thing you see there are hotels, restaurants and gift shops!

We took a couple tours through the castles by hiking our way up the mountain and on our way down stopped to treat ourselves with a little pizza and beer! 

We stayed 2 nights and were back on the road.  On our way back we made a slight detour and followed the German wine road.  It is 55 km of grapes, vineyards and fun little villages to go through. It was pretty amazing to see, we didn't do much (well really any) tasting since we had a big drive ahead of us.  But we did buy a few wines that have yet to be tasted.

Germany really is a beautiful country and we had a great time visiting!  As always it was nice to be back in our own beds!!

Next trip: Home for Christmas :)