The forty-fifth week of 2013 was easily one of the most exhausting, frustrating, and humbling weeks that I have ever experienced before. The week marked our first full week in the Netherlands, and we were simultaneously struggling with jet lag while attempting to become acclimated to our new home. With Jim back at work starting on Tuesday, the twins and I filled our days by playing with the few toys that had been packed in suitcases, taking short walks around the bungalow park, and making our presence known at the local grocery store. The rain that had fallen every day since our arrival finally came to an end late in the week, allowing us to enjoy some much-needed fresh air over the weekend.
From a photography standpoint, this week posed its fair share of challenges in getting to know the lighting in our new home. The large windows at the front of the house hold the promise of natural light, but it was dark and cloudy outside most of the week, forcing us to use the bright overhead spot lights. Two weeks later, and I'm still trying to figure out which settings to use to best tackle these unique light constraints.
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| 309/365: P is for Pointing When I saw Maddie pointing at the text within My Alphabet Toolbox, I was so very proud. As a teacher, I was constantly reminding my students to track text with their fingers as they were just learning to read. I am sure that Maddie was merely mimicking me when she was pointing to the 'P', but I was "P for Proud" nonetheless! |
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| 310/365: Eat It, Dinosaur! When Maddie awoke early from her nap on Wednesday, I brought her downstairs to play on her own while I was on my laptop. I gave her a snack and some water and watched as she proceeded to share her snack with her best pal, Dinosaur. Dinosaur didn't seem to appreciate Maddie's generosity; he spit out the cheddar bunnies that Maddie fed to him and demanded something a little meatier. |
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| 311/365: New Neighborhood From Will's bedroom window, we can see many of the other homes in our "new neighborhood". Of course, the homes all look the same because we are located inside of a bungalow park. Outside of the park are homes that range in size and shape, but most houses are topped with the same sloped tiled roofs as seen in the picture above. |
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| 312/365: Finally Though it was still damp and cool, the rain FINALLY held off long enough for us to get outside and explore our new surroundings for a short time on Friday. We discovered two small play areas nearby; they weren't in the best shape and weren't exactly age appropriate, but the twins were ecstatic to get outside and play nonetheless. |
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| 313/365: Happy Doodler Although Jim has proclaimed his "hate" for the Magna Doodle on which Will draws in the picture seen above (Will threw the Doodle at Jim while we were on the plane, knocking over and spilling Jim's beer!), Will and Maddie both love the travel-sized Magna Doodles that I had bought for them to help keep them occupied on the plane. Since our arrival, Will has learned to use the Doodle more appropriately! |
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| 314/365: Clear With a need to clear my head on Sunday, I headed outdoors with my camera. I walked to the Twente Canal, located just 15 minutes from here, and found the sunlight dancing on the water. Sadly, I'm not sure that we've seen much of the sun since that beautiful afternoon! |
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| 315/365: Hang On While out for yet another walk around the area on Monday, I spotted a few leaves hanging on to the ends of branches high above us. Few other leaves were left on the trees, and just a handful of leaves remained, holding on to the tips of the branches. On Monday, we were "hanging on" while waiting for our air shipment to arrive. We desperately needed and wanted the contents of the box; the twins and I were growing bored with the few toys that we had here, and we were all running out of clothes to wear! |
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