The Dollhouse of our Dreams!

 When my dad gifted my niece a custom-made castle dollhouse for her 3rd birthday, my first reaction was "WOW, so cool," and my second reaction was "wait, where is the dollhouse for my kids??" To which my dad replied, "you live in the Netherlands." Oh, right. 

Always a problem solver, my dad took to heart that it would mean a lot to me for my kids to also have a Pops-made dollhouse and he set to work. Knowing how long some Pop's projects can take, I didn't hold my breath and was pleasantly surprised when he shared the prototype with us all over Christmas. The idea was to make a dollhouse in pieces that I could bring in a suitcase and assemble myself. 

This summer trip home was our last "home leave" trip, which was paid for by Pete's school. Which meant we all got free baggage, something we usually skimp on. So it was a perfect opportunity to bring home the dollhouse! That put a fire under my dad and while it was down to the wire, he got it done. We got to see it mostly finished when we were together in Rehoboth beach this summer, but he needed a few more days to put the finishing touches on it. So he took it with him on the rest of my parent's summer road trip and then they dropped the special package off at Pete's aunt and uncle's in Concord on their way south from Maine so that we could get it for our flight home. 

The box full of flat pieces was packed with the utmost care and brought home where I awaited the 60-step, 6-page assembly instructions. A lot of wood glue later, the dollhouse was complete! Maeve had a dollhouse that she received when she was 3 and the scale of the furniture and dolls is spot on. 

I told my dad that he could seriously go into business, crafting custom dollhouses to look like people's canal homes. He said that if he billed for time, they would cost $10,000. So start saving, people! We are very proud of this special masterpiece that we will cherish for many generations to come! 

With the prototype in Miami this Christmas

Hard at work over the summer

Measuring the spiral staircases

Almost complete back home

Notice the front facade leans out just like in real homes (this is so that furniture can be moved in and out using the pulley without damaging the windows). The roof opens and closes to expose the attic.

Hand drawn bricks (and hardwood floor boards)

Complete with miniature Delft blue china

Dutch Summer 2021

Summer back in the NL:

The kids attending 1 day of summer camp- Powerleage soccer camp. Maeve's first time. 

A visit to the goat farm

Posing with their cuddlies in matching PJs

Amstelpark with friends

Day trip to Linnaeushof (European's "largest outdoor playground") with Sara and kids

The boys managed to pedal the 7 of us around the pond! 

Day trip to Eemhof to visit Christie and boys at their vakantie park. All smiles here, but major meltdowns later! 

We didn't know how it would work with the Dutch Corona Check app to have received our 2nd Pfizer shot in the US. The QR code generated by the app when fully vaccinated is your ticket to travel and into events (and maybe soon cafes, bars, cinemas, etc.). It took the government a while to figure out a system to register vaccines abroad and in the end, they designated a single registration site for the entire country in Utrecht. Thankfully the location was only 30 minutes away by car and we got a babysitter so that Pete and I could enjoy some extra time there. We had lunch, wandered the canals and found a beer store that carried our beloved Hummel beer! Successful Satruday afternoon. 

We finally made it to Leiden to the Natural history museum, Naturalis. Stunning building, great exhibits. Maeve was pretty freaked out in the dark room with all of the taxidermy animals. The exhibit "Seduction" could not have been more Dutch. There was an interactive video game where two people have to step left and right to guide their sperm to a waiting egg. 

Bugs and butterflies on display- good

A dark room full of dead, stuffed animals- bad! 

Huge geode

Cool dino exhibit! 

The Netherlands in Cromagnum times

Still life drawing workshop

Watch out for those fibroids! 

From the museum it was 15 minutes to the beach. Couldn't resist one final windy, beach day of the summer!

And enjoying beauty in and around home:

I fretted over my dahlia's while we were away, but there was no need. Apparently it rained so much they hardly needed watering. 

Final Day in Belgium: Maredsous Abbey and Namur

While we contemplated extending our road trip and driving deeper into France, we decided to head home and have some time at home before the school year started. We passed by the Castle of Freyr from the first day and got a cool birds-eye view of the labyrinth gardens. Then we drove through Dinant, passing through the cool rock wall, stopping just to snap some pictures of the citadel up on the cliff. 

 

We made three stops on the way home. First, at Maredsous Abbey, where there was abbey cheese, beer and a playground. Sadly, no access to the working abbey interior. 

Next, a stop for icecream in charming Namur. I loved the whimsical flowers lining the small alleys, reminding me of our day in magical St. Cyprien, France.

And the last stop (not pictured), gasoline and Burger King to complete a successful road trip!