SAIL Amsterdam

look closely at the top mast- there are actually guys standing up there!!

On Friday afternoon - we took the train (along with what seemed like everyone else in Holland!) to Amsterdam to see the ships taking part in the SAIL Amsterdam 2010.

There were boats cruising around in the harbor - people enjoying a warm, sunny afternoon. In fact one boat had a guy playing Elton John songs on the piano while the other people on his boat sang... (yep - I bet you have that song "Piano Man" in your head now too!)

I googled SAIL Amsterdam and this is some of the background information that I found:

The first SAIL Amsterdam took place in 1975 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam. During these preparations, it was proposed to organize a nautical event in Amsterdam harbour, which would be centered on the harbor and the city of Amsterdam. For the ‘Sail Amsterdam 700’ event, sailing ships from all over the world were invited and the event was a huge success. Following the big success of SAIL Amsterdam 700 - it was decided that the sailing events would take place every 5 years.

During SAIL Amsterdam 2010, approximately 20 Tall Ships as well as 500 historic sailing boats and motorboats are expected in the harbor. As in previous SAIL events, this event attracts Tall Ships from around the world. In addition to a number of Dutch Tall Ships - ships from Norway, Romania, Russia and Ukraine will be on display.

more pictures from Delft

outdoor market

town square

a view of the downtown square through the inside of a church

Delft, Netherlands

in the background of this picture you can see the girl on the right making the famous dutch stroopwafels. she is kneading the dough in her hands and the bottoms/tops of the stroopwafels are on the griddle. the middle of the stroopwafel contains stroop which is like a think syrup. it's a yummy sweet treat! oh and the ice cream cones we purchased from this stand were really yummy!!

view from downtown Delft - Delft is a small town on the west coast of the Netherlands

a chair made from Delft pottery pieces

the entire time we were walking towards this church we couldn't help but wonder - is it leaning towards the right? hmmmmm.

one false parallel parking move and you'll be in the water!

tomboy princess?

she put her soccer shoes on with her dress to play with her brothers

making helicopter noises with her mouth

spinning the blade

is it possible to use these 2 words together? i think these 2 words describe helen very well. the other day i found her playing with this helicopter outside.

running buddy

i have a new running buddy - jayden! he has really taken an interest in running with me. the other night he ran 2 miles with me. he wanted to run more - but i thought it would be best to start off small.... the next morning he woke up and asked me "mom - are you ready for another run today?"

there is a kids run associated with my half-marathon in amsterdam and he is going to try to run that in october.

food face!

jillian has food all over her face and it doesn't even bother her :) gotta love the life of a baby!

but i just have to wonder - is it a natural instinct for a child to turn away when you try to wipe their face? or their nose for that matter? seems that even at 6 months - they can see the kleenex coming and starting turning their head!

my jilly

with each of the kids around 6 months of age - i try to get a picture of them chewing on their foot. i have taken each kid's image and made into an 8x10 black and white photo - i had them all displayed in my bathroom at home.... the other day i was trying to capture my image if jillian with her foot in her mouth to complete my set!

happy girl in her crib

wow - i can't believe my baby jillian is 6 months old already. we have been through so much as a family over the last few months - but everyday jillian wakes up with a smile and i'm so thankful that she is such a good baby! she loves to watch her brothers and sister. she weighs 14 pounds... my little peanut! still has those baby blue eyes and blonde hair....but i still wonder if the blue eyes will stick around :)