Not quite the same.......

So, yesterday, we went to the hopping, never dull lively Tulip Festival in Orange City. I have to admit, every year, when it comes up, I secretly pray that no one asks us to go. I have a strong loyalty to Pella, and therefore, is it traitorous to go to another town's Tulip Festival?

The day was beautiful, and I had missed Pella's this year, so of course, I missed all of the food, so, with trepidation in my heart, we went. Better than sitting in our basement watching Mike play Wii all day, anyway.

It was a beautiful day, but it is not the same.....

The tulips were fabulous....

The parade was fine.......

(These are Mike's cousins, by the way, not some random people I took pictures of during the parade :))

And the food was pretty good.......

Slight tangent here. When I told Mike that I thought we should go, his first comment was "I am only going if I get to eat Poffertjes." Poffer - what? I will explain for those of you out there unaware of the this delectable treat.

Poffertjes are heavenly, sweet, fat filled pieces of goodness, that make any Dutch girl happy. And evidentially, the make German boys happy too. And little daughter of said Dutch girl andGerman boy. We managed to eat at least three platters in one afternoon. I am fully convinced that God will have Poffertjes in Heaven.

The heavenly treat....

Jaina enjoying herself with the "little pancakes"

However, I need to tell you, in Pella, you can get them with strawberries and whipped cream. This is something that I need to point out.

And, of course, Jaina had to stand in front of tulips, again. But this time, without the dress. Which, I guess is a good thing. Yesterday, I told her we were going to the Tulip Festival, but that, unfortunately, we would not be able to wear her dress, because it is with Grandma Judy in Pella. Her response, "That's okay, because if I did have to wear the dress, we would have a problem."

So, it was an enjoyable day. But at the end of the day, I would still pick Pella. Ask Mike's cousins, I am sure they would always pick the OC. :)

This one is my favorite....

Mother's Day, 2008

This year marks my fourth Mother's Day. It is hard to believe that it is possible that I have experienced four Mother's Day's already, but it is true.





But really, can you resist being a mother to this?




And, as of late, I have learned so many new words and phrasese from the princess above. Some examples:

• Mix Up: This is what we call it when a) we get to eat breakfast before getting dressed in the morning, OR b) we get to wear sandals without any socks. Either way, it sounds like any time that we do something out of "routine," it will officially be a mix up.
• Reg Out: When it is time to leave a store, and check out our belonging, we need to "Reg Out." We didn't get this one at first, but now, since it is in every store, we started to get the picture.
• Propala: I am not sure of the spelling of this one, and it just happened tonight. On the way to Sioux Falls, she took off her sandals (which yes, we did Mix up to put on), and took the straps out. When she was showing me how to put the straps back in, she said that this means to "propala." It also means to fasten two straps on your sandals at the same time. How versatile.

I will keep you posted on any new words added to the JG Dictionary of Toddlerhood.

Congratulations Aunt Jodi!

Yes, you heard it here....

The fourth and final Groen child is out of college. Flew the coop, as you may say.

Well, technically, she hasn't flown the coop, and still lives in the coop. But it is fun to use the expression.

On May 10, 2008, Aunt Jodi walked the hallowed halls of Northwestern for the final time. (That is sarcasm for any of you who have actually seen the hallowed halls of NWC. Graduation is in the student center, with many tarps hanging from the ceiling.)

I wanted to give Jodi a shout out....

CONGRATULATIONS!

May your future be merry and bright!

And, because I am in the know...... your student loans are due. :)