Tulip Time

We have all be looking forward to Tulip Time since our fabulous day there last year....when my babies looked like this-

After a busy Saturday morning of yard work and Adam's first T-ball game of the season, we made our way down for our second annual trip to Dutchland.  And now they look like this-

It was cloudy and gray, but warm enough that we still had lots of fun.  And this year we knew exactly what we wanted and where to go to get it. The tulips were mostly spent, but we still

We ended the day by raiding the Dutch bakery 

and then enjoying our treats on the grass with the night parade.  This time we were prepared with jackets and blankets!  It was still plenty chilly, and even started to rain, so we bundled up and snuggled under the blankets until the parade started.  All six of us burrowed under the blanket was probably quite the lumpy sight to see!  

Then we headed home, happy we had made the trip, and wondering if this year was better, worse, or just different than last year.  I tend to focus on the highlights, and usually forget the harder moments of past events.  Jason likes to remind me that overall, most trips have some good and some bad, but it's making the memory that makes every trip worth the effort!  So last year was the year of minor sunburns, not being prepared for the cold of the parade, and wandering around somewhat aimlessly because we didn't know what to expect or do at the festival (we stood in a really long line for about 10 minutes, assuming it would be for something amazing, before we realized it was the shuttle line full of people waiting to get back to their cars).  And this year was the year of gray skies, a super squirmy Noah (he was so much easier to contain last year!) and knowing exactly how much money we were going to be spending on stroopwafles, poffertijes and Dutch letters- and loving it!