Tulip Time!

My Darling Husband and I met at a college affiliated with the Swedish Covenant Church, a denomination I had never heard of until arriving on campus my freshman year. Undergrad for me was spent looking like (white, tall, blonde...), but not actually having much in common with, my classmates. These Swedes take their heritage seriously, with everything from their names (like Gretchen, Annika, Bjorn, and let's not forget Anders!), to learning a bit of the mother tongue, to their decor (blue and yellow, preferably from Ikea), to their holiday traditions.

Now, let it be known that I grew up tall and I grew up right among the Dutch majority in West Michigan. But I knew little of my heritage other than that apparently the Dutch had an affinity for clunky wooden footwear and for displaying a couple of kissing children in their gardens.

Now, as a Momma, I want my boys to feel a sense of belonging to both their Swedish side and their Dutch side. Neither is going to come via cultural immersion. Usually when we're at the park or a toddler class or the grocery store, mine are the only white kids. Or there might be other white families, but they're speaking Polish or something. So, cultural awareness for my kiddos is going to have to be intentional.

Sooooo....last weekend we went to Holland, Michigan's Tulip Festival! It was awesome!

Day 1: Kinderplaats. We went to a tulip garden and a carnival meant just for kiddos Isaac's age. He got to do crafts, play games, pet animals, see a show, ride rides, get his face painted, and just generally follow around his two favorite people: his cousins Nadia and Sam.

What is it with the Dutch and their windmills?

petting Dutch bunnies

.toasting (and eating!) marshmallows!

Klompen Dancers

Okay, so the doves aren't necessarily Dutch...

...nor are boa constrictors...but check out my brave niece! I couldn't believe her!

A big hit: petting baby animals. This lamb was so soft!

Look at the tiny pink pig and even tinier goats! They were so adorable!

Anders loved them, too.

Look at those Dutch babies!

Isaac was nervous about the face painting. He chose a "brown football"--more for the brown than for the football. He's got a thing with brown lately.

Back at my parent's house--my mom threw Isaac a Toy Story themed 3rd birthday party! I couldn't believe I got a picture of all the kids looking at me! These are all the "little" kids on my mom's mom's side. The three on the right--Madison, Elliott, and Ethan--are actually my cousins.

Isaac couldn't take his eyes off his Toy Story cake. :)

Day 2 of the Festival: Veldeer's Tulip Farm.

"What is going on right now?"

"Why, yes, I can make wooden shoes in your size!"

If it weren't for my allergies, this is what my heaven would look like.

love that pose :)

Momma couldn't resist buying her boys little Dutch hats

Littlest Dutch Boy

I hope to make a yearly trip up to Holland. There is a ton of stuff to do, and as the boys get older they will be able to take more in. Yay for being Dutch!