Our First Visitor

Grandpa Michaelson couldn't stay away from his girls for too long and we were excited to have a visitor! He came out and visited this past week. Not only did he miss us, but he didn't like the idea of us being alone in a foreign country. Andy flew home for Amy's wedding. We wish we all could of been there for the wedding, but the timing and the distance to travel was a little tough. Rachel would of had a difficult time on the quick trip. Grandpa was a trooper to deal with the long flights and the time change - not an easy thing! We enjoyed him while he was here. We took it easy and just enjoyed each other's company. We did a few touristy things and had a lot of fun.

One day we took a bus to Amsterdam and went on a canal boat tour. It was fun to see Amsterdam and the canals. It was quite interesting to learn about the history and functionality of the canals. When we headed back home we road the tram. So, in one day we used 3 modes of transportation - bus, boat, and tram. We got to and from our destination safely and Rachel enjoyed it. Now whenever we walk by a bus Rachel says, "up". She's hooked and wants to go on another bus ride! Here's a few pictures of our adventure:

Ready to board the boat.

Enjoying the boat ride.

Early one morning, when Andy was still in town, my dad and I got up and went to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. As soon as you walked in the fragrance of the flowers was amazing. Millions of flowers and plants are sold each day and shipped all over the world. We were only there for about an hour, but it was fun to walk around and see how the business operates.

Just a small portion of all the flowers and plants we saw.

Ready to purchase some flowers!

We also visited the Clara Maria Cheese Farm & Clog Factory. We watched a demonstration of how they make cheese and clogs. We also sampled some cheese and bought some. It's been kind of tricky to find a cheese we like. Maybe I'll just have to go there when I want some cheese! :) We were able to see the farmer's cows. Rachel was pretty disappointed when we left, because she really liked the cows. They even mooed for her! :)

Papa and Rachel

And then of course, there's one more picture to share. We found a good Chinese takeout place and Rachel wanted to use chopsticks, just like Papa. She stuck with mac 'n cheese though and let us enjoy the Chinese. It wasn't any fun saying good-bye today, but we are glad we had the time we did together. Rachel is starting to be a bit more sensitive about people leaving. Earlier in the week she cried when we dropped Daddy off at the airport and she did the same thing today with Papa. As we were driving home she kept on saying, "hold you papa". I kept on telling her he'll be back and we know he will. :) We are looking forward to the other visitors we'll have in the future. It's always fun to see those we love!