Tulip Time Is Here

Most people who know Holland, MI know it for its May festival "Tulip Time." Ever since we moved here it always comes up in conversation with people we meet. The local paper said that Tulip Time brings in about 500,000 tourists every year. Today was the first day of the festival and we walked downtown to check out some events.

We went to the Arts and Crafts festival at Centennial Park.

We quickly became claustrophobic. So. Crowded. It was hard to get around with the stroller.

It was a beautiful day to be outside for a walk, though. 

Mother Nature cooperated really nicely for Tulip Time this year!

We walked by the World's Largest Cinnamon Roll.

(612 lbs. I was most astounded that it took 670 eggs to make!)

The tulips were glorious.

Maybe it's because it's just so hard to do these kinds of things with little ones, but...

We quickly realized we much prefer Holland when it's not so crowded. 

So we went home fairly quickly and everyone took naps, and then we took it easy the rest of the day.

^^ That boy. He's obsessed with the trashcan. I need to put a pen up around it to keep him out.^^

P.S: I bought myself some flowers today and I'm in love with them. That's all.

Words to Live By

Today's prompt was to name your favorite quote, and explain why. I had two come to mind:

I love the Vonnegut quote because I feel like most of my adult life I've battled to remain soft at heart. It is so easy to become hard, bitter and apathetic when life brings you heartache and people let you down, but those are things that I never want to become.

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C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite writers, and he has many many many many brilliant quotes, but this one always sticks with me.

Here's a link to my Pinterest page of some other favorite quotes.

Things That Make Me Uncomfortable...

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1. Talking on the phone. I've had phone phobia for as long as I can remember. While it's gotten a little better with all the practicing that real-life-as-a-grown-up forces on you, I still get heart palpitations when it's time to call someone-not-in-my-immediate-family. (Thank God for texting, no?)

2. Speedos. (Do I even have to elaborate on this one? And why is there always at least one extremely, wrinkly old man wearing one every time you're at the beach?)

3. Cialis Commercials. They literally give me physical pain whenever I see them.

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4. That sound forks make when they scrape a plate. One of my children has already caught on that I can't stand this noise, and likes to torture me at dinnertime.

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5. Being around people who are arguing. It goes back to things that happened during my childhood, but to this day I can hardly stand to be in a room where people are loudly arguing. I physically cringe and want to disappear. 

6. Entering through an "Exit" door (or vice versa.) Matt and I have literally gotten into (non-yelling!) arguments over this. I refuse to enter or exit via the wrong door and he think it's totally acceptable to use either. So not cool!

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7. Public PDA. I'm not opposed to public hand holding, hugging, or even some not-too-passionate public kissing. However, making out on a picnic blanket with half your clothes on in front of my children and I as we are innocently trying to take a walk in a public park kind of crosses a line, no?

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8. People who act like they want to be your friend, but are really just trying to rope you into a pyramid scheme. There's nothing to make you feel more like an idiot than when you meet someone who acts like they really like you and want to be buddies and then when you actually do meet up all they want to talk about is recruiting you to sell stuff for their business. And of course when you say, "no I'm not interested" they dump you and act like they never met you. 

My Fortes

(This month I'm participating in Jeni's Blog Every Day in May challenge. Today's prompt is "educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at.") 

I complain to my husband all the time that "I'm not good at anything." (This is particularly worrisome when you're married to a man who is good at everything. I am not even exaggerating.)

So rather than do this post "tutorial style," I thought I'd just use the space to list, in no definitive order, the things that I excel at. Prepare to be amazed.

I Am Good At:

1. Dirtying up every dish in my kitchen while trying to make one simple meal. 

2. Changing any (and I mean any) diaper with just one wipe. I've got this down to a science.

3. Making huge blonde babies with ornery, stubborn attitudes. 

4. Always ordering the wrong thing at coffee shops or restaurants. It's a matter of wanting to be adventurous but never having it work out right. It's the same way with haircuts for me...

5. Laughing at totally inappropriate times. Church? Check. Bible study? Check. I'm just waiting for it to happen at a wedding or funeral...

6. Finding lost things.

7. Eating chocolate. If only you could make a living at it...

8. Calmly doing a throat swipe while my 1 year old is gagging on a piece of banana. (I know, I thought I would freak out and not be able to do it too!) 

9. Blabbing news and stories that I should really just keep within the family. 

10. Believing I have each and every one of the weird, rare diseases showcased on House M.D. 

11. Taking ridiculous, embarrassing selfies with my phone.

12. Not letting the fact that I'm waaaay over 21 keep me from shopping at the Forever 21. Or from reading Lucky Magazine in the bathtub. Or from painting my nails with pink glitter. Or from blasting Willow Smith on my iPod when working out. (See what I mean about number 9 up there?)

Story of My Life [In A Nutshell]

(This month I'm participating in the Blog Everyday in May challenge hosted by Jeni. Today's theme is "the story of your life in 250 words [one paragraph] or less." Feel free to join in and if you do, leave me the link to your post so I can follow along!)


Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted nothing more than to have her own family. She dreamed of a fairy tale marriage and angelic, fat, curly haired babies. She prayed and prayed for God to give her a husband and family of her own. And then one day, before she was even quite grown up, and in a way she never could have imagined, God gave her what she wanted. And she stepped right out of living with her parents and siblings into living with a husband and keeping her own house. And it was good and God-blessed, but the girl was taken aback by the fact that not one step - from the courtship, to fertility, to childbirth, to child rearing, to maintaing a healthy marriage, to maintaining a healthy body - proved to be easy. The hardships and trials that popped up at every turn tested the girl's heart and sometimes made her doubt everything she once hoped and prayed for. But through it all, God was (and is) showing the girl, with much patience, just how deeply He loves her and is jealous for her heart. He is showing her that even though He desires her to be the best wife and mother she can be, He most of all just wants her to need Him. He is showing her that even though she easily gets caught up in the anxiety of failing, the most important thing she can ever do is just love people. 

May Day

Spring has sprung at last.

We could not be happier about 80F weather and lots and lots of flowers. (Holland goes all out with their tulips!) We walked our legs off today, visiting parks, exploring downtown and of course stopping to ooh and aah over the gorgeous tulips. We're all a bit sunburned and exhausted tonight, but feeling happy. Here's (a lot) more pictures of the city we're enjoying so much.