Where the Grass is Greener

Clingendael is a beautiful public park here in The Hague, close to the city centre and a short walk from our place through the woods.

We had two lovely picnics there in June with friends.  

Green grass, fresh air, lovely weather and great company - there is no better way to spend an afternoon!

Well, duck-chasing is great too!

And some horse-gazing.

We met the horses just as we were walking into the park.  It was so peaceful to see the horses grazing serenely on the grass. They came up to the fence as we were walking by, hoping for a snack.  It was almost as if we had stepped into a storybook.  And we had just got off the bus 5 minutes before.

Marilyn and Will

Question: How many balloons does Will have?  Not one, but three!
This smart little boy has two extra in his hands :)

Look at those trees.  Isn't the park absolutely gorgeous?

Ahh, there's nothing nicer than having a roll on the grass..

And some break-dancing.. 

Getting ready to head home.

We had so much fun that we went back with some more friends the following week!

Cindy and Theodoro

Marilyn and Will enjoying their waffles. 

Kim

Constantin enjoying his peaceful nap.

Lucas sneaking up on Will.

And of course, you can't have a picnic without bubbles!

Theodoro loved the oranges.

Lucas loved the grass and the mole hills.

And William, well, just loves his mommy!

It's Sunny on the Balcony (Sometimes)

Here's another post full of Lucas' photos.  I'm trying very hard to clear the backlog.  Will be posting more stuff from May and June in the coming days.

These are all photos taken on our balcony.  We had some really, really lovely days - warm weather, mild wind, nice long sunlight-filled evenings.  Haven't had those in a while, unfortunately.

22 May - The chilly weather calls for a light fleece jacket.

23 May - One day later and the weather was glorious!  Balmy and hot enough to wear shorts.  On days like these, you just want to pull up a chair, sit on the balcony and do nothing.

I just love those bermudas :)

24 May - still glorious!

Different shirt, different car but more of the same action.

This particular tractor has three wheels left and the roof is caving in, but he loves it to bits.

Sporting his free orange Euro 2012 shirt in support of, who else -- Holland.

18 June - Back to cold and wet.  Oh well, it was great whilst it lasted.

This is him trying very hard to blow lick a bubble into existence.

He just doesn't get it.

Despite watching intensely.

Bubbles - best value toddler entertainment!

Here's wishing you a nice balmy day wherever you might be :)

Gotta Keep (Mummy) Busy

Chaos and Disorder - a photo series.

Basically, I got so tired of rolling up gift wraps and putting them back into the drawer, only to have them taken out and thrown on the floor, again.  For the umpteenth time.  So I grabbed my camera and took some photos instead.  Maybe I can show him these photos when he is, say, 10 years old and refusing to clean up his mess.  "Why are you acting like a one year old?" would be a good question then.

Play is serious business according to child experts.  I am no expert, so I will give them the benefit of doubt.  Although I really don't see what he could possibly learn from the act of throwing rolls of paper on the floor.  I have asked him but the answer remains elusive.  

I would also like to see the state of these experts' homes with a toddler around. 

Hunting for more stuff to throw.

Leaving the mess behind and moving on to the other side of the room:

"Who put this ugly bib on me?"