The Brinkmans

Denmark 2010

Rachel — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:40:22 +0000

We didn’t have to think long about choosing where to go on vacation this year. We knew we wanted to to Denmark again (this year it’s the 5th time we’re going). We went to the exact same holiday-park as last year; Jegum Ferieland, about a half hour drive north of Esbjerg (the 5th largest city of the country).
It’s a 6,5 hour drive and since we’re always stuck in traffic around Hamburg, Germany, we decided to leave early this year. So, at 5.30 a.m. the 5 of us (Davida, who also came along last year, joined us again this year) sat in the car, ready to go. It turned out to be a good thing leaving so early, because we haven’t hit any traffic and were able to keep driving. This meant we arrived too early for us to pick up the keys to our holiday home, but it didn’t matter. We were just glad to get there so fast! The kids enjoyed an icecream and the playground as we waited to pick up the keys.

On day one, we had sunshine. And since the weather forcast said is was going to be rainy all week, we decided to go to the beach. But first the men went out for a walk.

The second day, Yoram wanted to catch some bugs and keep it in his new ‘bug-box’. Yoram even caught a frog! In the afternoon we went to a museum about life in Denmark a hundred years ago. And we went to another beach. Big climb over the dunes, but it was worth it! Beautiful view

On day three, we had no rain, no shine. So we decided to go to the zoo. In the 3rd picture Yoram wants to throw JM over the fence… And in the sixth picture Yair is not agreeing on having to leave the zoo…

The fourth day (pictures coming!), it was pouring rain. Not the most ideal weather when you want to go shopping, but we decided to make it a ladies-shopping day anyway. Well, ladies… When Yoram heard we were going shopping, he wanted to tag along with the ladies. He probably thought to himself, shopping includes lunch (read; Mc. Donalds) and a trip to the toystore (yes, he got spoiled…), so I want to come! And eventhough it rained, we had fun

The fifth day, it was a mens-only morning. Yoram wanted to go fishing with JM. Since Yair is a baby and not a man, he wasn’t allowed to come in his opinion. They caught two fish, threw one back in the water and brought one home. JM had to clean and fry the fish and we all had a bite. Yoram was so proud! In the afternoon we went to Varde, which had a nice city-center. And whenever Yoram sees water, he needs to get in…

On day six, it was raining again, so we decided to go to an indoor pool. The kids enjoyed themselves a lot. That evening we had dinner at the beach and it was time to pack our stuff and clean our house. We left late the next morning, which resulted in an 18km traffic-jam around Hamburg. Next year we’re going to do that differently.

Yes, already talking about next year. That we’re going to Denmark again is for sure. The country is so beautiful and the people are so friendly, also for the kids. They go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable and are not afraid to speak English. Next year we’ll hopefully go for 2 weeks. One week is just too short…

Kiddie farm

Rachel — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:56:17 +0000

Since it was a nice day (the sun came out, yay!), we thought it would be nice to do something outside. We went to the kiddie-farm in Stadspark, Groningen. There’s also a playground. Man, was it busy that day…

Car wash

Rachel — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:44:04 +0000

Since half of the time we live in our car (driving from country-farmland Oldehove, hahaha, to ‘the city’) it needed to be cleaned and washed. All the BrinkMANNEN helped and did a good job And of course Yoram’s tractor had to be washed also…

New living-room floor

Rachel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:46:29 +0000

When we moved into our house two years ago, the living-room floor had a carpet in it. It wasn’t a color I would choose, but it was clean and looked like it was new, so we kept it that way.
Two years later, our kids have managed to spill so much stuf on it, that it looked and smelled horrible. Time for new flooring! We choose laminated flooring in a color we’ve seen a lot in houses in Denmark and which we like a lot. It colors nicely with our walls. JM and Rudy only needed one day(!) to put it in (with a little help from Yoram). Here are some before and after pictures;

New kiddie-pool and roses

Rachel — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:13:33 +0000

This morning, we bought a new ‘swimming-pool’ for the kids. Since it’s been around 30 degrees celsius the last couple of days, we thought it might bring some refreshment. Yoram was playing in it first, when Yair was taking his afternoon nap. When he woke up, Yoram was really tired and went to bed. So, we don’t have pictures of both of them together in the pool, but still some nice shots.
Below are 2 pictures of the rose-plants I have. They’ve survived the coldest winter in more then a decade and bring us beautiful roses to enjoy.

Hup Holland

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:02:08 +0000

This is THE DAY!
Holland is playing the soccer World Cup Final against Spain. Our boys are wearing orange and white and are cheering the Dutch team on. It’s the 3rd time ever we’re playing the final match (it’s Spains 1st time). In ’74 and ’78 we lost, so 3′s a charm – we’re going to kick Spains ass (excuse the language)!

Yair and opa

Rachel — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:35:46 +0000

Yesterday Yair went to opa and oma for an afternoon. Opa had to bring some letters to the mailbox and of course Yair wanted to come a long. Isn’t he cute, walking hand in hand with opa? (By the way, Yair is wearing orange, since Holland was playing the semi-final of the World Cup Soccer. And Holland won! Guess what colour the boys will be wearing when Holland plays the final?!)
The 2nd picture is one of Yair with his big, brown eyes (and doesn’t the pacifier say it all; ‘I’m the boss’).

Walk, fish, kite

Rachel — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:50:55 +0000

Yesterday, after a lot of days filled with rain and low tempertures, the sun came out! And it was so nice outside, we decided to go for a walk at Lauwersoog. Yoram wanted to look for rabbits, but we didn’t see any… He also wanted to let his kite up – he didn’t understand it’s impossible to do so when walking around the woods. So we promised him we’d go to a field where he could let the thing fly. But first, we had fish and fries and ice-cream for desert. (The 1st picture has way too much light in it, but in an odd way we like it!)

Yoram’s 1st schooltrip

Rachel — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:17:47 +0000

Today Yoram went on his 1st schooltrip with his class to ‘Sanjesfertier’ in Zwaagwesteinde. He was super-excited and was very proud his mommy was one of the drivers. (And I was happy I was able to come along, ’cause I wouldn’t want to miss out on a big thing in Yoram’s life.)
His class had a great day, with lots of fun playing outside and inside. For lunch we had fries and of course they all had a healthy amount of candy!

With – Without

Rachel — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:45:03 +0000

This morning Yoram said that after school he wanted to play at opa en oma’s with without Yair. So around three I dropped him of so he could get all the attention he thought he deserved (sigh…) Of course opa had to do something memorable – he took Yoram out in oma’s wheelchair and walked around the block, while Yoram was driving with his make-belief in the air steering wheel.

In the meantime I took Yair for a drive to Zoutkamp for ice-cream. We sat in the sun (it was wonderful!) and we looked at the boats.