5-4-3-2-1 . . . .

To account for all those awesome, dreaded, awesome two-week breaks throughout the school year, summer vacation starts a little later in The Netherlands than in the US.  We'll be finishing up next Friday, July 3, and so the last couple of weeks have marked the grand finale at school and in all of the kids' activities.  There's lots of excitement in the air!

Life as ex pats, however, means families come and go, and the end of the school year can feel even more emotionally charged.  We happen to be the ones staying this time, and we are bracing ourselves for the moment we must say goodbye to some amazing friends who we will miss ever so dearly.  Beautiful friendships I trust will carry on.

But it's not quite time to say goodbye. Nope, not yet, dammit.  For now, it's all about celebrating the fun we've had this year.

For example:

Last Saturday, the whole school partied to celebrate the end of the school year.

At the party, the kids received stamps if they joined the fun and played the various games set up on the school playground.  They could then turn in their stamps for a prize of their choosing.  The games were simple and innocent and everything that's good about "old school."

This little tiger picked a set of miniature golf clubs, a new passion of his.  :-)

We've had sleepovers and more sleepovers.

And one silly makeover.

In the past couple of weeks--

We've received medals.
And given loving goodbye notes.

Abby's letter to her French tutor.

By the time school ends next week, we will have attended at least nine birthday parties over the course of one month, which I'm pretty sure sets a record for our family.

R celebrates his birthday in the middle of summer, so he was very appreciative that his teachers included him in the June birthday fêtes at school. (But, please no . . . he's not six yet.  He's still my baby.)

Abby's year-long theater class has ended with a grand spectacle.

We've bid adieu to our ballet teachers, for the second year in a row now:

We've hung out at a sculpture park on a beautiful day (finally!) in Amsterdam for the annual class picnic:

It's all been great, but a bit tiring:

Which is why we've also tried to stick to the routine the past couple of weeks. To bed by 7:30, homework each morning, and dinner at the table as a family.

It's why we've maintained the weekly play date for these two, every Tuesday, without fail, for two years. 

Play is good.

R & P?  They inspire me.