This year my grandparents turn 90. Everytime I say that it is sort of a proud and also amazing moment--I'm so grateful that Gramps and Grams are here and in relatively good health. They have been such an important part of our lives and every time we get to go to Iowa and spend time with them is memorable. About a month ago I was on the phone checking in with Gramps and Grams and we got to talking about when Kimber and I used to go up to Iowa and stay with my grandparents for a week without our parents. It was such a fun time for Kimber and me--we felt so grown up going "uptown" all by ourselves and buying gifts for Gramps and Grams at the 5 and dime or the Christian bookstore. It was touching though to hear about it from Gramps and Grams point of view--we were all tearing up by the end of the conversation, wishing that we could spend more time together now and that we wished we lived closer.
A couple of weeks ago, we got to head up to Pella to celebrate those birthdays and particpate in the Tulip Time parade. It was the 75th annual Tulip Time and so the town also decided to try to break the world record of number of people dancing in wooden shoes. The previous record was set in 2006 in The Netherlands with 475 people. Pella hoped to get 1000. In the end, over 2600 people joined in! We danced a dance called "The Nightcap" for just over 5 minutes and shattered that world record! It was so fun (aside from the bruised feet later) to do something so unique with my family. Gramps and Grams came out to watch and help keep the kids corraled and warm (the wind chill was somewhere in the 30s that day).
Afterwards, we got in the parade action. Part of that is scrubbing streets (the Dutch are known for being clean--at least in Pella!) : ) Ryan wanted to scrub streets instead of joining in the "baby" parade, so we grabbed our brooms and buckets and went to town. Ryan LOVED it! She probably cleaned more of the street than everyone else combined! : )
While there, we also had Stroop Wafels (a delicious caramelly treat that Ryan instantly loved--in fact, it is her latest nickname right now!) and Pella bologna. Now, I know what you may be thinking--bologna=gross. That is just not the case with Pella bologna. It is more like a summer sausage than bologna really and it is delicious!
(That is part of a Stroop Wafel in Ry's hand)
Needless to say, we had a great time visiting with family, spending time with Gramps and Grams, dancing in our wooden shoes, shopping, eating Stroops and just being Dutch!
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