Liz, sitting in her window overlooking the Princengracht.
We returned from bringing Peggy to the airport in Nashville to find that Kelly had made her own version of the rainforest cafe's Volcano for us all to share.
I like her addition of the orange flower instead of the sparkler. I also enjoyed the mint chocolate chip ice cream and real whipped cream. 
My pre-baby belly...but oddly still in a playground. 
The big kids setting bad examples. (Notice the onlooker behind the pole?)
Carla befriended that little kid during this impromptu visit, and spent the rest of the trip talking about "[her] Small Blonde Child." 
Derrick was too tall for this toy, as his toes will tell you.
Daren, Derrick and Carla, in a cube, the bottom of which was filled with water...
watch out, Carla!!!
Ahhhhh!
Carla holding the hand f her small blonde child.
boys will be boys, I guess? 
I should note that this was the day that the four of us went on an epic biking adventure, and we were all so proud of ourselves for having set off without a destination (or even a map!), broached new territory, and found this awesome park way outside of town. We wore ourselves out riding the whole way home, and felt smug as the exhaustion set in. Later, of course, we would learn that we had essentially ridden in a really big, wobbly loopy circle, and that park way outside of town was actually just a few blocks from our apartments. Ah well. guess that's what we get for being smug. We still had fun, anyway.
Fun in the backyard elephant pool with my family!
Cadence loved the water.
The Johnson Girls in the pool. L-R Kelly, Peggy, Cadence, Mom.
Then we warmed up, had a nap, and headed to the Lost River Cave to visit the butterfly park.
after a short walk through the woods, we headed back to the visitors' center, where we panned for gemstones.
I don't remember where liz and I got those lollypops, but I think it was exciting at the time. But Maybe we just really needed candy.
Liz says hello to the camera.
L-R, Mitsu, Darren, Allyson, Carla, Laryssa
Score!!! (Did I mention that the bar was playing a live feed of the Eurocup Semifinals, in which Holland was playing?)
rooting for our newfound home team...and winning!
Football (soccer) is a big deal in europe, don'tcha know.
Margaret is elated.
We stopped at this bar on our way home, just long enough for liz to dance on the table. I don't think anyone even ordered anything.
Why is Cadence so excited?
Because her great-aunt Peggy came to visit!
Mom and Peggy reliving songs from their childhood. Which now seem...a tad inappropriate.
Cadence sports a pony tail while hanging out with Mom & Pepper
One of the earliest hints that this was going to be an unceasingly supportive group: giving love for the broken toe. (After the hospital visit, we learned that it was only dislocated, not broken, thankfully.) L-R: back: Jake, Sam. front: Jacob, Margaret, Liz, Jess, and someone's arm...I don't remember whose, I want to say Eliza, but it could be any number of good folks. Damn loss of labels!
Reichts museum (I think? ack! I'm already forgetting!)
What is that which Derrick is so gleefully posing with? Why, an outdoor urinal, of course. 
art is everywhere in Amsterdam. It rises from the ground, it bursts forth from the buildings.
Carla, Derrick, groceries, a walk home.
But Derrick does take the time to stop and smell the roses. 
This in class assignment familiar to anyone?: 
And we attended some performances that were presented as part of an international theater festival. Most of them were awesome...there was the one with the guys who tied themselves together with string and then used cello bows to make and instrument out of it, (about conjoined brothers...stunningly beautiful.) And it may not have been this day, but there was one about prison and escape, and they beautifully mixed vulnerability with toughness, nudity used very effectively, and an awesome sequence where they actually tunneled under the mylar on the stage floor. Awesome stuff. And then...there was this woman:
The most self-important, pretentious without cause, condescending without redemption, irresponsible towards the audience, ultimately just bad excuse for performance art I have ever seen. These photos are the result of me deciding to turn her own tactic back on her, and effective or not, it was my own sweet revenge.
beautiful sky out the windows in Jacob's room (I think it was? damned label loss, I used to have the specifics of each one recorded...sigh...I'll never stop complaining about that.)
That night a bunch of us were hanging out in Jacob's room, and he had his ipod on, which prompted an imaginary music video shoot, Nicole here using her invisible camera to film jacob's rockin' antics.
Laryssa, Nicole L, and Nicole S hanging out in Jacob's room.
Jacob and Laryssa
Tracy and Nicole L 