June was very rainy. July got a little better but there were still continous periods of rain. And for August, the weather has been pretty mild and I could only count the days when we had so far a perfect beach weather.
However, despite the disappointing weather, we had a very good "summer", and the lousy weather could never take that away.
For one, we celebrated a very important milestone--my daughter's first birthday. We ended up having to prepare for three parties, one exclusively for the immediate family, the second for our friends and other relatives, and lastly for my daughter's group at her kinderopvang (nursery). The biggest celebration turned out to be a multicultural one with parents and kids alike representing different countries. It was really cool and fun to see the mix of people, and despite the differences, everyone interacted Dutch and non-Dutch alike. Talk about a global village! We were happy to share this milestone with our family and friends, and we definitely appreciated that some guests especially flew all the way to the Netherlands to celebrate with us.
What made this summer even more special was the visit of my mom. This summer gave us a lot of opportunities to bond again. It was really nice to see my mom interact with my daughter and obviously they enjoyed each other's company. It was such a joy to see them together.
We took time to bring around my mom on short breaks, and we also had the chance to spend a few days with my Dutch in-laws who were vacationing in Germany. It's funny that despite the language barrier, my mom and MIL are able to communicate and enjoy each other's company. They have always been in touch whether calling each other on their birthdays or writing each other on special occasions.
It was a lovely summer well spent with family and friends!
Sigh. It is almost too bad that summer will soon end.
