Tulip Time in Pella

I loaded up the Jetta on Saturday and took the kids to Pella for the Tulip Festival. Pella is the home of - you guessed it - Pella Windows & Doors. It was founded by Dutch immigrants about 150 years ago, and there is a strong connection to Dutch heritage there. Being 1/4 Dutch myself, I decided it was time to get in touch with my roots & see what it was all about. I sort of expected there to be fields of tulips near or in the town itself, but the tulips seemed to be limited to beautiful displays planted throughout the town square. Many of the businesses on the main streets had a Dutch flavor to them, selling costumes, baked goods, craftware, etc. Fun fact: The town also has the largest working windmill in the U.S., which still grinds flour using only wind power. Although it was fun to see, most of the activity seemed centered around the parades that occur twice a day. With two little ones, I wasn't going to try and hang around until the afternoon parade - not to mention that we were not one of the people who decided to stake out a place on the sidewalk 9 hours in advance. There was some good street food, and I discovered that Malaina truly is her father's daughter, as she does not like funnel cake. I wasn't surprised by much of the food. After going to the Iowa State Fair this summer, I expected the dutch letters, giant turkey legs, pork chop on a stick, brats, pulled pork sandwiches, etc. I WAS surprised by a Pella specialty: the Dutch Taco. Consisting of a flour tortilla, lettuce, cheese, hot sauce, and BOLOGNA. Now, I know that Oscar Meyer has a way with b-o-l-o-g-n-a, but apparently so does Pella. People were lining up for these bad boys, and they seemed to be a special favorite of the Asian tourists who were out in full force. I have to admit that I didn't try this special little torture, as I have been missing West Coast Mexican food, and the thought of a bologna taco just seemed like an abomination. Malaina had a good time looking at all the flowers, but was disappointed that she couldn't pick them. She also fixated on the windmill, and told Matt that she wanted to take her Grandma & Grandpa back there so they could go up to the top, but Justin, Mama and Daddy would have to wait at the bottom.


Picture of Justin on Saturday after we got up from our nap. Look at those cheeks! We've had to retire some of his pj's already, as he's bursting out of them. I can't wait for more consistently warm weather so we can use some of the 3-6 months size short outfits for him. He's almost ready for the larger size!