Family time...

If there is one thing that Derek and I have repeatedly said during our two months (Two FULL months now!) it is "how close being away has made us as a family". Neither of us can figure out what distracted us so much from how truly amazing it is to spend time with your kids- constantly. Maybe too big of a house/ yard, too much TV/ computer, long days in the office, time in the car, or just a to do list that never ended. In Amsterdam- we dont have much of a social life, driving in a car is not easy for fear of hitting a bicycle (everything is so close by anyways), TV is in Dutch and your English choices tend to be The Dog Whisperer, Toddlers and Tiaras or Jersey Shore repeats (the Dutch must have a really bad view of Americans!) and we rent so no yard or house work! So- We find ourselves more then ever before heading out for a walk or bike ride after dinner, playing at the park, reading books, and just being goofy with Luke and Audrey! Derek travels  A LOT but when in town- he works from home or makes it a point to be home shortly after Luke gets home from his afternoon school. The kids are at such an amazing age together- Luke is into learning about everything around him. He loves reading books and watching you tube videos about how things in the world around him work. Audrey is chatting up a storm- She is hilarious- singing, dancing, and laughing- all day. We are having a great time as a small family- it eases the struggle of missing everyone back home (and boy do we miss our friends and family!)

Soon I will get it together enough to do a post on our house, neighborhood and what it is like to live in another culture!