Mothers Day Abroad...

This Mothers Day (weekend) was truly memorable not because we are abroad- but because the kids were totally into it! They were so cuddly and wanted to give me special little things all day long. Luke went with Derek to the market to get me flowers ....

We live in a country with some of the most amazing flower in the world- and when you send a three year old to the Market to pick some up... you end up with Neon Orange Gerber daisies- the MOST AMAZING flowers in all the WORLD (at least to me)!

Saturday we took a long (very long) bike ride down the Amstel River. The trip was filled with your typical Holland sites- goats, sheeps, cows, flowers, thatched houses, windmills, cheese and clog shops-

Of course the only two people that took a nap after this journey was Derek and I!

Perhaps the most memorable part of the weekend was our trip to the Amsterdam Bos (forest). Its such a large place with so many things to do. Todays activity was a ride on a boat from miniworld. Check out my adorable Captains- (Audrey is working hard to perfect her "cheese" face)

Luke picked out a rescue boat for our tour of the Lake. Audrey loved steering the boat with Derek and talking to the Ducks as we passed by. Luke called out to everyone he saw on bridges and the shore that he would rescue them if they fell in! 

 I just adore these two kids- even when they refuse to pose for a picture with me!

 I am also so grateful for sharing these moments with their incredible Dad!

We hope that all the amazing Moms we know back in the States had a wonderful Mother's Day as well! 

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!

Queens Day 2012

Queens Day 2012

Queen Beatrix

Our first National Dutch Holiday- Koninginnedag! Translation- Queens Day. Queens Day is a way for the Dutch to honor the House of Orange Royal Family. They have a rather unusual way of honoring the Queen- turning the city into one enormous flee market and party. Throughout the city, areas are designated for selling your goods. We chose to celebrate in Vondelpark at the end of our street. The park is designated for Children only. Kids sell their toys, arts and crafts, and baked goods. They also make carnival games, face paint and perform their special talents. We arrived one hour into the celebration and it was PACKED! The entire 120 acres of the park was a sea of orange. After several hours of wondering, we had friends back to our place for lunch before heading out to explore other areas of the city. The afternoon crowds were a bit too much for the little ones and the grown up flee markets were filled with JUNK! 

Getting ready to head out for our first Queens Day- we told
Luke it was one giant birthday party- hence the shear excitement
in this picture

Favorite Dutch Talents: 

Break dancing to Michael Jackson

Gymnastics

Singing Adele 

Fitting right in- giving a live performance
 with his "monica"

Taking a break from the sea of Orange flee marketers for a little play time

We really enjoyed our First Queens Day in Amsterdam. I was impressed with how well the kids and Derek handled the crowds. Next year we'll have to get a sitter for the afternoon so we can experience the city center which is filled with music, canals bumper to bumper with boats and Dutch singing traditional songs. 

I was a little disappointed that we did not see a parade- oh wait, what is that noise outside of our kitchen window- A PARADE!

Thank you Harikrishna's for making my Queens Day complete! 

Friday Photo Drop

We are really settling into a routine here. It took almost two months! Luke is in school 5 days a week 1:30-5:00. After three days he came home saying his first few Dutch words- Lammetje (lamb), lekker (yummy) , naa (no) and dank you (thank you). He is the only English speaking kid in the class! We've started to meet people that we see on a regular basis and Derek is traveling- A LOT. Here are a few photos from the past week or so. This weekend is Koninginnedag (Queens Day). It's a Dutch National holiday in Honor of the Queens birthday. We have heard it is like Mardi Gras but much larger and everyone wears Orange.

My Carpool Lane 

This is how much I can hold in my European MiniVan-
A week worth of groceries, two kids, a rain shield and some sand toys!

 

  Ferris Wheel in Dam Square

They are becoming such good friends- they have started to go to bed at the same time and they read each other stories and sing songs until they pass out (they share a room here)

Must buy Rain gear! Riding in the bike in the rain is a ton of fun...
until you have to come inside and realize you are freezing cold and soaked!

Caught in our first traffic jam in the minivan-
 sat at a drawbridge for 15 minutes-
did not factor that into the commute to school.

We are having a great time- but the learning curve is tough! At the end of the day I have to laugh about all the things that happen in a day and remind myself that in a few months (hopefully) it will all be second nature (or close to it)

The Colors of the Keukenhof