A day out in the Netherlands, part 1

We have done a lot of traveling over the course of our time in the Netherlands, and have put our convenience of living-in-Europe to good use!  We only have a few months left and have decided to keep our traveling somewhat local - as in, one country.  I think we have done a pretty good job of really exploring the Netherlands, but we are not done yet and there is more to be discovered!  We have several more destinations in mind for day trips around this beautiful country, and yesterday, we checked a few more off of our list.  

We packed a lunch and small day-bag, and headed out to the train station, where we caught a train heading to Den Haag.  The train ride took about two hours to get into the city, and then we had to catch a tram to our destination: Madurodam.  Madurodam is a miniature park and tourist attraction filled with 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch castles, public buildings, and large industrial projects as found at various locations in the country.  It's a pretty convenient, and impressive, way to view most all of Holland in under 2 hours. :)  Truly, the detail and intricacies of each replica was very cool to see.  

I think Brant and I thought this would be a fun place to go as a family, as they had advertised there being several interactive things for kids to play with throughout the park.  Unfortunately, we were both taken by surprise by how stressful the outing became once we arrived on location.  Geoffrey did not wait 15 seconds before bolting down the crowded pathway, attempting to hop over the delicate bushes and landscape and onto a replica street filled with shiny, 2-year-old-toy-sized vehicles, because he "just wanted to play cars." Ha!  Yes, that is what set the tone for the next 2 hours - trying to keep Geoffrey off of just about everything.

I have done my best to minimize (no pun intended) the pictures I have posted on here.  Trust me, I left out quite a few!  Many of the pictures are of places we have visited, with several places unaccounted for.   

Enjoying lunch before entering Madurodam.

Upon entering, we found these bad-boys, and thought we had hit the jack-pot and this would be a breeze.  As you already read up above and can only guess, the kids did not stay seated and we ended up having to maneuver the strollers around the pathways, while trying to keep up with hedge-jumping Geoffrey! 

There it is.  The Netherlands, in all of its highlighted glory.

The tiny trains were a big hit for the kids, and us.  We saw every possible train there was, including the high speed train we took to Paris.  

Weighing the cheese.

He is very happy...but if you look at him long enough, you can also see a little bit of "crazy" in his eyes.  Just after this picture was taken, is when he bolted off the cheese and over the hedges to "just play with cars."

After I had a good talk with him about how we only play with the cars that are at home in Geoffrey's room, he let me take his picture.  The moment the camera snapped, his attention was grabbed and he was off again.

The Rijksmuseum.

This takes being called "tall" to a whole new level.  

Looks like I could be taking this picture from a building across the way.  So realistic!

A part of Amsterdam.  

And this is how Geoffrey looks when I have successfully strapped him into the stroller...it didn't last long.

Dom Square, in Amsterdam.

"Look Mama!  A Minmeal!!"  Geoffrey loves to point out windmills (and still calls them minmeals)! :)

Castle Muiderslot, which we might make a trip out to see in person.

The Maeslant Storm Barrier (which we visited in January).

Waiting for another train...

I was standing this close to him as the train rode by, and was still completely unsuccessful at keeping his hands off of just about every train car!

Finally, a train stopped for several minutes up on a grassy bluff.  Geoffrey did not waste a moment and went right up and took a good long look.  This time, he told me, "Just looking, Mama.  Just looking."  :)  

I guess we've seen the tulip fields! ;)

I love how the detail extends all the way to the tire tracks in the mud.  

I can't tell you how many times we tried to take this picture, but one of them was always running in the opposite direction.  I am "hugging" my kids here, but maybe, just possibly, also holding them in place. 

Found a playground within the park!  It was almost successful, but a bit too big for Geoffrey, and somewhat for Maddie, too.  Bummer!!

He decided he needed my help with the digging machine.  I was happy to oblige, if I could get a picture out of it.

Schipol Airport.  I have only been once, and plan to go back in approximately 2.5 months!

Alkmaar Cheese Market - this would be a fun thing to go see this spring.  

Selling cheese, old school.

We've seen this place lots of times - this is the Kampen Stadhuis, which we ride by on our bikes at least once a week.

It sort of caught me off-guard.  I wasn't expecting to see anything from Kampen here.  Cool!

And finally, Binnenhof, which we also visited in January with my parents.

I saw these beauties as we were exiting the park.

I love how there is almost a neon-glow to them.  

We left Madurodam mid-afternoon, but decided it was too early to head back home just yet.  Stay tuned for part 2 of our day out in the Netherlands! (I know, the excitement is just too much!)

Time goes too fast!

A few days ago, I started watching some old video clips with the kids that were taken over the past 4 years.  Many of these video clips were later edited into short movies, which many of you might recall seeing on this blog a few years ago.  Unfortunately, and I really do not have too many good excuses, I have neglected to edit any of the video clips taken from when Geoffrey was born through now.

Things are going to change, starting today.  I am physically and emotionally incapable of skipping over any period of time without having it documented, so because I have video footage, even from the past, it must be edited.  In an effort to reduce an overwhelmingly long movie post on the blog, I have managed to edit over two years worth of family video clips into one 5 minute movie.  The major bummer about this, however, is that we switched the device in which we took videos with halfway through, and we did not upload all of the footage from the first camera to the computer before we moved to The Netherlands.  This means there is quite a large time gap evident in the movie, and in a few months, when we unpack our boxes and find the old camera, I will have to make another video to cover that "lost year in time." :)

Enjoy our latest family flick (albeit a bit dated), and get excited to see more videos coming soon - with more updated footage!!   

A Springtime Saturday

When I began to plan and carefully choose what limited clothing items to bring on our 9 month stay in the Netherlands, I was sure to take into account the cold, wet, snowy/icy conditions I had been told to anticipate in the winter months.  Our winter clothes have been put to use over here, but not nearly for the hardcore conditions I was expecting.  For example, several months ago, we took note of a few fields that were purposely flooded in expectation of being frozen and used for ice-skating rinks.  People told us all about previous winters, last year included, where the canals remained frozen through mid-March.  Mentally, I was gearing up to be walking Maddie to school in the snow (as school is never cancelled due to weather here), and spending my daytime hours carefully walking to and from the grocery store with Geoffrey, because it would be too dicey to go on the bike.

Boy, have we been taken by surprise!  Spring is here, and it is taking over Kampen!

It isn't too difficult to take advantage of nice weather around here, because any time you do anything outside of the home, recreational or required, you are on a bicycle.  That being said, on this particular Saturday, we decided to head into town to enjoy some coffee before lunch, giving us a destination and something to do out of the ordinary.  It's a good thing we brought the camera along for what appeared to be a small outing.  The scene around town is so picturesque, and there is simply no way of capturing the beauty in what we are experiencing.  

Sunny and high 50's = start to a great day!

I love it when this happens. :)

Our little Dutch girl, balancing on the back of Daddy's bike like a pro.

Sunshine. YES.

The buds are showing up all over the tips of the tree branches, and I think in just a few short weeks, we will be bursting around here!

We made a stop at the Kinderborderij, where the kids enjoyed playing around the yard.  You've seen pictures like this one before - Geoffrey loves this tractor.  Pretty sure he is convinced it belongs only to him.

We ran into our friend Sophia while we were there.

They share a mutual fondness for one another.  And no, the horse is not really as big as it looks in this picture.

It can be pretty difficult to pull Maddie away from this raft.  She's quite good at it, too.  

The problem is, Geoffrey has begun to take an interest in it as well.  He is much too small to go on it...by himself...

What a good Daddy - cause you wouldn't catch me going on that thing!  I know a few parents who have tried and failed. 

At this point, Brant was telling me that he wasn't going to ever get back on this raft again. :)

We left the Kinderborderij and headed to Oudestraat for our coffee treat.  After we had ordered our drinks, we decided it was best to have a bite to eat there as well.  It was an unexpected joy for our kids to eat out, and for us, as nobody else was in the cafe at that point, making it a calm and pleasant dining experience for all!

Somebody in this picture is well trained at smiling for my camera.

Well, if nobody is going to smile, we might as well look smug instead.

Toasted cheese sandwich on a silver platter.  We like to live it up around here.

A quick stop at the market for some produce is becoming all too normal for me; I love it.  The colors, the people, the activity, the smells, the sunshine, the bells chiming, the cafe tables on the street...my heart felt deep contentment today.

We decided to keep to the outdoors just a bit longer before Geoffrey's nap time, so we headed across the river to the next village over, IJsselmuiden.  It was a nice way to extend our bike ride. 

Such a pretty church.

Kampen.

Another familiar picture from previous posts, but I couldn't help myself today.  I even stepped it up a notch and took this picture while riding.

They're pretty great.  I am a blessed woman, indeed.

The weather forecast for the foreseeable future looks like more of the same.  Don't be surprised if you see similar posts to this one on my blog over the next few weeks and months!  I said to Brant that I think we are going to experience the change of a season far more this year than ever before, because we are forced to be outside on our bikes all the time.  We aren't distracted by traffic, radio, passengers (well, that's not entirely true for me :)).  Instead, we are able to keep our eyes open to the significant changes nature is making around us, and it's awesome.

Finding gifts among the crazy

We have been living in Kampen for exactly 6 months.  6 months ago today, we arrived bleary-eyed, excited, nervous, home-sick, ready.  Ready to get this adventure started and move another step closer to our finishing goal.  I can scarcely believe that we have been living in a foreign country for half of a year.  5 years ago, we had just found out that we would be leaving our beloved city of Seattle to move across the country, to what seemed like the most foreign place I would ever find myself living; New Jersey.  Who would have thought that the doors would continue to open and send us to warm and sunny Pasadena, and then clear across the globe to the Netherlands?  There is a reason, when I started this blog 5 years ago, that I titled it, "Call Us Crazy."  Our adventure has been crazy, but the end goal is not, and we are just beginning to see glimpses of what it looks like across that finish line.

As I have been reflecting upon where the last 5 years have brought us, I have also come to the realization (probably obvious to many of you, but I haven't exactly thought of it this way), that I have either been in school or working every year of my life until now.  We could get into the discussion about how being a stay-at-home mom/homemaker is a full-time job, and yes, I agree with that.  However, I am specifically referring to the concept of being expected somewhere; expected to report to someone for some reason.  For the past 6 months, I guess I have been on a sabbatical of sorts, although I never knew I was asking for one.  I have been blessed with the time to pour my energy and focus into my kids, my husband, my home and myself.  It has been so wonderful to sort of dictate my own schedule day by day, around the minor details of Maddie's school and Geoffrey's nap time.  However, this has also been somewhat of a struggle for me.  I am an active, extroverted individual, who thrives on social circumstances and activity.  Living in Kampen for the past 6 months has given me all sorts of time, and so much of it has been on my own.  

Sometimes, if I'm being completely honest, doing the domestic homemaker "thing" has been a bit of a drag.  I remember countless days of aching to just have some extra time on my hands to take care of things, big or little, around the house; countless moments of wanting to slow down time so I could do fun things with my kids without the constrictions of schedules and commitments; countless times of wishing I had a few hours to get my "creative juices" flowing with a craft.  Now that I have these countless days and countless moments this year, I find myself twiddling my thumbs, saying, "What now?  I've done absolutely everything I possibly can on my to-do list, but it's only 9:30 in the morning." Well, sometimes it might be 10:30... ;)  

I'm caught wondering occasionally where the happy medium lies for me.  I know my time here is slowly winding down and it will all be over before I realize what has happened.  I'm desperately trying to find the place in each day where I have made something count.  Really count, no matter how big or small.  And additionally, I am also trying to open my eyes and not let things pass me by, even if I feel like time sometimes couldn't go any slower (so how could anything possibly pass me by, right?).  Each day is a gift, whether I am in Kampen, teaching in a classroom in the suburbs, or walking down Main Street, USA in Disneyland.  I am committed to living that truth out.  

This morning, I took some pictures on my ride back from Maddie's school.  My eyes were very open and have been struck once again with the beauty that lies just outside my door.  This experience, this adventure, this season, is absolutely crazy.  But, man.  If I didn't live through the crazy, I would be missing out on so much.  And for that, and this, I am grateful.  

I can't make this scene up.  It exists and I live here.

The canal just outside of Maddie's school.

This sight makes me very happy.

We are on the cusp of springtime in the Netherlands.

The building with the blue rooftop is Maddie's school.

Sometimes, the grind of riding the bike everywhere, with loads of kids/stuff/groceries, in any kind of weather, every single day, can make it easy for me to lose sight of what is surrounding me.

Yes, this is a duck.  And yes, I found this beautiful today.

This is taken from the main road that connects to our street.  Down at the end of this canal is where Maddie's school is located.  This is my most favorite canal in all of Kampen; from the above pictures, can't you see why?  

From the looks of things, I have a feeling the coming months are going to be nothing short of spectacular, and I'm ready.  

Fairy Princess and Little Chef

For the past 8 weeks, Maddie has been earning money for being a good listener.  Why 8 weeks?  Because it has taken her that long to save up her coins for a special treasure.  She has had her eye on a "princess pack" at a local store in town, which includes a tiara, wand, earrings, necklace, bracelets and shoes.  This particular store is great because it is cheap - the whole "pack" is only 3.99.  On Saturday, the anticipated day had arrived when we informed Maddie that she had finally reached her 3.99 goal and she could purchase the treasure she had been dreaming about!  It was a wonderful moment for all.  Wonderful, that is, until about 15 minutes after her play had begun, when various pieces of the incredibly cheap "treasures" began to break off and fall apart.  No joke; by the end of the day, the only things still in tact were the shoes (which are too small), one earring and two bracelets.  In other words, you get what you pay for.  Now, we typically aren't parents who would feel badly about cheap toys busting, but Maddie had worked so hard to earn the money for these treasures.  We were fast to tell her that we would get her a new set of dress up items this week, from a different store, because she had earned that reward and we wanted her to benefit from her hard work.

Today, the kids and I found the perfect replacement treasures (yes, Geoffrey scored on this outing as well...I couldn't help myself, and they aren't at the age, yet, where Maddie would recognize and call-me-out on buying a toy for Geoffrey, even if he hadn't "earned money" for it).

The hat was his personal touch; completely unprompted. :)  Geoffrey's new treasure was some play food.

Chef Specialty: ketchup covered ice-cream.

:) Little Chef.

Ketchup goes good with everything in this kitchen!

Fairy Princess Maddie.  (The Rapunzel shirt is not a part of the dress - just perfectly coincidental).  Her new treasures included this pretty skirt, wings, a wand and some extra sassy shoes.

She was so happy with her new treasures, and exclaimed, "Thank you, Mommy, for getting me toys that aren't broken!"

Little bit of sass, to go along with the sassy new princess shoes.

Little Chef and Fairy Princess make my heart swell.  I love these two!