Two-wheeler Dutch girl

When we moved to the "land of bike riding," we were blessed and each given a bike, including the kids, to use during our time in Kampen.  Maddie's bike is purple, has a pink basket on the front and a pink seat = perfection, right?  Almost.  She desires to ride that bike whenever we give her an opportunity (and when the weather is decent), because she has been determined to "ride something like the other kids in Kampen do."  The problem is the bike is too big for her.  We thought adding the training wheels would help with the issue, but they didn't stay in place for very long before slipping and changing positions; never a good thing when one is relying on them to balance!  We also hoped that maybe once she figured out the balancing act a bit more, the training wheels could just come off and we would be set.  (She did have a "balance bike" last summer which she loved, and clearly it helped her confidence.)

This last month, she has become even more determined (and sometimes stubborn) about getting on her bike (that is too big), and riding it as much as possible, in hopes that she will be able to learn how to ride on her own.  We have felt sort of helpless because our time is winding down here, and we didn't necessarily want to drop money on a bike for such a short period.  But, we also have heard the longing in her voice, watched her determination grow each day, and would love to help foster her desire to ride a bike!

A few days ago, after school, we were playing at the park just next to Maddie's school.  The weather was in the upper 60's - beautiful - and so many kids/parents were out enjoying the afternoon together.  Maddie expressed deep concern, once again, that she wanted to "ride something like all the other kids," and didn't understand why she couldn't.  One of her friends graciously handed over his 1-day-old bike to let her ride it.  His bike did not have training wheels, but that did not stop Maddie from getting on.  What I saw was something awesome.  She hopped on that bike, she wobbled around a bit, and then she just started to go.  And I mean, go!  She was biking circles around the park, by herself.  She was weaving in and out of so many kids playing, by herself.  It was so fun to see!!  Maddie was incredibly reluctant to give up the bike after a solid 20 minutes of riding.

Another friend's dad, who knows how short our time is left in Kampen, came over and asked if we would like to borrow a bike for Maddie, and that he could get it to us by Monday.  Yes!  There was no hesitation coming from Maddie's or my mouth!  (She actually had a difficult time grasping the idea that she would have to wait for a few more days to get the bike.)  Skipping over to Saturday morning, there was a knock on our door, and the bike had made an early appearance.  Maddie furiously put her shoes on and raced outside, and we've hardly seen her since! :)

With the exception of meal times, rest times and a few other indoor play times, we have been outside riding bikes!  Maddie has even made a successful trip to the grocery store with Brant, on bike paths next to the canals, over bridges, and up and around her school and back, no problem.  

These pictures were taken on our first bike outing yesterday.  And, no.  She does not have a helmet, yet.

Someone better hurry up and catch up with her - she's fast!

Truly, the smile will not wipe away from her face.  She is so proud of herself!  And she should be!!

Geoffrey is behind her, practicing his biking skills, too. :)

We are SO proud of you, Maddie Mae!!!

Ever was so proud of Maddie, too. :)

I guess we have ourselves a true Dutch girl: she speaks the language, she goes to Dutch school, she rides a two-wheeler all around town like the other kids, she owns wooden shoes, and she even has 1/8 Dutch blood in her!  

And as a treat for reading through my entire post, here is a bonus video of our little bike rider, taken over progression of a few days.  If anything, it's kind of fun to show you what riding a bike in Kampen looks like!

A day out in the Netherlands, part 2

...continuing our afternoon adventure after Madurodam...

We hit the beach!!  The weather was not warm and sunny Southern California beach weather, but it was clear and beautiful, so why not?    

This is Scheveningen Beach.  If you look up pictures of this beach in warm weather, it becomes strikingly similar to that of any popular Southern California beach.  

We did not have a plan as to what we were going to do at the beach - no buckets, no towels, no suits - but that didn't stop us from meandering around for a bit, exploring pieces of the boardwalk and the sand.  It was chilly; this beach is the shoreline to the North Sea and, well, let's be honest, it is technically still winter here.  So yes, cold, but completely worth it. 

A highlight for the kids was sitting in McQueen.  A highlight for us was that they had no idea he could move if you put money into him.  Win win! ;)

Not too cold for ice cream on the boardwalk!  (Almost too cold, but not quite.)

Everyone else agreed, too.  The weather was pretty enough for a trip to the beach.

Diving in - our little California babes! (Although love of sand and beaches is not secluded to that part of the world!)

Their happiness made the whole trip worth it - even all the cat and mouse chasing that went on earlier in the day!

Maddie broke out her yoga moves.  Geoffrey was just salivating at the ginormous sandbox he was playing in.

Beach beauty in her dress, leggings and fleece coat.  Her mittens were tucked in her pockets.  Ha!  Just such a difference from every other beach trip we have made in her childhood. 

See what I mean?  Salivating... 

Selfie in the wind...

Upon looking at the last picture, we both agreed there was just a little too much forehead action going on, so tried again.  Brant took care of it for me.

The Scheveningen Pier.  The tower in the background is used for bungee jumping.  It wasn't running when we were there, but I can imagine it is probably pretty popular in the warmer months. 

Getting their toes wet in the North Sea!  I can't believe we managed to convince them that they could only get their toes wet, especially with how selective their listening skills had been earlier that day.   I was sure we were destined to be carrying wet children home with us.  They loved it for a few waves, and were content to come back to the sand.  Phew!

Maddie was quite keen on making sand angels.

I didn't know what I was taking a picture of until I came home and looked it up.  This is the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel. It was right along the boardwalk and definitely dominated the scene, but not in an obnoxious way.

And finally, because I have no shame in how silly I might look after a long day out, I will share a few pictures of how Geoffrey and I passed the time during some of the long journey home.  Thank goodness for cameras that have a flip screen = easy entertainment! 

This kid has a really long tongue, and he is becoming more and more infatuated with it, which means this is a pretty regular sight in our house.  

Two more sights to check off of our list.  We are looking forward to filling up the rest of our time with more uniquely Dutch destinations.  

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!)