Smith's In Holland
March 30 - July 9

We got off to a great start last Sunday morning for our trip to Rome. We took the train to the airport and flew to Rome without a hitch. Both kids did great on the airplane. We found our taxi driver waiting for us and we all piled into the van for the Hotel Pantheon. It was very hot and humid that day. Trevor was excited that he got to go on a train, a plane, and a taxi all in one day! As we drove to the hotel we were amazed at how old the city was.

We checked into the hotel which was right around the corner from the Pantheon (first picture). It was unreal that we were staying so close to something that was so old! That evening was the beginning of pizza, pasta, paninis, ice cream, wine, and tiramisu!

On Monday we decided to tackle the Coliseum. We smooshed into a taxi and it was a quick ride there. We decided to do a guided tour when we got there. It was very informative but wasn't very practical with the kids. We didn't do much listening to our tour guide but kind of hung in the back. The best part was not having to wait in line to get in. We did get a free photo with a "gladiator" in front! Trevor enjoyed climbing the walls and structures inside and playing "no smile" games with Daddy. We were surprised through our whole trip at how close we were able to get to the monuments and structures. We'd be walking down a road and along the side would be an old pillar or part of an ancient building just sitting there. It was on this day that we discovered the best panini sandwiches from a tiny grocery store a few doors down from our hotel. Every day we had one and they were so yummy! That afternoon we visited the Trevi Fountain (we called it the Trevor Fountain). They say that if you throw money into it, you'll be back to visit Rome. We will be back many times for all the coins Trevor threw in! That evening on our way back to the hotel from dinner we were walking through the narrow streets and plazas and we heard live classical music, like from a huge orchestra. We turned the corner and in a small plaza right in the middle of the city there was a stage set up with a military orchestra with probably 50 musicians playing a concert. There were hundreds of people standing and sitting listening. It was amazing...probably one of the coolest things I've ever experienced.

On Tuesday Kirk and Connie went to Vatican City to do a tour while we stayed back. We decided that the Vatican would be too hard to take the kids to. So Ryan, myself, and the kids walked to an old church near the coliseum that had a gigantic face sculpture. Legend has it that if you put your hand in its mouth, it will chomp down if you don't tell the truth. Trevor liked sticking his hand it its nose. We then walked to the ancient race track just up the hill and caught a taxi back to the hotel. When Kirk and Connie got back we learned that the guided tour didn't end up being very good. And worst of all, Connie almost got pick-pocketed! They were standing in line to enter the Vatican Museums and three women came up and started begging and kind of pushing up to them. Connie kept pushing one in particular away and saying "No." And just then, Kirk saw her reaching into Connie's purse for her wallet and he grabbed her wrist and pushed her up against the wall. He yelled for Connie to check her purse and thankfully everything was there. But the woman had unzipped it and almost got her wallet!

On Wednesday, Ryan and I went to Vatican City without the kids. It was the first time we have been together without the kids since we had moved! We took a taxi and as we're driving up and past the famous St. Peter's square we could hear someone's voice on a loud speaker. Our taxi driver was stretching his neck to try and look into the square. There were lots of people and we could see a covered podium on the steps. We asked our driver what was happening and he said "Papa" and Ryan said to me "That's the Pope." And I yelled "The Pope??!!" I couldn't believe we had heard the Pope speak. We decided that it would be a good time to go to the Vatican Museums though because we knew Kirk and Connie had waited a long time the day before. We only had to wait about 15 minutes. The museums were amazing. Words can't really descibe all the sculptures, paintings, and mosaics. And they save the best until last...the Sistine Chappel. It was breathtaking. That afternoon Ryan realized that the supposedly the best coffee house in Rome was right across the street from our hotel. They made great cappuccinos and iced coffees. Yum!!! We then took a taxi home and met up with Kirk and Connie. That afternoon we did some more sight seeing and Trevor had one of his worst melt downs ever. He was getting tired and none of us blamed him.

On Thursday we decided to take a taxi to a large park within the city. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and sight seeing but it wasn't that nice of a park. We did find a play structure that Trevor played on for a while...until a little Italian boy took a wiz right in the middle of it. So we decided to leave and we found a taxi. And sadly, as soon we got back into our hotel room, I realized that I had left my purse in the taxi. Yep, my wallet, money, credit cards, drivers license, digital camera and baby stuff was all in it. It was an awful realization and to make a long story short, we never recovered it. The hotel staff was very helpful though but unfortunatly, as we often say to Trevor, it went "bye bye for ever."

Friday morning we went to a few more shops we wanted to go to one last time, had our last panini sandwiches, and our last ice cream cones (Trevor had an ice cream cone at least twice a day and every time only ate a few bites...because of this we discovered Ashley LOVES ice cream). Our ride to the airport was on time and we made it home without a problem. I'm so thankful that the kids travel so well. I really liked Italy and found that the Italians were very nice people. They were always smiling at Ashley and Trevor. The Italians were so fashionable and tan and thin. Their language was beautiful I thought... they all had that typical Italian accent. Ryan and I love the Godfather movies so it was fun to be in that kind of Italian setting.

Kirk and Connie leave on Thursday. It will be sad to see them go but I don't want to think about that yet!

Ryan's parents arrived on Wednesday. I think we were a little anxious because their flight didn't arrive in Amsterdam until 12:20pm and we left our house at 10:45am. We ended up waiting for them for quite a while but we were just so excited. As soon as we saw Grandpa Kirk, he saw us, and I have never seen such a huge smile on Trevor's face. He was so excited to see them (us as well). After hugs and kisses we drove them through downtown Amsterdam and then headed to our house in Bussum. As a surprise, Ryan's Mom brought a German Chocolate cake mix and frosting...yummm!!! Thank you!!!

As a side note (and mostly so I don't forget although I don't think I will) I had made potato salad to have with dinner that night. The potato section at the grocery store here is bigger then the cereal aisle. In other words, the Dutch like their potatos. But me, being a foreigner, thought I was buying peeled and cooked potatoes that were already cut. However, we didn't discover they were raw until we all took our first bite of it. It was pretty awful and I was so embarassed. "Welcome to the Netherlands!" I said to them.

On Thursday morning we headed into downtown Bussum and walked around. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe. Kirk is still trying to figure out how to say "Thank you" in Dutch. The way it sounds is like "donkue velle" (not sure how it's really spelled). Kirk wants to say "donkey kong." It's so funny!

We had an appointment to pick up our new car (our 4th) in Hilversum, which is the town that Ryan works, at 3pm that day. Nike provides us with a car and we kind of had to make a stink about getting a bigger car. It's a brand new 7 seater Renault Grand Scenic and it will be great for us here, especially when we have visitors. The strangest thing about the car though (other then it is a Renault) is that it doesn't have a key to start it. You put in this thick credit card type thing in the dashboard, put your foot on the brake, and then push a big button on the dashboard. It's so bizarre. It will take a while to get used to.

Yesterday, we went to the famous cheese market in Alkmaar (north of Amsterdam). It was a cute town with lots of shopping. The cheese demonstration was interesting. I think they weigh the big rounds of cheese and they are then bidded on. We sampled some great cheeses and bought some to take home. We then had yummy lunch at a cute outdoor cafe. On our way home we drove by Trevor's school and then went to a small Wooden Shoe factory and store. Ryan bought some wooden shoes that actually fit him and had the woodmaker burn a swoosh on them. He said he gets lots of requests for that. He told us it is illegal to drive a car wearing wooden shoes in Holland. Every now and then I actually see men wearing dirty old wooden shoes.

Today, Ryan, his parents, and Trevor took the train into downtown Amsterdam to sight see.

OK, Ryan here...Jenna is having me do the typing since she wasn't there. We started off with a brisk walk (Trevor rode his bike) to the train station to catch the 11:21 direct from Bussum to Amsterdam Central Station, it took about half an hour. From there we headed straight to the Red Light District so Trevor could continue to expand his international exposure...OK maybe not. There are a couple neat churches in the area. The Oude Kerk (Old Church) was initially built in the 1300's and was quite interestering with the entire floor comprised of crypts/tombs dating back hundreds of years. Another was the Amstelkring, which is called 'Our Lord in the Attic' church. It was built after the Dutch drove the Catholic Spanish out of Holland and made practicing Catholicism illegal. So in 1661 some clever Catholics built a full church inside a very normal looking canal house. Once we got my Dad out of the Bulldog Coffeeshop and the Cheetoh's cleaned off his hands we moved along and headed to the Koningklijk Paleis (Queen's Palace) for a self-guided tour inside. It was quite interesting walking through the rooms, all of which were used for specific purposes (insurance, bankruptcy, justice, treasury, city council). But we did get to the point when Trevor says, "lets get out of here". So we moved along, through a downpour on a day that was forecasted as sunny and 25 (that's about 75 for you Americans). We did end up paying 20 euros for a couple of umbrellas so we could continue our day out. We walked past the flower market and through the antique district to the canal in front of the Rijkmuseum, where we caught a canal boat headed back for Central Station. This was Trevor's favorite part of the day, sticking his head out the window the whole way, but he most enjoyed putting his arms in the air as we passed under every bridge (the other passengers found it very entertaining). We finally made it back to Bussum on the sneltrain (fast train) where Trevor's bike and helmet were still locked up among about 1,000 other bikes.

Thanks Ryan for the brief history lesson. Ashley and I stayed here so she could get some good naps in and I could get our bags packed for Rome. We leave tomorrow morning and are going to take the train to the airport. We get back Friday night...so until then!

I forgot to mention that on Ryan's birthday he said all the women at work gave him kisses. Yep, that's right, three kisses (right cheek, left cheek, and then right cheek again)...so european! It's also tradition for who ever is having a birthday to bring in a cake or cookies or sweets to work to share with everyone. So for this very Dutch tradition, I made very American chocolate chip cookies for Ryan to take to work!

Last Thursday and Friday were very hot days...in the 90's. On Friday Ryan left work early and we went to the beach that's on a lake near our house that we found the other day near the golf course. We were not impressed. It was very crowded and there was garbage everywhere. The water had lots of seaweed in it too.

On Saturday we all went for a bike ride. We had to get a few things in downtown Bussum. Trevor rode his bike right behind Ryan's bike and I pulled Ashley in the trailer. I was scared to death when we had to ride our bikes on super busy roads. Trevor did great though but I think next time we'll walk our bikes on the busy roads. None of the kids wear helmets here and we always get kind of funny looks when Trevor has his helmet on. But there is now way I'm taking a chance.

On Sunday Ryan took the kids to Ikea to get a few more things and I stayed here and painted. The walls in the kitchen area were light blue and I painted them a bright cheery yellow. After Ikea, Ryan took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. When they finished eating they went outside to the play area. Some other children came out a little later and one of them walked up to Trevor and said "Hi Trevor!" Ryan was a little shocked. It was a little boy, Adam, from his class at school. His Dad had brought him and his two sisters there to play so Trevor played with them while Ryan visited with his Dad.

And the best news of the day is that through a friend of a friend here, I found an American family who lives on the same street as us with 2 girls (one is 3 and I think the other is 6) that will be going to the same school as Trevor (we're 67 and they're 37)! Her name was on a Mom and Tot list that is based on the smaller international school that is closer to us. We shared a few emails back and forth and then this morning she came by with her mother-in-law and introduced herself. I was still in my pjs! But she was very very nice and they just moved here in January from Chicago. It's such a relief to know that there is someone close by who's new as well that has kids that will go to the bigger international school with Trevor. I'm so excited and I didn't have anyone to tell! I couldn't get a hold of Ryan at work and it's 3am back in Portland.

Ryan's parents come on Wednesday...we are so excited! And we leave for Rome in a week!

Happy Birthday Ryan! The big three two!

Today we met Ryan at Nike for lunch. Afterwards, we all went to the employee store, bought some things for me and Ashley :), and then went to the convenient store on campus and Trevor picked out some candy (his favorite thing to do there).

After we left Nike the kids and I bought some balloons and streamers and picked up Ryan's birthday cake at the bakery. When I went the other day to order it, I asked if they could make a German Chocolate cake (Ryan's favorite). They looked at me very puzzled and showed me a picture of a chocolate cake. And I said "No German Chocolate, with coconut and pecans and..." and they said "No" again. So I ordered a chocolate mouse cake which turned out to be yummy. Funny experience though.

We then drove to the post office here in Bussum to pick up a package from my parents that I knew had a present for Ryan in it. The mailman had tried to deliver it yesterday but we weren't home. He left a note in our mailbox and I assumed it explained that we needed to go to the post office to pick it up (it was all in dutch). When we got to the Post Office though, they explained that I needed to go to a different post office to get it. I asked if they could have just left it on our door step and she said "Nooo!" and looked at me like I was crazy. So after driving around I eventually found the post office counter that was in a grocery store that was in a little mall in a neighboring town and got the package. It was worth the adventure though...thanks Mom and Dad!

We picked up Ryan from work around 4pm and headed for one of the little malls near our house called Maxis. I had asked Trevor a few weeks ago what he wanted to get Daddy for his birthday and we had decided that a fish tank would be fun. Trevor was so excited about it, he accidently blurted it out to Ryan that night at dinner and right after covered his mouth and said "uh oh." It was so cute. So 160 Euros later we have a nice aquarium with three gold fish (Elvis, Yankee, and Sunshine).

I've noticed on the last two holidays, Mother's Day and Father's Day, that I got pretty homesick. I think we kept ourselves busy today with Ryan's birthday that we didn't get too sad. We're looking forward to Ryan's parents coming in a week!

Happy Birthday Grandma Connie! Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day too!

Last Thursday when I picked Trevor up from school, I realized that Friday was going to be his last day. I said to him, "Tomorrow is your last day of school." And he said, "And then I go on a holiday?" He's becoming so European! It was so cute!

On Friday there was a train strike so no trains were running. So Ryan rode his bike all the way to work. It took him about 25 minutes and he got hot and didn't enjoy it very much. Traffic was pretty bad that day and there were lots of people riding bikes that day. As I was driving on Friday I was noticing that people had hung backpacks on their flagpoles outside where they hang their dutch flag. I was thinking it had to do with the train strike so I had Ryan ask someone at work what that was all about. Apparently, it means that someone in that house has graduated from highschool. Very cute tradition.

This weekend the weather was very warm and sunny. It was going to be in the 80's so we decided to go to the beach on Saturday (and hopefully miss the crowds who would all be coming on Sunday since nothing is open on Sundays). We got there around noon and got a great parking spot. We were there for about 4 hours and Ryan and I got sunburned. As the day went on, it got very crowded. Trevor had lots of fun and him and Ryan got all the way in the water...brrr!! Trevor's favorite thing to do was to run back up on the beach and immediately lay down on the warm sand and just kind of roll around in it to warm up. It was funny.

One thing that I'm finding a bit frustrating is not being able to communicate to dutch children when I feel like I need to. For example, at the beach there were some older kids that were throwing wet sand and running around crazy. There were tons of little kids around and I really wanted to go up to them and ask them to stop or go somewhere else. Another time a child who was probably 6 or 7 kicked a ball and it landed right on Trevor's head...thankfully it was one of those soft balls you can buy at grocery stores and he was ok...just surprised because he didn't see it coming. He was definitly old enough to say sorry or something but he just stared at us with kind of a half smile. I wanted to tell him to say "sorry" or at least say something to him for Trevor's sake, and I just sat there not knowing what to do. And when we were at the zoo last week, I was sitting on a bench holding Ashley while Trevor was playing on one of the playgrounds. A zoo worker (who was mentally disabled) came up and was emptying the garbage next to the bench. He came right up to us and started talking to Ashley and then started touching her cheek. He then started putting his arm around Ashley and kind of cornering us on the bench and I felt frightened. There were lots of people around and I was trying to say "Ok, no, no" very nicely but he didn't stop. So I just started talking in english and saying I had to go find my son and I stood up and kind of had to push him out of the way. It was a difficult situation. I guess we should take some dutch language lessons but I just don't see how I'd have time to do that right now.

On Sunday Trevor and I went for a bike ride with him in the trailer. We went to a park and to try and feed some ducks but we couldn't find any. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a father riding his bike with a infant car seat strapped to the back. It was obviously a contraption that was meant to attach car seats to bikes but it just seemed so unsafe! It was wobbling all over the place. Trevor also played in the sprinkler in our backyard. He loved it. It's going to be hard not having air conditioning all summer!

Both kids are a little sick...they both have a cough right now. We haven't been going to the Nike Mom and Tots group the past few weeks...Trevor is just too old for it and Ashley is too young. When I've asked Trevor if he wants to go he says no. So we'll wait until the Fall to start going again. Ashley will be the perfect age for it and Trevor will be at school.

I did get a Mom and Tots list emailed to me by one of the girls I met a few weeks ago. One of names on the list is just a few houses down from us...on the same street! And they're American! Not sure how old the kids are but I will definitly be contacting them.

On Saturday, we went to a driving range. Trevor has been asking to go to one and we finally found out where one was (very close to our house). So he got to use his little golf clubs and Ryan got to swing a few swings with his (first time in about 6 months he says). It also has a small par 3 course which looked decent. On our way there, we found a really nice sandy beach area which we will definitly visit when it gets warmer.

The bath picture is Trevor and Ashley's first real bath together where Ashley is sitting by herself. She splashes like crazy and laughes at Trevor. It was all fun and games until Ashley pooped in the bath. Yep, it happened (and actually it wasn't the first time either with her). Poor Trevor. Sadly, he wasn't too surprised it happened and quickly got out of the tub.

Today we decided to go to the Dierenpark in Amersfoort (the zoo). It took about 30 minutes to get there and it was a great zoo. It wasn't huge like the Oregon Zoo and it was all flat so it was easy to walk around. The exibits were small and actually they let you get pretty close to the animals. In the picture of the Rhino, Trevor was only about 6 feet away from it...there was no fence or glass barrier...just these piles of rocks. He asked me if it was a costume or if it was real. The zoo also had great playgrounds and Trevor was so excited. There was one that was gigantic...the biggest play structure I've ever seen.

After about 3 hours, we were ready to leave. We get back to our car and try to leave the parking area through the gate and I couldn't get the gate to open up. Fortunatly there was no one behind me so I backed up and asked a tour bus drive how to get out. He proceeded to explain and show me that I needed a "coin" to get the gate to open up and that I was supposed to get it back at the ticket booth. Both kids were crying and I was so frustrated! With a nice smile I asked him if I could have his and he laughed and said "No way!" So I had to park again, drag both kids back to the ticket booth and get "the coin." Finally it worked and we were on our way. What is it with the dutch and having to pay for everything here! You have to pay to park everywhere, you have to pay for grocery bags, you have to pay for shopping carts...aaahhhh! I'm fed up with it!

This past week was just a regular week for us...just the routine normal stuff. On Monday night I went to a woman's house who's husband works for Nike. She organizes a knitting night through the American's Woman's Club of Amsterdam (which I will join in July). There were 5 women there total. It was nice to socialize with English speaking women! I found a knitting store in Bussum last weekend and got some yarn and needles. Funny story...I looked online for "knitting store the netherlands" and a page came up with a small list of stores and one happened to be in our town, Bussum.

On Tuesday Trevor's class at the ISA had a little party to celebrate the end of the year. Trevor only goes to school on Thursday's and Friday's so it was fun for him to be there on a Tuesday. The party was in the courtyard and the kids got to play on the play equipment and have ice cream cake. We were there for about an hour. These pictures are from that day. They have really fun play structures at the school and the big circle thing that all the kids are on in the picture goes around in a circle if you push it. Trevor was pushing it while all the kids were on it and they were screeching his name...it was so cute. Trevor's on the left side in the green coat. He's always in that green coat. In fact, Trevor is obsessed with long sleeve shirts these days (what is it with kids and their clothes?!). He refuses to wear tshirts. It takes a lot of convincing on warm days that he should wear a tshirt. But I guess I don't blame him...it's still a little chilly here. But even on warm sunny days, the dutch still wear their coats and scarves.

On Thursday I went to another woman's house who was having some of her friends over. I met her through the other woman above. They all know each other through the American Woman's Club and the other International School that's in our area. I think I'm learning that I will make contacts through friends of friends of friends. It's nice because all the expats here are all in the same boat and they've all experienced what we've been going through.

On Friday evening we decided to go out to dinner. We looked online and found a pancake restaurant in a town called Huizen which is very close to us. Pancake restaurants are very popular here...they are actually called Pannekoekens. It was a great little restaurant that was very kid friendly and quick. You basically order this huge flat pannekoeken and then decide what you want on it...like fruit, whipcream, cheese, salami, etc. I ordered one with fruit, Ryan got one with ice cream, chocolate, bananas, and whip cream on it (???) and we ordered Trevor one with ice cream on it. They were so yummy. We were having a great time until 6 women sat down next to us and all started to smoke. Everyone smokes here...and everywhere. Fortunatly we were just about done. The kids did great though and we'll definitly be going back.

This weekend we're going to work in our yard a little. Oh, by the way, I mowed our lawn on Wednesday! I was so pleased with myself. It was very easy because it's an electric mower. Also, I filled up our car with gas yesterday too! You're probably thinking...what's the big deal? In Oregon we don't fill our cars up...the gas attendants do it for you so I've hardly ever done it myself. Also, I had to use the gas card that Nike gave us so I was a little unsure how that would work. But I had no choice...I wouldn't have made it to pick up Trevor from school. It cost 67 Euros to fill it up which is about $81 (thank you Nike for paying for our gas!).

We're counting the days until Grandma Connie and Grandpa Kirk come. I think about 18 more days!

We had a successful and fun vacation to Disneyland and Paris. I'm apologizing first thing for the length of this entry but I want to have a detailed journal of our adventures.

We left on Sunday morning. As we drove into Belgium I noticed how the landscape got pretty ugly. We drove through Antwerp and it was very industrial and flat. But as we entered France, the landscape got much prettier. There were rolling green hills with fields and small villages off in the distance. In the middle of a little village you could see a tall church steeple in every one. It also cost us over 20 Euros in toll charges to drive on the freeways.

It took us about 5.5 hours to get to Disney New York hotel and the kids did great the whole way. At one point we had all our windows rolled down on the freeway while we were all laughing like crazy. We got to the hotel around 330pm and discovered that in our confirmation letter that was mailed to us, which happened to be in Dutch, the pool at our hotel was closed. We were able to use another pool at a different hotel though.

We also found out that the Pirates of the Carribean ride was going to close the next day. So we rushed to our room, threw our bags in, got the stroller and all our stuff loaded on, and raced to the park (which was about a 10 minute walk). As we were getting there, the parade was about to start, which meant it was going to be a perfect time to do the Pirates of the Carribean ride...no lines! Trevor was old enough to do the ride and they said that children older then 1 could ride too. So both kids could do it (even though Ashley is 7 months)! We waited in line for just a few minutes and got loaded onto a boat...front row! I was holding Ashley and Trevor was sitting in between me and Ryan. Once the ride started going, Ryan and I realized that this was probably not the best Disneyland ride for Trevor to experience first...or Ashley! We got a little wet on the ride and Ashley screamed bloody murder for most of it. Trevor was a little shocked by the scary pirates. We were all glad to exit the ride when it was all done. We did purchase the 12 Euro photo that was taken of us during the ride...it's hillarious!

After that we did all the typical Disneyland rides...Dumbo, Teacups, Peter Pan, It's a Small World. Trevor loved them all. We left the park at 8pm and on our way out saw Mickey. It was so weird to hear little kids running up to him saying "Bonjour Mickey!!" We tried to squeeze our way in but they were rushing Mickey off like he was a celebrity. Trevor wanted to know why Mickey didn't want to see him...it broke our hearts! We just kept explaining, everytime this happened, that they had to hurry to go to the bathroom.

We ate dinner at the hotel that night and discovered that the food at the hotel and at the park was awful. Unfortunatly, we all got to bed late, 10pm, which we did almost every night. That was a mistake.

On Monday we got to the park around 11am after our free, and not very good, continental breakfast. Trevor did several other rides in the morning and early afternoon. During lunch, we watched a French version of a live Lion King performance (the songs were in English). It was very loud and again the food wasn't good but Trevor enjoyed it. After lunch we found a playground at the park which Trevor loved. He could have stayed there all day. We also found a shooting gallery game which Trevor loved to do with Ryan (hence the rifle Trevor's holding in the picture with Pluto!). We thought Trevor was going to be able to do Thunder Mountain but he wasn't tall enough. He really wanted to do a roller coaster so we found a Junior one in the corner of the park that he loved. And it wasn't crowded. Him and Ryan did it 4 times in a row. Next to it was a fairy tale boat ride which was nice and relaxing.

We decided to leave the park around 530pm and go to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Disney Village which was on the way back to our hotel. It was the best meal I've had since we've moved here. We had to eat quick but it was yummy! After dinner there was a track set up where kids could drive battery operated motorcycles and cars. Trevor did that and loved it. We got back to the hotel and Ryan and Trevor went swimming. They had lots of fun and got home at 10pm.

On Tuesday Trevor slept in until around 10am...not surprised...but he was really out of it most of the day. I think he had had enough of Disneyland but still wanted to be there. We had a character lunch at noon where we ate lunch with some of the characters. We were seated at a table that was right next to the door where the characters came out of. When Minnie walked out, everyone said "Minnie!!" and she walked straight to our table. She stretched out her arms to hold Ashley and I gave her to her. Ashley started cooing and making cute screaming sounds and everyone in the whole restaurant went "Awwwwww." It was so funny! Ashley loved the characters...and they loved Ashley.

After lunch we went to the shooting gallery, playground, and car ride again. Then we sat on the curb with all the other kids and parents and waited for the parade. After the parade, we did the Junior roller coaster and fairy tale boat ride again and then decided to get dinner early. We went to the Mickey Cafe in Disney Village and was able to meet some other characters there too. There was a hot air balloon ride just outside our hotel which Ryan and Trevor did. It went really high up...not sure exactly how high but Trevor loved it. He has no fear of stuff like that...amazing. That night Trevor and I went swimming and then got to bed around 930pm.

On Wednesday we had room service for breakfast which was nice. As we were packing up our stuff and leaving the hotel, Trevor was saying he didn't want to leave Disneyland...it made me so teary. I think he had fun but I also think he was ready to leave...even though he was saying he didn't want to go.

I haven't said much about Ashley because she was great the whole time. She just goes with the flow and was in her stroller most of the time. She's a happy baby and likes being on the go. Thank goodness!!

So we drove to downtown Paris from Disneyland in about 1/2 hour. Driving in Paris is crazy! The lanes aren't marked on many of the roads and people just drive where ever they want. Pedestrians have the right of way and they'll just walk into an intersection without looking if anyone is coming. Remember the scene in European Vacation where Chevy Chase is driving in a roundabout and keeps going around and around and around because he can't figure out how to get out of it...that's what Paris was like. It was histerical! It was so frightening!

The city architecture was amazing. Everything looked so old and ancient. We drove past a few monuments like the Louve and Arc de Triomphe then found the Eiffel Tower. It was breathtaking. It's very different close up. We parked and hung out there for a while and had ice cream (Europeans love ice cream...you can get it anywhere!). There was a nice park next to the tower and I fed Ashley while Trevor and Ryan played chase. (Notice the tiny pink Eiffel tower on top of Trevor's head in the last picture?) Around 230pm we got back in the car and headed home.

Phew! Long trip and we're glad we're home. Although, on our way home, I was feeling a bit homesick for our real home in Oregon. But Trevor went back to school today and Ryan is back at work so we're back in a routine again. Our next adventure is to Rome Italy with Ryan's parents. They'll be here in less then a month!

On Friday, Trevor's school had "Sports Day" for the lower school. For a couple hours in the afternoon they had games, races, bounce-arounds, and other activities for the kids to participate in. Parents could come and watch. Trevor was a little timid at first. It was very overwhelming...there were lots of people and it was very hot. But after a while he warmed up to the games and started playing.

Today we packed the kids in the bike trailer (we put pillows under and around Ashley so she'd be more secure) and rode to downtown Bussum on our new bikes. Ryan towed the kids in the trailer behind his bike. It was a beautiful day and downtown was very busy with people and bicyclists. I almost crashed once and almost tipped my bike over after I parked it. I really would have looked like a foreigner! We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe and then Ryan and Trevor got their hair cut. It was the first for them since we've been here! At one point we looked at the kids in the trailer and they were holding hands...it was so cute!

The rest of the day, we packed and got ready for our trip to Disneyland Paris! We leave tomorrow morning and it will probably take 4-6 hours to get there (depending on who you ask). We will drive through Belgium to get to France. Both kids do great in the car so it should be a fairly easy trip (knock on wood). We're hoping they'll sleep for part of the trip. I'm looking forward to seeing the landscape. Trevor helped pack his "soupcase" today so he is very excited. He's excited to go swimming at the hotel too. We're staying at the Disneyland New York Hotel. He loves pushing the buttons on the "alligators" (elevators) too. It should be a fun vacation.

On Friday Trevor fell asleep at school during "quiet time" which is what I think they'd like the kids to do (they have them lay down with a pillow and blanket for an hour). It made me happy because I think he finally felt relaxed and comfortable there.

On Saturday we spent a small fortune on two bikes and a bike trailor. The bikes are "Mary Poppins" style bikes and the trailor is the type where two kids can sit in it while it's being towed behind a bike. You can also take it off the bike and push it like a stroller. It has a rain cover as well. Having a bike here is pretty much a necessity. It's so flat here, you can get to just about anywhere easily. And they make it so easy to ride anywhere here. On the main roads in town, there are basically sidewalks for the bike riders that are in between the walking side walk and the road. Bikers always have the right of way. They have their own traffic lights as well at intersections. It's a big no-no if you get in the way of a bicylist...we've gotten several dirty looks. Ashley can almost sit up in the trailer but I think she's a little too small still. So Ryan took Trevor for a long bike ride on Saturday...they were gone for several hours and had lots of fun.

On Saturday Ryan's mission was also to find propane for our gas BBQ that we bought the weekend before. For some reason, it's impossible to find propane here. He tracked down someone who knew of only two places in our town that sold it. Once he got there he had to buy all the tubing and parts to attach it to our BBQ. You'd think that if they sold gas BBQs here, they'd make getting propane just as easy! Nope! But we finally got it and BBQd hamburgers Saturday night. The smell of the BBQ was wonderful!

On Sunday Trevor's school had a big PTA Craft Fair. It was nice to get out and spend some time at Trevor's school. I met a woman there who has a 2.5 year old and a baby and little younger then Ashley. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. She's from Colorado and will actually be moving back to the US in the Fall. But it's at least one more contact. Trevor had a lot of fun at the fair and didn't want to leave. He especially liked the fishing game (you know the one where you pretend to fish behind a big screen and someone ties a toy or piece of candy on your pole). Trevor did it probably 5 or 6 times. As he was going to bed last night, he said he wanted to do that at home. So today we made our own fishing game. I think I had as much fun as Trevor!

Trevor says the funniest things sometimes. Last night he said, "I've never been to Japan." I smiled and said, "I haven't either." It's amazing what he picks up and thinks about in his little mind. Ashley also officially rolled over from her back to her tummy on Saturday. She got stuck with her arm under her and instead of crying and screaming she started laughing...it was so funny.

On Sunday we leave for Disneyland Paris...come back Wednesday. As much as I'd love to sightsee in Paris, I think we'll have to save it for another trip. Trevor is very excited. We are also planning our trip to Rome, Italy at the beginning of July with Ryan's parents. I can't wait!

Not a lot has happened this past week. Yesterday was a holiday for Ryan so he didn't have to work. Well I should say he didn't physically have to be a Nike...he still worked (but only a little bit). We spent the weekend here putting together a few more pieces of Ikea furniture. We bought a BBQ on Saturday and some flowers that Trevor and I planted outside by our front door. We bought some patio furniture as well and brought out some terra cotta planting pots that were in the shed. I'm going to try and go to a nursery today to buy some more flowers to plant in the pots.

Trevor did good at school last Thursday and Friday. His teacher said he's beginning to warm up to the other kids. It's really fun to hear him talk about school and the other kids.

Last Monday morning Trevor and I and Ashley went to the Mom and Tots group at Nike. It was in one of the gyms and there were 4 other Mom's and a teacher. Trevor was by far the oldest kid there so I think he was a little bored but he had fun. He said he wants to go again. At the end of the class, we all sat in a circle and each child got to pick a song to sing. Most of the other kids were too little to pick a song so their Mom's picked it. It was interesting hearing nursery songs in other languages. When it got to Trevor's turn he very bodly said, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" which shocked me a little (and the teacher too I think!). It made me so proud that he was confident to think of a song and to say it outloud. This group will be a perfect thing for me and Ashley to go to next year when Trevor is in school. I think two of the Mom's were British, one was from Finland, and I didn't catch were the other one was from.

On Sunday evening we went to dinner at a couple's house who moved over from Nike the same time we did. The husband works at Nike with Ryan and his wife is from Russia. They have two kids...a 5 year old girl and an 18 month old boy. Trevor had a blast playing with the girl. It was really nice visiting with them. They have lived overseas before several times so moving to Holland wasn't too big of a shock for them. The wife said she has been going to the Mom and Tots group at Nike (she didn't happen to go the day we went) so it will be nice to see a familiar face there next time we go.

We also booked our trip to Disneyland Paris! Trevor is very excited! We are going May 29-June 1st and driving. It's supposed to take about 4.5 hours but can be worse depending on the traffic. Since we're going on a Sunday, and it's not a holiday weekend, hopefully it won't be too bad. We are staying at one of the Disneyland Hotels which will be convenient.

The pictures above are of Trevor doing "tricks" on his bike (yes, there are training wheels on it) and of him and Ryan at the park.

We had a great weekend in Cologne, Germany. We left Thursday around noon and it took about 2 hours to get there. It was amazing how the scenery changed as soon as we crossed the border into Germany. It went from flat for as far as we could see, to hills and valleys. We got to drive on the infamous German autobahn which was interesting, to say the least. I couldn't believe how fast the Mercedes, BMWs, and Audi's were driving. We stayed clear of the left lane (while Ryan pouted), unless we had to pass a car in the right lane. It really was unbelievable.

Once we got into Cologne, we crossed the Reine river and saw the Dom (the biggest cathedral in Germany) and it literally took my breath away. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Even Trevor said "Whoa..." once we got closer to it. There was a huge courtyard in front of the church and our hotel was on one side and the church was on the other.

It was a great hotel and worth the money because we were right in the middle of downtown and within walking distance to everything. We discovered that with kids, this was essential. We didn't get in our car until we left on Saturday which was really nice. However, we realized that we needed a double stroller because if one of the kids wasn't in our single stroller, the other was on our shoulders, or in the backpack. Our backs were killing us by the end of the trip. Just outside our hotel were several restaurants, cafes, and bars. The weather was decent while we were there so there were lots of people outside eating and drinking. It was a really fun atmosphere to be in. The picture of the 3 guys with the horns was right outside our window.

Trevor was quite confused when we walked into our hotel room. He thought we had moved again and that was our new house. He wanted to know where we eat. We tried explaining that it was a hotel and that we were on vacation. But by the last day, he was still a little confused. Ryan was getting dressed and he asked if Daddy was going to work. But we kept explaining what a vacation was and I think he finally understood. However, on the car ride home, he said he wanted to go back to our old house. And I said, "Oh, our house in Bussum?" And he said, "No our old, old house." It makes me so sad when he says things like that.

Anyways, we ate traditional German food (Bratwursts, Schnitzel) and drank German beer and wine. Trevor enjoyed several strawberry ice cream cones. We visited a Chocolate Museum which wasn't that great. But we got to ride a little tourist train back to the Dom which Trevor loved.

It was raining like crazy on the day we left so our trip home took a little longer. The portable DVD player in the car was one of our best investments. On our way home, we stopped at a baby store and bought a new stroller that has a small platform where Trevor can stand behind Ashley. I think we will be glad we have that for our future trips. All in all, the trip was a great success and we all had a lot of fun.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's reading this!

On Saturday it was Queens Day (actually I think the official holiday is Sunday but everyone celebrates it on Saturday). We walked into downtown Bussum and strolled along the streets with thousands of other people. It was one big street party. Just imagine tiny narrow European streets filled with people drinking and partying. It was really fun to see. There were several stages with bands and music. There were also lots of booths set up where people were selling things...like a street market. Also, I guess it's the one time of the year that ordinary people can sell their own things (like a garage sale). Trevor bought two little cars and an ice cream cone at one of the many food booths. He spent the whole time on our shoulders and Ashley was in the stroller the whole time. Everyone also wore orange (which is kind of like the national color) which we did as well. Thank goodness we brought our orange clothing that we wear to OSU football games!

On Sunday we decided to drive Noordwijk, which is a small beach town one the coast. We knew the weather was going to be warm. It took a little over an hour to get there. Along the way we saw lots of tulip fields which were again amazing and we saw this wonderful windmill (see pictures below).

The beach was very crowded with lots of people and kids. You know you're in Europe when there are nude people laying out on the beach...just something we have to get used to I guess! There was lots of sand and the waves were not very big. The water was very cold too...just like the Oregon coast. We all got a little sun burned, amazingly. We never expected a beach on the North Sea to be as warm and sunny and crowded as it was. Trevor had a lot of fun.

This Thursday is a holiday for Ryan so he's going to take Friday off and we're going to go on our first road trip. This will be kind of like a "test trip" to see how the kids handle it (and see how we handle the kids!). We debated between Paris (5.5 hours away) and Cologne Germany (2 hours away) and decided on Cologne. If we realize it's just too hard with the kids, we can come home quickly.

On Sunday we decided to take a drive through the tulip farms that Holland is so famous for. It was amazing...unreal. Ryan and I enjoyed driving through the countryside and seeing some smaller towns here. Trevor got a little bored so we plugged in the movie player so he could watch a movie. We then drove into downtown Amsterdam and parked by the Van Gogh museum. The weather was beautiful so we walked through a park and then made our way to the Hard Rock Cafe for an early dinner. The kids were great in the restaraunt and thankfully the service was quick. Normally, I guess sitting down to a meal at a restaraunt here in Holland can take up the entire evening.

This weekend is Queen's Day here in Holland. It's a HUGE event I guess and downtown Amsterdam turns into a huge street party. The smaller towns also get into it we've heard and is a little more kid-oriented. So we're looking forward to Saturday.

Ryan also informed me today that we have another house guest. He saw a mouse last night! Yikes!!!! I thought I was being brave with all the spiders I've had to kill so far...but mice!!!! I hope I don't ever see one... or least not in front of Trevor.

So on my way home I stopped at a grocery store that I found the other day called C1000 which carries a few items that are more familiar to me. They had Macaroni and Cheese! Trevor and Ryan will be thrilled! I loaded up on snack foods including "American Ranch Doritos" (Cool Ranch where we come from!). I also found "Great American Marshmallows" to make Rice Krispie treats. I'm also on a mission to make home made chocolate chip cookies. But it's difficult to find baking soda here. You have to buy it at a pharmacy. They also don't have chocolate chips here. I guess I could buy some chocolate bars and break them up. But I bought M&Ms which will be just as good.

A few of the hardest things for me to get used to is having no garbage disposal. We also can't run our washer and dryer at the same time because it will blow a fuse. Since we've been here, our dirty clothes basket hasn't been empty. Also, recycling isn't as easy here as it is in the US. You have to take your glass jars to big garbage cans throughout the city in parking lots or street corners. Cardboard and paper recycling only happens once a month. And the worst thing is that garbage is picked up every other week. On the alternate weeks, yard debris is picked up. So I feel bad for all the bike riders and people walking by our garbage cans on garbage day because there are 2 weeks of Ashley's dirty diapers in there! Yuck!

This week has been slow. We've been here 4 weeks now and I think I'm finally ready to venture out and meet some other Mom's with kids. I need some adult interaction! I'm so glad that Trevor has school so he can play and be around other kids his age. He had school today so that was good for him. He had fun and finally participated in Gym class. Although he still was upset when his teachers left and the gym teachers took over. But he'll get used to it. He loves telling me the names of the kids in his class. There are kids from all over the world so hearing their names is fun.

On the way home from school both kids fell asleep so I drove around a bit. I found a great park with play structures near our house finally. It's near a small town called Naarden-Vesting which is a fortified city (there's a moat around it). So there's water near the park and walking paths.

It was a beautiful day here today. Sunny and it felt warm. Even when it's sunny though, the people here still bundle up in their heavy coats and scarves.

While they were on the tour I walked around the courtyard in the middle of the castle and saw someone waving out a window way up high. It was Trevor and Ryan! Trevor enjoyed the tour I think (I think he liked hanging out with Daddy best though). Ryan said he was very well behaved though, so that was good. Ryan said he kept asking where the kitchen was and when they got to it, it ended up being a big room with a fireplace at the end of it. They got to see bedrooms and a baby crib. He liked the water and ducks around the castle the best though.

We don't have much planned this week. We get satellite TV on Thursday. Ashley is getting her 6 month pictures taken on Thursday as well. Ryan found Orange County Choppers in english tonight on the free cable here. It doesn't get any more American than that, does it? It's Trevor's favorite show so he'll be excited we found it.

We had take-out pizza tonight from an Italian restaurant. Ryan went there to order it and said all the guys there were speaking Italian. It's also an ice cream shop and he brought home home-made Tiramisu ice cream for dessert. It was yummy! The best thing is that they're open on Sunday!

I got my car on Wednesday...it's so nice driving an automatic now! We got our couch yesterday so our place seems more "homey." I've been waiting and waiting to get satellite TV next week. We've been without TV now for 3 weeks...just watching DVDs and videos (I think I've had about all the Power Rangers I can handle!). But Ryan informed me last night that he just learned that basic cable is free here. So all along we could have had TV! We got it hooked up tonight and it works just fine. There are several channels in English and several with Dutch subtitles. I actually got kind of used to not having TV. But it's nice to have the background noise.

Today Trevor was playing with some toys and kind of talking to himself while I was feeding Ashley in her high chair and he said to me, "Do you speak English?" And I said, "Yes, I speak English." Then he said, "Oh, I speak Dutch."

Today was a sunny and warm here. The picture of Trevor and Ashley on the bench is right in front of our house...it's actually in the background. The big windows with the balcony is our bedroom. I couldn't find the car keys so the kids and I walked to the downtown area of Bussum. This time I remembered that nothing opened until 1pm. It took us about 20 minutes to walk there. Our mission was to find some rubber boots for Trevor to have at school. We eventually found some and went into some other interesting stores. The other picture is of Trevor by a fountain with a big church in the background (Ashley was asleep in the stroller). By the time we got home, Trevor was beat. But he saved up enough energy to wrestle with Dad when he got home from work.

We get our couch this week, high speed internet service, and our car (no more driving a manual rental car!). Nike has a pool of cars that the expats use. And we get satelite TV next Thursday...it's British TV so that will be fun.

In the afternoon, the kids and I drove out to Nike to pick up Ryan. We went to the employee store and Trevor got a "bollyball" (volleyball). We got to see Ryan's office and meet some of his co-workers. Trevor was having so much fun and he didn't want to leave. He had a complete meltdown in the parking lot. But we managed to get him in the car. On our way home, we got take out chinese food.

Today was cold and rainy. We drove to a store to look at strollers...they're very cool over here and are made especially for the bumpy brick sidewalks and roads. We went to McDonalds for lunch and we were blown away by how modern it was inside. I wish I had my camera. It had big funky light fixtures, square leather stools, tall high backed leather chairs...it was so funny...very art-deco. We also made yet another trip to Ikea. Trevor had another meltdown when we were leaving. I think and hope that was the last family trip there. We made tacos for dinner tonight that were yummy and Ashley ate about a half a jar of carrots and potatoes.

One more thing, when I took Trevor to school on Friday, a father introduced himself to me and said that his daughter told him a new boy was in her class and his name was "Treasure." How sweet!

And so today was his first day of school! If he had let me take a picture of him, I would have posted that but he refused. Stinker! He did good and I did fare. We had to wake up early so we could leave the house by 730am. We got there around 810am and had to wait until 830am to go into the classroom. When I dropped him off he didn't cry which I was thankful for. I didn't cry either! But Ashley was screaming because she was hungry. So I gave Trevor a hug and a kiss and he went off with the teacher's assistant to go play.

When I returned at 12:15pm to pick him up, he was wearing his coat and the teacher's assistant said he was ready to come home...he didn't cry though when he saw me (which is what he did his first day of preschool back home). The teacher's assistant did tell me that he got upset when they took the class P.E. and were going to leave them in the care of the gym teacher (which apparently is how they do it). He started crying and I don't blame him! I think he just wasn't prepared and didn't understand what was happening. I think the teacher's assistant stayed with him though until he felt comfortable at the gym class. He didn't participate though, just watched. I think this school and his preschool back home are complete opposites. Him (and I!) are just used to a small preschool, run out of a church, where we felt very connected with the teachers and other kids and parents. The ISA is a huge school, 900 students total, and it's very much like a regular school. I guess we'd have to get used to this type of school someday...it's just so hard being a parent sometimes!

Trevor goes again to school tomorrow from 930am - 1pm. He's going to stay for lunch then I'm picking him up. But next week he starts going the full two days with everyone else, Thursdays 830am - 330pm and Fridays 930am - 330pm. It will be really long days for him. They do have a "quiet time" for an hour in the afternoon and I think he'll like that.

Not much else to say except that I successfully drove to the school and back today. That was an accomplishment! I had to drive on freeways, interchanges, lights, roundabouts (Trevor loves those), etc.

I realized that I have hardly said anything about Ashley. She's doing great, just goes with the flow, which is really nice. I've been trying to give her jarred baby food and she doesn't like it very much. She sits in her high chair with her mouth closed while I make silly faces to get her to smile or laugh. She's taken a few licks of carrots and bananas but that's it. She likes the biter biscuits and gets really upset if she drops it. Trevor literally gags when her face gets all messy with food and wants me to wipe it clean.

Sunday was a beautiful day again, warm and sunny. We went to Dee Dee's house for dinner (she was Ryan's first boss at Nike and actually hired him...she became the CFO of Europe and moved out here a few months ago). She lives in a really old row house in downtown Amsterdam. It was nice to see a familiar American face and spend a few hours chatting and laughing in English! Trevor watched movies with her 13 year old daughter...he was in heaven. Before arriving at her house for dinner we drove around and found The Little Gym in Amsterdam (it's a gym type place where kids can take tumbling classes...they have them in the US) and the Toys R Us.

Today was a bit of an adventure for me and the kids. I decided to drive downtown to check out a department store called the C&A and go to the grocery store. I made it to the Bussum city center and decided to park in a small parking garage. But as I got my ticket and watched the gate lower behind me, I realized I didn't investigate exactly how to pay for parking and how to get out of the garage! I decided to figure it out after we were done shopping. However, we soon discovered that none of the shops open until 1pm on Mondays! We went back to the car and eventually figured out how to pay for parking and leave the garage. I told Ryan about our adventure and he said "Oh yeah, I should have told you about those parking garages."

I also made my first phone call today. I was so proud of myself! It's amazing how accomplishing such small tasks, like paying for parking or making a phone call, in a new country can make you feel so good about yourself. I called The Little Gym and asked them to mail me information about their classes. They have classes for as young as 6 months so it will be nice to sign our kids up for something.

A gigantic bee flew into our kitchen today...like a really big and fat queen bee. I trapped it under a cup so Ryan could get rid of it when he got home from work. I tried to swat it out the door, but it wouldn't move. Trevor wanted me to step on it but it would have made a huge mess...really. So we left it in our kitchen, under the cup, for most of the day. Trevor named him Pogo.

Trevor and I made brownies today from a mix. The picture is of him after he licked the bowl and spoon.

We went to Ikea again today and found more furniture to assemble. Our house looks like an Ikea showroom! After we move back home, I don't think I'll want to step foot into another Ikea! This picture is of Trevor and Ashley on the floor watching Power Rangers when we got home. Trevor was holding Ashley's hand and I was able to snap a picture...how cute!

I've been driving when ever we go places so I can get used to it. We're still driving a rental car and it's a stick. I haven't driven a stick in probably ten years! I've discovered that there are no stop signs here...just yield signs. So driving with me is an experience. Trevor yells from the backseat, "Go faster Mommy!"

The food here is interesting. We found "Texas Paprika Doritos", which are basically BBQ flavor. We had a "Big American" frozen pizza...Texas flavor which was pepperoni the other night. We pretty much have to guess on cooking instructions because everything is in Dutch. We can usually tell what temperature the oven has to be and the number of minutes something needs to cook. We'll slowly try to expand our horizons but for now food that we're used to sounds the best to us. The cheese, bread, yogurt, and cookies are wonderful here though.

Today we went to Trevor's school. It took about a half hour to get there, which is a long drive but I think it will be worth it. It looks like a really great school with a big emphasis on art and music. Trevor seemed very excited. The kids weren't in school this week so the building was empty. In a couple of the classrooms Trevor noticed a couple drawings that were laying on the ground. He picked them up and showed them to the woman who was showing us around. He had also pointed out that some of the toys in her office were broken. She then said to me with a smile that he seemed to like things all in order. If you know Trevor, you know that's exactly like him. Funny that she would notice that characteristic about him, after only knowing him an hour!

This afternoon me and the kids took our first walk to the little grocery store by our house with Trevor saying "Hi!" to everyone we passed. There's also a butcher, bakery, hair salon, and florist all on the same block. It's about a 1/2 mile away. This picture is of the kids in front of our house before we left.

The kids have had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the time difference. Evenings seem to be the hardest...after we put them to bed they both wake up after a while and want to play. They get their most solid sleep from about 2am - 8am. We've been busy putting furniture together from Ikea and our house is looking more and more like a home. Trevor got a bunk bed and insists on sleeping on the top. We went to the Bussum city hall today to register as official residents. I also drove by myself for the first time today and it wasn't too bad. I just have to be careful of all the people on bikes! Tomorrow we are going to look at the ISA (International School of Amsterdam), the school Trevor will be attending. I'm excited for him to be back in a school environment a few days a week and for me to meet some other Mom's.

It is a very different life style here and it will take some time for us to get used to it. Thankfully Trevor seems to be adjusting just perfectly. He even told me today that he likes our new house better then our old house.