Amsterdam Day 35: Door Spoelen

This is a sign that was left in the men's room at work.

We have a debate on the actual meaning. Some think, and I personally like this one, that it is directed to our Senior Vice President and that he does not know or decides not to flush the toilet. But since he does not speak Dutch, I don't think that is the real reason for the sign. It sure is funny to think that it would be directed to him though. 

Much more likely is that the s.v.p. is short hand for s'il vous plaît and that the Dutch simply have adopted the French in this situation. 

Amsterdam Day 34: Thoughts on School by Jannica

School is really fun. I have made a lot of friends. They are all from different parts of the world. I have 2 from Japan, Maybe 15 from all around Europe, 2 from America, and I think 3 from India. This past week i have gotten to know my teachers a little bit. All of them are really nice. My humanities teacher is really funny but he is really strict when it comes to most rules, which is no eating no gum chewing no drinking and no cellphones during class. My Music teacher is really fun. The first day of music class we learned an old american folk song on the guitar . My science teacher is just a nice teacher. My math teacher is really good. It is a lot better then my old school teachers She actually understands me and helps me understand things.My design teacher is really funny she gets a long with all of her students. She is setting up a student ( that I am betting got held back because she is 17) with her son that is in his early 20's. My P.E. teacher is really fun on Friday we were throwing Javelins as class for our track and field course. I also have a free period where I can do whatever I want, what I have been doing is going to the library listen to music and do home work that was assigned that day or the day before. My dutch teacher is great she has rules to coming in to the class. For overtime we are coming in or have to leave the room she makes us say it in Dutch first she tells us what we should say and then we would say it back to her and she lets us go if it is reasonable. I think after a few months we will just be on our own. My english teacher is crazy  but fun. On the second day she made a task that we would have to read something that she wrote that had a part of her dreams in it. Then for homework we had to write a paragraph about the meanings in the dream. 

Amsterdam Day 33: I like this kid

Ramblings from Charlie as we sit down to write the blog today. These are the words he is spelling as I write this. 

L-I-S-T-E-N.  M-O-O (which by the way, cows say boo in Dutch). I-K-E-A (Charlie learned to spell IKEA the other day). D-A-Y. U-P. S-T-O-P (one of his favorite words on the bus).  

I think this kid is pretty great. Every time we pass a flower shop, he wants to stop and smell and touch the flowers. So we picked some up to take home for Mommie. He carried them the whole two blocks home. 

D-A-D. M-O-M. A-N-I-M-A-L-S. O-N. N-O.

I went in to check on him this morning and he was fast asleep under his bed. He was not there when we put him to bed or I checked on him late last night. This does not appear to be a position that you would accidentally role into. He must have intentionally decided to sleep this way. 

Amsterdam Day 32: Interesting Statue

We were riding our bikes into Amsterdam when we rode past the soccer complex and I spotted this statue off in the distance. I thought, "Now that is an odd place right up next to the canal facing away from the sports complex for a statute". So naturally, I had to get a closer look. 

Yep, that is a statue of a soccer player peeing into the canal complete with a little water fountain out of his . . . Now, me being the curious person that I am, I had to check exactly how much detail there actually is in the statue. 

That's all I have to say about that.

Amsterdam Day 31: Commute to Work/School with Cam and Bev

Another vlog day.

Amsterdam Day 30: Cam and Bev's School

Cam and Bev started school on Monday this week. Unlike Jannica and Ryan, they are not going to a Disney school, but I still think it is pretty cool. Jannica and Ryan are going to an international school where the education is all in English and there is no risk of them getting behind in school (at least not because of a language barrier). But we decided that it would be fun and educational for Cam and Bev to go to a Dutch school that only teaches a little in English, but the teachers still know English. We picked Florencias because it fits those parameters and is a very small school with individual attention. They develop individual goals and lesson plans for each student. There are 7 students in there class and they are in the same class. They are also the youngest kinds in the class. There is another American kid that is Cam's age that was born in California. There are a total of 30 kids in the whole school. They have one full time teacher and another teacher that is in the class for two days. And then a separate teacher for P.E. and Spelling and probably something else. 

On the first day of school, the kids were pretty excited. 

We took them to school, they say down and pretty much left us and never looked back. I asked Cam how the first day went  and he said it was fantastic. I asked him if he made friends and he said lots. After four days, they are happy with the school and the teachers. Cam is starting to say a few words in Dutch already. I talked to one of the teachers today who said that he is doing pretty well and they are starting to transition to more Dutch. It also seems that they understand that Bev loves attention and that they have to be strict with her. She is testing their boundaries and seeing how far she can go. 

Yesterday, they had P.E. class where they dressed up in their judo outfits. Cam looks very serious. And Bev looks very tough. I don't think I'd want to mess with this class. The first rule of Judo P.E. is: You do not talk about Judo P.E. The second rule of Judo P.E. is: You do not talk about Judo P.E. 

Amsterdam Day 29: My Beautiful Bike

It started off as any normal day except that I parked my bike in the garage last night instead of locked up outside. This was jmportant, because I forgot to take my keys with me this morning. If I had locked up my bike outside, I would have had to have the keys with me. So I took the kids to school and then off to work. I realized at work that I did not have my keys. No worry. At the office, I'm not too concerned about the safety of my bike. So I left it unlocked. When I came back for lunch, I took my bike and went of to lunch. I texted Jaimee to see if she would pick up my keys. We were meeting for lunch at an organic restaurant. We met outside the restaurant, but she hadn't received my text yet to get my keys. So we made the decision to leave my bike without being locked. We figured their was no problem since the bike was parked right outside the restaurant. 

In the restaurant I tried to order a Fanta soda, but they quickly denied me. I forgot that this was an organic restaurant. No problem, the raspberry lemonade sounded good. But then I had forgotten, this was an organic restaurant, so they don't really add sugar to their lemonade. 

So it was a really sour lemonade. Charlie liked it though and kept taking a sip and then making a sour face. He was loving it. 

So we walked out of the restaurant to go pick up the kids. In Amsterdam, schools close at 1215 or 1230 on Wednesdays. It is 330 on the other days of the week.  And this is what we saw. 

So you see the beautiful bike. No. Me neither. That is because somebody stole it. Somebody stole my bike from right in front of the restaurant in the 30 minutes we were inside. And this is the suburb. This is not even Amsterdam where this is very very common. So I learned my lesson and I learned it fast. Always, always, always lock up your bike. 

Now the good news is that we bought it used for a decent price. It is not a huge loss. I also know a lot more about what I want in a bike now that I have a whole 29 days under my belt here. And I think I will spend a little more for a better bike. And I will spend a lot more for a great lock. 

In case you were wondering, one of employees that moved here the and time as us, had her bike stolen after a week. And she swears that she locked it up. But that is in Amsterdam where it is more common. Even funnier, her husband had a back tire lock for his bike. He wasn't a big fan of the back tire lock and so he never used it. A few days after their arrival, they come out of a store, and someone has locked the back tire lock for him and taken the key. He ended up having to get a hack saw to saw off the the lock. Pretty bad luck, but some lessons learned. 

In speaking with several people here, we asked about bike theft insurance. Apparently since it is so common for bikes to be stolen, no one will insure against bike theft. 

Amsterdam Day 28: Disney High

I dropped the older girls off at school the yesterday, because I needed to set up their lunch cards. It was a short bike journey and was quite a fun little ride. When we arrived at the school it was a regular mad house like schools are in the morning except there were tons of pedestrians and bikes everywhere. I took a picture of the bike parking lot after school started because I thought I was a neat sight. 

As Jaimee described it, it feels like a high school in a Disney movie. As I walked into the front doors a song started and kids started singing about being wildcats and getting into the game. The demographics of this school seem to be picked out by the producers of a Disney show also. 

I went in to set up the lunch cards. Ryan's is just an extra card that you load money on. Jannica's is her student ID which she also uses for access to the printers. 

Amsterdam Day 27: SAIL Amsterdam

Jaimee and I were sitting having a conversation with another couple that moved from the states to Amsterdam the same week we did. We were discussing tourism things that are around that would be fun to do that weekend. He happened to mention that SAIL Amsterdam was happening this week. It bills itself as the largest free event in the Netherlands. As far as I can tell, a bunch of big ships come from all over the world and showcase themselves in Amsterdam for the week. So I thought it would be fun to drag a 2 year old, a 5 year old, a 6 year old, a 9 year old, a a whiny teenager into town to see the big boats. 

We started out trek on the train into central station. Our first clue that this may be a bad idea was when we boarded the train. We are a little outside the city so normally there are plenty of places to sit. Not this time though. It was completely crazy. No problem, Charlie had a stroller and the other kids can stand. 5 minutes later all of them, except Jac, were arguing with each other and whining about standing. 5 minutes later they were   Complaining about how many stops were left. Then they started hitting each other and bumping in to other passenger. Basically doing any annoying thing that they can think of. 

We arrive at Central Station and start the walk to the docks to see the big boats. It is crowded already. What I thought was a quick 6 minute walk turned into a 25 minute walk with people everywhere. And then we stopped for fries, and then ice cream, and then hot dogs. But we finally made it to the ships. The ships were all quite impressive and they were everywhere. There were traffic jams with boats in all the canals. There were horns from ships sounding off everywhere, scaring Beverly every time. She is scared easily though.  It basically has the feel of a giant air show, just with giant sail boats instead of cool prop planes and military aircraft. 

We were allowed to board the ships but the lines were horrible. We finally settled on the Esmeralda from Chile. The kids did love exploring the ship, looking at crew quarters, steering the ship, and turning things. They were able to enjoy these 10 minutes of this journey that felt like 15 hours. 

And then we decided to leave. But by that time Cameron really had to pee. But in Amsterdam, there are no free toilets. We developed a strategy. Apparently no one cares when the little kids just wander into the bathrooms. So I sent Cameron in and watched from the door. 50 cents saved there. That's like 56 cents when compared to the America dollar. 

We were then headed to the "beach" for a church gathering. The only tram line to the beach was shutdown because of electricity failure though so they directed us to a bus stop. 20 minutes later still no bus. By this time we were just frustrated and ready to go. So we called 2 ubers and we were off to the "beach".  

The "beach" was not exactly what we are used to when visiting Destin, Florida. There was sand. There were swimsuits. And there were volleyball nets. It was not what I would call a beautiful beach, but the kids absolutely loved it. We had some great conversation. We chased Charlie around when he took his clothes off again. I feel like we are doing that often these days. And the kids got to swim and build sand castles. It was a pretty good time to end what started out as a pretty awful day. 

Amsterdam Day 26: Church Ride Home

Thank heaven for all the little parks we pass on the 70 MINUTE bike ride home from church. Did any of you happen to leave dinner on my porch for when we get home? I do believe today solidified the need for a car. 

This one rode the entire 14 mile round trip with very few complaints. At one point on a downhill she said it was the best day ever because she got to ride her bike so much. I am going to go lay down and die now. P.s. there was no dinner on the porch.......

Amsterdam Day 24: First Day of School

Let's preface this picture with the fact that Kelly took it.

So my cute, helpful, sweet girls started school yesterday. I am officially all alone in the world now. 

Below is what I am at home with. Totally fulfilling and all that. 

Where is Charlie? Probably riding around the block naked (ouch, right?). That happened a couple times yesterday. 

Let's get back to the girls. 

Jac is in 10th grade at the high school they model all sitcom/Disney tv shows after. The lockers are huge. The kids are beautiful. There is no real dress code. (per Ryan "I was coming in from recess and saw a girl with a BELLY SHIRT!") 

Jac may be feeling a little overwhelmed and intimidated, but she has found a couple friends and will work it out. I think she is trying to decide on this year's persona. 

We are in a bit of a pickle because she needs to be taking 2 language classes, but they don't offer beginner classes in anything but dutch for 10th grade. We have been told she has to take private tutoring for the other language. It's only like 5 grand a year, so, y'know. Whatevs .

We got to buy her a MacBook. Because at Disney high this is required. 

I am shedding a cynical light, but it really seems like a great school. We have a great feeling about it and we are really hopeful for a great year. Jac is being so positive and open to new opportunities. That, in and of itself, is a real blessing. 

Ryan is in fourth grade. Her teacher is Amy. Not Miss Amy. Not Ms. Anderson. Amy just got here from Florida. She is an awesome and dynamic teacher who is so excited about teaching this year. Ryan's only concerns for the first day of school were : can I take the tooth I lost last night to school? Can I wear the purple shirt Anika gave me? And should I wear rain gear? (It was a beautiful day, she wore them anyway).

Ryan has 3 friends already. Carlotta  ( I know, right?!) Who just got here from Italy and Ryan says she speaks English. I disagree. A little Japanese girl who is beyond cute, but also speaks very little English and Lucy Wilde. Ryan giggles when she says her name. We like the last name Wilde. 

All in all, we are off to a great school year!

As for the Littles. ...

Cam and Bev might start Dutch school on Monday. I am not really sure. The website reads "school starten 1400-1500." On August 24. What does this mean? What school supplies do I need? I saw a class list a few months ago. They are in a class together, but instruction is based on the children's needs. I tried to stress to the instructor that Bev drives Cam insane. Unfortunately, they have never witnessed this and so, they underestimate both children's potential. 

I am going for a school tour today. The guy speaks fairly good English (is that proper English? It's not) so I am hoping for some answers. 

Amsterdam Day 23: Het Amsterdamse Bos

We decided to go and explore the big forest area between the airport and our town of Amstelveen. When I say forest, I really mean one big huge park with a lot of trees and other fun park like things. We started going to the goat farm that Jaimee had gone to with the kids a few weeks ago. It was amazing. You walk in an see, surprise surprise, a bunch of goats. Interesting, but you walk inside the building and there is a gate where you can walk in with the goats. The kids immediately ran in to play with and pet the goats. This kids loved it. After about 10 minutes it was obvious that Jannica was the kid that was having the greatest time. She thought it was amazing that she could cuddle with a goat. 

Jaimee then went around the corner where you can buy bottles of milk to feed the goats. Beverly particularly enjoyed feeding the goats and went through her milk quite fast. 

After the goats, the kids took off to the horse and chicken area. Not having any reason to think that picking up a chicken is weird, Ryan picked up a chicken. Cute. 

There is also a playground that was a lot of fun with a slide that is pretty steep where the kids can go really fast. After that, we entered the field area with the pigs and the cows. They just let ou walk up to these big pigs and cows and pet them. The pigs kept snorting at us which was quite amusing. All of this is free and in the middle of the big forest. There has to be some government subsidies involved here somehow. It does appear that all the libetal tax policies are done in quite a way to benefit everyone. But at what cost. Apparently tax rates are around 50%, which seems very excessive. But you get some great benefits in return. 

Amsterdam Day 25: Market Day

Rockin the Market. ABC style. 

First real shopping experience at the Friday market. 

Our web address changed a few days ago from .com to .nl. I guess that means we officially live here now. It took about three weeks of posts to make the change. I find that interesting since someone could just be on a long vacation and their web address could change. Now I'm curious about what the policy is and how long it will take to change once we move back to America. Jaimee thinks I'm a nerd when I think about these things and she really dislikes conversations like this. That is why I am sharing with you instead of her. 

Update: 

So I looked it up because I thought it was interesting. Apparently blogger wants me to have my free speech rights but there are some counties that reserve the right to censor information or free speech that comes out of their countries. In that case, blogger will remove or censor the information on the site for that country but will leave the information on the .com address that will still be accessible. That way, they can say that they are compliant with the requests of those countries. 

Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law. By utilizing ccTLDs, content removals can be managed on a per country basis, which will limit their impact to the smallest number of readers. Content removed due to a specific country's law will only be removed from the relevant ccTLD." That means [blogname].blogspot.com will continue to exist, but it's not clear if the users from that specific country will still be able to access it.

Amsterdam Day 22: Residence Cards

Just had to make a quick run up to the WTC for our residence cards. The meeting lasted 5 min. Total time away from house was 2 hours. This is the new quick. Granted we had to stop and get a snack because Cam was going to DIE if I didn't feed him soon. He only had 2 slices of toast and a Nutella banana for breakfast. 20 min prior to leaving.

Amsterdam Day 21: First Day of Rain

That awful day that we all knew was coming finally arrived. It's all fun riding around on bikes when the sun is shining and it's 18 degrees. 

Side Point: I am going to start adopting the metric and celcius system. It just makes sense. The fact that the U.S. is one of three countries with the great countries of Myanmar and Liberia that do not use the metric system should tell you something. Our system is stupid and we are a backwards country for still using it. 

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2015/07/us/metric-road-american-story/

Side Point 2: Daylight Savings is also stupid. It is also a relic of the past that needs to go away. Other developed countries participate in Daylight Savings though so that might be more difficult to get rid of. Although, our dates don't match up with other countries dates, so maybe we can get rid of it. 

Main Point: It finally rained today. Jaimee and Jannica had to ride to Jannica's school this morning for new student orientation and they were soaked by the time they arrived. It was still raining when they came back. And it was still raining when I left for work in the afternoon. And it is still raining now almost 30 hours later. The good news is that we finally invested in some new rain gear for the family. 

My office is made of 10 people that all moved to Amsterdan at the same time. This was the opportunity to see what they were made of. Most continued to bike in the rain. A few took public transport. And one got an Uber. But I was impressed by the number that made the commute by bike. Most of them are single or married with no kids, so they all decided to live in the city, a 25-30 minute bike ride away. I am the lucky one that only has a 6 minute commute in the rain. If you are confused because I said 5 before, it is because the commute does take longer in the rain. For one, traffic is much worse as people decide to take their cars and crossing the main streets takes longer. And then there are more puddles that have to be avoided. And you have to go slower to avoid slipping. It was a perfectly miserable commute, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. 

I'm not getting super fat. I have a backpack on. 

Amsterdam Day 20: Charlie and his Bike, Again

Charlie still loves his bike. Whenever we need to go somewhere serious (some place that would take way too long or was too dangerous if he rode himself) we have to fight to get him in the seat behind Jaimee. Yesterday we took a trip to the big forest nearby and he wanted to ride his bike. We figured we would let him ride his own bike for the first little bit and then put his bike on the back of my bike. That little guy ended up going almost 2 kilometers all by himself before we made him get on the bigger bike. He is getting a lot faster but he tends to, squirrel. I'm sorry. What was I saying?  Oh yea, he tends to, squirrel. He likes to go up people's driveways. He likes to pretend crash. And he likes to get trapped by bushes. It really tends to slow things down. Here is the latest video. Does it seem like he is doing much better than less than a week ago?  He may be riding a bike with pedals by Christmas. Well at least we have a goal. And we still need to beat those twins, Otto and Jacob, next door.

And just to let you know how Charlie is reall doing, take a look at this picture. He fell off a small brick wall between the wall and a bench and got a pretty good bruise. He has a matching bruise on the back of his head and his eye is blackening. 

Amsterdam Day 19: Grocery Store

There are some interesting and cool things about going to the grocery store. The biggest challenge is trying to figure out the small differences between items. Like is this laundry detergent or is it fabric softener. Is the chocolate bar milk chocolate or dark chocolate, or does it even matter since it is still chocolate. 

Here is one thing that makes me uneasy but Jaimee has been okay with for years. The eggs are not kept in a refrigerated condition. They are just out in the aisle like cereal or peanut butter. 

And then in the upper most corner, I found these little eggs. My Dutch is still not good but I think those are quail eggs. I am going to have to try them soon.  

One of the best things about the grocery stores in the Netherlands is the Nutella section. Not only do they have Nutella, they have off brand Nutella like spreads with a lot more options. There is white chocolate spreads, more nut spreads, chocolate spreads, and whatever is in the  blue one. Again, see above. I have no idea what is in that one since I do not speak Dutch, yet. 

Speaking of things that I am going to have to try, hot dogs come in a can. It sounds good to me but Jaimee is refusing to try and meat from a can that is not refrigerated. Does that sound like a double standard with the eggs? The next day Jaimee is in her Dutch classes, we are getting hot dogs in a can. 

There are a lot more interesting things in the grocery store but we will end with this. Cool Ranch is now Cool American. Doesn't that make you proud to be American. 

Amsterdam Day 18: Cameron's Birthday

And with that my boy is six. A day spent alone with Mom all thanks to our sweet Jac. 
FYI this is one of the playgrounds at the zoo. Awesome.
Cam quotes today:
"This place is AWESOME! We should come EVERY DAY!"
"Ok, that looks weird! A grasshopper riding another grasshopper."
"Oh, good. That girl can't stare at me anymore. There was a girl starin' at me."

Amsterdam Day 17: Jannica and her Friends

So today I met one of my friends at the bus station to go to our other friends house. We rode the bus to central station and we couldn't find the next bus. Then I remembered that one day I went on the bus behind the train station so we were almost late getting to the bus and barely made it. We got to the bus station and met our friend and then waited for another friend then we walked to her house and watched a movie. After the movie we had ice cream and a walk through the park. We walked back to her house and had dinner. It was french fries but in a dutch way, then a meat stick and something that was fried. I really liked it and I could barely finish it up. After that we had some more ice cream and then we had to go back home. My friends dad and her dropped me off at my house.

Amsterdam Day 15: Eating ice cream in a public toilet

Yesterday was ROUGH.
Kelly left with Ryan. Cam has been sick with a sore throat since Friday,  so I decided to take him in. Does anyone know that it is pretty freaking difficult to find a doctor here?
I found one that could see us same day and I hauled him up to Amsterdam on the tram. 

The office was dingy and the Dr looked like he hadn't showered in a while. Cam was starving but won't eat because his throat hurts so bad. If you are not familiar with Cam, hunger and pain turn him into a sad, pitiful monster. 
I let the Dr know we had waited to see if he would get better and he was not. The fever was gone but the pain was worse. The Dr said "what do you want me to do?" I told him if it was strep throat I needed an antibiotic. I told him we were medicating with acetaminophen and ibuprofen. I was then chastised for using ibuprofen on such a young child. He said the infection seemed bacterial, but would probably be gone in a few days so no antibiotics were needed. But if he felt worse, come back again tomorrow. (Thanks ya big dummy, thats why i am here today!!) He then gave me a prescription  for paracetamol. He wrote it for a suppository. I asked if it came in a syrup. It did not, he said. "The medicine is so strong," said the fool "it might make him sleepy." And so I left. Frustrated,  harried and cussing that guy.
I got to the pharmacy, looked up paracetamol and found it to indeed come in a syrup. And the stuff is just Tylenol.  I hate that Dr.  
I bought Cam an entire box of Popsicles,  which he ate ravenously, picked up my books for a class I had that night and headed home. 
Poor, sweet, brave and patient Jac had been babysitting ALL DAY and I still needed her for my class that night. 
I quickly threw some dinner together, changed and hopped on the bus to go right back to my class. 
I had a few minutes so I grabbed some ice cream when I got there. I did not really want to eat in the classroom, and I really needed a few moments alone. So, the most private place I could find was the public toilet. I took a seat, nibbled my ice cream and thought to myself "this is sad and pathetic and this ice cream is not very good". Thus, I threw it in the sanitary napkin trash, stood up, slapped a smile on my face and headed for class. (I did wash my hands)
The class was great. It is a intro to Dutch class. I have a LOT to learn. My brain was fried by 1030 when I finally made it home. Jac had done the dishes, dealt with a very naughty Bev and a very miserable Cam. She greeted me with a smile, but said "these kids wear me out!" Dude, I feel ya. 
Today Jac gets to go to a friend's house in  the north of Amsterdam. All day. And the kids are being nice to me. Cam is feeling a little better (but that Dr was not right. The kid sobbed in his sleep all night from the pain). We are sincerely hoping the wifi box makes it here today and I have croissants and Nutella here.

 I can do this.

Amsterdam Day 16: Charlie and His Bike

Charlie has loved the whole biking culture.  A few days ago we bought him his own little bike with no pedals.  He immediately loved it and wanted to take it for a ride.  It took him a little bit to figure it out, but now he is riding it pretty smoothly.  He even has a few moments now where you can see that he is balancing.  Our neighbor has twin boys that are 3 and a half years old.  The neighbor said that he is going to have to get to work on his boys because it would be embarrassing if a non Dutch kid learned to ride a bike before his Dutch kids.  So we have a goal!

Amsterdam Day 14: Q&A with Ryan

Ryan and I are flying back to the states  for a few days. I am flying back for work and Ryan is flying back to see her friends. I sat down with her and asked her a few questions. So here is the Q&A sessions for our blog today. 

Kelly: So how do you like living in the Netherlands so far?

Ryan: So-so. 

Kelly: Do you have anything to add?

Ryan: I don't have any friends, but it's nice and warm (she has no idea what is coming). 

Kelly: Is there anything else that you don't like?

Ryan: Nope, except for the time change?

Kelly: What about the time change?

Ryan: Because I can't talk to my friends, because they are in school. When they are out of school, it is late here and I have to go to bed. 

Kelly: What is your favorite thing here?

Ryan: I don't know. 

Kelly: Come on, there has to be something you like. 

Ryan: I like everything. Pretty much everything. 

Kelly: Like what?

Ryan: Riding my bike. 

Kelly: Why do you like riding your bike?

Ryan: Cause it gives me alone time. 

Kelly: How about the parks and canals? Are they cool?

Ryan: Yea. 

Kelly: Why?

Ryan: They're different, I guess. 

Kelly: Shall we continue some more questions later?

Ryan: Yes. 

Flight Attendent: Are you headed back home? Do you live in the states?

Ryan: No, we live in Amsterdam, but we used to live in the states. 

Flight Attendent: You must be a pretty good bike rider then if you live in Amsterdam. 

Ryan: Yea.

Kelly: What has been your biggest surprise?

Ryan: Nothing.

Kelly: Nothing?

Ryan: Nothing. I know pretty much everything about this place. 

Kelly: Do you wish we hadn't moved moved?

Ryan: Yea. 

Kelly: Why?

Ryan: Cause of the time change and I'm not able to see my friends as often. And the stupid time change. 

Kelly: Do you think you will grow to love it?

Ryan: Yea. 

Kelly: And do you think we will be happy here?

Ryan: Yea. 

Amsterdam Day 13: The seagulls are annoying

From the very first day we arrived, we have noticed these very annoying birds. Our best guess is that they are seagulls as I'm not a real good entomologist. It seems like about once an hour they pass over our house chasing each other and screeching really loud. At one point in the beginning of the night, Ryan could be heard yelling at them to shut up. 

Since we still do not have internet at our place, Jannica walks over to the mall every night to FaceTime with the significant people in her life. If you have not had a FaceTime chat with her then I guess you know where you stand. I feel for you and I understand though because she has not FaceTimed with me either. Anyways, every time they come around she starts to yell at them also to go away. She even threatened to take them out of existence, but this being Europe and all, we are not allowed to have a gun. 

Enjoy this beautiful screech. 

Amsterdam Day 8: What Jaimee and the kids have been up to

FYI: I tried to proofread, but I am on my phone with no glasses. This is the best you get.

There is a Facebook group here, of parents with kids who go to ISA.( Jac and Ryan's school) It is a place to ask questions, meet other families and find out how things work over here. 

The older girls were getting bored so I posted asking if there was anywhere they could meet people their age. Several mom's responded and wanted to meet up with us. So Wednesday the 4 littler kids and I went to a goat farm/petting zoo with one of the moms and her 2 daughters. 

This goat farm was awesome! We thought we would just get to feed the animals and pet them through the fence. When we got there, there were kids climbing INTO the pens! 

So of course I plopped mine right in there as well. They loved it. 

We followed little chics around and saw the cutest baby cow EVER. I don't know how they do it, but the cows over here are darling. 

They have baby bottles full of goats milk to feed the goats with. 2 for 1 euro. Every kid got 2. Bev was loving it, as demonstrated by the pictures below.

This one is my favorite.⬆⬆⬆

Classic Bev.

While we were at the goat farm a couple walked up to us because they heard us talking about ISA. The husband is a teacher there. We were chatting for a bit and they mentioned they were there being filmed for House Hunters International. Then the camera guys came up and asked to film us. Please take a moment here to look at the pictures of my children again.............

So you can see why I said SURE! They filmed Ryan crossing the monkey bars, Cam on the teeter totter and Charlie saying "NO!" when he was asked if he wanted to be their little boy's friend. From three different angles. I am hoping they kept Bev and her hair out of any shots. 

I then signed 5 release forms and thought, what on earth was I thinking?!?

After all of this, we wandered into the chicken pen, where the three smallest were terrified, because, chickens. Chickens can peck you. Never mind the goats that will trample and headbutt and eat your clothes. Chickens!!

 We had a nice snack outside wherein my babies freaked again because there are quite a few yellow jackets here and they show up every time we eat. Cam spent the rest of the time at the farm in a burka made of my sweater. Later Charlie ended up with one made of Ryan's as well. 

And then it was time to go.

This is what I look like on our bike rides. Charlie is on the back of my bike. I yell instructions like: "Stay on the side so people can pass!" "Keep coming!" "Stay right with me!" "We are crossing a road, let's watch for cars!" "Bev, quit swerving, you are gonna make ________ fall down!" And so many other things it would just bore you. 

We stopped at Kelly's office and since Ryan was annoyed and Charlie was screaming, I took them home and Kelly took the other 2 to lunch. 20 minutes later I got a text saying cam had been stung, they were coming home.

I need you people to know that it was only 1 pm. I still had a whole half day ahead of me.

Cam was sad, but we all had a nice lunch at a sandwich shop and Jac took some kids home, Kelly and I chatted for a minute and he was back to work. 

And, I have a new friend here. This was a good day here. A rollercoaster, but pretty darn good. 

Amsterdam Day 11: Zoo, Drugs, and More Nudity

Today we decided to go downtown and go to the zoo. Cameron was not feeling so well so Jaimee stayed home with Cam and Charlie while I took the girls. On the way on the tram ride, we (Jannica and me because the other two kids were oblivious) saw a drug deal go down. 4 young America tourists were getting a handful of weed from a sketchy guy right on the tram. They were smelling it right in the open to see if it was good stuff. I'm not sure what the going price is but I could probably figure it out if you are interested. 

We made it to the zoo and bought an annual membership, since we figured we will be here for a while and we love zoos. We walked in the front gate and one of the first buildings was a monkey/lizard/bird house where you can walk through and the animals can walk all over. It is really cool to see iguanas right in front of you, close enough to touch. And when I say close enough to touch, I mean Ryan was scolded for touching. The lady was very nice with her scolding though to the point where she was apologizing because she had to scold. The first area next door was one of those areas with no fence and just a moat to keep the animals in. It felt very unlike the very protected fenced in areas at most zoos in the states. 

After several hours at the zoo, we went to Dam Square, the main square in Amsterdam where all the activity is centered. There are always street performers there but I was a little surprised by the performers that I saw this time. Six weeks ago when I was here with Jaimee they had a exhibit whereyou  could lay down in a bed with an actor for five minutes and pretend you were asleep while all the tourists watch you. Interesting, but we did not participate. This time there was a guy dressed in a very skimpy black outfit with chains. No problem though because Jannica quickly covered Ryan's eyes and Beverly is still oblivious. Next though was a topless women covered in body paint. No problem again, because Jannica was there to cover Ryan's eyes and Beverly is still oblivious. So we decided it was time to leave and we went off to explore the less colorful parts of Amsterdam. 

The girls were wanting to go on a canal ride so we found one of the tourist boats that take you around for an hour telling you about the history of the canals and the city. It was an interesting and much safer environment for the kids. 

We then visited the Waterlooplein market where they have a bunch of odds and ends from second hand clothes and military outfits to trinkets from Africa, pocket watches, and bike locks. Since it will be Beverly's birthday on Tuesday, I let her buy a bike lock and some sunglasses. Ryan tried several times to go into the stalls that specializes in marijuana paraphanalia because they were very colorful. Jannica also made sure to point out to me the cannibas lollypops as that is not something that she is used to seeing.

So all in all a pretty good family friendly day. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the drug deal, the skimpily clothes man, the topless body painted girl, or the cannibas lollypops. 

Amsterdam Day 12: Picnic

What a beautiful end to a sucky day.

We started the morning getting ready to meet new friends in the forest for biking and a picnic. I didn't have any food to pack a picnic, so we needed to stop at the store.

 We started out a couple minutes late. A few minutes into it I decided that we needed a new bike for Cam. Because he couldn't keep up and we were going to be doing a lot of riding.

So why not swing by the bike shop? I sent Jac for groceries (she got confused and went slow so I ended up shopping). I took the Littles and found a bike shop up the road. Things were getting dicey, so I called Kelly to come help. (He went to the wrong bike shop). We were hoping to find a bike for Cam, there were none, but they had one for Bev. It was a little large, but she was ok on it. Alas, the bike shop only takes cash, so I had to run back down to the grocery store for cash. (And get the groceries, and text the picnic date we were running late, and where is Kelly? !?!)

We all trekked back up and got Bev's bike. I put Cam on Bev's bike promising he would get a cool bike later. Charlie would not get back on my bike because He is the devil. 

We are all on and ready to go, and Bev starts freaking out. Because, she is Bev and she can't start and stop in the bike very well and she is scared. I got everyone across the street, Bev and Cam all stressed because they are on different bikes. 

At this point I got all snippy with Jac and then called the whole event off. We were an hour behind schedule. 

We turned around and headed home with me talking in my overly calm nurse voice. "You are doing great. You are so good at riding bikes. We are stopping soon. Get ready. Okay, it's time to go again. Ok just move the pedal forward. Take your time." Inside I am screaming "WHERE THE HELL IS KELLY?!?!?"

We made it home with Ryan crying because she missed out on a play date and is so homesick for friends. I cuddled her for a minute and we turned on The Sound of Music. That always helps. I told Jac i was sorry. I took Cam and we got a great bike for him. And Bev practiced biking with a little help from me. 

At 5 I had no plans or food for dinner. So, Jac stayed with the kids and I went for picnic supplies. I got home and everyone got on their bikes and we were off to find a picnic spot. We were so happy to find the cute spot you saw at the top. We enjoyed a tasty meal on croissants and sampled different sodas. Kelly got there later and we went for ice cream. 

Charlie slept in Bevs room that night instead of mine. HALLELUJAH!

There are some sharp learning curves here. Hunger = disaster is the one we are trying conquer. 

Please note the picture at the top was not staged. Tender mercies abound if I take time to notice them.

Amsterdam Day 10: Nudity

I'm really just using the title to pull in extra readers. We are really not going to discuss nudity in the way that you thought. There is a fountain in the mall by our house surrounded by all the restaurants. The kids love to play in it. It is much more acceptable for the children to play in the fountains naked here than in the U.S. And Charlie really doesn't like clothes right now. So, wallah. Naked Charlie in the fountain. 

Amsterdam Day 9: Office Space

I love our new office space in the KLM headquarters. We have moved from a cubicle farm in Atlanta to a much more open office. This is a bit easier since there are only 10 of us in this space. 

One of the best parts of the office is that we have windows that actually open. And right outside our window is the moat that runs around the building. It is complete with crocodiles and even a fire breathing dragon. Maybe not on those but we have seen several ducks swim by and a turtle hanging out in the lily pads.  My favorite part is the cute flowers (probably lilies?) growing on the lily pads. There is one duck that appears to be hanging out all the time every day. We have given her the name Little Bitterballen after the gravy balls that everyone here loves so much, but they are really nasty (the bitterballen since the duck would probably taste really good). 

Not pictured here, but we saw some crab legs on the window sill indicating that there are cute little crabs that crawl around or someone had seafood for lunch and didn't know where to put the legs. 

The canal does go around the building on three sides, and apparently connects to the bigger canals that connect into Amsterdam and into the river where all the shipping is done. I gues that means that I could get a canoe and boat into work everyday also if I wanted. I think it would take a lot longer though. 

Amsterdam Day 7: Actual Commute to Work

We are going to go with a vlog today. Enjoy!

Amsterdam Day 6: First Day of Work

I woke up today at 7am ready to go to work in the new office. I had a long commute by bike planned this morning so I wanted to have plenty of time in case I went the wrong direction. I left for work at 740am and after 5 grueling minutes I arrived at 745am. It took me another minute to lock up the bike and another to walk into the office. I think I could get used to this commute after my 30 minute drive into Atlanta. 

Most of the team was in place today so I took them all out for lunch. I thought it was hilarious that all 6 of us walked out together, unlocked our bikes, and rode the 5 minutes to the Chinese restaurant together. What a fun team activity to take a bike ride together. 

At about 5:30pm, I was ready for the long commute back home. After picking up the family, we went for a ride out to Jannica's and Ryan's new school. We wanted to figure out the best path with the least traffic for the girls to get to and from school. With Bev on her own bike, it took 12 minutes.  It should be less without Bev. Very doable for the girls on there own, although I am scared about Ryan doing it on her own without Jannica when Jannica has extra-curricular activities. We shall see how that works out in the future. 

We ordered pizza from a local Italian place called Domino's and went to go pick up the pizza. Here is the pic that describes how the delivery works.

Amsterdam Day 5 - Church

Today we woke up early to go to church. As far as we could tell, we had 2 options to get there. 1) take public transportation - about 1 hour away or 2) ride our bikes. We decided to do both. If we drove it, it would only take us about 20 minutes as it is only 12 kilometers away (you figure out how far that is in miles), but alas, we have no car, yet. So Jaimee took off with Cam and Bev and braved figuring out public transportation. Jannica, Ryan, Charlie and I took off on our bikes. Google maps estimated 34 minutes for the ride, but that must not be at the speed of a 9 year old. It ended up taking about an hour, but we still beat Jaimee by about 10 minutes. 

The ride to church takes us through a little bit of beautiful countryside and a beautiful little town on the Amstel river. There are cows, sheep, and horses along the way. There are few fences separating us from the livestock. They use little canals to keep the livestock on the property with little bridges with fences on them for the people to cross. I don't see how it really works to keep the cows in but then I'm not a cow (although Jaimee would argue that point). Further down the road are little farms, farmhouses, and windmills dotting the country side. It is an amazingly beautiful ride. And the best part is that it is all flat. 

Church goes from 10am to 1pm. We will have to describe church later as it is a true international affair with translation into English and Spanish. There were not a lot of people in attendance this week as all the Dutch take off 3 or 4 weeks at this time of year for vacation, or Holiday as the Brits say. After church, the young women get together for 30 minutes and chat over "Mormom Coffee". Jannica says that it is really gross and she is going to bring hot chocolate next week. It was a good time to chat and get to know each other. She was able to get the phone numbers from the other three girls that are her age so that she will have some friends here. 

The ride home from church was equally fun but with a bit more sun. My poor head got a sunburn from the ride. And poor little Charlie fell asleep on the way home. He had the hardest time getting comfortable leaning back and then laying his head on my back. But the bumps in the ride kept getting in the way of a good sleep. 

And by the way, we beat Jaimee home by about 15 minutes. I'm not sure if this public transport/biking only lifestyle is going to last long. I love how fit I feel, but this might be a bit excessive. I see a car, but only one, in our near future. 

Amsterdam Day 4: Cameron

We rode our bikes to the park today. We played in the water. They had a fountain. It made me feel good. I rode home cold and wet. 

We went climbing with a new friend. I hung upside down on this. This was great. 

We went for a long bike ride in the evening. But I don't want to talk about it. Because it wasn't fun. My legs were hurting. Because we went for a long ride.