Max's First Fiets

Max rode his bike (fiets) today for the first time. This is a type of bike that is common here in Holland for kids trying to get used to a bike. It is called a loop fiets or walking bike in English. It has no pedals and the child just uses their feet to push along.
And being 1/2 an American couple, of course, Max has a helmet on. You rarely see a "pure" Dutch child wearing a helmet.

Max also had a busy morning. He had 5 little girls over for play date with their moms. Bas is really warning me that I need to find some little boys for Max to play with. I think all the girls worries him a bit. Max seems to love to play with Lu Lu, Taylor, Addison, Sadie and June. And I like their moms so it works out well...I think.

*As you can see, the snow we got yesterday has already melted.

Amsterdam's First Snow of the Winter!

As you can see, it is little more than a dusting by Midwest standards, but you would never know that here. I think every child on our island was out playing in the snow, workers left early to avoid unsafe road conditions and the city almost shuts down.

Yes, snow is a big deal in Amsterdam because we get so little of it that actually stays on the ground. So of course we bundle Max up in his snow gear (that he will probably only use once or twice) and head outside to throw snowballs and pull the sled. Max had so much fun he was crying not to go back inside.

These pics are taken in front of our house. For those of you who haven't been to visit, this gives you a little visualization of our "island life".

Queen X 2

Today was not the typical day in the life of the van den Berg family. Oma and Opa babysat Max so that Bas and I could attend a special event at our church celebrating 400 years of the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. Our church dates back to the 1300's but it was only in the 1600's that the church was handed over to the English speaking population of the city. It is set in the middle of the Begijnhof (which the picture shows) and is truely beauitful.

To mark the occasion, a service was held at the church today and in attendance was Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Elizabeth of England and her husband The Duke of Edinburgh. It was quite an event and we felt privileged to be able to attend.

It was also interesting to hear some more history of the church that we hadn't heard before, such as that Vincent van Gogh would come to our church when he was seeking peace. Also the pilgrims after having left England and before going to America, worshipped at this church in Amsterdam.

The service ended with the singing of the English national anthem"God Save the Queen" (to the English contingent reading this...Wool...does the Queen sing this song herself?) and the Dutch "Wilhelmus". I must admit, I like the English one better. It's a bit more dramatic.

A day like today makes me realize how unique a life I have living here in Amsterdam. Sorry I don't have any money shots of the royalty but security was tight and cameras were a definite no-no.

Artis

This was a very busy weekend for Max. It helps that we have had beautiful weather here in Amsterdam, 50-60 degrees and sunny. A little better than what I hear the Midwest is freezing at these days. Yesterday, I sat on our balcony in the sun, in a short sleeve shirt.

Max was at Artis, the zoo here in Amsterdam city center, twice over the weekend. It is quite close by our house and he and Bas usually go every Saturday and give me a little free time (which I usually use to clean!). They hop on Bas's bike, Max on the back, and are there in 10 minutes. This weekend, Max went to the zoo with Taylor, one of his little girlfriends. They had fun running around after each other and paid little attention to the animals. From looking at the picture, you might not guess it, but Taylor and Max are 2 months apart. Max does seem to be growing like his daddy in length. Now, if we could only get him to eat...

Max really enjoys Artis. He tells us where he wants to go in the zoo and when it is time for a snack of popcorn , which he loves. His favorite animals are the otters, the crocodiles, the monkeys and the pig and cow.

Poesjes Kijken

Most nights after dinner, Max looks at Bas and asks, "Poesjes kijken?". He's asking Bas if they can go outside and look for cats (for those of you who know me well, no, this is not my child). So they put on their boots and coats and head outside. If you look closely at Max, you'll see they also have lights they take along. These can be anything from blinking bike reflectors to what I would call coal miner lights that they strap to their heads. I can only imagine what the neighbors think when they see a 7ft tall man and a toddler, lights strapped to their heads, wandering through the bushes out in the dark.