It’s hard to believe we're 5.5 months into our second stint in the Netherlands, and at last, we’re pretty well integrated into the day-to-day life here in Amsterdam. The change hasn’t been too bad given our familiarity with the country combined with the Netherlands being an ex-pat friendly country, but it’s been an adjustment nonetheless, especially for the girls.

 The number one question I’m asked is what the biggest adjustments are that we face as a family of 4+1 (dog). The answer usually starts – especially if you ask in January – with the weather. 

The dark, wet winter is certainly the most difficult adjustment, especially after moving from Tennessee, where 55 degrees and sunny isn’t out of the ordinary in even the coldest of months. In Amsterdam the weather is more consistent, and, for the most part, much worse. It has rained every day over the past 7 weeks, and 2023 ended as the wettest on record in The Netherlands. The 9 AM sunrises (technically 8:40 but you’d never know as it takes a while for the sun to permeate the clouds) are particularly difficult when it comes to mobilizing the kids for school. We knew Dutch winters were tough, but this year has been another level. This was even more apparent while taking our yearly holiday card photos outside in the rain on a Saturday in November. We tried to look warm...

 
While the weather is tough, our work/life balance is good, and we’ve minimized scheduled activities to free-up time to explore the city, and eventually the rest of Europe, as a family. We are intentional with our weekends, trying not to overextend ourselves and to leave more time for walking the canals, biking through Vondelpark, and grabbing fresh bread on Saturday mornings.  We don’t feel too bad about the relaxed weekends as the weekdays tend to be quite busy – the girls have extracurricular activities on most days and enjoy ballet, “street-dance”, crafts, and language clubs until 5pm. It's a brilliant and convenient way to expose the girls to new activities without schlepping them somewhere after school or on the weekends. 
While we try to get out and explore on the weekend, it’s admittedly not always easy thanks to the aforementioned weather. In addition to the rain, a 35 MPH wind is common, turning our bakfiets into a sailboat which, as Ben likes to point out, can be either really fun, or really terrifying depending on which way the wind is blowing. It takes a lot of motivation to get up out of bed each morning and leave our “gezellig” (comfy, cozy) apartment. Just ask Millie....
 
Reconnecting with Old Friends
 

In returning to The Netherlands, we've had the opportunity to visit a number of Utrecht friends as well as US friends who are now fellow expats. After 3.5 years away, it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat with the wonderful families we came to love during our time in country’s oldest – and, dare we say, best city. The kids also picked-up right where they left off, despite a more pronounced language barrier. As Brooke says, she speaks a little Dutch and they speak a little English so it works :) We had the opportunity to see Brie's friend from her days at Dutch daycare. It took just a bit of time for them to get reacquainted before running off into the enchanted forest as though they’d never been apart.  
 

Utrecht Singeloop

We walk down memory lane each time we step foot in the historic center of Utrecht. From the hustle and bustle of Utrecht Central and Hoog Catherijne (a beautiful new mall that, unlike most, is vibrant, bustling, and fully integrated into the urban fabric of the city) to the historic square at Dom Tower, we can't help but reminisce with the kids as babies and toddlers. The annual 10K Utrecht Singelloop gave us all an excuse to return to our "Holland hometown" this time with Brie taking part in the annual race just like Dad. We were able to visit our first house along with our favorite neighbors who helped us cheer on the thousands of runners. Props to Mirella who was able to spot Ben just in time for me to capture this action shot.

 

Switzerland and the Alps

Our summer vacation went out the window when we soon realized the sticky summer months would be filled with readying ourselves and our home for our move. This made the kids fall break time that much more important (mostly for me) to be able to get away after a very stressful time of moving, starting a new school, new house, unpacking while still trying to work with my US job. Phew! Needless to say, it was well deserved time off for us!

While we originally planned to visit Istanbul, we decided at the last-minute to put the trip on hold and pivot to an Alpine vacation. Ben worked his magic and found a delightful hotel in Austria complete with a full kids club, indoor pools, a spa for me, and full-board. Getting out of the city, seeing the fall leaves in all their glory, and getting some fresh mountain air was the perfect recipe for relaxation and rejuvenation.  The hotel (Frankensteiner Montafon, if you’re curious), was fabulous – like a Four Seasons for families – and allowed us to truly decompress. I never realized how much energy and time goes into planning meals. Much to Ben’s chagrin (“it cost how much??”), I strive to make this setup our new holiday norm.
 
So far, alles goed here in the Netherlands. We have a few more weeks of winter drudgery before the tulips come out and vacations begin anew, so for now my goal is to fill our cup with the activities, friends, and places that provide the extra energy boost to sustain us until the winter doll-drums have passed.

 
Wishing everyone a Gelukkig nieuwjaar. Proost!