Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Hello from damp Amsterdam! This week has been quite wet. It feels more like Chicago spring here instead of a "summer" - damp and chilly, with small periods of sunshine. We even had a flash of lightning and thunder boom this morning, very unusual for Amsterdam.

With all of the rain, it has given Ben and me the opportunity to explore some of what Amsterdam has to offer indoors. We had an indoor pool play date on Monday, and it would be a HUGE understatement to say that Ben loves the water! He would stand in front of the fountain, soak his face, wipe his eyes, then giggle like crazy. We went into the 'big boy pool', and he kept walking towards the deeper water, even went under a few times as he was swept off his feet. He'd get mad when I steered him back to 'safety'. I am going to look into swim lessons for the fall/winter for sure!

On Wednesday, we got to meet some new friends and enjoy our first trip to the library. One of the ladies we have met through Crossroads works with Youth With a Mission. There is a YWAM moms and babies group that gets together a couple of times a month for social activities. So, we met Rachel and Becca and their sons for a little reading time. The library is great! There is a huge floor devoted to children - obviously lots of books (there is even an English section), computers to play on, and big squishy chairs. Ben wasn't interested in cuddling up for a story when there were so many new things to see. So, I didn't really get a lot of time to get to know my new friends (Becca's husband is from Champaign, IL - seriously, it is a really small world!), but I'm sure we'll be seeing them again soon.

Other than that, just lots of playing indoors. Ben's favorite toys lately are his IKEA plates, bowls, and cups (thanks Motes for such a great birthday gift!). They are so versatile - the plates make great hats, we play seek and find with the bowls, and the stuffed animals get their fill of pretend juice from the cups. He also likes turning the radio on and off (about a hundred times) and unrolling all the tp off the roll. :) Seriously though, the IKEA dishes are great. Our "Mr. Independent" has now refused to eat unless he can do it himself from those dishes. He's had sips from our glass plenty of times, but we finally gave him his own cup (not sippy) of milk last night. He was pretty damp by the end, but he loved it!

I had some "me" time this week too. (Good timing since Greg leaves for Madrid very early tomorrow morning for 3 days.) Thursday night was Ladies Night with some of my AWCA gals and my fave - Mexican and margaritas! Today, I got a haircut and my stylist, Stephanie, gives the best shampoo of any that I've ever had...scalp massage, neck massage, massages your temples. Amazing! And, this afternoon was my "Mother's Day" pedicure. So, now my toes will be very pretty for our trip to Lucerne Switzerland. Greg gets back early Wednesday morning from Madrid, and we pick up our registration cards that afternoon (we will finally be official residents!) Then, we leave very early Friday morning for Lucerne. We'd love your prayers for the travels...our travel days are going to be long ones (leave home at 6 a.m. and arriving in Lucerne at 5 p.m.) and we know that Ben is in the middle of cutting teeth. We would love your prayers for safe travels, patience, endurance, and creativity to keep our active little boy occupied on a train for so long. We are so excited about our trip though. Paris and Brussels were fantastic, but I'm ready for a little nature - lake, mountains. We're planning on going to the top of Mt. Pilatus, and it looks like the views from the top are breathtaking!

And now we've come to your favorite part of the blog - Getting to Know Amsterdam:

1. Hurray, I have finally succeeded in finding tabasco sauce and hoisin sauce!! It's the little things in life...

2. As of July 1, there is no smoking in bars or restaurants. Not that we get out too much, but we're glad since it could get pretty cloudy in some places (you could tell even just by walking by), and we hated the idea of bringing Ben into a small cafe filled with smoke. I'm wondering what the local reaction is...

3. I noticed the date last Sunday at church was 06/07/08. (Hee, hee...6, 7, 8) You may be thinking that I'm about a month off, but not so. The day and month are shown reversed here - and as far as I know, in most of Europe. Was as confusing as the military time at first, but now we are used to it.

4. Here you go Robin! She asked about toiletries, and I have finally depleted my American stash and needed to buy Dutch. So, here is what we have found...very recognizable brands and usually pretty easy to tell what it is. I've seen Max Factor make-up, and the baby products appear to be Johnson & Johnson (based on packaging looks), but with a different name. I found the same Pampers Sensitive wipes that we use for Ben in the States, and the Pampers look the same and have the same sizing (as long as you can convert to kilograms). (Bummed a little about the diapers though. Although I think the below characters on the diapers are cute, Ben was just to the point where he knew his Sesame Street buddies by name and would practice by looking through his diapers during changes. Oh well, now he practices bear, cat, cow, horse...and looks like we have a new one, caterpillar!)

Hope all our family and friends are doing well and enjoying some warm, dry weather! Could you send a little our way? :)

Love - The Zabikows