A few pats on the back

We have done SO much in these last two weeks.  I feel pretty amazed at how awesome we are and I wanted just to brag.  You may not feel like these are quite as exciting as I do, but with two kids following us around 24/7 everything becomes that much more difficult and I become that much more grateful when we succeed!

In relation to setting up our lives here, we have:

• Rented bikes through a long term rental company then purchased and mounted kid seats on them.
• Viewed 5 houses, had 2 meetings with our realtor, and settled on a home to purchase (hopefully the offer will be on the table today).
• Taken the train to the burbs of Amsterdam to get official through the immigration department, biometrics for all of us included. 
• Walked an average of 5 miles per day, in addition to the bike riding, while we not only go through the basics but also explore the city and get a feel for the various neighborhoods.
• Found so many wonderful shops, including the REI equivalent (omg did we need that gear), the Middle Eastern grocery store, various bakeries, the cheese store, the wine shop, the neighborhood butcher, some toy stores, the cat café, the fresh goods market that sets up stalls along the center canal on Saturdays (and maybe more regularly during the holidays, trying to figure it out), and - not least - one of the major thrift shops I plan to frequent.
• Opened a Dutch bank account.
• Ordered new phones and signed up for a Dutch phone plan.
• Had arguments with the washer/dryer combo and praised the perfectly functioning dishwasher.
• Discovered a good Dutch beer.  Yes, this is critical for basic life function.
• Nic has continued working some evenings, which will more become the norm as we progress.  He also toured a shared office space that he may end up using during the busy season so that he can get out of the house for zoom meetings and phone calls while also maybe making friends with other professionals.

This week, we'll go check out the schools that offer newcomer/immersion classes for the kids.  Next week, we register with the city to get our social security number equivalents.

We've had a lot of fun as well.  Some people wanted to know why on earth we would immigrate during the winter, but it's been really nice to have holiday activities for the kids to feel excited and welcome.  Particularly since they've been out of school for 2 weeks and we're still not sure when we'll be able to actually enroll.  Anyway, here are some of the fun things we've done (as if that list above isn't enough):

• Went ice skating at a temporary rink setup in the middle of the center canal.
• Visited a holiday-themed pile of rides where Santa passed out ornaments and Miles went on his first baby roller coaster.
• Visited the cat café where we got to have lunch cozied up to 8 cats wandering around the premises.  
• Picked up some more Legos and a couple family games (in Dutch) from a toy store.
• Nic taught Miles how to play Magic the Gathering.
• Played in so many parks, some new ones and some we already loved from our visit last year.
• Riding the train into Amsterdam was pretty fun, even though it was for an immigration appointment and that commute might become too normal for me one day.  Functioning public transportation is always thrilling to me.
• David and I went on an evening bike ride to look at holiday lights throughout town.  It happened to coincide with the ending of one of the world cup games, so we got to observe quite a few loud pubs swarming with people as well.
• We picked up some Dutch kid books from a couple free little libraries scattered around town.  The kids have been really excited and engaged about them.

We have NOT done much holiday prep work at home.  We don't have enough space or time to make a deal out of Christmas, but we'll at least do something small that morning.  Miles is less concerned about Christmas and more concerned with his birthday which hits 3 days after.

Can I also just say how stellar these kids are?  We all had a bit of jet lag for our first week, but even with disrupted sleep patterns they were still great during the day.  Sure, they constantly bicker - which is sort of their permanent state regardless - but they've been doing an excellent job.  They're trying to stay calm and focused when something important is happening, to redirect themselves with activities, to pay attention to the new traffic patterns and other norms we're observing together, to make friends at playgrounds, to practice Dutch with adults... they're exceeding my expectations and it's been so helpful.  That doesn't mean I'm not also in need of a break from them, but I can't imagine how much they need a break from each other as well.  I'm also still aware that we have several more big transitions for them in the next few months and that they're completely allowed to struggle or have big feels about everything.  I'm still impressed with how settled they've been so far.

Some of the awesome kid quotes or experiences that bring me joy so far:

• Leiden is the city of keys (I've yet to research the history), so there are key logos everywhere and a trail of metal keys emblems embedded in the cobblestones.  The kids have made a game of it where they're key masters with machines that help them collect the keys they find.  As we're walking along that path through town, they often shout "SUCK" every time they see a key and then make up wild numbers of how many keys they've collected so far.
• David has had some awesome quotes.  There are more that I'll add as I remember them.
• "Look at all the chickens!" at a pile of pigeons.
• "Mom, I like the Netherlands more than I like Acoma.  Well, maybe except for the stokbrood (baguette)."
• "Dad, you're really bad at using a gas stove."
• Miles has missed the pets so much that he made love notes for each of them enclosed in an origami envelope that I taught him from my childhood.  Then, he made a game of what essentially equates to charades to try to figure out which pet we are.  He's also made art for Lila (the cat) and I've made sure to send it to her new humans to share with her.

I'm just so happy.  I think we're all so happy, actually.  I'm aware that we're still in the honeymoon period where this whole thing feels like a vacation, but we're making sure to communicate everything clearly to the kids and to ourselves so that we can mentally and emotionally prepare.  Not having a job for about 5 weeks is a huge factor, if I'm being perfectly honest.  I don't have a work permit for another few months, which simultaneously makes me giddy and nervous.  It will give me enough time to enroll in Dutch classes, settle into our new house, and really take the time to make sure that whatever work I end up with is something I feel excited about.  It makes me nervous, though, because I'm struggling to throw off the idea that I need to be running past full speed toward burnout.  It had become so normal for me.  

We're doing a good job, is what I'm saying.  And we make sure to validate that and appreciate each other at the end of every day.