Geocache

Geocache!Geocaching is a hobby that really has two sides to it. One is hiding something and publishing the location and some hints on where to find it on the geocaching website. The other part is going out to find hidden caches. There are really a lot of caches out there and almost certain in Holland you’ll find one close near your location. To find a cache you can use your phone or a gps receiver and search for the published coordinates.

Last week I went to search for my first caches and it was quite fun! Some caches are hard to find because they are very small or well hidden but others are much easier. It is nice to go somewhere you normally would not venture. At some caches you can leave your name, or make a trade of some small item inside.

2 years

Today we celebrate. Our little Alex is already two years. Time flies and Alex is growing very fast. He is doing well and so are we. Since April I have been in living in Holland so I was far away, but we have good hopes that we well be reunited in the near future. Right now we’ll have to settle with seeing each other online almost every day so out family keeps in touch.

Alex experienced another year of great advancements. During his first birthday he was still crawling through the house. Now he is running, climbing, jumping, talking in Spanish and Dutch with quite a few words, drinking his own milk and even sometimes peeing on his potty.

We are very proud of our little boy and while we can only imagine a fantastic next year we are sure Alex will surprise us again and again. We are looking forward to the next year but first today we celebrate.

For the occasion we have a very nice video of Alex singing the Spanish version of “Happy Birthday” which is called “Cumpleaños feliz”. The text is easy:

Cumpleaños feliz
cumpleaños feliz
te deseamos todos
cumpleaños feliz.

Alex made a little addition at the end. He end with a nice “Ya esta”, which means “Done”.

Cut short

Cut short!
Alex once again had a haircut, resulting in a nice short hairdo. According to his mother he now looks even more like his father, which of course it way to much credit for me. Still it is undeniable that he is a very good looking kid.

It is already the second time Alex’ hair is cut, and this time he knew it would be painless. He kept smiling while his hair was cut.

Ford Focus

Ford Focus!We have a new car! We traded in our faithful Seat Ibiza and now we have a new nine year old red Focus.

Well, the car was as good as new when we bought it. After a few days of use we have notices that our parking place on -3 is giving us quite a few problems. The car already had some big dents and huge scratches on the left side, the right side and on the front bumper.

Cement tank

Cement tank!
It is truly fantastic to see a little kid enjoying himself so thoroughly. His can only lead to a very good feeling for the people around him. Weeks after Alex’ visit to Holland there were still kids coming by asking for him.

On the potty

Potty!A few days ago we had a little celebration. Alex indicated all by himself that he needed to pee, and after getting his potty he sat down and peed away. Mommy and daddy were o so proud, but Alex himself was even more impressed. Halfway he got up and started running through the room while cheering and continuing to pee.

Again we see another step taken by Alex towards his adulthood. He is still developing very very fast and we all wonder what will be his next big advance.

Popular

Alex his mother sometimes mentions that there are quite a large number of differences in the Dutch and Spanish culture. In Spain we cannot cross the street with Alex without hearing compliments and remarks about Alex. Here in Holland we hear absolute silence. No compliments, no remarks, nothing.

Until yesterday when there was an event that left us speechless. Two little girls rang the front door bell. They were around 10 years, and they only asked about Alex. They wanted to know if he was coming out to play. He was asleep, but when I told the girls that after his sleep he would probably go out and play they left very happy. Ana and I were baffled. Alex’ not even two years old, and already the girls are seeking him out. It did however leave me with a proud feeling.

The Spanish-Dutch timetable

Alex - Water fountain!
After just one week in Holland the changes we notice in little Alex are quite big.

He has adopted to a Dutch timetable very fast. He goes to bed much earlier, he wakes up more early and his daily routine has changed a lot. Normally Alex would start to show signs of being tired around 10 or 11 o clock at night. but now he falls profoundly asleep at 8.

It´s not really clear what is causing the change. Maybe its the Dutch light, or the climate of because we are are doing more activities, or maybe it’s just because Alex sees a lot of people around him all with different timetables.

The first time on a bike

On the bike!In Spain driving a bike is not nearly as natural as it is in Holland. There are very few bike lanes and if you are one of the lucky few with a bike you will find yourself on a dangerous spot. Other users of the roads are not used to bikes and they just don’t take into account there might be bikes around. In Holland it cannot be more different. Here you are the king of the road on your bike. Everyone knows you are there and you can drive everywhere on your bike.

It was a good moment to introduce Alex to this great concept. Together we drove a few laps and Alex did quite enjoy it. At first he had to overcome some of his anxiety, because we were going quite fast, but he got the hand of it quite fast en even enjoyed himself. Still, it was his first time and after a few lats he started asking for mamma. Still, the bike seed has been planted and now the biker in Alex can start to grow.