On your MARKET, get set, GO!

"On your market, get set, GO!" Evan screams for the 100th time in an hour. He has decided Amsterdam is a great city for racing. This despite, the narrow streets, the even narrower cobblestoned sidewalks, and the multitudes on foot and on bicycle. He took a couple of good spills - one of which resulted in a skinned nose, but even this could not deter him from his game. I don't mind this game too much since a) it wears him out quicker b) he moves faster when he is racing and c) he quickly learned the difference between sidewalk and road and always stops to hold hands when we cross the street. The problem with this game is the sheer volume of pedistrians and cyclists. He is more interested in going fast than staying out of the way. Which makes me very nervous.














When he is not racing, he is asking to be carried. "Mommy, Carry you?" - meaning, of course, carry me. We've walked all over this beautiful city, and we've encouraged Evan to walk as much as possible. But there are times for safety, or efficiency that it is easier to carry him. He has walked more than his share though, and after a while I know he gets tired. If he didn't weigh close to 40lbs this really wouldn't be such an issue. By the end of the day we're all tired not just from walking but also from carrying these two giant children.

Other than racing, Evan also enjoys looking for sharks in the canals, crossing bridges, and best of all watching the public train, which he calls Thomas. We've actually ridden the train a couple of times just for fun. As silly as that may sound, if you could see the excitement on Evan's face you would understand why it is worth the ride.

Overall Evan has been very good, albeit a bit wild at times. There have been a few meltdowns, but largely (and thankfully) this is in the privacy of our apartment. He rarely misbehaves in public, save one or two tantrums. Publicly he is usually just guilty of not controlling the volume of his voice, not watching where he is going, and occasionally walking painfully slow so he can touch each and everyone of the traffic barriers -which are short poles spaced two feet apart all over the city. On the grander scheme of things these are minor inconveniences, but they can be frustrating to his parents. We have done our best to encourage him to be quieter, or slow down, or speed up - and we switch children often, sharing the load (both in weight and discipline). Sight seeing with such small children is a totally unique experience. Once upon a time Pat and I would have set a break neck pace, taking in all of the museums, churches, markets, and ahem coffee shops we possibly could. These days we are content just to be able to be out side walking in the city. And we were both delighted with our fragmented hour at the Rijks Musuem. We each had the opportunity to spend 30 minutes admiring the art of the Dutch Masters, and 30 minutes of riding the glass elevator with Evan. Somehow it was enough, and Evan had his thrill. Someday the boys will be old enough to enjoy the history and beauty a city like Amsterdam has to offer, but for now I am content to enjoy the antics of a 3 year old racing the streets of Amsterdam.