Bah, Humbug?

I know it's just Dec. 5, but I'm finding the Christmas spirit a little elusive this year. There are a few reasons for this:

1. No Christmas music boring holes in my head (I've heard it in very few stores, and on the radio, it's just on the Armed Forces station). We've been playing a bunch on the iPod, but my selection is severely limited.

2. Hardly any lights on houses, and few decorated trees (outside or inside). They sell plenty of decorations here, but I sure don't see many up. We've seen a few places selling trees, but each place has only a handful of trees for sale.

3. Confusion over how to celebrate. We figured out that tomorrow (Dec. 6) is St. Nick's Day, which is when the kids here get their toys. So I've done all my shopping, and put packages under the tree, gifts in the stocking and candy in their shoes. (How we will pull the kids away from their presents in order to take them to school is a wrinkle we haven't fully figured out.) Then today T.J. hears that for some families, St. Nick actually brings the toys tonight (Dec. 5) -- and basically pulls a ding-dong-ditch: ringing the doorbell, then when the family opens the door, there's a sack of presents. Then the Zwarte Pieten come overnight leaving the goodies in their shoes.

So even though St. Nick arrives via ONE horse named Americo, we still decided to "encourage" Amelia to bed by shaking sleigh bells outside her window. Not accounting for the triple pane windows, we had to shake the bells four times outside (while nonchalantly opening a window so Amelia could hear). Her first response? "I think that's just a cat." T.J. was determined, so he went back out and shook them again. Amelia then acknowledged that it was probably St. Nick, but that his bells sounded different than last year (actually, we used the same bells last year, too).

Well, in any case, we're ready. But I also learned today that many of Amelia's classmates won't be getting their gifts tomorrow, so then I will have to try to explain when not everyone was "visited" by St. Nick....

4. St. Nick? Sinterklaas? Santa? I've given up trying to not say "Santa" -- it just keeps slipping out. Not that the kids know the difference, but it's just so hard to keep all the traditions straight!

I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic for home (especially for shopping at the mall at 10 p.m.). It's neat to celebrate some new traditions, but I also miss those of home (and not that I'm missing them -- we'll celebrate those soon enough!).

I did manage to find the ingredients for traditional Neunreiter Christmas Day caramel rolls, so we'll get to have some yummy food for the morning. As I'm trying to send everyone to school!

That's about all for today. Time for bed, so St. Nick will fill my shoes!

Who Said Ear Infections Aren't Contagious?

I don't think I mentioned that the stomach ick ran rampant through the house (sans T.J., of course) about 2 weeks back. Luckily, it was a brief virus, but intense. Jack came down with it at 1 a.m. on a Wednesday night, I got it Friday afternoon (and relapsed Sunday when I thought I was better and drug the family down to the Christmas market), then Amelia got it at 1 .m. on Sunday night. There was a lot of laundry involved in the middle of the night, let's say.

I also made the mistake of giving Amelia a bell to ring on Monday, as I demanded that she stay in bed and rest. I told her that the bell was for emergencies and when she needed me. It turned into her using the bell to give me the play-by-play of her My Little Pony videos. Needless to say, the bell was removed.

Let me just say that Motilium is the best anti-nausea medication EVER (for both kids and adults). I've thought about giving it as stocking stuffers....

The Christmas Markets
OK, I'm back (a little) in the Christmas spirit, after attending 3 Christmas markets this weekend. The markets are a little different than I expected. I expected it to be mostly Christmas items, but it ran the gamut -- blood sausages to scarves to jewelry to candy to Romanian wines to wonderful art. I picked up a few things and had a great time. We didn't linger at the Brussels market the first time (as I felt terrible). Then on Saturday, we went to Aachen, Germany (STARBUCKS!). It was super crowded, and not enjoyable for Jack and the kids. Luckily, there were some kids' rides, so T.J. took them there while I made a quick run through the market. We did get to enjoy roasted chestnuts and these wonderful shredded potato pancakes (deep fried, of course) with this fantastic garlic yogurt sauce. Here's the Web site, if you're interested (http://www.aachen.de/EN/ts/90_festivals_events/90_30/index.html)

There was a nice market in Stockel as well. And the big bonus was that it was under a big tent (BIG bonus during this weather, since it seems to be raining all the time). That was where I discovered gluhwein (or vin chaud, or hot wine). Very, very good! And then on Sunday I returned to the Brussels market (solo, this time). It was, by far, the biggest market, including a giant Ferris Wheel, an ice skating rink, and a few neat kids' rides. And then it started raining, which drew a big crowd to anyone selling hats. Of course, I got stuck on the metro trying to come home, but otherwise, it was a good trip.

Dec. 14 Update
We are now dealing with ear infections. Jack got one on Monday, and Amelia got hers on Wednesday. So now we're dealing with eardrops and echinacea, and Amelia is on antibiotics. Never a dull moment areound here. But luckily, the early illnesses should mean that we'll be healthy for our trip to the U.S. next week. I know that they say that ear infections themselves aren't contagious, but it's sure suspect that the kids got them within 2 days of each other. And the kicker was that they never had any other symptoms before diagnosis. Jack felt a little warm on Monday, but had a fever of just 101, but when I took his temp (by ear), that's when he said "Hurt me." Amelia woke up screaming on Wednesday and was literally in hysterics from the pain (I remember the feeling). The doctor said her infection was pretty spectacular, and she started throwing up from it. But all is better now!! (for now)

We've been having a fun time stocking up on fan favorites around here. I think I have a full suitcase of chocolate, plus 3 kilos of cheese.

The kids had their European haircuts today. The barber at the Gentleman's Coiffeur just loves the kids, and he even squeezed in a haircut for Amelia after Jack's today.

Tis the Season for Tipping
Service providers are NOT shy about getting their holiday season tips around here. We got a flier in the mail a few weeks ago from the trashmen, saying that they were "authorized to pick up their Christmas box in December" and to "Beware of impostors." What we learned is that everyone will come to your door for their tips. First the trashmen, then the recyclers (both arriving at around 7 p.m.). Today, the mailman brought the mail to the door for the first time ever. I've spent more time scrambling around for euros to give everyone! Then I found out there are 6 people in Jack's creche to buy gifts for, plus Amelia's teachers. It's a good excuse for shopping, I suppose. But then with Amelia being sick Thursday and Friday, I wasn't able to make my deliveries!

The Things They Say
Jack was playing with a little wooden Christmas train yesterday and broke off a bunch of pieces. T.J. asked if Jack broke it. Jack said (phonetically) -- "so suf, dada, ma fo" -- which, translated from baby, means "So sorry, Daddy, my fault." It cracked us both up. And if he hears us sneezing or coughing, he'll ask "Mama, Kay?" to see if we're ok.

Please forgive how some of this blog turns into an online baby book sometimes. I don't seem to have the time to write down all the cute things the kids do, so it seems like this is a good time to do it.

The kids have also been loving the musical cards that Jerry sends them. They took Jack's to the market today, which sings "Up on the Rooftop." The market vendors got a big kick out of them
as did the barber.

Brussels, Bruges and Ghent

The Rousseaus arrived on the 15th, and we took them to the Natural History Museum to see their fantastic dinosaur exhibit. It was really neat, and the kids loved it, although Amelia got a little nervous toward the end. The kids had a great time playing with each other!
On Sunday, we made the trek to the Netherlands for the Sinterklaas parade (see the previous post). Then on Monday, we took them down to downtown Brussels and did some sightseeing (Ste. Catherine's cathedral, the Mannekin Pis, the Grand Place, the restaurants). We did a little shopping, a little chocolate tasting and a lot of walking. The kids loved riding on the Metro (Jack just kept repeating "choo choo ride.")

On Tuesday we drove to Ghent to see the castle and the churches. T.J. and I had a nice cappuccino while the Rousseaus toured the castle. I actually had 2 cappuccinos (when I find the opportunity, I take advantage of it!) and then went shopping (just a little!). We then headed toward Bruges, where we were staying in a castle for 2 nights.



The castle was really neat -- originally built around 1100-1200 but extensively rehabbed in the 1850s. Reportedly, Napoleon visited there twice. It was all very ornate with lots of old pictures and beautiful stained glass and painted ceilings. It was a really nice stay, and close enough to Bruges that it was a quick drive there for sightseeing and dinners.

We had a nice time walking around and seeing the sights, including one of the few Michelangelo statues outside of Italy. Everyone else took a horse and carriage ride around town, while I selfishly stayed behind to watch the strollers (and then immediately took off for the shopping district, stopping for a takeaway cappuccino along the way).

The girls had actually stopped earlier in H&M for a mini-shopping excursion. Amelia wanted a glittery Hello Kitty shirt, and then went berserk when she saw My Little Pony shirts as well. We also, of course, had to buy some glittery pink shoes to go with her new shirts. Jack got a white t-shirt, so as not to feel left out.

After our time in Bruges, we headed to Oostende, a coastal town on the North Sea. The kids got to play on the beach a little, and they had a ball, even though it was a little dark and cold.

The week went by really fast, and we were sad to see them leave. Now it's time to get ready for the holidays.

Just Different Enough...
My latest vents:

1. Bought new lights for the Christmas tree, because, of course, our old ones won't work here. Got three strands of 50 lights each. Opened up the package at home and found that instead of one long strand of 50 lights, it was a CIRCLE of 50 lights. So putting them on the tree was quite a challenge.

2. The kids had some gorgeous portrait pictures done at Jack's creche, and I was trying to order them last night. Of course, they don't have 8 x 10, 5 x 7, etc. Everything is just different enough that nothing fits into the frames that I have -- so now I have to buy all new frames.

And what I'm pleased with....

1. Christmas markets galore! So many, that I won't be able to attend all of them. So we're planning one Saturday in Germany, one in Brussels, one in Stockel -- and who knows where else. There are just too many to go to, but they all seem neat!

2. I found bagels in the grocery store today, and I heard that the British store sells Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Life is getting good. Seems like peanut butter, syrup, takeaway coffee and rice-a-roni are the few things I still can't find, so my list has definitely gotten shorter over the past year.

3. I LOVE riding my bike -- even in this cold, damp weather. It's been so nice to pick Jack up from creche on the bike, fill my basket with groceries and get some exercise. (Although the ride home is uphill, and that's always fun with a 12 kilo kid and groceries.)

So overall, life is great here. They're starting to decorate Stockel -- they just put up a giant Christmas tree and were stringing lights. But we're looking forward to our visit to the U.S.

Sinterklaas and Beaujolais

The Rousseaus just left from a weeklong visit with us. We all had a great time, and the kids especially loved having extra playmates.

Last weekend, we took a trip to Oosterhout, the Netherlands to welcome Sinterklaas to town. (For a little history of the tradition, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas). Everyone was lined up along the waterway, and Sinterklaas arrives by boat from Spain, with his Zwarte Pieten (men and women in blackface, if you can believe it) and his white horse, Americo. The men and women in blackface are because they are the ones who come down the chimney to deliver the gifts. There were even kids in the audience dressed in blackface! They gave all the kids horns, so there was quite a bit of noise.

We were a little far away, so it was hard for the kids to see him arrive, but they were excited. We were trying to explain the difference between Sinterklaas and Santa (since Sinterklaas will deliver presents to the kids on Dec. 6, while Santa will bring presents in the U.S.) It seemed easiest to just say they were brothers, especially because I think my explanation is already forgotten.



After he disembarked from the boat, a parade began. It was mostly his helpers at first, distributing oranges and cookies and candies. It was interesting to note that most goodies were unwrapped. Can you imagine letting your kids eating unwrapped food handed out at a parade in the US?.




The kids were excited to see Sinterklaas up close, but he went by really fast. It was a lot of fun to experience a new holiday tradition (even though it seemed really politically incorrect).

Beaujolais Nouveau
It's been a while since I had my beaujolais parties (before kids), but I still enjoy it. There were a TON of different bottles available when it was released on the 15th, and I snapped up quite a few (I now have more wine than I can ever drink, I think!). We went to a party at my French teacher's house for the release, and she had several wines and lots of fancy cheeses. It was great fun!

More to Come
There's more to come later this week about our trip with the Rousseaus. It's hard to blog after a week of traveling (even though they were short trips), but I'll try to do it in pieces....

Grocery Shopping at the Gas Station -- Who'da Thunk It?

Before I dive into today's post, I forgot to mention an unexpected sight on our Strasbourg adventure. As we were driving into Colmar, France, we came upon the main roundabout in town, and there -- smack in the middle -- was the Statue of Liberty. Turns out that Colmar is the birthplace of the fellow who designed and sculpted the statue. Pretty neat find.

So back to gas station shopping. Let me first preface this by saying that it is virtually impossible to do all your shopping at one store. No two stores carry the same thing, and availability is always in question.

For example, Amelia has been begging for blueberries for weeks now. I've searched everywhere but haven't found them. Then I randomly went to the corner produce market on Sunday, and found 3 lonely containers. Success! Of course, each little package (think small, flat box -- maybe one and a half handfulls of berries) was 4 euros ($5.50). Price starts to become little object when you're desperate (and no, there's no frozen blueberries).

And Monday, T.J. came down with the flu (or something) again, so Jack and I stopped by the gas station on our way to pick up Amelia. I needed gas anyway, and I was curious about the store inside, as it seemed pretty comprehensive (they actually had carts outside). So we go in, and walk immediately into a miniature produce aisle. Every bit of produce you might want -- including BLUEBERRIES! (Now, ask yourselves why a major grocery store can't carry blueberries, but the gas station minimart can...) They also had chocolate chip cookie dough, meat, wine in juice-box-sized containers -- the whole gamut. AND, they're open on Sundays. Hooray. What a wonderful find...


Shopping in the International Section
Went to Carrefour this morning for shopping, and they've added a new "International" aisle. This used to be just Old El Paso products and some Chinese food. Now they have Golden Griddle pancake syrup (there are only 3 stores that I've seen syrup in). A regular-sized grocery store bottle for 10 euros (14 bucks!). I will clearly be bringing syrup back with me on all my visits.

And now they have Oreos -- and chocolate covered oreos -- no-name brand Fritos and stuffing mix. Just a few little goodies from home, which is nice to see.

Lantern Parade
Amelia's school is having a St. Martins Lantern Parade tomorrow night. See here for a bit of the story: http://www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/articles/stmartins.htm. They made paper lanterns on Monday, and they'll put candles in them for the parade, and we'll march around in the cold and the rain, and then the kids will eat cookies and cakes, and won't go to bed until late.

It really seems like a neat idea, weather permitting. We had gone to the African Museum on Sunday (mostly because it was actually open), and when we were leaving, we saw many families arriving with their lanterns. Apparently a German church was sponsoring a parade on the grounds of the museum (also the former summer home of the king).

The Sweet Taste of Starbucks
A few weeks ago, T.J. had a meeting in the Netherlands, not far from Aachen, Germany (the location of the nearest Starbucks!). The sweet man drove to Aachen after the meeting and got me two tasty drinks and brought them home to me. The best early Christmas present ever!!

It's Not Vacation Till Someone Gets Pinkeye

I'll leave you with that teaser for just a few minutes while I fill you all in on the week's happenings.

Jack followed up his tiny pee on the potty with a tiny poop on the potty the next day at creche. I haven't been able to replicate the miracles at home, but we're working on it.

On Thursday, we headed to Strasbourg for the long weekend. We stopped in Luxembourg City for lunch and had a nice Italian meal. We walked around a little bit, but since it was a holiday and we were on a mission, we didn't linger too much.





We went on to Strasbourg and checked into our hotel. We had asked for connecting rooms, but, as usual, we didn't get them. We had rooms across the hall from each other. T.J. won the draw for the solo room for the first two nights, and I was looking forward to having my solo night on our last day there. (Big lesson learned there.)

We got there late on Thursday, so we had time for dinner and then bed. The kids actually did great all sleeping in the same room, and I secretly enjoyed being able to go to bed at 8:30. And T.J. enjoyed being able to go out to pick up some beer and then watch TV on the computer that we brought along.

The kids woke up bright and early the next day. We got some pastries and juice and had breakfast back in the hotel. Then we went off in search of the Neunreiter legacy (our ancestors emigrated from Strasbourg around 1870).

We took our address of the mysterious Neunreiter business and set off Friday morning in search of it. We took a tram (Jack was very excited) just outside the city center and took a 5-minute walk. We found the street, then I realized I forgot the specific address number back at the hotel. But, luckily, it was a very short street.

We almost passed it. As we were walking by, I peeked around a corner into what looked like a pavement courtyard with a big garage. And on that big garage was Neunreiter, S.A. (or something like that -- I took a picture). So far as we could tell, the business operates out of a big garage. An eldery couple pulled in to the courtyard (parking lot? I dunno), and I used my best French to try to explain. From what I could gather from them, Neunreiter Industries isn't booming. I guess they're more of a distributor (or glass and ceramics) or something now, and there's not a Neunreiter in charge. She did give me the name and telephone number of the man who runs it (or something; French isn't so good). Apparently, someone isn't there on a regular basis. So my hopes of coming home with loads of Neunreiter-embossed goodies were in vain. I was pretty bummed to be coming away with only a picture of a placard on a garage. It was like getting a picture of a lemonade stand.

So we walked across the street to continue our journey, and I turned back from one last look. Then I noticed the giant entryway (that we had walked into, but hadn't really noticed) and saw that there was a big stone archway into which was carved "NEUNREITER." Now THAT was impressive.

The entryway was built in 1906, I believe. Pretty cool. So back in the day, they were obviously much bigger. The entryway was attached to the building next door, which is now office space for some other company.

So still not what I had hoped, but it was pretty neat.

No Neunreiters in the Strasbourg phone book, but I don't think that included suburbs. One day, I'll have to come on a nonholiday week and try to go to city hall and see if I can go through records....



It was pretty neat to think that we were walking in the same places that former Neunreiters had been walking a century or two ago.

We found another carnival, no surprise, so the kids loved the rides. And we got some wonderful crepes. We did some sightseeing and walked around the city and had a great time.

On Saturday, we took a drive down south towards Colmar, France and stopped at Mount St. Odile. On the way back, we took the Route du Vins highway through the vineyards and saw a million wineries. We stopped at one (we chose it only because it was one of the few we found open) and got some red and white wines.

On the drive back to Strasbourg, T.J. started coming down with the virulent 24-hour bug that attacks out of nowhere (chills, fever, aches), and Jack was starting to cough and was starting with a runny nose. I ended up taking the kids out solo Saturday night to a traditional Alsace restaurant (I had a tarte flambee and hot wine, which was great!). The staff didn't seem so happy to see me (an American with 2 little kids), but they were pleasant enough. Amelia was pleading for a teddy bear, but luckily, all the stores were closed by the time we were done with dinner.

So I obviously didn't get my solo night in the hotel room, with T.J. being sick, so I had a third night with the kids. They were funny to listen to -- they would talk with each other, and Amelia was trying to tell Jack stories.

We woke up Sunday to Jack with pinkeye (again!) and a really goopy nose and bad cough, poor kid. We drove back to Brussels without incident and were glad to be home.

Tuesday -- It's Spreading
So I took the kids to the doctor yesterday -- they were scheduled to get flu shots. But Jack started running a fever, so I knew he wouldn't get one. I took him in anyway, to get some drops for his eyes (and also ended up with drops for the nose, plus 2 different kinds of cough medicines). Amelia got her flu shot, and woke up this morning with mild pinkeye in one eye.

So I went without contacts today so I could put homeopathic drops in my eyes in hopes of avoiding it spreading to me.

Both kids stayed home from school (Jack is still running a high afternoon fever, but feels great!), and we made a carrot cake for a tea party. We walked down to the market in bright sunshine, but 1/2 way there, it clouded up. By the time we finished our shopping, the heavens opened up, and it was a long, wet walk back. I had brought a rain cover for the kids, so they were warm and dry. I, however, was drenched. Rain was pouring down my face, and Amelia was clamoring for me to tell her stories. Not a fun adventure.

Becoming Official
I got notice last week that I can go pick up my permanent residence card, meaning I can travel freely. The police are coming by for a final visit on Thursday, and that will clear the way for all the paperwork.

That about sums it up here. We're getting ready to celebrate St. Nicholas day -- Dec. 6, I think. That's when the Belgians do their big gift-giving for the children. It'll be a nice way to celebrate Christmas here and then do the holidays in the States. I don't think we'll be doing a traditional Thanksgiving, either. Not much in the way of turkeys, cranberries, stuffing, or the like.

We're missing sunlight desperately. Getting dark by 5, and still dark around 7. It's only going to get worse ....

Have a great week!

Vacation Week

A big accomplishment at the creche today -- Jack used the potty for the first time! I'm not sure if I'm excited or saddened by the fact that I'm missing the whole potty training adventure. He's been sitting on it at home, but with no results. I think seeing the other children using the potty at school must be having a positive influence on him. He's also becoming quite the talker!

It's a holiday week at school this week, so Amelia is off (but Jack is still going to creche). Apparently, All Saints Day is a national holiday. We went to Technopolis yesterday (a huge hands-on museum for kids), and they had a great time. Below is a picture of Jack and I from the Spy section of Technopolis...



Unfortunately, when we made it home yesterday, I ended up coming down with an annoying 24-hour bug (fever, chills, aches). I had to call T.J. home (though not too early) and I quickly retreated to bed. Amelia was quite the mommy, and brought me a bunny to sleep with to make me feel better. And sure enough, by morning, I had a pounding headache, but I had mostly recovered. Jack had actually had the same bug last week, so I guess he passed it on to me.

Amelia insisted today on getting a "Tom and Jerry" puzzle at the market today. Unfortunately, it's a 500-piece puzzle. I tried to explain that 500 is a whole lot of pieces, but she insisted. I anticipate that we'll lose the vast majority of pieces by week's end...

Car Free Day and Other Events...

I had forgotten to mention earlier that the Sunday after we left to come to the U.S. was "Car Free Day" in Brussels. And they meant business. In the Brussels Capital Region (of which we are a part, by just a few blocks), there was NO auto traffic allowed. If you had to use your car that day, you had to apply for a permit. The only traffic allowed was, I think, buses, taxis and emergency vehicles. There were barricades on the side of the road just outside our neighborhood, and on Sunday, there was a police officer manning those barricades to prevent any auto traffic from coming into the Brussels proper area.

T.J. had to drive to work that day, so he had to park his car a few blocks away, just outside of the city limits. It would've been fun to be here on that day and to ride our bikes on all the streets. Perhaps next year!

Face Painting
Here are the pictures from last week's birthday party. Isn't Jack the cutest?




Christmas Shopping
Just as in the US, the Christmas decorations are out in full swing. We've been seeing lots of toy commercials on our satellite TV ("I want that! I want that!"), and I'm discovering that most toys (at least, most toys that Amelia wants) are TWICE as much in the U.K. as they are in the U.S. TWICE!!! I think that they'll be slightly cheaper here in Belgium, but they'll still be close to double the price. Amazing. Luckily, the kids aren't really wanting for too many toys (except what they see on tv), so I hope to get by with lots of books this year!

There's not much else to report. Tammy and I have been attending all sorts of wacky classes at the gym, but we're enjoying our Latin dance step aerobics (for lack of a better term) class. It's really fun, the time flies by, and we're burning 500 calories a pop, according to my heart rate monitor.

More later....

The Faces of Jet Lag

We had a (thankfully) uneventful trip back to Brussels. The kids couldn't have done any better on the airplane, and they adjusted to the time difference much better on this leg of the journey. I'm not exactly looking forward to doing it again in December, but at least I'm not terrified of it this time.

We're getting back into our routine and we're happy to be settling back in. But I sure miss Quizno's and Walgreens and the mall and...

We're preparing our Halloween costumes. Apparently there are some celebrations around, but not to the extent as there is at home. Amelia is borrowing a ladybug costume, and I'm not sure what Jack will be.

My friend Tammy and I hit the gym today after a long absence. We thought we would try a Pilates class, but right after we got in, we found that it was DEFINITELY not Pilates. We found ourselves smack in the middle of a cardio class. It ended up being a lot of fun, but a lot of work. Trying to follow a cardio class anyway is hard -- trying to follow it in FRENCH is even harder, as you can imagine. (We found out that the Pilates class was being held in another room.)

More to come....

11 Hours in a Tin Can

Susan came to visit last week, and we had a great time. She and I made a solo train trip to Brugge, where we conned each other into buying whole hosts of things. My favorite purchase was a set of old chocolate molds, with baby bird designs. I figured -- birds? chocolate? -- a good souveneir of the Byrds time in Belgium. The whole family also made a trip to Namur, where they were having some sort of festival. More shopping, more games, more rides, and more cotton candy. Plus an old fortress and lots of cheap beer.

School Update
Jack is adjusting to school. We've had a few days of him not crying when I drop him off, but he's never enthusiastic to go. And if you mention the word around him, he'll just shake his head and yell "no". Oh, well. I think it will continue to get better (he's actually finally starting to eat at lunchtime there), so we take the small steps.

Jack caught another cold right on the tails of the first one. This one has resulted in a beautiful rash. The doctor suspects strep, but it could be any sort of viral infection. So we're waiting for the strep culture to see what happens.

I caught this second cold from Jack and was pretty miserable for several days before Susan arrived.

Long Flights
So we flew with Susan back to the US on Saturday. What a long day. They let us board first, and we got all settled, and we taxied to the runway. But before we got there, we had to go back to the gate, with the pilot announcing "mechanical problems." Of course, he doesn't say what those problems are. I'm a nervous flier anyway, and this does nothing to console me. They finally say that it's just a temperature control problem for the cabin temperature. So I'm relieved. But then we don't leave for another 2 hours! Not so relieved. By the time we take off, we know we've missed our connecting flight from Chicago to STL.

So the long flight begins. Lots of videos, lots of junky treats for the kids, not much rest for Susan and I. The kids don't sleep so well, either. But really, overall they did great. Just a few meltdowns.

We finally land, and as we're touching down, amelia announces that her stomach hurts. I take it with grain of salt, until she throws up halfway down the aisle (luckily, I had grabbed a few airsick bags, just in case). But the poor thing is a trooper and announces she feels much better and is able to muster the strength to pester her brother as we make mad dashes for baggage claim and customs (we learn we have just one hour before the next STL plane leaves).

Jack melts down in the line to recheck our bags, claiming he wants "more plane." After 11 hours on one, it's hard to belive, but he's serious.

After running like madwomen, we make it onto the plane just before they shut the doors. Amelia throws up twice more on the 45 minute flight, and I'm thankful that I brought the Belgium magic medicine with me that will stop her nausea ... if only I'll be able to find it in the suitcase.

Mom and Dad meet us at the airport, and Susan and Mom wait for our bags and plan to take a cab, while the kids and I go with Dad in the car. One more throwing up for Amelia in the car. Fantastic. The kids are as droopy as can be (by this time, it's 1 a.m. for them, Belgium time, and they've barely slept all day). They revive some with all the goodies at the house and manage to soldier on.

They crash pretty early, but I'm optimistic. Shouldn't have been. We were all up at 2 am. For good.

I take the kids downstairs and pop in a video. I figure I'll make the most of being up, and ride the recumbent bike for an hour while I sip my coffee. So even though I exercised, I ended up eating several breakfasts that day before we even got to 8 a.m.

Followed by two more mornings of the kids rising at 4, and up multiple times during the night.

But last night (Tuesday), they both slept soundly all night. Jack slept till 6, and Amelia was awake at 4 but tossed and turned in bed until Jack got up.

Miscellaneous
I think I've been to Walgreens every day! Just because I can! I've had only 2 Starbucks so far, but I've done lots of shopping. It's a good thing I brought extra suitcases!

We've enjoyed the warmer weather too. We've finally gotten a chance to wear our warm-weather clothes.

Jack is obsessed with being downstairs (in the basement, where all the toys are) and out on the deck, where he splashes his hands in the birdbaths (sanitary, no?).

His new phrase here has been "Momma (or whomever) -- are you?" (asking where we are). It's just so cute.

They got measured for new shoes today at the same place I got my shoes when I was their age. They were so adorable that the cashier gave us 5% off our purchase, plus cookies, balloons and stickers. They also had the staff at the dental office (yes, family day at the dentist) oohing and aahing over them.When asked to show his teeth, Jack opened his mouth wide, and then curled his lips over his teeth, like a toothless old man. I guess his teeth are OK, but he wouldn't look anyone look at them.

We're having a lovely time, even though we miss home. More soon, and pictures will follow, but not for another week or 2. Hope 2 blogs in one night help make up for my absence!

Another School Year, Another Virus

First Day of School -- Monday, Sept. 3
Amelia started school again today. Remarkably, we all got out the door on time, dressed, teeth brushed, hair combed, snack in hand. Of course, today it decides to pour down rain. But it didn't dampen spirits at all. Amelia had no hesitation about going right in, especially when she saw her friend Lana. Even Jack didn't seem too concerned about Amelia leaving. He asked about her a few times, but now seems perfectly content.

Jack and I made a grocery store run for chocolate chip cookie (from scratch!) supplies. It's a Neunreiter tradition to have them on the first day of school, and I couldn't let Amelia down (especially because my Mom kept reminding her of it!).

Now I've eaten half the dough... Ugh. At least it tastes good. They don't have "all purpose flour" (at least, not that I can translate), so I was a little worried about the flour I ended up getting. Tastes good, though!

School Days, Sick Days
Jack is recovering from his first cold of the school year. He visited his creche for 1 hour last week, and managed to come down with a nasty cold. He ran a fever for 3 nights (but not during the day) and is super-congested. On night 3, he came down with a croupy cough. Last night was pretty good -- he only woke up twice, and I didn't have to sleep with him (we've been sharing the guest bed for the past few nights).

Latest Road Trip
We went to Antwerp on Saturday, for no real reason other than we hadn't been there. I probably enjoyed the trip the most, as the first thing we found was the major shopping street. We did a lot of walking, and a street clown made Amelia a lovely balloon hat. We had a really nice time, but didn't come away with any diamonds. It was a quick drive (only about a half-hour away) and was a lovely town to visit. We'd like to come back soon to investigate it some more, and there's a nearby zoo for the kids to enjoy

Tuesday, Sept. 12
Everyone is getting into their school routine. Unfortunately, Jack cries hysterically at the mere mention of "school." I feel like a jerk dropping him off, as he's clinging to me crying "Home, Home." But they tell me that he stops crying right away and is having a good time. I've enjoyed having a few mornings free to go to the gym or do some shopping without having to bribe the kids.

Jack continues to learn new words -- dinousaur, drive (he always wants to sit in the driver's seat) and M&M are the latest. He's just as cute as can be.

And Amelia has succumbed to the power of commercials. My Little Pony commercial? "I want that!" Yogo yogurt snacks commercial? "I want that!"

Afternoon at Walibi
XOM had an employee day at the Walibi amusement park (like 6 Flags) on Sunday a few weeks back, and it was a great time. I'll post pictures later. They had a great section for the young kids. Amelia got to ride her first rollercoaster, and Jack got to ride on a bunch of rides as well. I won Amelia a giant dolphin (exactly what we needed, right?) by shooting a basketball (a one-chance deal). It slept with her for a few nights, but it took up too much room.

The ExxonMobil folks had rented out a pavilion, and it was kids' heaven. A popcorn stand, cotton candy, waffles, crepes, face painting, balloon man, bouncy castles, play areas -- and all free. They had lots of great food and drinks, and it really was spectacular. We had a blast.

I'm sorry I still haven't posted from Joe's visit. I haven't been online as much as usual, and I just haven't been writing and drafting as often as I should. I promise to try to be better!

Not Another Carnival...

Thankfully, we only had to survive 5 days of the latest carnival. The kids just adore it, and it's hard to say "No" to them when they've been such troopers on the vacations we've taken them on (they don't really appreciate sightseeing!).

This carnival was a pretty big one in Stockel. On two of the kids rides, once the ride started, the operator would clip a nasty-looking ball of yarn (anyone remember Warm Fuzzies?) onto a rope, and they would swing it around by the kids, and whoever catches it would win a free ride. We were there so often we won more than our fair share of free rides. There was also a fun "horse" ride, with mechanical horses that went along a track. I got to take advantage and ride, to keep Jack from falling off. Amelia would bring Stripey and sit on him. (She had a tantrum tonight when T.J. took Stripey away mid-ride. It got so bad that the ride operator stopped her horse so she could get Stripey back.)

There was also another trampoline bounce. Amelia went on it twice, and then tonight when we went, Jack pounded his chest and said "Jack. Peese?" So Jack went on too. Trouble is, Jack hasn't really mastered jumping. So I had to get on the trampoline, sit in front of him and "throw" him in the air. He kept yelling "High" and "More" as all the muscles in my body were screaming in pain. (Think about it, it's a lot of work! Plus, there was no one else in line, so they never came by to take the kids off. Amelia got so tired, she just dangled in mid-air and ceased all jumping efforts.)

The usual food suspects were there (lots of fries and fried foods, plus wonderful beignets), but the funniest was the vendor who sold cotton candy from one end of his cart, and escargot from the other. Uck.

The kids continue to do really well. Jack is really trying to talk a lot and follows Amelia everywhere. It will be hard when she starts school, but he will also be starting a creche. For the first time in 4 years, I'll have a little time to myself! I'm already planning my shopping!

The weather this summer hasn't been too bad -- a little cool and cloudy (generally in the upper 60s or low 70s), but I wouldn't trade it for the U.S.' hot weather

I'll be posting carnival pictures on this page soon, so please check back. I'm also going to try to get up shortly a recap of our visit with T.J.'s nephew...

Sorry this is short, but it's 11:45 and I'm tuckered! More soon!

Jerry and Pete's Visit

We had a great visit with Jerry and Pete when they came to visit. They spoiled us with many wonderful treats from home, and we hope we showed them a wonderful time while they were here.

We took them to the Grand Place in Brussels, and took a bus tour around the city. It was great for us, too, because we got to see some things that we haven't seen yet. We took a weekend trip to Germany -- stopping in Cologne, Koblenz, Boppard, and St. Goar.

We saw the beautiful Cologne cathedral, and the kids had a great time playing in a fountain. We took a "train" (a bus dressed up as a train) around Cologne to see the sights. T.J. took the kids to the zoo, while Jerry and Pete took a overhead tram ride across the Rhine, and I indulged in some retail therapy. (And some Starbucks therapy, too!) We had some great pretzels, and got a takeaway lunch of sandwiches that was quite nice. We then drove from Cologne to Koblenz to spend the night. It was a long car ride as the kids were cranky and the GPS which we rely on almost exclusively in Europe to find our way did not pick up a signal until we pulled up to the hotel. TJ was pretty close to throwing it right into the Rhine. We had a nice stroll along the river and ate at a nice little restaurant on the bank of the Rhine, eating more traditional German food. Pete and T. J. enjoyed some German Beer. Not too cold, but still good.

We woke up the next morning and had a wonderful breakfast (bacon! scrambled eggs! so unusual in Europe!) and then drove to the nearby castle in Koblenz. The castle was more like a fortress perched way up high on the cliffs. It was an awesome view down below of Koblenz and where the Rhine and Mosel rivers meet. Afterwards, we drove to Boppard for lunch and for a river cruise down the Rhine. It was just lovely, and the scenery was beautiful. We stopped off at St. Goar and were greeted by a local parade. The men and women were dressed in interesting outfits. The men had Green jackets on with lots of medals pinned on them. The parade ended in front of the local church where they all stopped to socialize (lots of German Beer appeared to be flowing) and enjoy local music. We wanted to go to see the castle at St. Goar but the kids both fell asleep in their strollers so we opted for a coffee and dessert on the main street.

We took a nice day trip to Ghent, and we showed them around the Stockel market. We got some wonderful food to grill -- it's great to sample all of these wonderful foods.

We really enjoyed having them here, and the kids are sure missing them now!

Joining the Club
The kids and I joned a swim club last week. The kids have a HUGE pool they can swim in (and it's nice and warm!) and love going there. There are a few families from Amelia's school that go there, which will be nice. They have a bouncy castle (on some days), a restaurant, a workout facility, a creche (day care), and a wonderful sauna. Oh, yes, and a spa and a salon, too. It's been a wonderful place for us to go.

Season Passes Everywhere
We just got back from a trip to the zoo this morning. I packed lunch for the kids, and we had a great time walking around for 2 hours. There are tons of playgrounds, and a great water toy for Jack (he is now soaked). We bought passes for the zoo, which isn't too far, and it's great that we can go whenever we want.

We also got passes for Technopolis (www.technopolis.be) that is a great hands-on science museum for kids (like the Magic House in St. Louis, but way bigger).

Transition Time
Our German neighbors (Amelia's playmates) just let us know that they're moving back to Germany in September. Amelia is really going to miss them -- and we will, too. Unfortunately, it's something we have to get used to, with being here. All the folks we meet are here for a short period of time, so just as soon as you find some good friends (for either us or the kids), someone gets transferred away. I don't know how you get used to the transitory nature of things here, but I guess we just enjoy every day as we can, and just go from there.

HOW Much?
Saw pancake syrup in the grocery store. A regular size bottle was 8 euros (over $10 ), and a small package of chocolate chips was 5 euros ($7). It's amazing how much those things are!!

Joe (T.J.'s nephew) will arrive on Monday for a visit. We're looking forward to taking him around and showing him the sights.

I'll be posting pictures from Jerry and Pete's trip shortly, so check back!

July 4th -- Belgian Style

The Wednesday before July 4th, the kids and I met a friend at the American Women's Club for their July 4th picnic. We had a really nice time -- hamburgers and hotdogs (much better than anything locally!) and rice krispie treats and all sorts of things. The kids had a nice time playing with other kids, and I had a nice time getting out. We even picked up two new videos (Pooh Bear and Spot) that the Women's Club was giving away.

The whole family went to another July 4th celebration, but on Saturday the 7th, at the Brussels American School, which is located on a U.S. Department of Defense compound. At both July 4th celebrations, I was a little nervous about potential terrorist threats (especially when I heard that there was an evacuation of a U.S. military facility south of Brussels on July 4), but the lure of USDA beef was just too strong.

We had a great time at this party, too. Hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ pork sandwiches, Frito pie, country music, Cheetos (the real ORANGE ones), bomb pops and more. Yum! We ate far too much. Amelia got her face painted; Jack took a horse ride on a police horse. There were fireworks at dusk, too, but since dusk is 11 pm, we chose to miss that.

T.J. has been working lots of long hours lately, poor guy. He's really been working hard for us, and we really appreciate it, but we sure miss him! :)

Visiting the Windmills
Last weekend, we drove to the Netherlands to visit Kinderdijk (http://www.kinderdijk.nl/), which has a whole bunch of old windmills, all in a line.



The kids weren't too fascinated with the windmills, but they did have a great time rolling down a hill by the windmill. They have a wonderful bike path along the windmills, and I'd love to return with bike in tow!

Is it September Yet?
We have found a creche for Jack for September. Since he's too young for Amelia's school, we're going to put him in a creche just down the street. I think he'll have a great time playing with the other young kids.

Knee-High by 4th of July
I've been surprised by the lack of some produce, both in the grocery stores and in the markets: corn on cob, sweet potatoes, portabella mushrooms. I really miss them. The local corn is growing by leaps and bounds, so I'm hoping to have some fresh corn soon.

Where are the preservatives?

Everytime I think I have things figured out here...

I was getting some ingredients out for a marinade yesterday, and one of the ingredients was cider vinegar. I had bought some after we moved here, and I got it out. But I noticed that there was this white sludge at the top -- like a slimy moldy piece of goo. Immediately cursing at how quickly everything seems to spoil around here, I called good old mom to vent. She told me that it was probably something called "mother of vinegar" and that her grandmother had used it to make her own vinegar. Skeptical, I did some research on the internet, and sure enough, it was true (www.solutions.uiuc.edu/content.cfm?series=3&item=295&Parents=0%7C28). Not that I didn't believe my mom -- but this goo just looked too nasty to be there on purpose. So I filtered the needed vinegar through a coffee filter. I'll be using it tomorrow, so I'll let you know (if I never blog again, you'll know that mother of vinegar isn't a good thing).

I was nearly in my first accident today. I was driving down the street, not thinking about whether I was on a priority road or not. I drove by a street, and a car coming out to my right laid on the horn. Ooops. I was supposed to stop to let this car on the right pull out. Luckily, he was more used to the "priority on the right" rule than me (or, should I say, he was more used to people not paying attention to priority on the right), and we escaped unscathed. This time. It's really hard to get used to the idea that sometimes, the car on the right has the right to pull out in front of me.

The kids and I were out and about , trying to find a windmill. There's an old one not too far from our house, and we'd seen it from far away but I wanted to see what it was like up close (answer: abandoned, shut down, and fenced off). Another disappointment for the kids.

So then we went out to Baby 2000 to try to find more pacifiers for Jack. (I've decided I'm just going to overload his crib with pacifiers in the hopes that he can find them himself in the middle of the night.) Of course, they didn't have his Nuks. But before we discovered that, we spent time trying to find a parking spot. It was completely packed (everyone goes shopping on Saturday, since everything closes early during the week and is closed on Sunday) -- much like it would be on the day after Thanksgiving. A lot of stores also had "Sale" signs in the windows. There are sales only 2 times a year, and I guess now is the time (hmmmmmm....wonder if there is some shopping in my future).

For those who are curious, the greek food that I picked up at the market today was delicious beyond words.

My French lessons continue to go well -- I just had my third one. While I don't yet know a ton, I'm starting to recognize a little more (though not enough for conversations to make sense), and at least I'm learning more about the language. Whoever decided that nouns need to be either masculine or feminine have my eternal scorn. Really, why is that necessary? Although the cashier at the pet store says that learning English is way more difficult. Could be, but I have my doubts.

The prices for flights to Brussels are dropping to $540 (round trip from St. Louis) once you hit September, so if you're thinking of visiting, the fall is the time for you!

I can't tell you all how much I would like Taco Bell right now. Isn't that a strange thing to miss? All this wonderful food, and I miss Tacos. My Starbucks withdrawal has abated a little bit, as I've discovered an instant cappuccino mix that is surprisingly awesome. I'm not one for rehydrating my coffee normally, but this is quite delicious.

Next weekend, we're going to a July 4th (belated) celebration at the Brussels American school, sponsored by the military. Real barbecue, kids' activities, and fireworks at dusk (which is 11 p.m.). We obviously won't make it to the fireworks, but it should be a nice time nonetheless.

Time to go study my French. Bon soiree!

A World of Laughter, A World of Tears....

Another delay in blogging! It's been a busy end of the school year. Amelia finished school last Friday (after also coming down with the mystery fever last week -- luckily, hers lasted only 12 hours). She brought in a Pony cake to share with her friends for her birthday.



We headed out to Euro Disney on Saturday to celebrate Amelia's birthday. It took us about 3 hours to get there (it would've been shorter, but TomTom kept sending us in circles after a detour to McDonalds for lunch). We actually had to drag the children out of the McDonalds playground, assuring them that Disney Town (as Amelia called it) would be much more fun. TomTom (our GPS system) didn't know quite where our hotel, the Davy Crockett Ranch, was, and tried to take us to an empty field. Luckily, we backtracked and found some signs to the hotel and arrived without further incident.

We dropped off our stuff at our "log cabin" (honey, I really had a wonderful time, but I do have to giggle about this a little), which was really a little trailer decked out as a log cabin, placed in a "neighborhood" of other trailers. We had a nice full kitchen, a separate bedroom for the kids, and a bedroom for us. To our dismay, there was a bunk bed in the kids' bedroom, which the kids just adored. Both of them just wanted to go up, down, up, down. We ended up blocking the door with Jack's Pack-n-Play so that we didn't have to worry about either one of them leaping off the top bunk.

We quickly unloaded, and headed out to the park. We got to the park around 2 -- it was PACKED. We walked around a little and headed to Fantasyland and through the castle. Everything had long lines, but Amelia really wanted to ride on Dumbo. The sign said it was just a 30-minute wait. I wish. It ended up being a 60-minute wait. Lots of tired, cranky, hungry toddlers in line. T.J. and Jack ended up walking around while we were waiting, and they saw a live Pooh Bear show. We finally got to ride, and while Amelia had a great time, it was over much too soon. We walked around more but were unable to find anything with short lines. Since the kids hadn't had afternoon naps, we had an early dinner at a steakhouse (again, not very good meat) and an early bedtime -- for all of us. At dinner, I was trying to entertain Jack, and he swiped at me, knocking my contact out. We frantically searched the floor for it (needle in a haystack), and luckily finally found it on the highchair seat.



The kids conked out with no trouble. Amelia, thankfully, fell asleep on the lower bunk, and Jack was relegated to the living room (no room for the Pack-n-Play in Mia's room), right under the only TV. T.J. and I commiserated that on yet another hotel stay, the only one who had a TV in their room was Jack. We were so looking forward to some English TV (even if it was going to be mostly Disney programming). But without anything else to do, I headed off to bed while T.J. went for a walk around the hotel grounds to find out what the Indian drumming was all about.

We woke up Sunday morning starving and in search of breakfast. We walked over to the hotel restaurant, only to find it closed. I mentioned that the hotel employee had pointed breakfast out on the map, and it was supposedly at the end of our street (although we hadn't seen anything that even remotely looked like a breakfast place). So off we walked, and sure enough, there was a little ... kiosk? ... where they were distributing bags of food. So we got our allotment of a giant baguette, bag of croissants, box of milk, 3 juice boxes of OJ, box of condiments, and are two packages of instant coffee. It was pretty funny. Our visions of bacon-filled buffets were shattered, but it was still a pretty tasty breakfast (especially because they included Nutella). It was hard not having coffee (we couldn't bear to make the instant stuff), but we ate at the picnic table outside of our cabin, and it was really pretty nice.

We headed off to the park early on Sunday, as it opened at 8 (2 hours early) for Disney hotel residents. The lines were MUCH better, and we got to ride the carousel and the Mad Hatters Teacups without waiting at all. We all headed over to It's A Small World to ride. But that ride didn't open till 10. Amelia and I waited in line (again) for a 1/2 hour, until they announced that the ride wasn't opening because of technical problems. We went off in search of T.J. and Jack but couldn't find them. We eventually went to see the Pooh Bear live show and had a really nice time. We eventually found the boys, who had gone in search for us and had been able to ride It's a Small World.

We had a quick lunch at the park, then headed back to the hotel to spend the afternoon there. We went swimming (luckily T.J. could wear regular swim trunks, but there was a sign saying no topless swimming). It was a little chilly, but the kids had fun. There was a big waterslide, and T.J. and I both went down it. Perhaps a little juvenile, but it really was a lot of fun! We also saw the animals, played on the playground and saw Mickey Mouse. There were even reindeer on the property, plus some TeePees for the kids to play in. I headed to the store on the grounds, which had Disney goodies as well as groceries, and I quickly snagged coffee and filters for the next morning. Amelia conned me into a baby Simba stuffed animal, while T.J. picked up a Pooh Bear for Jack. A good buffet dinner, and another early bedtime.

Monday morning brought another bag of breakfast and checkout from the hotel. We finally got to ride It's a Small World (twice) and the carousel again.

Jack had downed two huge sippy cups of juice before leaving for the park, which is nothing new. I was holding him in line for It's a Small World, and when we got to our turn and I put him in the boat, I noticed the whole side of my shirt was wet (always a great feeling first thing in the morning). His pants (and onesie), needless to say, were drenched. So while Amelia and Jack and I rode the ride for the second time, T.J. went to a shop to purchase an (overpriced) Disney t-shirt and sweatpants.

We had lunch at Mickey's Cafe, where several of the Disney characters came through (unfortunately, they weren't very recognizable by Amelia -- several from Robin Hood and Pinocchio, which she hasn't seen. They brought her a cake and pumped their Happy Birthday song over the loudspeakers. She really enjoyed it, and even Jack didn't mind all the characters coming by.



The kids are definitely learning how to push each other's buttons. The kids had one sippy cup to share in the car one afternoon, and Jack had it. Amelia started whining and crying and pleading for Jack to give her the cup. Jack didn't really want it, but he didn't want to hand it over easy, either. So he held the cup to his lips and emphatically went "Mmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmm." Which made Amelia only cry louder. It was pretty funny, although as a parent, I probably shouldn't say that.

Post-Vacation Fun
Jack continues to learn new words. His latest phrase is "Oh, man" courtesy of Swiper the Fox. It's pretty funny. His new name for Amelia is "nyah-nyah" and he just adores her (but still likes to torment her).

It's been a cool summer so far. We've even had to get the fleece pajamas back out and turn on the heat in the bedrooms at night. Highs in the days have been in the low 60s, with more cloudy/drizzly days than I'd like. I took the kids to the zoo yesterday. There are so many big playgrounds at the zoo, that they were more interested in playing than seeing the animals. We got a year pass for the zoo (at 16 euros for me, 11 for Amelia, and 4 for parking, it adds up quickly).

I've bought rain cover for nearly every stroller we have (double jogging, Sit-n-Stand, and single umbrella), and I've used them ALL! We were going to go to the market this morning, but hesitated when I saw it raining a little. I decided to go anyway and put the kids in the double jogger with the rain cover. It was actually quite pleasant -- the rain was next to nothing, and pushing them in the jogger is so much easier than pushing them in any of our other strollers. We got some tasty treats at the market (spanikopita, feta-stuffed marinated red peppers, baklava, petite strawberries). It was such a nice way to spend the morning.

French Lessons, Scooters and Brocantes

It's been a while since I've posted, so I'll try to recall where we've left off....

Health Report
Everyone is healthy and happy. Jack's fever had no other ill effects, and Amelia didn't complain about her ear again after her first dose of medicine. And with school wrapping up (it ends June 22), I hope the illnesses will cease, too.

Junk is Junk the World Over
I was able to decipher the free weekly newspaper enough to determine that there was a festival of some sort going on in Ste. Alix last Saturday, with another happening in Kraainem (next commune over) on Sunday.

We woke up on Saturday to rain, but knowing that there was a flea market (known as "brocante" in French, I learned), I headed out at 7 am on my bicycle to go to the bakery and check out the sale. It was raining pretty hard, and people were trying to keep their things dry with blankets, but I still managed to score a My Little Pony Celebration Castle, as well as a Dumbo floor puzzle. It looked like it was mostly junk at the sale, but it was hard to tell.

So after we ate our chocolate bread, I headed back up to the sale, Amelia in tow. We walked around the square, but didn't really find anything. Until Amelia somehow spied a Dora three-wheeled scooter peeking from underneath a blanket. The owner of the scooter, and the other stuff, was nowhere to be found. But Amelia was smitten, and she insisted on waiting for the seller to return. So we sat, and sat, and sat. But I think the seller lived in the apartment building next to the pile of stuff and just didn't want to come out in the rain. Finally, she gave up on the scooter and dejectedly came back home (side note: She's now getting a Tigger scooter for her birthday).

Later that day, after the rain cleared, we went back up to the square. They now had all sorts of bouncy houses set up, as well as a carousel. So we rode lots of rides, and then got some "barba de papa" -- cotton candy. A big mistake to get cotton candy in wet weather. The stuff disintegrated pretty quickly while still on the stick and started blowing off in the wind.

The kids had a great time, and we returned once again later in the afternoon after naps. Now there were pony rides and a magician. Much fun was had by all.

On Sunday, we went to a church festival in Kraainem that was an English-speaking congregation. Hooray for the english speakers! Again, they had another flea market (I got some great puzzles and a ton of mindless novels for reading). They had purchased some REAL hamburgers and hotdogs (plus Wonder Bread rolls!) from the military base. They were the best burgers and dogs we've had here! They had face painting, and pony rides, and games for the kids. Another great time.

Other Stuff
I started my French lessons today. The kids didn't behave all that well -- I was hoping they would nap, but they were only quiet for the first half of my lesson -- but my teacher is very used to interruptions. She seemed pleased at what I already knew (thanks to Krista's and Troy's gift of French CDs), and I really enjoyed it.

I was pleased to find some blackout material at IKEA today. I bought a bunch, and it completely blocks the light in the bedroom windows. A big hooray -- as you can see from the picture below, taken at 10 pm -- as the light really comes in early and stays late.



I ordered a cake for Amelia to take to school next week -- they are doing a My Little Pony cake for her. I'm excited to see how it looks.

Things are still going well for us. We're learning more every day here (especially about which pastries we favor) and have found a wonderful pizzeria that we can ride our bikes to. We're getting ready for Jerry and Pete's visit in July (they, also, will be thrilled that I found blackout material).

Jack is starting to use words (of course, they're fairly unintelligible to others). Our favorite is when we open his door in the morning and he covers his eyes and says "biiii" (for "bright"). He has about 30 words, and is starting to drop his signs for words (he just started saying "dog" and is starting to try "amelia" although it sounds nothing like her name).

I just bought Amelia a jumprope today, which she is boggled by. And I also got them toy tennis rackets, which they have been trying to bonk each other with. They just love being outside, and with the mild weather, it's been a treat.

More later. There's another kids festival this weekend in Auderghem, which I don't think is too far away. Ponies, ponies, everywhere!

Ghent and The Fever of Unknown Origin

Road Trip to Ghent
We decided to make a road trip on Saturday, so we headed off to Ghent, which was about 45 minutes away, just outside of Brugge (which is a great tourist destination).



We had a really nice time. There was a lot to see -- a castle from the 1100s and several other very old churches and buildings. It was a beautiful city -- we got to do another horse and carriage ride to see the sights of town. There are several canals through town, and we could've done a boat ride, too, but decided to save that for next time. The town was much less crowded than Brugge, and from an "old building" perspective, I liked Ghent a lot more. From a shopping and takeaway coffee perspective, Brugge wins.





They were selling these little candies called "The Nose of Ghent." And they were little candy cones (vaguely resembling noses, I suppose). They were purple and I guess supposed to be multifruit flavor (if you're using your imagination). They were kinda like really soft jelly beans -- a soft outer layer (but firm enough to keep the shape) and a soft, chewy inner center. Super sugary, which meant the kids loved them.

It was a great way to spend the day. (And the sugar buzz didn't keep them from crashing immediately in the car.)

The Mysterious Fever
You know us -- never a dull moment. Jack was a fitful sleeper Saturday night but usually consoled by the pacifier. Around 3 when I came in for the millionth time, he stood up to get out of bed, so I picked him up and he obviously had a fever (who knows for how long). We dosed him up with Motrin and finally got him back in bed after he started to cool off a little.

Sunday wasn't fun. His fever continued and just went up and up and wouldn't respond to anything -- even my Motrin/Tylenol rotation. Finally around 3, with his temp by ear at at least 104, T.J. and I decided to call in medical reinforcements. The doctor isn't available on the weekend, but I had remembered that in the weekly free newspaper, there was a listing of the pharmacies open on the weekend/after hours (remember, only one pharmacy per town is open after 7 and on Sundays. And since towns are big, you just can't drive around looking for it). It also has a list for emergency doctors. I called, and they said they would have a doctor at the house within 1-2 hours for only 60 euros (our regular doctor visits are 40, and the ER is 50, so it's well worth it to have someone come by!! Much better than spending the day in the ER.).

At this point, Amelia started complaining that her ear hurt, and was really starting to get worked up. I thought at first that she was just trying to get some attention, since Jack had been getting the lion's share. But when she started clutching her ear and crying, I figured it might be the real deal.

I left to quickly drop some dessert off at a friend's house down the street (we had been looking forward to attending a barbecue that afternoon at a new friend's house -- and a schoolmate's of Amelia's). As I was filling them in on our absence, they told me how their daughter, the week before, had the same mysterious fever -- 24 hours of a super-high fever with no other symptoms, and no medication would bring it down. But just as mysteriously and as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. And they said they knew of other children in the class who had the same thing.

Relieved to know that this was going around -- and knowing a little bit about what I was dealing with -- I headed home. The doctor had already arrived (wow, that was fast!) and prescribed alternating Paracetamol and ibuprofen for Jack. Amelia did indeed have the beginnings of an ear infection (good girl for telling us!), so she got some antibiotics. (Thank goodness we had the doctor come by, or else we would've had a terrible night with her!) She also gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops (more pinkeye!) and for antibiotics for Jack in case he came down with something like an ear infection.

Amelia and I headed out to the pharmacy to fill all the prescriptions, and on the drive there, she started screaming hysterically because her ear hurt. I felt so bad for her.

We got home, dosed everyone up with their respective medications, and Amelia took a 15-minute nap. Upon awakening, she was as good as new, and we haven't had any complaints about her ear since.

Jack and T.J. stayed at home, with Jack's fever remaining high until around midnight, and Amelia and I went to the party for a little bit. We had a nice time, but I'm not sure that T.J. had the same enjoyable evening.

It's now Tuesday, and Jack's fever did break Sunday night, but then returned around noon yesterday. It went back up to 103 (so at least not as bad as before), but he was as cheerful as ever. He hasn't slept well at all, but as of this morning, he's cool again. He made it through today without any fever, so I think we've beaten that. Hooray.

So now if we can just keep the pinkeye at bay, we're set. Certainly that can't go on forever....

Our First European Vacation

Sorry for the delay in posting. It's hard to find the time to blog a whole week's worth of traveling. Hopefully this will redeem me a little...

Below is our blog from our first big vacation. I've tried to post a bunch of pictures, but we took many, many more. I'm trying to upload them to ofoto.com. If you're interested in seeing more pix, just e-mail me, and I'll send you the links.

Day 1: Brussels to Heidelberg
We left on Saturday for our first stop, in Heidelberg, Germany. We stopped at a rest station along the way and had our first German sausage. The bathrooms were spectacularly clean, and you had to buy a 50 cent ticket to enter the turnstile to the bathrooms. Worth every penny! The kids did great (and did so throughout the trip).

TJ enjoyed (putting it mildly) driving on the autobahn. I'm not sure how fast we were going (though I know it was fast), but the rules of the road in Germany are very orderly, and people follow them, so we never felt unsafe. The scenery was beautiful, and Jack was enamored with the big, modern windmills.

We arrived in Heidelberg early enough to do a little sightseeing. Our hotel (the Molkenkur) was high up on a hillside and had a beautiful view of the city. The hotel had a nice path weaving down the hill to the town, and we had a nice walk down. We got down and walked around a beautiful castle, walked by the river and, blissfully, found Starbucks. Tons of shops and restaurants, and even more gelato shops.

We had a nice 2 bedroom room, so the kids slept in one room and we slept in the other, giving me plenty of opportunity to watch Jurassic Park in German. The hotel was hosting a wedding reception, and we fell asleep to some great 80s tunes.



Day 2: Heidelberg to Fussen, Germany
We woke up on Sunday, had a nice breakfast (standard European breakfasts: bread, spreads, soft-boiled eggs, meats and cheeses, yogurt, muesli, and dark coffee). The kids were up pretty early because of the sun, but I guess that way, we get a quicker start to the day.

We started the drive to Fussen, where we were meeting up with the Wordens. Amelia was so excited to see Maggie. TJ again loved the Germany driving. We averaged about 160km per hour but no matter how fast he went (200km max) there was always someone going faster, much faster. To put it in US terms, at 100 MPH, we would be passed by cars going easily 150. WOW! We arrived in Fussen around lunchtime. Fussen is a quaint little town -- a lot of tourism based on the Neuschwanstein and Schwangau castles close by.

Our kids were thrilled to see Maggie and Tommy after lunch, and it was great to see John and Deb. We had a great German dinner, with ice cream after. The girls stayed up way past bedtimes, playing with Amelia's ponies.



Day 3: Fussen -- the Castles
The day started off very early. T.J. and I woke up at 6 a.m. to the sound of singing. We looked out the window and saw a procession led by a priest and followed by about 20 people. They were just walking down the street, singing. Even though it was super-early, it was a nice way to wake up.

We had tickets with the Wordens to go see the castles. We had great weather, and had a beautiful tour of Schwangau. Then we had a quick lunch (but not quick enough) and took a horse and carriage ride to Neuschwanstein. The ride was nice (especially because it was quite a long -- and steep -- walk), until one of the horses got a serious case of gas, followed by him taking care of business.



The castles were both spectacular, though Amelia was disappointed that the princesses were all gone. We all had a great Italian dinner, followed by more ice cream, and more playing with ponies. The kids were all fascinated with all the fountains in town, and we found one that the kids found especially appealing. Unfortunately, Jack chose to stick his foot in it, and then got upset that his foot was wet.

Day 4: Fussen to Salzburg, Austria
Another day of autobahn driving, so T.J. was excited. It was sad to say goodbye to the Wordens. We headed off to Salzburg -- with a stop in Munich for lunch. We got there a little after 11 a.m., which gave us some time to walk around before the Glockenspiel went off at noon. For lunch, we went to the Famous Hofbrau Beer Hall for some sausages (I had German meat loaf, which was essentially a small meatloaf-shaped hot dog -- but it was actually very good!) and giant pretzels.



T.J. tried more German beer, while I had a mix of beer and lemonade which, again, I thought was quite tasty. I was convinced to spend 20 euros (don't tell T.J. it was that much!) on a Hofbrau Horse for Amelia. It's very cute, and it even came dressed in lederhosen (sp?).

After lunch, we headed back to the car for a quick trip to Dachau (Nazi Concentration Camp) for me to run around to the memorial site. Since Dachau is just a Munich suburb, I found it hard to not go. It was, of course, a very sobering visit. T.J. stayed with the kids while they napped, and I did literally run around the whole site. I would have liked to have stayed longer to have learned more, but we were running short on time, and we wanted to get to Salzburg.

Off we went again. Shortly after getting on the highway (still technically in Munich), we came to a standstill. Completely. Totally. And it started to rain. So we sat and sat and sat and wondered what was going on (of course, we understand nothing on the radio so didn't even bother). Engines off, people getting out of their cars, men running wildly to the trees while the women crossed their legs.

One fellow traveler got out of his car and started juggling.

So it's around 4, and it's a 1.5-hour drive to Salzburg. We have to check in to the hotel by 7, or they start charging fees. They don't let you check in past 10.

Then it's 5 p.m. And 6. Natives are restless, but surprisingly patient. Luckily I have some granola bars and chips and water and juice, but nothing of the dinner variety. T.J. offers the couple behind us some granola bars, and they give us some bananas. We find out that there was a truck on fire a few kilometers ahead, and they closed the highway.



Poor Amelia has to use the potty, but of course it's raining. We finally convince her to get in one of Jack's diapers, and she did so, but she wasn't convinced. She was afraid the diaper would leak all over her seat. She finally took advantage of the diaper, and thankfully hasn't made mention of it again!

We've called the hotel already to tell them we're stuck and will be late and promise to call with updates. 7 comes, then 8. Finally around 8:45 or so, things start moving. We make a frantic call to the hotel, saying that we would be there by 10:30, and they agree to wait.

So after all that time, we finally make headway. The kids really did great, and the DVD player held its battery for most of the trip. I was really proud of the kids.

We're about 30 minutes outside Salzburg, it's 10pm and the kids are exhausted. Amelia starts to nod off, Jack tries but wakes up screaming. Which wakes Mia up, and she starts screaming. They both stop crying, nod off, and start the whole racket again 5 minutes later. Meanwhile, it was pouring down rain, pitch dark and we were driving through the mountain highways of Austria. If the trip to Fussen was T. J.'s all time best driving experience, this was easily the worst. It was a long, long drive, but we finally made it.

We got to our room around 11, and then the kids were wide awake, of course. But we all crashed hard and had a good night of sleep, happy to be out of Munich!

Day 5: Salzburg
We all slept late, after our big day the night before. We had another great breakfast and then headed out for some sightseeing (we were actually staying in a town about 10 minutes from Salzburg. We were supposed to go on Fraulein Maria's Bicycle Tour of all the Sound of Music hotspots. Unfortunately, we were running late, and I thought the tour met at a different spot than it actually did. So instead we walked around, found more fountains, and walked through a beautiful Mirabell Gardens.

We took a horse and carriage ride through town, and then we took another cog train up to the castle. On our way to the cog train, there was a stand with a bunch of different kinds of pretzels -- cinnamon sugar, bacon and cheese, regular. So very tasty! The castle was beautiful -- fun to imagine what it must've been like hundreds of years ago.



In the afternoon, we headed off to the Salzburg zoo. It was truly the most scenic zoo I've ever been to, with the mountains and snow in the background. The zoo itself was right up against a hillside, and it was really neat. HOWEVER, I totally understand why there are so many reports of animals killing zoo goers in Europe. The barriers are minimal, and in many cases, you could touch the animals if you really wanted too. Some children were picking long weeds and feeding the capybaras ("Mom, why can't I feed them? Those children are..."). Even by the lions, there was a posted sign warning of getting, uh, sprayed. Note in the picture below of Amelia on the right, and the lion on the left.



Day 6: Salzburg to Lucerne, Switzerland
Another travel day. It was a holiday so nothing was open. We stopped at Innsbruck for lunch and had a hard time finding something that was open. We finally stopped at a place in town where everyone else seemed to be eating. There wasn't much to do, so we didn't linger long.

We traveled through many tunnels, and between them and the rainy weather, we didn't get to enjoy the scenery much. But we arrived safely in Lucerne, and the children were delighted to see that our hotel had a playground and ponies and goats to pet. Success!



Day 7: Lucerne
We walked around the city, and got our obligatory Starbucks. We had an enjoyable boat ride, and we even sat across from three young folks from Fairfax.

We had also gone to see the lion monument and the nearby glacier park (Jack was thrilled to see all the big rocks).



We drove to Zug in the afternoon and took another funicular ride. It was a beautiful view, and we had a wonderful dinner (I had fondue that was fantastic).

Day 8: Interlaken
We drove to Interlaken for the day. We kept seeing parachutists floating around -- the kids were fascinated. More walking around town, and another funicular ride. There was a big slide that the kids loved and a few other bits of playground equipment.

We had another great dinner (more fondue for me!) and a few more Starbucks for good measure. It's not even the Starbucks iteself that I wanted -- just the takeaway coffee that I miss.

Amelia insisted on buying a cow bell (why do all the Swiss cows and goats wear bells?) for Stripey the Zebra, since she forgot to bring him on the trip. She chose not to bring him, but then she spent the last 3 days of the trip constantly asking when she would see Stripey.

Jack woke up with another case of pinkeye. (Seriously, does ANYONE know how to get rid of this? I've been washing hands and using hand sanitizer on everyone like crazy, but I can't seem to kill the bacteria.)

Then Jack woke up around 10 that night with croup. Then around 2 am spiked a fever. Luckily, I came prepared with meds. Jack was as happy as can be, but he sounded like a beached seal, poor guy. At least we were getting ready to head home!

Day 9: Lucerne to Brussels
We had a long day of driving ahead of us, but it went smoothly. We stopped at McDonald's for lunch (only because it was convenient, not because we craved it) and then passed through Strasbourg, France (where the Neunreiters are from). We also drove through Luxembourg (our motto: Where the country is short but the lines are long). There were 2 rest areas, and the lines for gas were 5 or 6 deep. The parking lot held a few hundred cars, probably, and it was PACKED. Apparently they have cheap cigarettes and booze there.

All in all, we logged 2500 km and 7 countries without ever showing a passport.

Returning Home
We had a great visit, but we were ready to get home. But have you ever been away from home and thought, "Man, I just can't wait to get home where all the food is normal and everyone speaks English?" That was the hard part about returning. It's good to be home, but I still would like more English and more recognizable food. A road trip just isn't a road trip without a big bag of Cheetos.

New Things I Miss
Shredded cheddar cheese. You don't know how much you miss it until you slice open a knuckle after hand grating it....

Instant mashed potatoes. I actually found some and made them for dinner the other night. They were awfully yellow and not especially tasty. Can't hold a candle to Wal-Mart's Loaded Instant Mashed Potatoes.

Other Things
The sun is coming up earlier and earlier -- it's light outside around 5 now, and it's still dusky at 10 at night.

I have become a Belgian biker. Jack and I are doing bike rides to market in the morning. I have a basket for the front of my bike (and plan to get saddlebags for the back) and fill it with flowers and food. Jack has been enjoying it, and I've enjoyed riding. I even took a ride the other night at 9:15 at night when it was still perfectly light.

The neighbors got a trampoline and set it up right on the other side of our fence. So all day long, Amelia is begging me to go let her jump. Sigh. I foresee disaster. She has also discovered the joy of asking "Why" after everything I tell her. So we had a 10-minute conversation in the car the other day, and everything was "why? why?" I better become really smart, really fast.

And I put both the kids on antibiotic eye drops after Jack came down with the last Pinkeye round last Saturday. They finished their course on Thursday -- yay! But, then, I got it on Friday. SERIOUSLY. I need help.