The Carnival Comes to Town

We've had simply beautiful weather lately -- lots of sun and pleasant temperatures. I was walking down to St. Alix on Saturday to see what kinds of veggies were at the veggie stand (answer: not many -- at least, none that I recognize). We were planning on grilling, as T.J. had done a wonderful job taking apart the connector from our old grill and replacing our propane valve with one that would fit European propane tanks (nothing is ever easy).

But upon walking into the square, I saw a mini-carnival. Not much -- one kiddie ride that went around and around and up and down, while blaring a combination of American pop music and American cartoon jingles. Plus one trampoline bounce, where kids were strapped into a harness, with giant stretchy bands on either side. They tightened the tension on the bands, so the kids were able to do super-high bounces on the trampoline. They also had two games -- a duck catching game and a crossbow shoot-the-balloon game.

Jack was thrilled to ride the kiddie ride. He must've ridden on it 5 times. Amelia liked it too, but she decided she wanted to try the trampoline.



She did, and she had a BLAST! She ended up going on it twice and had such fun. Meanwhile, Jack was still spinning around, crying "More" every time the ride stopped.



Amelia also did the duck game, where she aquired enough points for a battery-operated piano that plays at deafening decibles. She likes it, but it is far too LOUD.

They also had a food stand -- french fries (a true Belgian staple) with many sauces to choose from, beignets, beer, and some other things. We had apple beignets (yum) and fries with mayo, and I also got the Samaurai Sauce (spicy).

We're not sure what the reason for the carnival was, but we sure had a great time...

**More later today. I'm trying to be very productive while Amelia is in school and Jack is napping. The morning seems to fly by when I have it to myself.**

Update on Wednesday
The carnival won't seem to go away. We went again on Monday, then again yesterday. The number of rides we go on is declining, as my wallet just can't take the strain. I was fearful to go to Ste. Alix yesterday, for fear that it would still be running, but we had to make a trip to the pharmacy (Amelia likely has pinkeye, so we had to pick up some prescription Oogdruppels -- that's eyedrops in dutch for you! You can tell Amelia has started school -- the viruses are beginning!)

It's so fun for me to watch the kids have so much fun on the rides, so it's hard to deny them a trip or two.

We're going to a birthday party today for Brady, who is turning 1. It's at a local park and should be a lot of fun.

Last Friday, I went with some friends to Stonemanor, which is a British (and some American) food import grocery store. They also have toys, games, party supplies, English books and cards, and all sorts of hard-to-find foods. My highlights were cranberry juice, Ritz crackers, Ben and Jerry ice cream, frozen fruit, blueberry muffin mix, and My Little Pony party supplies. Oh yes, and COOKING SPRAY! Hooray! The store is in a beautiful old manor house just 10 minutes from Amelia's school, but completely in the country. Across the street from the store was a farm with a bunch of sheep, which Jack loved.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how well we've been able to make substitutes for favored foods, but there will always be some things that I'll have to request from home.

My mom and Susan are arriving tomorrow morning for 5 days. I'm looking forward to showing them around and trying to fake myself as the expert. The weather is supposed to be nice, but very warm, so we should enjoy ourselves.

Hope everyone is well. We think of you often! I hope spring is finally arriving in the States and that St. Louis gets leaves on their trees soon!