In the Christmas Spirit

First, let me just say that I'm so annoyed everytime I log into Blogger to write a post, and everything on the welcome page is in Flemish. I keep trying to tell them I'm an english speaker, but it just doesn't hold my preferences. It's so annoying to have all these French and Flemish pop-ups, and to have big banner ads for applying for the U.S. immigrant lottery. Enough already! I can't even watch clips on NBC, since they can "tell" I'm outside the U.S. Argh!

But on the plus side, we're one step closer (and a big one!) to being free from diapers. Jack and his friend Jacqueline seem to be having a little "who is bigger" competition, and the parents are the happy recipients. Jack started it by tossing the pacifier. Jacqueline followed a few weeks later. Jaqueline is pretty good about pooping on the potty (sorry, all). Jack was clearly concerned that he wasn't as "big" as she was, so he declared the other day -- out of the blue, and with no prompting -- that he was going to go poop on the potty. He did -- that was 4 days ago, and he's gone each day on the potty since.

HOORAY!

Of course, it's not always easy being diaper-free. Twice yesterday, we had to expose Jack's nether regions to freezing temperatures so he could take care of business behind a truck at the Woluwe-St. Lambert Christmas market.

But we're very proud of him. Just goes to show you that they'll do it when they're ready, and not a moment before.

Field Trip
The kids took a field trip on Friday to a Chocolate Museum (near the Grand Place) and to the Dinosaur Museum (near the EU). Those who were watching the news on Thursday may have heard about the 16 terrorism-related arrests made in Brussels on Thursday, and they were concerned that a suicide bombing attack may have been planned to coincide with an EU meeting that was occurring thursday and friday.

I agonized all night about sending the kids on their field trip, since both locations were in or near either crowded areas of a purported target. In the end, we let the kids go. Mostly because they arrested the person who had gotten the green light to go ahead with the bombing, and partially because the kids wouldn't be right in the center of where an attack might occur. I did worry all day, though. I think I was by far the most anxious parent.

But apparently not anxious enough, however, to stay away from the Grand Place and the Christmas Market downtown. Luckily, it wasn't very crowded, and after a glass of hot wine, I forgot (a few of) my worries.

Spinning is Hazardous to Your Health
I took the kids to the playground today, and Jack wanted me to spin him on this pole. He sits on the seat, holds on to the pole, and I gently spin. And spin, and spin. I kept asking him if he wanted me to stop, but he eagerly shouted "More." So I continued to spin, slowly. finally he got off. Promptly declared, "My tummy hurts." Then threw up.

He might not have a future in the space program. Which is fine, since he wants to be a fireman anyway (he gets lots of practice carrying around my vacuum cleaner hose while watching the fireman video cousing Andy gave him last year).

We're looking forward to our visit home for the holidays. I need some midnight shopping at the mall. But it was big news here: SOME of the stores were actually open today. Wow!

And finally: only in Belgium. Our good friends recently moved from their townhouse right off Place Dumon to the 'burbs. I rode my bike by their old place yesterday (in the snow, no less), only to discover that they've turned their house into a pharmacy. In a day! Pretty funny. It will be strange to go into the pharmacy when it opens. They even left a little spider sticker on the window that one of the kids put up...

Christmas in Brussels

We went downtown to see the Christmas lights in the Grand Place, and it did not disappoint. The pictures don't do it justice, but it's the best we could do. It was really neat. But Amelia verged on hysterics because she thought there was going to be fireworks.

We had a wonderful dish called Tartiflette (potatoes, onions, spices, Reblechon cheese and a bunch of white wine). I'm going to have to learn how to make it!






If you look closely, you can see that they're projecting a snowflake pattern on the Hotel de Ville.


Here's a video showing a bit of the light show and the music (and the little dancers).

I rode my bike to market today (yes, in December!), and when I came out of the grocery store, it was snowing heavily! It was beautiful, but a little awkward for riding the bicycle. They're setting up for the Christmas market this weekend. The Christmas markets abound -- far too many for us to ever get to! Probably a good thing for our pocketbook.

I had meetings with the teachers last week to discuss the kids' progress. Jack was highly praised for his bread-making skills. His teachers says he's mastered bread-making (one or two kids make bread every day for the other kids to eat with their lunch). So much so, that they said Jack could be trusted to teach any of the other kids how to make bread. He's always so proud of his little loaf that he gets to bring home!

Amelia was highly praised for manners and for helping the younger kids, and she's showing a big interest in math.

They're going on a field trip on Friday -- a chocolate museum and a dinosaur museum. Lucky kids! (I will be heading downtown to the Christmas market!)

I'll post some pictures later of our St. Nicholas day on Saturday. The kids got to open all of their presents, and we had caramel rolls and bacon -- a true Christmas miracle! And they also helped me with making sugar cookies. I need a far bigger kitchen!!

More soon!

Sinterklaas Comes to TJ's Office

Jack received a big Ferrari workbench, while Amelia got a My Little Pony Cotton Candy Cafe with 4 ponies. If she ever had any doubts about Christmas, getting ponies today shattered them. She's a believer!



Jack was not interested in greeting Sinterklaas or in getting his candy from the Zwarte Pieten.



While Amelia was first in line!



Uncle Shmoopy's makeup gift to Amelia lives on. Pink glittery lip gloss isn't for lips anymore! It's for faces and, apparently, dinosaurs.



Poor Amelia continues to be devastated by the approach of Christmas (= departure of Elena). Today she asked me to take the advent calendar down, and she cried at bedtime. It's heartbreaking for her to be losing her friend...

Let it Snow! (Even though it's all gone now)

Playing in the first snowfall of the year.






Misunderstanding the concept of Christmas stockings...


On T.J.'s birthdays, the kids insisted that face painting be part of his celebration. This is supposed to be a monster, or something. I need a face painting instruction book, clearly.

Bye-Bye Baba, We Hate (Love?) to See You Go

While T.J. was in the United States this past week, I decided to take on the uneviable task of weaning Jack from the baba (pacifier). We started one morning on the car ride to school, talking about being a big boy and not using the pacifier anymore, and if he gave it up I'd get him a big fire truck. He seemed to agree, so I went to Carrefour to buy a big fire truck. Then I went home and I hid all the pacifiers. He went completely berserk and hysterical, and I decided that maybe cold turkey wasn't the right way to go.

But I kept the pacifiers hidden, except for 1. And at bedtime, I ask Jack if he wants to give his pacifier to the Baba Fairy, who will leave him a big firetruck in exchange for his pacifier. Very slowly, and slightly unwillingly, he deposited his pacifier just outside his door. He then spent the next 5 minutes staring longingly at the pacifier, saying "I will miss my baba." but he went to bed without tears, and I gave myself a premature high-five for my success.

He woke up the next morning, thrilled by his new fire truck. But by naptime, he was hysterical, begging for me to call the Baba Fairy to have her return his babas.

Interestingly, once he gave up the babas, he no longer wanted any of his socks (which I thought was kinda sad -- the socks addiction was strange but endearing). We spent the next 3 days without the pacifier, alternating between hysterics and pleading and calm resignation. So we're 6 days into it, and although he's asked for it, it wasn't even begging -- just a question. We even met the Harrisons for lunch and he wasn't bothered by Jacqueline walking around with her pacifier.

It was quite an accomplishment -- for him and me. Now, we just have to finish potty training and we'll be set!

We're having a nice snowstorm today -- it's not really sticking, but it's big flakes and the kids are enamored by it. Amelia sat on the radiator yesterday, making up songs about Christmas and snow. They're both so excited about Christmas. We put up the tree yesterday, since St. Nick arrives on Dec. 6 and we'll be leaving for the US so early. We wanted to be able to enjoy the decorations for a while. We had a prestrung tree, but most of the lights were burned out (and we hadn't had any success trying to get the lights working again in the US, and you can't use US lights in Belgium), so I spent yesterday with wire cutters, removing the prestrung lights. A lot more work than you might think, and I have a whole new appreciation for how many lights were actually on that tree.

Amelia's school had a Christmas market yesterday, and we had our family photos taken. Jack even smiled, without the comfort of a pacifier.

We're looking forward to being home for the holidays!

Guy Fawkes Day Not a Hit

First, let me start by saying how much we all are going to miss Aunt Sandy. She passed away on Saturday after a valiant battle. T.J. and I were sad beyond words to be so far away from family at this time, but know that she was surrounded by immeasurable love and support. Her strength and attitude were an inspiration, and all of us are the better for her being in our lives.

T. J. left yesterday morning to be with family, and the children and I, regrettably, stayed behind. I thought it would be fun to take them to a fireworks show at the British School (unbeknownst to me it was actually a celebration of Guy Fawkes day). We enjoyed some hot dogs, hamburgers (yuck) and fudge (yum) in anticipation of the fireworks.

(If you remember my earlier blog about the fireworks display in St. Louis for the 4th of July, I bet you can see where I'm going with this...)

The fireworks start, and immediately the hysterics begin. Amelia completely lost it, and we had to beat a hasty retreat. Jack started to get a little upset, too, but I think it was only because Amelia was upset. We went to the car, and Jack declared "I love fireworks."

Daddy and Lemonade
No, that's not a comment on T. J. The kids, a few weeks ago, decided they really needed/deserved/wanted a pet. And thus we ended up with 2 goldfish. One relatively normal looking fish, whom Amelia named Fruit Punch, then Strawberry, then Lemonade. Then another crazy bug-eyed fish that jack named Daddy. The kids are barely interested in them long enough to feed them now, but I didn't expect any less. I'm actually surprised they're still alive...

Everything Else
The kids are enjoying tennis lessons and have been taking an "Aqua Fun" class on Fridays. Amelia still doesn't enjoy soccer but is hoping to try ballet instead.

She had another sleepover with her friend Elena on friday. Elena and her family will be moving back to the US in December, and the two girls are as thick as thieves. Amelia is going to be crushed when Elena moves. She came running to me the other day, excitedly saying "Mommy, Elena is moving to America. We live in America too, right?" When I answered yes, she started jumping up and down, excited at the prospect of future sleepovers. So we had to have a little geography lesson.

Last year, Andy gave Jack a rescue vehicle, and it came with a fire/rescue DVD. I brought out the DVD for the first time about a month ago, and it's been an unbelievable hit. He watches it several times a day, and now, he insists on me disconnecting my vacuum cleaner hose so he can hold it like a hose and make "whoooooosh" sounds. It is so funny.

More later. Looking forward to the holidays!!

Jack and His Best Friend

Here is a picture of Jack and his best school friend, Magnus. They were at Magnus' brother's birthday party (Thaddeus is in Amelia's class), and it was a pirtate theme. They have such fun together. Jack came home the other day and said "Magnus said, 'Nein.' " (They are German.) And I asked him if he knew what that meant, and he said "It means 'No.' " It's very impressive that he can pick up a little German, Amelia is learning a little Polish, and all the while, trying to understand French.

The kids went to a swim class at the club yesterday, and unfortunately, it was only in French, and the teacher spoke no English. But luckily, everyone communicated OK. I think they enjoyed it well enough, but Amelia told me that tennis is her favorite...

And below has to be one of my favorite pictures from Amelia lately. We've been VERY into the Beverly Hills Chihuahua theme song -- I've downloaded it to the iPod and we listen to the following songs over and over: "Pocketful of Sunshine" (Natasha Bedingfield), "Boom-Shaka-Lak" (Apache Indian), "Every Time We Touch" (Not sure who sings it), and "Chihuahua" (DJ bobo). Unfortunately, the movie isn't going to be released here until April of next year, apparently.

But anyway, they love the song, and Amelia came home with this. The words are in a little funky order, but it reads "What can make you move -- Chihuahua." (I'm sure her teachers wondered why she was asking how to spell Chihuahua.) And if you notice, you can barely make out that the kids are being taught cursive first, instead of printing. I wonder if they even teach cursive anymore in the U.S.?



And one more picture of Amelia's favorite subect: zebras.

No News is Good News

I guess it's been a long time since I really blogged. In some ways, that's really good news. That means we continue to settle into daily life, however convoluted that may be.

There was an open house at the kids' school last night, and I had the chance to go. It was interesting to hear a little more about the Montessori program, and we had a chance to "live like a child" for a little while. We went to the classrooms and had to perform one of the tasks that the kids can choose at school. I picked brass polishing, with the French teacher. I found it rather impressive that the kids are polishing brass, shining their shoes, cooking meals, and all the like -- all the while learning multiplication and cursive and everything.

We might have the chance to attend one of the only Halloween celebrations about town. Although they have (limited) decorations in the stores, there are maybe 4 costumes. Clearly, it's not a big deal. So if we go, we'll be wearing last year's costumes, because there is just no way I can make 2 costumes in a day.

Jack has made good progress in the potty training department. We've been using big boy pants during the day for the past two weeks or so, with limited accidents. We've now progressed to him asking for a diaper when he has to do his No. 2 business. And even if wearing a diaper, he'll still proudly announce that he has to pee. It's exciting to cut down on the purchase of diapers and wipes.

We've stayed pretty healthy this school year. Amelia was home one day last week with an upset stomach, but it was gone quickly. Jack started complaining tonight of an earache, but after some Ibuprofen and some eardrops, he quickly drifted off to sleep. Keep your fingers crossed for a quick recovery.

The weather has been nice the past few days. I've started to ride my bike to school at lunch to pick Jack up -- it's 25 minutes each way, so it's been great exercise and a pleasant ride, even with an extra 30 pounds on the back. It makes me sad for the upcoming winter -- I'm not ready for the dark and cold (and wet). So I'm trying to enjoy every pleasant moment -- even if I'm lugging Jack up a hill.

Hope all is well in the U.S.!

Tennis Lessons Begin

Tennis lessons started today, and so far, they're a much bigger hit than soccer (it probably helps that the two of them are in the same class). The teacher speaks English (which is a relief) and there are only 3 other kids in class. They had a really nice time, and it will be a nice activity for them (and maybe I'll get a chance to do some quick exercising).





Things have been relatively uneventful here, thank goodness. The kids will have a week off of school in 2 weeks, but we have no plans to do anything (probably a lot of swimming!). We've all been relatively healthy, too. Our doctor put the kids on a new regiment of preventative medication for the next few months, so we'll see how that works out. Other than that, it's business as usual around town!

Let's All Feel Sorry for T.J. ...

As he hangs out in Monaco for the next week. Yes, he's lounging (probably not) in the South of France, looking out over the Mediterranean from his room's private pool. Too bad he forgot his swimsuit. Although with your own private pool, I doubt that much matters....

Yes, I'm very jealous, especially as I was invited to attend with him. Alas, I couldn't find a babysitter situation I was comfortable with, so I remain in dreary, damp, cold Brussels.

But he called me to say that as his plane touched down in Nice, he looked down the runway and saw Dan Snyders "Redskin One" private jet parked at the end of the runway. Maybe the two of them can get together and talk strategy.

I, on the other hand, had a Belgian utility worker ring the doorbell somewhere around 7 this morning. Yes, A.M.! Just letting me know that they were going to dig up our driveway (again, for the second time this year) to lay new pipes to come from the gas meter in the garage. So I get to stay home tomorrow to guard our garage.

And shall I mention that I was preparing a delicious BLT the other night, and got out the new head of iceberg lettuce that I had just gotten at the store. To my chagrin, each leaf I pulled off contained more and more bugs. Some alive, some dead. But hundreds of them. Thoroughly disgusting. If I had been at home, I would've marched it right back up to Giant and asked for a refund. But not here...

Did I mention that T.J. is on the French Riviera right now???

Car-Free Day in Brussels

Sunday was car-free day within Brussels. And seeing as how we fall in the city limits by just a few blocks, that meant no driving for us. But since TJ had to go to work on Sunday, and I had to take Amelia to a party, we had to park my car down the road, officially out of city limits. (Yes, there were police officers and barricades at each street that entered into city limits.)

It was a beautiful day, and we had such a fun time. I had bought Jack a well-used bicycle the day before at a sale at the British school, so the kids put on their helmets, and we took to the streets. If you had to drive, you had to get special permission. Taxis and buses were still allowed, but the streets were essentially void of cars. The kids toodled around the neighborhood -- very suspicious that I was actually letting them ride in the street. Kids were drawing on the street, and neighbors had brought out tables, chairs and beverages of choice and were just spending the day in the street.

After a bit of bike riding, I put the kids in the wagon and took them down to Stockel to get some snacks. Clearly, wagons aren't big in Europe, as we had all sorts of folks pointing at us (or at the wagon) and talking about it. We got some wonderful goodies at the bakery, a big bowl of frites and had a mini picnic, watching the bicyclists, roller bladers and horseback riders go by. Later, when TJ returned, we took the kids on our bikes on Tervurenlaan (think Manchester Road in STL or Fairfax Parkway in VA). It was such fun.

Later, I took Amelia to the birthday party, which was at a Gymboree-like place. The kids were having a blast. Partway into the party, a little girl came out with a bloody nose. I commented to some of the other moms that Amelia has been getting a lot of bloody noses lately (picking? dry air? who knows why). No sooner were the words out of my mouth, than they bring out Amelia with ... a bloody nose. It quickly stopped, and she rushed back into the party

Amelia and Jack were drawing pictures over the weekend, and I was enthusiastically commenting on Jack's scribbles on a picture. Amelia said "You're just saying it because you he's your kid, right?" She's becoming a little too smart for her own good....

Pocketful of Sunshine -- On the Dance Floor

For some reason, the children love the song "Pocketful of Sunshine." And they love dancing, too. Had me in hysterics, it was so funny. I especially like Jack's breakdancing moves.

Jack Makes a Funny

At 6:30 a.m., jackhammering starts next door, promptly waking up Jack. We come downstairs and start our day. The noise starts again, and Jack asks "Mommy, what is that noise?" I told him that it was a jackhammer. He thinks about this for a minute. Then he shakes his head and says "No, mommy. That's not my hammer."

Amelia started soccer this past Saturday, and T.J. took her and Jack to participate (but Jack just to watch). Apparently it was a rough start, with Amelia preferring to play with Jack rather than join in the game. But after juice time, Amelia was more willing to play. I'm hoping that each week will be better...



And the circus was another adventure. It's a family-run affair (read: the wife runs the concession stand and also does the dog act and the dove act) and the 3 kids also participate as jugglers/clowns. Then there's always the token imported talent (formerly the guy who looked like Bernie from "weekend at bernie's"). This time it was a smiling yoga guy who did flexibility stuff, then ate fire and walked on glass, and then swung from a "trapeeze." Oh, and he carried around a boa constrictor, too. And then there was also some goose coralling....

Jack is NOT a violin player....

We were over at Tammy's house Friday night, and there was a terrible screeching noise coming from Jack and Jaqueline -- obviously playing the violin. I go to the back room to see Jack trying to roughly play Tammy's violin. That's when I see Jaqueline's violin on the ground, broken in 2, parts strewn about. Each blamed the other, then started saying it broke all by itself. Sigh.

On Sunday, we headed with the Harrisons to see Wall-E. 90 euros later, we're in the theater, munching down on candy, nachos and popcorn. The kids enjoyed the movie well enough, and it was a nice change of scenery for me.

But on the way home, we were sitting on the bench, waiting for the metro. Jack said, "Mommy, am I wearing big boy pants?" That's when it dawns on me that I had put real underwear on him that morning, since we weren't planning on going anywhere, and I had forgotten to put a diaper on. I look at his feet, watching a large pool forming and flowing down towards Jaqueline, Tammy and a poor other metro-goer. I quickly try to wipe up the mess with Jack's fleece-lined raincoat (what else could I do??). Luckily, Tammy had a diaper in her purse, as well as an extra pair of socks. She took Jaqueline's leggings off under her dress and gave them to Jack. He looked quite the sight. But, he was dry and happy. I felt terrible.

Drop-off at school continues to be rough. Amelia couldn't stop crying this morning as we were getting ready, begging that I let her either stay home from school or not go all day. The problem, I think, stems from me picking up Jack at noon, and she must think we're doing something exciting at home -- not just having lunch and going down for naps. She was just a mess this morning, but Lidia is wonderful with her and just whisked her away. Jack didn't look back, again, and went straight for Baba the dog.

Also much to my dismay, I found out that the circus will be held in Ste. Alix, just two blocks away. Guess we're going to the circus. I just hope they're able to keep the tigers caged...

Sleepovers, Chicken Feathers, and the Dang Circus

T.J. is off in Maryland for Pop's party today (Sunday). Poor guy was so preoccupied that he forgot his suitcase at home when he left for work. Luckily, I was going to go chocolate shopping and deliver it to the office before he left, and I just brought along the suitcase with me. And as long as I was at his office (which is just 5 minutes from the airport), I thought I'd make a quick stop at the airport for Starbucks. It was so delicious -- I made it last for 5 hours. It was worth the 2.50 euros in parking!

Jack and Amelia continue to do very well at school. Jack doesn't even say goodbye -- he just goes running in to find the dog. He did protest Friday morning, saying he didn't want to go to school. When I reminded him that he was going to Amelia's school, he quickly changed his mind. And Amelia continues to be a good mother, asking Lidia (her teacher and the head of the school) if she can go and check on Jack on occasion. It's great to see them both doing so well. They all seem to be having such fun. And when I pick Jack up at noon, both classes are out on the playground and the kids are playing together.

The only problem has been picking up Jack at noon when Amelia stays until 3. Amelia has tried to make a break for it a few times and hasn't wanted to stay. But luckily, she is easily distracted and goes back willingly to play.

Much to my dismay, we were walking to our car in front of the house on Friday, and the kids started shrieking -- there was a circus sign directly in front of our house! The whole way to school, the kids chanted "The circus is coming." Guess we're going to go to the circus next weekend.

Amelia starts soccer next weekend. So we've been stocking up on shoes, socks, shorts, shinpads and a ball. I don't know how excited she is, but she's a little more relieved to find that Marcus will also be in the same organization to play. Luckily, the sports store in Stockel has had some cheap gear (I think it was 30 euros for all the stuff), so we won't be out too much if she hates it.

The sleepover is still going on. Elena came over yesterday and the kids had fun on the terrace looking for rolypolys and snails. Jack tried to corral them in a hula hoop but couldn't figure out why one kept escaping. The girls were originally going to sleep in their sleeping bags on Amelia's floor, but then opted to sleep in the guest bed together (they had designs that I would join them, but I quickly squashed that). They stayed up far to late, dressing up and giggling. I was eventually able to stop the giggling around 10 (thankfully, since I went to bed not long after). I promised pancakes this morning and am trying to drink lots of coffee to wake up.

I know I've mentioned my dismay at finding chicken poop on eggs. I was going to make chicken wings the other day after finally finding them at the store. But then I had to spend a bit of time removing the last few tiny feathers that hadn't gotten off. It was pretty disgusting. I mean, we all know what a chicken is -- or what it was -- so I shouldn't be horrified. But I still was.

I was, however, very happy to find corn in the store lately. Not bins and bins as in the U.S., but a handful of prepackaged, partially shucked corn. I just don't understand why fresh corn is so hard to find. Or Egg Beaters, or light ANYTHING. I still fail to understand how the Belgians are so thin. I realize that they do a lot of walking and biking, but STILL.

Happy weekend, everyone. I've almost made it through my solo weekend. Just let the sun shine today so that we can spend some time outside!! (We miss you, honey!)

Happy Birthday, PopPop

The kids and I, unfortunately, aren't able to make the trip to the U.S. this weekend to celebrate Pop's 90th birthday at Jerry and Pete's house on Sunday. But the kids and I wanted to pass along a little birthday song. Apparently Amelia is the choir director, as Jack wouldn't look at the camera -- he would only look at her. Hopefully, Jerry can play this for Pop at the party, and it will be *almost* like we're there.

Happy Birthday, PopPop! We love you!

Back to School!

We started off last Friday by attending a "Welcome Morning" at school. The children and I all went together Friday morning for 2 hours. Amelia was up at the crack of dawn, got dressed immediately and spent all morning asking "Is it time? Is it time?"

We had a good morning, although Jack preferred to spend time in Amelia's classroom. We were also able to change Jack's transition schedule (He was supposed to transition on Thursday and Friday of this week, and then start on Monday, but they were able to change him at the last minute to transitioning the first two days of school instead, and then he started today.)

Come Monday (Amelia was going solo, and Jack would come from 3:30-4:15), Amelia's enthusiasm was markedly diminished. She didn't want to get out of bed, didn't mention school, and when it was time to go, she complained of a stomachache and declared she wanted to stay home. I figured (hoped) it was first-day jitters, and we continued getting ready. We drove to school, and she complained a lot of the way. I assured her that I would take her home if she were REALLY sick and her teachers would let me know if there were a problem.

We get to the door of school, and she burst into tears. I felt so bad. But her teachers brought her in, and I went on my way, albeit sadly. Luckily, she's had her same teachers for almost 2 years, so she's comfortable with them.

When we got back that afternoon, she was perfectly fine, and we haven't had any problems since.

Jack did very well with his transition, and he went today for his first real day. I was expecting tears, but when we got to the door, Baba (the dog of one of the teachers, who lives on the top floor of the school -- the school is a renovated single-family home) was there. Jack went to Baba and never turned around!

I came to pick them both up at noon, and they were playing on the playground together. Jack said he had a great day and wants to go back. What a relief!

Nice is Really Nice!

So, finally, I'll do a quick blog about Nice.

We arrived late on a Thursday night, and woke up kinda late on Friday, but ready to hit the beach. We loaded up our gear and took the train just a little outside the city to a town called Villefrance sur Mer. We had heard the beach was a little nicer, especially for the kids. We bought some supplies (a raft, a swim ring, an umbrella and a mat) and headed to the beach. Much to our surprise, we saw our cruise ship from our first cruise, docked just offshore. (It was much torment to us to have the ship so close, yet so far.)



The kids loved laying on the raft and floating in the waves, and they had a great time playing in the waves. The beach wasn't sandy -- small pebbles instead. So a little uncomfortable on the feet, but not too bad. The kids happily stayed on the beach all day long, and we had just a wonderful time.




The town of Nice was quite nice -- lots of pedestrian streets with shopping and ice cream and a surprising number of Italian restaurants. And of course, a carousel.

On Saturday, we opted to stay in Nice for our beach day. And indeed, the beach was a little less pleasant -- big rocks instead of sand or pebbles. But again, the kids weren't bothered by it, and the ocean was wonderful. More riding the gentle waves (no jellyfish!)



For dinner, we decided to head to Cannes, which was just a half-hour away by train. We walked along the beach, and they had more rides for the kids on one side of the street. And on the other side of the street, were the fancy (or, should I say FANCY) shops. Cartier, Ferragamo, a cell phone store that sold only one phone (for 4400 euros). It was definitely how the other half lives. We saw a few folks who looked to be papparazzi types, though we never saw anyone famous. While we didn't see where the film festival took place (we were only there for 2 hours), it was fun to be able to say we've been there.



I could definitely have stayed in Nice for much longer than a weekend. It was fantastic, and I hope to be able to go back!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Jack loved being the center of attention today, and Amelia was very good about him having the spotlight.



After tearing through his presents in record time, the boys went off for a haircut. Afterwards, we went to Walibi, the Six Flags equivalent here. They have a great section for kids, and the kids love all the rides. It's not as fun for us, to have to ride all the kiddie rides, but it's better than nothing.



Of course, the rides weren't without problems. All, obviously, had height restrictions. And it was bad news when Jack wasn't tall enough to ride the fake ponies around a track. And it was worse news when he discovered Amelia WAS tall enough.





The kids were insistent that TJ win them prizes. Jack received a giant inflatable hammer (I'll give you one guess as to the first thing he did with it. Yes, bonk Amelia in the head.) And Amelia played a solo game of Whack-a-Mole to win the tiniest pink dolphin you've ever seen.

The weather was forecast to be 66 and pleasant, which was seriously misleading. We had a few dry hours, then it would alternate between 15 mins. of rain, then a period of sun and blue sky. Then the rain would come, and the cycle would continue. At one point, there was a torrential downpour, complete with thunder. Luckily, it didn't last too long.

Then it was back to home for a Spiderman cake and lots of frosting eating (but little actual cake eating). He had a great day and told us over and over "Thank You." It was a great way to start off the 3s!



Big Happy Birthday hugs and kisses also go out to PopPop, who celebrates his special day today as well.

A Cappuccino Revolution in Belgium!

Walking to the post office tonight, I noticed that a neighborhood bakery now offers coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate to go. I can't help but think the impending opening of Starbucks has had some effect on this. I could be wrong. Heck, I don't care. I've got all the takeaway coffee I need, now.

Just a few bullet points of note lately...

• Jack is getting ready to exit the twos, and his last few weeks have exemplified the "terrible twos." I don't know where this behavior is coming from, but I hope I don't have another year of it coming. He is completely out of hand, exacerbated a millionfold when tired. Overall, he is still a sweet, charming boy, but when his flip is switched, he throws, hits and calls us "bad."
• I signed the kids up for tennis lessons beginning in October, and lasting 20 weeks. They'll be in the same class, which I think will be a hoot.
• Price check. Big mac menu meal (inc. fries and diet coke), cheeseburger, 4-piece nuggets, small fries, 3 hot fudge sundaes. 19 euros (roughly 27 bucks). Is it just me, or is that really exorbitant? And at the bakery, a single donut is 2 euros (3 bucks!). ONE DONUT. Thankfully, Ikea sells them 4 for 2 euros.
• I finally changed the bed linens from the winter polarfleece to the summer cotton. Mostly because it's August, and it seemed like I should. Bad move. Chilly nights, and I'm missing the warmth. This has NOT been a warm summer. I don't think it's been much past 70 since we've been here.
• It's going to be a Spiderman-themed party for Jack this weekend. Of course, he has no idea what Spiderman DOES, but he is clearly genetically programmed to like him. Much to TJ's relief, I was able to take Jack's purple Ariel sock and replace it with a Spiderman sock, and Jack hasn't missed Ariel...too much. It's hard enough to explain the sock -- harder still to explain Ariel.
• I decided to try some yoga classes at the gym. Forgetting, of course, that they would be conducted in French. It's not quite as relaxing when you have to keep one eye open to see what the teacher (or what everyone else) is doing. On the plus side, I'm learning the parts of the body. I came away from the first class not so relaxed (but, very sore the next day) and I'm going to try it again today. I'm just not as flexible as I used to be, and I'm certainly feeling it.
  
  You'd think that after 1 1/2 years, I'd be more cognizant of the language stuff. But sometimes, I just totally forget that things are French (or Flemish). Someday I'll get it!
  

The Flower Carpet

We managed to get back from France in just enough time to catch a glimpse of the flower carpet. They do it every 2 years in the Grand Place, and it's all done with begonias. We had heard it was pretty amazing (and had seen spectacular pictures before) and I, especially, really wanted to see it (especially as we're hoping to not be in Brussels the next time its done, in 2010). It was well worth it, despite the dreary (surprise!) weather.

Out of Jack's Mouth...

We were driving along today, and Jack yells, "Mommy, you're going too fast!" (Which I, of course, wasn't." Then he says, "Mommy, I'll miss you while you're in jail." (The kids have been quite interested in the concept of jail since T.J. had his car broken into.)

Jack also made several middle-of-the-night trips to our room last night, asking if he could sleep with us. (I think 2 weeks of sharing a bed with Amelia is leaving him lonely at night here at home.) The second time he came in, he slipped and banged his head against something, leaving a little bruise on his head, poor guy.

A Belgian Complaint (or Two)
I was on a mission to fill a prescription for T.J. today, which I thought would be easy. I went to THREE pharmacies, and none had the medication (and I wasn't trying to fill anything funky, either!). Quite frustrating, especially since we're leaving for vacation today, and he needed it for our trip.

But on the plus side, if they don't have the medication, they simply order it, and it's available just a few hours later. So we'll have to go back.

And it's August, which means holidays en masse for shops. In Ste. Alix, a good percentage of shops (bakeries, butchers, etc.) are closed for 2 weeks for the summer holidays. It makes "running out for just one thing" exponentially more difficult. I guess it's not such a big deal when you grow up with these kinds of closures, but when you come from the land where Walgreens is open on Christmas, it takes some getting used to.

More soon...

Baltic Cruise -- Part 4

Monday, Aug. 4 -- St. Petersburg, Russia

The arrival into the port was a little disappointing -- very industrial and not attractive, and there wasn't much to see on the horizon. We were all exhausted, and I took the morning off from the gym and opted for an extra cup of coffee in the library, instead. It took a while to clear the ship through customs, and while we waited, we got to hear a band playing outside on the dock, greeting us (they were a quite good). We had to wait in a bit of a line for a visa (we actually had to show our passports and prove we were going on a tour) and then we were off on our tour.

I'll probably require T.J.'s memory on this to recall everything, but I'll give it a whirl. (For those wanting more details, visit http://www.saint-petersburg.com/attractions/index.asp, which has some great links on the churches, museums and palaces we visited) We were all quite surprised at the buildings in the city. They were all HUGE (wide, not tall), and painted in cheerful pastels -- quite the opposite of what I expected from Russia. Simply beautiful. The people, however, were very serious, and you definitely got the feeling that you didn't want to mess with them.

We bought some nesting dolls from a street vendor. Amelia was excited because hers had a ladybug on them. (I bought Jack one later on that was all panda bears. They even had St. Louis Cardinals nesting dolls.) And if you wanted to take pictures in any of the museums, you had to buy a special sticker and put it on your camera.

We drove first by the Spilled Blood Cathedral, which was one of my favorite things to see. It was just what you'd see as a postcard of a traditional Russian Orthodox cathedral. Very impressive. Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to go inside, which will be a big regret, as we heard it was beautiful, with many mosaics.



Our next stop was the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. It's the oldest church in St. Petersburg (from the early 1700s). It plays bells at noon and sends off a canon shot (which we heard, and it scared the daylights out of Amelia -- and worried me a little, too). One major attraction is the graves of most of the Romanov rulers of Russia from Peter the Great onward. Also here are both Catherines, Elizabeth, all three Alexanders, Paul, Peter III, Anne - and now both Nicholases as well.



We then took a boat ride down the Neva river, and really got a great view of the city. It really was far more beautiful that I thought it would be. Amelia fell asleep and missed most of the show.





We went then for a group lunch. I imagine it was some sort of traditional Russian dish -- stroganoff, perhaps? Jack loved it. They also had champagne and vodka for us. Whoo, doggy. It was strong. I drank it (OK, both). When in Russia, you know.



After lunch, we went to St. Isaac's Cathedral, and it was, again, spectacular.

Finally, we ended the day at Yusupov Palace. These palaces are all relatively nondescript on the outside, but phenomenal on the inside. I especially loved the theater inside.

This was also the place where Rasputin was murdered (http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/yusupov-palace.asp), for those who are more familiar with Russian history than I.



Tuesday, Aug. 5 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
Another full day of touring today. We started off with a short metro ride -- just one stop. We thought it sounded rather goofy, until we saw the metro stations (which we're forbidden to take pictures of -- one tourist on a previous cruise actually was taken to the police station for taking a picture there). The two we saw, and our guide says they're all like this, were amazing. Chandeliers, statues, marble, brass reliefs -- unbelievable. And they were spotless, too. Some of the trains seemed pretty old, but in good condition. And there were trains every 3-4 minutes. We were in rush hour, granted, but I'm not used to seeing them so often, even in rush hour!

We continued on to the Peterhof summer palace and gardens. It was completely destroyed during the war by Hitler, but they rebuilt it completely, and as accurately as possible. They had moved some of the statues and paintings, etc. to Moscow during the war, and they even buried some of the fountains so the Germans wouldn't destroy them.







Everything was just spectacular.

After that, we headed to lunch, which was unremarkable, unfortunately. I'm not sure if it was traditional Russian (the borscht was, but the rest was just mystery chicken and saffron rice), but it didn't seem impressive. But more champagne and vodka (at least this stuff was a little smoother than yesterday's). Of course I had to drink it, but we had to quickly take it away from the children, as they thought the little vodka glasses were just their size...

In ther afternoon, we went to Catherine's winter palace and the Hermitage Museum. Again, this was just unbelievable and beyond impressive. this building wasn't damaged during the war but again, they moved a lot of the interior to Moscow.


You can see how excited Amelia is to see another palace.


A mosaic on the floor in the palace.





Upon returning to the ship, the kids and T.J. went on board while I popped into a DVD shop and a souvenir shop. The DVDs were of, uh, questionable origin. Let's just say that on the Sex and the City DVD, Jennifer Hudson had top billing. Pretty funny to see a bootleg DVD shop run on a major port

When I walked back toward the gangway, I could hear the band playing for us again. And above the music, I could hear my children shouting "more music, more music." Everyone was looking up at them, and it was fun to watch them dancing on the balcony.

Wednesday, Aug. 6 -- Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn turned out to be a wonderful surprise, much like Dubrovnik on our last trip. I was up early (again) to exchange dollars into Kroon, as we were warned that it was illegal for shop owners to accept foreign currency. We were on our own again today, and after a quick walk from port, we were in the old walled city. We had been on the hunt for a Faberge-type egg in Russia, but hadn't found one we liked. But we found one in Tallinn -- a beautiful blue egg that opens to show one of the Russian orthodox churches (we had been trying to find one with the Spilled Blood Cathedral, and this one -- showing a church in Moscow -- was the closest we came) and is also a music box. One of our favorite souvenirs. And, it figures, they accepted euros for payment. Was this just a scam to exchange money for Kroon at a ripoff rate?



We continued to explore the town, and Amelia and I opted to make a long climb up one of the church's bell towers. I was skeptical, as they said it was over 200 steps. But she was amazing, and made it to the top without any complaints, requests to be held, or rest stops. It was a super-narrow, winding staircase (and it was used both for folks going up and coming down, which made for tight squeezes), but the view was wonderful. (below is the tower we climbed.)






We continued to walk around, and the buildings were very pretty and ornate. In the main square there was a market (hooray!) with lots of sweaters, felted wool items, and other handicrafts. Several stalls had these seasoned roasted almonds that were just wonderful. And, of course, they accepted both dollars and euros. (It was fantastic to be able to use so many dollars on this cruise!) I got the kids these darling homemade horses, after much begging and pleading. They're so cute, I might keep them for myself.

Lunch was a stop at Olde Hansa, a restaurant serving traditional (I suppose) old Estonian food. Like meat soup (see picture for the big hunk of meat) and bear and barley. T.J. declared it the best meal he had all trip. The kids did well, and I ate almonds (too funky of a menu for me, and they didn't even serve Diet Coke).

After lunch we continued to walk around to the upper city, where we got in a game of tag, some ice cream and more souvenir shopping. It was a charming, charming town, and quite a nice way to end the trip.






Thursday, Aug. 7 -- Sea Day
Today was our first sea day heading back to Dover. In 6 days, I think we will change time zones 5 times. It's very confusing for the kids, especially.

The day was pretty uneventful -- just relaxing. I had a massage in the morning; T.J. played in his poker tournament in the afternoon (unfortunately, he didn't win this one). The kids enjoyed the Kids' Club, and I also took them swimming in the afternoon.

We went to one of the main dining rooms for dinner and to celebrate our anniversary a little early. They brought us a cake and sang "Let me call you sweetheart." Both the kids had big grins on their faces and loved the attention.

In the evening, the kids were in the club, going to see a acrobatic/dancing/magic kind of show. T.J. and I peeked in on the show and could see the kids concentrating intently. He and I went up to one of the lounges at the front of the ship so we could see the ship passing under the 2nd largest suspension bridge in the world, connecting Sweeden and Denmark. We got there just as we were approaching the bridge, and also entering a thunderstorm. It looked like we passed under the bridge with not much room to spare, and everyone clapped when we made it under. The lightening was pretty spectacular as well. Afterwards, we headed to the casino, where I got $20 in free slot play (lost it all) and $15 in blackjack play, which I managed to parlay into $100 with T.J.'s help. But as soon as I lost my free $15, I walked away from the table. I'm just not a good gambler (both skill- and temperament-wise)

Starting to pack and getting ready to go home. Hard to believe it's almost over. Even harder to believe that we're packing up directly again and heading to Nice, France for the coming weekend!

Friday, Aug. 8 -- Final Sea Day
More massages, more poker, more bacon.

Today was a little rough (gale force winds, they said) and so we weren't really able to do as much outside as we wanted. We tried to play soccer, but the ball kept being blown away. I tried to sit on the deck by the pool to read, but everytime I sat up, my chair's reclining back blew down. Luckily the kids club kept the kids busy, and the adults had plenty to do, too

I've decided that I probably could live on a cruise ship, so long as I could get access to laundry facilities. It's been a wonderful trip (kudos to T.J. for planning it!). Can't wait for the next one!!

Saturday, Aug. 9 -- Arrival in Dover
Though reluctant to disembark, it was an easy process and our car was right there to load up. We had a nice trip back on the ferry, where a pirate spent the whole ride making swords for the kids from balloons. Amelia kept asking for him to make a zebra. She kept getting swords. Now we're back home, and getting ready for our next trip, to Nice, France.