Happy Birthday, Jack

We celebrated Jack's 4th birthday with a pirate cruise in Annapolis. I highly recommend it for any young pirates out there (http://www.chesapeakepirates.com/). Since it was his birthday, he got to be "Captain Jack" and was even able to steer the boat for a bit. We had done the same cruise earlier in the summer and Jack had been begging to do it again. He was much more into it this time, participating more in the activities and not being dependent on Amelia. Amelia, on the other hand, seemed to be a little lost without Jack by her side and didn't really participate much.

Jack's actual birthday was celebrated at Jerry and Pete's -- Jack and Pop share the same birthday, so it was a doubly special time. Jerry got a SpongeBob pinata for the kids to enjoy -- luckily, you didn't need to beat it with a stick -- you just had to pull strings to open the trap door (which, strangely, was SpongeBob's bottom -- which made the candy a little less appetizing to me).



Jack also picked, at my urging, a very cool animatronic dino cake. It was the hit of the party, for sure.



Amelia has a very loose tooth and is excited about the prospect of losing it, as long as no blood is involved. I made the mistake once of telling her it was bleeding a little (to say that it was getting looser) and she went nuts. Not a good move on my part. I suspect it will take a few more weeks to fall out. I'm in no rush -- it's just another sign of her growing up, and she has a teeny-tiny mouth that I don't think is ready for grown-up teeth.

Amelia starts school in just over a week; Jack, the week after. Both are a mixture of excited and scared. Me, too!

Jack has a new passion -- fishing. We've gone through 3 rods so far (one broke, one got dropped in the lake) and a bunch of fake bait. He got lots of tackle and gear for his birthday, and every night, he asks TJ if they can go fishing (there is a small pond in our neighborhood where fish are plentiful and easy to catch). I made the mistake of going the other night and caught a turtle. TJ was not happy with me.

It also looks like Jack will have surgery soon to release his tongue-tie. Luckily, it's an outpatient surgery -- a far cry from when I had it done in the hospital with a several-day stay. I'm not fond of him having to go under to have the procedure done, but I'm also hoping it will help his speech.

Have a great weekend, all!

Clearly, blogging has taken a backseat to a million boxes (soon to be 2 million, once they deliver our long-term storage items on Friday), but I'm going to try to continue to post some things for our out-of-town family and our friends in Belgium...

Both the kids have LOVED doing swimming this summer and can't believe they get to do it outside ... every day! Brussels just wasn't conducive to such endeavors. Amelia was on the Junior Seahawk Swim Team (for those kids over 4 who still aren't very proficient swimmers) and Jack has been taking lessons. As you can see from the video, we're making great progress!

Amelia has started a fairytale ballet camp this week, and while it's only a 5-day camp, she's really enjoying it and is looking forward to more ballet this fall. (While a friend and I are going to try our hand at tap dancing -- if for no other reason than pure entertainment.)

We obviously haven't done any traveling this summer, except for when we were nomads, waiting to get back to our house. I'm pleased to say that the transition has been very smooth and it feels nice to be back in our house and neighborhood.

Amelia is getting ready for first grade, and Jack is excited for preschool. He misses his friend Magnus terribly, and Amelia misses all her school friends, too.

We do miss Belgium, but we missed our lives here, too. I admit that Costco and all the restaurants and grocery stores aren't doing my waistline any favors, even though I'm trying to walk a lot. But since we have no local commerce that is within biking distance, I'm now just trying to get out in the mornings.

We will post more soon, including pictures of the house. But for now, here are a few summer pictures to enjoy!



Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay with his Spiderman fishing rod. He actually caught fish, too.


Getting ready for swim lessons.


We just learned this "swimming" yesterday.



This was Amelia's first race. They had a Lollipop race for all the juniors, and the object was just to get across the pool in any way possible. Although Amelia was dead last, everyone was cheering loudly for her, and I think she really enjoyed it! She was also very proud to get her first engraved trophy for her participation this year.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Tonight, Amelia asked me to wiggle her teeth and see if any are loose. (I fear the day she actually starts losing teeth, as her mouth is so teeny-tiny, I just don't see how she has room for adult teeth.)

 

Sure enough, there are a few that do actually wiggle. Which got us into a discussion on the tooth fairy, including if she would bring presents rather than money.

 

She asked if she could stay awake to see the tooth fairy, and I said that no, like with Santa, she has to be asleep for the tooth fairy to come. She started to wonder aloud about this and declared: Maybe it's because she has no clothes, and she has to fly around naked. So she can only visit people while they're sleeping so they don't see her privates.

 

Priceless!

 

Last Brussels Update?

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Things went amazingly well at the exit survey. We were told to expect charges of 5 euro per nail hole, plus other assorted charges. To our great relief (and surprise), we didn't get charged ANYTHING. Not even for the speckled laundry room walls as a result of some sparkling wine exploding all over everything and leaving spots. The inspector didn't even go outside, so he didn't see where I had agonizingly scrubbed rust spots with something akin to hair perm solution. (And, luckily, he also missed all the spots I also missed!) I was truly surprised, given the horror stories I had heard about others' inspections.

 

So now, we are officially homeless.

 

The kids and I spent the day doing a little last shopping (Hello Kitty dress for Miss A, tiger tank top for Jack, no dresses for me), enjoying ice cream, and getting a big bucket of wonderful strawberries. We had one last dinner at Fat Boys, a sports bar by the EU that is run by a former Exxon guy, and where no one even tries to speak French. Great bar food, and a truly fantastic hamburger that rivaled those in the U.S.

 

So we pack up tomorrow, go to the birthday party, and head home Sunday morning. Yippee!

 

I've tried to add some pictures of the move. Not sure how, or if they'll come through. I'm sending these updates via e-mail (as we're charged 0.60 euro per online minute!!). If they don't come through, I'll just wait until the US to resend.

 

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Last Days in Brussels

The move went (mostly) smoothly. We overflowed our 40-foot container (how embarassing! so much stuff!), so I'm not sure what they'll do with the excess. It was pretty remarkable that we filled the container, especially given that they completely took apart anything that could be taken apart. Toys, furniture, you name it.

 

I'll post pictures from the move, including the lift, later, once I find my cords to connect the camera to the computer. It's in the hotel somewhere...

 

So yesterday was cleaning the house -- T.J., Lila (our cleaning lady) and me. Lila was in tears at the beginning and end, and it was sad for me, too. She is such a sweet person and a glorious help -- I wish we could find someone like her in the U.S.

 

So the house is clean, but today at 5 is the real test: is it clean enough for the exit survey? I can't tell how well (or not) it's going to go. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

I took the kids to our favorite waffle/crepe place downtown today (since our hotel is just a block from it). Our favorite waiter was there, and I wondered if he would remember us. T.J. and I came there almost every day when we did our househunting trip, and we've been there several times since. Indeed, he did remember us. It was nice -- I've been surprised at how many vendors/servers we've come to know almost by name or at least have become familiar with.

 

Today is a free day, until our inspection at 5. Then tomorrow is our last day in Brussels. The kids are going to Jacqueline's birthday party in the afternoon. Then Sunday morning, we fly home

The Last Goodbyes

Learning how to make baskets at the celebration in Stockel for the 100th anniversary of the tram.


Petting a (formerly) real fox outside a butcher's in Stockel.


The proud princess displaying her cupcakes to take to school as a going-away treat.


He should be proud -- he decorated all the cupcakes himself!


Our humble Belgian abode.

The movers are here, frantically packing away. So far, they won't pack batteries, and it doesn't look like they're packing food. (Poor Tammy is going to overwhelmed with all by bits of food that they won't pack. I can't throw it away, but I doubt she's going to want all of this!!)

It's overwhelming, a little. I'm trying to stay out of the way, watching TV. They're packing the kitchen, so I can't get a snack or a drink. Things, so far, are going smoothly. They're packing quickly (oooh, and listening to a little vintage Paul Young on the radio!).

Amelia chose Saturday night to have another bout of middle-of-the-night croup. It was a pretty bad case, with some stridor on her inhalations. But after a sit outside (in the rain) for the cool air, then a transfer to the bathroom for inhaling steam, she begged to go back to bed. It did break my heart, however, when she asked me if she was going to die. I think it worried her that we were causing such a fuss and dragging her all over the house, rather than just giving her any medicines. But she recovered enough on Sunday to make one last trip to the Stockel carnival.

The kids have three more days of school, and tonight (Monday night) is our last night in the house. It seems a little surreal.

We're all excited to come back, but we will miss Brussels. But on to bigger and better things (and things that are open 24 hours!).

More to come!

Our Last Travels

I still hope to blog more later, but the movers are coming in two weeks, and I'm not sure which way is up. I'm torn between trying to do all the "lasts" that I want to do, and trying to get a jump on packing. Neither seems to be working, so instead, I helped chaperone a field trip to the Antwerp Zoo today.

I hope to post more soon. But in the meantime, enjoy the pix.


Jack and Amelia on a windmill in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands



Getting some bratwurst in Cologne, Germany with the Coles.


view from the top of the mini Eiffel tower, Petrin Hill, Prague



Schmoozing the bartender for cherries at the Hard Rock Cafe, Prague


A fountain Jack just loved, Prague.