Amsterdam

We took the kids to Amsterdam this weekend.  Three days, two nights and we're exhausted!  It's a beautiful city - the canals, fall leaves, architecture, house boats, bicycles everywhere… We stayed right in the center, on Herengracht - an Embassy Row type beautiful street/canal.  The shopping was amazing - brand names, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and the ubiquitous coffee shops.
This was a very different weekend then when we have the chance to getaway without the kids but we had a different type of fun.  We got soaked as we ran through a rainstorm after dinner the first night (I carried Caroline and Jesse had Lauren - Cole was our big trooper!).  We walked hand-in-hand with the kids through the Red Light District, at 9:30 a.m.  We didn't see any Rembrandts or Van Goghs but we did visit Nemo, the Netherlands' largest science center for kids.  It was fantastic and even Caroline was amused.  We had the most delicious Starbucks lattes along the harbor.
We ate in a converted water pumping station near Westerpark (Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam), a tiny luncheonette and a cozy brasserie (Luden) in the historic district and an amazing pancake house (Pancakes! Amsterdam).  For whatever reason, all four meals were orderly and although not quite relaxing, they were absent of screaming, crying or anyone leaving their seats before it was time to go.  Whew!
We walked all over town, over to Vondelpark which is a beautiful green space but the playground left a lot to be desired, by the Anne Frank House so we can remind the kids they saw it when they learn about it later, and rode a canal ferry through the beautiful waterways of the city.  This last trip (which was actually our first excursion) proved to be the most painful as Caroline lost interest about half-way through the ride and we couldn't get off until it finished.  Luckily, although she proved to be very vocal at various times throughout the long weekend, she regained composure (or wore herself out as it might be) and we really did enjoy the trip.  Next time though, we want to try it on our own!

Ready for a canal ride

Nemo Science Center

Daddy's Coming Home!

Tonight's our last night on our own.  Jesse's been traveling for almost 3 weeks, back home in Washington.  We miss him terribly and are so excited to welcome him home tomorrow and celebrate his birthday on Sunday.  Otherwise, it hasn't been that bad.
We found an amazing babysitter, Emilia.  She's Argentinian, speaks Spanish, French and English and loves kids.  I've been so lucky to have her help these last few weeks that it actually felt relaxing at times (not the times Caroline kept screaming, but the other times).
The first weekend we spent Saturday night at our close friends, Kate & Jonas Hannestad, and their kids, August & Aksel, for movie night and Asian take-out.  Kate's from Baltimore, Jonas is from Norway and the kids were born in New Haven, CT (Yale U).  We've ended up spending many a weekend night hanging out together and it's the best thing to have something as normal as real friends.
Following up on that we were invited to Cole & Lauren's classmates James & Alice's house on Sunday morning since their "mum" Victoria (England) said she understood weekends were the worst when her spouse was traveling.  It was a cozy rainy morning.
The next weekend, I went out to dinner Friday eve with Kate & Jonas and their friend Caro (France) and had a fabulous three-hour dinner event.  Saturday was a miserable experience stocking a full grocery cart at a new bulk grocery store only to learn they only accepted cash or debit, neither of which I had on my person.
Both weekends we visited the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History.  It's free, it's an airplane hangar and it's actually pretty awesome.  The second Sunday we ran into Kate & Jonas there and ended up planning a pool party and dinner for the afternoon before they took off to the South of France for the holiday.
This week was La Toussaint, or half-term, or week off in the middle of the fall when Europeans take more vacation.  It was actually much easier not to take the kids to school and pick them up again then to have two of them gone for six hours a day.  Monday I took Cole & Lauren to Oceade, an indoor watermark by the Atomium.  Although they were both a little young for the all the sections, it was a lot of fun and we especially enjoyed the wave pool and hot tubs.  Tuesday was Ikea day and then playdate at Lauren's classmates Rory & Vera's house with a few other great moms and three year olds.
Wednesday we tried the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.  As Cole said, the museum is just not for us.  Although everyone raves about the largest dinosaur bone exhibit in Europe (and it is amazing, putting the National History Museum exhibit to shame), my kids don't love dinos and therefore, all they noticed was the lack of elevators and me huffing and puffing with Caroline and her stroller on the stairs.  At least we rode the bus there and back - yea public transportation…
Thursday was probably the best day yet, we stayed home and went swimming in the morning, then in the afternoon, we went to a friend of a friend's house for a little Halloween party.  Belgians don't really celebrate Halloween, though they want to.  Luckily for us, the hosts were Belgian/American and knew what they were doing.  The kids even got to go trick-or-treating around Uccle, the neighborhood to our south, though the absence of chocolate treats is a bit ironic in the land of chocolate, isn't it?
Today, Friday, Emilia came to spend the morning with the kids and I went on a long run through the Bois de la Cambre.  I've started running again when I can get out and it feels really good, plus the park is beautiful.  This morning was odd as a strange woman called my attention, struck up a conversation about visiting Brussels and asked if she could run with me.  Sure, I don't treasure this hour of solitude at all, come along!  Luckily I don't think she was too crazy, though she did want to grab coffee and meet for lunch later, but I dodged that one fast.  I managed to spend the rest of my morning wandering my neighborhood looking for an open coffee shop but being that it was a Belgian National Holiday (All Saints Day), I spent a long time wandering and ended up grabbing sushi and hot tea and reading my Kindle all by myself - glorious!  Later the kids and I napped, we went for a walk to scrounge up some dinner and everyone went to bed by 8.
Tomorrow night Jesse & I will go out to celebrate his 40th birthday!

La Ferme Nos Pilifs

Movie Night Chez Hannestad

L'Abbaye de la Cambre

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

Oceade

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

Ready to trick-or-treat

October before Halloween

It's hard to find something to write about when life is normal.  But normal is good, very good.
The beginning of October has been beautiful.  With weather in the high 60s and little rain, we've been walking home from school, going on playdates with new school friends, enjoying the freedom of two new babysitters, and preparing for the cold to arrive.

Lauren's rash had just about disappeared though it still lingers and appears with a cool breeze but with all blood work clear of allergy or infection, the pediatrician strongly believes she caught a stubborn virus that will eventually go away on its own.  

Cole is outgrowing more of his clothes, as if the cold weather made his legs longer somehow.  Disney Planes was released in Belgium so he and I went to see it on October 6, in French.  

I took Caroline to her first playgroup run by the Brussels Childbirth Trust (for English expats with young children) and she loved circle time and playing with new (or very old) toys.  How fun to take a toddler to these things and not be pregnant at the same time!  The people were very nice and I'll give it a shot at least once a week.

Bois de la Cambre

Ready to pick vegetables at Marie's Garden, Overijse

Waiting for Planes

Sunday morning bakery run

"Maman" by Cole

At BCT Playgroup, Ixelles

Namur, Belgium

Pediatric Care

Starting a week ago today, Lauren's been getting a skin rash when she steps outdoors.  Frightened at first by the reaction, we eliminated most foods and racked our brains to figure out what has changed in her environment (other than the obvious moving to a new country).  

We still don't have an answer.  She's been to the local ER, a new pediatrician and next week I'll take her to a lab for bloodwork.  It's scary not knowing.  She doesn't seem phased.  She's not uncomfortable which is a good sign and the best case scenario is an underlying virus.  What seems so common online is something I've never seen before in any of our kids.  Hopefully this too shall pass.

Ireland

I met Jesse in Dublin for the spouses end to his meeting.  Flew Ryan Air, a European budget airline.  It's a tight fit.

The first day we visited Dublin Castle which is actually a government building and then Trinity College which was established by Elizabeth I to teach Protestant students in Ireland.  Everything here is divided by Protestant/Catholic, even the public schools.  

Our first evening we joined geriatric tour groups at this hall called the Merry Ploughboy.  It was a legit pub downstairs but upstairs there were four old guys playing Irish songs and then a group of 5 college aged kids doing a Irish dance show.  It was a bit odd but fun songs, hearty food and the kids danced really well.

The next day Jesse and I walked to the peak behind the hotel and saw the most beautiful late sunrise over the ocean.  The hotel was by Bono's house, but try as we did, we didn't get an invite.

We met the group and all went down to the Wicklow Mountains.  We did a relatively strenuous hike for over two hours and the scenery was gorgeous.  Afterwards we went to yet another large pub and ate more meat and potatoes.  

Because we were with Jesse's work we didn't get to explore Dublin as I may have liked but I'm very glad I got to see Ireland at all.  It's a beautiful place, stereotypes seem to ring true and there's no shortage of Guiness.

"I want to introduce myself."

When I picked Cole & Lauren up from school today, Cole asked me to wait until he completed a little task he chose for himself.  He wanted to introduce himself to the Class 3 (1st grade) teacher because as he said, "We're going to be here next year and she should know who I am."  I asked who she was and saw that she was engaged, talking to a current parent and kindly told Cole he could talk to her tomorrow about it.  He refused, saying we could wait.  So we did.  I watched my son politely wait for her to finish her conversation, then confidently approach Mrs. X and although I couldn't hear what passed through their conversation, this young woman's smile broadened as he spoke.  She looked over his head to see who was watching and when she caught my eye, she gave me a big thumbs up and wave.  She shook Cole's hand, he said good bye and we were off to swim class.  We shall henceforth call him Ferris.

At the Club

This morning I brought Mom & Caroline to the club for a coffee and snack after dropping the older kids at school.  After pick-up Lauren, Cole & I had lunch in the cafe since it was the kids' half-day Wednesday.

I've already determined that I eat much more than other moms here.  I eat in public so that's a start.  I really enjoyed my towering chicken club sandwich with a green side salad and chips, thank you very much.

Lauren's class is first.  Last week her teacher was a surly blond woman who resented that Lauren couldn't speak French.  This week, her new teacher is a twenty-something well toned, bronzed Belgian man - the kind of man who should wear his tiny little white Speedo to teach three year olds to swim.  And he cares enough to ask if Lauren understands what he's saying. They are learning to swim here so that's sort of important.

Cole's class started with another swim the distance test which he confidently passed.  Then he had to do the same on his back, which made him nervous, but go mini-backstroke.  Lap after lap, my little dolphin was in his element.

Lauren played in the kiddie pool during Cole's lesson and I was able to speak with a very kind Greek mom watching her son in Cole's class.  

Then out of the pool, down to tennis.  Lauren's first class holding a racquet and it wasn't pink, but Daddy will fix that when he comes home from DC. Success on all fronts.