Puddle Jumpers

First things first....look at this adorable shirt!  Thomas received it in the mail from his buddy River.  They got it while they were in Florida, and River said they had the greatest donuts!  Thank you so much to Dannette and River for making this boy's day!

We are taking advantage of the longer days.  It was light out tonight until almost 7:00!  Hallelujah!  We had ample amounts of sunshine today, but one day isn't enough to dry everything up.  So we couldn't do a walk without our boots.  And, of course, this boy doesn't skip one puddle!

His sidekick wasn't skipping any either!  Note...there is no actual jumping going on.  Their mean mom kindly asked them to refrain from any jumping that would splash mud all over the clean coats and jeans.  

Hmmm....this might be why I needed a new tire.  

And, it just keeps getting better and better in his eyes.

One of our favorite houses in the neighborhood

Me and my girlie!

I'd like to know who lives in this humble little abode....

Here are the train tracks that are just one block from our house.  Good thing they don't blow a whistle anywhere near us.  All we hear is the ringing of a bell as the train approaches.  We can handle that!

Love that we can actually see a sunset.

I got the patio all swept!  I'm so ready for spring...longer days, planting flowers, grilling, entertaining outside...I hope the coming months do not disappoint.  But, I won't get my hopes too high either.

My guy in his tree.  He spends most of his free time up there.

The weeks just keep flying by.  Daddy will start his journey home tomorrow.  He has lots of goodies for the kids.  I got goodies today too after a trip to the American Store in Antwerp.  We have a birthday in the family in just a couple of weeks, and I had to get the goodies to make cupcakes and birthday cake for my most special boy. :)

Until next time,

Wendy

Wordless Wednesday

I'm sure this is exactly what the builder and our landlord intended for this archway.....

Until next time,

Wendy

Kiddo Update

Last night, Allison asked me if Argentina is in Kentucky...five minutes later she asked me if steak comes from pigs.  Should I be worried???

In all seriousness, the kids are doing very well.  They are settling in to all aspects of Belgium nicely.

Socially, they are doing just fine.  Allison was invited to sleep at two different houses last weekend, and Thomas is going to another birthday party on March 16th.  Their mom needs to have some more play dates here at our house.  I thank God they have met some very nice friends who make them smile each day.

Homework is more in control.  They know what is expected of them, and they are doing a better job of  dividing the homework into manageable chunks throughout the week.  I have not received one graded paper from school.  And, grades are not available online.  Communication with home is not like it is in Morton.  I've had to let go a little and trust that everything is okay.  They both have great teachers, so I know if there is a problem, they would be sure to let me know.  I am looking forward to conferences on March 15th. The kids are going to start French tutoring at home on Thursdays after school.  It's covered by CAT, so we are going for it.  I think they will both feel more comfortable.  I think I've also talked Chris into bringing home the Rosetta Stone.  We'll take all the help we can get (me and the kids!)  French is tough!  Allison has started her science fair project.  And, I thought we were going to get out of that!  Bummer.  She is testing different microwave popcorns to see which one pops the best.  Her prediction is that the most expensive will have the highest percentage of popped corn.  Turns out..there is only one brand of microwave popcorn in Belgium, and it is made in the US.  It's more like kettle corn and burns very easily.  So, Daddy is bringing back popcorn for the experiment.  Good thing Daddy was traveling home this week!  Allison also had to go through the maturation class last fall...you know...the 5th grade movie.  Well, it turns out they do the 5th grade movie in the spring at ISB.  So we get to do it again.  Oh yippee!

Allison started violin in January, and she is now caught up with the rest of her class.  She has had private lessons once a week, and this week she is playing with the other 5th graders.  She is very excited!  Both kids are still Skyping piano lessons with Jennie back in Morton.  That is going very well.  With the piano in the main room, it gets more playing time than when it was in the living room of the old house.

On Tuesdays, the kids are doing rock climbing after school.  At Lincoln School, it was called Afterschool Adventures.  At ISB, it's called ISB+.  Now an Afterschool Adventures class would usually run around $25 and last six weeks.  Our rock climbing class will last approximately 13 weeks, but it is a bit more expensive...360 euros for the two kids.  That's about $475!  Cough..choke..gag...I am not one that would spend that kind of money on an after school activity.  But, this is their only "fun" activity right now.  Thomas doesn't want to play baseball, and Allison has decided to wait and start dance in the fall.  So, we will be sure they do not miss any of these classes because we are paying dearly for their participation!  And, I don't want to hear any complaining about the cost of Afterschool Adventure classes.  You're not going to get any sympathy from me. :)

I continue to be so proud of the two of them.  Someday, they will realize what an amazing opportunity this is for them.  They have already grown up so much since we arrived.  Now we just need to work on our geography skills and where beef comes from. :)

Until next time,
Wendy

Jinxed??

 You know we've had quite the stroke of bad luck....my Mac crashed, camera lens broke, dishwasher wouldn't work, owl in the fireplace, Allison's iPod had to be restored and she lost everything, engine light on my new car, lightbulbs blow all the time, etc....  So, Friday night, we were sitting back on the couch.  Chris looked at me and said, "Hey, nothing broke today!"  And, then he didn't knock on wood or anything....doesn't he know you're supposed to knock on wood!?!  And, that's when our luck changed again.  Nothing really tragic happened.  Just more annoying little things that have to be fixed.  It started with the shower.  Thomas was going to take a shower before his sleepover.  When he started the shower, water went EVERYWHERE!  It was all over the bathroom and clear out into the hallway.  Needless to say, the shower head needs to be replaced.  Luckily, our bathtub has a shower hose as well, so I put that shower head in the shower until it can be replaced.  

Then on Sunday, Chris left for the US.  He was going to drive to work, leave his car for the week, and get his taxi from there.  I suggested I drive him to work just in case I needed his car during the week.  Turns out my gut instinct to leave the car at home was correct.  I noticed the rear tire on my car was low yesterday afternoon and there was a bulge in the sidewall.  Amy helped me pump it up (where would I be without Amy??), and her husband Chad did this soap and water trick to see if it was leaking air..and it was.  So, down to the local Goodyear I went today.  They are able to order me a tire that will be in tomorrow afternoon.  Let's hope they can actually put it on the car tomorrow.  Could be Wednesday.  Pray it holds the air that long.  If not..wish me luck with the bike pump! :)   I guess it doesn't matter if it is Goodyear in Moline or in Hoeilaart.  They always take good care of me!

Can you see the bulge in the bottom left?  

So, I was feeling really good after I got that accomplished.  I got the house cleaned today, and I also finished and put away all of the laundry.  It was fun being home and watching the snow fall outside.  It snowed all day and rained the whole night before.  

Isn't it pretty out the window.  Seriously, the biggest flakes I have seen in a long time!  Thankfully, it was much too wet for the snow to stick.

 I went to pick up the kids from school, and let them run and play for just a bit at the end of the day. Of course, with all the wetness, Thomas returned to me like this.....  

So much for being finished with laundry.  Like I said, nothing tragic...just a bit annoying. :)

Until next time,

Wendy

Home Turf

Here's something I'm still getting used to.  This was our clock when we went to bed last night.  That's not 7:00.  That's just 7...12:07 A.M.  Prior to living here, I had never seen it displayed that way.

Today, we actually walked around our own town!  We checked out some of the local shops and grabbed sandwiches on the walk.  It was around 54 degrees here today with a hint of sun, so it was the perfect day to do a little walking while our car was being washed.

This is the city center of Hoeilaart.

We are experiencing a lot of construction right now.  And, it's not just a lane closure.  In many cases, the whole road is closed!

So pretty...too bad they are fake!

My girl...and her sandwich. :)

This is the massive church in the center of town. Hoeilaart has a market on Fridays in the parking lot next to this church.

Spring is almost here!  These are real!  That means it's almost planting time.  Yay!!!

We had a great time at a party this evening.  Our first night out in Belgium without kids.  But of course, Thomas called and said he couldn't sleep, so we went and picked him up and came home early.  Thank you to Chad and Amy for keeping him.  Sorry he chickened out.   Chris heads back to the states tomorrow.  Maybe you'll see him around town! :)

Until next time,

Wendy

What was the hold up?

I've been here for two months, and today I finally made it to a Carrefour (I know Jen Ritz..can you believe it?)  It's a little farther than the two grocery stores I frequently visit...and maybe it was a little intimidating....CARREFOUR PLANET...that just looks large and intimidating.  I am such a chicken!  So, I held off...for two whole months.  But today, I had the afternoon free, so I hopped in my car and headed there, and I didn't use my GPS, which I don't even use on a daily basis anymore.  And, you know what...it was not gigantic and the size of a whole planet. :)  It's a lot like a Walmart.  And, another bonus is it is cheaper than the grocery store.  But, I still didn't buy anything fun.  I find that all I spend my money on is food!  BORING!  I need a real shopping day.  So here are some much anticipated photos of the Carrefour...I know you can't wait!!!  Can you imagine someone doing a blog post about Walmart?  That is how lame this post is. :)

Here it is...all big and intimidating! :)

If there isn't room to park in the lower lot, you can park above and take the escalator to your car.  It fits carts too!

The bread section....it is really something to behold.  Good thing Europeans walk a lot because bread is everywhere and eaten frequently.  This section however is really of no threat to me because I am still intimidated by the machine that slices the bread.  That is a whole 'nother post!

Olives are popular here too.   My mom and sister will LOVE this section.  Me...not so much.  Blah!

And, of course, there is a chocolate store in the Carrefour.  Why not?  Can you see the batteries in the bottom corner?  They are 11 euros and some cents for eight batteries.  That's 15 US dollars!  Good thing we stocked up before we left.  

 Almost forgot...I got to see Bel Ami on the night it was released in Belgium.  There is no release date set for the US.  It was good...Rob was better than the movie.  Let's be honest...I just went for the eye candy. :)

Dorky American who gets her picture in front of the movie sign.  Thanks to my friend Amy (remember my friend from the beer run) for suffering through this moment.

Until next time,

Wendy

Not so Hungry....

I'm dragging my feet.  I've started this book three times, and I just can't get into it.  In my defense, I've had a few distractions over the last few months.  And, maybe it's the fact that it's about a bunch of kids that have to kill each other to be the sole survivor of the Hunger Games...or so I've been told.  But, you know how much I like movies, and this movie release is just around the corner.  And, I really want to see it.  So, this weekend, I am making it a point to restart this book.  I'll have some time while Chris traveling.  He is headed back to the States on Sunday and is going to be busy running errands for me.  Okay, not really, but he does have a sizable list.  #1 on the list is handing off my camera lens to my friend Kara to send in for repair.  I opened my camera bag yesterday, and my lens was detached from the body of my camera that I just purchased in the fall.  Completely snapped off.  Are you kidding me??  I am then hoping Jerry and Amy can bring it back to me on their way through Brussels at the end of the month.  Hey Amy, if you're reading...is that okay? :)  Like I said....never a dull moment.

And just a bonus pic for you.  Here's T watching "The Biggest Loser" eating Belgian chocolate.  I hope this stint in Belgium doesn't land him on that show. :)

Until next time,

Wendy