Brugge, Belguim

Our last day and we were in Bruge. Some call this the Venice of the north. Bruge has many little canals and is very quaint and beautiful. We decided to take a horse drawn carriage tour, which was great fun for the boys. The city is super old. The picture shown is us with a monastary dating back to 1245. It was so interesting to see things that old.

We all stayed warm, with Jeb usually in the front carrier underneath Tom's coat (now he knows a bit what it's like to be pregnant!). We don't know the language (Flemish), but we got by okay. Just a few extra hours spent trying to figure out road signs! The drive back was easy and the French countryside is beautiful with small towns scattered throughout, most built around a church with a large steeple. Exactly what you would imagine it to be. The trip was a great way for us to get into the Christmas spirit!

Gent Belguim

From Brussels, we went to Gent. A much smaller town. We checked into the hotel and headed out, intending to take the train to Bruge. We turned the corner to see a beautiful town positioned along a canal. It was right out of a story book! After getting on the train and missing our stop to Bruge, we got off and explored Gent. Very old town, but they too, had many waffles and chocolates (this time in a thin pancake), so we were just fine! More Christmas markets and a 500 year old church to tour. Now we were in the Christmas spirit! But, we were so tired! Off to bed, Bruge is next.

Belguim Trip

We went on a little holiday the weekend before Christmas. We all piled in the van and took the Eurotunnel Train across to France and to our first destination: Brussels, Belguim. The ride under the English Channel took a mear 35 minutes and getting to Brussels from there took 1 hour. Finding our hotel? 1 1/2 hours! Sat maps don't always work!

Brussels has the world's largest Christmas markets, but out favorite was the light shows at the Grand Place (picture shown). Tom's favorite was mulled wine, waffles (unbelievable!) and chocolate (nothing compares!). We spent Saturday on old time carousels, a ferris wheel and ice skating. Jacob learned to do it all by himself. The weather was cold, but we all stayed warm. It's beautiful city, but way too busy for us! Off to Gent.

First Christmas in England

Our first Christmas in England! We were woken up this morning at 7:00am - not by the big boys, but by Jeb. Wow, the boys are actually sleeping in on Christmas morning?! Not to worry, we were up 15 minutes later. Jacob and Aiden were so excited to see the milk gone and cookies eaten (Sorry, we just can't stomach England's mince pies!). So, we opened our stockings. Tom fixed some breakfast, but noticed there was no heat! The boiler is broke! We called the rental agency, but of course no one is there and the emergency repair man wasn't answering (would you?!). So, we bundled up. It's 50 degrees out, so no big deal.

Off to church later in the morning. It's not "Merry Christmas", it's "Happy Christmas"! Otherwise, the service is about the same as in the states.

Back home...now for the big gifts from Santa. Legos! (Daddy is happy!). Then the gifts from family in the states. It's just not the same when you don't open it with the people who give it. We are missing our families today. Of course, they know us so well, so the boys are super happy with their gifts. Dinosaurs for Jacob, trains and cars for Aiden, and baby stuff for Jeb.

So, I am sitting here this Christmas with a smile on my face. I hear Jeb cooing, Aiden playing with a truck and Tom and Jacob playing Legos. Wait, Tom is telling Jacob not to touch the Legos...I think he's reliving his youth. Even so, it's music to my ears.

Merry Christmas!

Jacob's Christmas Program

Here it is. The Holstpur Primary School "Christmas Cracker: Christmas around the World." Jacob was a Hawaiian. Very Cute. He really enjoyed doing it too!

Week in Review: Nov 24-30

This week was a test on my stay at home mothering skills. Listening to one boy cough all day long was hard, but when Aiden got the cough I thought I'd lose it! Needless to say, the cough has now been passed on to Jeb. Jacob seems to be getting better, so it looks like it may last a good week to 2 weeks. Let's hope Jeb gets over it quicker. It stinks to be the third child sometimes!

Parent's were invited to Jacob's school assembly this Friday. I was very impressed by the talent and good manners of all the kids. Wow! Jacob is practicing for his Christmas Program: Christmas around the world. So far, I've only heard what they say in China, Spain and America. Here is America: "I come from America where we scream and shout Yee-Haw!" I can't even believe it. Talk about stereotyping! :)