A Visit from the In-Laws

This past week we were blessed to have more visitors come see us. Cole's parents (nana and papa) and sisters (Julianna and Aislinn) arrived last Sunday (June 2nd) to spend a week with us! It was wonderful to see them and show them around our new home. It's one thing to show people pictures and try to explain the areas around you, but it's another to have them see it for themselves. We were happy to show them around and let them experience what we experience day to day. It also gave me a little break from being with the boys all day by myself. Of course I love the boys dearly, but it's nice to have a little break every once in a while to shop, shower, or even go to the bathroom without little ones tugging my your leg! :)

The week went by quickly and we did a lot of walking, but thankfully, we are finally having warmer weather, so it was great to be out and about! Here is a rundown of our time together:

Sunday: Cole and Cameron went to the airport in the morning to pick up the family. Because we don't have a large car, they took a train (Cameron was SOOOO excited) to the airport to pick them up. From what I was told, it was a sweet reunion.

After munching on fruit and pastries and catching up a bit, everyone took naps and tried to catch up on some lost sleep. Sunday night, we walked around Gent and introduced the family to our new home. Here are some pictures that were taken on our walk.

After walking around and playtime with the boys, it was bedtime for everyone!

Monday: Cole had to work, so we had a mellow morning here at the loft. 

We took a trip to the grocery store to get some goodies and, of course, play on the bus.

In the afternoon, we took a walk over to meet Cole after work and walk home with him. 

Harrison and I walked home to get dinner ready while everyone else went to walk through Saint-Bavos Cathedral.

After dinner, nana, papa, Julianna, and Aislinn took the boys to the park and to get ice cream (first of many trips to get ice cream) while Cole and I had our Dutch lesson. It looks like they had a great time!

Tuesday: Cole had to work in the morning, so we had a lazy morning at home. Even though it was lazy, it was also a super exciting morning because our long awaited couches were finally delivered!! As you may recall from this post, when they moved our things in before, they used a lift outside the loft and brought things in through the window. That's what they did with the couches as well.

Everything was going fine until they had the last couch in the window. They came out and told me that there was no way they were going to be able to get the couch through the door without taking the door and frame apart. The leader of the crew told me that the best thing for us to do would be to let him take the couch back to the store and then we come back and pick out another couch. I must have looked like a crazy person when he said this because when I said, "are you serious," they all laughed at me!! We ordered these couches 10 weeks ago!!! I was not about to wait another 10 weeks, but thankfully, they were able to come in a different window with more space through the door. So we now have our couches!

Relaxing on the new couches!

After the couches arrived, Cole came home and then went to the train station to pick up his Uncle Craig from the train station. He just so happened to be in Europe at the same time as Cole's parents, so he decided he would make a quick stop in Gent before heading home. When the boys went down for their nap that afternoon, I hung out on the awesome couches while everyone else went to explore more of Gent. They visited Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Saint Nicholas Church, and the Castle.

Saint Bavo's Cathedral...all covered in scaffolding 

Saint Nicholas Church

Castle of the Counts

They also wondered around the city a little more. After the boys got up from their naps, we went to meet the group and took them to get their first Belgian waffles (also the first of many). We went to a place that is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to get waffles called 3.14. It's a little cafe in the Groetenmarket that has a window facing the street where you can buy fresh made waffles directly from the waffle maker!

You have lots of options for toppings, though they are yummy plain! I'm pretty sure everyone else agreed that they were delicious! :)

After waffles, we headed to Patrick Foley's Irish Pub for dinner. Cole's dad is Irish, so we thought it would be fun to eat there with them.

Eating outside with their sunglasses

Wednesday: We took advantage of the beautiful weather and decided to take a picnic to the park.

Afterwards, we took a a boat tour through the city

For dinner, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant called 't Wokske. The food and atmosphere was just ok, but I did take a huge step out of my comfort zone and tried a small piece of squid!

Squid!

Noodles and veggies

Thursday: We decided to take a quick trip to Brugge. We walked through Sint-Janshospitaal which is one on the oldest preserved hospitals in Europe. We also ate outdoors and explored the city.

Representin' in Brugge! 

Passed out after a morning in Brugge

After our time in Brugge, we headed to Oostende to visit the North Sea. It was a beautiful day, so we assumed it would be nice to walk along the beach for a while. However, when we arrived, we discovered that it was FREEZING and crazy wind! We only stayed for about ten minutes, but we can say we've been there!

Cameron insisted that we go to the water to throw some shells in and would not take no for an answer...so to the water we went!

Friday: Friday was a mellow day here. Cole had to work, so we met him for lunch at a little Italian place, called Il Trattoria. The waitress only spoke Italian, but we were able to communicate enough to get a couple pizzas.

Once we were home and put the boys to bed, the girls, minus Julianna who had to head home, spent the afternoon shopping...or maybe I should say drooled over things we couldn't afford! We went into many shops I have always wanted to visit, but have never been able to with the boys. We also got some great chocolate and chocolate covered strawberries!

Saturday: We took advantage of having some babysitters and went to a little cafe for breakfast in the morning. We went to a place near our loft called Le Pain Quotidien. Even though they flat out refused to give me cheese on my scrambled eggs (what?!?), it was a nice morning and a yummy breakfast. 

One of the only things that Cameron wanted to do with nana and papa was go the his new favorite swimming pool. So after breakfast, we spent the morning at Rozebroeken swimming and playing. While the boys finished up with swimming, the girls went to get some supplies to finally plant some flowers and plants on our patio. We spent the afternoon potting all the plants.

Basil, mint, and tomatoes

Even though my mom always had beautiful flowers and a wonderful garden, it's not something I ever really took an interest in. It's not for lack of her trying to teach me that I don't have a clue what I'm doing (I was thankful for help from Cole's mom to get this accomplished)! Anyways, my plan is to see whether or not I can keep these plants alive before adding to the collection...I would love to add some more fruits and veggies!

Sunday: Cole's family had to leave Sunday, so he and Cameron loaded everyone up and took them to the airport early in the morning.

We are thankful for the opportunity to have had Cole's family here. Everyone agreed that the waffles and chocolate at least met, if not exceeded their expectations! I'd say thats a win! :)