Second Semester of School and End of the Year Celebrations

Cameron finished up his first year of school at the end of June. It was a very successful and fun year for him. He grew in so many ways and made a lot of meaningful relationships with children, teachers, and staff at the school. 

It was a difficult decision to send Cameron to school last year. There were a lot of discussions, prayer, and even a few tears, but in the end, we all feel that this past year of school was a very positive experience for all of us.

Here are some pictures of Cameron's second semester as well as the end of the year celebrations.

They studied bears at the beginning of the semester.

Tucking in his bear

Ready for a bear picnic 

He made some sweet crafts for mommy and daddy.

Sports Day

Field Trip to the Beach in Oostende

Getting ready to leave for the beach

End of the year ceremony at the Provincial Government Chambers

Cameron with the headmaster of the school

Cameron received a certificate for excellence in enthusiasm. :)

Cameron's good friend, Sebastian

After ceremony celebration with friends

Last day of school

Such a big boy!

Class performance 

First and last day with Cameron's awesome teacher!

Cameron's buddies

Like I said before, this year was great for Cameron! I am very thankful for his great teacher and the friends he, and I, made over the course of the year. We have decided that Cameron will be going back to the same school next year. I sometimes feel bad that we are not sending him to a local school, but I have decided that there are some very valuable things to be learned from going to an international school. Cameron has met people from all over the world and learned a lot about other people's cultures and ways of life. Although it's easy to choose to be around those who are like you, I think it's very important to realize that there is a big world out there with lots of different kinds of people. Even though it's been uncomfortable at times, learning this has been invaluable for Cole and me, but especially for our children. I think learning to embrace people who are different is a great lesson for all aspects of life and I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to learn to do that now.

It's hard to believe, but school starts again in a couple weeks and Cameron is excited about another year. We are also excited to see how he continues to grow and learn. He will be going all day this year, so it will be a big adjustment for all of us, but I am certain he will handle it like a champ…hopefully mommy will too!

Carnival and First Field Trip

The week before Cameron's half-term holidays was filled with lots of fun for the kids. They finished up their bear studies, celebrated Carnival, and took a field trip to the zoo. Here are some pictures from the week.

Bears!

Cameron and his bear bed

 Carnival

I didn't really know what Carnival was until they celebrated at Cameron's school. From what I understand, it's a pre-lenten celebration that lasts several weeks and involves wearing costumes, drinking, eating, dancing, parades, and general loudness! The children only participated in the costumes, eating, and a little parade around the school. 

Before school…of course Harrison had to get in on the fun!

Cameron and some classmates

Time for the parade around the block

My little police man!

Trip to the Zoo

The last day before break, the children took a trip to the zoo to visit some real bears. They spent the first half of the semester studying bears, so it was nice for them to see some real bears. This is the first real field trip Cameron has been on, so I was a little bit of a mess, but he seemed to have a great time! Cole dropped him off at the train station in the morning to head to the zoo with his class.

Heading into the train station

Waiting for the train

Eating lunch by the fish

We are looking forward to the second half of this semester and many more adventures!

One Year

Today marks one year since we left our home with a for sale sign in the front yard, boarded a plane, and moved our family and entire life to Belgium. In some ways, this year has flown by. As I look back over the past year and think about how my life has changed and how I have changed, I am amazed. This year has been one of the most challenging years of my life, but I have grown in ways I didn't even realize I needed to grow. I am very thankful for this year…even though there have been tough times…I am thankful for the opportunity to experience life like never before and to grow into a different, and I think better, person.

One of the biggest things I've had to learn this year is to let go. Those who know me well know that I like to be in complete control at all times. I don't like not knowing what's going on, or not having all the information, or not having a plan. I do not like walking into complete unknown or situations where I might be out of my comfort zone. I've always been this way. But this year has not allowed me to be that way anymore. Of course there have been times over this past year where I have been drawn back into that mindset, but all that caused was frustration and fear. Going into this, there was no way to know what life was going to be like or how I would feel in certain situations. Of course I spent hours and hours researching Belgium; churches, schools, houses, the city of Gent, the Dutch language, food, activities, expat groups, mom groups, etc. I tried to completely prepare myself for what was to come. Little did I know that there was no way to do that. Yes, I was informed about things here, but I don't think there's any way to fully prepare yourself for moving to another country. When we arrived, I immediately tried to get our situation figured out and set. That was impossible because there were too many things that we needed to figure out. There have been many times where I have felt completely helpless and wanted to just quarantine myself in our loft, but that's not helpful either, so I have had to find another way to move forward. Learning to let go has been hard for me, but very beneficial, not just in my life personally, but also for our family. Life is better for all of us when I don't hold on so tightly, when I trust that God is taking care of us and has a better plan than I do. I'm not all the way there, but I think I can say that I have come a long way in letting go over the past year.

Another way I have grown is that I'm learning to appreciate and enjoy being with people who think, act, or look differently than I do. Prior to coming here, I lived a very comfortable life among people who were very much like me…and that's ok. But my world has expanded tremendously since being here. I have written about diversity before and I am so thankful so the opportunity for us to experience different cultures, traditions, and people. We have met so many wonderful people from all over the world since we've been here. Just the other night, a church group meet at our house for a bible study. Aside from the leader and two other people who were from Belgium, no one else was from the same country. There was someone from Hong Kong, Iran, El Salvador, Suriname, Brazil, America, and Ukraine. I have learned that people think and do things very differently, but that that is ok. I can still love and appreciate those who are different than me. I can still interact with and enjoy people from other cultures. And I certainly feel like I have a more accurate picture of what heaven will be like since getting to know Christians from all over the world. I am a much better person for coming to this realization and am thankful for being put in a situation where I can see that the world is bigger than "my world."

One of the best things that has come from this year has been our increased dependence on and trust in God. We have experienced intense loneliness, felt completely lost, been tested in our marriage, bumped heads about decisions, and struggled in many other ways. Through all of that, we have learned to turn to God for strength, direction, answers, and peace. I truly believe that we have a happier marriage and family because we are learning to look to Him first when we are struggling personally or as a family.

I could go on and on about lessons I have learned so far on this journey. This has certainly been an up and down year for me. We have been overwhelmingly blessed by opportunities to travel, meet wonderful people, and grow. We have each celebrated a birthday here and now Harrison has lived in Belgium longer than he lived in the U.S. I don't think I would have chosen this path if I was in control, but I am thankful for it. I am thankful for the growth and for how I will be forever changed because of this. As I think back to this day last year and all the uncertainty, I can't believe that me, of all the control freak people in the world, has survived so far. One of the main reasons that I wanted to keep a blog was to see how we would grow and change during this time and how God has provided for us over and over again. Reading over some of my old posts has done just that…I have been reminded of how blessed we are and how much God has lead us. Today I am thanking God for giving us this opportunity to grow as individuals, as a couple, and as a family, and for teaching us to trust Him.

Just for good measure, here are a few pictures to compare this time last year with this time this year.

2013

2014

A Difficult Couple of Weeks

Since returning from our Christmas trip a few weeks ago, I have been having a hard time feeling settled. I don't know if we went back and forth too many times in too short a time or what, but I'm just  having a hard time. It was hard to come back from our first trip home and it took a week or so to feel back to "normal" here, but it is taking a bigger toll on me this time around. I spoke with a sweet friend here in Gent yesterday about this and she told me that it was normal to go through this process…to have somewhat of a honeymoon phase when you first arrive where everything is new and exciting…but that real life would eventually come around and things would not always seem to fun and exciting. I am definitely feeling that these days. I have really had to fight the urge to give in and say that I want to go back home. To pack everything up and just go back to normal life back home. It's been a struggle for me to want to venture out and find things to do, to foster relationships (both at home and here), to try to meet new people, to want to learn Dutch, or to do much of anything. I have been feeling overwhelmed trying to make decisions about school, life, how to get more involved, etc., and in the end, I don't make any decisions at all. Instead, I end up doing nothing! I know this probably seems frivolous and a little bi-polar; frivolous because, in reality, we are so abundantly blessed and have been given way more than we deserve. These "problems" that I've been dealing with are so small compared to all the terrible things that are happening around the world, but this is my reality. Bi-polar because, for a while, things were great here and I was wondering if I would even want to come home. Even as I write this I feel a little crazy!

My sweet friend reminded me yesterday that I have to remember that God brought us here for a reason…a very specific reason. To accomplish something that only our family can do. She reminded me that, even if the purpose of this journey is to make a difference in one person's life, that God has a plan and if we can remember that, we can make it through this time with hope and a positive outlook.

I am so incredibly thankful that she was able to speak words of wisdom and truth to me at just the right time. There is no use in feeling sorry for myself and wasting this experience. I want God to use us and I am going to work hard to remember that there is a plan in all of this. Even though the tough times are hard, I also know that God uses times like these to draw us close to Him and and to teach us things…most importantly, to trust that He is in control!

First Day of School!

Today was Cameron's first day of school. I wasn't sure what to expect from any of us today because we have been through a range of emotions the last couple weeks...from excited to nervous, Cole, Cameron, and I have all felt it. I tried to be prepared so I wouldn't be stressed out this morning. We went to the store to get an outfit for today last week (Cameron helped), purchased all the necessary supplies (there weren't that many), made a couple practice runs to the school by bike and by car so we would be prepared, and last night, I packed his snack, extra clothes, and set everything out for the morning. We all got up early to eat breakfast, get dressed, and take a few pictures. The morning went well! Here are some pictures from the morning. Please excuse the crazy amount of pictures! :)

We left early so we could be sure to make it to school on time...and take a few more pictures! 

We got to school in plenty of time!

Standing on the stairs at school

Cameron's teacher, Corine

Cameron immediately started playing

I was doing well holding it together until Cameron sat down, gave me a big hug, and said, "Mommy, I'm going to miss you when you leave." I got a little teary eyed and told him that I would miss him too, but that I would be back in a couple hours to get him. Thankfully, he went back to playing and did not have any trouble when we left.

It was strange, and very quiet on the way home. Harrison has moments when he can be rowdy, but Cameron is the leader of the wild man club and usually initiates the fun and noise in our house. Once we were home, Harrison and I didn't know what to do! We decided to go to the store to get some groceries. I didn't think about it until I was in the store, but I didn't have my little helper pulling the cart, so it was more difficult than normal! Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be able to have a couple hours a day to spend with Harrison alone, but it will take some getting used to!

Needless to say, Harrison and I were very excited to go pick Cameron up when the morning session was over.

Waiting for Cameron

Cameron came running out with a huge smile on his face and gave me a great big hug when he saw me! It was the best feeling to know that he had a great time at school, but also that he was happy to see us and come home! :)

I talked with Cameron's teacher and the Headmaster and they both said that Cameron did great. They said he didn't have any problems being there and that he had a nice time!

Heading home!

When we asked him about his day at lunch, Cameron told us that he had fun and that he played with trains and blocks. He also told us that he played tennis and on the train outside, and that he sang songs in the classroom. That was about all I could get out of him. After his nap, he started doing what looked like yoga moves on the floor. When I asked where he learned to do that, he said at school. I don't know for sure when he's telling me the truth because he also answered "yes" when we asked if he studied physics today! :) Either way, we're happy that he was happy!

   

Cole and I are thankful for this opportunity for Cameron. Although it's hard to let go and trust others to watch over and protect our sweet boy, we think this is going to be a positive experience for all of us! We look forward to seeing what's ahead!