Clinton's Visit

My brother Clinton had the opportunity to come visit us in Gent last week. He is studying for a semester in Sienna, Italy, so it only made sense for him to come see us for a bit before starting school! :) He was only here from Friday afternoon to Wednesday early morning, but he really took advantage of his time! Here is a rundown of his visit.

Friday: The boys and I drove to Brussels in the morning to get Clinton from the airport. After fighting our way through traffic, we got home, ate lunch, and put the boys down for a nap. After the boys were in bed, I went through the suitcase my dad sent for us. My parents and Cole's parents both picked up some things for us, but there were also some fun surprises like six jars of Trader Joe's peanut butter!! I was pumped!

Also in the suitcase was some stuff for Cameron to use for school...a backpack, lunch box, shoes, etc. Cameron was super excited to get his backpack and look like daddy! He wanted to take a picture with them both wearing their backpacks!

After looking at all the goodies, I decided I would run to the store while the boys were napping to get some things for dinner. Clinton decided he was going to try to stay awake until bed time in Belgium, so he tried to work on an Italian lesson on his computer while I went to the store. He told me before I left that he was not a good napper, so he would not fall asleep before bed time. This is what I found when I got home from the store...Gonzo!

That evening, we had a nice relaxing dinner on the terrace and then went to get gelato for dessert!

Clinton started to fade pretty fast after dinner, so I went out for a walk with him around town to keep him awake until 9:00. Once we got back, he crashed and slept for 14 hours straight!

Saturday: Cole went to get some yummy pastries and bread for breakfast and we supplemented with eegs and fruit. Clinton slept through all of that, so he ended up having some cereal and pastries for breakfast/lunch once he did get up. After eating and getting cleaned up, Clinton and I explored Gent. We (Cole, the boys, and I) have not done anything really touristy since we've been here, so I was not a very good tour guide. However, it was fun to finally explore some of the interesting things in Gent. We went to Sint-Bavos Cathedral, the Belfry Tower, Gravensteen (the castle), purchased some Belgian fries with yummy sauce, walked to the Graffiti street, and stopped in at my favorite chocolate shop before heading home. It was really fun to explore with Clinton!

View of Gent from the top of the Belfry Tower

The drum used to make the bells in the tower ring. Basically a giant music box!

Gravensteen

Below is a picture of the graffiti street in Gent. They allow and encourage people to graffiti here. It doesn't keep people from showing off their art elsewhere, but it's pretty cool to see. Perhaps we'll take part one day!

Sunday: Clinton decided that he was going to travel to Brussels to explore. We helped him get set with train tickets and sent him on his way. He spent most of the day there and seemed to have a nice time. We picked him up at the train station in the evening and then he and I went to get a waffle. 

Monday - Tuesday: Clinton also decided to take a quick trip to Paris while he was here, so he booked a cheap bus ticket, made a plan, and went. He left early Monday morning and came back late Tuesday. He stayed in a hostel for the night and saw a lot of what Paris has to offer. On top of wandering around Paris, he also saw and went up the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triomphe. He also sampled some yummy French food. Cole picked him up late Tuesday night.

Wednesday: Clinton had to leave very early to catch his flight from Brussels to Rome. Since he got home late from Paris and had to get up really early to leave for Brussels, he decided to just stay up all night! Cole drove him to the train station in the morning and he was off. He is now in Sienna and hopefully having a great time!

Clinton is almost 10 years younger than me, so we have never been that close. We've always gotten along fine (as far as I can remember...he might disagree!), but we've just always been in very different stages in life. It was really nice to have him here and get to spend so much time with him. He has grown into an ambitious and independent person and I very much enjoyed just catching up on life and exploring with him! I can't wait to see how his semester in Italy goes. 

I'm pretty sure we have had all the visitors we are going to have for the year...as far as we know. So now it's time to start thinking about traveling home. It has been nice to see so many people here, but we are looking forward to seeing so many wonderful people who we left behind back home. More on traveling home at another time!

Gideon and Heather's Visit

This past week, Cole's brother, Gideon, and his girlfriend, Heather came to visit us. They weren't able to come when the rest of Cole's family came, so they decided to squeeze in a visit before school started again for the year. Unfortunately, I don't have many picture from the beginning of the trip, but here is a little rundown of their time here.

Sunday: Heather arrived late Sunday morning. At Cameron's request, the boys took the tram to the train station to pick her up. She had spent the prior week in France with her dad, so she was one of the only guests we've had so far that wasn't completely jet lagged when we picked them up. We relaxed on Sunday during the day and then went to church in the evening.

Monday: Monday, we had a mellow morning and waited for Gideon to arrive. I helped Heather make a plan to get Gideon from the train station and like a local, she took the tram to the train station, picked up Gideon, and they both took the tram back to our place. We had dinner on the patio and relaxed until Gideon (well all of us really) crashed.

Tuesday: Gideon and Heather spent a chunk of the day exploring Gent on their own. They explored some of the churches, the castle, and of course, enjoyed a Belgian waffle!

Belgian waffles!!

That night, while we had our weekly Dutch lesson, Gideon and Heather took Cameron to the park and of course, got some gelato at Nonno.

Wednesday-Friday: Gideon and Heather decided to take a trip to Paris while they were here. They left around lunch time on Wednesday and spent two days there. They arrived back on Friday evening.

As a side note, Cole also left on Wednesday for London, so we went from a full house, to just the boys and me for a couple days.

Saturday: Gideon and Heather again went out and explored Gent during the day, including visiting one of my favorite chocolate shops here. Thanks to a sweet neighbor, we were able to go out to dinner on Saturday night, just the four of us. We went to De Witte Leeuw (The White Lion). It was nice to have a evening out and enjoy ourselves without having to worry about entertaining the little ones.

I had to take some pictures of the food we ordered. It was delicious!!

Cheese croquettes

Flemish Beef Stew

Goat Cheese Salad

Of course we got dessert. Everyone opted for a huge waffle except for me. I ordered the apple pie and it was delicious!

After dinner, we went to Dulle Griet so Gideon and Heather could try some Belgian beer. 

Sunday: Heather had to leave early Sunday morning to get back to start school at 8:00 am on Monday, so Gideon and Cole got up early to take her to the train station. I can't believe she left on Sunday and started college classes on Monday morning! Gideon checked in with her during the day and she seemed to be doing fine! 

In the afternoon, Cole and Gideon went on a nice long bike ride. One of Cole's co-workers had recommended a local bike shop that rents road bikes and Gideon brought all his gear, so they headed out toward Antwerp and had a great time...especially when they ran into an actual bike race.  

We went to church Sunday night and were able to introduce Gideon to many of our friends here. Because we are not able to comfortably fit in our car with all of us, we took a tram to church, to Cameron's delight!

Waiting for the tram

Monday: Gideon and I took the boys to Rozebroeken to swim. They had a great time swimming with uncle Gid!

Tuesday: Gideon did a little last minute exploring and purchasing during the day. He also spent some time having his feet measured by Cameron!

Tuesday night, we walked to a cute little pizza place called Eat Love.

Chasing pigeons

Playing peek-a-boo

Eat Love is a really cool little place and the food was great! The pizza was completely gone before I could take a picture. Most of the ingredients are local and organic...I saw the chef pulling fresh basil off a plant by the pizza oven! Now that's fresh!

After dinner, we went to get one last waffle before Gideon had to leave.

Cameron loved the giant waffle outside!

Wednesday: Gideon had to leave on Wednesday to head home. Cole took him to the train station in the morning to head to Brussels to catch his 12pm plane. Unfortunately, Gideon got on the wrong train and was heading to Brugge (the complete opposite direction) instead of Brussels!! There was a kind lady on the train who let Gideon use her phone to call us to make a game plan. Long story short, I had to go get him from the train station and take him to the airport in Brussels.  It's only 67 km (41.6 miles) from Gent to the airport in Brussels and without traffic, the drive would take you 40 minutes max.  However, the traffic around Brussels in the morning is terrible and the drive can take two hours. Also, the check-in counter closed 40 minutes before departure because it was an international flight. So, as were leaving Gent at 10am, no one felt good about his chances of making the flight. Thankfully, we got there in time and he arrived at the gate five minutes before boarding!

It was nice to see Gideon and Heather and show them our home here in Belgium. We didn't really know Heather very well before this trip, so it was great to get to know her better as well. Next visitor in a few days...my brother Clinton!

Where Are You From?

We have been in Belgium for six months now! It has gone so fast! One of the things that has surprised me (among other things) is that we are often asked where we are from. It's surprising to me because I feel like we stick out as Americans so much. I don't know why I feel that way, but I really do feel like there's an American flag hovering over my head when we go out. But really, a lot of people can't tell. The other day, I went into a store and asked if we could speak in English. Throughout the course of our conversation, the lady who was helping me told me that I spoke English very well. In my head I was laughing and wondering where she thought I was from?! I don't know where she thought I was from, but it seemed like such an odd comment.

The funny thing is that I feel like we totally belong here now. I can't believe that, in the short six months we've been here, I feel so at home. I know I have posted before about being nervous that we would never feel at home here. Before we left, Cole and I decided that, if we were going to feel comfortable here, we would have to be committed to making this our home. And we have worked really hard to do that...making our loft a space where we feel comfortable and at home, trying to learn the language and culture here, finding community, and making ourselves get out, explore, and become comfortable with our surroundings. In fact, I have become so comfortable here that I often forget that we are in a different country until I go out and everyone around me is speaking a different language!

I have no doubt that our ability to adjust and feel comfortable so quickly are signs that we are right where God wants us to be...that's a good feeling! Even though there are lonely and frustrating days, we are so thankful for this opportunity and the ways we have grown as individuals and as a family! We are looking forward to continuing this journey and seeing what the next six months entail!

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!