Chatting with family and friends back home really makes me miss everyone and everything in Toronto so I have decided to make a list of the top ten things that I miss the most, just for fun. Later I will write the top ten things I like about living in Brussels.



1. Family and friends and doing fun stuff!

2. Fridays (running with my Dad on the boardwalk while Frunty and Gramma went to the Y for Baby Gymboree.)

3. Hot tubbing at the nonni and all their delicious meals

4. Our very supportive neighbours

5. China Town and our weekly dim sum

6. Grabbing a veggie burger or icecream at Lick's and walking along the boardwalk

7. The park at the bottom of Willow situated under big, old trees with an incredible view of the lake

8. Looking out my kitchen window at my lilacs and the shed my husband made me

9. My husband working from home so I could see him any old time and bring him snacks

10. Dick's (Dickie's No Frills supermarket with its excellent selection and amazing prices) and all the other convenient shops some open 24 hour/7 days a week

Our very own little monkey enjoys swinging around as

we continue to make our home into a Baby Gym!







 

Today was a really fun day as we chatted first with our Torontonian neighbours who are spending the year in London. Then we drove to Daddy's office and as we approached, Frunty yelled "Daddy's office!". From there, we put the Baby in the stroller and ran through the corn and wheat fields completing a 6 km run followed by a really hot sauna and a sushi picnic and reserving our tickets to Italy for August. "And then" as Daddy and Frunty always say, we went to the airport to watch planes landing and that was exciting because we stood right in the fields and it felt like you could touch a plane as it went right above your head but really low. We were having such a good time we decided to go out for Thai food and it was delicious. You couldn't ask for a better day!

Today was a rainy, cold day of 13 degrees celsius...yikes! Yesterday was summer but today is winter again so off to the pool we went. The 4 Js came too and the kids really enjoyed jumping, splashing and kicking their feet. The name of the pool is "Espadon" and about a twenty minute walk away. It was fully renovated last year so is modern and very attractive with two beautiful baby pools with a jungle theme, a hut and slide and snakes squirting water. Pictures to eventually follow.

 

 

Thank you, Gramma and Grampa, for my new hat that you sent me from Roots, Canada. It's great!

 

We had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday we went to A.S.Adventure and enjoyed the July sales by getting some new clothes. Then we went to Le Chateau de la Hulpe for a picnic and bocce balls. The weather was gorgeous and afterwards, Frunty played in the pool on our back deck. Frunty got out of the pool at one point and sat on the potty and said afterwards, "I did it". We looked and sure enough, there was peepee in the potty for the first time ever! And we did not ask him to do it, we just always make the potty available to him and he sees his older friends using it when they come over. It just goes to show you that a child can learn to use the potty on his own WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE. When he/she is ready, a child will want to do it. Frunty was so happy and clapped when he showed us the peepee. We were happy but on the other hand, who cares? He won't be 25 and wearing a diaper!!!

 

Later I ran a 10 km and after dinner, Daddy made me a Dame Blanche. We were celebrating the fact that I reached my goal of returning to my pre-pregnancy weight! It took me 25 months but I did it! I'll write more about that later.

 

Today we went on a family-stroller run on the Green Path, a 6 km run and then a 6 km walk with a sushi lunch as well. After dinner, we went to the Grande Place for waffles with chocolate. Despite some rain here and there, we had a fantastic weekend. This week, Daddy will collect us and take us to his office for lunch and Wednesday is a national holiday and he has a special day planned for us too.

 

Here are two of the kind folks we chat with each week at the Old Age Home

one street over. Yesterday we played "Farmyard Dominoes" with them. We

always ask them to sing songs to us and now we are singing along too!

Yesterday and today, Frunty has been calling me by my first name! It is very adorable but he doesn't do it all the time. It must be a stage. Mostly he still calls me "Mommy" though. I took the pets to the park despite the drizzle and did some running and Frunty played after on the jungle gym/slide etc. Even though it has been rainy and cold, we still have been having fun. If we don't get out of the house, cabin fever quickly sets in. We also enjoyed chatting and singing with the old folks after naptime. Daddy can home with yet another new car. A Volvo Sedan and the boys have gone out for a spin so that I can have some time to write. We have finally decided on a car and are waiting for delivery. You'll have to wait to find out!



We also received a special package in the mail. Thanks very much to the Nonni for the Barney video and book. Frunty held onto the DVD the whole time while in the stroller. When we got home, we watched a little bit in Spanish. Frunty just loved it. I am able to get over my guilt at putting on a show sometimes while I prepare lunch or dinner if I select another language because I think that at least Frunty is being extra-enriched.

Happy Birthday, Gramma! Hope you have a wonderful day and hope your wedding anniversary was nice yesterday too!

Today we visited a 12th century castle in Ghent which Frunty really enjoyed as did we. The torture chambers were scarey. We just finished reading TimeLine so it was fun to go back in time ourselves and imagine what life was like in this medieval town. We really had a wonderful day with shopping at the Grande Place of Brussels in the morning to get a birthday gift for our little friend whose party we will attend today. We were sorry to miss C's birthday yesterday but were there in spirit and had a fun chat the day before and was overjoyed to hear little C's voice for the first time in many months!

Having fun with his "little sister" at the park, Frunty enjoys monkeying around

and shouting in Mandarin too.

Today was a special day since the Tour de France came through Belgium! Daddy phoned me while we were at the playground and told us to get ready for an adventure. He picked us all up (J&J) and took us to the Butte de Lion to see the cyclists. Even though they came through fast, it was still fun and the kids were amazed. We had a nice picnic with blueberries, raspberries, ham and nice buns.



Later Frunty and I had our third visit to the old age home one street over. We go once a week to spend an hour or so with some elderly people. The look of joy on their faces when they see Frunty could light up any room. They have a wonderful fishtank and a cute, little cat as well so Frunty enjoys visiting a lot. We also get to practise some French and we ask the ol' folks to sing some songs for us! This week, one of the women remembered the date of Frunty's birthday!



Tomorrow we are looking forward to the "cable guys" coming because it means we'll have cable in time for the Olympics. Since we are housebound for 4 hours while we wait for hook-up, our friends are coming over to play with us in the morning. J from China will teach us how to make dumplings and we'll have lunch together!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

We went to the Ambassadors', Monsieur and Madame Bilodeau, for champagne and nibblies but no cake or fireworks. Not to sound ungrateful but...and the band was scarey. Well, hope you all had fun. The highlight of the day was a wonderful phone call from J and getting to hear our god-daughter's cutie voice!