Wow, it's almost Christmas and so much has happened since I last wrote. We have been enjoying our boys so much and let me try to update you on what is going on.

We enjoyed our trip to Canada very much, and stayed with our dear friends as well as the nonnie and had fun with my folks in Cuba. It was too long away from Daddy though so we won't be doing that length of trip again for awhile. Frunty seems to be generally fine as long as mommy is around whereas Pit cried for daddy the first few days and then subsequently, asked for him and whined here and there...understandly so, he is really daddy's boy. So the reunion in Frankfurt was fantastic and we had fun at the hotel with the bowling alley and pool and driving back to Brussels with our new, awesome car...gold and fast! And catching up with Mowgli too once we got home.

Frunty is really enjoying school as far as we can tell and when he gets there in the morning, I often see him give a hug to a friend or two. His best friend seems to be Leo. Part of the reason, I think, is because they talk to each other in English and that gives comfort throughout the day. Frunty loves doing artwork and as soon as he arrives, he greets his teacher Marie Catherine, puts his collation in one box and lunch in the other and usually sits down and starts drawing. Right now he likes drawing transformers.

Afterschool we tend to go the pool at the club and play in the indoor playground called Aspirini Land which is fantastic with this rainy weather. Frunty is really doing well with swimming on his own and was just given a test to see where he would be placed if/when he started swimming lessons. He was placed with the 6-8 year olds even though he is only 5 1/2 and has never had formal lessons. We have just goofed around a lot in the pool and also, on holidays, Grampa and Nonno have shown different things too. Frunty also loves just coming home and playing quietly in the front room, helping us prepare dinner (making chicken nuggets) and we occasionally do yoga. He loves doing different positions and looking at our yoga book to learn more.

One area that we are booking on with Frunty is sitting at the table and he can now do this very well after we really talked about sitting calmly and eating well. Frunty really responds well to discussing things and loves the bedtime rules and looking at the chart to see what comes next. Now he knows it off by heart. Frunty has some anxiety before birthday parties and seeing St. Nicholas so we have been talking about this and doing some role plays. Also, at school, he complains of little kids beating him up during the recess time. We are doing role plays on self-defense and he no longer complains so I think it must be working. He knows we are on his side but want him to defend himself when we aren't there and so we talk about this and hopefully it is sorting itself out. In the new year, I am looking at signing Frunts up for a martial arts course.

Pit is a solid "chunk" of a kid now and has grown so much recently. He loves getting dressed and always makes sure his socks are pulled up very very high and that his sleeves are pulled down properly after washing his hands. He is completely toilet trained which he did on his own six months ago and even dry most nights. He is really funny and goofy and enjoys making silly faces all the time, especially if someone puts him on the spot.

His favourite past times seem to be going to the Little Gym and usually he wants to go by bike or pousette although the weather dictates by car often and then he gets a bit angry. At the Little Gym he is very far advanced compared to other children his age in terms of physical abilities. He can already somersault on his own, get on the parallel bars and swing and jump off (often landing on his two feet) and is eager to try anything and everything. Because we were in Canada for a month, we are now making up lessons and go twice a week. On Tuesday Pit has Amina and on Thursdays, Pierre. It is great to have two different teachers. I find that Pit really likes Pierre and will try to throw a ball on his head and do other silly stuff and goof around more, allowing Pierre to kiss him at the end of the session. Lately, Pit wants to do different activities with mommy not looking. This is a big, independent step. I turn around until he calls me later to look.

Pit also plays very well on his own at home, sitting in the front room quietly. I find this front room has a really lovely energy and obviously this is so since both kids feel calm and happy in there. I sometimes sit beside Pit and read a bit, something for me, and Pit rarely asks for tv, just plays calmly. He also loves the pool and wanted to try without waterwings one time recently but then got scared in a deeper part and so is back to wearing them. But at least he tried. Pit puts on his goggles and floats around, practising kicking, blowing bubbles etc.

I am really thrilled with their progress and how Frunty is responding to talking about how he is doing and feeling. I used to ask him what he did at school and he would say nothing, or he couldn't remember. I was no asking properly and now that I do, he tells me all about his day and sings songs and other fun stuff. And Pit has very few angry spells now since we right away talk through it and so we don't even seem to have temper tantrums. This whole thing with telling a kid to be quiet when he gets angry or "fix your face" does not work with my boys. It just suppresses their normal, natural feelings of sadness or anger or frustration. We find out why their faces are looking sad or worried or whatever, validate their feelings and then have them work on finding a solution on how we can feel better. While Pit is a bit young for this, just comforting and validating his angry feelings for example, seems to work and with Frunty, going through the process is really have great results. I am really proud of myself for being a patient, loving mom to takes time to help them help themselves.

Daddy is doing a super job too with working more from home, traveling less, and supporting me as much as he can. He is now making focaccia and soon the house will smell like heaven. Gotta go and enjoy!