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.