I have been taking the children regularly to our nice, warm pool (35 degrees celsius) and it is really paying off. Frunty enjoys going completely under water with his goggles around and swims well with his water wings. We bought a pair for Pit too and although nervous at floating with them on alone, he now laughs after the initial scream. By the end of our swim on Jan. 25th, he was floating calmly. Pit forgets to close his mouth sometimes and swallows a bit of water but that is all part of the experience. On Thurs. I put him between the side of the pool and a little wall within the pool and told him to swim towards one side or the other. Both times, he made it over and hung on so I can say that Pit swam for the first time with water wings on, on the 25th!!!!!!!! Good job!

Afterwards the three of us take a nice shower together in the child-friendly shower stall and the kids love me spraying their toes, knees, tummies etc. with the shower head. Even though they are tiny, they have bellies that stick out. Frunty has an inny and Pit an outty (bellybuttons) and they love me to spray them with the shower head too.

I was going to sign Frunty up for swimming lessons but he is progressing well on his own without pressure and does each stage when he feels comfortable to do it. I think I want him to continue along that path for now and have a feeling that one day he'll just start swimming on his own without the lessons.

Another note, we got a babysitter last night, the live-in nanny of Frunt's school chum, Inkeri, from Finland. Pit ran to the door as we were leaving to kiss me and then took off with a squeal of delight. Because the kids see her everyday at school when she picks Inkeri up, I think they must feel like they already know her. Daddy and I went out for a lovely dinner near where we went with Aunt J when she was in town, near her Conrad hotel, and for dessert afterwards at another place near Sport City. Dinner was lovely, especially with red sticker (non-fumeur) on door. Dessert wasn't great but something funny happened. We were in a red sticker resto and a woman lit up and the waiter came over and took the cigarette from her and threw it out the front door of the resto. I am happy I have lived to see the day when it is no-smoking in Europe. Awesome.

Time to play a jeu de societe with the kids and Daddy. We are so happy to have him home after a week in Monaco.

Water wings!

What better way to recover from a long trip to the Alps which included skiing/hiking/tobogganning and snow ball fights to name a few activities, than to go to the club for some rest and relaxation. With one of my guest passes, Daddy came too. We put the kids in the play zone for an hour while I did the Body Balance class and met Daddy in the sauna afterwards. Then we picked up the kids and headed to the pool after our snack time. Frunty really loves going under water and had to take off his water wings to do so. We decided to put them on Pit who did really well. Drank a bit of water but did try to keep his lips closed. (It really just looked like he was biting his bottom lip!) We were able to let go of him and he floated on his own. This is the first time ever! Bravo, Pit!

This morning Frunty came up the stairs and checked in every single pocket of his Advents calendar. He still has trouble believing that Christmas is over even though we didn't have snow. He no longer asks if Santa is coming but by checking his calendar, he shows that he doesn't quite understand the concept yet. So adorable. We will have to put it in the cave with the other Christmas decorations.

Gramma and Grampa gave us a Cuisinart for Christmas so last night we had to make a blender shake, of course, as well as this morning. Then we grated carrots for a salad, squeezed a lemon for the dressing and then chopped up mushrooms and sausage to jazz up our pizzas. We like making "jazzy pizzas" as we call them but what's more, Frunty loves the Cuisinart and knows how to use it and showed me because he learned when he and Gramma made cookies a few weeks ago. What an adorable, little guy too.

I am so glad we got home safely from our trip and had such an amazing time with great weather. Sorry to hear that Daddy's sister's family were sick on their ski holiday, had bad snow conditions, and that cousin E fractured her wrist. Hopefully their next holiday will be better.

We are already day dreaming about our next trip too...but enjoying each day fully is also our goal and that we do. Doggie is having a dream in which he is clearly running like a mad-man, I mean mad-dog, as I can hear him behind me as I type, breathing really heavily in a fast way. He was happy to see us after a week at the Dog hotel and we gave him a carrot too. Cheerio!

"Gramma and Grampa have black and white hair. They are beautiful colours, right Mommy?"

Frunty, January 2, 2007

Today Frunty and I spent the day together. We went to see two movies, Franklin et le tresor du Lac and Happy Feet at Toison D'Or. During the first movie, Frunty's little hand found mine and I knew that a moment like this couldn't be any more precious. We enjoyed our time so much and had a waffle afterwards, freshly made at one of the trucks.

Pit and Daddy went shopping for our upcoming trip and also had a marvelous time. Daddy said it was a nice and quiet day. We are looking forward to leaving tomorrow! We will stay at the Winkelmatten Youth Hostel in Zermatt and on the way home, stop in Fribourg on Friday night and spend Saturday in Colmar. We haven't told the boys yet as Frunty would go through the roof. He has been looking forward to seeing snow for weeks now. Only problem is that he thinks when he does see snow that Santa will come...again. He told us that it wasn't really Christmas we just celebrated because there wasn't any snow! We tried to explain but he is really stuck on this snow/Christmas idea!

I came upstairs today to find Frunty with the phone, trying to dial a number. He told me that he was trying to phone Gramma and Grampa and that he missed them. I told him that we had to wait til later because they were sleeping. A couple of times during the day he told me that he missed them. Me too.

Luckily we got to talk to them later in the day and that cheered us up. And we are also getting busy with our trip coming up in a few days and needed to do a lot of errands. That helped get our minds focused on something fun! We are off to Zermatt on the weekend for a week of fun in the snow. So we needed snow boots, pants, gloves etc. I got some hiking boots as we plan to do some snowy hikes. Daddy will rent ski gear once there as he plans to enjoy a day of skiing. I told him that if the conditions are good, he should go again.

There are several toboggan runs in Zermatt. You take a train to a certain point and toboggan back to the village, taking about ten minutes. I love the Alps because there are all these little villages you can stop at while skiing and enjoy fondue or rosti on the way down. In North America, you tend to take a chair lift up and ski directly down with nothing along the way. Here you have the opportunity to stop and carry on after a nice, hot cup of Gluhwein. Okay...I am getting really excited.

The last time we were in Zermatt was when we lived in Lausanne, 1993-94. Now we are returning after all these years with our two boys. Who would have thought it?! When we were there last, it was also in January or perhaps early Feb., Daddy had planned a surprise weekend there and we ate shrimp on the train. Very romantic. We also saw a white Labrador in Zermatt with a big, pink bow and thought we might get a dog one day. We'll have to put our own dog in a pension here in Brussels as the trip is too far for him and he doesn't travel like he used to.

Well, Daddy will go shopping tomorrow for some last-minute gear. Then we'll leave Saturday. Will update when we return!

Happy New Year everyone!

We have had a challenging Christmas holiday season this year and lots of fun too. My parents visited us for three weeks from Canada. Two days after they arrived, we noticed the first spots on Frunty's belly. He had the chicken pox and bronchitis for the first half of their visit and Pit, the second half. (chicken pox only) Despite fevers, coughs, major crankiness, and unbearably itchy skin at times, we all rallied to have a nice Christmas at home and a new year's celebration with fireworks in the tiny village, Furfooz, in the Ardennes.

Highlights were watching the kids playing with my folks. It took them no time at all to get reaquainted and i was surprised at how they ran to the door when my folks appeared each morning (we got them a little apartment nearby so that they would have good sleeps) and how they sat on their laps or leaned on their knees and snuggled with them. It made me feel great to see how loving my kids are with them and likewise.

I enjoyed running with my Dad and going to the sauna/steam room afterwards at the club. My Mom and I did two classes at the club together...Body Balance (quite challenging) and Yoga 1 (quite crazy!) and she enjoyed a hair treatment/head massage. The two of us also saw the movie The Holiday which put us into the Christmas spirit too.

Despite the pox, we did all get down to the Christmas market in Brussels. My folks had planned to go to one in Germany but it didn't work out. We had also thought of maybe going to Paris/London at some point but that became definitely unfeasible when the kids became sick. But just hanging around here, playing, making cookies, doing crafts, watching some movies and playing "Jeux de Societes" were nice ways to be together.

Another highlight was having our Thai chef, N, come and cook twice here. Once a Thai meal and once a Chinese hot pot last night. Delicious and fun and definitely a great way to have a "restaurant meal" at home...better than a restaurant actually.

Daddy and I enjoyed celebrating our 9th anniversary together and were able to go a very quaint resto together at the Sablon and bowling afterwards. We also had great babysitters for a trip to Maasmechelen village for shopping and the week prior, to see Casino Royale. All times, my folks had everything under control at home so we knew we could really relax while out. It isn't easy to get them to bed but my folks were able to do it...praises to them!

It was hard saying good bye today and my folks flight took off less than an hour ago. Frunty took it really well and seems to understand the comings and goings of grandparents. We look forward to the next visit, whenever that may be. It isn't the same as being able to see each other each week and sometimes I feel sad about that. I picture my folks coming down to Willow on Friday afternoons, my Mom taking the kids to Gymboree, my Dad and I going running, eating dinner together perhaps and then maybe Daddy and I even going on a date some nights. I picture help when the kids are sick or when I am ill or when Daddy is travelling. For example, Daddy will go to Nice, France for a week at the end of this month. Being together and being able to help one another sound ideal. Being so far away seems so hard. But this is our reality right now and we are all making the best of it.

I am going to try to get back into writing more this year. I got out of practise. So stay tuned for more updates! All the best to all of you in 2007.

I forgot to add that I decided to join this club called Royal LaRasante. (www.royallarasante.be) It is about one year old and quite nice, apparently very "posh" and fancy but I really don't find it so myself. This is because, for Belgium standards it is new and awesome but for a spoiled North American like me, it is not outstanding in any way. Completely different standards. I would say that it is less "posh" than the Mayfair in Toronto just to give an idea but definitely better than Mademoiselle Spa.

I have joined because the pool is very warm and the kids lips don't go blue and their bodies don't shiver and the air around the pool is warm and the showers are any temperature you want. The public pools are cold period. I also tried an excellent yoga/pilates class and hope to attend again. Frunty asked if we could stay there forever, his words, and that also encouraged me to join. Some would say it is expensive but what is my physical and mental health worth to me? If I can find a club I am happy going to, where I will actually exercise and take time to relax as well, then it is worth it. On top of this, I am able to put Pit or Frunty in the creche together (or alone, depending if Frunty is in school of course) and I am right in the same building so can easily be retrieved. I tried the creche 3 or 4 times now and have been very happy with the women working there and the job they have done.

So that is that.

Pit really enjoyed the club pool today and was not whiney or scared at all. He enjoyed jumping into the pool as I always caught him in my arms and he laughed a lot when I kissed his tummy in the hydrotherapy pool full of bubbles. He also laughs a lot when he splashes me. This tiny little arm lifts up some water and pushes it towards me. You just can't get any cuter.

Pit enjoyed the Little Gym in the morning and although sleepy at first (since he fell asleep just before arriving in Daddy's car) he got into the swing of things and did somersaults and for the first time, was able to hang in the air with his little, tiny hands gripping onto the bar. He also likes doing the balance beam and is quite good though we obviously have to hold his hand.

After the pool, Daddy picked Pit up from the club and took him back to the Little Gym to do a make-up class and luckily, he had had a good nap in between the Little Gym seances. Pit slept at the creche at the club. I dropped him off asleep in his pousette and picked him up an hour later still asleep. During that hour, I enjoyed the steam room, sauna at 95 degrees celsius, sauna at 56 degrees with different coloured lights, and getting in and out of the 35 degree pool which has two hydrotherapy parts to it. What a day! With the wind howling outside and the rain pouring, I felt just fine inside and my friend and her baby joined us in the pool later.

While Daddy was doing the Little Gym seance with Pit, I picked up Frunty from school and took the tram to the L.G. Then we all headed to Ikea for dinner and playing. It was fun! But busy and I am tired now. The children are snuggling in bed together, fast asleep and snoring. Two nights in a row that they have fallen asleep together during story time. It is so hard to move them when they are all cozy and asleep so it looks like I am in the bunkbed again until probably 5 am, when Pit wakes up for a feed. Let's cross our fingers. Maybe he'll wake at 6.

Enjoying life!