If you or your child has ever suffered from eczema or another skin disease that is chronic, you'll understand the definition of torture and you'll understand the tears of joy I experienced today as I moisturized my child's perfect skin...for the first time in almost 4 years.

I am hoping that eczema is gone for good...that we aren't just into some cycle and that there will be another flare-up down the road. As we wait for allergy test results, I am continuing with the reduction of gluten, the elimination of dairy and soya and finally, bananas, and seeing incredible results so far. I will continue to pray and hope for the very best. Seeing Frunty's skin so beautiful is the biggest gift I could receive and I am so grateful that I have the strength and brain power to NEVER GIVE UP. I have been criticized for being like a dog with a bone in the past. But guess what, I don't give up until I have a solution. So call me a dog anytime you want! I am proud of it.

We are enjoying some sunnier weather now although the rain never bothered me. I love rain. Maybe I am the only one in Belgium! This weekend we'll celebrate, rain or shine, Thanksgiving with our Canadian friends! Gotta look for a turkey!

It has been raining here a lot lately, sometimes day and night. I don't mind because we are cozy inside with candles, in our jammies and me with my new, pink laptop from the States that Daddy just brought home to me! We spent much of today, a lazy Sunday, researching our next trip to Scotland and fleshing out a road trip plan. We are looking forward to it and the scenery looks incredible.

Since I last wrote, K had her baby in Twickenham, a boy named Freddy. We are thrilled for them all and looking forward to meeting this new bundle of joy at the end of October on our way to Scotland. Today we visited our new Canadian friend, who was at Waterloo the same time as Daddy, and she'll have her baby girl, due on October 19th. It's funny because I now feel like an old married woman with big kids! I can't believe I am finished with the tiny baby stage. What a delightful journey! Pit still feels like a baby in many ways but Frunty is such a big boy now, one might call him a little man.

As I write this blog entry, Frunty is doing some homework with Daddy and I hear them talking in Italian a bit. We need to get down to Italy soon for some more practise. It is just so hard going to Torino now since the death of our beloved cousin, A. But anyway, not to end on a melancholy note. All is well here...despite the rain.

So great to have Daddy home from the States. I think the kids and I did very well while he was away but boy oh boy, am I happy he is home and you should have seen the kids snuggle with him every chance they got!

October has begun and so have the almost non-stop rains which I don't mind at all. With candles on, even in the morning when friend(s) come for tea, it is cozy. We are looking very much forward to spending Halloween in Scotland and seeing baby Freddy in London on our way up north. Congratulations to our dear friends for his recent birth!

Then we'll have a rest before heading even farther north to the Arctic circle to visit Santa's hometown, Rovaniemi, and his village. Elves, reindeer, husky rides, you name it. We'll be tobogganing with glee at Christmastime this year and I am so grateful we can finally go. I got this idea when we were living in Amsterdam. Now, almost 10 years later, we are realizing this dream and I am so excited.

I hope this email finds all of you very well indeed and enjoying the early fall days wherever you are.

The kids have been going to school for two weeks now and I am so pleased with how it is going. On the first day of school, Frunty ran all the way, he was so excited. Pit was fine too and didn't cry as he went into Mme Claire's class. We have a good system now in which we drop off Frunty and then go to the "snuggle bench" with Pit and spend about 20 minutes cuddling and chatting, even singing some songs.

Frunty got his first report card for grade one and received an E for excellence in every single category. Mme Maricq says he is doing great and getting better at sitting quietly. Pit gives big hugs and smiles to Mme Claire, she reports, and gets along well with the others. We were really impressed today when we saw how well he coloured the King, from the movie cars, picture. He really stays inside the lines.

We just came back from a busy weekend in the Champagne-Ardenne, having visited two caves, Pommery and Mercier with our friends, the Simpsons. So I need to catch up on sleep. Cheerio.

Yesterday at 5 am we made it to bed after two weeks in Greece. This trip was a dream come true for Mommy who had wanted to visit Athens and some islands for many, many years. Daddy had already done his Contiki tour years ago. So I definitely was thrilled to see all the sights, the Parthenon, the wonderful area of Plaka with a pleasant nightlife, the ferries full of backpackers (I was one of them, although I pushed a stroller at times!), the sandy and rocky beaches and the blue and white churches. The trip was everything I had always hoped it would be and I feel like we saw the quintessential parts of Greek culture and life.

Seeing it with our two little ones was wonderful as we watched their excitement. We also travelled with their two cousins, M and D, and brother-in-law plus the nonni. For two whole weeks. It was fun to watch the cousins playing with eachother and my two really adored their older, role models picking up, among other things, a passion for chewing gum!

When we discussed highlights, we all decided the warm, clear waters of "baby beach" in Antiparos was great but mostly the time spent together. We ate a lot of Greek food. I mean, A LOT. I have never in my life had so much Greek food, day in, day out. I think I had previously had about 3 or 4 Greek restaurant experiences! By the end of the trip, I was pretty happy to eat Chinese food for a change. And getting home, I discovered I had gained 5 pounds in two weeks. The yogourt everyday, full fat, includes cream. I didn't have baklava everyday but the pitas I did have were fried. It was definitely worth it as I enjoyed the food very much...even though it was indeed covered in a lot of olive oil, as Mom and Dad warned.

We found the Greek people to be very friendly and great with the kids. They care about giving good service which is quite a contrast to what we experience, in general, here in Bruxelles. The warm weather and sunshine makes everyone relaxed and evidently sunny. So we enjoyed interacting with those we met along the trail and discovered that while we were away, it rained here and was pretty cool. I look out the window now as I write to see grey, threatening to rain skies. I don't mind it but when I am at a beach, I want heat. I actually thought Greece would be hotter but at night, their was always a coolish breeze from the ocean. And the water was, in general, cooler than expected. Anyway, not to complain about weather as many do...I loved Greece and am so happy we went.

Just a re-cap, we started in Athens for three nights in the Plaka district near the Parthenon, staying at a youth hostel called Travellers' Inn. Next, the island of Antiparos where we rented a house and stayed 4 nights. Then came the island of Naxos where we stayed in a resort-like hotel for 5 nights. We were a ten minute walk from the beach of Kastraki. Finally, a small hotel on Santorini steps from Perissa beach for 4 nights became home called Stelio's Place. Mr. Stelio and family were quite friendly as were the other people at each and every one of our accommodation. I am grateful for the warm welcome and definitely left with a great taste of Greece in my mouth!

What a wonderful day! While I was getting the poussette out of the garage to take the kids to the museum (the first Wednesday of every month is free) Frunty asked me to wait a second and dashed into the garage. He brought out a piece of pink sidewalk chalk and drew a big heart which he said was for me and that he loved me. This really made my day. What an absolute sweetheart.

We went shopping and bought items for our picnic which we enjoyed in the playground by the big GB. A student was doing a study about housing in Brussels so I participated in her project by answering questions. It was a good way to practise French and vent out all of our situations. Then we went to the museum at Cinq. to check out the Greek section this time but had to visit the Egyptian again as the kids love looking at the mummies. We even saw some strange mummies, a cat, a bird and a baby alligator!

Then we went to the park with the sand which was fun although I am covered in a thin layer of sand now! It was like being at the beach. Stopped at the GB and the kids chose the dinner for tonight. Frunty chose cherry tomatoes with mozarella and basilique, hamburger patties and Pit chose mushrooms. I chose two steaks for Daddy and me. It was such a beautiful night but I had to rush a bit as I have my prayer group at 7:30pm. I gave thanks for having such beautiful and loving boys. (and I mean all three)

I am so grateful that we leave in a home full of peace...most of the time! That our family meetings help us communicate with even Pit giving his two cents' worth now as well. Daddy has been making awesome Egyptian crafts with the kids lately and I still take them regularly for swimming and they are both doing so well. This is just a magical summer so far and we haven't even made it to Greece yet! Can't wait! Two more sleeps...

Hope everyone is as happy as I am today. Time to wash off that sand!

Last weekend we went to London for a mini getaway to visit our dear friends, Canadian K who is pregnant and her British husband, E. They moved to a lovely home in Twickenham, near the Thames which we walked along on a Sunday afternoon.

I took Frunty on the Friday, just the two of us. The train now goes to St. Pancras so the trip is shorter and we enjoyed it. Upon arrival in London, we went to the nearby Euston Flyer Pub and shared a hamburger. Frunty was so cute "playing" the games in the pub. We stopped at bookshops on the way to the British Museum to see the Sphinx's stolen beard. In the shops, Frunty sat on little stools, looking through books. It was so cute to see him there. I was, of course, like a little kid in a candy shop and could hardly get my head around all the wonderful books for sale.

We met K at the British Museum and took a double decker/train to her home where we enjoyed grocery shopping at Waitrose. Frunty got to choose his dinner which was pasta, sauce and sausages because "sausages come from England." He asked me several times if we could visit Leo's gramma but she lives 7 hours by car from London and in any case, she hadn't invited us!

The next day we relaxed before taking the train back into the city to see The Lion King. It was a beautiful show with great performances, awesome singing and amazing costumes for sure but three hours in a dark and hot theatre made us quite sleepy! Afterwards, we came outside of the theatre to find our beloved Daddy and Pit! After a nice cold drink, we proceeded to K and E's.

On Sunday, as I mentioned, we meandered along the Thames, enjoying the warmth and sunshine and took a little boat over to the other side. We made it to Richmond which is a great little town and had a pub meal. The kids weren't allowed in this particular pub so we all had to sit outside where it was pretty freezing...in the shade and in a wind tunnel. Poor E shivered his way through dinner. After the meal, we visited some bookshops while K and E did their own thing and met up later back at their home. We watched In Brugges, a movie, once the kids were in bed. Daddy wanted to play Carcassone but the others just wanted to veg.

On Monday we took the kids into town to see the London Bridge, Frunty's choice, Tower Bridge and Science Museum and because we just missed a showing of a space movie, decided to return the following day. The kids really loved their time in the museum, especially playing with the water system in the kid zone, wearing their little smocks. We came home to a really nice vegetarian meal prepared by K and the following day, Tuesday, we said good bye as we headed back to the Science Museum and also visited the Natural History Museum. The kids loved both and the movie was worth the visit as well as the IMAX 3D is always neat. The NH Museum had a wonderful discovery zone for kids where they could touch everything and draw pictures of items like fur, skulls, tortoise shells as well as looking at things through microscopes. That was fun.

Finally, we had a good bye pub meal at the Euston Flyer near the station and head home to Bruxelles. London is so busy, so crowded with tourists, so expensive but also so neat for kids and a few days there felt like being in the real world again!