open

Yesterday, I removed the safety rails on one side of Tosca's bed. She was very happy to be able to climb in and out of bed by herself. This morning, around 6, we heard her cry out after she had fallen out of her bed. Luckily, she didn't really hurt herself (the bed is low), so she was easily comforted back to sleep. I wonder how many times she will fall before she gets the hang of it....

Payday

It's beginning to become one of my favourite days of the year: Mother's Day. 

This year, Auro had 2 presents for me. While we were in Belgium, he made a plaster cast of his right hand. He didn't stay in Belgium long enough to memorize the little accompanying poem, but reading it out loud nevertheless brought tears to my eyes. 

At the kindergarten here, they had prepared a plastic container with hand cream. When I started reading the card out loud, Auro finished every sentence!
Oh... and I also got flowers!!!

Two weeks in Belgium

Last Saturday, the kids and I returned from a two week stay in Belgium (while Remo was abroad for work). I had planned to post something during my stay, but, as I should have anticipated, I could not find one quiet and peaceful moment to do so. So, here is a short summary of the two weeks in Belgium.

We arrived in Charleroi airport on Saturday (20th) and two days later, on Monday, Auro already started going to the kindergarten he frequented last time we were in the country. He was, by the way, more than happy to see all his Belgian classmates again.

One day, Auro came home dressed like an Indian. The Indian name they gave him: "wild dinosaur"!

Auro and juf Els, one of his two kindergarten teachers

The first Wednesday, Auro stayed home from school, because I wanted to take him to the Zoo of Antwerp, one of the oldest animal parks in the world (1843). He never went and I thought it was time for him to see real elephants and real monkeys. We met up with my aunt, my cousin's wife and her son, Jonathan. Auro spent a lot of time exploring the zoo by himself (something he recently started doing wherever we go) and so I spent most of my time looking for him and, mostly in vain, telling him not to wander off. Tosca, on the other hand, was very excited to see all the live animals, but was more than anything else impressed by the man at the entrance dressed up like a lion. Anyway, except for the somewhat exuberantly priced ride on the zoo's merry-go-round, we had a great day!!

Auro and Tosca on a gorilla

the kids on the pricey carousel

Friday evening, we drove to Jandrain-Jandrenouillle, where my brother and his family live in their new home. Zita was more than excited to have her two cousins sleep in the room with her (actually she insisted on it), so it was late when they actually fell asleep, but the whispering and laughing we could hear from their room made it completely worth it ;-)

This is how you fit 3 kids in a bath tub!

So ready for breakfast!

Auro and Tosca taking over Zita's sand pit

On Sunday, we went to see more animals at a kids farm in Lier ('t struisvogelnest). My cousin and Jonathan joined us and soon we were eating pancakes while the children were jumping up and down an inflatable castle.

In Betekom, a village near my dad's house, there was a fair, so after the farm, while Tosca was napping, we went there with Jonathan. Three days later, we returned with Tosca and Zita. For Tosca it was the first time at a fair and she was completely overwhelmed by it. She didn't speak a word the whole time we were there, but it was more than clear that she loved it!

Flying high!

Making a turn to the right!