Back in time: January 2013

We started the new year in Belgium with a New Year's dinner with the whole family at my father's place. The kids discovered the fun of indoor playgrounds (They are immensely popular in Belgium!) and were over-excited outdoors as well with the heavy snowfall. 

One of the many reasons we went to Belgium this time, was because we wanted to send Auro to the kindergarten there. Equipped with a brand new backpack containing his mid-morning snack and his lunchbox, he started school on the morning of the 7th. Leaving him there that first morning, I had no idea he would like it so much. But, he really loved it and during the 3 weeks he was there, he never complained about having to get up early, made many new friends (he even managed to get a play date) and, like all the other kids, came home with the chickenpox (which didn't make him sick at all, so he just continued going to school).

Dinner on the first day of the year

Presents!!

Remo and Auro enjoying the indoor play ground in Leuven

Playground in Booischot

Lost and lots of snow...

Auro on his first (Belgian) school day

Tosca having breakfast

On my birthday, my husband sent me flowers from Japan. Tosca had to smell each and every one of them before I could put them in a vase ;)

One afternoon when Auro came back from school...

The kids and their cousin Zita in Jandrain-Jandrenouille (where my brother and his family have just moved into their new home)

Back in time: December 2012

December: the month in which we put up the Christmas tree, Saint Nicholas brought many presents and we saw the first snow covering everything with a thick white layer. In December, Auro's kindergarten organised a Christmas recital (in which Auro was present, but didn't take part very actively due to a fever that made him miss 2 weeks of school and nearly all of the preparations for the recital). 

The first snow was good enough for this beautiful snowman!

On the morning of the 6th of December, Auro and Tosca followed the trail of tangerines and chocolates down the stairs, to find that Saint Nicholas had brought them a table with chairs, a CD, a puzzle and a board game of Barbapapa!

Happy kids!

Auro's school recital (Auro is in the right bottom corner, with a white t-shirt)

There he is, trying to find us among all the parents while he should have been singing with the other kids...

Here is one girl who really enjoyed the show (shouting Wawa every time she spotted her brother).

On the 23rd of December, we put all of our Christmas presents in our suitcase and took the plane to Belgium. We had a quiet (but nice) Christmas Eve in my dad's new apartment and on the last day of 2012 we went caroling in the street where he used to live. We even stopped at the house I grew up in and met the new owners (it felt weird, but comforting at the same time knowing the house seems to be in caring hands). 

Auro and Tosca ready to sing for candy

A pit stop at the house of friendly (ex-) neighbours  (cookies and a glass of water for the children, jenever and homemade Amaretto for the adults)

After about 10 houses, the children finally overcame their initial shyness and started singing louder than the accompanying adults (notwithstanding the jenever stop we had just had). Here you see Zita (my brother's daughter) singing at the top of her lungs ;-)

And they were well rewarded!

A final toast on the old year...

Cold

So far, winter has been everything except cold. Last Saturday, however, temperatures dropped a lot and by the evening it finally started snowing. When we woke up Sunday morning, everything was covered with a thick white layer. Yesterday, the schools were closed because of the snow. This morning, Auro left with the schoolbus, but they have predicted new snowfall for this afternoon. Down in the city, all schools have been ordered to send the children home at 2 o'clock. We might get a call from the school here too, asking us to come pick up Auro before it starts snowing too heavily....