Thursday, October 29, 2009

One party, one

Just a few pictures from our fall celebrations...and it's only the beginning! Fall leaves all around! Who said we didn't have autumm in Arizona! You can just get it in a bag at Target!


Mrs. Dieu's preschool had a Halloween Party.


All these skeletons had the hicups. Thank you Mrs. Diew for doing such a great job with my little boy!



Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Paris, 20 ans plus tard

20 years ago, my best friend Vanessa and I went to Paris for a week-end. We had promised each other to go back and meet 20 years later. That was in November 1989 (the day the Berlin wall came down) and so it was time! So we did just that. She still lives in Belgium, so it was a wee bit easier for her, but we had a blast!!! The weather was sublime too, not a cloud in the sky, not too cold, just perfect, just like the whole day was! Vanessa doesn't use a map or relies on her own to find places, she just asks anyone that looks official enough, like cops on roller blades.


La Seine


A Montmartre
Tour Eiffel

Arc the triomphe, Champs Elysee .


Peace monument, at the end of Le champs de Mars.


This is where "Patachou", the restaurant used to be. It is now, recenlty, a jewlery and art store. This is where we had said we would eat, 20 years ago...we just ate at a fastfood instead!


Montmartre, le Sacre Coeur.

La pyramide du Louvres .

Bridge to go to "Les Invalides".


By the Louvres.
One Euro is $1.45, yes, all that to pee...I even tried to pee twice for that price, but nope!


Back in Liege, at the train station, very tired, very happy to have had a great day.
Merci Vava pour une journee superbe, une comme dans le bon vieux temps.




















Monday, October 19, 2009

My freedom trip

On October 10th, I took a trip ALONE!!! No kids AND no husband!!! I went home to Belgium. I was a bit nervous to leave the gang, but tried not to stress too much over it! With Alex's help and Grandma's help, Reed survived the 5 kids. I know he missed me, more and more as the week went by...which was the point!!! I saw my brother and his family, stayed with my parents, but went to Paris with my best friend from high school. I had a blast and didn't even miss the kids as much as I thought I was going to (shame to admit, but hey, I'm only human). I'm thinking about doing that more often, more than 17 years for sure. It was very cold there, I wore pants and sweaters and jackets...it's fall in the rest of the world, yep!
The fair in Liege last all month of October every year, it's about one mile long. French Fries are the best in Belgium (I don't know why they're called "French"). We make the best! We double dip them, they fry them once and when you go to buy them, they fry them again. They are crispy and perfect. And yes, we eat them with mayonaise (don't say anything until you've tried them, it is the way to do it). My brother and family, he loves modern furniture, kinda different from here.

My parents' back yard. Typical Belgian weather, inside a raining cloud!!!!


My twin...ever wonder what I'll look like in 28 years?



My elementry school, where my dad taught PE for 30 years (hmm, yeah, I had him for 6 years in school, yeah...not)




Sweet 16 Alex

It really is fun to have a teenager at home. Sometimes, you get unexpected moments, like this one when his friend brought her Halloween Leotard for Alex to try on...and he did, of course!!! But all in all, it is a fun experience! Alex was born on October 18th, 1993. He was a big 9lbs 4 oz, 21 3/4 inches long baby. He was the reason I stayed in the US, I truly believe I would have given into my homesickness and gone home if it wasn't for him. He strengthened our marriage, made us parents at a young age, and we have no regrets. He was our little buddy, an only child for 7 years. He prayed for a baby for two years (you'd never know it now to see how him and Maddy annoy each other).Not an Ipod, just Mom's MP3 wrapped up in a box, we're so funny!Merci Granny and Grandma, money is always welcomed from a broke-wanna-date-16 yr old!Hoping that we got him what he wants, and not a Nanno or a fake water-gun look alike Ipod thing.YES! Ipod Touch, at last!

That even deserved a hug, those are rare at this age!Happy happy happy!



Happy Birthday Alex, we love you!!!!!




























Sunday, October 4, 2009

Yep, another one for me...

I remember the days where I thought that making a cake for a birthday was part of being the best mom/wife/daughter in the world. Now, I know that Sam's Club is in partnership with the best moms/wives/daughters in the world.





I think I look pretty good for my age ;)