A Brother's Surprise!

My dear Hubby got free VIP tickets to the Jonas Brothers Concert last night. We found out right after the girls left for the school bus, so I couldn't tell them until they got home from school.  Needless to say, Reed was a super hero that day!

I too was overjoyed!  I don't think I knew one song, but it wasn't about me!  I lost 10% of my hearing that night, not from the music, but from the thousand of screeming tweens and pre-teens in love!

Demi, from Camp Rock was the opening act.  We don't have Disney Channel at our house, so again, I acted like I knew all the songs, I fooled everyone!

  They are kinda cute

 

Okay, he's really cute!

We had VIP tickets, meaning we got to hang out in the VIP lounge and have dinner (hot dogs, so fancy!).  We had our own VIP bathrooms, but that was about the only perks from the lounge.  Behind us in the lounge, we could see the tour busses. Some people were waiting for them after the concert, but you could only see through the cracks of the fence, so we passed!  Elly wasn't feeling well, a little too much for my emotional child and she was tired. We had great seats and a great time...especially when it's free!!!!

A little make over.

This is the before  picture, blah and during...

Oh YEAH!!!
I love it, it's bold, crazy but so much more lively. No more boring front room at my house!!!  I actually moved the table in front of the couch and need to get a little something to put the lamp and phone.
You like?

Behind Mommy Lines

A day ...
Got woken up by a text from hubby's work at 5ish, he went to the gym, got home, took a shower and I didn't hear a thing, like everyday.  He woke me up to have our prayer together. He lives a whole other life before I even realize I have one!
Got all the kids up, readied lunches, checked teeth and hair (yes, I brushed it Mom, sha-right!) and sent the girls off to the bus.
One little boy dropped off at my house and playing with my two for a little bit before preschool.
Cooking some hard boiled eggs for salad later.
First text from Alex who's sick and wants to be picked up from HS.
Shower. Second text, still same story...and it's a good thing the High School has a new rule about using phones/Ipods during school hours, hmmmm!!!!
Phone call from nurse's office for another child/school, she has a stomach ache, but we both know that this girl of mine likes to stress over nothing.  The nurse isn't duped. I don't pick her up, the drama will soften itself with time.
Off to preschool.
Walmart, need a roast for a dinner for another family tonight, can't just feed them cold cereal or pop tarts.
Text, text, text "when are you commmminnnng, I'm siiiiiccccck"
Pay for Walmart, back to High School to get the dying teenager. 
He's at lunch, so I get escorted by a security guard and go look for him myself.  I get to actually go back to high school, 20lbs, grays and wrinkles extra!  My son has passed the age of being embarrassed by his mom, and he's actually happy to introduce me to his friends.  He's also showing off his little 2 year old blondie cutie brother too (you thought I was gonna say girlfriend, huh...nah, she was sick that day!).
Back home, finally. Throw the roast in the crockpot.  Run down the street to a short meeting for scouting, my new passion (read sarcasm there if you want).
Home for lunch. More scouting thing, one jumping-in-bed-should-be-napping boy. Making the potato salad promised earlier. 
I sit down and watch TV for ONE HOUR...well, no, I fall asleep on the couch!

Rest of the troop home from school, snack, check the roast (please be done by 5:30).  Run to drop girls off to an activity.  Drop off scout things. Home for 20 minutes, check the roast and pray for cooking to speed up.  Back in the car, pick up the girls.  Back home, roast is done, load it all in the car, drop off at the deserving family, who are home and grateful (hmmm, yeah, my previous experiences with making dinner for others haven't always been so great, another post!).

We are all home, quick swim, good dinner, pjs, scripture study, prayers, bed.
Realize one signature is missing for scout stuff, back in the car.
End up the evening with hubby, eating an ice cream at Mcdonald's.
The end...till tomorrow
Would I trade my life, NO WAY!!!!!

La rentree scolaire

And her we go again, another year of schooling started on Monday

3rd and 4th graders

Loaded up with supplies

Actually excited about the day

Nicky's turn

Pre-schooler and Spoiled stay-at-homer

I'm not so good at remembering to take pictures at the school!

And this is what we do while the big kids are at school

A boy after my own heart: loves M&M's!

and shopping for lip gloss!

Le Lac d'Ech-sur-Sure

Beat that Saguaro Lake, huh!  Another one of our little adventures, it was about 1/2 hour from my parents's home, in Luxembourg.  The water was chilli, but what a nice day!

Tommy is white like Aspirine, except that he doesn't disovle in water.

We had to get out quick when we saw these come!

Hmm, no, this is from the Aquarium at the University of Liege.

We came home on Monday, so this is the last pretty green post I'll do for a while.  I miss my parents and my country so much right now.  After I've been here for a while, the pain subsides gradually.  A lot of "what ifs" go through my mind, what if I didn't meet Reed, what if we had moved to Belgium a long time ago, what if what if...but my life is here for now, and I have made peace with that on most days.  But after I come back from a month of mommy time (and 5 extra lbs added to my butt thanks to her cooking), the old ache is rekindled a bit.

Liege, cite ardente.

Liege is my home city.  I was born and raised there, I am proud to be a Liegeoise.  My city is over one thousand years old.  While the country of Belgium went from the hands of the Dutch, to the French, to the Spanish, the Principality of Liege remained independant, with its own Prince Bishop.  Maastricht (Holland now) used to be part of it.  It is rich in culture and just beautiful.  My parents have moved from there and now live in the Ardennes, so we took a day trip there.

Le Perron, symbol of freedom

Free

Old buldings, Place du marche

Palais des Princes Eveques, Place Saint Lambert

La Meuse (river)

This is a cafe, but the saying is in Wallon, which is the dialect of the French speaking part of Belgium.  It says "House of Peket"; Peket being a white alchool well known and loved by the good people of Liege :)

Just doors to an old church

Lost of walking, lots of heat, but lots of fun with Papy and Granny!

PS: my parents are both from Liege too, but you'd never know looking at my tourist dad!

Dinant

Here is another place to see in Belgique.  The fort dates back from the 11th century. Around 1450, one mean French duke(Charles the Bold) threw 800 men in the river Meuse (see below) two by two, nice guy!  Then he burnt the city down.  It was bunrt down again in 1914 by the Germans...not a good history for these Dinantois!

The Happiest Place on earth

There are some really big chipmunks in Paris

We didn't find the Eiffel Tower, even with the maps!

We did find this cowboy, who laughed at our silliness...

no Arc de Triomphe here either...

 Here is their Eiffel Tower, with strange ears

So we left, but not empty handed

and went back to our cabin in the woods of France.

Bastogne

An American Tank that was part of the battle of the bulge in December 1944.  My dad and two others actually wrote a book about this tank and its occupants.  He found the survivors or their descendants and wrote their story. I translated it into English.  It is now standing at the McAuliffe's Square.  See the little Belgian and American flags on the bottom.

My twin sister

A rare picture of my brother not messing around!

Tommy's new girl (don't tell Eden).  She actually already cleans and keeps house pretty well!

Les Frites

I have no idea why OUR fries are called French Fries, as if the Frenchies knew how to make them!!!

If you ever go to my country, the one thing that you cannot leave without eating are these...and yes, with mayo