Wanted: Sun, atleast 26° and no rain!

[Natan: 4y • 1m • 4d]
[Kai: 6m • 30d]

Natan's Quote of the Day

"Rain, rain go away come again some other way"

In the form of sun rays, moon beams or something along those lines!

Well this is our last day in Belgium for two weeks and of course our month and a half of rainy days has past and the weather is marvelous. So if it is raining in the south of France when we arrive I will just keep on going south until I hit sun! The only consolation is that they say (the weather announcer that always seems to be right. Right?) that the weather will start to be cold and rainy here tomorrow and nice in the south of France.

Truly, I am soooo ready for a holiday that it really doesn’t matter. As long as I have some moments of peace and relaxation it will all be brilliant. We are going to Pieter’s parent’s vineyard and it is grape picking season. They have rented a large house just beside the vineyard and we have two friends coming Isobel from Ireland (presently Cambridge) and Connie from Germany.

There is nothing on our agenda except pick a bit and relax a bit. Well, with two children I am not going to be able to pick grapes all day of course! :) My little excuse for not working has already been figured out by others though, as Pieter’s mom has also told me don’t worry you can go off exploring with your friends and I will watch the boys. Wink wink!

Anyway, it is going to be great fun and I will be sure to take loads of pictures and write down some stories to tell you when we get back. We will not have access to any technology while we are there, actually I am not sure we even have electricity, but I think this is the only way to relax after being surrounded by it daily.

The Vertrowing

[Natan: 4y • 24d]
[Kai: 6m • 19d]

Natan's Quote of the Day

"Is the birthday all over? (the morning after)"

De Trouw Feest in Dutch means the wedding. In Natan’s English-Dutch language, which we call Denglish he made up the word Vertrowing. It is such a great word that all during the preparation of Hendrik (Pieter’s brother) and Charlotte wedding we all started to use this word.

Well, the big day was yesterday and I have to say it was the biggest longest day ever. It all started at 7:30 in the morning with the Onkleeden or the dressing. We all had special clothes and new shoes of course! Natan and Kai all in yellow and white and Pieter and I in what we like to call “new grass green”. Once we were all spiffy we walked the long distance to Oma and Opa’s house. (some of you know this distance and for others it will have to be explained in another mail for it is a long story)

9:30We begin to board the bus. It was an old bus from Paris and looked a bit like a trolley. It came from Antwerp about a 30min drive and I would say has never driven more than a couple of blocks in years. There were around 20 close family members aboard as we drove to Leuven where Hendrik and Charlotte live. The normal 20min drive took about an hour with backfires, loads of noise and shaking and one peepee stop.

11:00Hendrik and Charlotte’s civil ceremony took place in the Leuven town hall a very beautiful building in the center of town. (Unfortunatly, I do not have a picture from outside. Those who wish to see it will just have to come visit!) Natan was the official ring bearer and got to sit in a fancy red velvet chair.

Of course you couldn’t have a Belgian day without it raining once. It had just started to rain as we entered the town hall, but was still raining as we came out. Luckily as all good Belgians someone remembered to bring loads of umbrella's.
12:00 We all boarded the bus again this time with Hendrik and Charlotte and made our way slowly back to Brussels.

13:30 The first of the many receptions began with small sandwiches and sweets. Natan ate well only because I told him he could have one sweet for every one sandwich. Sometimes these motherly tricks work and sometimes not, but fortunately this time it did.14:00-16:00 In between each reception someone gave a speech or a presentation. 16:00 The second reception began with a few people trickling into the garden until there where around 70 people gathered around drinking and chatting. This is the point Natan escaped to his room with some of Pieter’s cousins only to eventually come down screaming with a large bump on his head and a bloody nose. Still don’t know what happened.

17:30 Second reception guests leave and we relax, exhausted, only for a little while. We listen to Charlottes father play a blues song he wrote, along with more speeches and a couples game. Where I have to say Pieter and I should have one for knowing every detail down to the movie we where watching for our first kiss.18:30 The third reception begins with around 120 people joining in the garden. This was nuts and depending on where you where standing when the mass arrived (I think all in a large bus, since they seemed to come all together) you where stuck there until we all went upstairs in Pieter’s parents house for a sit down dinner. Yes! All 120 of us…

19:00-12:00 We Ate!
Yes, the time span here IS 5 hours and we did eat practically the entire time...

12:00 We all headed down to the garden and our house for a dance. This is my first realization that my tired feet and head would not see a pillow for a long long long time. 12:00-5:00 We Danced! 5:00 With the dj and people all gone and the smell of beer still lingering we went to bed.

This is a typical Belgian wedding. Or is it? You are welcome to comment, because I am not sure whether it is typical Belgian or typical Verbeelen, since my 3 references are both Belgian and Verbeelen.

Balls, balls and more balls!

We have finally had a sunny FULL day in Brussels and we spent the whole day outside. I met a friend in the park with two children. She has a boy Natan's age and a little girl one month younger than Kai. The boys brought a ball to play soccer but, the babies played with it the most. Kai loves balls out of all the educational and sensory toys he has he really only wants a ball and with Natan being 4 we have plenty of balls around. So my advice is don't spend money on sensory toys just by loads of different balls. The pink one in the photo is great because it has little nubby bumps all over it and Kai thinks it is great fun!

Inspired

Wow, I never thought this would be so much fun. I have to thank all of you for your wonderful comments and emails to me. I didn't expect so many people to read this when I emailed it out, but even more I never expected my mom to be inspired and make a blog! How cool is that check it out Mom's Blog. I have also added other links on the sidebar, including my sister Pam's blog. This is becoming a real family affair. I am also going to add a Natan quote as often as I can. He loves to see pictures of himself and have me read his quotes to him. Keep reading and writing!

It's raining it's pouring the old man is snouring!

[Natan: 4y • 18d]
[Kai: 6m • 13d]

Natan's Quote of the Day

"The sun is not coming out today because he played two much
with us yesterday and today he is moe(tired)"

Well, we have had about a month now of cold and rain. Everyday it rains at least once, but not to be to depressing the sun also peeps out at least once or twice if we are lucky. I am trying hard to continue on with our summer outings and not get in a "let's stay in because it's raining" mode. Otherwise, you end up staying in everyday!

Growing up in Iowa summer vacation was being outside all day long, catching as many living things as possible (fish, frogs, insects, worms, etc.) exploring secret places adults didn’t know about, getting dirty and just hanging out. I don’t remember my toys as a child just the environment around my parent’s house and my motorcycle. Yes, a motorcycle! My father bought a very small one when I was 6. Then when that one stopped working I got a bigger one when I was 9 and still have it to this day! This is the best of my childhood I rode that red motorcycle everyday all day. Of course now that I am a mother I will not allow my child to drive it until he is much older, but he did ride last summer with me! (see below photo) When I ride it now I feel 9 again. We should keep more things in our lives that make us feel young again.

Now I find my self in a large European city and I am trying to recreate my summer adventures for Natan, but it just isn’t working. This is our first summer vacation and I know I will get the hang of it. It is just such a different world Natan is growing up in. I am excited for him and all he is seeing, doing and learning, but some times just climbing a tree and sitting all day eating apples would also be good.

Inner Child

I saw a grown women sucking her thumb on the tram today! Seriously, and she was quite put together as well. It was very discrete like she was thinking with her finger on her cheek. Except her thumb was in her mouth. O.k. I realize some of us are getting in touch with our inner child, but this is a bit to far.

By the way I also want to mention non-members can now make comments. Still getting the hang of all the options here!

Big Stories and Small Parts

[Natan: 4y • 14d]
[Kai: 6m • 9d]

What does a 4 year old have in common with a 6 month old?

It seems to me that I spend most of my time watching Kai's mouth and listening to Natan's. I spent the weekend cleaning up downstairs and relocating all small parts up to Natan's room. This is a little early, but I need to start to get in this habit of watching out because every corner of our house is filled with little "things" marbles, legos, playmobile helmets and pieces of abandoned meal toys (like happy meals). Kai is definitely going to be our ‘everything in the mouth baby’. Natan wasn’t at all and I am a bit terrified of it.

Anyone, who has been around a 4 year old, knows they can tell some pretty tall tales, but the number of incredible stories I hear in a day is mind-boggling. Here is one of today’s stories:

“Mama, were you also dropped in the sea?”
“I don’t think so.” I said confused
“Yes, you were because we have the same
brown eyes and Opa (grandpa in Dutch)
said that I have brown eyes because I was
dropped in the sea as a baby.
veryyy carefullyyy!”
“Opa told you this story?” I asked surprised
“Yes, he knows it! Little babies get brown
eyes because they are dropped,
veryyy carefullyyy in the sea.
“Interesting, but what about baby Kai he
has blue eyes?” I asked

Natan thought for a while and said very
matter of fact. “Oh, because he jump
way up in the clouds!”

Upon searching out the truth I found out Opa has never heard this story!

As I have finally got a breath to sit down and write this my second posting. I realize my goal of writing and taking pictures daily is too ambitious. I think I will be lucky to post one maybe two times per week. I can see already also that these postings will evolve and get much richer as I guess they should. I think this idea of observing and documenting not only Natan’s interactions with objects, but also his words is brilliant. I hope to add a quote a week from our little 4-year-old storyteller!

First Posting

So I have been home alone (well Kai is here) all weekend and I have somehow become a blog reader, which inevitably makes you a blogger I am guessing. I have decided to use it as a journal of observations. Kai is now 6 months and starting to sit up and interact with objects and people. Natan has just turned 4 and is becoming a young man before my eyes.

I always said when pregnant with Natan that I would keep a journal and observe him with toys and objects. I even bought countless books to journal in and I never wrote a word. So, I am starting this one and I hope that it continues as I do have a tendency to trail off down another track from time to time. I will also try to post a picture a day, but this all is going to take some time to get my momentum.

Another note to mention is that after reading many blogspots I realize they are pretty much good writers. You know the basics of spelling and grammar that I seem to have misplace in my travels, but I just want to mention in this first blog that I am a designer and I am going to write my thoughts as they flow from my head. What I see from my life and my children, how I feel about the objects that surround my family and me and how I can make more. Or do I want to make more? This is the question I struggle with every time I have a fabulous design idea, which eventually stays in my sketchbook because I always end up deciding that maybe we just need to unload all this junk instead of creating more!

Anyway, thank you for beginning this with me and I hope to continue so maybe one of us will be inspired to either make something or throw something away!