5 years has flown by!

Although the party was long ago and the present all opened and played out, today Natan is officially FIVE! Five years ago today at 8:30 am a smiling baby boy entered this world and he hasn't stopped smiling since. Of course I am a little tinsy bit biased, but Natan is the coolest kid I have ever been honored to spend my time with and although looking back on the past birthday's makes me a bit sad (mainly, because of the sweet curls at two) I am happy to see the future and excited in anticipation of what the next five years might bring!

July 27, 2001

July 27, 2002

July 27, 2003

July 27, 2004

July 27, 2005

July 27, 2006

Kai's Top 10 Summer Vacation Tips

1. Have lots of snacks.
2. Cut up many different kinds of fruits in small pieces.
3. Have many kinds of things to drink water from.
4. Anything that can hold water should be put by the water facet.
5. Puddles in the sun are glorious things.
6. Wear your swimmers all day.
7. Blue sunscreen spray is fun.
8. A baby pool is great source for watering plants.
9. Have lots of snacks.
10. Ice cream should be declared a meal.

Kai's Words and Signs of the Day

"Eaten"=(eat)
Hand scoops and then to the mouth=(eat)
"Papa"=(eat)
"Mama"=(eat)
"dit"and pointing=(that there I would like to eat)
"jayjayjay"and pointing=(I want to eat the same as what you have)
Pointing one finger to the middle of the other hand=(more to eat)
"kijk"=(look at that, then get me something to eat)
"packen"=(pick me up so I can see what there is to eat)
screaming and throwing everthing everywhere=(don't you dare help me eat again!)

Happy National Day, Belgium

Today was Belgium's National Holiday complete with parades, crowds of people, heat and fireworks. It was so hot when it was time to head off to the parade that Kai and I stayed home and Pieter and Natan went by bike to see the air show before the beginning of the military parade. Natan remembered the rainbow colors coming from the planes in formation from the year before and he absolulty wanted to see it again. Unfortunately, Kai and I stayed home becuase of the heat and crowds and I guess that is what everyone else did as well, because Pieter said there was really no crowd like years past. Oh, well there is always next year!

Natan loved it and came back with loads of balloons and belgian flags for Kai and me!

A bit of History facts for those who are interested:

The independant State of Belgium was born on October 4, 1830.

National Day is celebrated on July 21. Its commemorates the day on which Leopold I took the constitutional oath as the first King of Belgium, on July 21st 1831.

National Day: July 21

Anthem: the "Brabançonne" (the text only exists in French and Dutch)

Flag: three vertical stripes: black, yellow and red

Motto: "L'Union fait la force - Eendracht maakt macht" (Strength lies in unity) Heraldic emblem: the Belgian Lion (Leo Belgicus), a yellow lion with red claws and tongue against a black background

Belgian travel site
The World Fact Book; Belgium Facts

Albert II, King of the Belgians
The crown prince of Belgium's first daughter
Elizabeth is the same age as Natan.
Natan's comments after seeing the king on a coin.
"He is just like Opa."
"Cool, if your Opa where the King."
"The King lives next to Lucienne."
"Can he go dood (dead)?"

Have you ever seen a Belgian sky so blue?

Natan's Quotes of the Day

"You can stay up reading until it is to
dark to read then you go to sleep." I say
"Oh, but I have eyes that see
in the dark," Natan responds quickly
"you see black eyes see best in the night
and blue eyes see best in the day!"

July 19th and 35ºc (95ºf) in Brussels. It is said to be the warmest day so far this year and the warmest summer in 3 years. We have had above 26ºc (80ºf) pretty much since the first of July or so. I love warm weather, and day after day of sun and warm is what I grew up with, but after living in Brussels for 6 years I am use to damp and cold. Walking around in Brussels now feels like something is terribly wrong. Brussels is dead in the summer no matter what the weather, but now it really seems dead with all the windows closed and the streets empty and the sun shining down hard on everything and everybody.

Of course every time I look at the thermometer and begin to complain I remember again that I grew up with this and more. So on that note I looked at the weather in Elliott, Iowa today and the weather chart said 101ºf (real feel 112ºf). Gotta love that real feel note in there, because that is exactly what hits you in the face when you walk out into 101ºf. Which in Celsius equals over 38ºc (real feel 44.5ºc) and it was actually close to that in some places of Belgium today and London, which got to 37ºc. So, I have to say I NEVER thought we would have an Iowa summer in Belgium, but luckily, or un-luckily I guess depending on who you are speaking to, we seem to be have one!

I guess I am so happy for this Iowa heat wave because our house, which is more like a cave, is staying quite cool. Like a cave I guess it only changes a few degrees between winter to summer, so our 16ºc (60ºf) in the winter is only a few degree warmer to 22ºc (71.5ºf) in this heat wave. Of course if it where completely up to me I would try to keep it 22ºc all year round.

Feeling Better!

When I was younger Antibiotics were like the treat you got from the doctor after each visit. Of course this is too much, but on the opposite end is the fact that in the nearly 9 years I have lived in Europe I have been given Antibiotics ONCE. I enjoy the natural method here and am very happy that my children are growing up in this environment.

But….

Someone invented Antibiotics for some reason and there is a time that they are very helpful. So, after two weeks of struggling with a severe sinus infection, that made me sicker than I remember being in a long time and hearing the doctor tell me only to rest, I am finally on the mends with the much requested (or demanded) help of Antibiotics.

So, after two weeks of intensive French and two weeks of intensive Sinus I feel I have been in a bubble and have finally emerged to enjoy the nice weather and summer. I have now made it my goal to play, relax and have fun for the rest of the summer or the rest of the nice weather which ever ends first in Belgium.

Ruby Lee Swain Bill (Dec. 27, 1916-June 28, 2006)

Grandma's Last Quote

"I am going to come back as a black swallow tail butterfly.
I always wished I could be a butterfly and fly when I was little girl."

This morning I received a pdf copy of the entire funeral service of my grandmother word for word. As I opened it I thought, what an amazing thing technology is, that it can make the distance feel much less at times, but as I read the service and all the lovely stories from each of my sister’s, cousins and mom, technology sort of came in a bit to close. Don’t get me wrong I am very happy to have received it, but it was difficult to read it and now I want more than anything to have been there.

If you wish to read it and know more about this amazing women Ruby Lee Swain Bill feel free!

Goodbye Grandma Ruby!

Grandma, my mother and my sister Pam (3 generations)

Today is the funeral of my grandmother Ruby. She was my last living grandparent and with her passes a whole generation of stories and legends. I am not as sad as I thought I would be because this is what she wanted. I am sad though that everyone in her family was able to sit with her and say goodbye and today every member of her family will be together to say one last goodbye, except me!

The important thing is we got to spend Christmas 05' with her and her 89th birthday with cake and ice cream. I made a book of all the stories and pictures from my blog from August to December and gave it to her for Christmas and she was so very happy. She got to see her last great-grandchild, Kai for the first time and watch him take his first steps.

I did get to tell her goodbye though, over the phone, and she even cracked jokes. She said "I just want to fall asleep and see your grandpa again." I hope she is with him now! My grandfather passed away around 8 years ago I guess and again I wasn’t there. There is many times in my life that I hate the distance between Iowa and Brussels, but especially when there is a sudden event, that if you where a nine hour car ride away you could jump in your car and be there for which ever family or friend needs you, but in Europe that nine hour trip is not always possible.
.
So, today while my whole family says goodbye I will go to the doctor, do the shopping, pick up Natan from summer camp, make the boys dinner, give them a bath, read them a book and then put them in bed, but all the while my mind and heart will be in another place.

Goodbye grandma
Ruby we love you
for always!

I am back!

Happy Independence Day!

Sorry for the long pause! But below are all the post that have been sitting in my drafts for weeks I have finally found time to add the pictures and post them.

Enjoy, Julie Anne

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

Natan's Quotes of the Day

"How do you know that?" I ask Natan,
"I just know it, I thinked about it and I worked it out!"
"It is good to think and work things out." I respond motherly
"Yes, and my head needs no food for that."
Natan replies referring to a conversations at breakfast
several days before when I told him his head needed food to think.
"I am not so sure about that."
"No really, because mine are special thinks
not like other peoples thinks!" Natan says confidently
"That is true!" I agreed.

Natan’s Panamarenko party was a big hit! We celebrated in the early afternoon with 8 of his friends, most of who took the spiderman option as a costume choice. Natan wrote on his invite that you must come as something that flies or Spiderman, since well unfortunately for Spiderman he doesn’t fly.

It was our first party where no parents stayed and it was very intense. Luckily Kelly, Sonny’s mom, stayed and helped out tremendously. Otherwise, I think I would have lost my head already at the first activity of decorating cupcakes like spaceships. Everyone was extremely full of sugar when we returned them to their parents!

In the evening we had a family party and Natan gave the same card requesting everyone come in costume. I didn't really expect anyone to comply, but they did and I think only Natan can get professor Verbeelen to dress like an Angel!
Check out the daily pictures!

Of course Natan’s real birthday is not for many days. July 27th, but in Brussels everyone leaves for the month of July, so we had it early. Don’t try to explain this technicality to Natan though as of this day HE IS FIVE! Time flies I can’t believe it has almost been five years since we had our first child, but I would not change one day of it!

p.s. Forgot to mention summer is back again! Yippee