The Miller Family Adventures: MIssing Home

Sorry for the terrible delay in posts...I'm beginning to think I'm not the ideal blogger:) We haven't done a whole lot since my last post - I feel like the 'acute newness' of the move has passed and now we're getting in to more of a routine of how things will be the next two years. I think I officially reached my low point here this past weekend. I came down with something - not surprising since our household seems to have been full of 'sickies' since the move - and by Sunday morning, I literally did not know how I was going to make it - this culminated by the fact that Scott had to leave for Germany at 11AM. We did manage to get me to a doctor in the morning prior to him leaving so I was able to get some meds, but the thought of taking care of two little active boys all day nearly sent me over the edge. Thank goodness we have met a couple of good friends here already who were willing to come and take the boys for a few hours. Although I was hesitant for Scott to ask for their help (after all, we do really like them and the boys can be kind of crazy:) I am so glad I did - the boys had a great time, and I was able to get some sleep...so thank you, thank you, thank you, Brent and Rachel!!! It did hit me then, though, that we really are pretty much alone here - no family and friends to call on when we need a hand. It's kind of scary - and really makes me miss home.

I'm also really missing this time of year back there - football games, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, getting ready for Halloween - nothing like that here. We certainly have fall weather - and the leaves are beautiful, but it's just not quite the same. We are having a little Halloween party here on Friday night for a few people that we've met here - we had to do something to celebrate - Will's only been talking about Halloween for over two months now! But anyway, I better get over this fast - as Christmas season is fast approaching, and will probably be more difficult - and just enjoy the time that we have here and concentrate on the things we are able to do!

We have done a little more exploring of Brussels - finding the royal palace (which is un-lived in, by the way), finding new parks, and hitting up a Sunday morning market - which apparently, is the second biggest open market in Europe?? I can vouch for that, though - the thing was enormous, and very cheap, which was great. I would never, however, venture out there on my own with the boys - it was insane. We didn't even really let Will walk - he had to ride on Scott's shoulders - there were SO MANY PEOPLE. I wish we would've had our camera - but unfortunately, we did not.

The yellow van there is the waffle/ice cream truck - aka, the 'devil on wheels' - they are ALL OVER - even outside school everyday...aaahhh!!

We heard about an American Bar here - 'Fat Boys' - that shows all NFL games, so two weeks ago we headed out there on a Sunday night to watch the Broncos and eat cheeseburgers - the latter being the highlight of the night, as the Broncos lost. We had fun, though, and it was great being in a restaurant and hearing chattering in English all around:)

Half-time fun

Last weekend we went to the zoo in Antwerp - which we heard great things about. We were not disappointed! It was probably one of the best zoos I've ever been to - right in the middle of the city, next to their big train station - it was crazy. They had tons of animals - elephants, lions, tigers, hippos, giraffes - and they were all so active. The zoo itself was beautiful - the trees, flowers, etc. I'm excited to go back sometime in the summer. It was a little chilly, especially after being outside for about four hours, but there was hardly anyone there - so it made it worth it!

Will thought this tree was the funniest thing he's ever seen.

There was a Starbucks in the train station that I happened to know about - it had nothing to do with me suggesting we go to the zoo in the first place....IT. TASTED. DELICIOUS.

Will continues to do o.k. in school - still doesn't love it, but he usually goes without a problem and seems to enjoy himself. They have started to take him and two other English-speaking children out once a week for 'French lessons' - so we'll see if that helps things. I think I may have to put Bo on a diet - he's getting a little chunky:) He usually finishes his meal about twice as fast as Will, often eats more, than most of the time climbs up into Will's chair and polishes off his leftovers. He's a bit of a junk-food addict - his favorite words are 'chip' and 'm&m', I am sorry to say. It's funny how different it is with your second child...?? Scott's been working a lot - and usually pretty late. He's in Frankfurt through Wednesday night. Although I was expecting him to work pretty much the same hours as he did in Minneapolis, being away from home does make it a little harder. Thankfully, I've been staying pretty busy with a few of the girls I've met here - it's been fun getting to know new people - and like I've said before, we're all in the same boat here!

We have a busy few days coming up with our Halloween party on Friday night, then we leave for London on Saturday night. The Broncos actually play in London Sunday night, so we couldn't just let that pass by! We have tickets to the game that night and then plan on staying until Wednesday to do some sightseeing. I am really looking forward to this trip - namely to be able to speak English to waiters, bus drivers, people on the street, you name it:)

I'll try to update with some pictures after our Halloween party - then certainly after our London trip. I'll try to be better about my blogs:) Have a great week!

I'll end with some parting shots of our time at home...Will still refuses to take off Spiderman - he even sleeps with it every night! Poor Batman that I paid a fortune for and had shipped over has fallen by the wayside...

Will is obsessed with all things Halloween - and tells me at least ten times a day that he's not afraid of decorations or costumes - I think mostly to reassure himself?