Starting 'Year Two'...

August proved to be a nice calm respite from the frenetic pace of our summer trip.  We celebrated Scott's birthday August 6th by having a few friends over for dinner and game night.  We also celebrated our (9th!) wedding anniversary on the 17th by going out to dinner with all four of us (how romantic:).

Again, cake decorating probably not in my future, but I think Will and I did ok with our 'Superman' cake.

Bo and daddy at our anniversary dinner.

9 Years!  Crooked photo courtesy of Will.

 Will went to a day camp for one full week with his friend, Aidan.  He had a great time, and it completely wore him out - seven hours of soccer, tennis and swimming - he's never gone to bed earlier than he has that week!  Scott's work has been picking up, which has been a bit of an adjustment - I think I was a little spoiled having him around all the time for two straight weeks!  We did manage to sneak a few day trips in, however.  We drove down to a park in the Ardennes in Belgium a few weeks ago.  The Ardennes is a beautiful region in southern Belgium that consists of massive forests and rolling hills, dotted with these quaint little villages.  We actually have a few more areas in the Ardennes that we still want to explore - including Bastone, where the Battle of the Bulge in WWII was fought.

Will was too chicken to sit on the rhino.

Last weekend we headed up to the coast to check out what they claim is the largest sand sculpture exhibit in the world.  Every year in the town of Blankenberge a huge exhibit is created with a different theme - and this year's was Disney, which was great!

Cinderella's castle

Will started school September first, and so far, so good.  He has his occasional moments in the morning where he doesn't want to go, but as soon as he gets to school he's fine, and seems to enjoy it more this year.  His teacher, Madame Catherine, actually speaks a little English, which is a huge improvement from last year.  I had decided long ago that we were not going to start Bo - after all, he is only 2 1/2 - although in Belgium, they start kids full-time at 2 1/2.  I've been trying to fill up our days - I've committed to taking him to the creche (daycare) at the American Women's Club for a few hours one to two times per week, I have us in a play/music group, of which I am one of the leaders - not sure how that happened - and I've enrolled him in a music class on Thursdays.  Anyway, I was feeling pretty good about keeping him busy and around other kids.  The other day Will's teacher approached me and asked if we would simply enroll Bo anyway, this would apparently raise their numbers enough so they could hire another teacher.  I was assured that this was on paper only and we wouldn't have to bring him.  So yesterday, the director approached me and asked me to fill out the paperwork, and at the end, the secretary asked when Bo was starting.  What?  I thought this was 'on paper only.'  Apparently, no, he does indeed need to come the minimum amount of days required by law (basically less than two half days a week).  So Scott and I talked about it, and he convinced me that maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have him go a couple of days a week.  I was paying for the creche, anyway, and this is probably better for him than that.  So that's that, and he's starting Monday.  What on earth?!  Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here!!  Lord knows what else I've agreed to in the last year!  I often marvel at the fact that I've been able to get by for this long without really knowing the language - I probably have no business being here.  We're being hailed as life-savers now at the school, though, for letting them have another teacher.  I think Bo will do pretty well - he'll have the same teacher Will had last year, Madame Laura.  He asks all the time to stay when we drop Will off.  Anyway, I guess we'll have to see how it goes.

First day of school!

Bo has started going poop on the potty - not often, but at least he's not scared to sit on the thing anymore.  I'm planning on potty training boot camp in a few weeks.

Opening a package from Aunt Jen - including FOUR bags of Goldfish!

And new Spider Man shirts (with capes) for the boys

A couple of weeks ago we got a sitter here with our friends Christie and Joe's kids.  When we all got home at about 11:30 that night, all four of them were still wide awake, racing around the house.  We haven't called the poor sitter back yet.

With his friend Carmen's hair bow in - he wouldn't let me take it out.

Will and Claire.

Last night Christie and I took the kids to Quick for dinner.  We tried to take them to 'Planet Kids' - a big place with lots of climbers, etc., and it was closed - typical of here - things are just randomly closed.  Anyway, Quick it was and as we were all getting ready to leave, Bo started running away from me because he didn't want to go.  He tripped and stumbled into a padded wall and hit his head and hand into it.  At first I thought he just jammed his fingers, as he was holding them, and saying they hurt.  After 30 minutes of crying, I figured it was more than just jammed fingers.  So, got him home and bathed and the boys and I were sitting at the table playing Uno (Will's new favorite game) waiting to pick up Scott from work and he was climbing in between two chairs and fell off .  Well, that sealed the deal.  Before then I had been undecided whether I would take him in last night or just wait until this morning and see what it looked like.  After picking up Scott, Bo and I dropped him and Will off and headed to the E.R.  My suspicions were confirmed - he broke not one, but both bones in his forearm - the ulna and radius.  They were greenstick fractures - the most common in kids - where the bone doesn't break clean, but breaks a little and bends to one side.  Poor Bo!  He didn't know what was going on, and hated all the pokes and prods.  Getting the xray itself was no treat, so I was a little concerned about the casting part - he did really well, however - held still the whole time and only cried at the end.  But in his defense, it was about three hours past his bedtime.  So now he has a cast past his elbow:(  We go back to the pediatric orthopedist next Thursday, and the ER doc was hopeful he would trade out his cast for a shorter one.  Until then, though, I have to figure out a way to keep him from jumping on the couches and beds and climbing up anything that's stationary - it's actually probably a miracle a break hasn't occurred until now!  Today he's trying to figure out how to navigate the world with one arm - his left one, no less.  He keeps saying 'I need two hands!'  Sad - but he does look awfully cute with his little cast!

Last night when we got home - he got to sleep in mom and dad's bed.

This morning - not too affected by his injury!

Next week my brother Tim and his girlfriend, Amanda arrive for their visit, and we're all very excited!  On Friday, Tim, Amanda, Scott and I leave for Oktoberfest in Munich for the weekend.  My friend Christie is watching the boys.  Scott and I can't wait - it's been quite a while since we've had any sort of time alone!

Will's paper chain counting down the days until Uncle Tim's visit.