PS turns 3 Years Old!!!

We all know how fast time flies by! And for us, this became quite evident when our "littlest" princess turned 3 on November 22nd!

PS got to celebrate her special day on 3 separate occasions... Here she is having a great time celebrating her birthday at school...



Then, on her actual birthday (Nov. 22), PS wanted to go to McDonalds for lunch. Here are the girls' enjoying their Happy Meals!



Later that evening, we opened presents with Grandma and Grandpa while we all sang happy birthday to PS! Actually, GM and GP were back home in California, but thanks to Skype, they were right there along with us via webcam. Oh, the marvels of modern technology!!



Finally, PS had her big 3rd birthday party this past Sunday at our home. She had a wonderful day, helping Mommy and big sis DS bake cookies and cupcakes in preparation for the festivities. But, the most fun was having all of her friends come over to play!



And of course, opening presents!!!



PS' birthday cupcakes

Happy Birthday PS! And stop growing up so fast!!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

A wonderful (and yummy) Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Belgium!

Let's see, what are we thankful for this year?? We pondered the question over breakfast this morning and this is what we came up with...

Jo: "I am thankful for my wonderful husband, beautiful children, knowing Mom and Dad are in good health/spirits and the many travel adventures we are experiencing here in Europe."

Ray: "I am thankful for my family, friends, our health and for this opportunity to experience Europe together."

DS: "My family and dipping my fingers into this yummy Nutella." (Nutella is a chocolate spread we discovered here in Belgium)

PS: "The apple I am eating."

In addition, we are thankful to have made special friends here in Belgium. Our American friends, Amy and Justin (and their two children), invited us over for a traditional Thanksgiving meal including a full roasted turkey! Check out the menu -- everything was delish!! And made from scratch -- including the strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin and apple pies!!

DS and PS had so much fun playing with their buddy AC that they did not want to leave. But, alas, it was getting late and Friday was a school/work day here in Belgium.

Mommy even had time to pop into DS' classroom earlier in the day to help out with a Thanksgiving project with two other American mom's...

Each child wrote what they were thankful for on turkey feathers, which were later attached to the turkey. I guess DS is thankful for a little more than Nutella after all...

Working for a Living

One of the things I love best about working for Lexus is that every so often, we are asked to do things that you almost feel guilty about getting paid to do. The latest example was an invitation from Lexus Europe to fly down to Zagreb, Croatia, stay in a world-class hotel, eat gourmet food and drive the hell out of new Lexus, BMW and Mercedes vehicles so they can have my opinion! "Uh, OK, I guess I can find time to do it..."



The first part of the day was spent driving through the hills and countryside outside of Zagreb, to get a "feel" for the cars. After a wonderful catered lunch, we "rolled" ourselves out of the dining hall into the cars to drive them on the handling track that Lexus had set up (note to Lexus: bad idea to schedule this activity after a big lunch). Finally after several hours of speed runs and high speed braking (where I actually "broke" a Mercedes - oops!), we were herded off to listen to the new marketing plans for a soon-to-be released Lexus SUV. (Zzzzz...)



The evening was spent socializing with the other members of the group over dinner in a nearby restaurant. We were served one of the most delicious and tender steaks I have ever eaten, followed by dessert and free-flowing wine all night. I have to admit, the Lexus people sure know how to throw a meeting!

After dinner, we retired to the Regent Esplanade Hotel, said to be one of the most exquisite and elegant hotels in Europe. Built in 1925 to house passengers travelling on the Orient Express, it was, and still is, one of the finest hotels from that era.



But soon enough, it was time to go home to the office and back to the daily grind.

Although, the first thing I did was scan my emails for any new invitations from Lexus...

Cruising in Brugge

The Thursday before last, I took my brother David and his friend Hope, who were visiting from L.A., to the town of Bruges (French) or Brugge (Dutch). It was not my first time here, as Ray and I went to Brugge during our housing trip last December. However, it was such a beautiful town that I did not mind visiting it again. Since Brugge is located near the coast about 1-1/2 hours drive from Tervuren, it was a treat that a friend of mine offered to watch PS after school, allowing us a whole day of sight-seeing!

The weather was much nicer (warmer with some sunshine) than my previous visit with Ray, which made for more comfortable sightseeing conditions. We walked through town and saw such sights as the Belfort, Cloth Hall, Markt, Burg Square, Town Hall, Basilica of the Holy Blood and Church of Our Lady, just to name a few.

I especially enjoyed walking through the Belfort while listening to the wonderful melodies played on a carillon of 47 bells pealing out from the bell tower.

And there was something about the small, intimate interior of the Basilica of the Holy Blood - I don't know how to explain it other than it felt "holy". As a matter of fact, I found out later that once a year (on Ascension Day) Brugge plays host to the Holy Blood Procession, which centers around a crystal phial, supposedly containing the blood of Christ. This precious religious relic is housed in the side chapel of the upper church.

We also discovered a charming shop called "The Chocolate Crown", which displayed large chocolate-covered krispies in its front window. They looked so yummy that of course, I had to try one. They reminded me of those sweet and addicting Clodhoppers that I used to buy at Costco during the holidays. Oh, so sinful!!

But, the highlight of the day was a canal boat ride through town. Although we had to wait an hour to board the boat, it was well worth it. One of the best ways to see the medieval beauty of this town is through its gorgeous canals. And if you look at the pictures in our slide show, you'll see how beautiful it truly is.

Just make sure to bring a warm coat during the winter!

Snow Day in Brussels!

Something that is unexpected for us Californians is to wake up and see it snowing. Especially when we are not staying at some mountain resort during the winter time.

But occasionally in Brussels, a cold front will come through, bringing snow and dusting the city in a blanket of white. And this is exactly what happened this weekend...



The girls and I went out early for an impromptu snowball fight, while mommy made us hot chocolate to warm up afterwards...



Later, we headed out to Tervuren Park, to see how the lake looked covered in white.

Winter is definitely here in Europe...

Happy Birthday Jo Ann!!!

On November 19th, we celebrated Jo's first birthday while here in Europe. Instead of whisking her off to an exotic location, or arranging for a babysitter so that we can experience the latest "trendy" restaurant, I thought "wouldn't it be great to just stay home, cook dinner, put the girls down early and just watch TV!!??"

Well, actually, that wasn't the Grand Plan, but with our increasingly hectic schedules, overly active girls and with Jo recovering from a cold, it was a real appealing option! Plus, with the big day landing in the middle of the week, Jo decided that this would be okay.

Now, before all of you ladies think I am a punk for falling for the "I just want to stay home" trick, I did manage to pick up on her hint for a gift that I think she really wanted! Back in August, as we were passing through Germany on vacation, Jo saw a purse that she really liked in a store window (and even took a picture of it!). I managed to get it for her while I was in LA and the girls presented to her at dinner. I think she liked it. Sometimes its hard to tell...



But, I do know she loved the Pierre Marcolini Chocolate cake that I got for her! It's no secret how much she enjoys his chocolates, so for me, it was a no-brainer that she would love the cake. And, I was right. It was rich, decadent and it also had the crunchy puff-pastry layer that she loves!



So, although it was a quiet night at home, I think it went pretty well.



Now, all I have to do is get through Christmas and I'm home free...

Carnival season in Maastricht

In Belgium, November 11 is a national holiday to commemorate Armistice Day, the end of fighting during World War I. In the US, November 11 is Veteran’s Day, to honor our military veterans.



But, in the Netherlands, November 11 is Party Time! It is the beginning of one of the world’s longest Carnival festivals, the Roman Catholic celebration usually held just prior to Lent. Apparently in the Netherlands, the Dutch believe it’s never too early to start partying.

We found out all this strictly by accident. To take advantage of this day off from work (and despite the fact I was fighting jet lag from my trip to LA), the girls wanted to get out of the house and go do some sightseeing. We decided to visit the nearby town of Maastricht, just over the Belgian/Dutch border. Approximately an hour’s drive from Tervuren, we headed out to the town centre and arrived just after lunch time.



What we found was a huge crowd of people, gathered around a small square filled with food booths, games, a stage with live entertainment and plenty of alcohol! It was quite a pleasant surprise for us all.



The people we met there were all very friendly and eager to help explain to us the meaning of the Carnival season in the Netherlands. No doubt they noticed the look on our faces as the crowds of costumed party goers sang songs, drank beer and celebrated the start of this long Carnival event – scheduled to continue on through til the grand finale event in February!





Maybe we'll have to come back again for that...

Trick-or-Treating in Belgium?!

Although Belgium doesn't typically celebrate Halloween, we found several activities for the girls to enjoy one of their favorite holidays. In addition to the Tervuren Halloween Walk we went to a few weeks ago, we took the girls trick-or-treating. The trick-or-treating was an organized event held in Overijse where participants were given a route-map of 45 host houses handing out treats. Hundreds of children of all ages were parading the route having a great time (including our two little princesses).

Mommy sharing Halloween in DS' classroom...



The girls having fun at a few Halloween parties...



And by far the best Halloween treat of all, was a spur-of-the-moment trip to Disneyland Paris!

Happy Halloween from Belgium!