Little Gym Boys

When we first arrived in August, I was scouring the internet to find something fun to put on our schedule.  We found the Little Gym had consecutive classes for the boys' age groups so we signed up for a half year.  Boy am I glad we did!  It did us so much good.  First of all, the boys absolutely loved it.  They flourished in those classes even though they were at least half in Dutch.  It also got me out of my comfort zone, biking across town about 35 minutes one-way, which also gave me real deal exercise.  :)   I learned to navigate the tram and bus system on cold, rainy days when I didn't want to brave the bike/rain-suit route. And since God is in the providing department, we met great friends there  that I know we will keep beyond the classes.

Louis' class was first and it was a parent/child class so we got to have some one-on-one time and Bateman was able to be social with whoever was in the lobby.  Ah, my social butterfly!  Bateman was quite proud to do his 3/4 year old class all by himself.  They both had such smiles on their faces every time.

The end of our session came at a perfect time.  Bateman was starting school in a month and with pregnancy, I was growing (ha!) weary of the journey!  The boys had a lovely End-of-Session show, and they had a great time performing for Richard Carey and me.  They even got medals at the end, which they still wear!  I am so grateful for our time there.

Bruges, Belgium

The last weekend of January, we took a little trip to Bruges, Belgium.  We rented a car and drove three and a half hours southwest to escape into a precious little preserved medieval town.  Time did not touch this place very much in the last couple hundred years.  There were original cobblestone streets and bridges.  There were churches that were started in the late 800s.  I'm not missing a "1" in front.  800s!  It was a bit magical.  We stayed in a vacation rental that was originally built in the 1700s.  It was cute, and the owners were so hospitable.  They had belgium beer and chocolates waiting for us and they put Disney's Cars sheets on the boys' beds!  Bateman couldn't wait to go to bed on his Cars sheets!

The boys in our courtyard.

Leaving for our first morning of adventure.

Belgian waffles at a cute patisserie.

Once our bellies were fuller than full, we were ready for a horse and buggy tour of the city!  Our horse's name was Felix and he trotted along the stones showing us all the history of the city.  One of my favorite sites was called a Godhuis (meaning God House).  These were built around the 1700s by the rich people for the poor people to have a place to live.  Here's the catch:  since the rich people were so busy (being rich?) and didn't have time to pray, the poor people had to pray for them.  Hilarious.  Now these godhuisen have been turned into retirement homes.  It's neat that they have been repurposed, and they still say Godhuis on them.  The carriage ride was a perfect way to get acquainted with the city.

Here are the boys in front of the Belfry that boasts 366 steps to the top.

Here's Felix bobbing and weaving through all the streets.

Can you believe the boys fell asleep on the ride?  Me neither.  :)

After the carriage ride, we did a little walking around.  We went inside of the 1200 year old Onze Lieve Vrowekerk (Our Lady Church),  where we saw Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.  Just amazingly beautiful!

The boys were getting ready to really fall asleep, so we walked back to our place for a nap.  Richard Carey decided to go back out and explore while we were resting.  He was hoping to climb the Belfry, but the wait was incredibly long.  So he opted for a snack instead.

We were rained out Saturday evening so we just played in our little place.

The boys and their Sunday morning tradition: Coffee.

After we found a beautiful Mass (in Dutch), we drove to the English Channel.  It was our first trip to the sea since our arrival.  It was cold and windy and overcast, but still amazing.

Seafood by the sea.  Bateman snapping photos.  :)

Love love loved Bruges!  Would certainly go back.  Alrighty, tot ziens!

De Waterkant Croissant

In exactly 4 weeks, Bateman starts school.  5 days per week.  My stomach turns.  I don't know how I'll separate from him for 5 days each week!  I think he'll probably adjust much faster than I will.  We took a field trip to his school this morning just to show him what it looks like and to play in the playground there.  As we were getting closer, Bateman's face was illuminated and he said "De Waterkant is really cool!"  He just can't wait.
De Waterkant (The Waterfront) is the name of his new school, which gets its name from being at the intersection of two canals.  When we first received our results from the school lottery and told Bateman he was going to De Waterkant, he thought it sounded like De Croissant.  So that's what he calls it sometimes.  It's a Dutch public school and in the school system here, children start school the day they turn 4, even if it's the middle of the school year.  Each public school here seems to have different methodologies.  This school follows the Dalton method of education which originated in the U.S.  This method focuses on having the children develop initiative and self-reliance.  To help foster this, the students are given choices each day of how to spend certain blocks of time and then they later use a system to reflect on how they learned during that time.
I met with the director a few weeks ago to discuss Bateman's enrollment.  I was a little afraid that she would only speak to me in Dutch or she would recommend that I be proficient in Dutch by March 1 if I want my child to attend this school.  I mean, we're sending our child to school in another language.  Perhaps we should know something.  I was relieved that the director spoke to me in English and she encouraged me to just continue building our native language at home and they would do the rest at school.  Woohoo!  That relieved some pressure.  It's not that I don't want to learn it or that I don't try at all.  I'm just a beginner, at best.  Of course, we can always change the schooling situation if it doesn't work out for whatever reason.  Richard Carey and I just think it would be great for his little brain cells to be worked in this way at his age, and it's a great way to meet other families and get more involved in the local culture.
We found out that his teacher's name is Anna-Marija, which is such a God gift to have his first teacher's name be the same as his godmother Anne Marie.  His classroom is filled with fun hands-on activities, including a costume corner which will be the place he lands any time he's given free time, I'm sure.  There's an indoor gym with mats and beams and sports equipment.  It looks so great.  I just have to learn to let go a little, you know?  Only four more weeks, then I'll be baking croissants, of course, before his first day of school!

Louis won't mind playing while his brother's inside!

In the background, you can see a canal in the background with a bridge going across.