Catch!

Durbuy

Last weekend we rented a "gite" in the ardennes with some friends. The gite belongs to a family who also owns and operates the dairy farm that is located on the same grounds as the gite. There were 200 cows (and one goat) greeting us every morning when we woke up! The gite is located close to Durbuy, whose claim to fame is that it is the "smallest town in the world". A strange claim to fame, but we had fun walking around this really cute town and doing some hiking in the hills surrounding the town. Some our favorite pics:

Father and son in the shadows of the imposing castle of Durbuy:


Father and son taking a nap while hiking:


Can this be called sleepwalking?


Where's Waldo?


Having lunch outside - it was a gorgeous day!


After lunch it was mommy's turn to carry Luke:


On sunday we visited the dairy farm. Luke loved the newborn calfs! This one was barely a few days old.


We then got to see the cows being milked and received a bottle of fresh milk to take home with us.


On Sunday we took one last walk along the fields of nearby farms. This is a typical view of farmland in Belgium, rain and all.

frisbee practice

On Sunday I coached the Belgian Women's Frisbee team. Guess who the star of the practice was?

Balloon Day Parade

Last Saturday, Brussels held its first ever "Big Balloon Day Parade". No reason to have a parade, other than it's the end of february and everyone needs a little upper to get through the end of the winter.

Our timing was perfect. We caught the beginning of the parade just as we walked out of the metro stop. And what would be a more appropriate balloon to start the parade than Brussels' own Manneken Pis? I can't believe this balloon hasn't featured in the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade yet!










After the parade, Luke took a well-deserved nap while mom and dad had a well deserved waffle and beer at the Grand Place.

Rockin' Away

Luke's discovered the rocking chair, and loves sitting in it while someone rocks him back and forth.

February update

A lot happened since my last blog entry. Let me see...

In early January, after spending a whole week cooped up in our apartment because of the crappy cold and rainy weather, we finally decided to defy the rain gods and go for a hike in the Foret des Soignes. Miraculously, as soon as we got there, the clouds broke up and we had a great hike under the sun. Lots of pictures here.

Then Alex went to the US for work and obama-mania. Work was just an excuse to go see Obama I think.


Obama fans:


And then it was my bday. Alex organized a great surprise party for me with my parents and niece/nephew. We sang, we ate, we went to the aquarium. A perfect day! Check out the pics.

Now it's the end of February and we're really looking forward to the spring. Early tulips are starting to make an appearance in stores and on my balcony the crocii are pushing through the dirt. Let's hope the sun will follow soon.

Photos noel et nouvel an

Quelques photos de Noel et Nouvel An:

http://picasaweb.google.com/asavineau/NoelNouvelAn#

C'etait tres chouette de retrouver toute la famille!