Together Again!

On Saturday morning, Ryan flew home from Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  He's home!!!  The kids and I had been without our father/husband for 67 days.  Ryan was without his family.  Ryan was doing legal training and it was a long separation.  There were extremely difficult days - for all of us.  But we realize that many families experience greater distance for longer periods of time and we are extremely grateful to be safely together again.  DADDY'S HOME!  It took the kids zero time to adjust to having Daddy back.

We enjoyed brunch at my parents' house and played for a bit

Then we took the long route home and stopped in Cambridge for lunch.  I had been wanting to try out this asian noodle chain.  It did not disappoint.

I ended up putting the bowl in front of her.  It was chili broth, and she still devoured it!  That's my girl.

Ryan suggested we share some gelato.  I think he and I got a few bites each in between the red-haried vultures!

Each day Ryan was away, the kids picked out a colored shape and we wrote something we liked or are grateful for about Daddy.  It was fun to see the letters slowly fill up with colorful reminders of how great a father Ryan is.

We moved the letters to one of the front windows to greet Daddy when we finally got back home.

He's HOME!!

Belgium, part 3 - Ghent

On our last day, we spent a few hours in Ghent before boarding the ferry and heading back home.  When we arrived in Ghent it was POURING rain, so we ducked inside an Italian restaurant for lunch.  Thankfully, the rain let up and we were able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon without getting too wet.  I didn't have my camera with me, so these pictures are all from my mom.

  

Inside a catholic church

We went up in the bell tower and were there at the right time to watch this wheel do it's work while the clock rang out.  It was massive and fascinating.

View from the top

We paused for a sword fight, then went to use up the last of our Euros buying chocolate . . . Mmmmm!  Yay for Belgium!

Belgium, part 2 - Brussels

After a day in Bruges, we drove to Brussels and were graciously welcomed by some of my parents' friends, who have two precious kids.  They let us in on their Friday night family tradition of gelato.  Yes, please!

Rooke and Shelby had met once before.  They became great friends in a short amount of time, which was a fun thing for this mommy to observe.

Ever the scavenger.

Our next day was spent in and around downtown Brussels.  We started with a walk through of the Royal Palace.

In the main square (Grand Place).

Belgium does french fries very well. 

Brussels is home to the oldest shopping centre in Europe.

Our second stop for waffles.  This one was even better than the first!

I felt bad about not feeling bad that she slept through the treat.  Less for me to share!

Belgium, part 1 - Bruges

A couple weekends ago, my parents graciously took the kids and I for a long weekend holiday to Belgium!  (More later on why Ryan didn't go)  Aside from my three-year-old being typically three at times, we had a great get-away!  It was my first time stepping foot on the actual continent and I was grateful for the change of pace and scenery, not to mention help from KayeK and Big Daddy with the kids.

We drove to Dover and rode the ferry over to France.  It was the perfect way to break up the drive and let the kids run around a little.

There was quite a bit of snacking on this trip.  But that's what vacations are for, right?!

We got to our hotel in Bruges close to bedtime, so I grabbed Belgium's version of a chicken nugget happy meal for the kids to share at the little table in our room.  They thought it was great!

Our hotel couldn't have been any closer to the town square!  The yellow awnings were the front desk and the green umbrellas in the distance are the main square.  Bruges was one of the most quaint cities I've ever seen.

We spent the first part of our full day doing a boat tour on the canals.  It was a great way to see some of the incredible architecture and to hear how OLD everything is.  13th and 14th century homes!

 

After some walking, we stopped to get our first belgian waffle.  YUM.  How can you go wrong with a waffle smothered in cream and chocolate syrup?! 

We went through the Chocolate Museum and learned about why Belgian chocolate is so special.  Rooke slept through most of it, and I chased an over-tired Gretchen around so I really couldn't tell you much.  But the tasting bites were fun!

Next time we go (because I'm hoping for another trip!) we'll climb that bell tower in the distance.

Silly Siblings

The kids were playing at KayeK and Big Daddy's house.  Gretchen is definitely her own person, but have I mentioned how she likes to imitate her brother?!

My Sensitive Warrior

We were playing outside when Rooke bolted for the house.  A minute later he emerged with the two most important things for war: a sword and Puppy Dog.  Some of the neighbor kids were playing a game and Rooke decided he wanted in on the action.  The sword was the envy of the group.  But Rooke was oblivious.  He was focused on conquering the playground with Puppy at his side.

oh, how I've tried to get him to wear crocs without socks, or at least ankle socks . . . it's not a battle I'm choosing to fight, but I'm prideful enough that I just needed to put that disclaimer out there

Working out their game plan:

CHARGE!

Our First Visitors

We had our first official England visitors earlier this month.  My dear friend, Tricia, and her sweet daughter, Myla, came and spent the week with us.  The visit was a true gift of love.  Tricia used up all her miles, flew from Texas by herself with her almost two-year-old on her lap to face crazy jet lag (which, miraculously, wasn't that bad for them), and a weary mom with two energized munchkins.  I'm selfishly so glad they came.  The week spent together was exactly what I needed.  Thank you for coming, Dealy girls!

  

We spent their first full day here trekking around London.  

Sitting on the top deck of the Red Bus Tour.  Myla thought it was great!  My kids weren't as amused.

A picnic at St. James park

I see this expression a lot:

Sweet, sweet Myla who was an angel the whole week.

We also did a half-day trip to Cambridge . . .

Snack break in front of King's College

Surrounded by incredible architecture, and he was taken by the garbage truck!

There are bikes everywhere in Cambridge

Burning some energy on the Jesus Green!

The girls had fun doing bath time together.