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Published: October 29th 2007
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I am putting this blog together purely for the enjoyment of our friends who can't be here with us, and for Bill and Wendy's family so they can enjoy a taste of our adventures.
Bill, Wendy, Sophie & Collin had a whirlwind 24 hours in Paris. They saw the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Couer, Notre Dame and Luxembourg Gardens. They tackled playgrounds, metros and massive amounts of stairs. They returned to us earlier than expected but other than exhausted were relatively unscathed from their time in the big city.
Friday was billed as a down day for all of us. The adults got to work out together in the morning and Jonathan decided to take the day off of work. We all went to Provinciaal Park together and had an amazing time on the playground. (There are mislabeled video clips at the top of the blog here if you want to check out some of the action.) They were all in awe of our incredible playground. Friday night was a super treat because Bill and Wendy stayed home with the kids and Jonathan and I went out on our first date in Leuven! It was wonderful. We went out to
a completely delicious Portuguese dinner and then to a bar on the Oude Markt for a post dinner drink. It was so much fun to be out enjoying a meal just the two of us.
Saturday morning Jonathan left for the last trip back to the States before our return in January. There was no bus to get him there so we strapped two suitcases on our backs (he is bringing stuff home in anticipation of our departure) and biked there. When I returned the kids were getting up and Wendy & Bill's crew were preparing for an adventure at Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. They rented a car and drove up to the windmills where they got a big kick out of going inside one. They stopped in the Dutch town of Dordrecht on the way home and made it back in time for Wendy and I to go for a run before dinner. We had a huge evening meal: roast chickens, sweet potatoes, broccoli, salad and for dessert, to celebrate Bill's birthday, an applesauce raisin cake. There were no complaints.
Sunday we had to deal with daylight savings time and the kids getting up too early for
On the Spider Web at Provinciaal
The whole family monkey-ing around. my liking. But it got Bill and I out for a run early and off to Gent earlier than expected. We had expected rain but luckily it stayed dry, though a little on the cool side. The kids loooooved showing the castle off to their friends. I tried to convince Bill & Wendy to go off on a romantic adventure to Brugge for dinner but they ended up helping me out going home with the five kids. Grilled cheese, soup and movie for the kids before Bill & Wendy went out to dinner by themselves in Leuven.
Monday it rained all day long. They were so lucky with the weather this week that we didn't mind the chilly dampness too much. We trekked around town to pick up last minute gifts and after lunch went to the pool for some good times. Unfortunately I think I have caught what Wendy had last week and I feel miserable. We still managed to go out for pizza in Leuven and get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour. The moms have been very teary at the whole goodbye- thing but the kids don't seem too fazed (yet). The crew leaves
tomorrow morning at 5:30 am to catch the first bus of the morning to the train station to catch the train to the airport. We will be in mourning part of the day and have planned a full fledged day in bed in our pajamas reading and relaxing (before doing lots of laundry in anticipation of more guests next week!). We will miss our friends dearly, but we had such an amazing European adventure together!
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Sue (Wendy's mom)
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Thank you once again for sharing with us. Next time I'm going for sure. Wendy says for my 60th birthday...it's closer than I'd like to admit. Enjoy the rest of your stay.