The Daily Grind

From time to time, I will probably post about our everyday surroundings and activities.  It is my desire for our family to be able to look back at these posts and savor every memory possible from this experience.  So often we document and photograph the big occasions, trips, birthdays but forget to remember that life is comprised 95% of the time by normal, seemingly mundane.  However, we are to make the most of each day - whether BIG or small in our eyes!

On that note, here is a bit of info on our little part of Brussels.  The city of Brussels is divided into 19 communes.  Each commune was a "Town Hall" type government building, where you must register when you become a resident of Brussels (actually it ends up being about 3 or 4 visits, but this is not a post about government inefficiencies).  We live in the commune of Woluwe St. Pierre.  It is on the eastern side of the city, and we love it here.  It is a great mix of city life with local markets, tram/metro/bus access, local shops and yet tons of green space, plenty of large trees and wild life! 

There is a beautiful tree lined road, Avenue de Tevuren, which has been a favorite of mine from the first time we visited the city in December last year.  

You can barely see the tram tack along the left side of the picture and there is a bike bath along the right side.

A better view of the bike path.

Ethan making use of the bike path!  We had a beautiful Friday night and allowed the kids to take their scooters on an evening walk. 

Here are a few other pictures of the area surrounding our home.  We live approximately 1 km south of the Stockel metro stop.  Stockel is the last stop on the east side of the 1 metro line.  All that said, we are technically in the city limits of Brussels, but it feels a bit more like the suburbs.  It has all the conveniences of the city, and we are able to hop onto the metro and be downtown within 15 minutes.  This is a picture of me and the kids taking a walk down the main street, Rue de Maddeaux, which leads up to the metro stop.  The tram tracks are on the left side of the picture

This is the entrance to our street off of Maddeaux.  We have a wonderful green area in the middle and our street is a bit like a cul-de-sac. 

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Here is a picture of our house and our van!  Believe it or not, but this picture was taken at 8:45 p.m.!  It is still bright here at 10:00 p.m.  Jason and I plan to take some pictures around June 21st to see how late the daylight will last on the longest day of the year!

Speaking of our van.  Our family has downsized to be a single car family.  Vehicles, taxes, and gas are all very expensive here in Brussels, so Jason is using mostly public transport to get to work.  As we live only ~ 4 km from his work, his commute takes about 25-30 minutes.  The other funny thing about the van is that it is a manual shift!  Thanks, Dad, for making me drive a 5 speed back in high school!  It has really come in handy here in Europe!

This is the photo of the tram stop directly across from the entrance to our street.  This is where Jason catches the tram during the work week.  Across the street for the tram stop we have the gas station and small grocery store shown below.

You would be amazed how many groceries they pack in that little store.  It looks like a small convenience store, but they have fruit, vegetables, fresh bread, lunch meat, cheese - even cooking oil!  I know because I ran out of oil the other day and they actually had it so I could finish making my banana bread!  The prices really aren't much higher than the larger Carrefour, so it is a great option when we are in a pinch. 

Finally, I wanted to include a few updated pics of the kids to show how they are growing and what they have been up to.  The first part of our week tends to be a little slower.  We usually have Monday and Tuesday to get some school work accomlished and see some friends.  Wednesday we have a playgroup in the morning and ballet in the afternoon.  Thursdsay is busy with Bible study at our church in the AM and then swimming in the afternoon.  On Friday's, we've been attending a homeschool co-op, but that has finished up for the summer.  I am looking forward to all of the afternoon activities wrapping up in the next week or two!

Here's Jenna at her birthday party.  She and I made the cake that morning and she invited three friends over for a party.  They did lots of crafting and ended the party with a water balloon fight!  She was even nice enough to allow her 5 year old brother in on the festivities.

Ethan is getting so big!  I can't believe he is 5.  He and Jenna are very imaginative and play together so well.  They have been spending their days playing Star Wars, Narnia and their new found favorite toy - Playmobile!  Ethan has done well in school this year despite our hectic schedule and is only 7 lessons away from completing his 100 reading lessons.  We are planning a trip to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate when we return to the US in July for a summer visit.

Last, but not least, here is our Drew.  He has been developing a great personality over the last few months.  He is talking so much more, and picking up new words daily.  He loves wrestling time with his Dad and big brother, but will also sit and read books with us for quite a while.  It is hard to believe he will be 2 years old in only 3 months!

Here are a few shots of the kids enjoying the back yard.  Ethan is preparing for battle, as you can tell below!  I love seeing their imaginations at work.

It looks like he's been hit!

The weather is slowly improving here, and we have been blessed with several days in the 70's and even a little sun!  Our next two weekends are filled with some exciting events that we can't wait to share.  Also, we are headed back to the States for three weeks in July and can't wait to see all of our family and friends!  All told, Jason and I feel like we are finally coming up for air after six of the busiest months of our lives.  It is a wonderful feeling and we are so excited to see what is in store for us during the rest of our time here in Brussels.