the Boss

Mackenzie...put her dirty gardening hands up to the phone to show nana...said "hi" to my feet under the shower curtain (my feet "answered").

Her world is full of real and imagined spiders. To Mackenzie, ants are spiders, a thread the other day was a snake and any foreign object on clothing is a "bug" of some type.

Her life is a mix of clumsy bumps and strange little surprises. Recently...a big smile from Kenzie as she pushed a door to the wall...laughs became tears as the door bounced from the wall and nailed her! Eventually, other lessons in life will be much more painful, of course, but, for now, these are tragedies.

She's only 2 but she's already had her first field trip. She views her parents as servants. Come to think of it, so do Dylan and Taylor! She gets her way with her brother and sister more than she does with her parents. In other words, they are bigger suckers than us!

A soft "yay" escapes when given permission..it's hard to say no to the boss...

Vegas, Baby!

Since time doesn't seem to exist in Vegas there was little problem adjusting to the 9 hour time difference from Belgium. To make it easier, I was charged up to see everyone after nearly a full day's travel.

Getting to Vegas was like a slow motion dream. But, any twenty hour trip would be, especially with delays, missed connections, and shared taxis. It sounds like I'm whining...Poor Ted, lives in europe and had such a hard day's travel to spend 4 days with his family in Vegas...I know, it's rough. Still, it's been a long day when a face wash in the airport bathroom is not only necessary, but refreshing. It's hard to be me.

There's something great about being the last to arrive. Everyone's waiting for you, eye's light up, hugs are exchanged, lots of energy emanates. From that positive vibe I started my day and a half winning streak at craps and, believe it or not, video poker. Of course, I was there for 4 days so the next three days were spent squandering those winnings back to nearly even. Still, only the casino employees took my money home this time (tips). Figuring in the occasional free cocktail, I did OK. It's been so long since Vegas now that I'm not sure if the picture to the right is my big winner or someone else's in the family (I think Deb won a big one also). I do know Deb took the picture.

It's not all about me, of course, and Deb and Chris proved this by being the big winners. They both play with the theory that blackjack is streaky. You lose, lose, lose...you win, win, win. When you're lose, lose, losing, you keep your bets low. Everytime you win a bet, you raise your bet. It's one of those things in life that sounds a lot easier than it is. But when you hit a good streak it pays dividends. I doubt if either of them won more hands than the casino, but on their winning streaks they strangled the gold from the Golden Nugget.

Others fared less well, although Lisa has been the big winner in the previous two outings. I don't know if next year will be mom's turn, but I want to be at that craps table if it happens...If only to hear her whistle! Bernie is wiser than the rest of us since he mostly watches and dabbles a little. Amy broke even since she wasn't there. Hopefully she'll join us when the kids are older and we're back in the states.

Other highlights: Binion's Steakhouse---the annual visit for the great food and the scary elevator ride. Mixing with the Ft. Collins crew. The football playoffs. Cirque Du Soleil's "O" with Deb and Bernie---what a show!

One of the great things about Vegas---everyone can have their own schedule and still spend time together. Need to see a show? Go along with Deb and Bernie. Want to stay up til 3 am? Chris will join you. Go to bed before midnight and you'll be up for breakfast with mom and Lisa. Sleep til noon? No worries...you'll be with everyone from then until late at night.

Amy met me in the school parking lot with the smile that makes her green eyes... We startled Veerle as Amy and I kissed and hugged. Maybe that was a bit too much outward emotion. I explained that I hadn't seen her for 5 days...

Oh, the hardest part about Vegas: You really need a few days rest afterwards to get over it. As I said before...It's hard to be me. Can't wait until next year.

Late nights, lazy days

So long has it taken me to blog Christmas that I'm now more excited about our summer visit home than I am about reminiscing. I'm a procrastinator who's in over his head. Since Christmas I've been to Vegas, Amy met up with Julie in London, and my sisters (Lisa and Chris) visited and joined us on a trip to Scotland. Many other recent events are blogworthy as well. John and Kim come in a week and we're seeing the Loire Valley (France) with them. If I don't get typing I risk being swamped under...

Two yearly visits aren't enough to see the people we care about. Of course, it's fair to say that we didn't see friends and family enough when we lived nearby. Another lesson learned. At least things such as time, distance, gray hair, extra pounds, wrinkles, and lacking or unwanted hair don't seem to change much between friends. Our visit to Minneapolis was short but eventful.

The O'Hallorans dropped me off early. Mom arrived on time. It all seemed so simple. Yet we waited 30 feet away from each other for nearly an hour. We'd still be waiting if not for cell phones. This was the first I'd seen her since her heart attack. She looked great, felt pretty good, and wasn't thrilled with her diet restrictions.

Mom and I made up for that lost hour over the next few days. One evening we met Erik and Ty at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Mom and Ty switched into Fox News mode which, as one may imagine, brought about a passionate discussion in which old topics were rehashed and absolutely nothing was solved. Thus, inevitably, this conversation will happen again soon. Ty's swearing increased steadily with each shot of Jack he consumed. Mom ordered a white zinfandel and received a strange look from the waitress. Ty, in his army fatigues, carried Erik's framed Uncle Sam poster thru uptown. It looked like he was taking military recruiting to the streets...quite an unusual sight. Mom went home, the rest of us detoured to Erik's and then to the Bulldog for some good greasy American food. My previously twice a month get togethers with Erik are now twice a year. No fair.

Randy and I caught up at the Big Ten. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Randy reminded me of Fred (his father)...this was a new and interesting twist: not only am I becoming my father but I'm watching my friends become theirs...Shit!...things are strange, or at least worth a good laugh. Catching up with Randy is like a night in Vegas...3 hours seem like 20 minutes...a good soul.

Deb and Bernie arrived and the children were outnumbered. The kids had a second Christmas at nana's and were entertained with snow forts, crystals, neck pillows, Star Wars, cousins, the indoor park... Deb brought her camera and her itchy trigger finger. Dylan, famous within the family for ducking out of photos, would have been exhausted had he tried to outrun Deb. On vacation, the lazy mornings are nearly as nice as the late nights which precede them. We had plenty of both with mom, Deb and Bernie (and with Rosie and the McMonagle's in GB for that matter). Hopefully Deb and Bernie will come to Antwerp this summer or fall.

New years eve was to be a quiet evening at mom's with Julie, Trevor and Lexi coming over for dinner. This was the first significant snowfall of the winter and they got in an accident. All involved ended up being OK but Trevor was badly injured. Having been through an ordeal but things are better now. We'll be seeing a lot of Trev, Lexi, and Julie in the states and when we go to Italy with them this summer.

Amy worked at corporate a few days, thus missing out on some of the late nights and lazy mornings mentioned before. She caught up with work friends, hung with the family, and took a girl's night out with the book club.

The holidays at the Browne's aren't complete without football. As a kid the game was even on during Thanksgiving dinner...unless it was a blowout. Some might think this would take away from family time but, when it comes to football, the Browne's are excellent multi-taskers. Many of my fond memories of family are tied in with football. This trip Bernie and I watched possibly the greatest NCAA game I've ever seen: Boise St./Oklahoma. There were clutch plays, a hook and lateral, lot's of back and forth, overtime, a behind the back Statue of Liberty play, and even a successful marriage proposal! Best part--Underdog State outduels Goliath U. What fun!

I caught another bowl game at Majors with college friends. It was fun but the night was too short and I felt like I barely talked with anyone. I'm hoping these guys will come to Oktoberfest with me in the fall but it looks as though it won't happen this year... maybe next.

At Mac and Kathy's we saw TC and Dale, Eric N., and Ann and Dan. The kids played, the adults hung out. We'll be at Mac and Kathy's cottage for the 4th of July. That will be a blast.

Things are changing fast back home. Erik's moving to Ohio, Ty's shipping off to Iraq, others with new babies, new pregnancies, or new homes. Back home in 6 weeks!

Planes, trains, automobiles...and buses too!

Christmas! The States! A day of travel with three children six and under...ouch. The day before our trip...a Belgian friend: "London is fogged in. Aren't you flying thru London?" Uhhh, yeah, we are...A phone call, a flight cancellation, a new flight, a car ride to Brussels, and we're on our way...to a layover in London...Perfect for my Christmas shopping for Amy (and her for me)...a $60 bagel lunch for the 5 of us..."Let's get some sleep on the 8 hour flight to Chicago"...doubtful, at least for those of us over the age of 6...I have too much adrenaline going now but if I listen to the Ipod maybe I can sleep...OK, maybe not...airplane seats...Amy and I are a good team when we travel..."you take Mackenzie to start...I'll finish"...unless, of course, she sleeps forever or just wants mom (like she usually does)...I'll hang with Taylor and Dylan who want mom's attention too but are a great deal more reasonable than the 2 year old. Our children endure a lot...of course they're sleeping now, unlike Amy and me...irrelevant...Chicago soon...last plane change...we'll sleep after we see grandma Rosie...Chicago...American English everywhere...a train ride to a different terminal...it was a bus in London...we're covering all the bases...Quote from the London to Chicago flight, "Flight attendants (plural) prepare for landing." Quote from the Chicago to Green Bay flight, "Flight attendant (singular) prepare for landing." We're in the upper midwest of America because our only flight attendant sounds like she starred in "Fargo." "Yaaa Hey Dare." Welcome home....or close enough to it. Rosie at the airport...a great surprise...rental car....no narrow european streets...nice...American strip malls...convenient but ugly. The first night we had Rosie to ourselves...not common with the McMonagle family...soon the house would be crowded.

Next day...even with no snow on the ground, spending Christmas Eve with their cousins was nearly perfect for Taylor, Dylan and Mackenzie...the glitch...Dylan had been sick since we arrived in Green Bay. Sadly, this was just the beginning.

Christmas Day...Curiously, Santa combined the traditions of the three families staying with grandma Rosie, thus no difficult questions arose. Soon everyone started arriving for Christmas dinner...a football game broke out between a bunch of "has beens," and also Jacob, and Adam. As expected in these sorts of games the 6 year old gets the attention of the old guys, and the teenager gets somewhat ignored. This is not because we like six year olds better than teenagers, we just don't want to admit that the teenager is now as fast as, and soon to be, faster than us...thus we pretend it's not happening. Dinnertime arrived and some of that achy feeling I had was from football, and most from the virus that would play a major part in many of our lives over the next day and a half. It was a great family gathering...catching up with everyone (I remember John and Fred in particular)...unfortunately my white blood cells were circling the wagons...Christmas was an early night for me.

Leno would have some good material for what happened over the next day or so...best not to dwell on it too much. As I look back now, I have fond memories of this past Christmas...fifteen years of my life have been spent near Mac, Kathy, and Jules, so it was nice to be spend time with them after not seeing them for 6 months. On the lighter side, I look back and laugh at: Mac pretending to like the strong Belgian beer I brought...a gift for Amy surviving 5000 miles unscathed only to break in the last 10 meters as I pulled it from it's hiding place...sitting in the bathroom in the wee hours awaiting the inevitable...a knock at the door...it was Julie with Lexi, who's inevitable trumped mine by about one minute...there are so many McMonagles that one must wait in line to be sick even if it's 4 in the morning!

The day after Christmas...recovery, relaxation, conversation...quarantine. The next day I'd catch a ride with the O'Hallorans back to Minneapolis, leaving Amy and the kids behind to continue their quality time with grandma Rosie and the cousins.

Our hero!

Mackenzie woke up around three in the morning the other night with that nasty cold she has. As I was stirring and debating if I should do something, Amy rolled out of bed to the rescue. Soon Mackenzie was calm and Amy was asleep once again. As usual, I remained awake. Not long after this I heard movements downstairs, specifically the kicking of our metal compost can...a distinct sound...either Taylor or Dylan must be downstairs. Then Murphy, our hero, began to bark. Not her 7 am whiney, "feed me" bark, but a hoarse, "I'm old, yet angry," bark. I looked at the clock--3 something...who kicked the can and why is Murphy mad? Amy's in bed, Mackenzie doesn't ever leave her room at night...strange...I'll make sure the other two aren't sleepwalking...Murphy is still barking...Taylor and Dylan are indeed sleeping...I'm not! Murphy's bark is coming from her sleep area...as I'm struck with "analysis paralysis" she gathers more courage than me and comes out of her room into the main entrance hallway. I assume this means whoever may have been here was now gone. I was feeling about as brave as the "early morning killer ferret" moment Tommy Lockner and I shared shortly after college. I woke Amy and we went downstairs, still not certain someone had intruded. Amy asks, "did you put that chair (that blocks the kitchen door) on the table?" No, but it sure would make it easier to leave the house quietly, since it no longer blocks the door. Chills down the spine as the truth is evident...now we're certain...we walk the house. The door by the table no longer has an outside lock...pulled out by force...the good news...our visitor is gone. A phone call to the cops...an aggressive response (police combing the neighborhood...running, shining flashlights in the hedges)...they brought in the sniffer dog about 30 minutes after the first police visit, an hour after our initial phone call...there were at least 2 other attempts in the neighborhood after us. That's strange since this person was scared off by Murphy and had to hear me stumble out of bed...he (she?) must have known we'd call the police, yet they made 2 more attempts on our block...dumb and lucky...they got away.

Taylor's world

Taylor inadvertently gave me one of the great moments of my recent memory. In a placement test, not long after we moved to Belgium, she responded correctly to nearly all questions. One question was apparently more complicated..."How many meters tall is your father?" Taylor needed assistance as to the length of a meter...about her arms length...OK..."dad is 10 meters tall!" As tall as a 3 story building....YES!

Taylor is sometimes the other parent...scolding Dylan for saying "poop"...asking Mackenzie to stop doing this or that...dishing out incorrect advice to her siblings...and so on.

She knows that she's the sibling to give in..."OK Mackenzie, you can play with what I'm holding...just so you'll be quiet." She's a good sport.

I guess every parent is amazed at how fast their children grow up...I'm no different. It can't be 7 years ago that I was scared driving Taylor home for the first time...wondering if she was going to survive the speed bumps as we exited the hospital...hoping we didn't get in an accident. Was it really 6 years ago that she wouldn't let us leave her room at bedtime without singing "Wheels on the Bus," until she was drifting off to sleep..."more bus...more bus!" It couldn't have been 5 years ago when Taylor looked at that picture of a hippo getting on a bus....I expected her to say, "hippo bus" or something to that effect...instead, she startled me with, "It's a hippopatumus getting on a bus." I realized then that things were changing fast. I guess it's been 4 years now since she started preschool and thought that the other Taylor in her class would look and act exactly as she did...after all they had the same name (we had the class list before school began). Tell me it wasn't 3 years ago that she was trying to whistle, snap her fingers, and blow bubbles with her gum...and doing all three before too long. Was it really almost 2 years ago that Taylor wanted to go to all day kindergarten so she'd be able to bring a lunchbox to school? Has it already been a year since she only spoke English? Have we really been in Belgium for a year? It's gone so fast.

Mackenzie's world

Mackenzie's world is derived in part from the words and actions of Dylan and Taylor. She is, of course, still an original. From Dylan she's learned: "Hands up!"

Mackenzie always seems to be hungry. After she says, "me hungeee," she rarely falls for any stalling tactic or diversionary method, with the occasional exception of Dora. Even if dinner is only half an hour away it's best to give her a snack rather than get chased around the kitchen by a leg hugging two year old..."me hungeee...me hungeee...!" Often, while I'm preparing dinner, Mackenzie decides that she needs more attention: "hode me...hode me...!" Same as above...try the Dora "card" or, more likely, give in and become the "one armed chef."

Kenzie tells you what she's up to even if you're there with her: "me coloring... me dressing...me mad"... She updates on who's along and who's not...the other night at the store with me: "Me shopping, daddy doo, nod mommy, nod DayDay, nod Dayan." She's even started to use her words and actions to demonstrate things--after falling off her chair the other day she cried, returned to her seat, and then leaned to one side and said, "me fall like this." Accustomed to incorrect phrases such as, "me here," I was surpised the other day. While I was looking for her on the upstairs level she called out to me from downstairs--"I'm down here!"

Mackenzie's bedtime ritual includes her blankie, doggy, and baby doggy (and, of course, her water cup). She often needs bandaids whether her accident leaves a mark or not. If I recall, this stage lasts a couple of years...we'll need to stock up.

Life has changed for her (and me)...she started school...and loves it. At first she cried at drop off ---now she hardly remembers to wave goodbye to me.

Dylan's world

The other night I helped Dylan complete his "Vrienden Boek" (friend book) for a friend of his at school. These books ask some fun and basic questions that even Amy and I can now (mostly) figure out without the Dutch/English dictionary. One question: "If you were stranded on a deserted island what would you want with you?" "What does deserted mean, dad?" "It means noone lives there." I think Dylan's answer was legos-------One day later: "Dad, can you tell me again about that 'candy island?'" "I don't remember a candy island." "The one you talked about last night--the one where noone lives ." Ooooohh--the deserted island....I get it...... "des(s)ert" island.....candy...

Amy to Dylan, "in 10 years, or so, you'll have whiskers." Dylan laughs, "mom, only cats and dogs have whiskers."

Today....Dylan: "Dad, I heard in school that someone's grandma has seen a flying dinosaur." My response: "dinosaurs have been gone for a long time, I'm sure she saw it's fossil in a museum." Dylan: "No dad, it was in a different country...not here or America!" Aaaah...so that's why I'm not familiar with it.

Sometimes he asks unanswerable questions and then confronts me regarding my response: Dylan--"Why are all these cars going the same direction as us? Are they all going to the same place?" Me--"Probably not." Dylan--"How do you know?"

Dylan constantly gives short insights into the workings of his brain. His quotes paint hilarious pictures--like a pterodactyl soaring above an island made of candy, or teenagers walking about with cat-like whiskers. What a guy!

Daytrip

Dinant is a small town in Belgium's Ardennes, about an hour and a half from Antwerp. It's two noteworthy tourist attractions are it's cathedral and the fortress, or citadel, that is perched on the cliff overlooking the town (both seen in the picture to the right). Mackenzie read the map on the drive and made some (pretend) cell phone calls to Amy..."Hi mom, yeah...OK, love you, bye-bye." It was nice to see hills, something not present in the flatlands of northern Belgium. Dinant is split by the river Meuse and seems to be squished up to the river by cliffs on one side and hills on the other. It's most famous denizen, Adolphe Sax, invented the saxophone. After all the statues of people I've seen in Europe, it was humorous to see a statue of a musical instrument in Dinant. My day trip with Mackenzie became more of a scouting mission after getting there only to discover that the Citadel was closed...poor planning by the tour director. The cathedral was impressive but Mackenzie wasn't in a quiet mood so it was a short visit. We skipped out of town and had lunch in Ciney--famous for one of Belgium's best beers--in my book at least. I hope to return to Dinant to see the Citadel...it would be a perfect tie in with some of the other great destinations in the Ardennes. Hopefully next summer.

Face Painting

Amy has made the comment that Belgians take their face painting seriously...here's proof (especially "Spiderman"). We'll be in the states in a week!

Dublin

A gracious invitation from the Polaskys brought us to Dublin recently. Amy and Doug know the city and thus they became our competent tour guides and unofficial hosts. Dylan, Mackenzie, and I flew out a day earlier than Amy and Taylor. Our flight attendant knew Dylan by name, in part, because of his extended decision making process when choosing drink and treat. This new friend was one of the first on the scene when he fell and injured his foot at the bottom of an airport escalator. I regret encouraging Dylan to go ahead of me as I gathered up Kenzie and the stroller. Another moment in life I wish I could change. Dylan limped through the weekend, riding in the stroller much of the time...an honor usually reserved for Mackenzie, and coveted by Dylan, even with two good feet. For a day and a half Dylan enjoyed that he was the oldest, and he acted accordingly, never complaining about his foot. Looking back, I must say that Dylan and the Irish are a pretty good fit; both are passionate and humorous. Dylan is the only person I can think of that says "darn it" with a tone usually put to stronger language, and he's absolutely certain that he tells more jokes than me (by this I think he means he's rarely serious). If I were to ask Dylan if he knew where my car keys were, he'd most likely say, "on your head!"

We met Amy, Doug and Joey, booted through St. Stephens Green (Dublin's "Central Park' as Amy P. would say), and walked to Trinity College, only to discover that we couldn't get in the library to see the famous Book of Kells. We ended up on Grafton St. as we would a few more times during the weekend. This is a "European-ish" pedestrian street, like the Meer in Antwerp, except with a few more drunks. A good Irish lunch, a rare thing according to Amy and Doug, and it was naptime. While I dozed, Dylan and Mackenzie watched TV...although it was supposed to be the other way around. Soon it was time for dinner...the Polaskys began our 3 1/2 day tour of how to avoid Irish food while in Ireland...that night we ate at TGI Fridays. Back in their hotel room we caught up. Joey, Dylan and Mackenzie became reacquainted, and mostly entertained themselves (they watched a lot of movies over the weekend, too). Joey, the good guy that he is, was nice enough to share his stroller with Dylan, which meant Doug had to carry Joey quite a bit. If you know Doug then you know that Joey probably had the best view in all of Dublin. Just before we left for our room that night, Mackenzie became sick...casualty number two. She went through a few sets of clothes and bedsheets but was finished by 1 am...plenty of time for some good sleep.

The next morning we continued at my vacation pace, which is the same as Amy's vacation pace if she were seven months pregnant. I know this from experience and, no, Amy is not pregnant. After sleeping in, watching cartoons, and grabbing a late bagel breakfast, we met up with our friends (jet lag had them sleeping odd hours). Bagels, not even near the top of my food list, were exciting since they don't exist in Belgium. We snacked at Subway before visiting the Jameson Whiskey distillery. The tour was informative and followed with a free shot of Jameson 7 year. Doug didn't like his much and I don't think Amy tried it, but they noticed that I finished mine. Thus, those nice, sneaky people, bought me (and some of their friends back home) a personalized bottle of 12 year Jameson. A very nice gift. A visit to Google taught me that whiskey doesn't continue to age once it's been bottled, so I opened it (in Belgium). The 12 year is worth the wait! OK--it was time for another nap and soon Amy and Tay would arrive. To emphasize Amy and Doug's aversion to Irish food, we ordered Dominoes for dinner. By this time Joey had locked on to the fact that he and Dylan had the same pair of Target shoes. He decided that he was only going to wear those shoes for the weekend because of his friend, Dylan. The girls arrived and the crew was complete! Vomiting and foot injuries considered, I still had the better end of the deal that weekend. Amy wasn't able to watch cartoons until noon, or have a shot of whiskey! Worse yet, she had to work (not that parenting a 2 and 5 year old isn't work). Dylan returned to middle child status but was still "the man," to Joey.

The breakfast buffet the next morning had me wanting another bagel. The unusual smell didn't keep Mackenzie and Taylor from finishing their eggs...and mine. For once I wasn't snacking on their leftovers. Maybe the Irish developed their famous sense of humor to cope with their cuisine. We hopped the city tour bus which would drop us at the Guinness brewery. First though, the tour brought us past Temple Bar, which is Dublin's cultural quarter, and Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded in 1038. This contains the tomb of "Strongbow, the Norman adventurer who conquered Dublin" (quoted straight from the tour bus guide). We left the bus at the Guinness Brewery and skipped to the front of the line because we had young children (not a bad perk). Mackenzie and I, slightly behind the group, were unfortunate enough to see a man in the same condition as she was two nights before--although for a different reason, I'm sure! If the Irish aren't famous for their food, at least they have a beer that drinks like a meal. We had, a self guided tour, a good lunch near the top (Irish food was good this time), and a great view of Dublin at the top, as we enjoyed the "freshest Guinness" we'd ever have. I guess that means the brewing process had ended a moment or two before my beer was poured. By the way, this may sound like a party weekend...Jameson, Guinness, and so on...but the truth was more subdued. We stayed up late talking, only because midnight in Dublin was dinnertime in Wisconsin for the Polaskys...it was a pretty mellow weekend. Actually, I can't believe I went to Ireland and didn't go to a pub. Back on the bus, past Molly Malone, the fictional "tart with the cart," and the spire of Dublin...with a number of lewd nicknames. Then... sandwiches, movies for the kids, and bed.

Next day...last day in Ireland, for now. We walked to a viking ship that wasn't where it was supposed to be...maybe it was off to pillage elsewhere. Since the vikings established Dublin, conquered much of the English isles, and consistently defeated enemies in the coastal villages of Europe, you'd think they'd be able to put together a good football team. Not this year. We strolled through Temple Bar, with it's colorful pubs and restaurants, ate at another American style restaurant, and returned to the hotel to catch a taxi to the airport. As always, it was great to see Amy, Doug and Joey. Who knows where next year's Polasky/Browne reunion will be. Dublin will be hard to top.

Sint Niklaas and Zwarte Piet

Are you familiar with the holiday that we call St. Nick's in the states? When I was a kid, we celebrated this holiday the eve of December 5th by putting a sock on the fireplace, so that St. Nick could visit and fill our stockings with candies while we slept. The bigger the sock, the more you got (at least that's what it seemed like at the time). Well, we celebrated our first St. Nick's in Belgium and learned the differences in the tradition. The holiday of St. Nick comes from the patron saint "Sint Niklaas". As tradition goes, when St. Nick was traveling in Spain he freed a number of slaves and brought them back to the Netherlands to work for him. These helpers are called Zwarte Piet (or Black Pete translated). As the kids learned in school, Zwarte Piet is funny, playful and sneaky. St. Niklaas (also known as SINTERKLAAS) sails each year to Belgium with Zwarte Piet so that he can deliver presents to the Belgian and Dutch children that have been good. He keeps a book that tells if the kids are good or bad (aka naughty or nice). Kids can visit St. Niklaas or write him letters to tell him gift ideas. If the kids are good, on the eve of December 5th, he goes to their house on his white horse with zwarte piet. Zwarte piet goes down the chimney to deliver the presents. Kids here wake up to a "Christmas like" display of presents delivered by St. Niklaas.

Is this sounding familiar?

So after many discussions with the locals, we decided to celebrate a Belgian version of St. Nicks combined with a McMonagle/Scray tradition. The kids put out their shoes (as all kids do here, no socks please!), Taylor inserted her note to Sinterklaas, Dylan put out his painted shoe (just like the one he made in his class), we put out carrots for the horse, cookies for Sinterklaas and a beer for Zwarte Piet (this is purely a Belgian twist to the tradition). St. Nick brought the kids some Belgian chocolate along with some small gifts to enjoy.

We explained clearly to our kids, Sinterklaas only brings small things to kids-that-live-in-Beligum -that-are-from-the-states, because Santa Claus brings presents for Christmas for-kids-that-live-in-Belgium -that-are-celebrating-Christmas-in -the-states. Needless to say, this was all a bit confusing for our 5 year old son, who still looked for presents under the tree the next morning. If you are confused after reading this note, imagine how confusing it was for the kids.

We are looking forward to a traditional Christmas in Green Bay with the McMonagle family!

Murphy

Murphy is enjoying the extra attention from being the only "hond," and has taken over Reggie's alpha role. Reggie would stalk the dinner table while Murphy would stay away. Now Murphy is prowling. She eats rawhides, something she hasn't done for years, because Reggie would bully them from her. She's twelve years old and the role she's had for her entire life has completely changed. While she has Addison's disease, it doesn't seem as though she's suffering. She's still neurotic, but she's letting us sleep in more these days. She has leg problems, which often prevent her from getting up from a laying position. Murphy enjoys being vacuumed...which is unusual (if not comical), considering how skittish she is. She loves the woman who watches her while we're traveling because of the undivided attention and, probably, the peace and quiet.

Roadtrip

Recently, we took a roadtrip while the kids were on fall break. First stop--Fussen, Germany, and the castle of the "mad" King Ludwig II: Neuschwanstein. We explained to Taylor and Dylan that "mad," in this case, means crazy. Little things such as this are misconstrued from time to time in our family, only to come out later, causing a "where the hell did that come from" moment. I envisioned Taylor saying, "you can get arrested for that," the next time I became angry about something. Anyway, this castle inspired the castle at Disneyworld as well as being part of the Disney logo. If Walt Disney had been alive in the 1880's, King Ludwig may have been considered a genious. Instead he drowned (along with his doctor) under mysterious conditions, within a few days of being taken prisoner for his insanity. Were these the "good old days" some people talk about? The tour was a family friendly 30 minutes with an hour wait between ticket purchase and the start of the tour. While the average tourist would have preferred a longer tour and a shorter wait...that's not us. A short tour for 2 year old patience levels and an hour to get 5 of us organized and up the hill...perfect! The horse buggy ride to the castle may have been the best part of Dylan and Taylor's day...and for once we were early! The castle itself provides amazing views of the surrounding lakes and mountains. Since it's less than 150 years old, it is well preserved, something one doesn't find in ancient midieval castles...time and wars, those pesky things, take their toll on castles. Built after the American Civil War, the castle was impractical...just an expensive home. Back down the hill, the kids waved "bye-bye" to the horses, and we were off.

We drove through the Alps to Innsbruck, Austria, home of the '64 and '76 winter Olympics. Our hotel, in the "old town" area, was in existence prior to Columbus' arrival in the "new world" and boasts it's most famous guest as Mozart. Dylan's metal Magnetix balls were bouncing and rolling all over the hotel room (so noisy we put them away). Taylor and Dylan enjoyed boiling their own eggs at breakfast and asked if they were done just moments after putting them in the water. Whoever rode in the tiny elevator with Mackenzie (to/from fourth level) found themselves in a race with Taylor and Dylan who ran the ancient stairs. Other than entering a fantastic church near our hotel, we viewed most of the old town from the outside. Taylor and Dylan caught snow on their tongues as we walked about, and Dylan lugged around his lego creations (click the picture). The first night Amy crashed early and I went to a pub, had a few beers, and talked politics with the guy next to me. Eventually, the owner/cook was involved and was pleased enough with our political views that he felt it necessary to buy us shots. We agreed, and he poured three shots of something that was strong and apparently made from pears. Luckily, I had eaten a few of the guy's homemade pretzel sticks for added base (fresh baked pretzels were quite common on this trip). Soon thereafter, I made my way to the hotel room, kissed Amy good morning, and went to sleep. The next day, or later that same day, depending on how one looks at it, we walked from our hotel to the Alpenzoo...the walk and the zoo itself can be described as "hilly," to say the least. We lunched at the zoo, it was sausage again for most of us, as it seemed to be every other meal, for this trip. After lunch, Dylan had his favorite ice cream bar and, as he always does, he immediately licked the entire outside chocolate coating so anyone watching would be disgusted...his way of protecting his territory. Ice cream is pretty much his favorite part of any trip. We took the bus back to the hotel and fizzled out a bit until we decided to do a touristy stroll and look for a place to eat dinner. The reality of being a tourist is that you walk a bit, eat a bit, walk a bit, eat a bit...Anyway we went to a good restaurant with a memorable waiter who was genuinely friendly, liked the children, and was clever enough to recommend something fast and easy so we wouldn't do too much damage. The result was a large tray of meat that went well with the Dunkel beer. As was true of most of this trip, I ate all of my sauerkraut. Hopefully, someday I'll understand that it's not wise to do this. We had a few beers chilling on our window ledge, but this last night in Innsbruck ended early, and those beers would have to tag along to the next stop. On the way out of town, the next morning, we visited the Olympic ski jump stadium. People who do that are crazy! We put our next destination into the GPS and...

We arrived at the Holiday Inn Heidelberg (built well after Columbus sailed) in time for a swim and room service. The swim was short but eventful. After a half an hour, or so, the cold water drove us to the hot showers, by the sauna, where a woman walked out...nude! Soon she was followed by her boyfriend/husband in the same state. Things can be quite different in Europe, even at a Holiday Inn. Amy mentioned that the people were naked, as if I hadn't noticed, but the children didn't say anything, although they peeked. Room service was the perfect thing after three days of going out and our startling visit to the pool. The beer that had traveled with us from Innsbruck to Heidelberg would now make the trip to Belgium because, once again, we were tired. We saw the naked couple...with their clothes on, the next morning, at breakfast. Then, the last tourist stop of the trip, the famous castle in Heidelberg. The French destroyed much of the castle a few centuries back but it was still impressive. It also contains the world's largest wine cask, NOT the one you see in the picture with Amy and Mackenzie. The largest holds about 54,000 gallons of wine and takes up it's own room, thus blocking out much of the light, making it hard to photograph. The barrel that Amy and Kenzie are in front of is about half the size of the bigger one. No surprise as to how the French were able to destroy their castle. My favorite moment of the entire trip happened near the wine cask. More than once our children have become part of the tourist attraction. Every time I've noticed this it has been Asian people taking pictures of my kids...I have no idea why, but it's hilarious. As we were walking into the castle a man focused and clicked a picture of Dylan. The best moment came later, however, when Amy was taking the picture to the right (with the children pushing on the wheel). Amy was inadvertently in the way of a woman taking a picture of her boyfriend. I happened to be standing directly behind this woman, and as she was waiting for Amy to move, I noticed her boyfriend pointing at Taylor, Dylan, and Mackenzie, telling her to photograph them. I watched from behind as this woman turned her camera to my children, I saw them on her camera view screen as she focused, and took a similar picture of them as Amy took. The best picture of the trip, if it could have happened, would have been of this woman, from where I was standing, taking a picture of Taylor, Dylan, and Kenzie. Heidelberg is halfway to Antwerp from Innsbruck so we were were home after just a four hour drive.

In a few days we'll be spending the weekend in Dublin with Amy, Doug, and Joey. More to talk about soon...as well as an eventual update on this past summer's visit of Rosie, Gary, Gail, Nolan...I've got catching up to do.

Nana

The distance from home seems greater now since mom had her recent heart attack. Although no surgery was required, a stent was necessary. She was in the hospital for more than a week. My sister, Deb, was there for most of the hospital stay and, according to mom, was quite an advocate for her...spending many hours in the hospital each day. Chris spent this past week helping nana at home, getting her to doctor's appointments, and playing Scrabble with her (as well as some bridge). Mom has been "sorting papers" which she dislikes, but has done quite often as long as I can recall. Lisa will be with her for the next week and then they'll both fly to Colorado where mom will spend another week (through Thanksgiving) with Lisa, Deb, and Bernie. I'm grateful to have such great sisters and lucky to have a wonderful mother. Those of us in Belgium love and miss mom...the holidays can't come fast enough.

Why a blog?

I'm sure that many of our children's noteworthy moments and stages have been forgotten...lost in a torrent of memories. The reason for this blog is to hold on to these moments and to record the story of our life and travels in Europe. Just as important, it's a way for loved ones to keep up on our goings on. Often, when I'm on the phone, I can't think of any of the stories I want to tell...this blog should fix that. Plus, now you won't get one of my long e-mails ever again (until Christmas)! If you're interested, you check it out, if not, you don't.

Little Mac

Stages come and go quickly with Mackenzie...if I don't post this now I may have to change it within a few days. She thinks that if she can't see you, then you can't see her. When Kenzie doesn't want to be found she simply covers her eyes...Presto! She's gone. Hiding behind her hands gives her the urge to play peek-a-boo, and thus her magic trick ends. Immune to language barriers, since she's just learning language, she makes friends often. Most people who stop and talk to Mackenzie leave the "conversation" without knowing that we have no clue what was said. However, through some of these interactions I have become acquainted with the phrase "mooie krullentjes." More than once heard from elderly women it means, "beautiful little curls." She loves dogs, and points out any she sees with a pretty good "Jersey" accent..."dahggy ryyy dayaa." Her own dog is cause for wariness, however, since Mackenzie doesn't like to share food. "I anna," for some reason, means she would like something to drink, and "toot" has evolved into her "catch-all" toilet phrase: "I go toot-toot try." A monkey is an "ooh-ooh, aah-aah" and all stuffed animals are "babies." She's mostly potty trained now because of her love of M&M's and big girl underwear. "Me got it," she says when she helps me carry something (while I'm carrying her). She slows the pace down, especially when we're late, by untying, and sometimes unlacing her shoes. She often cheers when we pull into "sports school"--she knows she'll spend the better part of an hour climbing, jumping, climbing...She surprises us from time to time with a good sentence...her English is coming along. Sometimes she interchanges English and Dutch in her growing vocabulary. At the store yesterday--thank you in Dutch and good-bye in English: Dank u...bye-bye. She's a busy, happy child, which makes her parents happy (and busy).

Our Jedi Knight

Recently, after dropping Amy off at the airport, Dylan asked what time mom's plane "blasted off." Yes Dylan, mom's going to mars...she'll be back Wednesday. He's beginning to speak the same language as his ancestors and has decided that he's going to (slowly) let others know this. According to some, he'll be the "native" in both languages (no accent) since Taylor learned more "Engels" before her Dutch and Mackenzie will probably be back in the "states" before she's absorbed enough "Nederlands." While he claims he doesn't like school, he never joined the early school year rotation of children that cried "voor momma." We think it's just an age thing. His smile and laugh are contagious. He's starting to draw, color, and do mazes. Chocolate sandwiches are no longer a favorite for Dylan...a blessing, since he's not enthusiastic about brushing his teeth. He still loves machines...his current favorite is the fighter jet(s) that occasionally flies over the house low, and fast. Unfortunately, unlike his previous favorite, the garbage truck, the F-16 is usually gone by the time he drops his legos and gets outside (they are actually F-16's). He's also a Jedi knight who uses his "light saver (sabre)" to kill "Dark (Darth) Vader." I'm usually "Vader" in this exchange--appropriate since the Dutch word for father is "vader." Hopefully this doesn't portend future events. When Dylan hasn't been seen for a bit it's a safe assumption that he's somewhere playing with his legos or his magnetix. Otherwise, we can find him by following the sound of gunfire, explosions, and rockets blasting off. While this makes him sound like a "boy's boy," it was 5/2 (girls/boys) at his birthday party. Amy's calling him a "chick magnet"...possibly the first time I've heard her use this phrase. A school friend, Eline, draws Dylan pictures almost daily, tries to hold his hand, and has their initials together on her wall. Her birthday gift to Dylan was a picture of the two of them. Dylan was recently seen holding hands with a girl he had just met. Another girl from school told her mother that Dylan is teaching her English. Since five year old boys usually have other things on their minds, he's mostly oblivious to his recent good fortune with females. Hopefully his luck hangs on until prom! Dylan has to know he can do something right, in his mind, before he'll step out and do it. He's on the verge of many breakthroughs, some small (like riding a bike without training wheels), some large (like learning two languages). He is just beginning to step away from his "second born" shadow and into the light.

Taylor B

Taylor's first view of the Eiffel Tower will be a lifelong memory for me. Until recently she believed it to be the largest man made structure on the planet. Her Dutch is best in our house (Dylan is a quiet second). Outgoing as ever, she deals with the inevitable pressure of her situation with graceful fortitude. Because of her math skills she was moved up a class, thus creating a more urgent need to learn Dutch, as well as adding twenty something new faces to her life. A few times she's needed some coaxing to go to school. Her teachers have a good understanding of her situation and say that she's doing well (especially with math). The school has dealt with the multilingual situation before, so she's in good hands. Taylor misses family and friends from home but, while she's homesick, she makes the best of her situation. She keeps busy with "sports camp" two days a week and Brownies every other week. Pointed questions and skeptical looks have proven to Amy and me that she has serious doubts about the mystical things in childhood. If she's figured it out already she's in for a lot of years of keeping secrets...not her strong suit! That said...the tooth fairy visited her recently to make payment on the gap previously occupied by her two front teeth! So far her sense of humor comes more from our Dutch ancestry than our Irish roots, but it's coming along. Horses are her favorite animal and, like most 6 year old girls, she wishes she had her own pony. While Dylan can play alone for hours, Taylor is a social creature and always wants to play with someone. She's a fan of a Belgian "girl band" called K3. Since Belgium is so small, this "girl band" is big...and everywhere (movies, CD's, TV, billboards). I always hoped my children wouldn't hop the bandwagon of the pointless "Marketing Department-made" bands but I suppose it was bound to happen. She still likes my music too, and is just as likely to sing along with the Ramones as she is her girl band...OK for now. Taylor follows the rules to the extreme, like she always has, which makes for easy parenting. I suppose someday we'll get the opposite extreme. No use worrying about it now. Taylor is a great kid...she's growing up too fast.

Some things the same...some different

Halloween in Belgium - ok, it doesn't really exist. Only in the last 5 years has it really even been recognized. So we got hooked into the international school celebration of our lovely holiday. We got the kids dressed up, had a route of 20 houses to go to and celebrated with all the other non-Belgian's. The kids enjoyed it (although they missed the walking to the houses rather than driving). As you can see, we were able to pull together some costumes. Dylan of course, being the Stars Wars fanatic that he is, had to be Luke Skywalker. There weren't any other options. But not the Luke from the New Hope episode but the one where he wears black. Thank goodness my black raincoat doubles as a Jedi Night outfit. Taylor was Super Girl again (and she lives this role every day) and Mackenzie fit right into the pretty fairy (all innocent on the outside but with a little trickery on the inside). Ted and I did not dress up, however, we are attending a Halloween party on Halloween where "Party Dress" is requested. We may have to be the Incredibles once again.