Emily turns 2

It is hard to believe that our little girl is now 2 years old. Our little Emily is no longer a little baby.

She is definitely developing into her own person...that we are learning to handle as a separate person.

She now understands the concept that presents are to be unwrapped. She no longer needs Quinn's help unwrapping her gifts.

Quinn is bummed by the development, but even on Emily's birthday, he got a few gifts to unwrap.

Blowing out the candles is still a highlight!

I absolutely love her face in this picture! Fast forward about 16 years, and this is the face of a party grrrl.

Emily on her first laufrad (walking bike...basically a small bike without pedals, which helps kiddoes learn to balance on a bike-like device).

Of course, there is cake and coffee in the afternoon.

Emily is, well, a girl. She loves wearing skirts (even though they are rather unpractical for her level of activity), and REALLY loves Hello Kitty. She also loved the hair accessories...she just needs more hair.

I still comb her hair and try to give her a pony tail (Pferdeschwanz). She loves them so much, that she can't keep her hands off of it...which causes it to unwind and fall apart.

The joy of a birthday!

Getting ready for being a school kid ... with her own backpack!

...let's go ride a bike.

Emily also hit another milestone two days ago: she peed (and pooped) in her training toilet! Yeah!

Now, the gross time comes when we have to clean out that thing after each use :-( But, we're one step closer to getting Emily out of diapers.

From Brugge with Love: Part II

Another breathtaking shot of the city.

The Castle in the market square (Grote Markt).

The other side of the market square.

There was plenty of chocolate...

The medieval city hall.

I also found a few Belgian Beers along the way.

...more medieval churches...

...geocaching...

On Saturday, we rented bikes and rode around the city. There was a great path, with plenty of shade and windmills.

...which allowed us to see some of the old city wall and city entrances.

Eva found a super cute B&B on the outskirts of town. It was definitely somewhat quirky, very different, and very cool. The rooms had been renovated (to fit with the time of the architecture) and were beautiful.

We were even more surprised when we went to breakfast the first morning...in a neighboring house of the owners. We were expecting rolls and stuff for the rolls (butter, jam, cheese). We got all of this, plus a boiled egg, pancake, and fresh cut fruit for dessert. We were stuffed til early evening.

If you find yourself in Brugge, we highly recommend the Fort Lapin B&B: http://www.bedandbreakfast-fortlapin.be/

The following pic is a bit of a humorous one. On our final night, we got a great table outside of a nice restaurant. I spotted this group of Japanese tourists, definitely under dressed (it was chilly and windy) that were either waiting for a table at the restaurant or a cab. There are thousands of restaurants that are very cute in Brugge, so we assumed a cab.

As a joke, I took this pic and said that they were prostitutes. Without the innocent, honest background, you'd guess the same as well ;-)

The Bridge of Love, where most citizens of Brugge sneak their first kiss.

More old buildings (I'm sparing you from the names - and myself from looking up the names).

An awesome view from near the train station, as we were doing our final cache.

The restaurant from where we saw the 'prostitutes'.

What a great trip! The 4 days flew by. We didn't get bored being by ourselves - as a twosome like it used to be. But, by the time Sunday evening came, we were ready to get back to the important business of parenting!

From Brugge with Love: Part I

For the first time in almost 3 years (and as a part of Eva's Christmas present), Eva and I took a trip, sans kids.

The trip was 'packed' via 4 presents, to be opened in this order: Waffle Mix, potato cutter to make fries, a Belgian beer, and Neuhaus chocolates (Neuhaus was the inventor of the chocolate praline). So, the meaning was obvious: a trip to Brussels and Brugge...the chocolate lovers capital.

Finding a chocolate store was no problem. They were around every corner.

Godiva has played a role in our relationship since the beginning...

I've already gotten hammered by Eva for taking such a small pic of Mannequin Pis...the famous pissing stature in Brussels.

Had to do go to the original Neuhaus in Brussels.

We did some caching along the way.

The Grand Place in Brussels is amazing...and worth a trip in and of itself. Imagine what this place was like in its day.

In the 1980's, the Mannequin Pis got a sister: Jeanneke Pis. Very crass. Caching took us to this somewhat shady alley...notice how Eva took a better picture of the statue.

No comment.

St. Michaelis in Brussels.

A really cool covered, old school shopping area (where the original Neuhaus was).

Caching took us to this quiet spot in Brussels.

After 4 or so hours in Brussels, we had enough of the big city and headed to Brugge. A smaller town of about 100,000 people (and probably 100,000 tourists per day in August). Brugge is one of the best kept medieval cities, with much of the original medieval buildings - a whole city full of them - still standing.

Around every nook and cranny, there were views like this one.

Built in 1608...

One of the more impressive medieval churches.

Lots and lots of old buildings.

I really loved how the ivy climbed up the tower.

Town Hall...from the medieval days.