Saturday, Sunday and Monday 19, 20 and 21 December 2009: It's still snowy in Belgium and the holidays are in the air!!! Yippy!

Later that day... That's me and Heidi tonight. She came over for dinner with Nico and Yma. It's always nice to see them! Tom and I got home just in time from Brussels, where we went to get my American passport renewed. I am passport-less till end January and therefore cannot leave Belgium until then! It's a strange feeling!!!

There's Heidi above - pretty pregnant! She's growing and growing! And glowing and glowing.

Me above in Brussels today. I always think it's funny when you park your car in a city and just happen to be parked right under this amazing building such as the cathedral in the photo. That's Europe for you! That cathedral in Brussels is just beautiful - even more so on a snowy day!

There's Ayla above with her big, blue eyes! Can she be my kid?

There's Yma above with her big smile!

Happy Holidays to everyone! The above photo is from today - the 21st ! I ave to go to Brussels to get my American passport renewed today and I have to pick up my new Belgian ID. Tonight Heidi, Nico and Yma are coming over for dinner so I hope I don't get stuck in Brussels thanks to ice and snow! Lots to do today! Have to get going!!!

That's me and Ayla above - yesterday the 20th. We had just baked cookies. We are getting in the holiday mood now! Always something baking! Man I am afraid to get weighed tomorrow! It's not going to be good! I also have to be measured and all! Ahhhh! This is a bad, bad time of year for dieting as hard as I am trying!

There was a reindeer outside our window last night!

Holiday decorations finally went up yesterday as cookies were baking in the kitchen!

That's me above on Saturday the 19th.

That's me above on Sunday the 20th I think or maybe it's the other way around. I don't know anymore!

Thursday 17 December 2009: Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

Heidi says: Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I am really dreaming of a white christmas!

Christmas, aaaah, christmas. I don't think there is any time of year that makes me so nostalgic and so warm inside as christmas and the holidays. There is something about christmas programmed in me since my early childhood. I used to love the whole atmosphere around it when I was little and I never stopped loving it. It has something to do with what we did as a family. We always celebrated with first going to church for the christmas mass, then with a nice dinner and only after midnight we gave each other presents. We always had a christmas tree and we would only decorate the tree when the whole family was there and ready.

At school there was a good christmas atmosphere too. I remember practising christmas songs with a little choir of school children for a week or two and then finally singing those songs in church at the christmas mass (yes, i went to a catholic school). Those moments were so nice, and the memories of them are so valuable now. You could call me a nostalgic person. But there was more to it. I also programmed an idea of what christmas should be in my head by watching american movies. Which made me believe from early age on that we weren't doing it completely right, the celebrating I mean. In my head, it had to be even cosier, with more people, with singing mellow songs standing around the tree... I regret that I watched those movies then and got so carried away that sometimes I didn't realise at the moment itself how wonderful our christmasses were. Because I know now. But now is too late.

So, here's the deal: I have to enjoy these moments now! I am home, I have a beautiful christmas tree, I have nice (exotica lounge and a very nice fifties compilation from Sarah's mom Judy) christmas music, I have SNOW, I organised a christmas walk for Yma's school which is happening tomorrow, I have friends and family who also love christmas... It's time to enjoy CHRISTMAS!

Sarah says:

I liked Heidi's text above and it made me want to generate a word cloud of it so here it is and it could be a Christmas card in itself! :-)

around atmosphere carried celebrated childhood children choir christmas church dinner early enjoy exotica family going happening head heidi home judy love mass moments movies nice nostalgic people practising presents programmed realise really regret remember school singing snow something sometimes songs think tree used valuable walk warm watched whole wonderful yes

created at TagCrowd.com

My mom arrived this morning and brought the snow with her from Michigan! I have to say that we both look pretty good for not having had much sleep. I woke up really early to a snowstorm but luckily the highway was pretty clear and my mom's plane was more than 2 hours late!
Ayla was of course happy to see her grandma at school when we went to pick her up.
And my mom was happy to see Ayla of course!
That's me above at 6am this morning trying to figure out if I should head out into the snow or find a plan B. I took the chance and all was okay! It's getting more dangerous now that it is getting colder!
And above the very lovely snow this morning on my street! :-) If you want to see more photos of this morning's first Belgian snow click into this photo album!

Tuesday 8 December through Monday 14 December for Sarah and with Heidi today! Lots of excercise in Bremerhaven, Germany and link to nice pics!

Monday the 14th of December above with Heidi quick before I went to work and she went home to rest... Wish I could rest too -I have a backache :-(!

Above is from Sunday the 13th of December in Gent, where we went with a visitor from The States named Monica. She is studying law in Amsterdam and came to us via via. We had a nice couple of days seeing Belgium through her eyes - first Brugge, then Ieper and then Gent...

That's me and our visitor Monica in Ieper on Saturday the 12th of December after we had been to Brugge in the day and had just eaten mussels and fries - just before seeing the Last Post in Ieper.

That's me above past midnight on Thursday the 10th - though really Friday the 11th at about 20 past midnight. I had been exercising in the hotel firtness room in Bremerhaven, Germany - where I was for a conference for work. We had some long but nice days - each one which I finished off with exercise late at night because I ate too much too late each day!

Above photo is also just after exercise but on Wednedsay night the 9th of December.

And above photo is also just after going on the cross-trainer and bike on Tuesday the 8th of December.

For some nice photos of Bremerhaven, Germany, please go via this link to my photo album!

Sunday 13 December 2009: partytime for Heidi and her friends (sitting time for Heidi :-()

Heidi says: A nice afternoon foyer dansant in Kortrijk with The Smoky Midnight gang, who played a wonderful gig! Despite my ever dancing mood I was not allowed to leave my chair other than for toilet use... Two more months, two more months, two more months, ONLY two more months... :-)

Saturday 12 December 2009: Heidi's little beauty

Heidi says: and I don't mean myself. Have a look.

Tuesday 8 December 2009: Heidi puts up her christmas tree

Sunday 06 and Monday 07 December 2009: Heidi and Sarah see each other quickly thanks to the Gilmore Girls...

Sarah says:
Always good to start a week with Heidi on a Monday morning! She rang my bell to pick up the Gilmore Girls season 5 and 6 as she's racing full speed ahead through them as she has to rest a lot! The Gilmore Girls series is a great one to sit back and relax to. Ayla and I are loving it too! Season 4 wasn't that great but season 5 is fab! Such a great escape! e gave Ayla season 6 for Sinterklaas yesterday but since I am off to Germany for the whole week, Heidi could borrow both seasons. Isn't this all very interesting? It's all I can offer on a Monday morning! I am packing for my trip and then off to work. Tonight there is a Zita Swoon gig at De Kreun, which I can't miss and then it's up at 5:30 am tomorrow morning for a long day of travelling to Bremerhaven, Germany...

That's my photo above from yesterday - Sunday the 6th of December... By the way - on both Saturday and Sunday I ate all-you-can-eat buffet food - first Italian and then Asian. Not a good idea while on a diet. My belly is a total wreck today! It seriously hurts. I learned my lesson!

Friday and Saturday 04 and 05 December 2009: Sarah needs coffee! Heidi is getting more pregnant-looking and Sarah is trying hard to lose some weight..

Heidi says: above a picture taken by Nico I just have to publish. It is too nice to disappear in all these bits and bytes. Yma and her cousin Sam.

Sarah says:

All that coffee was all I needed this morning... I woke up early and was tired and had about 3 or 4 cups! Ate too much today too! But - it was a nice day - celebrating Sinterklaas and my mother-in-law's birthday!

Above and below you can see Heidi and me yesterday - Friday the 4th. She came over to cut my and Ayla's hair. I love how she's been cutting it! I must say it looks great and both Ayla and I are very happy! As you can see below - Heidi's pregnant belly is growing and growing! It's beautiful!

My belly, on the other hand, is starting to shrink a bit! I don't think I can credit dieting as much as pure exercising! It's the cross-trainer, I'm sure! I have been increasing the time I spend on it. Minimum 4 days a week for up to 40 minutes now + biking to and from work every day. It's working! I see my body changing in a good way and I don't feel as bas about eating a bit more!

Above you can see my haircut! I love it! Thanks Heidi!!!

And last but not least - that's me above after 42 minutes on the cross-trainer! Never again! I think between 30 and 40 minutes is enough each time! I shouldn't go overboard!

Thursday 3 December 2009: Just another day

Heidi says: I am having Braxton-Hixton-contractions (or whatever the name is) again and tonight I am going to the doctor to let them being checked. I hope so much I do not have to have bed rest. And I certainly do not want to go to hospital in this time of year. There will be Sinterklaas to celebrate with Yma and then I need to put the christmastree up so no time to be in a hospital bed. Of course, I also don't want to give birth too early so I'll listen to what the doctor has to say to me. Fingers crossed. (I am not feeling as sad as I look on the picture :-))

Sarah says: I have a pink office now. Nice! I sit next to a window. Nice! It's almost weekend and it should be a calm one! Nice! It always rains all night and I think - oh no - it will be a hellish bike ride in the morning but then by the time the day starts the rain stops. Nice!

Wednesday 02 December 2009: Whoops - something went wrong with Sarah's photo today so check out her kid's barbie fashion creations instead!

Sarah says:

Hmm.... Not sure what went wrong with my photo from above today but there was no saving it so that's what I can offer! Above I also posted some photos of my kid's creations! She's talented if you ask me (of course I have to say that as I am her mom - but I really believe it too!). She's got an eye for detail and I am so pleased she's learning how to sew from her oma here in Belgium. It's such a great thing for her to learn!

Tuesday 01 December 2009: It's Flashback First of the Month at Heidi and Sarah Face The Day! Go back in time 4 years with us!

Sarah says:

It's Flashback First of the Month here at Face The Day and Heidi and I actually met up for soup for lunch today and were able to get the above photo together! You can see how we have changed in the last 4 years. I always love this part. Heidi and I find it fun to look back and compare all of the years...

Sarah says:
So - above you can see Heidi and I one year ago today on 01 December 2008! We have our Christmas reds and greens on a little early! Via this link you can go back in time with us to that day!
There above you can see me exactly two years ago today on 01 December 2007. Via this link you can see where my head was at two years ago.

The photo of me above is exactly three years ago today on 01 December 2006. It was 14 days before my big back operation and I was hungry! Starving myself before the operation. In total pain. I can't even remember all that pain anymore. Three years on and I feel amazing! Finally I am doing some sport and fitness, which is great. But I am still so afraid of the pain coming back - especially the newest hernia. I have come a long way in a year because last year at this time I was totally afraid to even move still and now I am on a bike every day and on the cross-trainer and am losing weight! I am doing it!!! That makes me happy! Via this link you can re-visit today three years ago at Face The Day!

Via the same link above you can see what was on Heidi's mind three years ago today. The photo above shows Heidi that day in 2006.

And last but not least - in the photo above you can see Heidi and me four years ago today exactly on 01 December 2005! Via this link, you can learn more about what was going on in our heads that day. We were being wise-guys that day for sure. We haven't been wise-guys on here in a while. We just don't have enough time these days for anything but a quick photo maybe once or twice a month together! One of these days we'll surprise you with something good and fun maybe!