All Things: May 2007

The Ardennes

The waterfall at Plopsacoo

Out walking on one of the trails

Hey, what's down there?

Our baby girl has taken to sucking her thumb

Glynn came back rather muddy from his mountain bike ride

We enjoy visiting new places. On this occasion, Glynn, Grace and I spent a few days away in The Ardennes. It's a beautiful region in Belgium........perfect for those who love the outdoors. Some of the towns we visited were Spa, Stavelot, Malmedy and Coo. The homes were made of beautiful old stone.......even new homes had incorporated stone into the more modern, contemporary designs. We went on walks and Glynn went on a muddy mountain bike ride.

One of the highlights was the river running right by the apartment we were staying in. It was so beautiful to walk just a few steps to be greeted by this wonderful sight. We even got to see a fisherman fly-fishing.........we didn't see any fish being caught though.

Grace coped very well with the travelling and being away from home. She didn't sleep too well at night but the family made up the lost zzzzzzzz's by napping during the day. A true R&R holiday.

Our little girl doesn't like a pacifier and had been sucking on her fist for about a week. Well, while away, she began sucking her thumb. I've included a picture of her soothing herself with her thumb. She's taken after her mum.

We had a great few days away!! There's something special about being out in nature. Every leaf, tree, every flower, the sound of running water.........we have an awesome creator who made such beauty. We will definitely be visiting The Ardennes again!

Robyn

Grace wearing her first dress

Eating out with the family

Mama's dressing her little girl

Grace wore her first dress when she was 7 weeks old. It was such a treat to dress her that morning for church. I couldn't wait to see how she'd look. Thank you Janice for the pretty little dress. She looked too cute in it!!!

Robyn

Gramps and Gran's visit

The canal bus in Amsterdam

The guys waiting for us

Amsterdam's flower market

Daddy eating moules and frites

Lunch in Antwerp

Easter Sunday. After attending a sunrise service, we visited the market and now we're homeward bound for a good, hearty breakfast.

Gramps and Grace

Gran holding her grandbaby

Gramps and gran came over for a visit from NZ on 5th April. What a blessing, because exactly a year earlier, I'd had a visit from my brother. This year was special though, because the reason for the visit was a little baby. It had been 20 months since I last saw mum and dad and I was looking forward to their visit.

Grace was 5 weeks old when gramps and gran saw her for the first time. What a special occasion.........they cuddled, rocked and shooshed her, changed her diaper and her clothes, they played with her and sang to her. My dad even gave her a special nickname. They also offered the all important grandparent advice. PRICELESS!!!!!!!

This was my folks first trip to Europe and so we decided to make it a special one by hopefully getting them to see as much as they could during their time here. They also had the opportunity of spending a couple of days in Hong Kong and London en route to Brussels.

The youngest member of our family was a real trooper. By the time Grace was 8 weeks old she'd been to Lille; France, Cologne;Germany and did her first overnight stay in Amsterdam.

Thank you daddy and mommy for coming to Brussels to spend time with us.

We miss and love you!!!

Glynn, Robyn and Grace

Ouch!!!!!!!

Grace had her first vaccinations yesterday. She was such brave little girl and didn't cry much despite getting an injection in each leg. After a rough night, she seems to be doing better today..........thank goodness!!

Grace now weighs 5kg 440g and measures 58.5cm in length. Both are above average for a baby her age. I'm thankful for a healthy and alert baby girl.

Robyn