Well That Was Awkward!

Traveling to different places is always an adventure. Especially when there are different languages, customs, and on occasion, unruly beagles involved. We have been in Belgium for almost two months now and since our arrival I've experienced a few unexpectedly embarrassing moments that I thought I should take the time to write down, if for no other reason than to look back on one day for a good laugh.

     The first awkward occurance happened about a month ago on my way home from the grocery store. Whenever we move to a new post, we are car-less until our vehicle arrives and makes it through customs. It's not too bad, (Love the public transportation in Brussels!) except when it comes to grocery shopping. Typically I wait to shop on the weekends when I can bring Dan and the kids to help me carry bags, but on this particular afternoon, we were out of pretty much everything, and unless I was planning to feed my family jarred pickles and mayonnaise for dinner, it was necessary to make a run to the store on my own. I packed four, large, cloth bags in my purse and took off. I had every intention of buying only what we needed, but of course, the breads here look amazing and the cheese, and chocolate, and before I knew it, all four bags were stuffed full and I was packing everything home like a donkey.
    I must have looked even more ridiculous than I felt, because half way home, a handsome man in a creepy, white, utility van pulled over and with a concerned expression asked me (in French) if he could help and give me a ride home. Of course the ride would have been great, but common sense dictated that hopping into a stranger's van would probably not have been a good idea, and so I politely declined. The man gave me an expression that basically said, "Suit yourself, crazy lady." and took off up the street. I laughed and after a bit of effort, restarted my forward momentum and made it home ten minutes later with bruised shoulders and wounded pride. I will say, that my husband was happy later that day when I texted him about my choice to decline the ride. :)

  My second awkward story took place on the metro. I was on my way the kid's school to meet Ellie for a library party. She had worked her tail off to read a certain number of books in time to go to the party (even though she had only just started school a few weeks earlier). I had made my switch from one train line to another and was seated happily by myself with my music and headphones, when a short, incredibly muscular man stepped onboard. We'll just say that the man was very conscious of his appearance. His spiky hair, leather jacket, indoor shades and cologne spoke volumes. So, anyway, even though there were a number of seats available, this guy chose a spot directly beside me and proceeded to lean forward to adjust the laces on his boot.
All that was fine, I'm used to sitting close to people on the metro, but then, almost on cue, a spider (a really BIG spider) dropped down from the ceiling of the car and landed on his back. I clenched my fist to keep myself from brushing it off (he was a complete stranger after all), but then the spider turned and started creeping right towards me. That was it, game over. There was no way I was going to let it get to me,  so I quickly brushed it off. The man, feeling my touch on his back, sat up and looked at me with a disgusted glare. I put my hands up and said (in French) "there was a ... a ..." and then my mind went blank and I couldn't remember the word for spider and so I made up a word that was way off and the guy just shook his head and scooted over three seats away from me, while I sat looking like an idiot (or a creeper) until the next metro station where I got off, even though it wasn't my stop. Even now, I'm sitting here laughing, because it was so incredibly awkward, and the guy doesn't even know or appreciate that I saved him from the rabid spider!

     Finally, my third awkward moment. This time I wasn't alone. I had with me my daughter, my son  (who has a tendency to laugh even when he shouldn't) and my beagle, Lola. We were out for a lovely stroll a few weeks ago. My son and I were walking (he was holding the leash for Lola), while my daughter was on her roller blades.  I have to interject here and say, that for the record, Lola is a very gentle, fun-loving animal. She is great with kids and babies and really is the perfect dog for us. That being said, she has a mild defect which, on occasion, causes problems.
    She doesn't like carts on wheels. Bikes are fine, roller blades are fine, she has no problem with cars or motorcycles or anything like that, but when it is a cart (like, say ... a baby stroller) she freaks out and goes into full "hair-raised, aggressive barking" mode. We are working on this and we've gotten to a point now where if I see a stroller coming, I pull her aside and she remains calm enough until it passes.
    But, on this particular outing she met a new kind of cart on wheels, in the form of a little old man in a wheelchair. I am embarassed to say, that I have never seen her so angry before. She started barking well before we approached the man, and it was not a "somewhat annoyed" bark, it was a full-on "angry" bark. I took the leash from my son and tried pulling her to the side as the man passed but she clearly wanted to attack his chair. I apologized profusely (once again, in French) but he didn't even look at me. He stared straight ahead and passed by with a red, angry face. I turned around to see my son laughing at the ridiculous situation and felt even more embarrassed. The poor man. All he wanted was some fresh air and he got us.
    My son and I had a serious talk about how it must have made the man feel to see him laughing like that and he understood and felt bad for laughing. All I can say is, wow. Sometimes life just tosses you into ridiculous situations that no amount of explaining (In French or English!) can get you out of.

I'm sure there are plenty of other experiences waiting for me, and with the communication barriers I face, my foot will end up in my mouth again. I just hope that when it does happen, I can laugh at myself and those situations and embrace the awkwardness that is sometimes life!

Lessons I've Learned - "It's okay to fail!"

I've decided that I want to start sharing some of the lessons I am learning in my life. Just some of those little thoughts that pop into my head on days when it's too early to call anyone and chat because of the time change. Since we've moved to Brazil, I have had more alone time than usual and I have so much on my mind! Maybe some day my kids will be experiencing some of the same things I am and they can learn from some of my experiences.

I've been thinking a lot about my kids lately. Each one of them is so different, and each one of them has strengths and weaknesses. I think the most important lesson I am learning as a parent is that my kids are not going to be perfect and that's okay. Each one of them is going to have challenges. Some may social, some may be academic. I have one child who struggles with coordination but seems to have a plethera of confidence, while my child who is naturally athletic, tends to feel a bit insecure at times. I have an incredibly intelligent first grader who has trouble keeping his energy under control in his class. I have a daughter who is kind and smart, but has taken a long time to vocalise what is on her mind.

I worry sometimes about how much pressure we put on our kids to be a certain way. We do it lovingly for the most part I think. We want our kids to be successful. Why? Because we want them to be happy. Maybe that is the distinction we should make right there. Success (or what we believe is success) may not necessarily be the same thing as happiness. Happiness comes from being unconditionally loved. For knowing that we are accepted exactly as we are. It comes from making mistakes, and then readjusting our focus and trying again. It comes from failing and trying and failing, and then finally being successful. How sad I would feel later on in life if my kids stopped trying because they were afraid to fail.

My oldest is an incredible kid. Don't mistake me, I think they all are... it's just that he has an incredible gift of persuasion and kindness. He has always been a happy, loving, helpful and insightful person...since birth really. My second son was a bit harder when he was born. He was grumpy and screamed and cried for such a long time. Dan and I tried to be as patient as we could with him. Hoping and praying that he would be okay and grow out of it. When I look back at it, I think that because of some of our challenges with him, our expectations for him were different than his older brother. Not less, but different. As my oldest continues to grow, he is experiencing all of the influences of life and some of his choices are great, while others are surprising to us. His little brother has improved more and more each year. And though they are both great kids, I've noticed that because the oldest was so easy to begin with, we are harder on him now when he makes absolutely age appropriate mistakes. While the younger, we rarely have to get after. I am realising that their challenges are not better or worse than the each others, they are different and unique, just like they are. My oldest deserves just as much patience as he experiences life's up and downs as my younger children do. He is still a child and he will make mistakes. They all will.

I am resolved to accept and help my kids make it through these difficult adolescent years with an knowledge of how much they are loved, and that the mistakes they make are stepping stones to learning. I don't want them to be so afraid of failing that they stop trying. I love them too much.

Thanks for listening!

Summer/Winter Break

  Well, after three different schools in one school year, the kids have finally got a break. If we were in the U.S. it would be their summer break, but here it is the middle of winter. That doesn't stop us from heading to the pool or beach whenever we get the chance. It's been a gorgeous 75-85 degrees and we are loving the temperature!
        We've all been fighting off different infections the past couple of weeks. I wonder if our bodies are just getting used to the different bugs and viruses in the area. I think we are finally over the worst of it all, although we have found a lump on Lincoln's chin that we are worried about. We took him in to the doctor on Friday and they are scheduling a "sonogram" for his face next week. Hopefully it is nothing, but we'll keep you all posted!
       As far as living here, I feel like we've reached a point where things feel sort of "normal". That's a good thing, right?! We make almost daily stops to our local market for bread and fruit (fruit seems to spoil here very quickly!) and we've gotten used to hailing a taxi, though my poor portuguese has landed me in some interesting places a few times, and we've made a few friends. I think the hardest part for the kids is their lack of freedom. In the states (both Alabama and DC) they had fantastic areas outside to run and play with their friends, while here, that just isn't an option. We have a little play area in our apartment complex thank heavens, but I still don't trust the little ones not to kick their ball over the side into the busy street below (which has happened once already!), plus it is located next to a pool without a locked gate and I am nervous about that as well. I've become used to taking them down everyday to play little games of wall-ball, four square and soccer. Dan bought each of the kids their own soccer ball from different famous teams, and they kick them around EVERYWHERE. I don't mind, but I feel bad for the people below us. We had to make a "no bouncing in the apartment" rule which hasn't been that successful yet!
        We try to practise our portuguese everyday and I am working really hard at not being afraid to use it when I'm out. I can't tell you the number of times I've bumped into someone (or my kids have) and instead of saying, "desculpe" which means, "I'm sorry" I've blurted out something silly like "obrigada" (thank you!) or "de nada" (your welcome!) I've gotten some weirdo looks, but it's funny enough that I just have to laugh. "Thank you for letting me run into you!" Some people are really good about talking slow for me and trying to understand my broken portuguese, but others look at me like I'm from another planet. I'm kind of curious to know what I'm really saying to people sometimes when I think I know, but they give me the look that says otherwise. :)
        Other than a few beach trips and some walks around town and the Lagoon, we haven't gotten out to see much this month. It's been really busy and with most of us being sick, we've just hung out at home a lot. We've also had the Brazilian protests to think about. Most have been peaceful, but we've been trying to avoid them all as much as possible. Dan and I went out on a date last Friday and wound up in the middle of some of it for a few blocks, so we just switched directions and found a restaurant where we could keep an eye on the Brazil/Italy soccer game. It's really fun walking around town on game nights. Every market, restaurant and little stand we pass is equipped with a huge television screen and crowds of people around it watching the game. Whenever Brazil scores, the entire city erupts in cheers...some people even set off fire works. For a small town girl, it's pretty cool.

         I guess that's about all for today. Not a day goes by that we don't think of and miss all of our friends from every walk of our life so far. I really think life is hard no matter where you live, but it is also full of so much possibility. I know that I've held myself back too many times because I was afraid of what might happen, but I'm trying really hard to look at what I have and what I can have without fear.
Miss you all...have a great week, here's the pictures!

Oh, I forgot to mention that our first UAB shipment came. It was only the small portion of our stuff, but we were happy to get it cause it had brownie mixes and macaroni and cheese! Plus, Ellie and the kids had a lot of fun with the paper and boxes.

 Our phone is up and running all the time now! I even got to keep my old cell number!

Ellie loves to draw and write!

Hee hee...

 Keeping occupied!

Logan is into spy movies lately.

 Lot's of swimming!

Owen's "Superman".

It's getting easier and easier to get pictures of all of them together!

Logan is trying to coax Ellie into the water. She's never liked it much.

He got her in, but she got scared and wanted to get out for her goggles.

Ready to try again!

Trusting little girl.

 Splash!

Mr. Muscles...this one cracked me up! He looks like a grown up!

Love this one too.

 Owen's Kindergarten Graduation!

Logan's haircute...he wanted to look like his favorite soccer player, "Neymar" so we shaved it for him for his last day!

I had to do a comparison shot!

 Flashcards! The short pile is what I have memorised, the tall pile I need to. :) Looks like I have some work to do!

Visits and Some Zoo!

Okay, so I am taking the two posts I had to catch up on and smoosh them together into one post. :)
The week after Linc's baptism, we were lucky enough to have Aunt Liz and Uncle Dave come and visit us. Their little boy M is a little over a year and I had forgotten how busy little toddlers can be! We all had a lot of fun playing with him. He had a very contagious laugh and loved to pillow fight! We played a lot of tennis and pinochle, ate a lot of donuts from Shoppers, and finally on the last day we make a swift trip to Jefferson Memorial for some Geiger family pictures before racing to the airport. Here are just a few of their cute family! I didn't take hardly any pictures that week for some reason.

The week after they left we had spring break! I thought about planning some huge trip, or signing the kids up for a basketball camp or something, but when it came down to it, we all needed a break, so we just kept it simple and stayed home. They boys spent the entire week playing video games in the morning until I kicked them off of screens and then ran around with their friends for the rest of the day. It was heaven.

We did take one day to get out of the house. I have been wanting to take them to the National Zoo for a while, so we went on Thursday. Logan and I loved it, and the others did too until about half way through when they decided to whine the rest of the trip. Ah well, maybe they'll have more fun next time! It's funny watching kids grow and mature. Their lives seem to run in phases and where I used to worry so much with Logan, I'm learning to relax and understand that hard phases pass. Some day, I will be able to take my kids to a zoo all day without exhaustion triggering the whining! Here are a few pics from the Zoo!

ps, I bribed the kids. They got to have a zoo trip if I got three pics of them together at spots I chose throughout the day without fighting me. Worked like a charm!

All we could see of the panda!

But there was this really cool tree right next to it!

Some bickering horses...they matched my own kids fighting!

Ellie's pink tongue!

Ewww.

A face that only a mother could love!

Catching butterflies!

All done

Later!