talking in the car/ conversation dans la voiture

Natalie: maman, tomorrow I would like to bring 3 things for snacks (they do get a snack at 10am and at 3pm but they take an extra healthy snack that they eat at 5pm). Maman: you usually bring 1 or 2 things, 3 is a lot Natalie: No, 3 is not a big number, it is a small one. Big number is 1 million, 1 thousand...... Rachel: maman, I would like to be 20 years old Maman: why ma cherie? Rachel: because I want to have children Maman: at 20 you will still be at school and will have some more time to have children afterwards between Natalie and Rachel: R: Natalie, I will read this book to your children (Cinderalla with CD). I will keep this book for ever. Natalie: yes we will keep this book and will not give it to another child Laurie, yes I had to write it down at the next stop, I did not want to forget that. Too bad I could not tape it. conversation dans la voiture maman, demain je voudrais prendre 3 choses pour le snack (l'ecole leur donne deja un snack a 10h et a 3h mais les enfants apportent un snack pour manger a 5h en attendant l'arrivee des parents) Mais Natalie, tu prends normalement 1 ou 2 choses pour le snack, mais pas 3 c'est beaucoup Non, 3 est un petit chiffre pas un grand. Un grand chiffre c'est 1 million, c'est 1 mille .... Rachel: maman, je voudrais avoir 20 ans Pourquoi ma cherie? Parce que a 20 ans j'aurai des enfants A 20 ans tu seras encore a l'ecole Rachel se tourne alors vers Natalie: Je lirai ce livre a tes enfants (je viens de leur acheter un livre de Cendrillon avec le CD a une brocante pour 50 cents). Natalie: Oui on va le garder pour toujours, on ne va pas le donner a un autre enfant (c'est normalement ce que je vais avec les livres et jouets qu'elle ne regardent plus)

1st salad from the garden

jolies salades et epinards du jardin etaient au rendez-vous pour le lunch ce week-end. Mon jardin n'a jamais ete aussi beau. Merci papy vincent My garden has never been so beautiful. Thank you Papy Vinent. He planted in my little space twice or 3 time as much as I used to.

Meme Frieda's visit

Yossi's mom is with us for 5 weeks. She is having such a wonderful time with the girls and us.

Lettre pour maman/ letter to Mommy

A month ago, Rachel wrote me and Yossi a letter. Rachel nous a ecrit une lettre Chere maman Je vais bien. Mon animal prefere est le pingouin et mon chiffre prefere est le no 10. Love Rachel Love it!

girls posing in front of azaleas

Spring 2012
Rachel ne veut pas souvent etre photographiee. Rachel does not like to be photographed unless she takes them herself, Natalie does not mind. rachel n'aime pas qd je prend des photos d'elle, elle prefere les prendre elle-meme, voici le resultat.

Pictures taken by Rachel of Natalie and me

ok ma tete est coupee, on en refait une

I am learning how to put a slideshow of our pictures but I haven't figured it out how to paste the code into the blog even though I got good guidance from Therese. I'll get there.

Visit of grandparents - pictures

Voici qq photos de la visite de mamy et papy Vincent

VIDEO: Yossi plays the piano

Yossi entertains us on the piano. Notre musicien a la maison.

VIDEO- Dance a l'ecole

ok my talents are very limited when it comes to videotaping with my camera as you can see.  La video est plutot mauvaise, il faut tourner la tete a 90 degres pendant les premiers minutes mais c'est deja ca.

Mother's Day

Vendredi matin l'ecole de Natalie offrait le dejeuner aux mamans. J'y suis allee avec Natalie. Friday morning Natalie's school offered breakfast to moms for Mothers' Day. I went with Natalie before going to work.

EU OPEN HOUSE/ journee porte ouverte au travail

Les 2 filles sont venues avec moi cette annee.

Elles ont ete adorables. Calin avec Jocelyne.

Rachel's fieldtrip to Homestead Farm

Mercredi j'etais en conge et j'ai accompange la calsse de Rachel a la ferme. Ils onmt observe les animaux: dindes, poules, cochons, chevres, moutons, un veau de 3 semaines, et on plante des fraisiers. Last Wednesday I joined Rachel's class to H. farm where they planted strawberry plants and observed animals.

update: I am doing much better 1. My colleague came back from his 3-week vacation and i can now concentrate on my tasks 2. Yossi is working at the headquarters - till when , that's the ? 3. Cleaning lady is back 4. baby sitter rested last week after her rehearsal and has now a nerve blocked which causes her great pain but she will be back 5. Temperatures are much better 6. I finally managed to plant the strawberries plants. Rabbits ate already the top leaves... That's life, but we are all healthy and that's the most important thing. This Saturday Rachel and Natalie are joining me to work for the EU Open House and on Sunday Rachel goes to a birthday and Sunday late afternoon meme Frieda (Yossi's mom) is coming for 6 weeks. i wil try to take advantage of her visit and go to the gym more often in the evening. Tuesday, April 24, 2012 return to work --- who said stress? My week off with my parents is over and I am now back at work... 1. The procurement officer is on leave for 3 weeks and being his back-up I see myself dealing with 5 procurement files on top of my regular duties. 2. Did I mention that Yossi is finishing his contract in DC and will be on te bench at the headquarters till the next contract - nothing in sight yet. 3. My cleaning lady has not shown up for the last 2 weeks. I had asked her not to come for 2 weeks while my parents were at home and while I was on vacation. 4. The baby sitter/mother helped has not come for the last 2 weeks as she is rehearsing for her musical at school. 5. Weather temperatures are up and down and I got sick last week. 6. I bought strawberry plants this past Saturday and haven't been able to plant them because of the rain. OK now I do feel better. These are nothing really, the most important is that we are fine and the girls are doing well. This morning I took Rachel for an early breakfast at her daycare. We had talked about it last evening and I told her I would wake her up this morning without waking up Natalie. She woke her by herself, got dressed, brushed her teeth and her hair and was ready in less than 10 min. She went to say bye to papa and we left hearing Natalie waking up (that's hard to hear her calling me and not being able to turn around and run to snuggle with her). Papa took care of that.

teasing - se moquer

Hier soir Rachel avant d'aller se coucher j'ai demande a Rachel de laver le joli dessin qu'elle avait fait sur son avant bras (la tete d'une petite fille dessine a l'encre rouge). Rachel, comme tu n'as pas pris de bain, lave bien tes mains et tes ongles et tes bras aussi pour effacer le dessin, tes petits amis vont dire que tu ne t'es pas lavee... Maman, mes amis ne sont pas comme ca. On ne se moque pas entre nous, ils sont gentils. Tu sais le schtroumph costaud a bien un essin sur le dessus du bras (tatou) et personne ne se moque de lui (!!??). Last evening, I asked Rachel to wash the drawing she had made on her arm (the head of a girl in red ink). Rachel, your friends will say that you did not wash last night. Maman, my friends are not like this, we do not tease at school, we are nice towards each other. Smurf costaud (the strong one) has a drawing (tattoo) on his arm and nobody is making fun of him! What could I reply to that? I love you bright girl.

vetements/clothes

Quand Rachel etat petite (oui je sais elle l'est encore), je decidais de ce que'elle allait mettre le lendemain. A 4-5 ans, je lui donnais le choix entre 2 vetements et a 6 ans malgre la pre-selection faite ensemble la veille, le fait qu'elle s'habile seule le matin sous la supervision de papa, je la retrouvais apres l'ecole souvent avec d'autres habits et moins coordonnes --a part pour la coordination des couleurs, chose que son papa lui avait fait remarque et a l'aquelle est pretait for attention. Une de mes amies avait fait la reflexion que Natalie s'habille a l'europeenne et rachel a l'americaine.... Bref tout ca pour dire que les jolis vetements de Belgique etaient parfois melanges a de moins jolis vetements americains de notre voisine americaine/republique dominicaine. Depuis qq semaines, qq chose a change et voici le message que je recois : "maman prepares ce que tu veux, je mettrai ce que tu as choisi, c'est ok". Quel plaisir de pouvoir la rhabiller avec ses plus beaux habits. Rachel has a strong will and when it comes to dressing up, choosing her clothes, I always give her the choice among a few outfits the night before. Very often however I would find her at the time of pick up with different clothes - color coordinated at papa's recommendation but not always the best choice in my opinion. Recently something changed and here is the message I get now when I ask her what she'd love to wear the next day: "Maman, choose what you want, that's what I will wear". What happened, I do not know but I am glad that she is not only wearing the lovely skirts my mom bought her but she is wearing the coordinated tops as well.

Natalie's 1st dance performance at school

They were so cute an so proud to dance in front of the parents. Natalie etait si fiere de danser et elles etaient toutes si adorables. Il faut que je trouve un moyen de mettre la video. I have to find a way to uplodad the video I made.