Bruges - part 1

Last weekend we travelled to Bruges and had a sweet time. We took the train there and what a great way to travel with little ones. This was our first European adventure as a family of four and I cannot wait for more. Bruges is beautiful and so very clean. Here are some snapshots from our weekend.

dancing in the square

sleeping ruby

proof I was actually there!

going home

I have about 400 more pics but my internet is slow on the uptake ... so until I return from my very fabulous few days away this will have to do!!

getting ready

First - thank you all for your incredibly sweet comments on the last post. Our night out was so much fun. I have to give a huge shout out and thanks to our friends, the South Africans, who just celebrated their first wedding anniversary yesterday. A few nights before our big night out Elaine and JD came over after work (while Brian was out of town) and while Elaine was giving me a manicure JD was bathing the kids AND putting them to bed. Elaine then came over the night of the premiere and did my makeup. These friends are seriously the most thoughtful bunch. South Africa breeds good peeps! The kids LOVE them so much. Ruby chants "jayday" when she know he will be coming over. She loves her "jayday". Kaneu thanks God for them each night during his prayers. These friends are heavensent!

We met these guys out last night for some dinner and drinks to celebrate JD's birthday - they got married on his birthday so it was a double celebration! Today Elaine came over and again "pampered" (tortured) me with some "extreme waxing" ... a full leg and bikini, mani and pedi. It was not quite as painful as I expected but something tells me that the bottle of wine helped significantly. On Tuesday Brian and I are off for a few days away. Meme (Brian's mom) is visiting and will be watching the kids for us while we are gone. We are incredibly blessed with good friends and loving family. When we return on Sunday I will be getting ready for foot surgery on Mon am. It's minor and am not worried about it in the least. It turns out I have torn cartilage on the ball of my foot. I am really thankful that it's not more serious. It will be sore for a few days but I should be up and walking by the end of the week! Until then I am exercising like a mad woman - trying to get in as much as I can. I will have to take 6 weeks off and no running or heels for 12 weeks. I think I may go crazy!!

Hope you all had a happy Halloween. We did. It was insanity. We took the kids to a neighborhood closeby that should be renamed "little America" instead of St J*hns Wood. The crowds were just crazy. Rosie was the hit of the night. She is a celebrity. People were stopping us to take her photo. I hope it doesn't go to her little head!

the crowd

little yogi

f*u*n

We had a very fun time at the much anticipated gala. I have never been on a red carpet or to a film premiere so it was very cool and very fascinating. There were beautiful people everywhere and I could have people watched all night long. There were tons of paparazzi there and though they were paying no attention to us it was still exciting to feel the buzz of energy. The film premiere was in Leicester Square. There was a cocktail hour prior which was fun. I sipped champagne and finally got to meet some of Brian's work colleagues, which was cool. The film was incredible. When it comes out you must go. The leading actress, Carey Mulligan, was amazing. A very talented young woman she is. I couldn't help but notice physical similarities between her and Katie H*olmes. The writer, director and cast all attended and after the film they came on stage for Q&A. Afterwards we went to the party which was just amazing. The night went by so quickly and before we knew it the clock struck one and we needed to head home to relieve Karina, our beloved babysitter.

Here are some pics I found online from lastnight's premiere.

We only have 2 pics of us. As you can see my hair did not go as planned (disaster, really) and so I wore it down. I had an appointment for a blowout and he pulled it back but once I got home I tore it out. It was too much of an "up do" and so after I took the gazillion pins out there was no time left for me to do anything with it. It looks huge in the picture below but I assure you that after a few minutes of being outside it fell and was not so poofy.

And here are the shoes I wore. They are 4 inch heels.

Have I ever worn 4 inch heels? No ... but I could not resist these beauties. Will I ever wear them again? Without a doubt no. In fact, as of November 9 I won't be wearing any heals for 12 weeks. I am having surgery. Will explain another day. I am still not feeling 100% from the weekend and will now retire to the couch. Brian is taking Kaneu to a football game tonight so us girls are on our own.

ouch

I don't know what is worse - having a stomach bug for 2 days OR the caffeine headache that comes from not having coffee while having the stomach bug for 2 days. BRUTAL!! Ruby was up all*night*long Thursday vomiting. Poor baby. I woke up Friday feeling the beginnings of what would become 2 days spent in bed. I am finally feeling better but my goodness my head is throbbing!!! No coffee for 2 days = massive headache. Ouch. I've had 2 diet sodas today and about 7 ibuprofen but I believe that it's going to take a cup of coffee in the AM to make this better. Sigh.

Anyways ... I found a dress! After much thought I decided to wear a black satin strapless number I have hanging in my closet. Elaine and I went out Wed and shopped 'til we dropped for accessories. I wasn't totally sold on the outfit but was content enough ... until I saw this the next day. It's cashmere and I just love it and so I bought it. Will wear it with some shimmery black tights and satin heels. Will also wear it on NYE with boots. And maybe V day too!

Now the question is this - hair?? Down? Sleek? Full? Up? Makeup will be subtle smokey eyes and red lips. Suggestions please!!

sick chick

I cannot believe another week has come and gone. Other than the "chicken incident" and a few celeb sightings it was a rather uneventful week.

What is the "chicken incident" you ask? Well, that is what happens when you are SO tired and are paying more attention to what your children are doing while they are eating than what you are putting into your own mouth. We were out to eat on Wed while Brian was at a work function. I ordered my usual brown rice risotto with tuna. Half way through the meal Elaine asks me what I was eating. "It looks like chicken" she said. And so she was right. About an hour later I was sick as a dog. I don't think I've eaten chicken for 15 years or so.

I haven't been so great about taking photos but I did take my camera out with us on Saturday so here are some cute pics of the kids while we were out and about in Chelsea. While having a late-afternoon-much deserved-glass-of-wine we saw this guy and a very young woman who I presumed to be his granddaughter. The photo is tiny so incase you don't recognize this rock legend - it's R*n Woods from the R*lling Stones and that is his 20 yr old girlfriend!! Scandal! You can read all about that here. In other celebrity news Brian spotted David Gr*y while he and Rubes were up the hill in Hampstead on Friday morning. He was walking behind him for a few blocks until Mr Gray went into his home. Wish I would have been there for that! And lastly on the celeb front - last night we went to see Ben T*ylor. He was really funny and the music was incredible. His voice is like like buttah.

I just bought myself a new camera bag so I'm hoping now I will take my camera out more. The other bag I have is huge and houses the various lenses, cords, etc but it's a pain to carry around. This new bag and I are going to have a lovely time together.

Sorry for such a lame and boring post. I am dog tired. I tried to do a little shopping over the weekend for this upcoming gala. No luck. Elaine and I will go out on Wed evening to shop 'til we drop.

sunday morning jog with dad - in their jammies and robes!

2 cm

this has nothing to do with the post - just thought it was cute!

Or .79 of an inch.

That is how much longer my right leg is than my left.

And that is most likely the culprit of my many ongoing hip, knee and foot issues.

Not to mention that I also learned that I am "swayback" and have a malaligned pelvis, both of which have led to other "issues" but my favorite one is the condition I like to call "my butt sticks out". I also have hyperextended and bowed knees, my feet pronate and the f^&*ing orthotics I got in the US are basically worthless ... and I could go on. I really could. The point is that I am actually relieved that I have received an accurate and thorough assessment. After years of seeing various doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists I am thrilled with my new physiotherapist - she is awesome. All of these things are impacting one another and she said it was going to be a lot of hard work including painful deep tissue massages which I had yesterday. Ouch! My quads feel like they were beaten with a bat. I am meeting with her again on Fri to learn some new exercises and stretches. Should be fun. If all goes well, she says, I should be able to get back to running in about 4-5 months. Sigh. Until then it's going to be lots of yoga, pilates and bike and eliptical.

Oh and get this - my new foot doctor does not believe I have arthritis!!!! I am having a MRI on Friday so we shall see what is going on with that. All in all it's not anything earth shattering and I am in great health, but I just ... feel ... old.

Other than that exciting bit of new we have not really been up to much. It's been raining here and all I can think about is chocolate.

I just came across this video. If you can get past how irritating my voice sounds and how messy our home is it's kinda cute at the end.

22 con'd

Guess who tinkled on the potty?

I noticed after she woke up from her nap that her diaper was dry. So I asked her if she wanted to try the potty and she said yes. After a few tries nothing happened and so when we were washing hands she told me "wee wee mama" so we sat again - and then it happened!! I think she was stunned. I was so proud!! We called everyone to tell them - Grammy Sue, Meme, and left messages for dad and Aunt Diana. Yesterday she told Brian she had to poop but by the time they got to the bathroom it was too late. And so it begins ...