Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day in Belgium

Belgians do not celebrate Mother's Day. However, Rich, Elisabeth and Kate made their own celebration for me. First, the girls woke up and played quietly. I was able to sleep in until 7:50am on Sunday morning! They made a delicious breakfast with Rich and we all went to church at the IPC this morning. We brought snacks for the reception afterwards and the girls helped me set up the snacks. I had a special morning with Kate - I helped with Kate's preschool Sunday School class. It was nice to see Kate so grown up!

After church we drove through the lovely Belgian countryside to La Maison Basse, a lovely restaurant with extensive well-manicured grounds. Elisabeth and Kate walked over bridges and under bridges to the lovely restaurant surrounded by peaceful ponds. There was a fireplace in the dining area. The chef cooked Rich's steak and my tuna in the fireplace. For dessert Elisabeth and Kate ate chocolate mousse (they called it pudding!), I ordered creme brulee and Rich ordered fresh strawberries with lemon.

La Maison Basse
http://www.la-maison-basse.be/

After lunch we drove to Villers Ville, a former monastery now in ruins. We met a British photographer, Trevor Waldron, for a family photo shoot arranged through the American Women's Club of Brussels (AWCB) - a special gift for me, Rich's Mom and my Mom. We enjoyed walking around the grounds of Villers Ville from 2-3pm while Mr. Waldron took photos. We can't wait to see the photos!

We weren't ready to go home so we drove to Halle, Belgium to hike through the forest to see the bluebells. Several families told us about the bluebells and highly recommended visiting Halle. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed running through the sea of bluebells in Halle. There are lovely trails and a beautiful pine forest.

So glad that Rich was able to be in Belgium to help me celebrate Mother's Day!