greetings from the Grand Duchy

That's what they call Luxembourg here, perhaps because of the Grand Duke Henri who rules this small but prosperous country. We spent last weekend camping in a national park in the Ardennes region (northern part), with lots of hiking trails and beautiful rivers and lakes (and towns too, of course). After we hiked to this lookout point, we took a dip in the river. I'd forgotten how nice it is to swim in open water and probably enjoyed that part of the trip the most. And best of all, there were no noisy jet skis -

It was our first experience camping as a family in Europe -- we chose a small, private campsite w Dutch owners. I must admit it was funny to be surrounded by Dutch campers, but they were very friendly and the kids made friends in no time. There were fun activities planned for the kids (kiddie karaoke, pyjama disco, craft activities, etc.), so in no time the kids were racing around w their friends like they were in lala-land. They always liked camping, but now they LOVE it! 

What the Heck does this mean?

 

riding ponies

The kids spent 3 days riding ponies this week at "Het Gulden Spoor" (the golden spur) and learned a ton. By the end of the week they could tell you everything about the 8 ponies, including their colorful names, like Einstein, Edison, Galileo, Freud, and Noble. In this photo, Phoebe is with Newton and Alex is with Tom.

Phoebe is the horse lover in the family and has been dying to ride for a year, but we had to find a club that had ponies since horses shouldn't be ridden until kids are at least 7. You can see here that she's in heaven with Newton. She never stopped talking to her pony, even when she was riding him, and also when her teacher was trying to give her instruction!

Alex is a little more nervous around ponies (and animals in general) and learned a valuable lesson. When she's nervous the pony can sense it and won't listen to her. I'm hoping that after another week or two with the ponies, she'll be able to get over her fear and enjoy the ride. Then she should be able to move on to riding horses. Pretty soon they'll be talking 3 languages: english, dutch and horsey!

the Willis cousins

L to R:

John (7)
Paige (13)
Sophie (1)
Phoebe (5)
Kim (11)
Katie (14)
Alex (8)
Thijs (3)
Catesby (11)
Scott (11)

the happy couple

As we chugged down margaritas on the beach the memories of mom + dad's wedding on June 30, 1956 began to pour. It was a double wedding ceremony, with my mom Frances and her sister Barbara being wed to my dad John and his brother Mac.

The bridesmaids wore wide-brimmed hats and the men wore white summer suits. The wedding was the talk of the town and it all took place at Camden, a historic Virginia plantation home where my mother once grew up. They honeymooned in the Virgin Islands.

My oldest brother John made a movie that highlighted the last 50 years and we all sat down and watched it together after Jodie's phenomenal stuffed pork dinner and some nice words said by mom and dad. It was great to see the old family photos that we'd grown up watching in slideshows and also to see our own families grow and multiply.

It's also interesting to see history repeat itself. As I watched the pictures of my beautiful young mom flash on the screen, two things came to my mind. One is that Katie, the oldest niece in the family (daughter of Carter + Debby) , looks so much like mom did in her twenties. Their resemblance is striking - must be those dominant Pratt genes! And the other is that Alex definitely gets her fashion sense from mom (at least she got it from somewhere). You should've seen mom in the dresses and swimsuits she wore on their honeymoon - she was stunning! Mom's always had an art for looking good.

Now with Dad in his 70's and mom fast approaching they're still looking good! It was wonderful to be with them in one of the most beautiful places on earth to celebrate their time together. They've been an inspiration to us all.

manneke pis

Thijs has already picked up an unfavorable Belgian MALE trait, which is to feel free to drop your drawers at any time, any place in order to relieve yourself. He does it occasionally in our yard, and here you see him doing it in nana + grandaddy's yard in Florida.

There was no warning, which is atypical for Thijs. Normally he broadcasts in a loud voice, "pee-pee doen", which means "i gotta pee" in Dutch. Maybe he sensed we were too busy saying goodbye to my brother Carter and his family and just decided to take matters into his own hand, literally speaking! Luckily Debby was spot on him and captured this moment on film.

I'm just glad he got his pants down for a change, but I sure hope he kicks this habit. I think it's one of the rudest behaviors I've seen in Belgium, and I can't stand it. Once, I was watching a pair of mandarin ducks in the park, and a jogger stopped exactly within my line of view, turned around and took a leak. I felt infuriated because I couldn't continue watching my birds without him also being in the picture. He spoiled my precious moment to commune with nature! 

my sangreal

There were some 400+ photos snapped during our vacation in Florida, but in my opinion this one best captures the essence of our week on the beach. A totally casual, relaxed time with the family in what has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. In fact, Grayton Beach was voted as the most beautiful beach in America in 1980-something.

This is also my favorite because I took a similar photo of Stijn 18 ya on a similar stretch of beach when I first took him home to meet the parents (during Thanksgiving). Back then he had more hair (it was wild!) and a better libido (ha-ha), but little else has changed since then. He still has a smile that won't quit, a dry sense of humor that works (for me, at least), holy socks and underwear (the reason for Father's day, please excuse the pun!), and an unshakable confidence and spirit that have only grown stronger with time. 

sophie's shoes

I have a special affinity for Sophie and Catesby (highlighted in next post) as they're goddaughters of ours, on my side of the family that is. Sophie is my brother Beau + Jodie's daughter, and you can already see her Aussie upbringing shining through -- notice the wide-brimmed hat and solar shirt, which no Aussie would go without for fear of developing skin cancer, which is so prevalent in that part of the world.

Sophie exhibited so many cute mannerisms during our week on the beach (June 23-30, 2006), but the one captured here was my favorite. She kept picking up shoes, especially flip flops, and wearing them around. Her favorite flip flops were Phoebe's pink ones from the movie Madagascar. She carried them with her everywhere and wore them constantly. As it turns out, Sophie has a shoe fettish!

Little does she know that she shares the same trait with her cousin Alex. When Alex was but 4 years old, we took her to Australia to celebrate Beau and Jodie's wedding. When in Melbourne, what does Alex want to do but shop for shoes! A 4 year old! Whenever we replay the scenario over in our head it seems absurd, but there it is. These cousins may just turn out to be the best of friends! 

she's off to chicago!

Catesby has boarded the plane, ready to fly to Chicago to compete in the Nationals for tumble track. She did so well at regionals that she qualified for 3 events: tumbling, trampoline, and the double-mini. She began competing this year so to imagine even making it to nationals is just amazing. We're all so proud of her! When she competes this Friday you can bet I'll be phoning her mom Jayne every 15 minutes for an update. Alex is pretty excited too and asked me if the meet would be on TV!