Kelly here. We are one week in on this trip, and life is great. Today I feel:

• Blessed - that God kept Caroline from falling into a passing bus in Belgium.
• Content - to live in one room for weeks and actually enjoy it.
• Grateful - to have this much time alone with my three kids.
• Undeserving - of this whole adventure.
• Inspired - by my kids' abilities to strike up friendships with other kids without understanding a word they are saying - and that fact not actually bothering them at all.
• Amused - at their ability to watch an entire cartoon in French.

But I've realized there are just a few things that might make life a little easier here...

1. Shampoo & Conditioner - I purchased a bottle of shampoo and conditioner before we left because, well, I'm a little picky when it comes to those two things - because if your hair is longer than 1/4 inch, there is a difference. Well, when it came down to it, those two precious bottles had to stay home because of weight issues. My sweet husband promised the hotel shampoo and conditioner would work perfectly until we could get to a store. Let's just say I cannot be held responsible for any bad hair pics, of which there are many. We will be stopping at a store on our way to Paris today.
2. A Parenting Do-Over - I have realized I could use a do-over with regard to Caroline and clothes. Ummm... "ooooohhhhhhh - I don't want to wear that.... it's itchy or these sleeves hurt or these shorts are too short (for the avoidance of doubt - any shorts shorter than 1 inch above her knees are too short) or it's a skirt - I wanna wear jeans, but not those jeans..." You get the picture, and with only 2 weeks of clothing to choose from, it looks like it will be slim pickings for Caroline. Maybe this will cure my shortcomings.
3. A Slightly Larger Car - ummmm... I'm not complaining here. Having a car to get us around is awesome - so grateful. Just moving from an SUV to small station wagon with all three kids across one row... well, I'm sure you get the picture. I guess its payback for our childhood - "Don't cross this line! Mom, she touched me... She's touching meeeeee!" Always grateful when some form of impromptu game starts up. I can always count on Madison for that.

I couldn't get this video to upload but there's a video on the website mentioned below with a Belgian girl we had dinner with one night. She and Caroline had the best time and couldn't understand a word the other was saying the entire night.

You can check out some video clips at 

European Trip Video Clips