Crossage, No FB, and another milestone

OK, since my last post, I spent a few days with soldiers in Germany.  Insomnia has returned (even less fun than I remembered it).  I found a new favorite game, and Claire has successfully rolled over.  The last two are the only things on that list that are really that interesting. 

The first picture is from one of the streets of Chievres, Belgium.  You can see me in the orange jacket in the middle of the picture.  The game is called "crossage."  Basically, you have a large, wooden mallet (rabot) and a large, oblong, wooden ball (chollette).  The streets are closed to traffic, you whack the ball toward kegs in the street and yell "chollette!!!" with each stroke.  This is a useless cry because there are always 2-5 other groups playing the same stretch of the street.  As often as not, they're hitting in your direction and vice versa.  There is no taking turns, you just walk out, hit your chollette and hope you don't get hit in the forehead by someone else's chollette.  I could never discern any consistent set of rules.  Everyone kind of made up their own method of competing.  I don't have a lot of picture b/c my camera cost way more than I'm willing to lose when it gets smacked by a large wooden mallet.  I'll post a few pictures in the photo albums next week when I get more.

The second picture is Claire's first time to roll completely over.  She cried briefly.  Emily got me out of the backyard to see.  Claire had fallen asleep during the intervening 30 seconds, so we let her sleep like this.

The only other exciting thing I've had is getting to speak two consecutive Sundays in chapel.  Em pointed out that I referenced the sermon I'd preached the previous week.  It's nice to be able to consistently share from scripture.  This weekend, I'll go to Brussels to speak at a worship service with the Protestant Women of the Chapel.  I've definitely missed getting to speak this consistently.

I did try an experiment this week.  I deactivated my Facebook account.  Emily noticed the next day.  My mother noticed 3-4 days later.  Other than that, I think I made it under the radar.