Michael learned the word toot (for fart) in like six hours; this is approximately 6 weeks faster than every other word he's learned except for peepee, kaka (dookie), and choo choo. Whenever I toot real loud, he looks at me and happily says Toot!! We were at the airport in Perpignan looking at the (one) airplane on the tarmac, and he turns to me and says 'toot, toot', and I thought to myself, I didn't do anything. Then it just stunk. Turns out he'd let two fluffies right underneath me. Thanks, boy.
Today, Michael was eating breakfast and Phuong noticed that he had two cuts on his ring and middle fingers. He's been eating a lot of oranges of late, and the acid's been burning his fingers and making him cry. To combat this, Phuong decided to put a bandaid on his finger, but he wouldn't let her do it. I think it was partially because she was trying to put a bandaid as wide as his entire finger onto his cut. So we found a peewee bandaid and I held his hand out while Phuong put on the bandaid. But it still irked him so to make him feel better, P asked him if he wanted us to wear bandaids too. Well of course it did. So now Phuong and I are wearing black Pirate bandaids on our ring fingers. He feels much better and so does his finger. I don't know how we'll fare at market this morning; we probably we will forbidden to touch any fruit for fear of transferring our pirate diseases.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Southwest France is Amazing!
We just got back from our first real VACATION as a family! I say vacation because it was relaxing and fun (for the most part!). Our other adventures tend to be trips and a bit stressful, but we think we have finally got this travel thing down. Only took about a year! If you want tips on how to travel with kids in Europe, drop us a line.
Family pictures and trip overview is at the end. Various odds and ends at the beginning of this blog. I know it is organized poorly but I don't know how else to organize this! This is a really long blogpost...reader beware...
We flew from Paris to Toulouse. Then back to Paris from Perpignan.
We spent 10 days in the south of France puttering around. Here is the map of our route:
We discovered that we will never own (nor rent for that matter) an Opal ever again! On the 2nd day of our 10 day trip, this little yellow light came on that showed a wrench in the middle of a car. We decided that it just means you need a wrench to fix the car and kept on driving.
We were discovering a region of France called Languedoc-Roussillon, which is known for Cathar castle ruins, mountains, and my favorite belly/thigh enhancing dish called Cassoulet. It is a stew of white beans, sausage, confit de canard, fatty porc that is cooked slowly. It's like Van Kamps pork and beans, but good and without ketchup (B's note).
Most mornings started around 10:30am after breakfast, etc was done. Then, we'd go somewhere. Usually just one place. Then, be back at our hotel around 5pm. In our first hotel in Caunes-Minervois, the time we got back actually mattered. The hotel had a 3 car garage that they fit 5 cars in. Many days, we felt like Austin Powers did when he got stuck in that car between 2 walls.
One morning, we had trouble getting out. This Frenchman who drove a Jeep Grand Gherokee (which is like driving a Hummer in France) helped us get out. We got a bit antsy wondering if we would fit between 2 cars to leave and he comes over, looks at it and is like "you've got PLENTY of space, like 2 cms on each side." Glad it's a rental.
No matter where we went though, the British were there. It was incredible. The place was overrun with them! An interesting thing about our 10 day vacation was that we only encountered about 3-4 Americans while we there. And we only saw 1 Rick Steves book. Usually, whenever we go on vacation, there are tons of Americans and lots of Rick Steves books around. But not this time. It was our first real Europe Through the Back Door Experience. We heard a lot of French, German, Spanish, Dutch, and British English. It was strange also to be only 1 of 3 Asian people in Collioure.
So anyways, here is the summary of our trip. As usual, many more pictures are available on our smugmug album. For those who are REALLY bored.
Love,
P
Trip Overview
Wednesday, August 20th
Flew from Paris to Toulouse. Picked up our rental car and drove to Carrefour (like Sam's) where we bought groceries, diapers, and privisions for Michael. Drove to Caunes-Minervois to try to check in, but our hotel owner was taking a nap until 5:30pm and it was only 3pm. Drove to Lastours and hiked/toured the castles there. A king built one castle for each of his 4 sons so none of them would feel favored. With 4 sons, it makes you wonder...was that king a BESANCON?!?!?! Family picture, bien sur:
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Drove back to Caunes-Minervois and checked in. Had an awesome dinner in the courtyard of our hotel, which was in a 15th century house.
Thursday, August 21st
In the morning, we had breakfast in the courtyard of our amazing hotel. This is the same courtyard where we had dinner and feasted on Cassoulet! Here we are in the middle right:
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Drove to Carcassonne. Toured the castle ramparts. Came home. Michael's worst day, but to his defense, we planned it quite poorly for him.
Friday, August 22nd
Drove to Abbeye de Fontfroide. Loved it! We took the French tour and Brian understood almost all of it and I understood about 60%! We are gettin' somewhere in this language! The abbey was everything you would imagine to be:
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Here we are in the gardens outside the Abbey:
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Drove to a tiny town carved out of a canyon called Minerve. Walked through the tiny quaint town and had ice cream. Drove back to Caunes-Minervois. Bought a picnic and 'explored' Caunes-Minervois. Took Michael to play area and he had fun throwing rocks into streams. Per usual.
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Did that, stopped at Quick Burger (like McD's) at 10pm for dinner. Michael was already asleep and had dinner earlier.
Sunday, August 24th
Checked out of our 15th century hotel and explored the abbeye in Caunes-Minervois. Definitely worth the no mention in Rick Steves. Drove to Collioure. Decided our vacation was in "neutral" and shifted into "PARK" for the relaxing beach part of our vacation! We spent time enjoying the beach, hiking around the hills nearby, exploring the small town, eating ice cream, and riding the caroussel with Michael. We bought 10 tickets for him for 10 euro and it barely lasted the 5 days we were there.
We loved it and much prefer it to Nice and the French Riviera. We were told the Mediterranean towns would be PACKED this time of year because of the nice hot weather. And it probably would have been in Nice! But in Collioure, we had plenty of space to lay out and enjoy ourselves. Nice is like hanging out with the crowds who shop at Neiman Marcus. Collioure is like hanging out with the crowds who shop at Dillards.
Checked into our pretty basic 2 star hotel. Sheets smelled of mildew, but the view was incredible.
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Brian and I bought a great little picnic for ourselves. Put Michael to bed early and had a bottle of wine, fresh chevre, baguette, and lomo sausauge on our balcony while watching the sun set over Collioure. Amazing. This is the sunset we were looking at:
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Tuesday, August 26th
Drove to Queribus and Perypeteuse. Hiked to both chateaus on top of mountains. Queribus was not too bad. A lady in a full hot pink jumpsuit was able to do it. Here is us on the ascent:
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Perypeteuse was not too bad to the 1st part of the chateau. Saw a bunch of birds of prey. Had fun exploring the nooks and crannies. Here is Michael, hiking! Looks like an "Endurance" poster to me!
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And father and sone enjoying the ruins:
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Downright scary to the 2nd part. Very steep and slippery rocks. German kids and German senior citizens whizzing by us left and right with their walking sticks. Very funny French people. While on the way up, there was a group of 5 older French people. We heard one lady say, "Well, at least if one of us slips, we all go down together!" Then, we hear a guy in the back yelling, "DOMINO!!!!" Awesome. Made it to the top. It was worth it. One the way down, another French girl told me "J'ai super peur." I am super scared. Me too. Her boyfriend, Brian and Michael got down the stairs with no problems while me and this French girl helped each other get down. We met our men at the bottom since they left us to fend for ourselves.
Went back to Collioure. On the way, stopped at McDonalds for dinner for all of us. Less stress option with Michael
Wednesday, August 27th
Bad day for our whole family. Brian and I both grumpy for various reasons. Michael grumpy for God only knows why. We attempted to hike in the morning to Ft. St. Elmo but I was tired from yesterday's massive hike and we turned around to go home. Went to beach in the hottest part of the day and Michael only wanted to ride the caroussel and play on the playground in stead of the beach itself. Wandered around the old town and found out there was only 1 street left we hadn't seen. Saved it for later. On the upside, we had ice cream more than once. And the hotel changed our sheets so our bed was much better.
Thursday, August 28th
Awesome, relaxing day. Brian and I had an excellent breakfast at a cafe overlooking the beach while Michael ate and played in the grass around us. Went to the royal castle. Glad Rick steves did not recommend it. Had lunch at La Marinade and Michael was EXCELLENT. He ate his lunch, did not make much noise, and played with another little boy when he was finished eating and we were finishing up. Our lunch was delicious. Brian had fresh sardines (hand fileted and fresh caught) and a salad. I had slow cooked veal. Went to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Enjoyed pizza on some steps overlooking the beach. Had ice cream at least once. Enjoyed a beverage while Michael took an early evening nap. Wonderful, relaxing, and amazing.
Friday, August 29th
Woke up, flew back to Paris via Perpignan. Airport only had 5 departing flights all day. 2 went back to Paris. 3 went to Great Britain.
I think this is the longest post EVER.
Family pictures and trip overview is at the end. Various odds and ends at the beginning of this blog. I know it is organized poorly but I don't know how else to organize this! This is a really long blogpost...reader beware...
We flew from Paris to Toulouse. Then back to Paris from Perpignan.
We spent 10 days in the south of France puttering around. Here is the map of our route:
We discovered that we will never own (nor rent for that matter) an Opal ever again! On the 2nd day of our 10 day trip, this little yellow light came on that showed a wrench in the middle of a car. We decided that it just means you need a wrench to fix the car and kept on driving.
We were discovering a region of France called Languedoc-Roussillon, which is known for Cathar castle ruins, mountains, and my favorite belly/thigh enhancing dish called Cassoulet. It is a stew of white beans, sausage, confit de canard, fatty porc that is cooked slowly. It's like Van Kamps pork and beans, but good and without ketchup (B's note).
Most mornings started around 10:30am after breakfast, etc was done. Then, we'd go somewhere. Usually just one place. Then, be back at our hotel around 5pm. In our first hotel in Caunes-Minervois, the time we got back actually mattered. The hotel had a 3 car garage that they fit 5 cars in. Many days, we felt like Austin Powers did when he got stuck in that car between 2 walls.
One morning, we had trouble getting out. This Frenchman who drove a Jeep Grand Gherokee (which is like driving a Hummer in France) helped us get out. We got a bit antsy wondering if we would fit between 2 cars to leave and he comes over, looks at it and is like "you've got PLENTY of space, like 2 cms on each side." Glad it's a rental.
No matter where we went though, the British were there. It was incredible. The place was overrun with them! An interesting thing about our 10 day vacation was that we only encountered about 3-4 Americans while we there. And we only saw 1 Rick Steves book. Usually, whenever we go on vacation, there are tons of Americans and lots of Rick Steves books around. But not this time. It was our first real Europe Through the Back Door Experience. We heard a lot of French, German, Spanish, Dutch, and British English. It was strange also to be only 1 of 3 Asian people in Collioure.
So anyways, here is the summary of our trip. As usual, many more pictures are available on our smugmug album. For those who are REALLY bored.
Love,
P
Trip Overview
Wednesday, August 20th
Flew from Paris to Toulouse. Picked up our rental car and drove to Carrefour (like Sam's) where we bought groceries, diapers, and privisions for Michael. Drove to Caunes-Minervois to try to check in, but our hotel owner was taking a nap until 5:30pm and it was only 3pm. Drove to Lastours and hiked/toured the castles there. A king built one castle for each of his 4 sons so none of them would feel favored. With 4 sons, it makes you wonder...was that king a BESANCON?!?!?! Family picture, bien sur:
Drove back to Caunes-Minervois and checked in. Had an awesome dinner in the courtyard of our hotel, which was in a 15th century house.
Thursday, August 21st
In the morning, we had breakfast in the courtyard of our amazing hotel. This is the same courtyard where we had dinner and feasted on Cassoulet! Here we are in the middle right:
Drove to Carcassonne. Toured the castle ramparts. Came home. Michael's worst day, but to his defense, we planned it quite poorly for him.Friday, August 22nd
Drove to Abbeye de Fontfroide. Loved it! We took the French tour and Brian understood almost all of it and I understood about 60%! We are gettin' somewhere in this language! The abbey was everything you would imagine to be:
Here we are in the gardens outside the Abbey:
Drove to a tiny town carved out of a canyon called Minerve. Walked through the tiny quaint town and had ice cream. Drove back to Caunes-Minervois. Bought a picnic and 'explored' Caunes-Minervois. Took Michael to play area and he had fun throwing rocks into streams. Per usual.Saturday, August 23rd
Drove to Albi. Michael rode the caroussel and we checked out the market. Bought quick picnic there and gave Michael lunch outside the cathedral. Toured the cathedral and choir. Michael fell asleep so Brian and I ran quickly over to a nearby cafe recommended by Rick Steves called La Tartine. Had an awesome relaxing 1.5 hour lunch as Michael slept. Went to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Drove back to Carcassonne to get night time pics of the Old City and see the place floodlit from Pont Vieux. Michael rode the carrousel first! Here is a night time shot:
And us inside Carcassonne's walls with the floodlights providing light for the picture:
Did that, stopped at Quick Burger (like McD's) at 10pm for dinner. Michael was already asleep and had dinner earlier.
Sunday, August 24th
Checked out of our 15th century hotel and explored the abbeye in Caunes-Minervois. Definitely worth the no mention in Rick Steves. Drove to Collioure. Decided our vacation was in "neutral" and shifted into "PARK" for the relaxing beach part of our vacation! We spent time enjoying the beach, hiking around the hills nearby, exploring the small town, eating ice cream, and riding the caroussel with Michael. We bought 10 tickets for him for 10 euro and it barely lasted the 5 days we were there.
We loved it and much prefer it to Nice and the French Riviera. We were told the Mediterranean towns would be PACKED this time of year because of the nice hot weather. And it probably would have been in Nice! But in Collioure, we had plenty of space to lay out and enjoy ourselves. Nice is like hanging out with the crowds who shop at Neiman Marcus. Collioure is like hanging out with the crowds who shop at Dillards.
Checked into our pretty basic 2 star hotel. Sheets smelled of mildew, but the view was incredible.
Should have asked them to change the sheets the first day. Walked around Collioure and discovered we could only wander down 2 streets a day of the town to make sure we didn't do it all in one day. Had ice cream at least once. Ate dinner at La Copacabana and was thankful we had a table with a direct exit outside. Michael was AWFUL. I had to go do time out with him 5 times for screaming in the restaurant.
Monday, August 25th
Laid out on the beach all day. Upset because it was cloudy. Resolve to change plans to be on the beach if clear skies prevail. Had ice cream at least once. Love this picture of Michael running into the ocean with Collioure in the backdrop:
Brian and I bought a great little picnic for ourselves. Put Michael to bed early and had a bottle of wine, fresh chevre, baguette, and lomo sausauge on our balcony while watching the sun set over Collioure. Amazing. This is the sunset we were looking at:Tuesday, August 26th
Drove to Queribus and Perypeteuse. Hiked to both chateaus on top of mountains. Queribus was not too bad. A lady in a full hot pink jumpsuit was able to do it. Here is us on the ascent:
Perypeteuse was not too bad to the 1st part of the chateau. Saw a bunch of birds of prey. Had fun exploring the nooks and crannies. Here is Michael, hiking! Looks like an "Endurance" poster to me!
And father and sone enjoying the ruins:Downright scary to the 2nd part. Very steep and slippery rocks. German kids and German senior citizens whizzing by us left and right with their walking sticks. Very funny French people. While on the way up, there was a group of 5 older French people. We heard one lady say, "Well, at least if one of us slips, we all go down together!" Then, we hear a guy in the back yelling, "DOMINO!!!!" Awesome. Made it to the top. It was worth it. One the way down, another French girl told me "J'ai super peur." I am super scared. Me too. Her boyfriend, Brian and Michael got down the stairs with no problems while me and this French girl helped each other get down. We met our men at the bottom since they left us to fend for ourselves.
Went back to Collioure. On the way, stopped at McDonalds for dinner for all of us. Less stress option with Michael
Wednesday, August 27th
Bad day for our whole family. Brian and I both grumpy for various reasons. Michael grumpy for God only knows why. We attempted to hike in the morning to Ft. St. Elmo but I was tired from yesterday's massive hike and we turned around to go home. Went to beach in the hottest part of the day and Michael only wanted to ride the caroussel and play on the playground in stead of the beach itself. Wandered around the old town and found out there was only 1 street left we hadn't seen. Saved it for later. On the upside, we had ice cream more than once. And the hotel changed our sheets so our bed was much better.
Thursday, August 28th
Awesome, relaxing day. Brian and I had an excellent breakfast at a cafe overlooking the beach while Michael ate and played in the grass around us. Went to the royal castle. Glad Rick steves did not recommend it. Had lunch at La Marinade and Michael was EXCELLENT. He ate his lunch, did not make much noise, and played with another little boy when he was finished eating and we were finishing up. Our lunch was delicious. Brian had fresh sardines (hand fileted and fresh caught) and a salad. I had slow cooked veal. Went to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Enjoyed pizza on some steps overlooking the beach. Had ice cream at least once. Enjoyed a beverage while Michael took an early evening nap. Wonderful, relaxing, and amazing.
Friday, August 29th
Woke up, flew back to Paris via Perpignan. Airport only had 5 departing flights all day. 2 went back to Paris. 3 went to Great Britain.
I think this is the longest post EVER.
Navigation Skills
Well, we just got back from our trip to Caunes-Minervois and Collioure and I must say that Phuong did an excellent job of navigating! We had to find all these castles perched on mountain cliffs and villages built into the side of canyons and she got us everywhere despite my attempts to steer off the priority road and go where I wanted. The maps all had different labels than the real roads near Collioure and Perpignan, and we still had no problems!
We saw in the paper that the Tour de France is supposed to go through Perpignan next year, so we may have to go back in July.
We saw in the paper that the Tour de France is supposed to go through Perpignan next year, so we may have to go back in July.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Shhh...Daddy is sleeping
Brian was sleepy today so I decided to put it to good use by making him put Michael to sleep.
Brian is sleeping in the glider while I am putting on Michael's diapers and such. Michael looks over, sees Brian sleeping and says to me, "Shhh..." while doing the Shhh sign with his index finger to his lips.
Guess I better be more considerate to B since Michael is apparently on his side.
P
Brian is sleeping in the glider while I am putting on Michael's diapers and such. Michael looks over, sees Brian sleeping and says to me, "Shhh..." while doing the Shhh sign with his index finger to his lips.
Guess I better be more considerate to B since Michael is apparently on his side.
P
Crashing Eva and Tony Parker's Wedding Site
We rented a car this weekend. We've made a many trip to IKEA but have also snuck in some day trips from Paris as well.
Today, visited Vaux-le-Vicomte, the chateau where Eva Langoria wed Tony Parker in 2007. Now, I am sure it will not only be remembered for staging this blessed occasion. Or at least we hope. We arrived at around 1:30 in time for lunch and started touring at 2:30.
We had a super late start, on purpose. Then, we decided to drive 2 hours out of the way to avoid a 40 minute traffic delay. On our little detour, there was IKEA, so we broke hard, exited and bought things. Then, back on the road only to end up at a roundabout where Brian decided not to follow his navigator's advice. Thus, we ended up on a very small road to a very small town where the map had a blast symbol to show what might be a bridge to the other side of the river. Many laughs later, we were cracking up at all the events that transpired to have us wandering around France along a river somewhere. And then to notice that we could have just waited the 40 minutes in traffic and been just fine.
Anyways, we toured the inside of the chateau, which was quite weathered compared to Versailles. It's almost as if Louis XIV also said, "Don't make this chateau nice EVER again." after building Versailles. Short history lesson: This chateau was built by Louis XIV's finance minister. After Louis XIV visited this chateau, which was more splendid than the piddly little hunting lodge Versailles, he arrested the owner, took his architect and garden designer. The architect and garden designer was then commissioned to work on the opulent Versailles that we see today. Scandalous. The long history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaux-le-Vicomte
So after seeing the inside , we rented golf carts and went cruising all over the grounds. Here are some family pictures:
Andre Le Notre's gardens:
We then drove home in a much more direct fashion. And now Michael and Brian fell asleep together at 10:30pm.
Yesterday, we went to Giverny, which is home to Monet's house and his gardens. If you have seen pictures of Monet's water lilies, this is what inspired them. Here is a family picture there too! Brian and Michael were super good sports by letting me wander the gardens and take pictures. I don't know...it was just one of those things I had to see.
Today, visited Vaux-le-Vicomte, the chateau where Eva Langoria wed Tony Parker in 2007. Now, I am sure it will not only be remembered for staging this blessed occasion. Or at least we hope. We arrived at around 1:30 in time for lunch and started touring at 2:30.
We had a super late start, on purpose. Then, we decided to drive 2 hours out of the way to avoid a 40 minute traffic delay. On our little detour, there was IKEA, so we broke hard, exited and bought things. Then, back on the road only to end up at a roundabout where Brian decided not to follow his navigator's advice. Thus, we ended up on a very small road to a very small town where the map had a blast symbol to show what might be a bridge to the other side of the river. Many laughs later, we were cracking up at all the events that transpired to have us wandering around France along a river somewhere. And then to notice that we could have just waited the 40 minutes in traffic and been just fine.
Anyways, we toured the inside of the chateau, which was quite weathered compared to Versailles. It's almost as if Louis XIV also said, "Don't make this chateau nice EVER again." after building Versailles. Short history lesson: This chateau was built by Louis XIV's finance minister. After Louis XIV visited this chateau, which was more splendid than the piddly little hunting lodge Versailles, he arrested the owner, took his architect and garden designer. The architect and garden designer was then commissioned to work on the opulent Versailles that we see today. Scandalous. The long history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaux-le-Vicomte
So after seeing the inside , we rented golf carts and went cruising all over the grounds. Here are some family pictures:
Andre Le Notre's gardens:
We then drove home in a much more direct fashion. And now Michael and Brian fell asleep together at 10:30pm.
Yesterday, we went to Giverny, which is home to Monet's house and his gardens. If you have seen pictures of Monet's water lilies, this is what inspired them. Here is a family picture there too! Brian and Michael were super good sports by letting me wander the gardens and take pictures. I don't know...it was just one of those things I had to see.
Then, you guessed it! IKEA!
Friday, we wandered around Paris. A lot. We walked all day long pretty much! Michael got to play in a playground near Saint Germain des Pres. Here is my favorite picture of that day.
More pictures of everything in our smugmug album as always! Now, to go and download pics from our America trip!
Love,
P
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Pull my finger
I've been teaching Michael his body parts and bodily functions lately. He's been really gassy of late and tooting a lot so I've taught him toot. He can't say it but knows what it means. Today, I was doing some situps on the floor while Phuong was putting his creams on before bed and he runs over and sits on my belly per usual. But then I let out a nice fart, which reverberated off of the wood floors and he laughed and laughed. Then he made his sign for 'more', and I was like look here boy, I'm spent, I've got nothing else, "all done". When that didn't work, he made the sign "just 1 more" with his index finger so I did some more exercises and worked up a good one a bit later. He was a bit aways from me so I held out my finger and when he pulled it, I shot that one off the parquet. He couldn't stop laughing and held out the 1 more sign again but unfortunately I was not up for the challenge and we had to chase each other in a circle and one of us got tickled repeatedly.
New Word
Michael has recently become fascinated with trains. He started calling them "choo choo" even though they're not steam powered. Every time he sees stairs descending into the metro system, he says choo-choo and cries if we don't go down to look at the trains. When we're waiting for the train to come, he gets really excited and says choo-choo until the train comes to a stop. If you even say the word choo-choo, he'll say it about 15 times in a row. Today he saw a real train on the way to Giverny and an animal farm which got him really excited.
We went to IKEA this evening to get some baby security items and he found the toy train. We had to pull him off of it and bought him one for his birthday. It's not as nice as a Brio but it only cost 11 Euro and he loved this one anyway.
Tuesday we're going to the Jardin d'Acclimatation north of the Bois de Boulogne. They have one of those mini trains like at Hermann Park in Houston so I imagine I'll be out 30 Euro in train tickets. Maybe he'll be happy just to look at it longingly from afar.
We went to IKEA this evening to get some baby security items and he found the toy train. We had to pull him off of it and bought him one for his birthday. It's not as nice as a Brio but it only cost 11 Euro and he loved this one anyway.
Tuesday we're going to the Jardin d'Acclimatation north of the Bois de Boulogne. They have one of those mini trains like at Hermann Park in Houston so I imagine I'll be out 30 Euro in train tickets. Maybe he'll be happy just to look at it longingly from afar.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Shadow
Michael discovered his shadow while in Virginia at Aunt AK and Uncle Bill's house!
Saturday morning, July 26th, I took Michael for a walk around the townhouse area and it was there...behind their garage, that he found his shadow! Since then, he spies it from time to time and is quite impressed that it is there.
Today, he waved hello to it and kept on going.
Saturday morning, July 26th, I took Michael for a walk around the townhouse area and it was there...behind their garage, that he found his shadow! Since then, he spies it from time to time and is quite impressed that it is there.
Today, he waved hello to it and kept on going.
Henry James Young
On Friday, I took care of both Oliver and Michael all day long while my friend, Laura, was having a home birth to welcome her son!
Henry James Young was born August 8, 2008 (yup, that would be 08.08.2008) at 8:00pm!
She didn't plan for it to be that way, but what a way to come into the world! So congratulations to them and their family!
Love,
P
Henry James Young was born August 8, 2008 (yup, that would be 08.08.2008) at 8:00pm!
She didn't plan for it to be that way, but what a way to come into the world! So congratulations to them and their family!
Love,
P
La Rentree
Last year, I wrote about a funny phenomenon here called "La Rentree," which is a term used for going back to normal life after 1-2 months of vacation. It applies to both adults and children alike. Think of it as "Back to School," but for everyone!
However, last year, La Rentree was something I experienced by observation. It certainly didn't apply to me. That "Back to School" feeling of new school supplies, seeing old friends again, and re-counting about a relaxing summer vacation well spent...well, that was just for the French apparently!
But this year, most surprisingly, it isn't. It applies to me too. I was welcomed by text messages on my phone, e-mails in my inbox, and voice messages asking if I was back and how my summer vacation went. When can we get the kids together? Are you going to be at Square Rene Legall this week?
So what does this mean exactly? It might mean that I am starting to make friends here. It might mean that while I eat my umpteenth croissant for the day, that I enjoy it here and miss things from here.
It just might mean...that we have made ourselves a home and didn't even realize it. Or maybe it was just me who didn't.
Love,
P
However, last year, La Rentree was something I experienced by observation. It certainly didn't apply to me. That "Back to School" feeling of new school supplies, seeing old friends again, and re-counting about a relaxing summer vacation well spent...well, that was just for the French apparently!
But this year, most surprisingly, it isn't. It applies to me too. I was welcomed by text messages on my phone, e-mails in my inbox, and voice messages asking if I was back and how my summer vacation went. When can we get the kids together? Are you going to be at Square Rene Legall this week?
So what does this mean exactly? It might mean that I am starting to make friends here. It might mean that while I eat my umpteenth croissant for the day, that I enjoy it here and miss things from here.
It just might mean...that we have made ourselves a home and didn't even realize it. Or maybe it was just me who didn't.
Love,
P
Saturday, August 09, 2008
What a Waste
Eventually, as a stay at home mom...you encounter someone who says "What a waste" to your decision to be a stay at home mom.
Thankfully, that someone said it to Brian and not me. An intern at Brian's work told him "What a Waste" it was for me to be at home instead of working.
Brian just gave her a funny look, which is much more civil than what I would have done to that girl. I believe the term is called "ripped her a new one."
Love,
P
Thankfully, that someone said it to Brian and not me. An intern at Brian's work told him "What a Waste" it was for me to be at home instead of working.
Brian just gave her a funny look, which is much more civil than what I would have done to that girl. I believe the term is called "ripped her a new one."
Love,
P
On Friday, Michael learned how to put his pointer finger to his lips and go "shh." Like people do at the library.
Today, we went shopping at La Defense. Michael played in a lot of toy stores and rode the indoor train. Then, we peeked into Jardin d'Aclimatation. Went shopping on the Champs Elysees and had a playdate at my friend Su's house. It was a full day!
Michael loves trucks, trains, buses, motorcycles, bikes, right now. He points to them all over the street and asks us what they are over and over again!
On Wednesday, it was so pretty that I decided to be adventurous and take Michael to a cafe for lunch with me. I packed him a lunch, ordered mine...and 15 minutes later, we were back at home! Amazing how fast you can eat when you have a toddler trying to run away.
Love,
P
Today, we went shopping at La Defense. Michael played in a lot of toy stores and rode the indoor train. Then, we peeked into Jardin d'Aclimatation. Went shopping on the Champs Elysees and had a playdate at my friend Su's house. It was a full day!
Michael loves trucks, trains, buses, motorcycles, bikes, right now. He points to them all over the street and asks us what they are over and over again!
On Wednesday, it was so pretty that I decided to be adventurous and take Michael to a cafe for lunch with me. I packed him a lunch, ordered mine...and 15 minutes later, we were back at home! Amazing how fast you can eat when you have a toddler trying to run away.
Love,
P
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Funny Day
We are having funny days. Today is one of them!
**Warning, very long post about random things that you might not be interested in.**
In Paris, we have these poles on the sidewalk. They are about 3 feet high and are used to prevent cars/ motorcycles from getting on the sidewalk. Michael has decided these poles are good for humping. He'll see a pole, scream in excitement, run up to it and hump it. We have to pry him off.
There is a small silver ball at the park, anchored into the play area. It is about 1 foot in diameter and bounces up and down on it's anchor. Yup, Michael has started humping that too.
Michael was listening to Dave Matthews and GOT DOWN to it. I mean, he was bobbing back and forth, swaying left and right, bending his knees and booty bumpin' it. I mean, gettin' down. So Brian and I danced with him and we were all going to town and lovin' it. What an awesome family moment.
Today, I was mopping in the kitchen. Michael saw me and stopped. The last time I was mopping, he ran in, slipped, his feet went out from underneath him and he landed flat on his back. I need a "piso mojado" sign.
Interesting how he remembers that 2 months later! I told him to crawl, so he did! However, when I was finished, he got to the kitchen and hit the deck again. So I told him it was ok. He stood up, but took these teeny tiny careful steps to make sure it wasn't wet.
While Michael was waiting for me to finish mopping, I find him standing next to our radiator, leaning up against the door with one foot crossed over the other. Just standing there. Waiting. I asked him, "Are you waiting for Mommy to finish mopping?"
"eey."
Michael-talk for "yes."
We went to 3 parks today before bedtime. Yup. 3. THat's one thing I LOVE about Paris. I can walk to 3 different parks in less than 10 minutes.
We went to a new park today. Michael grabbed a handful of sand. Left the sandpit. Opened the gate, walked about 50 yards past the front of this fountain, took a left, went up 2 long steps, up a ramp, took antoher left, went up 3 more long steps and threw his handful into the backside of the fountain. He looks at me, does his sign for "more." And I say, "Sure."
6 times and 20 minutes later, we are finally "All done."
Today, I gave him a pain au raisin that was about the size of his head.
That's it.
Love,
P
**Warning, very long post about random things that you might not be interested in.**
In Paris, we have these poles on the sidewalk. They are about 3 feet high and are used to prevent cars/ motorcycles from getting on the sidewalk. Michael has decided these poles are good for humping. He'll see a pole, scream in excitement, run up to it and hump it. We have to pry him off.
There is a small silver ball at the park, anchored into the play area. It is about 1 foot in diameter and bounces up and down on it's anchor. Yup, Michael has started humping that too.
Michael was listening to Dave Matthews and GOT DOWN to it. I mean, he was bobbing back and forth, swaying left and right, bending his knees and booty bumpin' it. I mean, gettin' down. So Brian and I danced with him and we were all going to town and lovin' it. What an awesome family moment.
Today, I was mopping in the kitchen. Michael saw me and stopped. The last time I was mopping, he ran in, slipped, his feet went out from underneath him and he landed flat on his back. I need a "piso mojado" sign.
Interesting how he remembers that 2 months later! I told him to crawl, so he did! However, when I was finished, he got to the kitchen and hit the deck again. So I told him it was ok. He stood up, but took these teeny tiny careful steps to make sure it wasn't wet.
While Michael was waiting for me to finish mopping, I find him standing next to our radiator, leaning up against the door with one foot crossed over the other. Just standing there. Waiting. I asked him, "Are you waiting for Mommy to finish mopping?"
"eey."
Michael-talk for "yes."
We went to 3 parks today before bedtime. Yup. 3. THat's one thing I LOVE about Paris. I can walk to 3 different parks in less than 10 minutes.
We went to a new park today. Michael grabbed a handful of sand. Left the sandpit. Opened the gate, walked about 50 yards past the front of this fountain, took a left, went up 2 long steps, up a ramp, took antoher left, went up 3 more long steps and threw his handful into the backside of the fountain. He looks at me, does his sign for "more." And I say, "Sure."
6 times and 20 minutes later, we are finally "All done."
Today, I gave him a pain au raisin that was about the size of his head.
That's it.
Love,
P
Bienvenue a Paris!
We are back! And surprisingly...happy about it!
I've been eating here like I did in the USA. Like I wasn't going to be back ever. I've been stuffing my face full of pastries, eclairs, croissants, and other French things! So I guess I do miss it here and like it.
SHOCKING.
Will catch up on the US trip etc. One day. When we're not up at god-awful hours dealing with jet-lagged Michael!
Love,
P
I've been eating here like I did in the USA. Like I wasn't going to be back ever. I've been stuffing my face full of pastries, eclairs, croissants, and other French things! So I guess I do miss it here and like it.
SHOCKING.
Will catch up on the US trip etc. One day. When we're not up at god-awful hours dealing with jet-lagged Michael!
Love,
P
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