Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Fever broke!
We're all thankfully feeling a bit better but it was nasty along the way! And I think we watched every animated movie and Baby Einstein 30 times each.
Love,
P
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Vacation is OVER
However, Michael's got it too, poor thing. And it's awful! He's got 104 fever and we're giving him fever medication every 6 hours. And every time he coughs, he cries for a while because it hurts. We know exactly how he feels because we felt this way on Sunday.
Oh well, there goes our wonderful plans for the week. I was going to go to a baby shower for my friend Kirsten on MOnday and get some more maternity pics for her at the Louvre and at her shower. And then Tuesday, we had a get together at a friend's house. And then Wednesday night we were going to ring in the new year playing pinochle at the Atkins.
ALL CANCELLED.
Love,
P
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Cook!
Well then.
My Goodness!
Friday, Dec. 19: Dad's Day Off. Brian went Christmas shopping in the morning and then watched movies all afternoon at home while Michael and I hung out! We had delicious carne adovado for dinner. Thanks to Jamie and Kim for that New Mexican gift!
Saturday, Dec. 20: Mom out shopping with Su. Christmas shopping mostly done.
Sunday, Dec. 21: Christmas gouter/party at the Daniels. Their son, Jonah, is Michael's best friend. Sure helps out that Kirsten and I get a long GREAT as well!
Monday, Dec. 22: Christmas shopping with Kirsten around Paris. GREAT fun. Original day for her maternity photoshoot, but it was raining so shopping just HAD to be it! We went to Galeries Lafayette and then Cyrillus and then bopped around Opera.
Dec 23-24: Family time!
Thursday, Dec. 25th: Christmas and breakfast at home. Then Christmas dinner with the Atkins like we did last year! Super delicious and super fun. The kids all played well together and didn't eat a SINGLE thing for dinner. However, Michael did enjoy his 5 scoops of ice cream. We were glad he was quiet. It's the holidays!
Friday, Dec. 26th: No Day After Christmas shopping frenzy here! It is COLD. Like almost freezing cold. However, Brian and I braved the winds and walked all the way to Chatelet (40 minute walk) and I exchanged a couple of presents and bought Kirsten's shower gift. Shopping for girl clothes is SUPER fun. So I guess there was still Day After Christmas shopping...but no FRENZY to go along with it.
Which brings us to today! It was gorgeous and cold so I called Kirsten to come out and do our photoshoot. Here are my fav 3 pictures from today. She's gorgeous!

Friday, December 19, 2008
Alsacez-Vous!
We stayed in this AMAZING gite (French for rental house) that was situated up HIGH in the mountains with snow everywhere. There were just tons of live Christmas trees, covered in snow, growing everywhere! It was like in a Christmas storybook. And at night, it was even more enchanting. Incredible! We took many opportunities to take pictures!
Family pic:
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My favorite pic of Michael from the vacation:
And boys conquering piles of snowcovered wood:
Then, the guy who drives very often in snow left. Something about meeting his friend. I thought our snow driver was included in the cost! Anyways, we put chains on the back two tires of the vehicle and proceeded to slide down the snow covered hill 3 times before a nice Belgian living upstairs told us, "You need to put the chains on the FRONT 2 tires of a front wheel drive vehicle. NOT the back 2."
Why yes...that seems to make sense now doesn't it?? Here's a nice picture of our chains:
Later, we found out those same Belgians were driving fine up and down that hill with neither snow tires or chains. NICE! I guess that's what the owner meant when he asked me, "Are you guys used to driving in snow?" Ummm...that's a resounding "NO!"
The parents, Michael, and I arrived in Colmar in the early afternoon before Brian. We picked up Brian late that night at the Colmar train station and settled in after our eventful first day. For more random and possibly humerous stories, see the end of the blog.
At the beginning of the 2nd day, Saturday Dec. 13th, we got an early start at 11:00am. Ahhh...it is so nice to have a VACATION! The first place we visited was a quaint little town called Riquewihr.We drank lots of hot beverages (cocoa, wine, etc):
And had fun exploring the small village. We bought choucroute there (sauerkraut and sausage) and poele alsacienne (potates skillet fried with cheese and sausage) for dinner. And by skillet fried, I mean in pans as large as a 18 wheeler tire. It was super cute and we had a great time wandering the little cobbled streets.
On our drive up and down the mountain, we had some amazing views. Here's a really cool cemetary we found:And I just love this snow covered view:
On the 3rd day, Sunday Dec. 14th, we explored Colmar! The German inspired colored houses were too cute and the market spanned the entire town. In Nuremberg, the market is really in their main square. But in Colmar, we went to different parts of the village to see different markets. Really cute! Here's a family picture there, of course: And my favorite night market picture:
We had an amazing apfelstreudel in a cafe near Petit Venise in Colmar and some Frenchies in the table next to us were seriously enchanted by Michael! All he was doing was eating a mini ice cream cone!
While in Colmar, we shopped, ate, and Michael rode the horse ride and the mini carrousel a ton of times. Check out this great picture Dad took:
On our last day, Monday Dec. 15th, we explored Eguisheim. It had a sign greeting us saying, "One of the most prettiest villages in France." Any time we see this sign, we brace ourselves a bit because what France considers one of their most prettiest villages, is a bit different than what we expect! While Eguisheim was cute (the streets form concentric circles), it was just ok. I think it would have helped had we come on a Sunday since Monday was pretty dead in the village. As in most villages actually! Usually Sunday is a dead day too but since it is Christmas season, things are open. Either way, we got our family picture! Dad already had Michael snuggled in his coat so we just said, "Hey, you can get in the picture too!"
Michael had a great time with his grandparents and these 2 shots show just that:
VOILA! And that was the end of our trip! Amazing!
Love,
P
P.S. Funny moments:
- While waiting at the train station (Gare de l'Est) to go to Colmar (we were an hour early), we helped a Chinese guy who was seriously stressed out about the trains in France. He couldn't imagine why they would be late. And I wondered, are trains always running perfectly in China?
- At this same train station, I got pooped on by a bird. This is my first memory of the trip. This should teach me NOT to come to the train station an hour early!
- We had to transfer trains in Strasbourg to a regional train that went to Colmar. Brian left us 10 minutes to do this transfer. By the time we got on the train, it was pulling out and Brian's mom was reaching for her inhaler so she could breathe.
- When we got to the Avis rental agency, they only had 2 cars for us. They took us to the parking lot and showed us the car we ordered, a Citroen C3 with no chains. Reasonably sized car. Then they showed us a Ford Fiesta with chains. The Ford fiesta was small. To put it generously. But we went ahead and chose it because it had chains. Luckily, someone returned a big Volkswagen Touron which easily could seat 4 and a carseat AND it had chains. WHEW. Otherwise, I may have had to ride tied to the top of the Ford Fiesta.
- When we were looking at the cars, Dad and I had to walk nearly to the other end of the parking lot. Then, when we were going to pick up our huge Volkswagon Touron, they drove us to it. And I am serious when I say it was like a 30 second walk away.
- Don't ask about navigating within the city of Colmar itself, OR finding our way out of Colmar to Kaysersberg for the first time. Let's just say, Brian's mom said, "Look for the D4 on the map." I couldn't find it until we went about 5km north of Colmar. Oops, better go WEST.
- Since Brian did not join us until late Friday night, I did all the information gathering in FRENCH! I am super proud of myself so I have to toot my horn.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Michael: Mommy, Mommy
Mommy: Michael, it's ok. You are going to sleep in your crib
Michael: No, No, No
Mommy: Yes, it is ok. Tomorrow, we'll come in and get you when you wake up.
Michael: Get you...get you...
Mommy: So you be a big boy and sleep in your crib like a good boy ok?
Michael: Good boy, good boy...
And Brian layed him down, we left, and we shut the door. He went to sleep.
I guess we said the right things this time.
P
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Battu Part Deux
Friday, December 05, 2008
The Possible end of Scrapbooking
Anyways, Kim Kropka introduced me to this site today for photobooks. It looks amazing. And guess what? They can turn your blogs into books with just some clicks of a mouse.
http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook
You guys may be seeing A LOT more blog entries since I can just import it into a book and get it published. I think I am going to reserve my most favorite pictures for scrapbooking still...but I do believe my hobby is going to start taking a backseat to technology. And I better get a lot better with my grammar and spelling if I am going to put it in a book form.
My Cup Runneth Over
Michael: Daddy?
Phuong: Daddy is playing poker tonight.
Michael: Friends.
Phuong: Yes, Daddy is playing poker with his friends. Do you have any friends?
Michael: Mommy, Joda
And he meant it too because he said Joda right after me, which is his best friend here in Paris (Jonah)
Are there any words to explain how you feel after your son tells you that he thinks of you as his friend? I must have done something right!
Then, I remember that line in The Wedding Singer when Adam Sandler's nephew tells him that "Everyone is saying you are coocoo." And Adam Sandler replies, "What do you mean everyone; you only talk to your parents."
I may be only 1 of 3 people he ever talks to but I am happy to still be his friend. Do you think he'll add me as his friend on Facebook one day?
Good night!
P
Elle a Fait Ci
Anyways, Michael has gone twice to French Music class. And today, I'm singing the song that they sing when they hold hands and go in a circle...and MICHAEL KNEW THE WORDS!!! It was incredible. Here's how it started:
Phuong: Ma grand mere fait tous ca
Michael: Elle a fait ci
Phuong: Elle a fait ca
Phuong: Ma grand mere, Elle a fait ci
Michael: Elle a fait ca
And he was saying over and over in the elevator, "VOILA!"
INCREDIBLE! Gotta get Vietnamese in there next!
Love,
P
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
SMOOCH
Yesterday, Michael put both his lips together, put them next to my cheek and made a kissing noise! He is thrilled with it!
One of his delay tactics for naptime is to smother me in kisses all over because he knows I love it and I let him do it all he wants! It is too cute to stop.
Other funny things:
On Tuesday, we went to gymnastics. He loves it and was running around the little play area that they set up. And as he went by, I could hear him under his breath saying, "More..more..more.." He just loves it!
However, he does not follow instructions well in gymnastics. The teacher will tell him in French to sit down and he'll just stand there staring at her. So she'll switch to English and he still does not obey, even though all the other kids are sitting all in a row. What do I DO??? Is there anything?
Michael was throwing around a football at home and wanted to throw it at a picture frame. I said, "Michael, don't throw it there or Mommy will get upset." And he looks at me and points to his timeout corner as to say, "yup, I go there if Mommy gets upset." Then, he pointed to the laptop and said, "Touch." Because he knows if he touches that, it's timeout too!
Michael can play memory now. It's a bit crude, bit it's there. I noticed it yesterday. I pull out 6 cards and put them face down and he knows to turn one over and look for the "match." And he can remember too! If he's turned it over before one time, and he sees it again somewhere else, he'll know where he saw it the first time. BONAFIDE. It's amazing! He's still learning how to take turns, but for now, I am letting him remember what he's done.
I taught Michael to say "crazy." So whenever he's turning things upside down and making a mess, he'll say "CRAZY!" while doing it and then point to the mess and say, "Mess."
This week so far:
Monday - No playgroup, fever recovery
Tuesday - Gymnastics in the morning, babysitter in the afternoon
Wednesday - MOther's coffee break in the morning, french music class in the afternoon
I think that's it. We'll see.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Monday, December 01, 2008
Crayon on the wall
At least I thought. I found blue crayon marks all over 3 of my white walls and 2 of my white doors.
Thank God for washable crayola crayons.
Love,
P