Michael's 5th Birthday Party

I must not want to go to bed!

Saturday, October 15th, we had a Harry Potter themed birthday party for Michael - complete with broomstick party favor bags:

And Quidditch:
Lots of playing in the leaves:

And of course, a Pinata:
Michael got it on the FIRST try. I even heard Abbey say to him, "Michael, you got it on the first try! That was - like amazing!"

After each pinata, would be the candy motivated scrum:
More running around. The kids were crazy. They played outside. They played Wii. They tracked half my yard in my house, but they ran off all that sugar we were feeding them!

Birthday cake time:

I got it from Costco. SO sue me. I was busy spray painting hula hoops gold! We lit the cake with trick candles that just kept relighting. It wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining if the kids didn't squeal with delight and surprise every time one would relight. It's so fun to be around kids!

I love kids' birthday parties - Michael's or not. I'm a sucker for them!

I even hung up a red sheet over my door, drew bricks on it, and cut a seam down the middle for the kids to run through. I forgot to take a picture of it though - it's tough to be a hostess AND a photographer AND a mother at the same time!

I hope MIchael loved it as much as we love getting to witness his little life unfold before our very eyes!

Hotel de Ville

I love running into Paris pictures that are not particularly obvious, but strike a cord with me.

Eiffel Tower images - nope, they just don't do it for me. It wasn't MY Paris - so it's beautiful and great - but it doesn't make me take pause and reflect.

But this image did for a lot of reasons. First, it's the carousel at Hotel de Ville across from BHV. Second, we used to ride it every winter - it was a tradition. Go ice skating at Hotel de Ville - ride the carousel there. All free. Maybe not the ice skating - but it might have been!

So I recognize this carousel. I recognize that lantern. I recognize that street corner in the background.

Hmm...on second thought, the street is kinda close - and I don't remember that. So I may be wrong. Eh - whatever. Makes me still think about my memories there!

I know there are ex-expats that read my blog and I was wondering if any of you have moments like this in your everyday lives? Things that make you stop and think back to that really different life we used to lead? And inevitably - you think for a second - it would be great to go back.

And then you remember about the day you had to argue with the woman at Monoprix just to give you change because you wanted to pay with cash and not your debit card because there was no way the Boulangerie would take your 20 euro to pay for a 1 euro baguette. So Big Box Retailer NEEDED to give you that change. You held up everyone in line as you and the cashier had a staring contest to see who's will would win out.

It wasn't her. I needed my baguette gosh darn it.