London - 1st of Several Installments

On Sat. May 2nd (Happy birthday MOMMY!), our nuclear family hopped on the "fast choo choo...go underwater," otherwise known as the Eurostar bound for London.

We arrived at 84 Inverness Terrace around 1:30pm and checked into our 2 story, 3 bedroom flat. We threw our bags down and headed to Hyde Park to check it out and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (PDMP).

Upon arriving, we found a huge line into the playground. With a bouncer. For a playground. Does anyone else find this as wrong?

I guess I can undestand since it was Saturday after all around 4pm on a sunny day in London. So we decided to play in the grass with our balloon and explore the lake.

Michael loved playing with the balloon. And then when it popped, he loved getting sprayed in the face with Brian's spit when he blew through the balloon end. And of course, running around always is fun for Michael:

After this, we went to Tesco and M&S to buy groceries for a dinner at home and breakfast. And we waited until John & Kelli Besancon and Bryan, Katie, and Eden Thomason arrived! Around 9:45pm, we sat around eating pizza and horrible nachos and catching up/talking. It was a great 1st day!

The 2nd day, Michael got up around 7:30am and by 9:30am was going crazy. Since everyone else was still asleep, we went back to Hyde Park (it's just a 5 min walk away) and went to the PDMP! It was early and there was no line. So we went to town.

First up, the pirate ship:

Michael enjoyed climbing up the ropes, but it was a bit anticlimactic once aboard. So Michael was climbing back down fairly quickly:

Then, there was a huge tree house, so we did that:

Brian decided to do the kids' slide and found out he basically was the length of the slide...and according to this pic, the width as well:

After which, there was a teepee land...so that was at least worth a stop:

And Michael decided that Indians most definitely did this inside them:

After this, we went back to the flat to meet up with everyone else and left around 11am for the Rick Steve's Westminster Walk. We saw Trafalgar square:

Westminster Abbey:



Some horse guards:
Big Ben and Parliament:
And ended up at the London Eye:

Michael could spot this carrousel on the ground after being up in the eye. Kid's got my vision:

After this, we walked along the cold, sunny, and windy River Thames to do the Jubilee walk and headed home for a nice calm dinner at home!

That's 2 days. Only 7 more to blog! So I know you will be checking back every half hour for more...I know it.

London or Bust

We chose to "BUST" because that is what our stomachs are doing after spending a week in London eating fish and chips and all sorts of different pies. Oh...comfort food at its finest.

And let's not forget the Cadbury "Twisted" candybar that Kelli B. found. It's a cadbury cream egg...but in the shape of a candy bar. Heaven. And then there was the caramel filled cadbury chocolate bar. Not to be forgotten.

And so...I am going to have to go into my maternity pants without being pregnant.

Pictures to come...of course. First up is Silly Sister-in-Law pics. We were in rare form.
P

Parc Floral Saturday

Today, we went and played at Parc Floral. For both Michael and us!

Brian came up with a new game called Steam Roller. Brian rolls on the grass...Michael runs toward him...and Brian pretends to roll over him like a steam roller. You get the idea:
Michael saying "Cheese" among the tulips:

And of course, tulip pictures:

This is what boys do to flowers:

Mommy and Michael hanging out:

Daddy time:

Lunch time treat:

Michael loved this slide:

It was a HUGE slide complex:

Our little slider:

And Michael passing out:

Fun

Michael and I are having fun. Yesterday, I took him to the mall. Ok, no need to pass judgement.

I took him to the mall for a free puppet show there! We went to the toy store before hand where he played for a long time. Then, he tried to convince me that he wanted to go home. He even made that big eyes brimming with tears and a frown face that makes you want to go, "Oh, fine. OKAY."

But I said we would just stop by and if he didn't like it, we could go home. He agreed to that and we got there to hear the pre-show music coming from the speakers.

In the words of Jason Schumacher, I think "the house music just took over" for Michael because he was interested enough to stay. And when the puppet show started, he was in complete AWE. HE. LOVED. IT. Talked about it for the rest of the day: Puppet show. Michael liked it. Dog puppet. Pirate puppet. Dog talked to pirate.

Today, we went to the Luxembourg Gardens to feed the ducks/fish. Then went to Poussin Vert, the playground there that you have to pay for but it's big and great. And then Michael wanted to go eat at a cafe so he ordered duck with a cauliflower gratin and green beans. Seriously. I told him the menu choices (quiche, beef, duck). He picked the duck. That's my boy for ya.

AND.HE. LOVED. IT. Ate all of his share and a little scoop of ice cream. We had such an awesome lunch, out in the sun, in a Paris cafe.

It is SO. FUN.

2 Quotes

I read these 2 quotes in the past 24 hours and they apply to me:

"I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."
~Jeremiah 45:5~

"Photographic technique is a continuous process of shooting, analysis, and then applying that new knowledge to the next shot. "
~Ken Rockwell~

That's it. Just needed to put it down. Now go read the next post and vote!
P

You Vote

I am proposing a way to

1. Highlight some of the differences between living in America and Paris
2. Give you a chance to vote on what kind of life you would want if you had the choice!
3. Offer a glimpse into the real life of a person living in Paris. Not a tourists' life.

So if I can get my act together...I will try to post once a week about one difference and you can vote which you prefer! Post your votes in the Comments Section!

First UP:

GROCERY SHOPPING

Option 1 - USA: Buy everything you need under one roof for reasonable prices. You usually can buy a week's worth of groceries saving you trips during the week and your fridge holds it all.

Place all your groceries into your car and drive directly to the door of your house where you unload your groceries. While it is quite convenient, your food is not as fresh (even produce) or is quite processed.

Option 2 - Paris: You must grocery shop at least 2-3 times a week because your fridge is half the size of an American fridge. At times, you must go to 2-3 different shops for the food you need for dinner. Food is much more expensive, but the quality and taste are really outstanding if you know where to go. Add in a weekly market trip too where you buy A-M-A-Z-I-N-G produce for good prices...but must do it in French. AND market is not everyday. It only occurs 3 mornings a week.

You must carry all of your groceries either on you, in a caddy, or hang it off your stroller because, yes, if you have young children who are not in school or at the babysitter's...they are coming with you. You walk 5-10 minutes with all your groceries and your children to your apartment.

I prefer Option 2 -Paris.

Which do you prefer?

Daddy Love

So Michael is in a HUGE "Dad is the Best" stage. THe other day (I think it was last Tuesday), I found Michael on the floor at the foot of my bed. He had found this framed picture I had of Brian. He put it on the floor, standing up and everything. Like it was on display. And he was laying in front of it, on his belly, with his face cupped in his hand. Just staring at it adoringly.

WOW. If I went to work all day, he probably would not miss me like that.

Last week, we went to Square Rene Legall...per usual in sunny weather. While we were walking back home...Michael stopped quite abruptly and said to me,

"Watch out for that little guy over there."

I looked over to where he was pointing and it was a 6'2" African-French city worker cleaning the leaves off of the sidewalk. Uhh...I'm going to have to explain to him what "little guy" really means.

Since Michael does not have his own blog anymore, I realized I have stopped posting about his developments. Like when he started making sentences or when he could jump with 2 feet. Well, he can do both of those things now. And he's been doing it for at least a couple of weeks. Oh yes, and he can also do stairs by himself...almost. I wouldn't leave him alone without spotting him...but he can do them.

He can also get on the escalator by himself without much hesitation. Brian is going to have to tell you when he started doing that because I still hold his hand. This is probably more for the fact that I still can't get on the escalator without doing some stupid little nervous foot shuffle first.

There was a Sunday a long time ago...while Brian was gone in Arizona. The Sunday where he was sick. He must have been feeling ok from the fever reducing medication because he asked me to take his shopping cart out. So I let him. And he took me ALL the way to Italie2 (about 10 minute walk away) all by himself. No directions or guiding from me. He knew the way.

When we got there...all the stores were, of course, closed. It is SUNDAY after all. And so I ask Michael, "What are going to do here Michael? All the stores are closed!" He looks up at me and says, "Toy store Mommy."

The resulting explanation of what "closed" meant and the wearing off of fever medication resulted in a huge teary tantrum and me carrying Michael AND his shopping cart the whole 10 minute walk back home.

I think that's all the things I needed to blog about Michael. And I feel badly because with all the time I spend taking pictures of other people's kids...I haven't had that many of my own! Whenever we go anywhere with other families...I tend to spend more time taking pictures of other people's kids more than Michael. THAT STOPS NOW. Ok, Maybe after London when I see what The Thomason's daughter can do in front of a camera!

Love,
P

Nasty Cheeses

I went to Androuet - a really good cheese shop on Mouffetard - the other day, and I bought the nastiest cheeses I could find. Check out this picture from lunch today:


There on the cutting board are the Langres fermier de Champagne (nasty looking orange blob), the buchette cendree (literally, the ashen log) - a cow cheese covered in ashes, and the Casinca from Corsica, realtively harmless so Michael could have something to eat. We also have a leftover Comte, the little chunk on the left. It's nutty, Michael hates it, but I love it.
Here in this picture you see the 4th cheese I bought, the Castelviel.


It was wrapped in plastic and when I opened it, it was all slimy. Phuong called it the shiny cheese. Guess which one was the best and which one the nastiest?

You eat all that nastiness on the Langres. As it turns out though, it's absolutely delicious. Creamy on the inside. The Casinca was good, but unadventuresome as predicted. The ash log was really good too, quite a shock, Phuong and I were gobbling it up. But the Castelviel was super-pungent like a munster and a bit spicy. Not for the faint of heart and not terribly good either. Luckily it was the cheapest of the bunch.

Date Night and Photoshoot!

Last night, Brian and I had date night at the Louvre. We toured the Egyptian art and were wishing we saw it in Egypt instead of the Louvre's basement. However, we did enjoy running around and taking pictures. Next date night, we are just going to run all over Paris and take pictures of ourselves. Yep, it's going to be us, the tourists with the big lens and tripod:

On Friday morning, my babysitter came and I did a photoshoot for my friend's son, Oliver. Here are the results:

I think they turned out ok considering the high direct sunlight. I have a meeting today with a professional photographer lady from Message and am going to ask her for some critique on these!

Love,

P

Catch Up

While Brian was gone...I do not post about him being gone...just in case. I know it's paranoid...but that's me.

But anyways, Michael really missed Brian and he kept asking where Daddy was. And I told him he was with his friends watching baseball. And that appeased him for the 1st day. Then when we got to brushing his teeth, Michael asked me..."Where did Daddy's toothbrush go?"

uhhh....

"Daddy took his toothbrush to show his friends."

THAT made sense to Michael and so we continued on with our lives.

There was something else, but I can't remember now. UGH.

SUNNY!

Spring in Paris is the reward for the winter. We are having amazing weather. Sunny with highs in the upper 60's. Otherwise known as bliss!

Monday: Sold scrapbook stuff. Park in the morning. Eat. Nap. Park in the afternoon. Eat. Sleep.

Tuesday: Went to gymnastics class. Forgot it was school holiday. No gymnastics. BLAST IT ALL. SO! Went to park to meet Jonah/Kirsten. Ate lunch at their place. Nap. When boys got up, went to another cool new park. Got dirty. REALLY dirty. Home. Eat. Sleep.

Wednesday: Park. Picnic with Mary/Geo. Michael falls in the gross icky stream water. Home. Nap. Park in the afternoon with babysitter. Mom at dentist for my PERMANENT CROWN!!! WHOOP!

Yes, I am selling my scrapbooking stuff. I am not giving it up entirely, just selling the stuff I don't use and keeping only a small quantity of things.

Now, next question is...can anyone guess how much money the "stuff I do not use" has brought in???

Scroll down for the answer...





Ok, so you didn't have to scroll down that far. 230 euro. SAD that I have THAT much stuff I do not use.

P

Too Late

On Saturday, we had a dinner and cards night at the Atkins' apartment. We do this about once every 2-3 months or so. We spend the night at their place. We put all the kids to bed and then we stay up playing cards and eating. It used to be just pinochle, but now, we are playing Liverpool Rummy too...which is super fun.

Anyways, Saturday night was great. We had fois gras, a salad with strawberries/roquefort/bacon/avocado/egg and then...CASSOULET. They have a flavors of the southwest store right next to their place so that's what we had for dinner. It was so amazing. Cassoulet is my favorite French dish.

We put the kids to bed. They slept without making a peep. And that allowed us 4, to finish nearly 6 bottles of wine and a bottle and a half of champagne.

Today, we took a family nap. All of us, from 1:30 - 4:30. AND I napped from 11:45am - 1pm too.

We were tired.
P

Easter

You want 15 Easter pictures? You GOT 15 Easter pictures!

And the sad thing is...these are not the best. Much more at our online album...link in the menus to the right. I took nearly 350 pictures for the weekend.

We had an amazing Easter weekend. Seriously. It all started with GORGEOUS weather. Sunny days with highs in the upper 60's.

On Saturday, we attended the Message Easter Egg Hunt at the Arenes des Luteces, which is an old Roman arena in the 5th. It is about a 20 minute walk down the street from our apartment!

Michael had fun looking for candy in the bushes:

And of course, we went with Jonah:

After all was said and done, Michael found a good place to enjoy his loot. This was before a bigger came and kicked Michael in the back until he went down the slide:

On the walk home, Jonah decided to have some PDA with Michael. Michael is not too happy about this turn of events:
Then, both families came back to our place and we had lunch! I made Bun Bo Hue, which is a very savory Vietnamese beef noodle soup, not for the light of heart or picky eater. It was not as good as my Mom's, but my cooking rarely ever is.

Then, we put all the boys down for a nap and Kirsten, Ella and I went to the mall. Seriously. Italie2 is down the street and I had to buy dirt and a spade to pot a plant my friend Mary gave me! After which, we went to a tea house in the 13th called L'Oisive du te and had a nice girly gouter!

When we got home, 2.5 hours later, the boys were all still asleep. One by one, they all woke up from their naps and we commenced with egg dying. Michael prefered the direct dunk approach with no utensils: Ella was REALLY impressed with her pink egg: And Michael loved watching Kirsten dye anything: On Sunday, we went to church and had a lazy day at home. It was perfect.

Here in France, you don't get Good Friday off. Instead, you get Monday off after Easter. And it's called The Monday After Easter holiday. I am being serious.

So we went with the Atkins to Vaux le Vicomte for their Easter Egg Hunt! It was great fun! Here is Michael adjusting his riding hat after getting off the horse he rode:
And in case you forgot who the Atkins were! We also went with them to Switzerland:
So, the official egg hunt was in what would best be described as "shrubbery." Michael is hardcore about Easter egg hunts:

After we collected the allotted 5 eggs per child, we re-hid them in a field far away and had another Easter egg hunt with just the 4 boys. Very fun times:
And then afterwards, Michael decided to dine on his chocolates while surveying his chateau grounds: Here's mom trying to get a picture with Michael while he's running around for eggs. NOT a good idea:

And then afterwards, they had this little station full of these little medieval cloaks and styrofoam swords. Can we say, AWESOME?Michael put his to good use by attacking this bush:

All this before nap time at that! And Michael decided to take a 5 minute nap ALL DAY. We went to the Atkins to pick up a monitor and trade pictures and made it home by 7pm. WHEW> What a day. Michael took a 20 minute power nap at 6:30pm and went to bed at 8pm.

It was all so super fun.
P

shower

Michael usually gets a bath at night, but more frequently we just take a shower together. Two reasons. One, if I don't, I'm probably not showering after he goes to sleep. Two, he loves it. I suppose he feels like a big boy, finally cool enough to be like dad. We've definitely had to emphasize the "never touch or punch another man's peepee" rule though.

This evening, Michael and I went to the park at St. Medard. There's this little box underneath the slide that has a steering wheel and an "accelerator" that you can move up and down. It's quite small but can hold two kids Michael's size. It's not tall enough for Michael to stand up in so it must be about two and a half feet tall.

Anyway, Michael usually goes in there and then I try to fit in there as well. I usually get one butt cheek on the bench and then I push the accelerator while Michael mans the wheel. Today I crammed myself in there like normal. After a couple minutes, Michael looks at me all hunched over and says "Daddy fat!" Well, yes, it would appear so. Thank you, son.