Monseur Eiffel and ice cream

Today we slept in (we are still adjusting to the the time)... but Maddie woke up and said "Are we going to the Eiffel tower today?" How could we turn that down? Even though it's so cliche, it really is breathtaking. I love turning the corner after getting off the metro and just seeing it there. So cool.

It is really hard to take a good picture of the Eiffel tower because there are SO many people there, and it is so big, you really have to be far away, and there are so many blocades everywhere... anyway... this is my best shot.

We sat down and had a snack and just relaxed. Everyone kept on asking us what we were planning on doing in Paris for a month... it's hard to respond because just sitting there and doing nothing is so fun. People watching, and just being in such a beautiful city is my favorite thing to do.

Paris is great for kids. They have a two story carousel right by the Eiffel Tower and we couldn't resist.

And- everything is made of wood... so nicely made. Maddie chose the plane !

I like this pic because you can see how close it is to the tower.

Again, everywhere you go there are playgrounds. It is a parent paradise.

We didn't know we couldn't put our feet in the water... oops. Got a yelling for this one!

While Emi was napping, Becky and I took Maddie and Audrey out to see the Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle cathedral... oh, the crowds were a disaster. But, it is August. So, we got some ice cream. Is this why I gained 20 lbs last time I came here???

Ice Cream #1, to be later followed by Ice Cream #2 for dinner. Lucky girl!!

Why don't we make stuff like this anymore? It's so amazing. (one of the facades on the Notre Dame)

Very scary water spouts. I wish I could see these in a rainstorm!

Of course, we ride the metro everywhere now-- and got our monthly pass. It is a drag to carry the stroller up and down, but all in all, it is so convenient. And- probably why people here are so trim. They walk everywhere.

Walking to dinner on the Champs-Elysses... (thanks for the pics Becky).

Waiting for the metro to go home. Today I thought we could definitely live here.

Food and Rain

Bonjour!!!

These are some pics of our apartment:

When we came to meet the couple who normally lives in this apartment during the non summer months, I expected to be greeted by 50 somethings... but I think they were younger than us! Wow- they must have made it big early in life, or have some good trust funds... because this place is pretty huge/pretty gorgeous and pretty expensive. This is a view of the living room.

The kitchen...

The stairs going upstairs to two bedrooms...

Our bedroom for the time being...

Maddie's room...

Emilie's cute little crib...

The details in this apartment are pretty cool... my dad would love this place (as an architect).

Walking up to our apartment from the airport, we passed a million bakeries... and my stomach and heart plunged as I am now gluten free eater. The second we woke up this morning, I marched our family to the nearest "natural" grocery store, and asked "where is the gluten free section?" I stocked up on "bread," "crackers" etc. And- the stuff is SOOO good. I guess the French even do gluten free well! It is the best gluten free bread I've ever eaten. And, of course it tasted even beter with cheese and prosciutto. O MY GOSH. So yummy.

After our friends came from the airport, we decided to take a walk by the Seine where they have created a beach for the summer. On the way, we saw these cool balls where kids can roll themselves around...

I asked the girls if they wanted a turn... this was their response... not so thrilled!

By the Seine, they had "the beach" set up, with sand, lounge chairs, ice cream. It was awesome. And of course, these card board cuts outs...

Oh La La!

We stopped and watched mimes, dancers...

Ran through water misters... (so refreshing!)

Walked, walked and walked...

and then it DUMPED rain on us like I have never seen. I was soaked in about 2 minutes. The kids were wailing, wet and grumpy, so that ended our day short. We ran back while trying to dodge some of it in covered porches....

It was so nice to get back to our apartment and get warm again.

We went out to the supermarche and made potato/leek soup and chicken for dinner. Again, so yummy. Food is one of my favorite things :)

Kids are still adjusting to the time... and waking up in the night... but hopefully they'll be over it soon!

10 Hours Later...

Well, a lot has happened in the last couple of days...a lot of good and a lot of bad, so I guess I should include it all...(I hesitated to share this, but it's life, and it's a little therapeutic).

Let's start with the bad...

Steve and I were expecting our third child! We were very excited, but quite as we usually are in the first trimester... as I've had 2 miscarriages before. Anyway, I thought I was 8-9ish weeks, but when I went into the first ultrasound... the baby was measuring much much smaller than it should be.

But- there was a heartbeat... so I was holding on to some hope. I went in for some HCG readings (with drawing blood) for a couple of days, which indicated that the baby wasn't strong enough... but we had to make sure... so after 1 week (a very long week of waiting, worrying and experiencing pregnancy symptoms but not knowing if it was real-- not very fun), we went in for another ultrasound which showed that the baby had passed away.

This is all very awful for everyone of course, but we were leaving for Paris in two days after we found out the final concensus. So- I had to decide if I wanted to naturally miscarry or peform a D & C.

Long story short, I decided to do a D & C, had it done on Friday, and then we left yesterday for Paris. This is my second D & C (yes, so sad), but I was out with my first one. The physical recovery was MUCH worse with the first, but the emotional recovery for this one is much worse. It is no fun being awake for any procedure like this. I am trying to quickly erase those moments on Friday...and feel some peace about the whole thing.

Of course we are very sad/disappointed about the events of this week, but moments/experiences like these really accentuate the blessings. We love our daughters- and all children are miracles...I am so greatful that I have them. Hopefully, we'll be able to add another one (which may be our last? I'm running out of steam... but who knows what will happen :) )

Now onto the good!

10 hours later, we are in Paris. The flight wasn't so bad! We left at around 6:30 pm, so the kids had a full day of activity, and they were kind of winding down. We had dinner on the plane, we read books, Maddie watched some TV, we opened some presents (little ones I got from the dollar store)... and then they were out. Of course, it is not pleasant to hold a 18 month old on your lap for 10 hours, but you can do anything if you know it's going to end, right?

Luckily, we got the first seats past business class, so there was some extra room. I highly recommend this for any parent traveling transatlantic flights :) They even have a bassinet (but Emi didn't fit).

Our place is great. We can't really see straight since neither of us slept, but of what we have seen so far, it's the perfect location. We chose the 3rd arrondissement (Paris is laid out in sections called arrondissements), which is full of shops, bakeries, markets... of course all the quintessential stuff. We are really excited.

The apartment is perfect for our family. The owners have children themselves, so Maddie has a little bed perfect for her, and Emilie has the same. They have their own room with a window of the Paris rooftops. And- if you squint, you can see the Eiffel tower :)

Our friends are coming tomorrow... and they also have the most adorable crib for their little baby... it really is a perfect place for families. (not to mention being absolutely beautiful).

That's it! No photos for today :) I had no energy ! But, I have a feeling tomorrow will be packed with them. What to do first?

The Harvest

I mentioned last post that we were enjoying our harvest. Well, here are some pics of what we picked this morning... green beans, LOTS of tomatoes, cucumbers, corn. OH MY GOSH CORN! I am not a lover of corn, but this is pretty darn finger lickn delicious.


This is the side entrance to our house... tomatoes on the right, fruit trees on the left with cucumbers, and green beans.

Instead of planting normal plants that separate us from the neighbors, Steve decided to plant GARGANTUAN corn plants. Well (they were only seeds when we started)... but they are HUGE! Everyone makes jokes when they pass the house :)

DELiCiOuS.

She picked the biggest one!

The last month

Steve was gone to Germany for a week, then we went to visit family for a week, then Steve went to Germany for a week... and then I passed out. It was a lot of activity... and a lot of it on my own. But- I survived :) Steve will be out of town just one more time before we head off to Paris for 1 month. I am so excited to get away. Away from it all. Some time to relax, and just spend time together. No responsibilities. No drama. Just Paris!!!

Here is a photo recap in reverse chronology:

We took the Heber Train with the kids and my dad which we've never done before (I guess everyone else but us has). We had a lot of fun... the kids were completely in awe of the cowboy performance.
Very Happy.

Enjoying the ride!

We went to get Ice Cream on Park City's main drag. I think I don't like ice cream anymore (can I say that? I just love the new yogurt...) but we had to take a pic of this cow. Too cute.

Of course our favorite activity in Park City is riding this little roller coaster. We would ride it all day if it weren't too expensive... but Maddie and I just squealed all the way down.

The little plane rides on the bottom...

The two aviators.

Even though these rides are soo hot in the middle of the day (with no trees)... the kids still want to ride them. Who can say no?

We rented a great pad in park city with three bedrooms, kitchen, pool... it was incredibly relaxing. Maddie and I spent some good time in this hot tub.

We visited with all the cousins of course! We are very lucky that Maddie has two cousins almost her exact age.. and Emilie has two cousins her exact age. I hope they will be very close growing up...

Having a b-bque in the grandparent's backyard...

Maddie's favorite boy cousin!!

We went to visit Steve's grandmother who is looking amazing for her age. It was really special for us to take pictures of Maddie and Emilie with her. (Their only living great grandparent)

Mom and Son.

I got invited to a most amazing and fabulous wedding of a friend in college... the house (were the reception was) was absolute and utter perfection. I can't even imagine the amount of thought and work that went into everything. But, my favorite part was hanging out with old friends. This is one of my best friends Holly. (went to high school, college and now live 20 min from each other)
Maddie spent a lot of time with Grandma... who she loves.

And, of course her favorite girl cousin! They have such a great time together... and even had their second sleep over.
We also had time to go swimming...

This month has been full of unwelcomed drama. But, with ups, comes the downs, right? But- why is it that I seem to loose sight of the fact that there will be ups when I'm feeling down?? Don't know... but here are the "down"lights:

- Lost my wallet before I left for the Oakland airport. Really? Yes. Left it at a store in the mall (awesome Alie). So, I'm in the Oakland airport with my family with a plane to catch in 1.5 hours. No ID, No CC, NOTHING. Yes, absolutely no identification whatsoever. So- they were nice enough to let me go... but only after 10,000 questions by a federal agent about where I was born, what my favorite color is, what my parent's favorite colors are etc... it was super super fun.

- Wallet was stolen. Really? Yes. Yes. It is a tragic, very tragic twist of fate. I thought I lost it, because I lose everything. But, yes, it was stolen by someone in Gilroy Gardens. She went on an awesome shopping spree at Abercrombie, Tini Boppers R US, and every other store that only a 13-19 year old would love to shop at with an endless CC and debit card. Oh, and 3 stops to Safeway and 7-11 (probably with her friends)... reported it to the police, but they don't seem to care. These are the days where I wish I was a DA again. Down with thieves. They are the worst.

- As a result of the events above, I have been in lines and lines at the DMV, Banks, and everywhere else to reclaim my identity. It has been really awful, and I can only pray that this doesn't happen again. How can I permanently affix my wallet to one of my body parts????

- And- today, I hit someone's bumper. I was at a light, and looked down at my phone and took my foot off the brake, and my car's bumper kissed the one in front of mine. So awesome- especially because I was late for a meeting.

Anyway- you get the point- never leave your wallet with me and never get in my car. JK. Well, maybe not. But, I am beyond humbled at my lack of being "together," and couldn't even get up the nerve to tell Steve about my fender bender today until he practically dragged it out of me after dinner. It is just too embarrassing and painful after all of the events of the month.

But- of course there have been many "high"lights! (Not to dwell on the bad...)

- Our Garden is out of control. We are eating basil, green beans, corn, squash, tomatoes... it has been wonderful. Each meal has about 4 things from our garden- and Maddie loves to help me pick stuff and prepare dinner everyday. It's really cute to see her excited about picking her biggest green bean, or reddest tomato.

- Maddie has been taking private swimming lessons. We had a slightly bad experience with our past instructor, so I wanted to make sure there wasn't any bad feelings with the water... they aren't cheap, but they are paying back in huge! She is an awesome swimmer! She can swim half of the pool, can swim on her back, is jumping off the diving board! It is so much fun. We try to practice together every other day when she doesn't have lessons, so it has been a fabulous bonding experience.

- Emilie had grown in leaps and bounds. But- is she talking? I'm not sure! We keep on thinking that she will start one of these days, but she is hanging on strong with pointing etc. I think she may be a perfectionist when she grows up, because she did the same with walking. She wouldn't walk, wouldn't walk, wouldn't walk... until she just stood up and walked. (Maddie was much more gradual). Maybe she'll just wake up one day and talk in sentences from the Shakespeare that she read from last night?

- We are going to Paris. We have an amazing apartment with our great friends, with a view of the Eiffel tower, and blocks from the Seine river and Louvre. I've bought some French phrase books to dust off my French and I can't wait to get away.

So- there you have it. If you're read down to here- you deserve a HUGE hug. My goal for the month of August is to blog everyday about our travels, so that I don't forget them. We leave in less than two weeks... so on to the packing...