Windows and Boats

Today we woke up early (ok, well 8:30), had breakfast, and headed down to Sainte Chapelle... I love these windows!! I wish I could go in there by myself and lay down on the floor and just stare at them...

And, the rose window is my favorite :) It's gorgeous (and just forget that it's depicting the apocolypse).

Later, we walked to the Latin Quarter to search for the most amazing super market--La Grande Epicerie... and spent way to much money on food. But- it was soooo good. I managed to take this photo of the kids before they yelled at me for taking photos in the store? (not sure why?)

After we got lost for a while, we finally got to Luxembourg Gardens - one of our favorites. Maddie just couldn't wait to eat her cupcake. ( and i couldn't wait to take the pic)

They have the most adorable park... that I wish we had at home. This place has it all and is enclosed!!! A mom's dream.

On the merry-go-around...

In line waiting to ride the zip line... (i love french kids.)

On the rope spider web...

On the Carousel (I think there will be a theme this week)...

We've been reading "Madeleine" to get excited for the trip, and they have the Luxemborg pond with the boats... It was so cute to see her.

Last time we came (without kids), we spent 4 hours relaxing on some chairs... and we tried to replicate it this time... wasn't so successful on the 4 hours, but we did spend some time just enjoying eachother.

More relaxing with the 5000 other people...

After the park, the kids both fell asleep (miracle!) in the stroller while we walked slower, had nowhere to go, and just headed back to our house.

We stayed in for dinner tonight with some tasty pasta, ice cream and fruit, baths, storytime... and another great day completed.

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?