Paris in the Spring

Paris, France, April 6, 2012

It's official.  We are coming home for good on July 2nd and will not be returning to France.  So, this last family trip we took to Paris over the kids' Spring break was certainly bittersweet.  Despite getting rained on the last few days, we had a wonderful time, and the kids loved seeing the museums, famous landmarks, and spring blossoms in Paris.

Maisy at Luxembourg Gardens, April 8, 2012

The very first thing we did after checking into the hotel was go to the Louvre.  My kids couldn't wait, since we had talked about 13 of the famous pieces they would see on the 5-hour train ride to Paris.  I used the same idea I had in Barcelona at the Picasso museum and made them a handout with pictures they had to label once we found the famous pieces of art.  Despite the fact that Paris was the most crowded I have ever seen it (we went over Easter weekend), the kids elbowed their way in to see the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, The Raft of the Medusa, and many others.  Jocelyn especially loved to hear the "story" about every piece of art.  The Louvre is enormous as everyone knows, and focusing on only 13 things to see was the perfect amount for the age of my kids. Even so, here's what they looked like by the end:

This was not posed, I swear.  Their little faces were so hot and sweaty too!
The Louvre Museum, April 6, 2012

Here are some pictures when they had a little more energy:

Showing their guide sheets I made for them in front of Venus de Milo

Getting this shot of Jocelyn in front of the Mona Lisa wasn't easy!

Maisy outside the Louvre, April 6, 2012

Jason and the girls with "Winged Victory of Samothrace" behind them.
I love this statue; it's gorgeous.

There's obviously too many pictures of our three days in the city to show on this blog, but here are just a few:

Jeni and Jason in front of Arc de Triomph, April 6, 2012

Me and the girls--along the Seine River by Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral, April 7, 2012

And, of course, the Eiffel Tower was a hit.  The girls have begged us for almost 2 years to take them here, and we finally did!  Here's a sample of the dozens of pictures we took:

After a few days in Paris, we packed up and took the girls on another train ride to a different hotel--this time close to DISNEYLAND!!  This was probabably the highlight of the trip for the girls, since Maisy doesn't ever remember going to Disney in California, and the twins were only 5 years old the last time we went.  We had such a fun time together, even though it rained half of the first day and the ENTIRE second day.  We thought the rain would mean less people, but no--Disneyland Paris is just as busy as the original Disneyland, but honestly, it was still just as fun.  We loved it...except the Indiana Jones ride.  The kids couldn't ride it anyway, but it was such a disappointment in my opinion.  All it is in Paris is an average rollercoaster, and in California, it's always been my all-time favorite ride.

Bright and shiny the first day at the park, April 9, 2012

I sort of stopped taking pictures the second day at the park.  This is pretty much
what every picture would have looked like.  But we still had fun!

So, the next family adventure that involves travel and hotel will certainly be as we head back to the US.  We are looking forward to the new adventures that await, and we can't wait to see all of you at home!!!  À bientôt!  See you soon...

  

Jeff's 63rd Birthday

Devil's Bridge--Eze Village, March 19, 2012

Jason's father, Jeff Pierce, turned 63 on March 22.  We were so lucky to have him visit us during his birthday!  The visit was extra memorable because Jason's only brother Scott also came to visit at the same time.  We did some of the same things we have done with most of our guests, like go to the beach, visit medieval French villages, and zip across the near-by Italian border, but we tried to do a couple of new things too.  First of all, we have never played tennis with any of our visitors before, and playing doubles turned out to be very fun.  Luckily the weather cooperated.  Scott is naturally very athletic, and he has quite a reach, so he was tough at the net.  Jeff had the best volley of anyone though--his vollies were always in bounds and impossible to return.

GIANT blocks of Parmesan cheese in San Remo, Italy, March 17, 2012

Jeff and Scott--Milan, Italy

Jason and Jeff on top of the duomo--Milan, Italy, March 20, 2012

We also chose a restaurant in Cannes we had never taken guests to before, called "Poivre et Sel" (Pepper and Salt).  It was excellent food at a good value, and going out to eat in a grown up French restaurant without the kids is always a treat.

I was glad Jason had lots of male-bonding time with his Dad and brother, but one morning I got to have them all to myself while Jason had to work, and I will always treaure that day: we hiked up to an old village high on a mountain and then had such delicious crepes afterwards at a little French cafe.  I thought it was so cute that Jeff thanked the French waiter in Portugese.  As Scott said, "use what you got [to communicate]."  (Jeff loved talking to people everywhere we went.  I love that the impression Jeff gave people was that Americans are warm and friendly.  The French could use some lessons from him.)  Also, the menu had translated "chantilly" into English as "wipecream" instead of "whipcream," and Scott and I really couldn't stop giggling about that! Like we were immature 9th-graders or something...

Scott and Jeff in front of Eze village

Finally, my kids got so excited to celebrate Grandpa's birthday.  They worked for two weeks on a giant cake-shaped birthday card with 63 hand-made paper candles.  They also picked gifts for him and helped wrap them.  They helped decorate for the party and also helped me prepare the dinner and birthday cake.  It seemed like the party was more for the kids than my father-in-law!  They sure love their Grandpa...

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

The party poppers were a hit as you can tell.

Jocelyn and Uncle Scott at Grandpa's birthday party

Scott won the kids over as well, starting the day he arrived.  It was so apparent he has a 4-year old daughter of his own.  My kids LOVED him.

It meant a lot to us, and especially Jason, that his brother and Dad would make the effort to come visit us.  The plane rides to get here are not short or cheap!  We are especially grateful to Katrina and DeAnn for being so supportive of the visit.  Thanks guys!