Unexpected Surprises

Today started off with more rain, so we took it easy at home and figured that would be our day. I put the girls down a little earlier for their naps since we were home, and then when they woke up around 3:30, the kids wanted to go on a walk. It wasn't raining at the moment, so we set off down Rue Damremont, a street I like a lot since it has neat shops and goes uninterrupted for a long time. We turned off on a little side street and I saw these flowers growing above the doorway. They are not in a planter, they are just growing in the dirt trapped by the pigeon pokes. Life will find a way!
Life will find a way: check out this bicycle in the 3rd floor window. Warren thought that was a great idea to make sure your bike didn't get stolen.
Once back on Damremont, we then turned onto Abbesses--I asked Warren, "Straight or left?" and he voted left. What a great choice! Abbesses is a great street with all sorts of shops and sights. I will definitely go there often. We found this shop that had this fabulously colored pasta in the window. Everything you see on the left is pasta; check out the blue and white bow ties in that jar; if you can, look just to the right of those bowties, and note the colored stripes. That is long pasta noodles that have a rainbow of colors running the entire length. I plan to go back and buy some, just for fun.
We kept walking and then Boom! There was this church. It was built in 1908, I think, which makes it really new by Paris' standards.
As we passed the open doors to the church, I glanced in and there was this huge window, all lit up by the afternoon sun. The picture is nowhere near as good as the real thing, but still, you get and idea.
Across the street from the church was another carousel--this one kind of a miniature, airbrushed, state-fair looking spectacle. But it really was very fun for the kids to ride. Better than all the classic-looking ones we've been on. This is the kids anticipating the ride after I said yes.
After the ride, we walked just beyond the carousel and there was the entrance to a park. Yeah! We went in and saw 2 toys. Not so great, you would think, but we spent almost an hour playing on them.
They have the best spring teeter-totters here.
The kids played that they were King Midas on the castle and delighted in turning my scarf and my cell phone into gold, then undoing it when I would complain that I was choking or couldn't call Andy. Thanks Annie for exposing them to Muppet Fairy Tales!
What a lousy shot, you say--you can't even see the kids! Well, that's because keeping with the whole surprise theme for the afternoon, it started to rain again while we played at the park. Luckily, we always have our umbrella along and the girls have great ones built in. Also, note Warren just gnawing away at the baguette we'd bought earlier on our walk. He ate almost the whole thing.

Since the park was right next to the Metro stop just prior to our usual one, we called Andy and told him to get off one early and meet us. He did and so we showed him all our favorite places we discovered as we walked home in the drizzling rain together. Here, Andy buys cheese at a fromagerie--our first time buying from one. Usually we just get it at the supermarket. It was called bretard. It was good on bread, better on crackers, and best along with grape juice. (Grape juice is amazing here!)

I told the kids we'd buy flowers on the way home, so we stopped back off at this florist and bought the red and white daisies. To walk into the shop was heaven--it smelled divine!

When we got home, Abigail's hair--which is curly anyway--was fabulously curly from all the moisture in the air. It's hard to tell that from the picture, but I thought it was cute anyway.
Total steps today: 8713
Tomorrow Grandma Lindy gets here and the kids are so excited--me too! Oh, just for funnies: at the park, I noticed what my kids were wearing. Abigail wore her shirt inside out underneath her dirty jacket, and had her blue crocs on her feet, since I'm sure they do such a great job of keeping her feet warm. Avery's tights had huge black dirt streaks all up her legs from playing outside this morning, not to mention her filthy jacket. Warren, as usual, had his jeans on backwards. We looked pretty classy. I think I was the only non-nanny at the park, because none of the other women looked remotely like the children they were with.

Even in Paris...

Even in Paris, the toilet must be cleaned. I will not include pictures of that or the other housework and laundry I did today. Instead I offer pictures of what we did today because I needed a day to pick up around here. We went to the park. It started out very cloudy and cool, but then the sun broke through for about an hour and it was glorious. Here is Warren on his favorite toy, the spider-web climber.Avery was so cute sitting there on the swing, that I took this one. I love it.
We stopped by a boulangerie on the way home to get bread, and so we took a different way home. We turned down this narrow walkway, just for fun, and it ended up being beautiful. And, it came out right next to our apartment building! It's been there all along, hidden by a bend and behind a building just next to us. The guy in green is a sanitation worker; they are all over Paris, cleaning up the streets and emptying the trash bags that are everywhere.
As long as I was getting a fresh look at my neighborhood, I crossed the street and looked up at my building. I'd never done that before. It's actually kind of cute, in a shabby-chic sort of way. Definitely never going to make it into one of Melinda'a paintings, but it has a bit of charm.

The reason I'd never noticed this charm before is because this (below) is my entrance. Yes, it is a parking garage exit. If you look up at the building again, this would be just off the left side of the building.

Once I get in my gate above, we walk through this walkway/driveway to the back of the building. If you can see W & A by the white rectangle, that is the little gate to our apartment.

Here is the view of our ground-level apartment from the little white gate. If you walk past the blue shutters and turn left, that is our yard area, a real rarity here. The kids love it. Just across from the door--to the left--there is a "meadow" as my kids call it. It was drizzling rain by the time I took these, so I'll save outdoor pictures for another day.
Total steps today: only 6,923
French words: a emporter: to take out (as in, food to go, or food to take with you); tirer: verb, to pull (used on doors, tirez); ajouter: verb, to add (in recipes, ajoutez)
Oh, at the grocery store--yes, I have to grocery shop here in Paris, gotta have paper towels, tape and you can't eat out every meal, or even most of them--a French women asked me where the toilet paper was and I showed her. It was nice to be helpful.

A Day of Rest

It's a calm afternoon for me; everyone else is sleeping. Last week we stayed around Paris and then went to dinner at the Shirtliff's. This week I originally thought that we would look around some more, but I started feeling like even though we weren't spending money, the Sabbath was not really a day of rest for us that way. I felt inspired that the Lord would be able to bless us to have strength and be prepared for the rest of the week if we truly rested on this day. So we came home after church, had lunch and now everyone is napping. Later we'll have dinner--I'm trying out croque monsieur sandwiches--and ice cream--I thought that would be a good tradition here in France to make it like home a bit--and then call my family. It will be nice to have this day together, even in our small little home.
A few nights ago we read a conference talk about the Book of Mormon and I felt like I should start studying it in earnest again. I've been reading conference talks, selections from the D & C and, before we left Mesa, studying Isaiah. But I'm not sure how to go about it--I don't just want to read it cover to cover again, but my indecision is keeping me from doing it and not doing it, I know, has left me susceptible to irritation and meanness. In Relief Society today we studied personal revelation and I was reminded that we must come up with questions we want revealed to us, and not just wait for life's problems to present themselves. I think that is part of being proactive and creating like I wrote about a few days ago in my journal. I include that entry here for your benefit:
Last night Andy and read Elder Ballard's talk about young mothers. I love the counsel that he gives about enjoying the moments with children. There are too many ups and downs in a day to focus on "good day/bad day". It feels like a fresh start whenever I need one if I focus on the moments. That's going to be my focus here in France. I think that is a good goal, as small as it sounds, because if I can do it here, I can do it anywhere. In Mesa, I have so much help from my mom, Warren going to school, family nights with the Jennings, the luxury of sending a child to his/her room to play...Here we are all together, all the time. I have much less housework, yardwork, church work and other social engagements that take me away from my kids. This time is the perfect confluence of factors to really have meaningful family time. I could really teach the kids some neat things if I am just aware of what I want to do. So much of my life is responding to the current set of circumstances; I would like to create more.
So, along with my own pondering about a fresh way to study the BoM, if you have any suggestions, post them here or email me. I suppose this is part of my "studying it out" in my mind step to receiving an answer to prayer.
I hope today, almost over for me and just starting for most of you, is a day of rest for you and your families.

Today Was the Bomb

Today was the bomb. Literally. We started off our day at the Hotel des Invalides, and there are cannon everywhere. Despite Warren being super interested in cannons a few months ago when we read about the Independence Day celebration in "Farmer Boy"--for weeks he asked me about shooting them and if he could make one, he used his food to design one yesterday--we couldn't get him to take a picture with one. So, we created some envy and had Andy take a picture with one.

It worked.

Avery, of course, would not be left out. This cannon has angels decorating it that you might be able to see, and Avery definitely fits in as a cherub.

Abigail loved climbing on a row of about 10 cannons and then "riding" them, as she called it.

Warren was pretending to be a cannonball here. Of note, all the cannons had their own name. Some had animal faces or other decoration. It reminded me of how some WWII planes had paintings on them--or am I just imagining that? The cannons also have an arrow pointing, I assume, which end to load and fire from. It would seem that should be obvious, but I suppose it was a predecessor to the safety warnings that are plastered on everything now.Avery is doing really well with all the different walking surfaces here; cobblestone like this is really tricky though, and she fell flat soon after we let her walk around. But she learned. Here she is confidently striding along.
Made in China? (just kidding--I have no idea what it says)

Even though the French don't have yards, they still love nature and it's beauties. I appreciate how they take the smallest area, like this window, and fill it with flowers. Little displays like this are on every building; I especially liked how this window had flowers on the sides too, not just the front. I might try this at home.The next two are sentimental; as we passed this statue in the road I said, "That looks like Washington." So I checked the name--it was. So I got a picture of me and G. Washington in Paris together.

{oops--I accidentally deleted this picture and I'm not going to take the time to add it back in. Just imagine! You all know what G. Washington looks like. He was on a horse.}

Once a Westwood Warrior, always a WW Warrior. This one is for you, Sarah. I was even wearing an orange shirt.Avery and I play in front of the Eiffel Tower. Also, a small glimpse of Spring treasures in Paris.

This park is just down from the Eiffel Tower. Avery went down the slide all by herself and was so proud.All day long, Abigail and Warren had been begging for icecream. If Avery could talk, I'm sure she would've joined in. But Andy and I refuse to spend 3.50 euros per cone. That's like $5.25. Multiply that by 5 and that is really expensive icecream. Anyway, we stopped by a supermarket, bought these really yummy icecream bars for 3 euros and ate them on the luscious lawn. It was heaven.
After we ate, the kids had renewed energy and we played for a long time on the grass before finishing our walk back to the metro. Andy is so good at making the kids laugh, especially when one of them starts getting cranky or sad. I really appreciate that.
Total steps today: 18,583 (about 6.5 miles)
French words I learned: pendant (during); meme (even, same); pieton (pedestrian)

On the Sunny Side of the Street

Another sunny day in Paris, so we headed off to Parc Monceau on foot, just before lunch. It is a big, beautiful park, with wide walking/jogging paths and big grassy areas; a children's play area and neat statues and old ruins all over the place. I thought this bridge was so picturesque, but you can't see the kids very well. Warren is the red shirt on the right, and Abigail is somewhere on the bridge.

We like watching ducks, wherever we go. The girls loved to be out of the stroller; after this, Avery pushed the empty stroller around for awhile.

The sandbox was even more entertaining than the ducks. Good thing I bought sand toys this week and that we brought them along. The kids made castles and cakes for at least an hour. Abigail would mix up the "ingredients" in a pail then carry it over to the slide to "bake." They got stressed out when other kids play with their toys--every kid wants our sand truck--but are getting better about sharing. Warren always asks me, "Mom, how do you say, 'This is ours.'?"

This picture does not do justice to this fabulous tree. The next picture shows one of it's quirks.

After eating lunch (bread from a local boulangerie, cheese, apples, salami) playing and meandering around Parc Monceau for several hours, we set off another walking tour card and passed the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. I would've liked to see the inside, but Avery was asleep and there was no way I was going to wake her up. So we contented ourselves walking around the exterior.This whole street was a street market; now both of the girls were asleep. Warren and I enjoyed sampling small pieces of pineapple and canteloupe. I wish I could say I spent my last 2 euros here, but I didn't.
I spent them here, at the street candy market we passed shortly afterwards. Warren was so amazed, and he had been such a good helper and traveller, so we went back and bought him a little bag. He ate each piece so slowly in little bites--it was sweet to see.
We headed for the Arc de Troimphe next; well, I thought I was, but I was actually walking the wrong way on the street. I figured that out after maybe a half-mile, maybe more, maybe less. We met up there at a small children's park, and then picked up some dinner to eat at the park. Usually when we eat, we do as the Parisians do and eat on the benches, but the 6-inch grass was so cool and inviting, we sat down like tacky Americans and ate on the grass.
Doesn't Avery light up when she knows her picture is being taken? We walked home with Andy--yeah! he can push the stroller--and added about 20 minutes to our journey by missing a street, but oh well. It added to my step count. As we walked into our yard, Abigail said, "That was a great day." I'm glad they don't resent me dragging them around.
Total steps today: 28,497 (my pedometer estimates that at 9.88 miles, based on the stride-length I entered; definitely passes my record from yesterday)
French word: poussez (push; it's on doors) Hey, maybe that's why a stroller is called a poussette.

The Sunshine Made Me Brave...

Today was going to be a day where we stayed close to home, but then I woke up and the sun was shining and somehow it made me brave. It's like that hymn, "There is sunshine in my soul today." Funny, because Abigail actually sang that at some point in our travels today. Anyway, by the time I finally fixed the shutter on my camer--it wouldn't open earlier--the sun was hidden behind the clouds, but believe me, it was glorious almost all day, and when the sun shines in Paris, you have to go outside and live it up.
I felt brave enough to take the kids on the Metro--all by myself. I put my ticket in my jeans so it would be easily accessible and practiced asking "Will you help me with the door of the metro?" (Later, I realized I remembered incorrectly and actually asked, "Would you like to help me with the door of the metro?" Oh well, the nice lady got the point.) On our metro line, the doors must be unlatched, and doing that, then hoisting the stroller up the 6 inches onto the train and making sure Warren gets on, all before the doors close automatically is a bit nerve-racking. But, it worked well to have someone else get the door. Once on, I felt a huge wave of relief and I was actually excited for our day out. We didn't have to transfer, so our only other obstacles were the 2 stairways up to the street. Thankfully, the city is full of people who offer their assistance, and a nice couple helped me up both of them. If I weren't so busy carrying the stroller up the stairs with 2 kids in it, I would take a picture. :)
Once on the street, we took a walk mapped out by a walking tour set of cards I have. We started at the Concorde metro station and headed up around Place de Madeleine, which is a church and also the name of the area. This is Paris gourmet food shopping at it's finest. We didn't go into any of them--I'm not sure we would've all been welcome, stroller, 3 kids--but we saw shops dedicated exclusively to honey, mustard and vinegar, and of course, chocolate. They looked fabulous. We also passed a lot of great clothing shops and some posh-looking toy stores. I'd love to go in them, without the kids. Maybe for their birthdays in May...Oh, I saw a store that looked like it was all things made of origami, but I didn't pass it on the way back. If I go back, I'm going in there, kids or no kids. That would be fascinating.
In the midst of all this fabulous food we stopped at a park and ate our fruit snacks, cheese crackers and beef jerky, all pilfered from our 72 hour kits back home. Yum.
After our walking route was finished, we walked to the apartment of the Shirtliff's--the people who had us over for dinner on Sunday. I had called her that morning before I left to ask if we could visit like she had offered on Sunday. When we got off the elevator at the 4th floor, we were greeted by the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, hot out of the oven. It was beautiful. Elaine had made them just for us. We ate as many as we wanted, along with apples, orange juice, fruit snacks and peanut butter on french bread and it was wonderful. Then we watched "Monsters Inc." It was great to have a place to unwind; Avery especially enjoyed being out of the stroller and running around on the rugs. I think it's the only place with carpeting/rugs that we've been in. It is so great to have a grandma away from home. She invited us back for lunch next week when they get back from Engand, and also will come visit us, since her yarn store is near by our neighborhood.

This is the park and church directly across the street from the Shirtliff's apartment. Paris is a city of contrasts--this picture illustrates that. I love that there are parks everywhere here! So do the kids. It is ideal for breaks from the long walks. We played for a bit, then set out on the long walk down St. Germain des Pres Blvd. to Andy's school, Ecole Polytechnique.

This is in the park/courtyard of the church, St. Germain de Pres. Abigail fell asleep on our walk here, but Warren enjoyed playing on the fallen stones that are arranged in the center of the grassy space. You can see that the park is kind of made up of these fallen pieces. While we were there, a nice older gentelman came up to return my map the kids had dropped and asked if I was the "child's helper." Seeing my confused look, he asked embarassedly, "Oh! You are the mother of all three!?" I replied yes, and we had a great time visiting. His English was pretty good. He thought I looked so young that I couldn't be the mother of the 3 kids; I didn't tell him that I'm only 25, anyway.
He has 3 sons, all grown and he lives in the French Alps. I told him that we were here for 3 months while Andy studies at Ecole Polytechnique; he was impressed by this and was happy to tell me that his father had studied there also. It must have been years ago, because he was at least 70. He said, "You're children are magnificent." I think people here really like their blond hair and blue eyes. We chatted some more and then he asked if he could take a picture so he could "show my wife my mishap." He pronounced "mishap" with the "sh" like the "sh" in ship, so I didn't understand at first. Then I realized he meant mistaking me for a nanny of 3 kids. After taking our picture, he offered to take one with our camera. These are the photos.

Nothing that different from the last one, except you get a better view of my scarf (yeah for scarves) and Avery dipping her binky in the cheese we pilfered from the Shirtliff's, La Vache Qui Rit. She was pretty hungry and really enjoyed eating the cream cheese-like stuff right off her binky. After this, we walked a bit further to Andy's school and met him, along with the 2 professors he is working with, Dr.'s Balinski and Laraki. They are delightful. I'm so glad he is working with such nice people. We visited for a while, then rode the metro home. We picked up 2 long baguette sandwiches at a boulangerie on the way home for dinner and ate in our garden area. It was a great day.
Total steps: 17,300 (a record, thus far)
French phrase to remember: "Pourriez-vous m'aider avec la porte du metro?"