The Weekend

Friday night we went for a walk, en famille, around Montmartre, the area we live in. We didn't take the stroller along since Andy was with us. It was fun stopping at new parks and trying new streets that were previously inaccessible because of the stairs to get to them. Warren ate this cookie at dinner. He's been coveting one like it for a few days, so I bought one as a surprise and then told him, "Warren, I know it's hard sometimes to try new foods. Tonight we're having French Onion Soup, and I know it will be different and hard, so that's why I have this cookie for kids who eat their dinner tonight." Needless to say, Warren and Abigail both ate their soup without complaining, decided it wasn't that bad--previously they wouldn't eat it--and then split this cookie with Avery after dinner.Saturday we set out to explore the Marais area. Of course we started out by having lunch at a Jewish deli/boulangerie and we had the best sandwich ever. Pastrami and all sorts of other yumminess on an onion roll. The kids' favorite is the challah bread since it is so soft. We had it a few days ago, and they requested it again. They really appreciate it after all the baguettes we've eaten.
We stopped by a park in our explorations and Avery was obsessed with putting stuff in the trash. I thought the signs on this one were funny: "I am a trash tree--nourish me," in French, of course.
After wandering for awhile, we set out on the Promenade Plantee, a raised walk that stretches 3 miles from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. It used to be a raised train route, but is now a beautiful bike/skating/walking path. Our objective: let Warren try out rollerblading. He's wanted to for 2 weeks now and the kids store up the street from us had some in the window for sale, so thanks to birthday money from Great G-ma/pa Blake and Aunt Sarah, we bought the roller blades--complete with training wheel inserts--and a helmet.

Here is part of the Promenade. Remember, this is all about 25 feet in the air. It is a neat walk that we will definitely do more of when my sister Natalie is here.
Sunday we went to church as usual, ate our picnic lunch after and then set out on the RER train for Versailles, a nearby town where President Dieter Uchtdorf, 2nd counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and an apostle of Jesus Christ, was going to speak. The kids loved the train ride, of course. Once we were in Versailles, I saw this suspiciously Mormon-looking group of people, so I stopped to talk to them. It turns out they were BYU students studying abroad in Paris and in Versailles for the same reason. We visited for awhile, made all the Mesa connections we could, and the kids started up an impromptu game of Duck Duck Goose. It was fun.
It was neat to hear Pres. Uchtdorf. He talked several times about having a temple in France--currently there isn't one. He said he had been out looking at sights and the question came up, "What do we need to do to get a temple here--impress a mayor of a town, improve public relations, maybe?" No, he surmised, the answer is faith. Just as the apostles of old asked "Is it I?" he said each of can look inward for the answer and do our part to grow in faith, and promised that as we ask, the Spirit will teach us, and that someday, there will be a temple in France. He was so cheerful and bold and spoke joyfully about living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am glad we made the trip there and back to attend.
Total Steps today: 11,968
Saturday: 19,977
Friday: 11,081