This has been a month of birthdays!  Not only did Olivia and Alex celebrate their days but the kids had several parties to attend as well.  We have really been enjoying our time here.  We are trying to soak in as much as we can.  There is so much to do and see that you can spend every weekend either in Paris or a quick 1- 2 hour drive and see something new.  We need more time as these past 7 months have really flown by.  We had a mild winter- temps were around 50 and spring came early.  We have been enjoying sunny days in the 60s and 70s throughout the entire month.

We went to see a theatrical performance with another couple.  It was called "How to become Parisian in one hour-  by comedian Olivier Giraud. It was performed in English by a french man who had spend several years living in the US.  The audience was at least 50% french.  It was quite humorous as he explained how to shop, grab a taxi, ride a metro, dine, dance, etc the Parisian way.  Making fun of both Parisians and US- it was very entertaining!

Olivia had her gymnastics regional meet as well.  Another fantastic performance by the girls!  Top 4 teams advanced to the finals..and yes, they did it!  Finals are in June and the girls are preparing more difficult routines.  So proud of Olivia on her achievements!

Emilia attended her first french birthday party.  The card had a picture of an Indian on it.  I did not think much of it, but as Chris dropped her off, all the children were dressed as native American Indians. Emilia was not but she didn't seem to care as all the girls ran to greet her and started painting her face. Her french friends adore her- very affectionate!  She has another party today......

I know it was international news but Paris was experiencing some heavy pollution.  Speed limits were reduced for the weekend and public transportation was free.  For one day, only cars with license plates having a final odd number were allowed to drive in and around Paris.  Fortunately, we had the odd number but many people drove anyway and were greeted by hundreds of officers surrounding the city issuing tickets.  It lasted only one day and the city declared pollution levels acceptable.  In the mean time, many people were affected health wise.  As it has been sunny, no rain for weeks, pollution high and pollen counts high- many suffered allergies and asthma like symptoms....yes, it hit all of us!  I never thought I would be asking for rain in Paris!

With the election here, there have been many protests throughout the city.  I especially liked the one this past Friday, where the french farmers herded a  flock of sheep into the Louvre and they ran around under the glass pyramid.  No damage- no arrests!

I had another school parent tour- this time it was the Tour La Temple. The Temple was a medieval fortress in Paris - which is now 3rd arris. It was built in the 12th century and parts of the fortress were used as the prison where Louis XVI was kept for some time and where his son died. The fortress was destroyed by Napoleon because he did not want royalists to have a place to mourn.  Today there only remains a plaque pictured below in front of the town hall.

Alex celebrated his 9th birthday.  We started the day with an eclair and gifts.  It was very cute to see his reaction to the boxing gloves.  A gift he has been asking for at least a month!  We also had an ice skating party with 16 of his friends- all boys! Best part was that they represented 9 different countries- USA, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, Korea, France, Russia, Romania and Spain.  All get along so well, it was really nice to see the international friendships!

A friend of mine and I decided to try a french spa.  It is called La Bulle de Sevres. It was recommended and had some great reviews.  As with any french service, we knew it was going to be unique!  We received a list of things to do in preparation- it was quite detailed so are curiosity was peaked!  We had the room to ourselves for 2.5 hours.  After a 5 minute introduction, we were on our own.  It was suppose to be a relaxing experience, however we spent so much time confused and laughing that we just chalked it up as a memorable experience. Here are the 3 devices we used.

Floating Cocoon- filled with magnesium salt water. Felt a bit tight with the top down.

The Alpha lounge was an acoustic chair intended to help insomnia.  I felt as if I were communicating with whales.

The Feng Shui spa had a steam bath, massagers,  aromatherapy all in one device that you could customize

Luciana also had friend birthday party.  The invitation had a princess on it.  This time I knew to dress her up.  She looked adorable but did not want to pose for a picture!  She also got a haircut- finally I can brush her hair without her complaining!

As it was Olivia's birthday/slumber party, Chris wanted no part of it.  So he took Alex and Emilia to a hotel in Versailles.  Nearby is the Zoo Thoiry. There is an African reserve drive, a bear park, small animals and a labyrinth.  Kids had a great time seeing some large animals up close.

Olivia celebrated her birthday Friday morning with gifts and hugs from her siblings.  On Saturday, we went to a french dessert class.  It was geared for kids and was in English.  Kids made 4 dishes- including one of my favorites- chocolate molten lava cake.  We ended the night with the girls sleeping over.  Needless to say I am exhausted today but it happens to be 72 and sunny in Paris so we are off to soak it in at Jardin du Acclimation.

Lots to catch up on! What a great ski trip! As we headed for Anzere, Switzerland we made an overnight stop in Genouilly, France to visit Chris's uncle and aunt. They have a beautiful home in the wine region. We had a great dinner, fantastic wine and interesting conversations. The littles behaved nicely and we really enjoyed our stay.

Kids enjoying their french dinner

Genouilly

Chris's aunt and uncle

We had a great ski vacation in the Swiss Alps.  Alex and Olivia went with their school to Saas Fee, Switzerland while the rest of us went to Anzere, Switzerland.  All had a fantastic time.  Luciana skied the first day and Emilia took lessons and left a better skier than myself.  We put Luciana in daycare the second day as it was difficult for both Chris and I to ski with her.  The girls went sledding each evening and enjoyed the snow as we did not get any in France this winter.  We spent one evening in the pool followed by a fondue  and raclette dinner.  Typical Swiss meal- as cheese fondue originated in Switzerland and raclette is a Swiss dish in which you heat the cheese and scrape off (racler) the melted part.  It was so delicious that we replicated the meal at home for Olivia and Alex. 

Alex and Olivia had a great time.  I felt they came home a bit older, wiser and taller!  It was Alex’s first extensive trip away from home.  He never called or emailed us so I assumed no problems!  Without his mom’s constant reminder, he only took one shower for the entire week!  He was the class clown and quite the gentleman as he was always holding the girls poles for them.  Olivia kept in touch via text.  She made some new friends and created some wonderful memories.   

The kids brought home gifts for us and their siblings.  Alex brought me a pack of fake gum cigarettes as I told him I liked them as a child.  He of course bought 5 more packs and enjoyed pretending to be cool as he puffed the sugar away.

Trying to look french

It scares me that Emilia looks like she knows what she is doing!

Back to reality – the following week. I of course had my 100th dentist appointment. I have spent more money and time at the dentists office in 1 month than I have in 10 years! Alex also went to the orthodontist. He now has an expander for the next 6- 8 months to widen his jaw from a cross bite. The night before he had it put in, I surprised him with a dinner of just chewy candy and gum for dessert, as he won’t have it for quite some time!

Luciana in her Austrian outfit

Emilia with a croissant tip "tongue"

Chris and I took one day to see the photography exhibit: Brassai, For the Love of Paris. It was being displayed at the Marie de Paris (Hotel De Ville) for free. His photos date back to the Belle Epoque period and showed Paris in a timeless, romantic way.

We went to our first ballet in Paris. We were most excited just to experience the Palais Garnier. It is absolutely beatufiul. It was built in 1875 and was used as the setting for Phantom of the Opera. We saw two 50 minute performances- Fall River Legend and Mademoiselle Julie. In both endings, the woman dies violently so Olivia was not all that impressed. I enjoyed the performances quite a bit while Chris was more appreciative of the atmosphere.

I took another school tour- it was a Tour of the passages couverts. In the18th and 19th century the areas around the Grands Boulevards created many glass-roofed shopping galleries known as les passages couverts (covered passages). They allowed you to take a shortcut, step out of the rain, shop, dine or even take a bath in one of its public bath houses. At one point there were 150 passages, now there are only 25 open today.  They are quite beautiful and a must see if you visit Paris. 

The mosaic floor was designed by the same man who designed the mosaic in the opera house.

I continue my french lessons but still having a hard time getting the words out of my mouth. It is frustrating because I am always messing up on whether a noun is masculine or feminine. I have a 50 % chance and have a 25% success rate. As soon as I mess up here, the french no longer continue to speak french to me, the correct me and then continue in english. The other day I had a funny experience. I went to the dry cleaners and you have to pay in advance. I was short one euro and had only a large bill and the woman would not give me change. She was angry with me and told me to go find a euro and come back. I was embarassed as I couldn't get my words out and went to the car and found some change. I came back, paid and as I was exiting - I yelled out a loud "bonjour" her to her. I should have said " au revoir".  My mistake broke the old angry woman down as she laughed and finally smiled at me!  The weather here has been fantastic! 60-70 and sunny for 2 weeks! We have had some wonderful picnic and outdoor strolls.  I am tempted to pack away winter gear but don't want to press my luck!  I also added a video of Luciana.  We have watched Frozen and listened to the soundtrack so many times that it really has become a daily part of our lives this month!