Today the boys started school. Yippee!!! I don't know who was more excited...me or them. Probably me.
Big boy starting Kindergarten
Another big boy starting 2nd grade
We have to wake up at 7 AM and leave at 7:30 to walk to our bus stop. They take a private bus that looks like a tour bus. Thomas was hoping for a double decker bus. It's a long bus ride and they are not allowed to sit next to each other (my rule, because otherwise they would fight). I made Thomas a 'French Car Bingo' game with a bunch of car symbols that he would see along the way. He gave me a big hug while I was making it and exclaimed, "You're the best mom ever!" Is that all it takes? Making a car bingo game?
When we arrived at the bus stop there were some of the same kids and some new ones. They're all much older than the boys (like high school), but they're all boys. Thomas and Matt like having an "all boy bus stop". There was a mom there with her two boys who looked like college students they were so tall. It humored me to see her lecturing her boys like I do, despite the fact that they both towered over her. Then as the bus pulled away, I saw her shed a few tears for her boys. I wonder if I'll still cry on the first day of school when my boys are 15 and 17.
Life is so much more peaceful around here now. I'm looking forward to discovering Paris with Timmy.
There are many gardens and parks in Paris. I'm pleasantly surprised how many of them are child appropriate. There are beautiful gardens right next to the Louvre called les Jardins des Tuilleries. They were created for Catherine de Medicis when she moved to the Louvre in 1559. Over the years the gardens went through transformations and it was Louis XIV who made them the way they are today. (Louis XIV loved making things symmetrical and is also responsible for the gardens at Versailles)
The Tuilleries are right next to the Place de la Concorde as well. This is a view up the Champs Elycées from the gardens. You can see all the way down to the Arc de Triomphe. This is the playground. I'm not terribly impressed with it because it scares me. It is so high off the ground and the ground is a squishy type of ground that is still way too hard. Granted, this playground is for kids over the age of 5, but I still think I'll avoid it. They do, however, have trampolines for the kids. And the minimum age is 2 so Timmy can participate. Each child has his own trampoline so as to avoid any collisions or accidents
It is also a great place to play Boules (or Bocci, or Pétanque, or whatever you want to call it). I loved seeing all the boules courts in the south of France (where it is a national past time. It's not unusual to see a lot of boules games going on with old men in their caps sitting around trying to guess whose ball is closer to the cochonnet.) We have taught it to the boys and the Tuilleries is a great place to play. A big part of the game is standing around trying to guess where to toss your ball and then measuring out who is closest.
There is a wonderful museum just for kids in the northeast part of Paris. It's called la Cité des Science & de l'Industrie. It is close to the park where Doug plays soccer. So every once in a while we all pile in the car and go to the museum while Doug plays soccer. This museum is so fun for kids we even bought a year pass. It has play areas geared towards different age groups, interactive learning displays on light and shadows, the earth and space, technology, food, movies, and many more.
This is the Géode. It is a 3-D movie theater. We haven't been in it yet. It's cool how it's reflective and it has these weird humming sounds coming from it. We play a lot in the Cité des enfants, ages 2-7. There is another play area geared towards kids 5-12, but we haven't even explored that part yet. Here the boys are playing with an air display. We enjoy the water area where one can experiment with water movement. Thankfully they provide rain jackets for small kids to keep dry. The first time we came here, Timmy managed to dump a whole bucket of water on himself mere seconds before I was going to put a waterproof smock on him. I have now learned, and it's the first thing we put on when we go here.
All three boys absolutely love the builders area. There are wheelbarrows to push, blocks to build with, pullys to use, and stairs to climb. Matt and Thomas can play here for a very long time and occasionally they have made a friend.
We recently discovered some flourescent lights the boys could use to "draw" on the wall. Matt's light wasn't as strong so he had a hard time writing. There is temporary food exhibit teaching children about food and eating well. There is even a 'foodball' table to play with. At the end of the foosball table is an open mouth waiting for the ball. There are games to guess what kind of healthy meal is appropriate for different kinds of people. There's a display of what happens to your food after it goes in your mouth complete with a tiny toilet at the end. There is an interactive shopping game with shopping carts to teach children about what kinds of things are better for you. It's all fun and it's educational.I'm sure we'll be back many times and I'll periodically post new pictures from this place. If you have kids and you come to Paris, I highly recommend coming here.
Tonight we had the Sister missionaries over for dinner. One of them is leaving Paris. I love having the missionaries over. I'm so glad we have the opportunity to serve them. It makes me happy knowing that they are getting something good to eat and that may hopefully help them feel a little more at home while away from home. I hope that when my boys go on missions, that there will be families that will take them in and take care of them. Of course I'm also hoping that I'll be able to teach my boys how to cook so that they don't eat crap on their missions or in college.
The boys also love having the missionaries over. They are such good examples and friends to the boys. They are always giving them high-fives at church. Timmy even pulled a "up high, in the middle, down low, too slow" move on the Sisters. Thomas even told the Sisters that they were his favorite missionaries out of all of them. That's saying a lot since the first night they came over and the boys were whining about having to sit next to a girl at the table.
Anyway, as usual, the missionaries shared a spiritual message with us. They shared a verse in the scriptures. Then they asked the boys if they have ever prayed to know if something is true. Matt and Thomas both said that they hadn't. Then all of a sudden Thomas jumps off his chair and runs around the corner to the other room. Then in a minute he came back and said he was praying. He then told the Sisters, "I didn't want you to see me praying in case my pants fell down."
The missionaries about fell of their chairs from laughing. Kids say their weirdest things.
Today we went to a carnival. Every summer there is a carnival set up in the Tuilleries gardens next to the Louvre. It's a complete rip off with each ride averaging 2 Euros/ride, but the boys loved it. It is complete with a ferris wheel, rides, games, and of course, churros and cotton candy.
Matt is trying to get a goal. Timmy's favorite ride was the cars. I just strapped him in and away he went.
The boys loved the bumper cars. They were also my favorite at carnivals. I went to ride with them only to discover that my hips were too big to sit in the car. So I opted for a motor cycle instead. Thomas had one incident where he complained of whip lash, and the boys were plotting for the next time to both gang up on people that crashed them hard. I told them it was part of the ride.
There was also a dinosaur display. It was so lame compared to the one we recently went to. Oh well. I think that we will enjoy coming here as the boys get bigger every summer. They really wanted to do the shooting game but they were too young for them. Maybe next year we'll get Doug to come with us and show the boys his mad gaming skillz when it comes to carnival games. Perhaps all those years at Lagoon will pay off the he can win the boys a prize.
Today we visited Fontainebleau palace. It's located about an hour southeast of Paris. Proof of the castle dates back to 1137. Starting in 1528, François I had most the rest of the other buildings built. Many other kings and queens lived here. Louis XIII was born here. Napoleon made this his home in the early 1800's and it was here in 1814 that he bid farewell to his troops before heading into exile.
Enough of the history lesson. if you really want to know more, click on the links, otherwise, be prepared for a lot of pictures. The boys on the horseshoe staircase in the front. A random stranger walked behind me getting all the boys to smile.
The back of the palace.The walls and ceilings were all decked out with paintings, carvings, and tapestry. We could take pictures, but not with a flash.
Carving over fireplace of François I.
This is the library that is awesome. Both walls are lined with shelves filled with books. This is the ballroom. It was Henri II (son of François I) who decorated it. I love it. I could picture groups of people standing or sitting by the windows overlooking the gardens. I could imagine women in Empire wasted dresses all lined up on one side of the room preparing for a dance. It's like putting yourself in a Jane Austen setting. At the end of the ballroom is a huge fireplace. I could imagine a huge side of beef (deer) rotating on a spit over a huge fire during a dinner party. Wouldn't it be fun to someday dress up in 18th century clothes and go to a ball?
Napoleon's throne. When Matt saw this, he said, "I thought thrones were supposed to be fancier than that."
This is the chapel inside the palace. The boys weren't too reverent. They took turns carrying around the little audio tour guide thingie.
This is a statue in Diane's garden. Diana is the "goddess of the hunt". Fontainebleau is surrounded by forests and it was a favorite hunting ground for kings. In the palace there are tapestries and pictures all over depicting going on a hunt. When the boys saw this statue, they started giggling. "Look!" they cried. "The dogs are peeing from their penis!" (sorry, if that's offensive. We use that word quite regularly around home. I have to teach them not to use it in public so much) Random wildlife. Who has a peacock roaming around their backyard anyway?
Behind the palace is called the Carp Pond. It's very pretty (with really big fish)They had boats to rent, so the boys went with Doug. I opted to stay behind with Timmy. I could almost guarantee that he would try to lean out of the boat.
Like how Doug is making them do all the work?I love little roads and paths that are lines with trees. I often envision a home with a driveway lined with trees. Wishful thinking, I know, but I can dream can't I? Actually this reminds me of my favorite park in my hometown. One of the entrances was lined like this.
Napoleon's backyard. There was this cute little bridge in the gardens. So I took this picturesque opportunity. A view of the gardens from the ballroom inside.
And of course there is a carousel. There are carousels next to everything touristy around here.
Another big boy starting 2nd grade
