gabriella & jd (and alex! and vincent!)

We had a quick weekend jaunt to Dublin. A nice time, lots of good food and beer and late night dancing - we stayed in a hotel above a nightclub that we discovered was the hot spot for Stag and Hen Weekends for folks popping over from England on Easyjet. There was some good people watching. We also managed to find some decent Mexican food and a great wine and cheese bar. Alex liked the hotel, jumping on the bed, watching cartoons in Gaelic, and the fact that the bars played a lot of ABBA. Pictures.

The weather finally turned from freezing cold to blazing hot (82°F) over the weekend. It has since cooled down a bit. We had a nice 3-day weekend (Monday was Pentecost) where we enjoyed walking around our town and trying out a local butcher for veal sausage with basil (not pictured) and lamb kabobs (brochettes). Alex has also been practicing putting his ears under the water in the bathtub. Champ de Mars and go karts. Weekend hot sunny margaritas and burgers. Weds in park after school.

Alex in his new room It was a big week this week. We moved to a new apartment in Levallois. Everything went well with the move and took very little time since all we have is clothing and books and some electronics. Alex loves his new bedroom and the bathtub! Lincoln is still busy exploring the new space, and we are all looking forward to living in the heart of Levallois, right across the street from the market and in the pedestrian and retail area of the town. Another bonus of the new apartment is that we are on the 1st floor (second in the US) and underneath us is a store, so Alex can run and make as much noise as he wants. And there are 2 boys in the building who are 5 years old that we need to meet. Cleaning old and new apartment. Moving Day. School and playground. New apartment. Weds afternoon Valentina's.

We did a lot during Toots & Poppie's last 3 days in Paris. On Weds we went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, then they walked around Les Halles and the Marais again. They also ate at the best falafel place in Paris, L'As du Fallafel. On Thurs we went to Versailles and toured the Chateau and Petit Trianon. On Friday we walked all around the 7th arrondissement, including the Rue Cler street market. Then we headed over to the 6th where we went to Bon Marche and the Jardin du Luxembourg. Then it was one last stop up to Montmarte and Sacre Coeur. Unfortunately it was mobbed with people so we hastily went back down the hill to the Moulin Rouge and then back to the apartment. Arc de Triomphe. Versailles. Toots Versailles pictures. Arc de Triomphe Marais Rue Cler Bon Marche Jardin du Luxembourg. Montmartre.

Omaha Beach We took a 4 day road trip with Toots & Poppie to Normandy. We stopped in Rouen for lunch the first day. Then we toured the D-Day Beaches, including Arromanches-Les-Bains and Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. Then we drove through Bayeaux and saw the Bayeux tapestry . Then we stayed in Honfleur for 2 nights, and drove to the coastal towns of Étretat and Yport and Fécamp. On the way back to Paris we stopped in Giverny. Rouen. D-Day beach, Arromanches-les-Bains. D-Day beach, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. Bayeux. Honfleur. Honfleur Étretat Yport Fécamp. Giverny. Toots pictures: Main pictures. Giverny.

Pictures. Friday May 7th was the "Spring Fling" at Alex's school. My friend Gail was in charge of organizing the event for 200 adults and children, and I helped her, as did other Mom's from Alex's class, including Paula and Elena. We had a raffle, champagne and snacks catered by Air France, and music and entertainment for the children, and adults.

Toots and Poppie are in town to visit! Unfortunately the weather has been really cold, but hopefully it will turn warm again. This week in school Alex was reading "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (Boucle d'Or et Les Trois Ours), and celebrated Alex's birthday in his class. pictures more pictures

We got Alex a scooter(trottinette) for his birthday which he loves and has been practicing using. Other than that, some more of the last days of Spring Break, the weather was hot and sunny so we went to the park and also the amusement park the Jardin d'Acclimatation. pictures: Levallois and scooter. Alex got a haircut and Rachel and Jon leave. La Defense and Champ de Mars. Jardin d'Acclimation. Movies: scooter 1 scooter 2 scooter 3 boat ride Daffy Duck canoes tall grass strange Russian parade