gabriella & jd (and alex! and vincent!)

Manchester. We just spent four days in Manchester, England. We had a great time, walking around the city, seeing Old Trafford for the first time (me and Alex), meeting old friends. The city has a great vibe to it - the industrial revolution era buildings, the academia, art, and Mancunian spirit. Of course there was beer, fish 'n chips, mushy peas, English breakfast, a curry, and a great dinner at Yang Sing.

Paris last week. Alex met a cute girl at the playground. A few days walking around at the gardens(the July flowers are in!) and playgrounds. Alex has become more adventuresome on the playground equipment. His latest thing is he likes to stand on the "bumpy stones" as he calls them. We went to La Defense to visit Dad at his office, but first, Alex hung out by the water fountain and enjoyed jumping down the stairs.

Pictures from last day in US and back to France. Here are some pictures from our last day in the US. Andrea made a delicious meal, and Alex watched "Mamma Mia". Then Grannie came back from Charlotte, and Alex got some last tricycle riding in. Andrea was able to accompany us to the gate at Dulles which really helped. Then Dad met us at CDG! Back in Paris. Back to our apartment, and it was Dad's birthday July 19. We walked around town, enjoyed the cool summer weather, and just being back.

Pictures. Alex had a really nice visit at Toots and Poppie's, then they took him to see cousins Brian and Lindsey in Frederick. Alex had a great time playing with Brian. Yesterday, we got to see Mrs. Mudd and Maureen and Maisie and Debbie and Matthew and Carrie and Natalie for a girls lunch in Rockville.

Alex's first camping trip! Where to begin? We just had a great 3 day vacation camping with Carrie, Spencer, Mitchell, Natalie, Rose & Beth (all experienced campers) near Ocean City, MD at Frontier Town. We had great weather, not a drop of rain, and lots of fun activities. Highlights included: -the pool, General Store, playground, algae pond, RV park watching, and all around camp experience -Spencer's skills at building the campfire and pitching his tent -Rose & Beth's great food and tents they brought and set up for me and Alex -Bike riding (note the surrey with a fringe) on the boardwalk and the water park! -the Ocean City Boardwalk including arcades, Thrashers fries, and Assateague Island and the horses -just being with great friends who let us tag along on their vacation and seeing Alex have fun with Spencer, Mitchell and Natalie and above all - the fun and flexibility!

Last few days. More playing, a barbecue at Carrie & David's, the DMV, the dump to recycle an old TV, visiting Alex's old daycare, Andrea at the airport, and then Silver Diner where it was children's night and Alex won a dance contest and got to lead a parade.

You know. Sometimes change is good.

July 4th. We had a really nice day at Mace & Suzanne's for July 4th. The weather was warm and sunny, not too hot, and Alex and cousin Eddy had a great time swimming, going for a ride in the kayak with Suzanne and Andrea, and just playing together. Alex loved Eddy's toys, especially the fire engine.

Sunday in DC with Toots, Poppie & Aunt Shana. Alex and I are enjoying our summer visit back in the US. On Sunday we met up with Toots and Poppie and Shana in DC, and went to the Museum of Natural History, and saw the IMAX 3D film on fish. Yesterday, we hung out with Carrie and Mitchell and Natalie - including causing trouble at the Mall with a giraffe in Macy's.

Past few days. A few days in Paris before our trip back to the US for a summer visit- playground, etc. Alex and I flew to Dulles on Friday - Alex was mostly good on the flight. The Air France movie selection helped! Grannie and Aunt Andrea met us at the airport. We were back at Grannie's house for less than an hour and Alex was in the kiddie pool and riding his tricycle. After some jet lag, there was second breakfast at McDonald's, and a sorely needed haircut at the barber shop. More pool, chalk, bubbles, Skype with Dad in Paris, and Yolanda stopped by to visit.

Alex and his teachers, Kim and Chrystelle. Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Alex's preschool went to a marionette show in the park near the Eiffel Tower. Tuesday was Alex's last day at preschool for the summer and there was a party.

Me, Alex, and the Mayor of Levallois Sunday pictures. I bum rushed the Mayor of Levallois for a picture (maybe we can get an intro to Sarkozy). Shrimp snacks on Saturday night. Yes, they come with the heads on. Alex likes to scream "take the head off!" Sunday, the second day of the Fete de l'ete. The weather was better and Alex got more of the sand pit -- and some moon bounce (structure inflatable). And the elephant. We hung out with a co-worker of JD's and her family and had a nice time.

Alex's favorite dessert, a "chouquette". This past week. Alex playing a video game (it's soccer of course). A curious police escort near Invalides. Alex found his life jacket. Grannie sent Alex stickers - which he promptly put on his face! Reading. At the playground. A wedding at the town hall. The Summer Festival in our town, unfortunately it was rainy and cloudy today. Alex enjoyed the sand pit and moon bounce with balls anyway. And there was an elephant!

Versailles. On Saturday we went to Versailles, which is exactly as the guide books describe it "magnificent, expansive, and full of the longest lines you'll ever find" to enter the Palace. So we walked around the gardens instead, and decided we'll go back another time for the Chateau tour. Unfortunately, the fountains only run at certain times of the day, but even without the water they were still impressive.

This week. We had rain over the weekend and into the week, so a lot of inside pictures! Saturday we broke out the stroller bubble (Boy in the Plastic Bubble) and went to the mall. Alex made friends at a restaurant by speaking French to our waiter (Bonjour Chef!). Alex kept calling the waiter "Chef" since the water was wearing a chef's hat. However, we did have a nice day for most of Sunday, where we enjoyed the Farmer's Market in our town square. Alex loved the rides (complete with Easter decorations) and the moon bounce. JD enjoyed the free tastings of escargot and blue cheese! We walked all over Levallois and explored parts of our town near the Seine. The picture of the man on the scooter with the suction hose, taken from behind - that's the dog pooper sucker machine! Check out that egg on the frisee lardon. Yesterday we received a care package from Carrie & David and Family! Including - spices, brownies, candy, letters from each member of the Cahoon f...

La Ferme de Gally. Alex's first preschool fieldtrip to a "farm" a little south of Paris with his class. There were ducks, goats, donkeys, pigs, cows, and rabbits. Basically, 27 children ran around for two hours and the Moms (and Dad) ran after them. Alex said his favorite part were the "vache" (cows) and tractors.

Madrid. We just returned from a few days in Madrid. We really loved the city - the weather, food, people, architecture, plazas, parks and water fountains. We managed to go to the Prado Museum for a bit, and of course had paella and sangria. We also took a double-decker tour bus tour since we didn't have much time and wanted to see a lot of the city.

Strasbourg. We spent the long holiday weekend in Strasbourg, France, in the Alsace region. We took the fast train from Gare de l'Est and it only took a little over 2 hours. We stayed near the pedestrian area and cathedral, and did lots of walking and eating. The first day was rainy, then it cleared up and was hot by the time we left. Alex liked watching the boats go through the canal locks and under the covered bridges that turned to let the boats pass through. We also toured the Kronenbourg brewery right outside of town. Beer is no longer brewed there since 2000, but it is still the headquarters and labs. Week before. Alex was in desperate need of a haircut, so JD decided to do it on his own! Not bad for the first home haircut.

This week. On Sunday we went to Montmartre but it was really crowded, so we left and ate lunch. Alex discovered the window makes a great train track. Alex likes to get the ladder out and play in the closet. Last night he enjoyed chewing on the broccoli stalk. Then it was time to make some phone calls home. Alex Dancing movie

Amsterdam. We just returned from four days in Amsterdam. JD had a meeting, so Alex and I tagged along. We took the fast train and enjoyed the ride in first class with wifi and meal service. Amsterdam was nice, we walked all over the city and had good meals including an Indonesian rice table. We didn't see too much sun and it was fairly chilly, but we managed to cover a lot of the city. The amount of bicycles in the city was truly amazing, and the canals and canal houses were really cool.