Mom in France

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Guy!

 

Carnaval!

It's Carnaval time around the globe and they are celebrating in Nice.  I took the boys on Saturday to soak up the energy and ambience - here are our photos.

Place Massena is the center of Carnival:

The King of Carnival
This year is themed King of the Mediterranean and he's towers over Place Massena, a big sun being pulled by sea-horses:

 

  

The Midway  was filled with rides including an amazing Ferris Wheel that towers above Nice:

 

The Park Albert 1er, on the Promenade des Anglais, was filled with decorations and performers.  It was also the staging area for the parades. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Some happy boys:

   
 

 

The Carnaval de Nice (site in French) runs until March 8 - Mardi Gras - with parades on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays. 

Introducing Pour le Goût!

As if life wasn't interesting and busy enough, I've started something new.  For my readers here, I'd like to introduce my new blog, Pour le Goût.  It's about food, places, gatherings, sharing.  Check it out. I hope you like it!
 

Happy Birthday, Little Guy!

   

Easter and More Birthday Fun

 

It's probably the first and last time I'll be able to combine Easter & Birthday so I took advantage.  Yesterday we had 7 kids and 8 adults over for easter egg hunt and birthday party.

I love these kinds of gathering - they require some planning and organization but the parties themselves are so relaxed and fun.

The Baskets:

They were made from kids' shoe boxes painted white then decorated with scraps of tissue paper, wrapping paper, and fabric with satin ribbon for handles.

The party favors:

The Party Food:

The Egg Hunt (in the rain):

A little country glamour:

Easter Monday was the perfect spring day and there were bubbles! 

After that, A & I put down the camera and relished our first glasses of rosé of the year.

Birthday Fun with Boo

Last Wednesday was Boo's 3rd birthday and I arranged with our nounou to take Little Guy for the morning so Boo and I could do something special.  I was wracking my brain because a morning outing is still short.  It wasn't enough time for the zoo, or even for the beach.  I wanted to do something different.  And then I hit on it : I would take him for a ride on the city bus! 

He LOVES the buses.  We see them every morning and evening, a train of city and school buses transporting people around the area.  While he's had the joy of the train, he'd never been on the bus.  So that was the plan: We would take the bus down to Antibes - a 45 minute ride each way with a one-hour visit.

Here's how it went over:

Dunkin'

I wish this picture wasn't so blurry - can you tell that Little Guy is sticking out his tongue while getting baptised? 

Like Boo, Little Guy was baptised in our local village church.  We were given the option of a "full-immersion" baptism but I just couldn't imagine him naked in the marginally heated 11th century church.  But now I almost wish we did it - he LOVES his bath and his attitude towards the baptism was much the same - unbridled enthusiasm.

The ceremony was lovely as those things go, but the best part was chatting with our new priest, Miguel, prior to the baptism and getting to know him a bit and to bring our family together.  My parents came from the US, E's family all came just for the weekend, and LGs god-mother, C, came with her two little girls from Berlin.  I was so grateful to see everyone together and to spend so much time with everyone.

These are my parents.  They have been divorced for 32 years.  I'm so glad they are friends!

Our table in the restaurant.  It was one of those meals that people were in and out. Kids leaving and parents chasing.

Despite the lame look on my face, I'm very pleased with my outfit.  Thanks J and Sissy for helping me pick it out last summer.

Lucky us! The Paris-Nice bikerace passed just.in.front.of.my.house...we were so excited!!

Goodbye Old Man Winter

Has it been only 15 days since Old Man Winter decided to visit the Riviera?  As soon as he showed us his worst he retreated and the first scents of spring have arrived.  Yesterday was the first day I was able to lunch outside, without a coat. Yippee!

Further evidence - the rosebushes are getting as excited as I am:

  Boo takes advantage of a warm noon-time to practice his sprinting:

Boston Care Package

I miss Boston. Sometimes I think about that night that E and I want walking in the late-night, snow-covered hushed Back Bay at the end of January. There were few people about in the extreme cold and the city seemed so glittery in the frigid dry air.  With no one about, we walked out a few yards on the completely frozen and snowed over Charles River.  It was so magical that I lay down and made a snow angel with the surrounded by the lights of Boston and Cambridge and with the sound of a Red Line train crossing the Longfellow Bridge.

Our last visit was spring 2008 but it seems so much longer ago than that.  I have no idea when we'll get to go back.

Imagine my happy surprise when my Boston friend, K, sent me a perfect birthday present that reminded me perfectly of my once-adopted city and our friendship we had there.  Among other things - a Cook's Illustrated (based in Brookline), a birthday card with a photo the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Public Gardens, a magnet with a quote from Emerson. Not in the picture are a pair of black leg wamers - necessary under-jeans attire in a Boston winter, but also useful here in France when the Mistral is blowing.  Lastly - most awesome pair of "yoga socks" which I immediately put to use.

Thank you thank you, K!

Thanks, Mom

Our post-Thanksgiving apple pie.  Mom & my stepdad cooked thanksgiving dinner.  She even carried the dressing biscuits and cornbread with her in her luggage!

Last piece -- and it's all MINE!!

Today is my last day with Little Guy just the two of us.  I'm so looking forward to not making my own lunch and wasting time with my colleagues on Facebook.  Still, I'm sad that this time with Little Guy is over.   Here's to you.

Portrait by Susan Stinson