First Day (s) of School, as well as a rainy day

I can't believe that today is the first day of the 4th week of school already!!  The kids have adjusted into their new classes very well.  Lauren even got elected to be the student council representative for her class.  The girls started on Monday 7 September and Drew started on Thursday 10 September.  There were no tears from anyone on the first day, which is SO exciting!!  Alison walks into the same door where Lauren goes in, so she's officially a big kid now.  Drew is in the nursery class again, but this year, he is one of the oldest ones whereas last year, he was one of the youngest ones.  His teacher said he has  been taking those duties very seriously, which I am happy to hear.  He is still best buddies with Hugo, but he has been playing with another friend Reuben.  I am hopeful for a great year for all three of them!

Last week, it was coming down buckets of rain when it was time for drop off at school.  Oh my goodness, was it awful!  Thank goodness we had wellies, umbrellas and raincoats for everyone.  And the kids all had the best time because there were jumping in puddles the whole way to school.  It was quite a challenge for Drew because it's quite laborious to walk to school in boots when your legs are quite short, but he managed well enough.  The struggle for me what then carrying home 3 umbrellas, and 3 pairs of wellies.  And thankfully, it had all cleared up by pickup time!

Trip to Paris

For the bank holiday weekend right before school started back, we took a quick trip to Paris.  We took the Eurostar, which was SO much better than flying!!  And the kids were so excited that we were  going under the sea to get to Paris.  (Thankfully the tube strike they had predicted was called off for that weekend, so we took the tube to St. Pancras.)  Lauren was not feeling great when we left, but she was quite a trooper with the waiting and traveling.

Once we got to Paris, it was quite busy at Gare Du Nord, and the Metro tickets are quite different than the Tube.  It was our first time traveling to a place where English is not the national language, which made things somewhat challenging.

We finally figured out how to purchase our train tickets, and we were off to find our Airbnb place.  As soon as we got into the place around 4:45, Lauren fell asleep!!  The flat was perfect, 2 bedrooms, but the kids' bedroom had a bunk bed with a trundle so each kid had their own bed for sleeping!  The only thing that was a little odd was that there was two showers, and one toilet but the toilet was not in the same place as a shower.

Drew and Alison had a great time playing with the microphone

and several of the other toys in the flat.  I went out to get some groceries for dinner and breakfast.  When I got back, we ate dinner, Lauren woke up with a fever.  I had one does of Nurofen, so I ended up walking for quite a ways to buy some more because the pharmacies close by closed at 8.  And the guy at the pharmacy was very perturbed with me because I didn't have cash for a 3 Euro purchase....oops.    I enjoyed the walk; it was a nice night and people were out around the Bastille where I found the pharmacy.

Saturday, Lauren ended up sleeping in pretty late and still was little feverish when she got up.  I got up early and went for a run past Notre Dame, which was awesome as no tourists yet!  I stopped to get some croissants which were AMAZING!!!

 We headed out via the Metro, and walked down the Champs Elysses for a little ways and spotted the Arc de Triumphe and the kids were SO excited once we spotted the Eiffel Tower.  We walked down this super posh street, Avenue Montaigne, that was like 5th Avenue in NYC.  Each shop had a security guard standing right at the door.

We decided to stop and have a bite to eat for lunch before going up in the tower; we stopped at Bistro not far from the foot of the Eiffel Tower.  We informed the waiter of the food allergies and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich for Alison and a hot dog for Drew.  Lauren had pasta.  Drew had the best time playing a game with the knife and fork, and Alison was entertaining herself with hew new Eiffel Tower she picked out as her souvenir.  Alison took one bite of her sandwich and immediately said that her stomach hurt, so we rushed to the toilet.  She never got sick, but I did have to give her a Benadryl.  Turns out the sandwich had an egg wash on it.  And I asked the waiter specifically if it was ok for the eggs.  And Drew's hot dog was covered in cheese, so he didn't eat a single bite.  But Brad and I did have a glass of wine with our meals!

Then we were off to the Eiffel Tower.  It was quite busy, but we had booked tickets in advance, which was a good thing.  We took the lift to the middle of the tower and took in the amazing views of Paris! and then we walked down to the first floor, where there are glass floors that you can see down to the ground.  All of the kids thought that was pretty cool.  Drew was scared to step on it at first; he was afraid he was going to fall.  It was pretty far up there!

After the Eiffel Tower, we headed over to take our boat tour down the Seine River.  We sat inside the boat because it was SO hot, so it was hard to see some of the buildings, but the tour was very informative about the history of Paris as well as the buildings that we saw.

By that time, Lauren was not feeling so well again, so we headed back to the flat.  Lauren went to bed again, and I went to get some food for dinner.  After dinner, we played monopoly in French (thank goodness for Google translate, although some of the translations for the Chance cards were still difficult to determine!)  Brad and I enjoyed some macaroons from the same patisserie, YUM!!!

Sunday, Lauren was feeling a little better and no fever, so we headed up to Notre Dame.  We were able to go inside.  It is amazing the amount of stained glass and beautiful carvings inside there.  And it was PACKED!!  Afterwards, we were walking around the garden along the side and kids came across a sand pit.  They made friends with a one year old, Nikita and were playing with her in the sand pit.  She didn't speak much English (her mom is Greek and her dad is Italian/American.), but they were able to communicate pretty well despite that fact.  Brad was visiting with her dad and it turns out he is some pretty well-know concert pianist!

The Eiffel Tower from the window of the
kids'  bedroom in the flat.

We had lunch at a little bistro where the only thing Drew and Alison could eat was french fries (we thought a pizza place would be a good choice, but the crust had eggs).  The kids were fascinated by the cow's head on the wall!  It was pretty funny!!

We went back to the flat and picked up our luggage and we were on our way back to London.

A short trip, but we got to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and ride on the Seine.  It's so easy to get to, I would love to go back with Brad just for the day sometime.

A few observations:
~French people smoke A LOT
~Paris is not super allergy friendly
~Yummy, yummy pastries!
~the Metro is quite different from the tube as the lines are numbered, the trains share lines going opposite directions
~travelling to a place where you don't speak the language can be somewhat challenging

stuff

List of things I like!
1. Maia mitchell
2. Doing plays with my cousin
3.Teen beach 2
4. Friv
5. Sims freeplay


Play

We are doing a play next summer! We have a raffle and we need more people for it! You can enter just comment RAFFLE in caps in comments and I will enter you and at the end of the competition I will announce who won! Prizes are listed below.

Prizes

1. Ticket to "road to fame"
2. "Road to fame" poster
3. "Road to fame" fan
4. collectable cards
5. subscription to "AAL performance special"
6. subscription to "RTD play special"
7. Free autograph book and picture
8. Signed "road to fame poster" poster
9. free snackers ticket
10. surprise box


So I hope you enter! I am eager to do the play! If you can't get a ticket, we'll send you a tape of it!

:)

Lauren XOX

Summer Holidays in America, Part Two

Thursday morning, we headed down to Nashville!

Headphones that actually stay on their ears!

The best $15 I spent the entire trip: to purchase 3 sets of headphones so the kids could each listen to their own stuff for part of the trip.  They were troopers the while trip sitting three in a row across the seat of the SUV.  They didn't complain much about the lack of DVD player, thankfully!!  We arrived to Granddaddy's house around 3:30, and the kids immediately went upstairs and starting playing the same game they play everytime which involves getting pretty much everything out, but they did help clean up at least!  Drew decided he wanted to sleep on the floor in the room where the girls sleep, which was good for me!  Finally, a bed to myself.

Friday, Alison woke up and came in my room and said "I'm 6!"  She was very excited!!  Granddaddy made pancakes for breakfast; she opened a couple presents, including a Princess Power Barbie from Granddaddy and Grandma Connie.  Then we were off to the Dragon Park to meet up with Jackson!  We had a great time; it wasn't very crowded because the schools were already in session in Nashville.  Jackson had a good time playing and watching!  And Alison was so excited to receive a mini Julie doll.  Granddaddy made a yummy dinner that ended with a chocolate cake from Baskin-Robbins!  YUM!!!  After dinner, I went to a Counting Crows concert with David & Blair and Blair's brother Trey and his girlfriend at this new arena downtown.  It was an absolutely PERFECT night!!!  We had a great time, and it was so nice to have some adult time!!

Saturday was Jackson's birthday party.  It was a farm theme, and Blair did a great job carrying the theme throughout every detail of the party.  It was at a small park, which had monkey bars, so Alison was happy.

 Lauren was happy because she re-kindled her friendship with David's friend Elijah's daughters.  Drew was sad because I left his monkeys at home, but Uncle Bob came to the rescue and took him off to distract him.  Jackson was hysterical with the cake...he wasn't so sure what to think, so he shared it with Blair.  I think she had as much icing on her face as Jackson did.  It was really funny!!  And the girls found a caterpillar that they adopted as a pet.   When we back over to Jaskson's house for a bit, and all the kids were sitting on the couch, and Alison was holding Jackson and Drew said "It's my turn, hand it over!"

We went back to Dad's house to relax for a bit and then we were off to Elizabeth's house to visit with her, Austin and Henry.  They had a great time!!

We went to the pool for a bit and then played on the playground (with monkey bars thankfully!), and then had some pizza.  The kids had a really good time playing, and I think Drew was so happy to have some boys as playmates.  When we left, Henry said "When is my boy coming back tomorrow?"  It was great to catch up with Elizabeth, and the kids always have a great time at their house.

Sunday, we went to church.  The girls did a great job sitting through the entire service, which was a little longer than normal because the youth pastor was leaving, and then there was a congregational meeting at the end.  It was great to see some friendly faces of people who have known me pretty much my entire life!!  After church, we went back home to pick up the RV and Connie and head over to Grandmother's house.  We ordered Panera for lunch, and met David, Blair and Jackson at Grandmother's.

Loving the bed in the RV

Lunchtime!

"I'll hold his face!"

GeGe with the great grandkids

Teaching GeGe about the selfie

Granddaddy with his three oldest grandchildren

GeGe was the happiest I have seen her in a long time!!  I think she was really happy to have all the great grandkids together.  The kids had a great time seeing Jackson again, and hanging out in the RV.  Drew was so funny....Granddaddy was holding Jackson's fingers and helping him walk and Drew said "I will just hold your face."  Lauren's favorite part was pretending to drive.  They also had a great time on the neighbor's swing and feeding bread to the fish (the ducks were nowhere around).  Sunday night, I was able to get out for dinner at my favorite place Dalt's for dinner with Elizabeth since it was my birthday!!!  And David met me for a beer as well.

Monday, Granddaddy treated the kids and I to the Science Center.  It was fun!!  They had this climbing thing in the center which was a hit, and Lauren did the exhibit where she pretended she was on the moon.

After the museum, we stopped by to see David, Blair and Jackson one last time and we were able to see Jackson take some steps!!!  So exciting!!!

Tuesday morning, we headed back up to Louisville.  Mum Mum made some cupcakes for my birthday, which was a nice surprise!

Wednesday, we got Chick-Fil-A and went to the park for a bit, but it was REALLY hot.  Alison repeatedly did the monkey bars (there are three different ones!), and Lauren and Drew pretended they were at "Cars World."  Wednesday night, Lauren had a sleepover with her best friend Avery.

They were in the same class for two years at Goshen, and I am so glad it worked out!  I think they had a good time.  I was able to go out with some friends at Captain's Quarters.  It was a perfect night, and I am so thankful for all the friends who came out to see me!!  It was great to catch up!

Our old neighbors!

Thursday, after I picked up Lauren we went to Hillcrest so I could say one last goodbye to a couple of people and we stopped by to see John, Millie and Katherine.  I think all the kids were happy to see them.  And we got a surprise when Drew's teacher Ms. Lynne happened to be driving by!!  I had coffee with my friend Jen, and then we headed over to Anne and Charlie's pool; Bob and Glen came over as well; I am glad we were able to see them one last time!

Friday, we left early and headed up to Columbus to see my Miami girls again.  We all met at Shannon's house, which worked out perfectly.  We actually saw Tammy on the road right before we got into downtown Columbus!  And Stacy was not too far behind us; Laura arrived around 12.  There were 13 kids, of which Lauren was the oldest at 8 3/4 and Libby was the youngest at 2 1/2 months; and Drew and Zac were the only two boys!!!  That's pure craziness!!!  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  It was a little crazy at times, but I could not have had a trip back to America without seeing those girls.  And Lauren and Grace decided they were BFFs.  Shannon's house was perfect because she has a backyard that is fenced in and has some shade.  The girls arranged for us to take a photo with Shannon's self timer.  It was the big girls (Lauren, Grace, Megan), the middle girls (Ella, Kaitlyn, Alison, Jackie) and the babies (Clara, Drew, Jillian and Zac).  The highlight was these awesome water balloons that Tammy brought....you attach this thing to the hose and it inflates all the water balloons at once.  They had a great time playing with them!!

Alison loves to hold babies!

We left Shannon's house around 4, and headed back to Nana and Papa's house.  It is not a very direct route, and then it started raining harder than I have seen in a long time.  Lauren was freaking out, and I wasn't sure if I should pullover, or just keep on going.  It probably lasted for about 15 minutes, but it was very scary!  We were so happy when we made it to Portage, a little later than anticipated, but safely none the less.

Papa and I went for a nice walk on Saturday morning.  Then, Nana, Alison and I went to the farmer's market and got some peaches, corn, raspberries and cantaloupe.  We walked to the playground, and had a great time playing there despite the heat!!!  Drew was not so happy about walking there, but once we got there and he had a drink, it was better.

Playing Old Maid with Alison is quite entertaining!

And then he and Papa had a nice walk back.  Saturday night, we had a nice dinner and watched "Grace," the American girl movie and got all packed up to head to Naperville.

Sunday morning, Papa headed up north to golf and the kids, Nana and I headed to the Carlson's house.  We made good time, and I was so thankful that was the last road trip because I think the kids were over it!  Lauren and Annabelle immediately started rehearsing, Alison went on the playground and Drew played with Pixie.  We went to the pool in the late afternoon, and overall had a relaxing day.

Monday, Papa arrived and the girls did their show, which this time was a couple dances, including a well corregraphed dance to "Lips Are Movin'."  I mailed a box of stuff that wouldn't fit in my suitcase for $100.  And then when we got to the airport, my suitcase weighed exactly the maximum weight of 32 kg, which was another $90 charge.  I guess we acquired more stuff than I realized!!!

The journey home was much better than anticipated.  The kids were well behaved and helpful, and there was an empty seat next to Drew.  And we arrived into a different terminal than the one that requires a 20 minute walk to baggage claim; we were able to take a shuttle instead.  Lauren went up to her bed as soon as we got home; Alison had a snack and Drew played cars. I had to wait for the grocery delivery before I could go to sleep, but then Drew and I laid down!  Lauren was of course the last one to awaken.  We were SOOOOO happy to see Brad when he finally arrived home from work!!

It was a great summer holiday.  I was able to see ALMOST everyone I wanted to see, the kids were able to spend good time with family, we celebrated a wedding and several birthdays.  We used 7 1/2 tanks of gas and drove 2,850 miles.

Our ride for the holidays!