Grandparent Visit

Bibi and Papi (paternal [grand]parents) came to visit, hooray!  We had a ton of fun with them.  It was a beautiful thing to watch them play with the kids who simply came alive.  The past couple weeks have been full of days they will remember for a long time to come.  We (mama and daddy) enjoyed the break, allowing ourselves to rest some while the grandparents did their work :).

So what did we do?

...there was much baseball played:

...numerous picnics and cookouts:

...playgrounds:

 

...swimming pools and beaches:

 

...presents, presents, presents:

 

...and a giant wheel!

 

Thanks for the memories, Bibi and Papi!  We'll miss you, so glad we were able to share our lives with you locally.  Welcome back anytime (bring more baseballs).

Trip through Greece

In typical French fashion we've had a summer full of travel, visitors, and sunshiny stores-closed take-it-easy fun.  I'll start with Greece, a beautiful place with great people (who's accent while speaking English may be my favorite).

Much (nay, most) of our time in Greece was spent as this couple, relaxing on beaches or poolside, watching waves lap in or tracing boats in the distance.  Never in a hurry to get anywhere.

Many of our non-American neighbors spend their lives convinced that air-conditioning will make one sick while we laugh at their sweaty neanderthal ways.  But as it turns out... we had air conditioning at every hotel in Greece (not all of equal effectiveness) and every one of us four got sick.  Maybe there's something to it!

This little girl took quickly to the warm pools of Greece.

So this is vacation, huh?

Winding streets, white walls, little shops.

I really wanted to buy a house on a Greek island and paint it something other than white with blue trim. Would probably start a riot.

Stairs and passageways. Stairs and passageways.

Ancient town. Rocks. Not white walls.

To Athens we go:

Our last night we spent out an outdoor café next to a church around which kids played. Sawyer even ordered his dinner all by himself: chicken on a stick with fries, bread, and a water. A perfect ending to a great trip.

July 4 Celebration in Marseille

July 4, 2012, came and went with a muted bang this year (we couldn't pull off any actual fire works this year).  We hosted a party in our little urban apartment, and a little over 50 people came to celebrate with us.  Mostly French, our party guests of friends and neighbors sampled some American delights like hot dogs, baked beans, marshmallows, and plenty of desserts.  I joked that if our city quarter didn't all yet know that we're American, they do now!  We had an absolutely wonderful time.  Many of our friends were of enormous help with set up, food prep, and cleanup.  Thanks to everyone who participated, we'll do it again next year!

Our friend Caroline took some great pictures of the event, enjoy: