Augi the Poet

Augi wrote this little poem in school this spring, just before we put Nanny down.

My Dog

My dog feels like a puff ball.

My dog tastes like a piece of chocolate.

My dog looks like a heart.

My dog smells like a red rose. 

My dog sounds like a gentle wind. 

Paris and Amiens 2012

One bonus of my job is that every year I get to attend a conference. A lot of people use this conference funding to go back to the States. I have thought about doing this. But, really? I have gone to Germany and Norway. This year, there was a fab conference in Paris! We invited some of our besties, rented a house, and DROVE to Paris. I am amazed that we can drive there. 

We found a nice house in a suburb of Paris. The selling feature for Augi was Table Tennis.

 Finn was also a fan...

Renting a house for travel is really the only way to go with children. We were able to get this 5 bedroom house for considerably less than a hotel would have cost. And, we get the bonus of home cooked meals (Thanks to Evan, of course!)

 It looked a bit less like a Barbie Mansion in person. It worked overall. 

 Em laid claim to the top floor room, planning to bunk with Ava. However, he ended up being my roommate. 

TRECHEROUS STAIRS. Evan took a spill, I stumbled a few times. 

Paris might not be child-friendly in the museums, but they offer some great playgrounds.  

This is just wrong. 

 Getting to visit the fam at the playground after a day full of learning. 

Luxemburg Palace.  

We were lucky enough to be in Paris for the tail end of the Tour de France.  

The dads and kids visited a cathedral while I was slaving away... 

Em clearly educating Finn on some important topic, Finn wondering when he will be able to escape. Substitute their dads and you get the same senario.

 And they visited a natural history museum...

Where did we choose to celebrate my 38th birthday? PARC ASTERIX!! 

Bonuses: excellent baguettes, slushy drinks, dolphins, very French.

Drawbacks: it was 90+ degrees, VERY expensive, Finn could ride like 3 rides.

DO NOT mess with these kids. 

 Take a close look at Ava's feet. Her little toes were curled up in her too small shoes. My sweet, kind daughter would not allow Ava to borrow a pair of shoes. Nice. What a trooper she was. 

We could not skip out on Parc Asterix because Emmett was soooo excited to see the Egyptian part of the Parc. Well, we saw it. This was it. Needless to say, he was a bit underwhelmed.  

 The disadvantage of having Chris be our family photographer is that we get very few shots of him. Once in a while, though...

I love Ava's face in this picture. 

I might be disturbed by this shot if I didn't know them. Actually, I am still disturbed. Maybe even more because i know them. 

 Does it get any cuter than this? Seriously. What are we going to do without these guys after December? Ick. 

Don't park your ass on our bridge! 

After a long day out... 

 OK. So, the amusement park was fun. It was a must-do. But, this place was even more awesome. It was the Jardin d'Acclimatation

 Kids...what do you do if you see water spouting out of the ground? Yes. Open your mouth and jump in. I don't really know if this was safe. There was no diarrhea in the end, so I guess it was fine. They LOVED it.

Finn is sooooo European. He can make a speedo out of anything. 

On the way home we spent a night in the pretty town of Amiens. It was half way between Paris and Calais, where we catch the ferry. It is known for it's beautiful cathedral and the former home of Jules Verne.  

There is the cathedral in the background. Yes, I see what Evan is doing. Just ignore him and he will go away.

These children would not cooperate with my wish to have a fab picture in front of this door. They are pretending to be gargoyles. 

The walk of shame. Finn insisted on getting to choose an animal souvenir. Which animal did he choose after the walk back to the souvenir shop? A clock animal. Much more clock than animal, actually. OK. Actually, no animal. Just clock.

Just in case you didn't know, Ava didn't invent Ballet. She just named it. It's true. She told us herself.  

A very quick stop at the windy cold beach before hitting the ferry and heading home.  

A fun and memorable trip, as usual. We are so lucky to get to have these experiences, especially with this family.