School's Out for Summer!

Here are my little pickles on their last day of first grade and
kindergarten. Sniff sniff.

The day was sweet with pizza parties and long hugs goodbye.

Both kids got glowing report cards and wonderful teachers for next
year. They both have been separated from good pals next year so that
is bumming them out a little. Sweet Pea especially. She's been
stomping around the house being bratty ever since. We're hoping she
works through this soon!!

Fathers day foibles

Well the kids an I had a clever video project in the works for SJ for
fathers day. That was until my computer ate it this afternoon forcing
me to start over.SJ decided he'd rather have our company this evening
than a present in the morning. So we are now all at a playground and
he'll get his pressy next week!

1 Month until Bastille Day!

I know in these parts we are all getting excited to celebrate the Fourth of July. I love the 4th with all the BBQs, parades and fireworks. SJ and I also got engaged on the Fourth so it has been an extra special day for us for 13 years now. This year, right after the Fourth we fly to Paris and get to do it all over again on the 14th. Yup- 10 days after we celebrate our Independence Day, France does the same thing with their Bastille Day holiday.

I have always wanted to spend July 14th in France and am over the moon I get to do it this year. As a kid a few girl friends of mine and I would fly to Minnesota for summer camp - a French summer camp. Oh I know what you're thinking but it was regular summer camp complete with archery and crafts but we spoke French, ate French food (did you have fresh baguette at your summer camp? No? I rest my case.) and oh yeah - if you were there for the July session you also got to reenact the storming of the Bastille. It was a load of fun with the campers being divided into Royals and Peasants (I never got to be a Royal) and we had a day of dressing up, singing songs, putting people in jail (a shed turned into a prison for about 15 minutes) and then tossing them into the lake. It is an important part of French history and the counselors at Lac Du Bois did a fantastic job with all the theatrics. In case you are curious, Lac Du Bois is part of a group of language camps run by Concordia Language Villages. If you have a kid even slightly interested in foreign language, please look into these camps for a summer activity.

Found a video with a good little summary of what Bastille Day is like in Paris- take a peek if you like.

Lost in Translation and Lost Teeth

In an effort to get everyone ready for the realities of living in a French speaking country, I am busy labeling things around the house with the french translation. My daughter is trying really hard to get the hang of the french while her smarmy brother is still claiming not to be able to read. Yet when we get to the number 20 on my long list of numbers written out in French he pronounces VINGT phonetically. Yeah, so that burst his little claim that he can't read therefore can't participate. BUSTED.

The same smarmy child uneventfully lost his first tooth last night. All of the sudden there was a stampede up the stairs with children yelling that Buddy was missing a tooth! Yes, yes, he lost is first tooth they exclaimed. SJ and I jumped up and down with them until we asked him to show us the lost tooth and he said he didn't know where it was. Here is how that went:

Mom: Buddy I am so excited for you!! Show me the tooth.
Buddy & Sweet Pea in unison: We don't know where it is!
Mom: Buddy - what do you mean you don't know where it is. Did you swallow it?
Buddy: No, I don't think so. All of the sudden Sweet Pea said I was missing a tooth.
Mom: Well what were you doing right before that?
Buddy: Eating a nectarine.
Mom: Where is the nectarine?
Buddy: In the garbage.
Mom: Okay, let's go down and take a peek in the garbage to see if the tooth is stuck in the nectarine.

Sure enough, there it was!

City of Lights

Well you may have noticed the new look here at Chez Pickles. It is still a work in progress (so if anyone knows how to change the code to center the posts give me a shout!).

If you couldn't already tell by the new header- we are going to Paris! FOR TEN WEEKS!
Yup. 10 weeks- 70 days !!! SJ will be working on a project for his company out of their Paris office for most of the summer.

Life is a bit crazy now with finding flats, signing leases, figuring out how to get dollars into Euros for such a long period of time without paying too much in conversion fees, what to do with our cat, how to pack up for such a long time away and explaining to the small people that yes, this does in fact mean you'll be missing camp this summer. Oh, and seriously brushing up on my French! Mon Dieu! My head is spinning but I can't wait to plop my butt down on that airplane. It will be such a great adventure and I am thrilled my kids are going to have this opportunity to trade in the burbs for city streets, bagels for croissants, and the word please for s'il vous plait for an entire summer.

We will be posting pictures and videos as well as skyping from over there so please join us for what will be a crazy ride this summer!