PARIS (day 2)

Day two of Paris we did the Eiffel tower, the Louvre,the Opera Garnier, more bakeries, and the inside of a shopping mall(Honestly, the neatest shopping mall ever). Walking up to the Eiffel tower was definitely surreal. (Does this picture not look like a post card!!) I could not believe how humongous it was. We did not make it all the way to the top because of the wind, but just going to the second floor gave me the heebie geebies, and I am not usually afraid of heights. It definitely was a magnificent view of the city, though. The Louvre was almost as humongous as the Eiffel tower, just width wise, not height(ok, I might be exaggerating just a little). The building was huge!! I got us all lost while trying to find the Venus De Milo, but saw LOTS of nudity along the way. We saw the Mona Lisa as well, and I have to say, I thought it was a little bigger than like an 11x16(if that!) It was neat to see though. At the opera we checked out the Grand double staircase, then hit the mall. The building itself was a work of art. I think the neatest thing about Paris is that it is just so old with so much rich history. It is TRUELY amazing!

Some views of Paris from the Eiffel Tower!

The Louvre (DaVinci Code??!!)

Here she is!! A whole wall dedicated just to her!

Paris!!!

Here it is! The long awaited post of our trip to France and Germany. It will take many blogs over the next few days to give you the whole thing, but I will start at the beginning. We caught a plane at 9:45 a.m. on the 7thof May, and got to France at 6:15 a.m. the next morning. They are 8 hours ahead, so it was actually 10:15 p.m. our time. Time to start the day!! The flight was not too bad, except that we almost missed our connection to France, and I had some cranky man who kicked the back of my seat all night. No sleep for me, needless to say! Janet picked us up from the airport and the adventure began. She took us back to her house, about 45 min. out of Paris, which was in this old little village out in the country. It was beautiful!! We picked up her kids and some friends of theirs and headed into Paris on the train.

Arc De Triumph

We had a great day! We saw the Arc de Triumph, the Tueileries, Notre-dame, a fresh flower market, and had a fantastic time stopping at the Bakeries for baguette sandwiches, pastries, crepes, and more!! The food was just as good as the the wonderful sights. Thank you so much Janet for showing us around. We had so much fun with you that day!!

looking out at the Eiffel tower from the Arc De Triomphe

to get down from the top of the Arc De triomphe

Eating and shopping on the Champs Elysees(Rodeo Dr. of Paris)

The Tuileries! Its like a giant park with statues all over!

Notre-Dame!!! This was so neat inside! The stained glass windows are so beautiful.

My cute boy!!

Here are some random pics from a couple of weeks ago. It was like 8:30 in the morning, and now that it is getting to be warmer weather, my boys want to spend all their time outdoors. The second breakfast is over and clothes are on, they are out. We will see how long it lasts. Gavin is so cute in these. If the first one just didn't have the tramp and the fence in the backdrop, It would be worth framing! The funny thing is in the last ones is that he is trying to eat a dandelion. Silly boy!!

Before and After

So here is what our backyard used to look like (sorry for the random pictures) and what it looks like now! Sadly, the pictures of Brigham slip and sliding don't do the old backyard justice. For any of you who have ever been in my backyard, you know how bad it truly was. Try to picture a giant cement box meant to be a mini fish pond that was just filled with dirt and weeds. Next to that sat a weed infested strawberry patch that was marked off with bricks. Where the trampoline now sits , there used to be a peach tree, a nectarine tree, and so many raspberry bushes that you literally could not reach any of the fence in that back corner. I so wished I had a picture to show. Don't worry, we replanted the peach and nectarine and added an apple as well(my kids can down the pack of apples from Costco in two days). We are so happy with the way it turned out, and our kids love to play back there now. Thanks Creekside for doing in 3 days what would have taken Rus 3 months. That was the best decision we ever made for our poor backyard!!

Almost Gone........

Well, here it is almost 9:00 at night and Caleb is still up sneaking out of his room and wandering the halls. This is becoming a nightly ritual at our house. Last night when I finally pulled myself from the computer, I came upstairs to find the hallway closet open (nothing removed remarkably), my jewelry box SET down on the floor, and his bedroom door open. Luckily for me, and him, he was in his bed asleep. I hadn't heard the pitter patter of little feet, but they had definitely been there. We just needs a big cage, like this one, and we'll be set!! J/K He has also had a more difficult time laying down for naps lately. Have you guessed it??!! My days of two children down for naps is almost gone!! Any mom knows how crucial nap time is. It is your hour and a half of do whatever you want and not even think about a child! When Brigham stopped napping, he still had a quiet time, and still does for the most part, but he still finds me and lets me know about what he needs. It won't be all bad, though. I'm sure he won't have any trouble going to sleep at 8 o'clock on the dot ( if not sooner). It was going to come soon anyway with preschool. He is signed up for a 12:30-2:30 class, so it would be too late for a nap anyway. Still, those hours are priceless!! I will miss them!:(

BIRTHDAY BOY!

I can't believe my baby is turning 1!! What a year it has been. It has been challenging, but has only caused us to stretch ourselves and grow. What a miracle we have received by having this little spirit in our home. He has shown us how to find joy and happiness amongst adversity. You don't see that too often these days. Here is a list of my favorite things about Gavin:

1. He has been my happiest baby! He always has a smile for you!

2. He loves his brothers. He is quite content to be playing right next to them, amidst the wrestling!(for real)

3. He will point his finger at something and say "uuuhh". I love that. There is something so interesting to him.

4. He has the best smile. Sometimes he will give you a really good one with his tongue poking out. It is great!

5. My favorite-he is my snuggle bug. He still loves to snuggle right into my chest like a newborn. I know that if I let him, he would sleep all night like that. As a mother, I don't think there is anything like it in the world! Love it!

6. His eyes-need I say more!

7. Whenever he gets really excited he flails his arms.

I love you Gavin!! Happy Birthday Munch Man!

The Beach

Ohh how I have longed for the beach. Starting around January I just wanted to be at the beach so bad!! Don't ask me why that particular place stood out, but just the thought of lying on a beach towel soaking up the heat of the day, and literally not having to do much of anything sounded heavenly. Finally that day came, and it was all that I hoped it would be, except the breeze that kept it chilly at times. Brigham spent the day running up and down the beach and digging a hole big enough for a swimming pool( as the tide came in it became just that). Caleb likes to stick around closer to the towels and dig( doesn't care for the roar of the ocean). Gavin did not like his new surrounding at all, but quickly changed his mind and had to be crawling all around kicking up the sand. We all got fried, even after multiple latherings. For lunch we were treated to in and out burger. What day could be better than that. To end the day we met up with a woman that Rus baptized on his mission and went to dinner. We always love seeing her and her daughter and had a great time catching up!