Here's what's making me happy today: Cat Wallpaper

William received a kitty calendar for Christmas, one of those page-a-day, tear-off varieties. We unboxed it a few days before the arrival of the new year, and as he happily riffled through the cute and fluffy pages, I told him how each day he could rip off the previous day's page and enjoy a new picture.

He loved the idea.

But then:
   An innocent question: What happens to the old pages?
   And an innocent reply: Paper recycling, naturally.

Hooooo boy. Tires screeched, music stopped, time halted. Wide eyed shock and disbelief. Throw away these kitty pictures??! He was utterly aghast, utterly offended to his diminutive core.

* * *

So we're one month in now. Our artist landlord's fine oil paintings are well complemented by some of the best amateur cat photography you'll find anywhere in France. The low-tack primary blue painter's tape and playfully tilted mountings speak of youthful exuberance and justice for adorable kitty pictures everywhere. I may be singing a different song as the months mount and the pages proliferate, but for now you'd be hard pressed to find something that brings a bigger grin to my face!  :)

 

A sweet addendum: William was especially selective in choosing two of the pages. He wanted Daddy to have something really cute to look at while he's working all day, so on January 1 he looked ahead and earmarked his two favorite pages for the two desks where Jesse ordinarily sits and works. The first one to go up was the set of five kittens seen under the daffodil painting; it's mounted directly in Jesse's line of vision when he's working from the living room (which is a good 75% of the time). The next picture required patience for several weeks; it's the orange kitten you can see near the window and Grecian bust. It hangs above the small desk in our bedroom where Jesse works the other 25% of the time (when we're too noisy downstairs!).

It's begun.

Last evening over dinner, we were talking to the boys about school and friends (as usual). Josiah had just filled us in on who's in his math group, who's making the fastest progress on the wooden nichoirs (birdhouses) his class is constructing for the school garden, and who usually plays dodge ball on the playground these days. On that last point, he casually adds, "Of course Lona always wants to be on my team..." He popped up from the table and headed for his backpack. "Lona gave me this today."

Oh boy.

On the back: Pour toi. Je t'aime. For you. I love you.

Oh, those adorable little French girls. We're in trouble.

A New Year and then an Epiphany

While Jesse and I still have yet to keep the kids up until midnight on New Year's Eve, we made a little more of the event this year than previously. We made crêpes on the evening of the 31st (which I'm thinking might be nice to keep as a future tradition) and then we spent time looking back on 2014 together as a family. I thought you—well, okay, mostly just the grandmothers!—might enjoy the responses given to the questions we posed around the table.

Favorite experiences of 2014
William: going to Tivoli Gardens (amusement park) in Copenhagen; catching three fish with Nannan and Papa last summer in New Hampshire
Josiah: the Copenhagen Aquarium and Tivoli; seeing the Eiffel Tower
Krista: pizza on a perfect evening under the Eiffel Tower; watching Daddy haggle in Fez; the many handmade birthday gifts I received from the boys in November
Jesse: Gaileys' party in San Diego last January; the Eiffel Tower (clearly that was a magical evening since three of us listed it!); shopping in the Moroccan souks

Biggest accomplishments of 2014
William: learning some French
Josiah: doing a high ropes course with his cousins in England in August; branching away from Lego instruction books to make his own original Lego creations this fall/winter
Krista: moving to France and navigating daily life here
Jesse: taking on leadership of the finance department at HOPE on top of previous responsibilities; getting to France and surviving!

Hardest parts of 2014
William: going to school every day
Josiah: doing spelling tests and learning French poems
Krista: being so unwell much of the spring; ending the year with head lice from Mr. William Boy!!
Jesse: not being able to communicate in France

 

The next day, on the 1st, we celebrated the arrival of the new year over dinner with homemade confetti poppers and fizzy apple juice, and we followed up the previous night's conversation by talking about goals for 2015. William reported that something new he wants to try in 2015 is learning to read Pete the Cat all by himself (a reader he was given for Christmas), something he wants to stop doing is wearing a diaper at night and liking candy and screens so much, and something he wants to get better at is running fast and playing basketball and baseball. For the record, William first asked whether "going to school" could be on his "something to stop" list.  :)  

Josiah reported that something new he wants to try is parachuting (?!?), something he wants to stop is spending his pocket money so quickly, and something he wants to get better at is playing basketball and being a stopper. In our home, we talk about being a "stopper" when arguments are escalating, by the way.

Predictably, Jesse and I have goals revolving around speaking French better and improved healthy living habits.

*  *  *  

The arrival of January 1 usually marks the end of Christmas and the broader holiday season, bringing with it the depressing prospect of a few dark, somewhat uninspiring months. It was very pleasant indeed for us to learn that Epiphany (January 6) is traditionally celebrated here in France, extending the festivities at least a little longer!

The boys had school as usual and Jesse and I had work to accomplish through the day, so dinnertime was when we celebrated. I made a big meal, we ate by candlelight, and then we read and talked about the Magi. We've been doing the candles at dinner most evenings for the past month or two, by the way. The boys ask for it even when I forget...and, bonus, the dimmer the lights, the less they notice offensive items (ewww! mushrooms!) hidden in the meal...  :)  After dinner we brought out the galette des trois rois, the three kings cake. They boys were so psyched! I had majorly splurged by buying this at the patisserie. The important thing to know about the galette is that it hides a tiny ceramic or porcelain fève. The word means "bean," and traditionally/historically a bean or almond was baked into the cake; today it's usually a tiny figurine instead. Whoever finds the fève in his or her portion is king or queen for the balance of the day.

We followed the fun tradition of having the youngest child (you know who, in our case) go underneath the table to call out the name of a person at the table as I cut each slice. At least one reason for this tradition is, apparently, to keep the antsiest, most eager little persons from poking into the galette and trying to spy the fève. Since finding it is a Very Exciting Prospect Indeed, keeping distribution as fair as possible is key!

As it turns out, Mommy was the lucky fève discoverer, a little dragon in our case. I considered it just recompense since from the first forkful I discovered I couldn't eat the galette. I knew they were usually made with almonds, so at the patisserie I'd asked whether they might have any almond-free options, explaining I was highly allergic to almonds, almond flour, almond paste, everything. The owner showed several options, and I chose a tempting pear-chocolate candidate. In retrospect, I should have been tipped off by the fact that the ones she offered were simply all of the ones without "almond" plainly included in the printed name. These one didn't have flaked, obvious almonds in them, but it would appear they all still were made with the traditional frangipane filling (almond paste). Ah well.

Apparently galettes des trois rois are shared with friends and family throughout the month of January, not just on Epiphany itself, extending the good cheer of the Christmas season even further. How nice to have a special cake that's all about hospitality and generosity! I'm planning on making one or two of my own, sans almonds of course, and inviting some folks over in the next few weeks. Now to go procure some fèves...

A Parisian Christmas

I ended the last post with William's post-shave mugshots. The poor child's appearance only got worse in the following 24 hours, since the next morning he fell and split the skin just beside his left eye. It bled a lot and was a real mess in the hour or so before we were meant to be leaving England, but thankfully he narrowly avoided taking the sharp corner of a piece of furniture in the eye directly. He looks cute enough below, but perpetual runny nose + shorn head + a big band-aid on the face = a kid who spent a few days looking like he would have benefitted from a new set of parents for Christmas.  :)

The boys have been fascinated for several months by the Euro tunnel that connects England and France under the English Channel; we've watched a documentary on it more than once. So our evening return to France was via the "chunnel," which we all found exciting! It's cheaper than the ferry and very efficient to boot, so win-win-win.

The cars queue up and, at the appointed time, everyone starts driving directly onto the train.

Five or six vehicles fit per standard train carriage. You simply drive in, park the car, roll down your windows, and hang out either inside the car or beside it. 

We opted to stand next to the car for most of the 30 minute trip...not that there was anything to see out the windows underground in a very narrow black tunnel! It was a little weird to think we were hurtling under the ocean at around 100 mph, although as veteran Bostonians, I suppose underwater tunnels aren't as disconcerting as they might be.

We were equal parts baffled and amused that our passports were not checked at any point. England is not part of the Schengen area so England-France ought to involve a proper border crossing. But on the English side, the station was dark and unmanned. We figured reentry would be checked as we left the train in Calais instead. But nope. There wasn't even a station on the French side! We sort of humorously waved our passports around in the car as we drove away ("Ummm...we've got these passports here....anybody? We've paid lots of money to your government for these really important visas...and...ummm...? Want to see? Anybody there??") 

After breezing back into France, we spent the night at a bed and breakfast not far from Calais (yes, we were all lice free—daily checks!—and not leaving a trail of critters in our wake). We drove to Paris the following day for a whirlwind 24 hour stopover en route home. 

It was cold, but we had a great time just walking around the City of Light for the afternoon and evening!

Outside Notre Dame Cathedral

The boys were enthralled with this guy doing soccer ball tricks. Here they're leaving some change in his tip hat.

The Christmas Market was still going strong along the Champs Elysées, with seemingly endless lovely booths full of treats, gifts, foods. It was bustling with people and so fun to see!

Our proper purchase of the day/evening was a set of 4 tickets to ride the Roue de Paris, the beautiful illuminated ferris wheel set up at Christmastime. Yes, it was mighty cold...but oh-so-worth it! 

For the overnight, we had booked ahead a tiny flat through Airbnb. In trying to stretch funds and make these trips possible, we generally opt for a couple of key experiences and sacrifice cushy accommodations or any meals out, and we had (knowingly) gone bottom dollar on housing. Obviously we're okay with that and keep our expectations low and our outlooks flexible and good-natured. With that in mind, for us to say this flat was a bit tight is to say that any other family of four probably would have turned around and headed to the nearest hotel, cost notwithstanding.  :)  The "kitchen" was a bit of counter with a two-burner hot plate, a small sink with a horrific sponge that looked a year old, a few items of mismatched dish ware, and a tiny (broken) decorative end table with one chair. The second bed was a few cushions we could pull off the little foam couch (this couch was alongside the "kitchen"). And access to the toilet in the bathroom was via an opening barely 15 inches across (it was a squeeze for me and Jesse...and we're not exactly hulking figures!). There were two huge lovely windows but alas, no curtains or blinds. But regardless of the condition, we had a bathroom and water and heat and even wifi, so Jesse and I went to sleep (mattress on floor) laughing about it all. Indeed, we were immensely thankful to be out of the cold, to be together as a family, all safely tucked away for the night after a lovely family day.

The best thing the flat had going for it was an awesome spiral staircase in the middle of the apartment building. 

 *  *  *

In the morning we packed up quickly and headed downtown for our Christmas surprise for the boys. We had tickets to the Cirque D'Hiver: Paris' winter circus! To be honest, part of the reason for the surprise was frugality again. We waited until the day before to book half-off tickets, so we weren't sure we were going until the last minute.

Not exactly the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay, but a super fit for our family at this stage.

The circus is in a small, historic theater building. They have a live orchestra accompanying all the acts, and the choreographed lights show was pretty amazing. 

Most of the acts were shows of skill, acrobatics, strength, agility, and so forth, with quite an emphasis on high-up / flying sorts of exploits. It was terrific—although Jesse and I left with that "wow, I'm a lazy, utterly out-of-shape loser" kind of feeling you get after seeing what human bodies can be conditioned to accomplish...

On the animal front, there were elephants, horses, and a very funny dog routine. There was a guy who was a whizz at flying a remote controlled airplane—an unusual and cool act. And we very much enjoyed the one clown, who did a funny routine segueing between each of the other acts; he was a visiting American clown, as it turns out. (I harbor a suspicion that the Parisians may view all of us as visiting American clowns...just a hunch...)  

The circus concluded our lengthy Christmas celebrations. We got in the car and made the nearly 5 hour trip home to Thouars. With memories of spending 12-hour days grading papers last Christmas holiday in New Hampshire, and predictable visions of the same for this time next year, I know that Christmases to come will struggle to top the amount of family time, church time, enjoyment, and sights we've relished these last few weeks. Lice, seasickness, injuries, and tiny flats notwithstanding, we are incredibly fortunate and so, so thankful.

An English Christmas

The Saturday before Christmas found us driving a few hundred miles north to Le Havre, where we boarded a ferry for a nearly six hour English Channel crossing. After being surrounded by not-the-English-language since August, we were a tad excited. Even better, we were heading to much-loved extended family—including my parents, who'd arrived in England a few days earlier.

Unfortunately, the crossing itself was somewhat inauspicious. Winds were intense that evening/night, and within moments of leaving the (calm) harbor the ferry began pitching and rolling in high waves. All of us have spent time on rocking boats and have never been seasick before, but this was a different story. William remained fine, but poor Josiah threw up once, and Jesse and I spent a few hours only holding it together when our heads were resting on the table and our eyes closed. We were thankful when we made our very late arrival to my cousin Danni's house!

Sunday was a wonderful day involving church both morning and evening, reuniting with family, and plenty of food. We thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor carol service at Holtwood Chapel on Sunday night. It's special to be at Holtwood anytime of year given the generations of Mom's family who have worshiped there, but it was especially nice to be there at Christmas.

Christmas week itself was great. Danni and Adam were amazing, over-generous hosts, the kids of course had a great time together, and we couldn't have asked for a better few days. There was baking, ice skating, crafting, movie watching, giggling, eating Advent chocolates at breakfast, gift wrapping, and much general merriment.

 

In addition to handling the craziness of a house full of guests in the busy days leading to Christmas, Danni squeezed in dental checks for all of us at her practice on Christmas Eve. What a hostess!  :)  We were happy to learn that none of us appears to have anything amiss, so hopefully we can wait until we're back home next summer to restart usual check-ups and cleanings.

Libby went first, then William:

Next came Josiah, then Grace:

It all seemed pretty standard and was going smoothly, but...then it was Jesse's turn. 

Danni had to call in her support staff for a consult. Fortunately they're a crack team.

One of many meals around the Grady table:

Christmas Eve!

And...Christmas morning! 

By 7:15 a.m., the stockings were a thing of the distant past and family gifts were well underway. 

It seems Father Christmas has a penchant for the sensible...toothpaste and math puzzles.  :)

The gifts didn't end there. After breakfast, a mad pack-up, and then a lovely Christmas morning church service, we congregated at Colin and Ann's for the balance of the day. There we enjoyed a constant rotation of gifts, fun, and food with the entire family.

Pictured (L-R): Danni, Tim, Tasha, Olivia, Ann, Grace, Josiah, Dad, Jesse, and William. 

Not pictured: Mom and Grammy (they ate in Grammy's room); Colin, Adam, Henry, and Dan (they were the other side of me); Chessie (unfortunately home unwell).

Sort of pictured: Baby Rutt. We just missed James Nathaniel's arrived on December 31st!

It was sad not to have Grandad around, but it was so special to spend Christmas day with Grammy—a first ever for me. I believe it was only Mom's third Christmas at "home" in England since getting married over 40 years ago, so being together there was even more special.

No, William's not asleep. This was the best of four photos.

Grace with her beloved Christmas capybara.

*  *  * 

Unhappy Epilogue

We all were exhausted by the end of Christmas day. Next morning, the Grady family packed up and headed to Oxford to Adam's family for Boxing Day and the weekend, leaving us holding down the fort for another 48 hours. 

Unfortunately, things suddenly went downhill fast. For one thing, both boys had picked up colds during the week and were doing pretty poorly by Friday with bad congestion, runny noses, and low grade fevers.  They also were running on fumes after a week of too little sleep. But the absolute kicker? Saturday morning we discovered that William had a bad case of head lice! Gah!! We ordinarily check both boys weekly since there seem to be a few permanent offenders at William's school, but we'd been mercifully unaffected all fall. What a week to be off our routine! We felt sick about it. 

But it gets worse. Josiah was affected too, albeit nowhere near as badly as William. And...drum roll...me too. Oh yes. I had head lice. I had it once as a 5-year-old, so I tried to tell myself that 30+ years was a good run. (Note: That self-pep talk wasn't especially helpful.) Anyway, every night that week I had spent a few hours in William's bed or with him cuddled up sharing my pillow, seeing as we weren't in our usual sleeping arrangements. Again, what a week to be off our routine; I'm never extensively hair-to-hair with him like that ordinarily! 

Treatments and hours upon hours of hair combing and cutting later, not to mention nonstop loads of laundry and masses of house cleaning, we felt satisfied that the Grady house and our own heads were purged of the offending creatures (which, for the record, don't live long at all off of warm human noggins). We also were thankful to get several reports from Oxford that everyone there was clear. Jesse was a champ working over my head, and I couldn't begrudge him the humor he found in "delousing" his wife given the amount of time he spent dealing with me! The resulting afro was epic, by the way.

In William's case, the opposite of afro was called for. Buzz cut all the way. I'll leave you here with Patient Zero's mug shots.