Thanksgiving Weekend

On Thanksgiving day we went to an indoor waterpark in Paris called Aquaboulevard. It was so much fun! There were no crowds since we were among the few Americans with the day off. There were 12 indoor water slides, lots of pools including a wave pool. The kids had a blast and so did Mike and I. Mike came and told me that I had to do this drop slide and he would wait with the kids. So I went very trusting and did it! Wow!!! It was nuts. A drop down then you twist all around until it shoots you out. When I came shooting out the hole with water up my nose there was Mike with a huge smile. I will never do that one again. But all the others were tons of fun and they didn't have any height restrictions. So Austin went on most of them.
The most amusing part of our day was when Mike came into the waterpark and they told him he could not come in with swim trunks on. He had to wear a speedo! They sent him to the vending machine to purchase one. Here is the machine. I don't know what is funnier, that Mike had to wear a speedo or that he had to buy one out of a vending machine? He was very thankful for no crowds that day and came in sporting his new speedo! You have to love Europe. I was wearing my modbe swimsuit and they made me take my skirt off. As we were leaving they asked me to please not wear a dress again. They like it tight here!!
Lizzy was cracking me up on this mat. She was striking pose after pose. When the waves came on she and Mike would go out and surf them.

Austin's first time down this slide was with me and when we were getting off he looked at me and said, "That was totally wicked!"

We came home from Aquaboulevard and got ready to go to the Papes for Thanksgiving dinner. They are the other American Family in our ward. They are so nice and we had so much fun! There were 4 families there, and we had the whole American spread for Thanksgiving! The only picture I got was of Lizzy before we left! I totally forgot to take pictures.

Mike made his famous apple pie. It was a hit!

Mr. Peeps came to our house on Thanksgiving day. The kids were so excited to see that he looks different in France, he is an elf! He is watching to see if these kids are good in the month of December. So far so good! The better they are the more he moves around the apartment.

On Friday we went to Disneyland. It was not crowded either. Here are Mike and Parker on Autopia.

Lizzy was our driver.

Mike, Lizzy and Parker did Crush's Coaster. Lizzy and Parker are on the other side of this shell. I was too late to snap their picture. They were going fast!

On Saturday morning we went to the park by the Pape's house and played football. Here are the kids with Mattie (their youngest). Lizzy got right in there and played football almost the whole time. She ran with the ball and everything. She loved it!

And now the countdown to Christmas begins! Thank you Alison for the cute countdown!

Thanksgiving Crafts

We had fun doing some Thanksgiving crafts and treats before Thanksgiving. I got this idea from Staci Starnes (Thank you!). We had a lot of fun making this Thankful Turkey. Lizzy made most of the body and cut out most of the feathers. It was so fun sitting around the table and talking about ALL of our blessings.We made turkey cookies. We got square marshmallows for the head. It was so funny when I opened the marshmallows Austin right away said, "I'll take pink!" Parker looked horrified and said, "No Austin, I think you should take blue!" He is looking out for his brother.
The final product. Parker's had lots of heads and Lizzy's had lots of feathers.

My sister Jen sent us this poem and a turkey to disguise.

Help, I am a turkey, and Thanksgiving is almost here. I don't want to be eaten for Thanksgiving this year. All of the ideas I've come up with I've already tried. So please make me a disguise so I can hide. Thank you! Mr. Turkey

Here is how our disguises turned out:
Lizzy: A clown turkey
Parker: A jedi turkey (see the light saber)
Austin: A snake turkey

My Mom sent us the next 2 cute little crafts. Our pine cone turkey:

Rome in a day

And the last stop on our adventure was Rome, Italy. We flew out Monday morning and back to Paris Monday night. When we got to Rome we caught a taxi to St. Peter's Square. Just the taxi ride alone was an adventure. They drive crazy!! We had to hold on a few times.

The Vatican at St. Peter's Square St. Peters Cathedral
After seeing St. Peter's (which is the largest church in the world!) and the Vatican we got on a double decker bus that took us around Rome. Our next stop was the Colesseum, my favorite site!

The Colesseum

We went with a personal guided tour through the Colleseum. Our guide was a funny Italian man. He did a great job. Amazing to see this old building (completed in 80AD) and think about what it had been used for! This is where the gladiators would fight (the gladiators mostly being the slaves). Over 500,000 people died in these games. Every game was to the death. Just as many animals died. Animals of every kind. They liked to mix and match what animals they would watch fight. All the way up to an elephant. They had a special entrance for the larger animals. These events were often and would last all day long. Their guess is that this Colleseum sat 50-60,000 people. It is really awful when you start learning some of the details! In 1349 there was a great earthquake that damaged the south side. In 2007 it was named one of the 7 wonders of the world. It was amazing!

We payed these guys 5 Euros each for taking a few pictures. They were totally ungrateful and wanted more. I got my picture with them too, but they had me put my arms around their waist and now I feel a little strange posting it. But Carrie looks cute!

The animals would be stored down in these bunkers then lifted up to fight.

A postcard we bought at the Colleseum, that got a little bent along the journey.

Roman Forum

A great view from the Roman Forum.

Our private tour also took us through the Roman Forum. Here we had an Englishman for our guide. His wealth of knowledge was unbelievable! He was very entertaining to listen to. He told us of a King sitting down for dinner in the remains of a Palace we were right by. He described that when he had something sticky on his hand he would simply hold it out (not even look at the servant). The servant would wash and dry it. Then the King would pull his hand back in without ever mentioning or thanking the servant as he was discussing the purchase of future servants.

Trevi Fountain

Oh, we were excited to get to the Trevi Fountain! We got lost and went way out of our way trying to find this. Finally, we gave up and grabbed at taxi! This fountain is in a beautiful square with rows of steps right in front of it. We had lunch at a little Pizza place right by the fountain.

Italian Pizza

Italian Gelato

Very yummy lunch!

Pantheon

Carrie outside the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built as a temple to the Ancient Gods or Ancient Rome. This is the worlds largest unenforced dome built in 31 BC.

Inside the Pantheon.

Fountain outside the Pantheon.

We love the Smart Car! They can fit anywhere!

Piazza Navona

Our final stop was at these famous fountains. This is such a fun areas. There was street art surrounding it. Carrie and I found some art that we loved! We (very clueless) let the man know that we really liked it. When we negotiated a price he said no and we walked away. Then we went back 5 minutes later and payed what he had wanted. He had already started packing up our pictures for us! He knew we would be back! We laughed and didn't realize we were so predictable. I am very excited about my art. I got a painting in Paris with the Eiffel Tower. I was going to get Rome and then thought a better keepsake would be where we have lived for the year! We grabbed a bowl of pasta and then grabbed a taxi back to the airport.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....

Happy Birthday Mike!!!

Mike is celebrating his Birthday today in Germany. He got up at 4:30 this morning to catch a train. We are sad, and wish we could see him and celebrate with him today!! Since he is away we wanted to tell him why we love him and appreciate him. I asked the kids during breakfast this morning and this is what they said:

Lizzy:
1. He plays with me all the time.
2. In the Winter he plays in the snow with me and we make snowmen.
3. He eats everything on his plate, and wants to put it back in the cupboard. (laugh laugh)
4. Dad is so funny!

Parker:
1. He gives me piggy back rides!
2. He throws me on the couch.
3. He makes me pancakes.
4. He spins me on the sidewalk.
(Basically Parker laughs at everything Mike says. He thinks he is SO funny!)

Austin: (this one was a bit random)
1. He plays Sonic.
2. I love Gordon and Thomas.
3. Daddy wrapped my lightning McQueen.
Why Mom sees that Austin loves Dad:
1. Mike reads him book after book.
2. Austin runs to answer the door and screams every day when Mike gets home from work.
3. Austin tackles Mike constantly, and loves to rough house with Mike.
4. Austin loves to ride on Mike's back.

Why I love Mike:

1. He is always at a calm level. He NEVER gets upset. I have never heard him yell.
2. He puts up with me when I do get upset!
3. He adores his kids, and is so active with them! He is the fun one and brings so much laughter into our family. When it is time for wrestle mania, it is all Mike!
4. He supports our family financially, and I am able to stay home with the kids. What a blessing for all of us! Thank you Mike for making that possible.
5. He is such a great friend. There is no one I would rather be with than him.
6. He has such a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He sets an example for me, and helps me to want to be better.
7. He always does his callings in the Church to the fullest.
8. I have to say he is one sexy husband. (Yes, even in a speedo! He had to wear a speedo when we went to a French waterpark on Thanksgiving!)
9. He is full of surprises. I feel like it has been one after the other for months now. Starting with my Birthday (WOW), then it has been something every week for the last few weeks. A new camera, perfume, and now the latest is 4 new Christmas c.d.'s! Which I am so excited about. I was so sad that we forgot all of our Christmas c.d.'s when packing so Mike brought home a whole new slew and in English!
10. Mike is always positive, even in the hardest of situations!
11. He is just fun to be around.
12. He is always active and wanting to go and do something fun.
13. I appreciate his love of the outdoors, especially in the winter. If there is snow Mike is thrilled. The more snow the better.
14. I love what a hard worker Mike is. He gives his job 100% as he does his family.
15. I am so thankful everyday for who I chose to marry! He makes my life so happy and fun.

We were able to have a Birthday dinner with red velvet cake last night. I attempted the red velvet cake in France, a little different but it turned out. Happy Birthday Mike! We love you!!

Off to London

On Friday morning Carrie and I headed to London on the Eurostar (the high speed train that runs through Europe). This train goes 200 mph. I have always wanted to see the Chunnel that links France to England under the English Channel. I guess I was expecting to know when we were underwater. It was very uneventful, but still great to be able to get from Paris to London in 2 1/2 hours. Getting to London was so great! I have not been around English for almost 3 months now! To hear English, see signs in English and see menus in English was fantastic! When we got to London it was time for Carrie and I to learn the tube (London's underground train). It was easier to understand than the Metro in Paris. Probably simply because of the language barrier in France. First stop in London, my favorite (if you read my Frankfurt post) Vapianos!!! Yeah, London had one!!! Carrie was instantly hooked and we ate there twice while in London. We stayed at the Kensington Marriott in London. After checking in we headed to the double decker tour bus. Our first stop was Kensington Palace and Hyde Park.

Kensington Palace

We got a good laugh once we realized that we had taken pictures from the back of Kensington Palace. Even the back was so pretty, we did not realize. I got this last picture off the Internet to show the front of the Palace! Kensington Palace has been a royal residence for over 300 years. The palace was home to Diana, Princess of Wales. What an amazing place to live with beautiful Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park in your back yard.

Hyde Park

We walked the entire Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. It was such a beautiful walk. We came across a bit of rain and we had left the umbrella sitting in our hotel room! Lucky for us it was never a down poor like we were going to experience the next day. For the next couple of hours we took the full tour around London in the double decker bus. We had a live tour guide, which made it much more entertaining. I have to mention here that we did not get a lot of sleep this trip. Carrie was awake for a full day when she got here, and was never able to catch up. So.... every time we got on any form of public transportation she would fall asleep! We were on many different modes of transportation in a few short days: trains, planes, bus's, taxi's and cars. This time when she fell asleep was a bit different. Our tour guide was staring at her through the entire tour. She only slept for a few minutes, but I am sure he noticed! We would laugh because every time we turned around he was staring. (He was also single.) When we got off the bus Carrie apologized to him for having jet lag. He was actually very entertaining and knew everything about London.

Wicked
A highlight of London was going to see the play Wicked! It was awesome!

Buckingham Palace
We were only able to see the outside of Buckingham Palace. Tours are only in July and August. Even the outside was impressive. Also, they only do the changing of the guard every other day in the Winter and we were on the off day. When we go back to London as a family this is something I would love to see!

Westminster Abbey




Westminster Abbey is located next to the Houses of Parliament. Some of the oldest parts date back to the year 1050. The Abbey has the most glorious medieval architecture found in London.


Big Ben

The famous Big Ben clock tower is 320 feet high. The clock tower is named after the largest bell, weighing over 13 tons. Each clock face is over 23 feet wide. The famous bell was named after a man named Sir Benjamin Hall (a politician at the time) who was 4' 10'' tall shaped like a bell.

London Eye

The London Eye was very cool! It is a Ferris Wheel on the River Thames opened in 2000. We started out by watching a 4D movie with special glasses. Then we went and got into the Eye. One of the great things of being here in November is that we had no line. We walked right on! What a view up in the Eye! It is 443 feet high, and you can tell when at the top. Each capsule holds about 25 people and takes 30 minutes for one revolution. The eye can fit 800 people.

Here are a few pictures taken inside the capsule of the Eye. What great views of London!

Thames River Cruise

When we finished on the London Eye we went and got on the Thames river cruise. This took us all the way down the Thames to the London Tower. Our tour guide was very fun on this boat. We were so lucky to be inside glass on this river cruise since we got a huge rainstorm for about 20 minutes.

Tower of London

The Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror to protect and control the city of London. The Tower has been used as a fortress, a palace, and a prison. We toured the inside of many of the buildings in the tower. Parts of it you could feel had been used as a prison. The small steps twisting to another level were very unique. We toured one tower where two little princes had been murdered. A lot of it felt dark like a dungeon. I loved the moat and high walls that surrounded the tower. This was their only protection when battles broke out.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is the second largest dome in the world after St. Peter's.

The Tower Bridge

London Bridge

A little ways in the distance you can see the London Bridge! This is where the famous song all began.

It was a big day in London. They had a huge parade for their new leader. They closed off roads and set up bleachers. They were going to have a huge fireworks display, but got rained out.

We took the train home on Saturday night and got home late. We hit a book store on our way through the airport! We have been dying for some new books. My kids were very excited.

Few days in Paris!

The week of November 11-17 my friend Carrie came to visit me! We have both been so excited planning out what we would do in Europe for a week! Here are the first few days of our week long adventure. We picked her up from the airport Wednesday morning. Even this was an adventure trying to figure out where to pull in. Thank goodness she had gotten an international phone so I was able to call her! (Charles De Gaulle airport is HUGE!) Carrie being the friendly person she is had made a friend on the flight named Julie. She was so sweet she stayed with Carrie until we got there! We headed straight for Paris Disneyland.... We had so much fun going on all the roller coasters in both Parks. My kids were very jealous when I told them we did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad four times! When we got home from Disneyland Carrie showed me what her and some friends from Boise had put together for me! Yes, an ENTIRE suitcase full of food and gifts!!! Truly, I was so touched that they would do that for me. I am so thankful for good friends! Thank you!!

Disneyland

On Thursday morning we headed for the Palace of Versailles. I have been dying to tour this since we got here. It was very impressive. The building of this beautiful palace was begun in 1682, with many improvements and additions since then.

Palace of Versailles

The hall of mirrors was designed to impress the King's visitors! It is still impressing them today. The hall of mirrors is 340-feet long. It was lit by 3,000 candles. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the hall of mirrors (between the Allies and Germany), which ended World War I. It was a majestic room.

This fireplace is 12 feet long and 7 feet high. There are multiple fireplaces this large throughout the Palace.

The gardens of the Palace. They go on for acres.

We went to the gardens on Sunday afternoon after church.

On Thursday after the Palace we took the train into Paris. There we jumped on a double decker tour bus. We got off at the Louvre. Carrie is standing in front of the Louvre.

The Louvre

The inverted pyramid!
The Louvre is huge! We found ourselves making the same lap over and over again. Carrie got some new tennis shoes for the trip and while walking through the Louvre (when it was very quiet) all you could hear was the squeaking of her shoes! It was very funny. We finally found the Mona Lisa! I was surprised how small it was in real life.

Next stop: Notre Dame Cathedral. While we were inside we had a scary experience. In the back of the church a man was angry with another man and started fighting with him. One man threw the other onto the cement floor. We heard his body crash! It truly was horrific. One man was quite a bit older than the other. It was finally broken up and the younger more aggressive man was escorted out! Carrie and I were a bit shaken. The thought of two men fighting in a place of peaceful worship was disturbing.

Notre Dame Cathedral

(Inside Notre Dame) The stained glass was amazing in person!

And of coarse...the Eiffel Tower! We went all the way to the top. The elevator ride up made me a bit uneasy, it kept going and going and going. The older I get the more heights make me nervous. I used to love heights! What a view!

Eiffel Tower

(Half way up)

(at the very top)
When we were done we saw the light show on the Eiffel Tower! Very cool. I cannot wait to bring my kids to see it.

After the Eiffel Tower we took the Seine River Cruise. This was very cool. We wore headsets and learned more about Paris and it's History. It was a beautiful night. While on the River Cruise we were mooned by a man on the side of the River. The funniest part about that was the woman in front of us said (in her English accent) "Now I can tell everyone I was mooned in Parie!"

Seine River Cruise

On Sunday we drove to see the Arc De Triumph! Mike and Carrie decided it would be fun to pull over and jump out of the car on the Champs De Elysees, run into the middle of the street and take a picture. I was not a fan, but went along with them.

Arc De Triumph

I was really hating it when the ongoing traffic's light turned green and there we were in the middle of the road! (no turning lane)

While Mom was away....

While I was gone the kids had lots of fun with Dad, Grandpa and Grandma! Here are a few pictures that Max took through the week. I cannot THANK Max and Claudia enough for watching the kids while I went and explored Europe! I really appreciate you extending your trip for me and the kids! We already miss you guys being here.

They went to a fun amusement Park on Saturday. I heard all about this place once I was home! It was a hit with the kids!

Lizzy told me this rope design was shaped like the Eiffel Tower.

A favorite was this moving horse ride. Austin was too short to go alone so Mike went with him.

One night for dinner they tried a Creperie by our apartment! A definite hit and I cannot wait to go and try it.

They went to the big outdoor market in Versailles, and of coarse hit the candy sales. The beauty of shopping with Grandpa and Grandma (they each got to take a bag home)!

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

We went and saw the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles with Max and Claudia. The kids spent most of their time throwing rocks into the water fountains.

We had hot chocolate in one of the tea rooms in the Palace.

We took Grandpa and Grandma to Disneyland!

We were so excited to see the park looking magical with Christmas decorations and hear Christmas music playing so early in the Season!

Tigger was such a tease. He pulled mine and Lizzy's hats off, then he would not let Lizzy go!

I meant to get a picture of the kids and Grandma by the Crush's Coaster ride. When we first got there the kids were dying to do this new Nemo ride. We did not know how intense it would be! Poor Grandma ended up going with Lizzy while I went with Parker. As we were twisting, dropping and screaming I felt so bad that we had brought her on this ride. Lizzy and Parker's excitement made the experience worth it for her. And now she can say she has been on Crush's Coaster!

Normandy

What an experience going and visiting the sites in Normandy. We left on Friday and came home on Sunday. (Nov. 6-8) Max and Claudia were there with us, which made it all the more special. It was only a 2 ½ hour drive from Paris. We stayed in a fun hotel that had an upstairs loft for the kids. They quickly claimed this as their tree house! We had a great time at the breakfast buffet each morning. On Sunday we attended church outside of Normandy and had some very kind members translate for us since the missionaries were speaking that day. It is impossible to express through pictures the emotion that you feel when you are looking at the sites where D-Day actually took place in World War 2. There was such a peaceful feeling. A quiet respect for what took place on June 6, 1944. Seeing pictures and hearing stories of what took place that day and in the days to follow was very humbling and touching.

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Our first stop was at the Batterie Allemande at Longues Sur Mer. This was located between Gold and Omaha Beaches. Here we saw some German bunkers. Some had been destroyed by allied air forces the night before the attack. It was impossible to imagine these guns in action the morning of June 6th. These bunkers look out over the beautiful ocean in such a peaceful way now.

Mike, Lizzy and Parker standing in front of a bunker.
When looking up close at these massive guns you could see holes in the metal where the allied forces had attacked back.

The amazing view from the site.

The crew sitting on top of one of the bunkers.

It was a cold day, but we came prepared!

It was a strange feeling to think back to that dreadful day in this very location when our day was filled with joy and laughter.

We went to a circular theatre of war pictures near the town of Arromanches. That town is behind us.

We plugged our next site into the GPS and this is the road that it took us down. Very glad we did not end up in a mud pile, and it seemed to be a good short cut!

Our next stop was the American Cemetery. This Cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach. There are 9,387 American soldiers buried there. This was such an amazing place to visit. To look out over all the crosses was a humbling site. The grounds there are immaculate and beautiful! Nothing compared to this site! After viewing the cemetery we walked down to Omaha beach. Omaha beach was known as “Bloody Omaha” as this is where many American soldiers lost their lives. Over 34,000 men had landed on this beach, but at a cost of over 2,000 deaths on Omaha beach alone. The pictures of men dropping into the water and rushing up onto the beach are heart breaking. Once on the beach they then faced high cliffs with German soldiers fighting from the top. Thinking of what all the soldiers did that day and many months to follow was moving and inspiring. It brought us such gratitude.

Omaha Beach

Grandpa and Austin fitting right in with their berets. I absolutely love this picture! Austin has a soft spot for his Grandpa.

On the way to our next site Mike wanted to get an up close view of the ocean in the Renault. I had horrible visions of the Renault floating out into the ocean! Mike's Mom felt the same way I did!

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Our next stop was at La Pointe du Hoc. Here you are surrounded with steep cliffs. You can see that many bunkers still remain here and the many large bomb craters all over the ground. Some of these holes were 6-8 feet deep. As we walked around the holes we had to be careful as the ground was very uneven. Sources had told the Allies this point was an important point to hit with many guns and stored ammunition. The Allies sent 225 Army Rangers to scale the cliff and take the Pointe. Only 90 survived. This point played a huge role in the success of the entire operation!

Family shot with Pointe du Hoc behind us.

Mike and the boys popping out of a bunker.

Pointe du Hoc has an amazing view!

Bomb craters showing the intense fighting 65 years ago!

Many of the German bunkers on this site were severally damaged from the intense bombings. How thankful we are for the soldiers who fought so many years ago for our freedom!

Versailles in the Fall

Versailles in the Fall is so beautiful! There are leaves everywhere! This is my favorite street, it leads right into the palace. I love Parker's coat in these pictures. He always has a mind of his own when it comes to getting dressed. He refused to wear his nice coat! The kids had lots of fun playing in the leaves. They had leaf battles.

Oh what a night....

On Tuesday night I dropped the kids off at the Papes and headed into Paris to meet Mike, Max and Claudia for dinner! That is when my adventure began. I did great getting all the way to my freeway exit in Paris, then I got lost. I had no idea where I was or which direction I was heading. There was nowhere to pull over and nowhere to turn around. Welcome to Paris! I needed to focus on my driving and talk to Mike while trying to figure out an address to plug into my GPS. Now I can laugh and think of it as comical. At the time not so much, more fighting the tears. So I ended up on the Champs Elysees (of all streets) headed straight for the Arc with the CRAZY round about. I stayed calm until the police car next to me started honking at me and told me to roll down my window. Oh great, I knew cel phones were illegal while driving but I was desperate. So I rolled down my window and got yelled at by a French policeman in French, so I didn't understand any of it. I said, "No phone," and dropped my phone. I was so glad he did not want me to pull over. There was no where to pull over. All this happened while we were still moving. Through all of this Mike was so patient with me. He was never annoyed or stressed out. How does he do it? I am so thankful for Him!! Mike and his parents were waiting patiently for me. I finally got them and we had a very nice dinner at an authentic French restaurant. When we were home that night Mike said what a great night for you. You drove the roundabout at the arc, the Champs Elysees, and you ate duck liver.

Let's go up!

On Monday (Nov. 2) we met Mike at the Eiffel Tower for our first adventure up! It was a chilly morning with a bit of wind. The very top of the tower was closed, so we went half way up. It makes me realize I will be nervous to go all the way to the top! It was a beautiful day, even the walk to the Eiffel tower was gorgeous with all the Fall leaves. And what a view!! When it was time to go back down we decided to have a race. Mike took the stairs and the rest of us took the elevator. We won! But he got some good exercise.
Parker was very excited to see the Arc De Triumph through the telescope.

I had to put this picture on to show the wind was blowing!

Paris is so impressive! What a sight! I absolutely love walking or driving along the Seine River. There is something magical about it.

Looking up to the top from half way.

Lizzy waiting in line.

The crew waiting in line.

After we went up the Eiffel Tower we took the metro to a restaurant right by Mike's work. He likes to call it the Coherex Cafe. It felt good to get inside and get warm! Here are Grandpa and Austin on the train.

Trick or Treat to Eiffel Tower

On Halloween night we went and trick or treated the Eiffel tower. The kids were so curious what that meant when Mike said that is where we were headed. They were excited to see it meant a ride on the carousel, popcorn and cotton candy. Yes, all this when we just got over the stomach flu that morning!

Halloween Costumes

Here they are: Yoda, Little Bo Peep and Thomas!

The kids dressed up to do the scavenger hunt. We were going to have them wear their costumes into Paris, but they decided they did not want to do that! Probably a good choice. We put them on again later that night to go and trick or treat Grandpa and Grandma's hotel room!

Halloween Day Crafts

In France they do not celebrate Halloween. So we did our own celebration! It was extra special since Max and Claudia got here the day before Halloween. We had a big Halloween lunch. Then we made spooky houses, did candy corn art, made scarecrows, and had a spooky scavenger hunt! After our fun activities we headed into Paris to trick or treat the Eiffel Tower.

(Austin's house)

(Lizzy's house)

(Coming back from a clue on the scavenger hunt)