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We were lucky to have my mom here for a month with us this summer.  After our vacation to Portugal, we kept quite busy doing things close to home.

Just after we returned from Portugal, France was playing in the World Cup.  We were able to go downtown and watch the team win on the big screen surrounded by hundreds of people!  It was one of the most memorable experiences of our time here.

A couple days later was my birthday.  My mom and Makenna baked me a cake, and she bought me a pillow I had been wanting with a print of Place de Jaude on it.  That night she watched the kids for us while Ryan and I went to dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant with our friends Emily and Josh.

Other days we did little things like lunch at Ikea, going to the indoor playground, playing in the baby pool on the balcony, and going to the park.

We also took a day trip to Lyon.  We took mom to Parc de la tete d’Or and let the kids ride the carousel, then visited the zoo that’s in the park.  Then we walked around the old town and had lunch.

A few times, mom watched the kids so Ryan and I could go out for dinner or drinks.  We were so happy to see the town at night since it’s a very rare occasion!

One day as we were walking through town, we noticed a cat café.  The kids were excited seeing the cats in the window, so we decided to try it out.  The kids had a a great time, but it smelled horrible and I decided that would be the last time we went there!

Some of the last few days were spent taking a trip to Puy de Dôme and having a picnic lunch, making pavlova for the first time, going to Lake Chambon, and going up to Parc Montjuzet to show mom the beautiful view of the city.  Before mom left, I took her to a store to pick out a knife from Thiers, a nearby town that is known for making high quality knives.

It was a great visit and the kids were so sad to see Grammy leave.  We’re looking forward to seeing more of Grammy when we move back!