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We have attended several going away parties over the last 5 years, and sadly our turn has come around.  Our friends threw us a great party at the brasserie down the street from our apartment (Ryan and I chose to have it there because we have befriended Didier since we arrived and thought it would be a fun way to say goodbye at a place that was special to us).  Katie made a delicious cake that said “knock knock, who’s there? not the Pawlowskis!” and also brought the biggest bottle of champagne I have seen!  Staci made a sweet sign that included family photos of us and everyone brought food to share.  We received a group gift that was a print of a beautiful painting a fellow expat, Rob Buntin, had painted of Place de la Victoire and the cathedral.  I was so happy I cried!  It was by far the best souvenir we have of our time here.  Didier even made a very emotional speech about how he was sad to see us go after he has seen us pass his brasserie multiple times a day for the 5 years and has watched our family grow.  It was a really special evening and a memorable end to our expatriation.

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As we were getting closer and closer to moving, I knew I wanted family photos taken to remember our time in France.  Our friend, Miles, was kind enough to do it for us and he did a fantastic job!  We absolutely love the views from Parc Montjuzet overlooking the city, and the view of the cathedral at the top of Rue des Gras.  I can’t wait to frame some of these to put up in our new home!

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Reese started school this week!  In France, children start school at age 3 (and even before then, as they just need to turn 3 by December of that year).  This year, it is now obligatory for kids to start at age 3 and stay the full day, until 4pm, whereas before it was optional and parents could also choose to only send their child in the morning.  It’s a long day for the kids, but it’s a great solution for parents that work and it’s free!

Reese actually has 2 teachers that switch out on certain days/afternoons…so there is always one teacher and also an assistant.  The assistant, Emmanuelle, was also the assistant for Makenna’s class when she started school and we love her!

I’m learning to get into a new routine of bringing both kids at the same time and walking each of them to their classes.  The kids (sometimes) eat lunch together, and get to play with each other at recess.  Here, all of the children in the school have recess together which turns out to be about 140 3-5 year olds!  I remember calling preschools over the summer and they would tell me how there is a separate playground/play time for the different classes so the kids were only playing with their classmates, and I had to laugh.

Reese and Makenna are so happy to go to school together, even if it’s just for the short time we have left here.  I will cherish this moment in time where they can see each other throughout the day, I can take them to and from school, and we can walk there.

Oh yeah…and Reese turned 3 the day after he started school!  Happy birthday my little loulou!