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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!

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We returned from Portugal just in time to watch France win the World Cup!  A big screen was set up in the main square in town and it was a huge party.  We met some of our friends to watch the game, and our friend Adam from Greenville was in town for work so he came along too.  As soon as we got to the square it started to rain, but that didn’t stop us!  The atmosphere was so much fun and every time France scored a goal the crowd went crazy with horns, dancing, and colored smoke bombs.  The rain let up, the sun came out and France won!  My mom was so sweet to take the kids back home and feed them and put them to bed while Ryan and I went out to celebrate with our friends Adam and Katie.  We walked around town a little bit and it was crazy everywhere we went; people were even in one of the big fountains in Place de la Victoire splashing and cheering!  After having kebabs for dinner, we wound up at a bar that had a crowd standing outside singing and dancing….they even played the song “We are the Champions”.  It was so much fun and definitely a memorable experience!  Allez les bleus!

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Just as school was ending for Makenna, my mom arrived and we headed to Portugal for vacation.  We started our trip in the Algarve region in the south.  Our AirBnb apartment overlooked the beach and was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the beach.  Our first 2 days were spent playing at the beach and eating delicious local seafood.

After some relaxation, we went on a boat tour of the marine caves that the Algarve is known for, including the biggest and most impressive called the Benagil Cave.  The boat was really small and was able to fit inside even the small caves, and the kids loved it!

One of the days we spent there was our anniversary, so Ryan made reservations at a restaurant on the beach and we had a night out without the kids….hallelujah!

Next we visited the city of Lagos.  Our first stop was Ponta da Piedade, a group of rock formations and grottos, along the coastline.  My fear of heights was being tested, but it didn’t stop me….the view was just too beautiful!  We then headed into the city where we saw the beautiful tile work Portugal is known for and walked along the boardwalk.

Our last day in the Algarve was spent in Albufeira.  We walked around the city and ate seafood near the beach.  We also had to stop once, maybe twice, for the popular Pastel de Nata which is a custard tart often topped with cinnamon.

We then headed to Lisbon for 2 days.  After a much needed stop at Starbucks, we went to Rossio Square to see the beautiful fountains.  Then we walked around the city a little and saw the old trolleys.  After having lunch at Time Out Market, which is an indoor market with all kinds of restaurants, we took a ride up the Elevador da Bica (a funicular railway line).  It was so neat to see this old form of transportation and how it came within inches of the homes and businesses on each side!  We also visited Torre de Belem, which is a fortified tower built in the early 16th century.  As usual, I had to find a souvenir or two and while in one of the gift shops I found something I just had to take home….a very large hand-painted ceramic rooster.  This rooster was very lucky that he made it home as Ryan was less than pleased to have to transport it back, especially since it had to be carried on the plane with us!

It was such a nice vacation, but we were happy to return home and excited to watch France play in the World Cup finals!

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Makenna had her end of year dance recital after finishing her 2nd year of dance class.  Thankfully this year wasn’t quite as hot as last year, as the venue has no air conditioning and gets VERY hot.  Like last year, the recital started at 8:30pm and we were able to take Makenna home at the intermission (which wasn’t until 10pm!)  Her class performed to “Let it Go” (from Frozen) in French and they wore Princess Elsa dresses.  Her teacher is great and the program was so sweet!

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For Ryan’s birthday this year I gave him a gift certificate to a French cooking class.  While his birthday was in March, he just recently booked the class on a Saturday morning.

The class started at 9am and they learned how to make an entire meal- entrée, plat et dessert (appetizer, entree and dessert) as well as how to cut and bone a fish.  At noon, spouses were allowed to come and eat the meal that they prepared.

When I arrived, I was offered champagne and was able to watch some of the class as they were still cooking.  Then we started with the entrée- a sea bass filet with chorizo and peppers.

As we finished that course, the students went back to the cooking station to prepare the main dish.  We had veal tenderloin with champagne risotto and caramel glazed carrots.

The dessert was simple yet delicious- roasted strawberries with whipped cream.

Ryan loved the class and especially enjoyed learning how to cut fish.

Y’all, what’s an end of year party without a bounce house, food and….beer?!  France really knows how to make school events more enjoyable!

Makenna’s school threw an end of year party on a Friday evening towards the end of June, 2 weeks before school ended.  The last day of school here was July 6th which seems late for our friends back home, but they also start later….usually a few days into September and they have a 2 week vacation about every 6 weeks during the school year.

The evening started out with the different grades performing dances.  Makenna’s class combined with a class of 2nd graders to dance to the French version of “The Muffin Man” (in French it is Le Ramoneur, or the chimney sweep).  They wore shirts the the teacher’s aides painted that said “trés Briand” which was a play on words….Briand is part of the school’s name and it sound like the French word “brillant” which means bright.

There were tables set up with sweet and savory foods made my parents, which the school charged money for to help pay for the event.  There were also hot dogs, slushies and beer!

For the kids, there were bounce houses with slides set up.

Unfortunately Makenna had a fever that afternoon so we only took her for a little while and then had to go home.  It was nice to have such a casual setting to talk to teachers and other parents.

Shoutout to Ryan for making this house frame bed, and my Pinterest dreams, a reality!  We recently moved Reese into this floor bed because my mom will be visiting this summer and staying with us….but now that Reese came along, we don’t have a guest room.  So our plan is to have my mom stay in Makenna’s room, and have the kids share a room while she’s here.  Being that the rooms are small, it made most sense to get rid of the crib and try to get the kids to share a bed.  With this bed being floor level, we don’t have to worry about them falling out of bed and it’s easy for Reese to get in and out of on his own (which is sometimes a curse haha).

Shortly before we moved Reese into this bed, we took away his pacifier and then he started getting his molars…..so the timing of everything wasn’t ideal and the transition was pretty rough for 2 weeks.  Now Reese sleeps in his bed, without a pacifier, with no problems!  Fingers crossed that him and Makenna will be able to sleep in there with no problems while my mom is here.

This might have been my best Mother’s Day yet.  It was the first time I received a gift from Makenna that she made at school!  Earlier in the week she brought home a bag that she drew on that was stapled shut and I was told not to open it until Mother’s Day.  Inside the bag was a jewelry stand that she made from popsicle sticks, along with a card. The card a photo of her on one side, and a poem in French on the other side.  As I started reading the card, Makenna surprised me by reciting the poem!  It was one of the sweetest moments.

I also received a beautiful gift from Ryan- a rose gold bracelet that says “maman”.  It is handmade in Paris and will be a great souvenir of our time here in France.

I’m so lucky to have 2 amazing children who call me “maman”, and a husband who helped me earn that title!

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Ryan and I were invited to a wedding of one of his French colleague’s and I feel so lucky that we had the honor of attending this wedding and that we had that experience during our expat adventure.

While there are a lot of similarities when comparing French weddings to American weddings, there are also some differences.  First, French weddings start at the “Mairie” (town hall).  France separates church and state, so a religious ceremony is not considered a legal marriage; it is legally required to have this civil ceremony to get married in France, and then this can be followed by a religious ceremony at a church or other location.  Sometimes the ceremony at the mairie is only for family and maybe close friends, while other couples will invite all guests to this part of the wedding.  The ceremony at the mairie also does not have to be on the same day as the religious ceremony, however, many weddings will have the civil ceremony directly followed by the ceremony at the church.

Ryan and I chose not to go to the ceremony at the mairie, but we attended the church ceremony.  Typically French weddings do not have bridesmaids and groomsmen, however, they have between 2 and 4 witnesses.  They are also not usually as formal or extravagant as a typical American wedding.  At this wedding, the girl that carried the rings was wearing shorts and sandals (although more on the dressy side), and the mothers walked down the aisle carrying their purses.  The programs were printed on regular paper and even had some typos that were drawn over.  They were still pretty and I liked that they were simple…I don’t think people need to spend a ton of money on fancy invitations and programs etc that will just be thrown away!  The ceremony last a little over an hour and included songs, prayer and vows.  This couple also chose to do something different- they brought a small olive tree to symbolize their starting a new family and combing their 2 families, and several family members from each side brought dirt from their garden to put in the pot to symbolize how they were going to help nurture the marriage/combine families.

When the ceremony was over, the couple didn’t walk down the aisle.  Instead, people lined up to walk down the aisle towards the couple and give them well wishes.  Everyone then exited the church and threw lavender seeds on the couple.  The couple took some photos with guests and then drove off in their decorated car to the next part of the wedding…the “vin d’honneur” (like the American cocktail hour).

We drove 20 minutes to the location of the vin d’honneur, which was a typical town party hall.  Again, nothing fancy or extravagant.  I believe that normally it is like an American cocktail hour where guests have some drinks and finger food while the couple takes wedding photos….however at this wedding nothing was served until the couple finished their photos which took almost an hour and a half!  As soon as the food and wine came out, people went crazy and were going through drinks quickly.

While some guests may be invited to the vin d’honneur, not everyone is invited to the dinner that follows.  This is usually reserved for family and close friends.  From what I understand, it is a long dinner followed by cake and some dancing but they don’t usually have the tradition of the garter and bouquet toss like we do in the US.  At this wedding, the dinner was supposed to start at 8, however, the food and drinks at the vin d’honneur didn’t start until 7:30 so when we left at 9:15 the dinner still hadn’t started!  I thought this was very French, as they eat dinner later than we do and these dinners/celebrations can last a lot longer than ours!

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According to Makenna, we had a wonderful Easter and I agree!  When the kids woke up they came into the living room and searched for the eggs that the Easter bunny hid, and then they opened their Easter baskets.  For breakfast we had some of the eggs that Makenna dyed the day before and then I made a carrot cake.  After several years of wanting to go to the Easter egg hunt at Parc Montjuzet (the large park that overlooks the city) but being deterred by bad weather, we finally went this year.  There are styrofoam eggs that are hidden throughout the park and they are replenished throughout the day.  We had a hard time finding some at first, but there were several really sweet older children that just came up to Makenna and put some eggs in her bag.  There was a tent set up that the children exchanged their eggs for a Kinder chocolate egg and a goodie bag.  Makenna and Reese both had fun walking around looking for eggs and we even ran into my friend Melanie and her family.  There were also games and bounce houses set up but we didn’t stay long because we needed to get home for lunch and Reese’s nap as he was still a little sick.  Before we left, I took Makenna to the face painting table and it was the first time she wanted to get her face painted and wasn’t scared.  She had her face painted like a cat and she loved it!  After lunch Makenna painted a little ceramic bunny that she got in her Easter basket, and then Lili came over with Elis to take her to the park.  We talked to our parents for a little while and then enjoyed a ham dinner.