France part 2 and Spring Break

Monday morning we had planned to go to the Louvre - but when we got there we realized that we needed to have purchased tickets in advance (which was different from the last time I was here) so, we managed to find a boat tour that we could take and be done in time to catch our train to Blois.  The weather was beautiful for being out on the Seine in a boat and I enjoyed the audio tour.  :)  

Then we ran to the train station to catch our train out to Blois and our new appartment - which was right next to a cute book store that Anna and I had fun browsing through.  We got settled in and went to find dinner - we basically had fast food - but in France you can find almost anything in a fast food restraunt.  Anna wanted a burger and fries - Dan and I got Indian food - all at fast food places.... It was decent Indian food though, and Anna said she liked the burger.  

Tuesday, we went to visit Chateaus.  We started with Chateau de Chambord.  We took an uber to get out there since there aren't any buses running out there this time of year.  It was drizzly when we got there so we didn't spend a whole lot of time wandering the grounds, but they were beautiful!  We could see an area where horses were training.  It was a beautiful castle and we had fun wandering around and checking everything out and learning about it's history.  We didn't consciously stay together, but because of the layout of the castle, we regularly bumped into each other. 

Then we headed to the Chateau de Cheverny.  This one was smaller and is still used as a residence, so it had a different feel.  Plus the castle and grounds were all decked out for Easter inside and out.  Including stuffed bears in the trees.... 

After, we had lunch at a little French restraunt near the chateau and enjoyed a the food and the sweet little proprioter who was friendly and fun!  She didn't speak much english, but we communicated well enough! 

Then we headed back to Blois to wander around the Chateau Blois.  It was also a beautiful chateau with a great little interactive tour on a tablet with a treasure hunt and lots of fun things to do and see and learn.  Then we got some dinner and crashed for the night! 

Wednesday, we went to the cathedral in Blois and then wandered around the town until it was time to check out and go catch our train.  

While we waited at the station between trains, we found this cute little machine that spits out stories for you to read while you wait for your train.  Dan got one and it was super cute! 

We got some dinner after we got back to Paris, then wandered around until it was time for our night walking tour of Paris.  We had a fun time with our group learning about some of the darker sides of the history of Paris - ending at this cathedral which was the site of the St Bartholomew's day massacre, and had some very cool gargoyles.  We got back to our hotel very late and then crashed for a few hours before we had to head to the airport.  

Thursday, we headed home - a quick flight to London, then changing planes before heading back to the states.  It was a LONG day, but we made it home safely and were very happy to see the kids again.  

The kids have been on spring break this week and have been busy with friends and music camps and swimming and shopping with Grandma.   

Friday night, Anna and Evelyn had their Youth Orchestra concert.  It was a beautiful Easter themed concert.  The kids did a great job - Anna had a vocal solo for one song and did an AMAZING job - her tone was clear and beautiful and she sounded so awesome!  

Saturday, after Parkrose water polo, we headed down to John and Melissa's house for an Easter egg hunt.  The kids had a fun time - there were ducks in some of the eggs - which Anna loved, even though she didn't find any of the duck eggs - she managed to trade for a bunch of them.  Aaron was happy to find some money eggs and David found the grand prize of a huge egg full of Cadbury chocolate eggs.  We had a great time with friends and family before heading home to get kids to bed.  

Then I took the older kids to Open polo - but numbers were low again, which was disappointing - usually spring break is more crowded with college kids home.  We had fun though! 

Church today was wonderful - we just had Sacrament meeting.  The two talks were wonderful and the choir performed.  It was wonderful, then we had a nice quiet afternoon together.  Sandi and James came over for games in the evening and we had fun together.  

Trip with Anna Part 1

 We had a busy Monday.  I took David to school, and Dan took Evelyn to the orthodontist.  Then when she was done I picked up a girl with no braces on!  She looks amazing - but she is still getting used to what she looks like and how it feels without braces. 

Then after school, David's friend Anna came over to play and they had a great time together!!  

After spending Monday walking my mom through everything (and thinking Dan and I might be crazy) we got packed up and ready to head out.  

Tuesday morning, I got David to school and finished packing, then we headed up to the airport.... unfortunatly, we forgot our passports.  My mom drove up (to Seattle airport) to bring them to us, and since we had gotten there very early, it would have worked, except for the accident that stopped traffic.  So we had to change our flight, and fly out Wednesday morning instead.  We had dinner with my mom, then headed to the hotel for the night.  

Wednesday morning, bright and early we got on a plane - for a very long time.  :)  We arrived early Thursday morning and got into our air bnb and then headed out for lunch.  We found some Indian food then started walking!  We walked by Notre Dame and got crepes and wandered around the city.  

Friday, we started out the day by heading out to Versailles.  We walked over the castle and then biked all over the gardens.  We had a great time and Anna did some awesome drawings.  

After, we ended up at Sacre Coeur.  The view was amazing and the building was awesome!  As we were leaving, we saw a guy out singing on the steps in front and stopped to listen for awhile and had a blast!  

Saturday morning, we headed to the Opera House.  It was incredible!  I took the audio tour, Dan and Anna wandered and Anna sketched.  Then Dan and Anna were done, and they headed outside to a cafe to drink hot chocolate and sketch.  

Then we headed out to the Paris, France temple!  Anna was able to do baptisms and Dan made a new best friend with the elder who was asked to translate for us.  Then we headed to the visitor's center.  

Then we went by the Paris Duck Store.  Anna has a blast looking at all the ducks and picking out a couple to bring home! 

Sunday, we headed to church which was awesome - though the translation was a bit rough, it was wonderful to take the sacrament!  

On our way back, we found a group out playing on the streets - Anna was excited to see a euphonium in the group.  They were fun to listen to, but they were just a prelude to something even more fun! 

Turns out the band was along a route for a waiters race and we got to see them run by.  It was awesome!!  

Anna was tired and wanted to rest, so Dan and I went out walking.  We went to the Pantheon and loved  getting to see the Eglise Saint-Etienne du Mort right next to it that was just stunning!  

Then we walked around the gardens of the palace of Luxembourg and had fun watching some small sailboats on the pond.  

Then we got Anna and went out for Sushi fr dinner before walking back over to the pantheon and the church for Anna.  Anna enjoyed getting to sketch it, then as we were walking back, we noticed the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkly, and Anna decided that she wanted to go see it after all, so we walked over.  

We walked around it and then went in and when Anna found that you could climb it using stairs (for the first 2 levels) she decided she wanted to go up after all.  I had never climbed the stairs or gone up at night, so it was neat for me.  The stairs were a great little work out and the view was incredible - especially at night!  

Finally after a LONG, but wonderful, day, we headed back to our appartment to get some rest and do a bit of packing up.  Tomorrow we head to Blois!  

Track Begins

Evelyn had her first track meet this week!  She is pole vaulting like Anna and Dan before her.  She was jumping JV and cleared her first height and her second height.  Her new PR is 6' 6".  I was just impressed that she cleared anything at her first ever meet!  She did an amazing job and we were so proud of her and excited for her! 

David has been having his friends over to play as often as I will let him.  On Thursday, his friends Paxton and Addie came over to play after school, but on the way back to our house, Addie fell on her scooter and scraped up her knee and hand a bit.  David and Paxton were so sweet and supportive and trying to help her feel better!  It was so sweet! 

 

For Pi day, Dan went and grabbed some of the dollar pies from Walmart.  The kids loved it and and had fun eating their pie!  

Friday, I took Evelyn to go see the Mountainside musical Legally Blonde.  The show was great and we had a lot of fun.  We realized at the intermission that Anna was there with a bunch of her friends to support their friend Meghan.  We had no idea she would be there too.  It was funny.  

This weekend Aaron and Anna had a tournament.  They did well and had a good time!  Dan and I went to play water polo at Parkrose while Aaron played in his tournament.  Numbers were kinda low and Dan had to play in the field, but we had fun and it was a great group.  

After, I took David to a birthday party, then drove down to John and Melissa's for Emmalee's baby shower.  It was so fun to see her!  After, I headed back and got back just in time for the ward activity.  We had a fun time eating yummy treats and chatting with friends.  

After getting David to bed, I headed out to Open Polo.  Aaron went to a youth fireside and Evelyn went to her friend Sophie's house.  (Anna was still at the tournament) 

Sunday was wonderful but crazy.  The ward choir sang and did a wonderful job.  Primary went well - we played "Find Joe the Bubalub"  Which the kids love.  Then after church, Grandma got in to help with the kids while we take Anna on her senior trip.  Sandi, James, Taz and Kai came over for dinner and to hang out in the evening.  

Now it's on to full time - get ready for the trip!!!  

Friends and Water Polo

David and his friends have all figured out that they can usually get together at our house to play after school.  So on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we had some combination of David, Paxton and Addie playing at our house after school.  They have tons of fun together and they can have fun while I get dinner ready, so it works out well.  

Anna and Aaron have had water polo in the evenings and Evelyn has track after school,  so they are all keeping busy and tired with sports.  Evelyn has also taken a job tutoring one of her friends in math and science.  We met with her mom Thursday evening to kinda talk through it, and she started on Saturday!  

Dan and Evelyn had a fun time experimenting with the leftover fried rice and of course Evelyn had to make it pretty!  

David had spirit week at school this week, Thursday was dress up like a character from a book, and David chose Spider Man.  But he also got a Dog-Man hat at school.  On the way home, I asked if I could take his picture, but he said he doesn't like taking pictures alone.  (This is a change from last week...) But he said he would take a picture with me!  
 

Thursday evening, I went to Evie's track parents meeting, then to the Terra Nova open house (though I was late because of the track meeting) Terra Nova is a program at that Evelyn wants to get into through the school, but it's a lottery, so we'll see if she gets in or not.  But it was neat to look around.  

Friday David got to wear PJ's and bring a blanket, pillow and stuffie to school.  He was so excited, and when I picked him up at the end of the day, he said it was the best day EVER!  It was so cute!  

Friday evening, I had my first game with the master's womens team at the tournament.  We won!  It's a great group of women to play with and a lot of fun to be there!  I grabbed some In N Out on the way home.  :)  

Saturday was a bit crazy.  Evelyn had her first day of tutoring and it seems to have gone well.  Aaron had his work for Brother Hanks.  Anna was good enough to drive them to their stuff so Dan could come down to the tournament and watch me play.  We went down a bit early to watch the guys game.  It was fun to play and hang out with friends and chat.  Since Dan started coming to some of the Master's stuff, he knows some of them too, so he had people to hang out and chat with even when I was playing.   We had two games on Saturday - we lost the first in overtime by one point, and won the second.  Dan and I grabbed some Firehouse Subs on the way home and then we hung out with the kids until it was time for Open Polo.  I went with Anna and Aaron, but numbers were low this week.  :(  We still had fun though.  

Sunday, was church, Evelyn gave a wonderful talk!  I had two more games and got to watch the guys games too.  They won both of theirs and we won both of ours.  It was a great day and after, I got to head home and snuggle and play with the kids and have dinner with the family.  My eyes are still burning from the chlorine in the pool and in the air.  The whole pool was poorly ventilated and I am still feeling it in my eyes and even in my lungs.  I'm also rather tired and a bit sore, but it was a lot of fun!  

In the evening, we attempted to play Wingspan with Eileen over a video chat.  It worked ok, I think, but I think Dan struggled a bit to keep up with 2 games.  Dan was able to get the kids signed up for FSY this year, so they are excited about that!  In signing them up, they asked for a picture, and that sent Dan and Evelyn and Anna into a silly set of .5 pictures.  

Crazy Weather

Apparently we have had crazy weather this week - as indicated by the fact that the only pictures Dan and I took all week were of the weather....  Monday was sunny, and snowy and rainy and cold and warm... all within a few hours....  Weather hasn't been great most days, so David hasn't wanted to stay and play after school - instead he just wants to go home and have Paxton come over.  But they have fun together and don't complain too much about not playing video games the whole time.   

Anna and Aaron have water polo during the week and Evelyn has track after school.  Dan and I are still trying to swim in the evenings when we can which has been good for my shoulder.  It always feels better after an easy swim, but it doesn't feel like much of a work out at that pace....  

On Friday, David went over to Paxton's house so I could stay for a bit longer shift to help with a swim meet.  

Saturday was water polo and family time.  Anna is pretty busy now with sports and work and school.  It's been neat to see her becoming an adult!  She is responsible and hard working! Dan and Aaron and I went to Parkrose and the turn out was good and we played a good game.  Aaron had a couple nice shots - even getting a couple by goalie Dan.  Then at night, Anna, Aaron, Evelyn and I all went to open polo.  They all played great, but Aaron especially had a LOT of goals.  Plus the Neilson kids were there - so Anna got to play with her friend Larkin.  

Today was Fast Sunday and the testimony meeting was wonderful.  Primary was a bit of an adventure - this time slot is a bit of a rough one and a couple kids were having a hard day today, but we went through it and survived!  

There were a couple times this week where it was looking like the snow might stick, but it never stuck to the roads, so we didn't get snowed in - thankfully!  

We spent some time this week planning what our trip to France with Anna was going to look like and we've gotten our accomadations figured out and a rough idea of what we want to do.  It's crazy that we are only a few weeks away now - but exciting!!!! 

Holidays and Hoopla

We've had a fun and busy week.  The kids had Monday and Tuesday off school, so Evelyn and David went to Sister Shum's music camps in the morning - one on the early presidents on Monday (President's Day) and a Lunar New Year one on Tuesday.  They had fun and Evie's friend Ashley came over to hang out for a bit after on Monday.   

Evelyn and I went out to choose the yarn for the blankets for Emmalee's babies.  I'm excited, I think they are going to look awesome! 

 

On Wednesday David had his friends Paxton and Addie over to play.  They had fun together running around and playing. 

Wednesday night was also youth activities and water polo.  Masters had a good turn out and Anna and Aaron are enjoying club.  

Thursday the weather was nice, so we stayed after school to play on the playground, but my shoulder has been bothering me, so I didn't really want to play mommy monster since that tends to involve a lot of climbing.  

Thursday evening, Anna and I had our sound check for the performer's concert this weekend. It went well and was quick, then Anna went to polo and I went on a walk.  

Friday after school David went to Paxton's house for a bit to play and had a great time.  Evelyn had Basketball band for the game at Mountainside.  

Friday evening was the concert.  We sang well and the performances were all great!  It was awesome to listen to them and hear a variety of talents and styles.  Lots of talented people!  

Saturday morning, I went to the music workshop - I got to spend some time learning about organ playing and primary music teaching and choral conducting.  It was fun to work with the Portland Choir and Orchestra and learn from their director!  They had asked for volunteers to be guinea pigs and so I signed up and got to direct the choir and get direct feedback.  I learned that attempting to mimic Christina Bishop was a good way to go and he helped correct and fill in things I missed.  

While I was at that, Dan took Evelyn and David on a nature walk at a near by nature trail.  David had been wanting to go all week - but he wanted to hang out with his friends more.  :)  So he was excited to go and the weather was beautiful! 

Saturday evening, Dan took James down to hang out with Taz.  Aaron had a double date - they hung out at our house and ate pizza and played games together, then they all went to the dance.  Evie and her friend Sophie hung out at our house for a bit and had fun doing makeup before the dance.  Sophie did Evie's make up and called her a Masterpiece!  She did look pretty awesome, but didn't go to the dance like this :( 

I went to open polo after dropping the girls and their friend off at the dance - but numbers were really low, so after playing 4 on 4 half court for awhile, we ended a bit early and headed home.