Just some pictures.

Though I'd add some pictures we've taken over the past month. Nothing exciting, just hanging out at home pictures.

Doing some work together!

Something blue?

Never leave an ink pen within reach...

NEVER!!!

Carson's First Day Of School!

Carson was ready to go to school!

Today was Carson's first day at his new bilingual pre-school. The classroom is mixed with children who speak French and English. He has two teachers, one who only speaks English and the other only speaks French. So, some of the activities and circles will be in English and the rest are in French. He was so excited to start, he's been talking about it for weeks. We'd visited the school before our trip home and he remembered playing on their slide. He was so excited that he decided not to sleep last night. We put him to bed at 9pm and he was up again at 11pm. I had the pleasure of entertaining him till 3:30am when he finally decided to hit the hay. Gotta love jet lag... He woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to go to school! When we got to his classroom the teachers explained that they didn't want to overwhelm Carson on his first day in his new classroom. They gave me the option to stay in the classroom to make him feel comfortable. I laughed on the inside. Any of you who have met Carson knows that he is not shy nor is he timid. I have dropped him off at plenty of unfamiliar places and sometimes I don't even get a goodbye! I explained to the teachers that I didn't think he would have a problem and that I'd tell him goodbye and if he got upset then I'd stay.

Conversation:
Me: "Carson Mommy is going to go now." Carson: "You gonna ride the train?"

Me: "No, not yet. I'm going to wait for you to ride the train with me. I'm just going to go on a walk." Carson: "OK Momma...bye! Go home now, I slide."

That was that. The teachers asked me to come back in one hour to take him home. He was only going to stay one hour out of the three....again so he would not feel overwhelmed. I guess it's their process to acclimate a child to a new situation but definitely is not needed for my child. When I came back after an hour he was busy playing and they told me he had done great and was a very happy child (French code for loud). When I told him we needed to go he began to cry. Thinking they would tell me he could stay because A. he was not overwhelmed and B. he was upset at the fact that he had to leave and the other kids got the stay. That didn't happen though, they still wanted him only to stay for an hour. *sigh* Thursday he gets to stay 2 hours and Friday will be his first full day. He will go to school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1-4. I'm so happy that he gets to get out of the apartment and play with other children. I'm also happy for myself to get to do some exploring and take in a museum or two on my own!

Back To The Real World...

Much to my surprise and delight we got to come home and visit our friends and family last week!!! Ryan came home one night and told me he was being sent to KC on a business trip. Before I burst into tears he explained that Carson and I could tag along. I needed this trip home. Things here have not been running smoothly and I've had a serious case of cabin fever. It's been the coldest temperatures here in Paris that it has been in 4 years. Of course... Ryan works late hours and Carson and I have been stuck inside this tiny apartment for days at a time all alone. I went 2 1/2 weeks without seeing one peek of the sun. The doorbell/intercom has been broken since the day we moved in and despite an attempt by a repair man, it is still not fixed. The washer does not work 100%, it only runs one cycle and then 3 days before I was to go home the dryer quit drying clothes! I NEEDED TO COME HOME!!! We came to France at a rough time. December, January and February are the coldest rainiest darkest months in France. I don't think I would have had such a tough time adjusting if we'd come in April when it's warm and you can get out and explore. After two months of lonely darkness I needed to be back home where things were easy and familiar! The minute I hit American soil I got a Dr. Pepper and a People magazine and instantly felt at ease. Everyone spoke English and I saw more smiling than I've seen in months! It was good to be home!!!

We spent lots of time with family and friends on our trip! It was beyond great to be home and it sent me back to France feeling relaxed and refreshed! Thanks again to everyone who made time to see us, we can't say thank you enough! Now it's back to the real world. Back to Paris living!