Mid October Update or : Where does France hide all the Pumpkins???

Hullo everyone.

Here is just a little random update about my life.
(A MONTH AND A HALF IN!!*)
*(almost)

Sometime this week it seemed like things started to get better with the girls. I think this is a good sign: a sign that we might be headed in the right direction. Wednesdays are still nearly impossible but the promise of a Kinder surprise (and goodness they just LOVE their kinder) if they are good at bath time all week DOES make them behave better (exception: tonight. SO we are going to start over and try for the kinder Friday instead of Monday).

Since the weather has been turning cold (the fall turn always makes me home-nostalgic) I have been trying to make the most of what little time we have left to play outside. This means
- climbing up giant red rope structures (I did it too. It was super fun. Although I was out of practice and Lu beat me in our race. But it made me proud of Sa who was scared to climb onto the first rope at first and then went just as high as we did!).
- Lu jumping rope all the time
- Having our "gouter" (snack) outside in this public "place" by our house. Oh yeah. We sit and play on some old ruins.

Oh yeah. Those old ruins happen the be the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the steak. No big. Just, you know, ate my apple and was totally cool about it (on the outside).

Classes are going well. This is mostly due to the people in them, as the material hasn't been particularly compelling as of yet.

Last weekend, I went into Paris (again) to visit Mia, experience again the marche aux puces (gigantic multiple-mile flea market - albeit with a worse scarf selection than before), and then visit Giverny. I also witnessed MULTIPLE examples of how ENGLISH is Europe's common language. Which poses all kinds of questions and gives a lot of explanations.

Giverny was so so so lovely. It is Where Monet lived, his house and gardens. There was also a museum nearby. We stopped for a light lunch at the coziest place I have yet to experience in France. It made me think of Grandparent hugs. It was a tiny, picturesque house with a warm wood burning stove cooking various meat selections, wall-china, and a chatty cook on the inside.

We almost wanted to stay there the whole day. But we didn't, don't worry. The museum was small and I enjoyed it, as I did Monet's house and gardens. It was so nice to be out in the country. However, we forgot that out in the country there are fewer Sunday options than in Paris or Rouen (things in France close down Sundays and Mondays). Luckily we found a boulangerie just about the close and bought some sandwiches to eat at the train station.

I leave for Rennes to visit Julia (and Mia and I think Spencer too) in less than 24 hours. Which is great.

But the BEST NEWS of my entire time here is that I will probably be able to go home for Christmas. :) :) :)
Parents are awesome, aren't they? I was just having a conversation with my friend about this...