Spring in Norfolk

Having grown up in Southern California, experiencing the change of seasons is both fascinating and exciting for me. Every year, every season. It never gets old. Maybe it's that way for everyone? At this time in my life, spring is especially exciting because it means we get to play OUTSIDE. We are lucky to have indoor places to go--museums and library play-places mostly, and I do try to bundle the kids up and get outside as often as we can. But those first breaths of warm air are just exhilarating.

For us, spring of 2018 meant:

Hunting for worms and rolly pollys.

(Never want to forget Will's attachment to his blankets ❤)

Daily neighborhood walks to gush over the blossoming trees and notice how the world is waking up.

Car picnics when we got rained out . . .  Lets be real. Spring in Norfolk also means lots of rain.

Outings with friends. Although, my lack of pictures with friends suggests that we spent a lot of time on our own too. This stage of life is so spur of the moment for me. We wake up in the morning with the whole day ahead of us and most of our adventuring is unplanned.

Enjoying our backyard before the mosquitoes drive us inside again. This house is everything. I love that our yard is filled with scrubby grass that I don't have to worry about, dirt, rocks, trees, and sticks. The boys spend hours out here. 

France Trip -- Paris Day 2

Sunday

Our original plan was to spend the morning at the Catacombs, but with the marathon in town we would have waited hours to get in. So we decided to go back to the Louvre for a little highlight tour.

1. Saturday morning = market day! Most of the markets were still sleepy that early in the morning, but we joined the locals at a bakery that will live forever in my dreams. Everyone was in line with their cute straw market bags (kicking myself for not buying one), buying bread and treats for their weekend. This baguette was ridiculous; we are ruined for life. We enjoyed our breakfast of bread, fresh butter, and pastries in the courtyard of the Louvre. No better way to the start the day!

2. The Louvre. Massive. Awe inspiring. Overwhelming. They have these handy little electronic tours on a Nintendo DS. You can choose a tour or create your own by selecting art that you want to see. Then you follow the map around and just click on whichever work you want to hear about. I am out of adjectives, but it was just the best.

3. Uber to lunch for the best falafel of my life. I had read about a particular place and was dying to try it. The line was crazy long though, so we went to the second best falafel next door to save time (still the best I've ever had). No regrets, although a place to sit and some napkins would have been nice. Spring was in full bloom and the neighborhood was darling.

4. Montmartre. We made the trek up the hill to see the Sacre-Couer Basilica. Crowded as heck, but stunning. I even made it up all the steps to the top. The Basilica doesn't have the history of Notre-Dame, but it is beautiful. I read that some Parisians refer to it as the "frosted cupcake" up on the hill. It is ornate and over the top, in the very best way. The Montmartre neighborhood was so sweet. Very artsy and hipster, but with flower boxes and french apartment buildings. Loved it.

5. Luxembourg Gardens. We made it there just as they were about to close. Lovely and peaceful. It was fun to be out on a Saturday afternoon because there were more locals around. Parisian families and couples, out enjoying one of the first warm(ish) weekends of spring. And us. In Paris. It never got old.

 6. Nutella. We had an early flight to catch the next morning, but we didn't have kids! We could stay out after 8! We got a "tourist crepe," hot and stuffed full of Nutella, and enjoyed it in front of Notre-Dame. A perfect way to bid adieu to our Parisian adventure.

❤

France Trip-- Paris Day 1

Paris. Paris? Did we really go to Paris?? My goodness you guys, it was dreamy. We had two days and planned to eat as many French carbs as we could, hit some major sites, but not try to race through everything like crazed tourists. In the end we saw much more than we expected to and wandered the city until our legs were about to fall off. It was so liberating to explore and sightsee with utter disregard for strollers, mealtimes, naptime/bedtime . . . we just did what we wanted. It was awesome.

We arrived by train from Bordeaux on Friday evening. Our first stop was crepes, of course. We ate at La Creperie de Josselin, a place that Matt's brother recommended. It was located on a street that must have had at least ten different creperies, all side by side, all packed full, but I am positive this one had to have been the best.

We woke up early Saturday morning, totally jazzed for a full weekend. We walked all we could and took Uber when our next destination was too far or my pregnant self needed a break.

Saturday
1. Notre-Dame. Thankfully we got there early enough to avoid the crowds. The Paris Marathon was scheduled for the weekend we were there, so everything was unexpectedly crowded for early April. There is a unique inspiration to be found in all of these breathtaking cathedrals, but it is the history of Notre-Dame that blows me away. Can you believe that initial construction of the cathedral began in 1160?? Of course that was only the beginning of building, modifications, and future restorations, but 1160. Absolutely amazing.

2. Quick stop at Shakespeare and Company bookstore. The original location of Shakespeare and Company was a gathering place for Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein (Midnight in Paris anyone?). Even though this shop was opened in the 1950's and isn't the actual location they frequented-- Wikipedia taught me that the 1920s bookstore was closed during German occupation and never reopened -- there was a cozy second floor to the shop that had some mementos and furniture from that time. Rotten luck that we arrived just as a giant tour group, but hey. I got a tote bag and a taste of Hemingway.

3. Our walk to the Musee D'Orsay took us past Fontaine Saint-Michel and a game store called Variantes that did not disappoint. We strolled along the Seine, as one does, and I could barely believe that this was real life.

4. Continuing our walk; a quick peek at the Louvre architecture, pyramid, and Arc de Triomph du Carrousel, lunch (because I was tired and could barely feel my feet), and macarons at La Duree. Is there anything cuter than a French macaron?

5. Musee D'Orsay. This is one of the destinations that we were most looking forward to. Matt and I happily declare that Impressionist art is our favorite, even though we know that Impressionist art is the favorite of every amateur art enthusiast. What can I say? It is beautiful, peaceful, and inspiring.

6. Wandered along Rue Cler, bought the most amazing gelato in all of Paris (the shopkeeper said so) and ate it in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was a pleasantly warm spring afternoon, and everyone was out enjoying the sunshine. We really lucked out with the weather on this trip!

 7. Arc De Triomphe. We weren't able to go to the top of Notre-Dame, so I insisted that we get to the top of the Arc. You can't really do Paris without climbing to the top of something for the views. But when we arrived I was SO tired, the line was long, and I was ready to wimp out. It's 284 steps to the top, you guys. Luckily a worker saw my pregnant belly and escorted us to a special elevator. Score!

8. Champs Elysee. Matt had fun looking around the Peugeot showroom and store, but honestly, it was just super crowded and I really needed to pee. So we ended our big day at McDonald's with a Diet Coke. Magic.

France Trip -- Bordeaux

Last month Matt and I had the opportunity to take a trip to France without the kids. A whole week, just us. Can you believe it? And in France? So many details had to work out just perfectly for us to go, it was such a miracle that it all fell into place. It was my first time leaving the kids for more than one night, and our first real getaway since Jonathan was born. It seems so surreal that it actually happened! But it did and it was incredible. Huge thanks to Matt's parents and sister who came to watch the boys while we were away. Did I hit the in-law jackpot or what?

Our time was short since Matt was only able to take 7 days of leave. The reason for this trip was to visit his brother, sister in law, and their 4 children, who are currently living in Bordeaux. They lived in Japan before this so we have hardly seen them in the past few years. Two of the days were spent flying, and one of the days was largely spent driving from Paris to Bordeaux since all of the trains were on strike the day we landed. We spent two days with family, then took the train back for two whirlwind days together in Paris.

Between the flights, delays, and jet lag we were totally exhausted, but the drive turned out to be a hidden gem of the trip. Driving from Bordeaux to Paris gave us the opportunity to get a feel for the French countryside and small, rural towns, then there was our actual visit to Bordeaux which is a beautiful, historic port city. We experienced a touch of real, everyday French life (Brian and Christine live in a suburb not far from the city center) and we played the tourist game in Paris. All in a week! The main highlight of that first day's drive was a quick stop at Chateau de Chenonceau--a sight I would recommend to anyone visiting the Loire Valley.

At Chenonceau 

Our first full day in Bordeaux was spent wandering the city streets. We ducked into an old bookshop, a cheese shop, clothing boutiques, mustard shop, oil and vinegar shop. Matt's brother, Brian, is well versed in the history of Bordeaux and was a great tour guide, sharing interesting facts with us as we oohed and ahhed over the architecture, old buildings, churches, and cathedral. And the food. Oh my word. We ate out for lunch in the city on both days and to spare you from my gushing, lets just say that real French food is all its cracked up to be. Simple ingredients cooked to absolute perfection, and lets not skimp on the butter, ok?

On day two we drove through beautiful countryside (winding roads, vineyards, windmills, ancient looking stone barns, charming cottages . . . the real deal) to get to a castle that dates back to medieval times. This was one of the crumbling kind where you get to explore, touch everything, and have all the "What have these walls seen? How many people have walked up these steps?" kind of thoughts. It was magical. Luckily enough, the town was also hosting an antique market that morning. The perfect way to end our morning before heading back into Bordeaux for lunch, i.e., as much mouthwateringly delicious buttery steak and french fries as we could eat. And a salad, of course.

Above all we were grateful to have some time to spend with Brian and Christine and their cute kiddos. We played with the kids, Matt and Brian had the chance to catch up after years on different sides of the globe, wandered around the grocery store to buy local ingredients for a picnic dinner, enjoyed their local bakery and Christine's amazing cooking. They were such gracious hosts. Thanks for living in such an incredible place guys!

(Stay tuned for Paris!)

Three Things

1. On being pregnant with a GIRL!

Both Jonny and Will are becoming more excited and aware that Sister is on her way! At 25 weeks this pregnancy is speeding along, thank goodness. With a growing belly, lower back pain, and the onset of Braxton Hicks, it's getting more difficult to do things like sleep comfortably, find clothes that fit, and catch up on cleaning/laundry after keeping up with the boys all day. And since this list of difficulties will get longer, and the days will get hotter, I am happy to be more than halfway through. Especially since we are all so eager to meet our little nugget! But I am so grateful, you guys. So grateful. To be healthy, to feel my girl moving much of the day, to not have the stress of a move looming ahead of me (we moved to VA when I was 32 weeks with Will and it was rough), and to be in a place where I feel so loved and supported. We have really settled in here and it is home! For another year at least.


2. On living our best life.

My emotions run high these days and I often find myself being more reactive than I want to be. It is so much pressure to realize what an impact my mood has on our home and family! So I continue to focus on meeting my needs, so I can meet my family's needs, and we can all work on living our best life.

For me that looks like daily scripture study and prayer, consistent meal planning, reading more often, and getting to bed early. On my nightstand right now are No Drama Discipline, The Last Child in the Woods, and The Gift of Asher Lev. This month I devoured The Rose Garden, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and My Name is Asher Lev. A motley assortment of titles is typical, and works for me because it draws me to my books more often than my phone.

For our family, when Matt is working long hours we depend on structure, schedules, and routines. The boys and I thrive off being outside, planning outings, scheduling time with friends, and knowing what to expect. But when we get Dad home for a random morning/afternoon, or precious day off, it all goes through the window. Those days look like spur of the moment outings to the park, a messy kitchen, laundry piles, impromptu beach, museum, or zoo trips, and late naps/bedtimes.

This past month we also enjoyed a trip to California to visit my grandparents, and a visit from my brother and his family. Both visits filled our souls and hearts. They reminded us that even though we live far away, we have our people! Wonderful people who love us and are always there for us. Our California trip was extra special because I got to revisit the town where I grew up, and Jonny and Will got to bond with my grandparents, who were an integral part of my childhood and who I am today ❤

3. On what I believe.

My life is currently in a sunny place, but storms will come. So many of my friends and loved ones are going through difficult times right now. How are they supposed to deal with it all? How can we find peace when our life, not to mention the world at large, is in such turmoil? All I can do is cling to my faith in God. My faith helps me to make sense of senseless things. It is what gives me the perspective and comfort I need to weather my storms and attempt to help my loved ones through theirs.

I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves each of us and knows us better than we know ourselves. We lived with him before we came to this earth. He created a plan for us, whereby we can return to live with him someday. That plan was our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has felt our pains and knows intimately how to comfort us and help us through our trials. Through Christ we can find peace and solace even in the midst of our deepest sorrows. I believe that with an eternal perspective we can come to realize hard things are good for us. They encourage us to draw closer to Christ our Savior. And when we are closer to him, he can purify our hearts and strengthen our weaknesses, lifting us and helping us a grow in a way that we never could on our own. He is the light. He is joy. And I know He lives!