Ketchup

Or catsup, or even... catch-up. That's what this is. The boys have been out of school for 2 weeks now, and go figure, I've run out of time for posting on the blog. So here is what we've been up to...

We went to Frédéric's aunt and uncle's house for our yearly (or so) lunch with them. Despite the hot weather (did I mention it went from low 50°s, freezing, and gray to 85° and sunny pretty much overnight?! We are glad winter is over, but SPRING would have been nice at some point!!), we enjoyed a delicious lunch and had a good time catching up with them (catch-up! see the theme here?).

They invited us while their granddaughter Nina was there, and the boys had a good time playing with her.

They gave the boys presents - Benjamin's is a puzzle where you have to get all nine smiley faces facing the same direction. Frédéric and I both tried our hand at it and failed, but Benjamin got it figured out!

And Noah got Legos, and he built them himself! He was very proud. Didn't look quite like the instructions said, but it was definitely a functional truck, and we all know that is what counts.


With the warmer weather, we put up the boys' pool, so they've been in and out of it just about every day. And Noah begs to eat outside all the time.



We saw this guy hanging out with our laundry today.

And our patio is nice and green, with lettuce, corn, tomatoes, basil, and radishes.

The boys are (grudgingly) doing some summer work (yes, I'm *that* mom, who knew!). Benjamin's finishing up his American second grade workbook, and Noah is working on his kindergarten workbook.

Benjamin is going into third grade (CE2) this fall, and Noah will start kindergarten (grande section). The classes will be split up differently this year: 1/3 of the kindergarten kids will be with the 1st and 2nd graders in the morning, and with the preschool and other K kids in the afternoons. Noah is in the group who will be with the 1st and 2nd graders in the morning, so he will have two teachers and two schools. Fortunately they are very close together. And he will finally get to go swimming with school this year.

Benjamin will be changing schools: he will attend the school in our village, in a 3rd/4th/5th grade class (CE2/CM1/CM2), and have a new teacher (only his third teacher, in five years of school). He is excited about it.

And just to prove that Frédéric is not the only one out there who can bake... *I* made snickerdoodles for the kids and my friend and her kids who came over this afternoon.