We Have Arrived!

Despite Hurricane Sandy's best efforts to thwart our flights, and after much changing of flight options...

(The Cliff Notes version went something like this: "Let's fly to Atlanta. No wait, it's filling up. New York is still pretty open, let's go there. Uhhhh, hurricane is expected to make landfall right there, right when we'd be flying. Maybe not. That means Boston and Newark are also out. How about Detroit? Sure, I'll look up hotel options... Oh, the airline just cancelled east coast flights and sent those people to Detroit on the flight we were planning on, so there is no room for us now. And the Houston flight Monday, the day we planned to leave, is full. But don't worry, there are still 80+ open seats on the Houston flight Tuesday. Ok... but can we reserve please? Please? Please? Fine, fine, but I'm sure the flight will be fine. Oh, wow! Good thing we reserved, since it's all full now! ... told you so!")

... we got on the flight to Houston, out of Paris CDG, and we did finally arrive in the US!

We spent the night in Houston, and our cousins kindly took us out for dinner. Then we got to get up at 4 am to catch the shuttle back to the airport to get flights to Atlanta and then St Louis - and through some miracle, we got on both flights (standby) AND made our 38-minute connection, AND our luggage was actually WAITING for us when we got to the baggage carousel in St Louis.

Amazing!

A Noah Original

Yes, that's right, I have a Noah original work of art in my possession. You can tell it is a Noah original by the signature across the top, "NOAH ORIGINAL". He's a fan of the découpage style of art, and he is very prolific, as evidenced by the tiny scraps of paper all over the dining room floor.

 

Yesterday, the artist decided to try his hand at something else... he handed me a pile of close to a hundred pieces of paper, each one with a solitary scribble on it. I asked him what these were pictures of.

He told me, "It's like the doctor does."

Yes, that's right, he is practicing his doctor's signature. This is clearly the most important part of any doctor's education, and he has it mastered already at four and a half. What a prodigy!

Gymnastics

Both boys are doing gymnastics again this year, but unlike last year in their old club, parents aren't allowed to stay, so that is why you haven't seen any pictures yet. Noah's class got to dress up for Halloween this weekend, though, and parents were allowed to stay.

The course seemed a bit easier than what he was doing last year, but I'm not sure if it's like that all the time, or if it was lower-key with the parents there.

Benjamin, keeping an eye on his brother.

I peeked in for the last few minutes of Benjamin's class later that afternoon (parents weren't invited to that one), and his class seems a lot harder than what he was doing last year. I guess we'll see how things work out for both of them as the year goes on.

Happy Early Halloween!

Benjamin and Noah were happy to carve their jack o'lanterns this week. Somehow I still end up being the scooper-outer, though.

 

My little Jack Pumpkinheads.

They both got to dress up for school on Friday. They decided to be scary vikings. Their classes went trick or treating in the village where the school is (I'm assuming they let the village inhabitants know about this beforehand, because trick or treating is not a common occurrence around here).

 

Glad they got to go trick or treating with school, since it looks like we may not make it home in time for Halloween in the US, thanks to Hurricane Sandy... still trying to find options for our trip.



Deep Thoughts by Benjamin

I had an early lunch alone with Benjamin today while Frédéric took Noah to gymnastics. 

We had some interesting conversations, like: 

 Me: You know who is going to have a baby? Uncle Jordan and Aunt Kacey.
Benjamin: What?! They weren't supposed to have one!
Me: Uh... they weren't? Why not?
Benjamin: Because they already have one, and they only wanted one!
Me: Uh... who told you that?
Benjamin: No one, it's what I think in my head!

or:  

Benjamin: I think Papy, Daddy's Daddy, is French.
Me: Yes, he is. Why do you say that?
Benjamin: Because he does all like French.
Me: Like what?
Benjamin: Drink coffee. 

or: 

He is very into adding things to his Christmas wish list (thank you, TV commercials). So we had a very long, involved conversation about Santa Claus (Père Noël), in which I was surprised to find that he believes in Santa Claus, as we've never really encouraged it. He says he wants to give his Christmas list to the Père Noël at our village Christmas party, which is before Christmas. 

Me: How does the Père Noël get in our house?
Benjamin: He comes down the chimney.
Me: Ah. He doesn't get burned?
Benjamin: No, because he comes at night and the fire is out.
Me: Oh. What if I leave the fireplace door shut and locked like that, can he open it from the inside?
Benjamin: Uh... well, I think he comes through the roof. Through the windows. [we have skylights upstairs] Then he comes downstairs, because I hear footsteps.
Me: Oh, I see.
Benjamin: But the Père Noël doesn't exist. It's someone's daddy dressed up.
Me: Wait a minute, were you trying to trick me into thinking you believed Père Noël was real?
Benjamin: (giggling) Ye-e-es. 

Me: Ok, so if Père Noël is someone's daddy dressed up, why do you want to give your Christmas list to him?
Benjamin: So he can give it to his elves.
Me: Wait, wait, wait, if Père Noël is someone's daddy dressed up, who are the elves?!?
Benjamin: Other daddies dressed up. And mommies.
Me: Ok, so all the dressed-up daddies and mommies give the presents to all the kids?
Benjamin: No, the Père Noël gives the presents, the elves make them.  

Me: Where does the Père Noël live?
Benjamin: I don't know, maybe in the Country of Great Thirst [don't ask, I have no idea].
Me: What? What is that?
Benjamin: It's very, very hot, so you get very, very thirsty.
Me: Hmm. But if he is someone's daddy, doesn't he live here?
Benjamin: Yes, but I don't know who he is, that is why I don't know. I don't know if it is a real beard or a fake beard.
Me: Oh. Well, that would make it hard to see who it is. Maybe he is Papa Christophe [our friend, differentiated from his son, Kid Christophe].
Benjamin: I don't think so, because I don't think he has the costume.