Another day, another amazing park

The parks in Paris are astonishing.  Paris may not have enough public bathrooms to suit me, but the public parks continue to amaze me.  The old grand parks like the Tuileries and the Luxumbourg are kid friendly, charming, immiculately manicured, and a dream to visit.  But even the smaller ones dotted throughout the city are a joy.  All of the parks have playground equipment for the kids to enjoy and plenty of benches for parents to sit.  When it is nice weather outside, it is just heaven. 

We recently visited the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden).  This is one of Paris' oldest and most famous parks.  We had not been yet simply because I thought it would be packed with tourists.  But on a rare cab ride a couple of weeks ago, I saw that a fair had set up in the Tuileries, complete with bumper cars and a large ferris wheel.  Sounded like a fun outing for the kids so we went exporing...

First we came to a large octagonal pool with fountains jetting water everywhere.  Perfect spot to stop and have the kids' mid-morning snack.  When the breeze blew just right, the water sprayed a fine mist on us, which made Mary Martin giggle while she ate her goldfish.   

As I was sitting watching the water, I looked back to the grand entrance we came through and got this picture with the French flag (the tri colour) in the back. 

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You can see the classical statutes that flanked the entry way.  There are probably over 40 statutes like this in the park.  Just amazing.  I should probably be teaching the kids about who the statutes are and who made them, etc.  But here is what James wants to use them for, climbing: 

My apologies to the artist... 

Once James started climbing, it was time to find a playground or the fair with the ferris wheel.  We never even got there because we found the coolest playground I have seen in Paris so far.  A huge climbing structure with a wildflower garden underneath it, swings shaped like hammocks so that both kids can lie down in them, and double see-saws.  Just look as these smiles... 

We played in this park long enough we didn't even need to visit the ferris wheel.  This park definitely goes on the visit again list.  Here are a couple more shots I took as we walked out to go home. 



The park was originally designed for Louis the 14th.  When he moved his court to Versailles in 1682, however, it became one of the places to be seen in Paris.  It was named for the roof tile (tuiles) factories that used to ring around the park.  The tiles were fired in special kilns called tuileries, hence the name.   

Mary Martin Thornton age two

Mary Martin right before her second birthday

On the occasion of Mary Martin's second birthday, I thought I would devote a post to her.  Here are some of her recent quirks and things that make her just adorable. 

Mary Martin at six months

She will proudly count all the way to ten.  EXCEPT for seven.  For some reason, she skips seven everytime.  Five, six, eight...  I don't know what the problem with seven is.

She loves to dance.  Put on music and she will start jamming away.  She dances on the subway when the accordian players come on to play for money.  One of my fondest memories of our recent trip to London will be dancing with her in a busy crowded square to traditional American blues music being played by a London musician.  She loved it and the musician kept talking about how beautiful she was...  Here is a brief video of some dancing... 

She also loves to "read."  Lately, Mary Martin will "read" along with me while I am reading a book.  Or she will hold a book her self and read along.  She will just say "blah, blee, blop" etc.  You can hear in the video below. 

The potty training is going very well.  Soon I will be confident enough to let her go out without a pull up on.  Though I am sure we will wear a diaper at night for many more months, we wear underwear at home all the time now.

When Mary Martin falls behind us, walking home, for example, and I tell her to come on and catch up, she starts to run and says, "I'm coming, I'm coming."  Except when she says it sounds like "I humming, I humming." 

She continues to be frustrated at the limits we put on her but not on James.  She has thought for a long time now that if James can do it, so can I.  The "big kid" playground equipment at the parks is a perfect example.  No, Mary Martin, you cannot climb the rope ladder to slide down.  James can barely do it himself.  No difference to her.

She still loves fruit and especially loves the cataloupe-type melon we can get here.  They are smaller than cantaloupes, about the size of a large grapefruit.  But, if I let her she will eat half of one in one sitting.  She is much less picky about food than James and will ask to have a bite of anything Jim and I are eating.  Some nights I don't make her a hot dog or chicken like James and just let her eat what we are eating. 

When she says please in French, it sounds like "super play."

Currently she sleeps with her stuffed lamby, a stuffed panda, a stuffed Monsters Inc Sullivan and her blanky. 

She has shown her independence lately and will let her voice be heard.  On the whole, though, she and James are very sweet to each other.  And usually sweet to Mommy. 

She still gives great hugs and reminds me when it is time to hug lamby or panda as well. 

She loves going to the grocery store with me just so she can pull my hand cart behind her.  On the way to the grocery when it is still empty, I let her pull it by herself.  She is so proud.  On the way home, I have to help her but she wants to have a hand on the hand cart the entire walk home. 

She is getting very picky about her clothes and matching shoes and matching bows. Jim thinks this is hilarious. She wants to pick out her shoes and her bows to go with her outfit. She also loves jewelry. So Jim and I got her a package of silly bands for her birthday. She loved them! We bought her some Wellie boots in London that she will need in the fall during snow days. She was so proud she wore them right out of Harrods onto the streets of London. Here she is the cab in London wearing her Wellies.

She continues to amaze me everyday.  We love you little girl! 

Disneyland Paris July 2011

Disneyland Paris, formerly known as Euro Disney, was all that we expected.  It was crowded, expensive, lots of merchandise to purchase, AND complete magic for the kids.  They had a great time.  So it was completely worth it.  My favorite part?  Two things:  everyone spoke English and plenty of restrooms for our potty training daughter.  Oh how priorities shift...  Anyway on to the pictures.  Instead of Cinderella's castle dominating the skyline like in Disney Orlando, in Paris it is Sleeping Beauty's castle.  This suits us great as we love Sleeping Beauty lately and have watched it recently at family slumber parties.  There is also a "live" dragon living under the castle that breaths smoke - little too much for James but very fun. 

While there were many rides we could not experience (space mountain, big thunder mountain) we did ride Dumbo, the Carosel, It's a Small World and the very cool Buzz Lightyear ride where we shot aliens.  And, of course, we rode the train around the park a couple of times.  Here is Dumbo and all four of us on It's a Small World. 

And yes, I rode on the Dumbo ride with Mary Martin.  I had to get a quick picture before I got in.  The wait for Dumbo was 45 minutes!  So dad and James ditched and rode the carousel instead.  All of this was in Disneyland Parc, like the Magic Kingdom.  That parc has Fantasyland, Adventureland, etc.  There was also Disney Studios, like the studio park in Orlando, but we never even made it to that park.  Too much to see in Disneyland Parc! 

We also shopped.  Mary Martin's favorite was her own "Sullivan" doll from Monsters, Inc.  She calls him Monsters Inc not "Sullivan," it is very cute.  And James got a couple of cars from the new Cars movie.  James also got - to my utter horror - a robotic arm.  He and his dad picked this out and I hope Uncle Matt is reading.  Those who went with us to Disney when I was in Junior High will well recall the robotic arm that Uncle Matt got on that trip and the very, very annoying nature of that arm on our 10+ hours car ride home.  Sigh.  Can our arm go live at Matt's house???





We also celebrated Mary Martin's second birthday!  Here we are opening presents in our room and then the special cake they brought her at dinner.  She wasn't quite sure what to make of the cake but in the end enjoyed, well not the cake, but all the candies that were around the cake.  We enjoyed the cake though. 

We stayed at a Disney hotel - the Hotel Santa Fe.  The hotel was a Southwest theme but also Cars themed, right down to our bedspreads decked out with Mater, Lighting McQueen and the rest.  One draw at this hotel for me was a promised Tex-Mex buffet.  Having a Tex-Mex buffet outside of Paris was a bizarre experience to say the least.  It was more of an international buffett.  They had Tex-Mex for sure but also traditional French veggies, pasta for the Italian visitors and even paella for the Spanards.  While I was grateful for the kid friendly meal (plain pasta anyone!?!) they didn't even have margaritas. 

Jim and I have tried AND FAILED to eat at Mexican places twice in Paris.  Both places have been closed when we got there.  The lack of margaritas at the promised Tex-Mex buffett was very disappointing.  And yes I noted this on my comment card.

Finally, we did a character breakfast so the kids could meet some characters.  Unlike in Disney Orlando, the characters are not walking around Disney for the kids to just happen to come across and get hugs from.  You have to wait in line at appointed times to see them and take pictures.  Wait another 45 minutes to meet Cinderella?  No thanks.  So we signed up for the character breakfast instead.  James loved it - you can see his huge smiles...  Mary Martin was scared by the characters.  She would blow them kisses and give them high fives but NOT get near them for a hug or picture.  She was very content to sit in dad's lap. 

One final picture that sums it all up.  So much fun that we fell asleep in our stroller holding our new birthday present.  Thanks Aunt Kelly!  But you can see the robotic arm creeping in to bother our Sleeping Beauty.  And guess who was holding the arm - not James - but Jim. I guess Disney will always bring out the kid in everyone of us. 

Mary Martin turns two

Our little princess turns two today. We decided to celebrate at Disneyland Paris. God help us. The kids have had a ball so far. We are staying the night and everything. I will post pictures when we return.

Mary Martin continues to amaze us everyday with her beauty and laughter. Happy Bithday Princess!

Outside looking in

I have been meaning to post pictures of our apartment for a while.  I kept waiting for a day when I had cleaned the house, all the toys were put away, the rest of the pictures had been hung on the wall, etc.  Like that is ever going to happen.  So here they are...  We live on Avenue de la Motte Picquet, in the 15th arrondisment.  Arrondisments are the 20 mini-cities within Paris.  Each has its own mayor and postal code.  Our postal code is 75015.  If you live in the 13th arrondisment, your postal code is 75013 and so forth.  The "15" on top of the street sign lets you know what arrondisment you are in. 

Here is our building.  Our door is in between a restaurant and a small jewelry store.  We have not tried the restaurant as it is pricey but have browsed the jewlery.  Though James calls our door "our red door," it is most certainly Mississippi State maroon.  Sorry Dad.  You can see the "59" over the door in the distinctive blue and white tile.  You see this blue and white tile and lettering on all street signs and  number signs here. 

We live on the second floor, though in Paris it is called the first floor with the bottom floor known as the ground floor.  You can see apartments above the restaurant and the jewelry store in the pictures.  Thankfully, we don't face the street.  Way too loud.  After you go through "our red door," you pass through the courtyard to a rear door.  You can just see Jim's blue shirt in the photo about to enter the rear door.  Up one flight of stairs to our apartment.  We have four windows that open onto this courtyard.  Here are Jim and Mary Martin in one of them.   

The entry hall is nothing special but does have a powder room right off of it, then our storage room, and then Mary Martin's room.  Since none of the bedrooms have closets and we have no attic or store room outside, this storage room is a lifesaver.  You can see it packed with stuff.  Mary Martin's room also has a bathroom oddly sticking out into it, as you can see.  But it works and having a second bathroom is really a luxury. 

Another luxury?  A separate laundry room, which divides the kids' rooms.  Having laundry in my apartment is great but having it NOT in my kitchen is espcially great.  This was the only apartment we looked at where the laundry room was not in the kitchen or a bathroom.  And yes, James' room always looks like this - trains EVERYWHERE.   

Then the living room and dining room... 

Our master bedroom and bathroom ...

The office is next and is also known as the dressing room as the wall of closets in the office hold almost all of mine and Jim's clothes.  The office is also how you get to the terrace, through the large window. 

And finally, my kitchen in all its compact - and very blue - glory. 



Enjoy!