Winter Hats

It was 36 degrees Fahrenheit when we left the apartment this morning, leaving me no choice but to pull out these babies:

Mine's pretty cute, but Oli takes the cake, doesn't he? Thanks for the hat, Momma Joy! And thanks for the cute sweater outfit (though you can't really see it here), Nana. :-)

Baby JAMmer

On the day we left for the US (August 23), Jude Adam Meier was born. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet him until our return to Paris mid-September... On that night, the Paxtons all went to the Meiers' to watch football and meet the little one. Clearly, both the Paxton boys are mesmerized by the game:

Only one of the Meier boys was watching that night, but I'm sure Jude will gain interest soon:

Oliver had just started rolling over that week, and Tim was trying to coax a demonstration out of him... to no avail:

A few weeks later, I finally had the opportunity to catch sweet little Jude's face. Isn't he precious?!?!

LOVE his auburn hair:

A couple of weeks after that, I pulled out the camera at the Meiers' again, and caught this precious boy wide awake:

Of course, big brother Blaine needed some pictures, too!

Especially since he was sporting my shoes:

And, not surprisingly, Blaine needed to try his hand at some photography, as well:

Even catching this cute one of Rachel, Connie (another friend of ours), and sweet Jude:

Not bad for a 3-year-old, huh? Maybe Blaine has found his calling... :-)

Journee Europeenne du Patrimoine

September 18-19 (yes, I am a full month behind) were the Journees Europeennes du Patrimoine, which, as I understand it, is a celebration of the great men of Europe... And, more importantly for us, a couple of days when all the normally-closed-to-the-public buildings are open and free for tours. Unfortunately, as we were jet-lagged and busy that weekend, we only had a couple of hours before church to drop by some of the less crowded sights, but we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Fortunately, it was a GORGEOUS day:

First, we visited the Eglise (church) and Ecole (school) du val de grace:

With lovely gardens:

And a baroque chapel interior:

Next, the Bibliotheque (library) Sainte-Genevieve:

With its iron work reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower:

And its tables upon tables of reading space:

In order to avoid taking the stroller up the stairs, Oliver hung out on the ground floor...

Our final stop was the Senate building, located in Luxembourg Gardens.

We had to wait in line there for some time:

But Oliver was a champ:

Inside the complex was beautiful:

Oli cooperated fully as we wandered the sumptuous rooms of the "palace:"

Read a plaque from Napoleon to the Senators and saw yet another of his thrones (why that's in the Senate building, I have NO idea...):

Walked up the "staircase of Honor:"

And visited the actual Senate room:

While waiting in line, the women behind us cooed over Oliver and told us he was "tres mignon" (very cute... not some sort of reference to steak). They also asked us if he was going to be a politician. Little did they know he already had a Senate seat:

The day ended with a beautiful blue sky and the observation that there are few places like Paris to appreciate such grandeur and beauty:

Sarah B's Sip 'n See

Meet Baby Sophie, precious precious precious little girl of our friends Sarah and Bleu:

Ok, I promise that's not the only picture of her, but how cute are her little tights?!?! Sarah's original baby shower date got pushed back due to an early delivery of the sweet little bundle, so we had the privilege of being joined (8 weeks later) by not only Baby Sophie but also her grandmother who happened to be in town visiting:

The shower was adorable:

Sarah (left) and her hostesses (left to right) Aubrey, Diane, and Lisa:

Not sure what Sarah said, but Diane apparently thought it was funny:

Though Sophie was obviously the guest of honor, she was not the only adorable little girl there that day. Aubrey's daughter Rebecca is going through a stage where EVERYTHING becomes a purse (regardless of size or actual function, clearly)... Work it, girl!

Bleu even stopped by and let me catch a picture of him, his mom, and Sophie. I love multiple generations together in photos:

My friend Katy happily posed for me while enjoying her food:

Diane gave me a fabulous face; too bad I was focused behind her... Had to share it anyway:

Most importantly, I think a good time was had by all - cute decor and fabulous food, what more could you ask for?!?!