A Truly Magical Place!

Last week, Hayden's school was closed for Fall break.  Each school is on a slightly different schedule, but most close sometime in October for a week.  We chose to go to Paris, which is just a short 3 hour train ride - our preferred method of transport with two small children who require frequent feeding, diaper changing, and bathroom breaks.

We also wanted to do something that was special for Hayden, so we spent the first couple days going to Disneyland.  We weren't quite sure how Hayden would react.  Up to this point, he hadn't watched or been exposed to much Disney shows or movies.  He loves Cars, has watched parts of Toy Story and has found Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on YouTube.  He had also been toting around our neighbor, Raphael's 'Mickey' for the past month and despite trying to return all the loaned toys twice, he has managed to renig on Mickey both times.

He had no real concept of Disneyland, so we didn't surprise him ahead of time.  I had asked my mom to buy Mickey and Pluto (aka Plu-dog) in the States, knowing that it would be more expensive to buy at Disneyland.

So on the morning of departure, I had tucked Hayden's Mickey and Plu-dog in my suitcase.  When he walked past the suitcase, holding Raphael's Mickey, he stopped and said, "What is this?  Why are there two Mickey's??  And this Mickey is bigger.  And there's Plu-dog!"  He had a big grin on his face - priceless!

I had been worried how he was going to react to leaving the old Mickey behind, but he was just fine!  :)

We arrived at Disneyland on Tuesday, late afternoon, and enjoyed a little indoor pool time before dinner.    We opted to stay at a Disney hotel, which allowed us a 2 hour head start at the Park, before it officially opened to the public.  That meant waking up at around 6:30 so we could get to breakfast by 7:30 and to the park by 8:00.  The lines were reasonable.  Of course, it was a weekday, on a cold, overcast, off-season day.  We were so glad it wasn't the summer!  If you ask Hayden now, about the trip, he will talk about the rocket ship ride.  He didn't actually ride the rocket ship ride, but he will say "I wasn't tall enough."  We did manage to find plenty of rides that he could go on and he had a blast!  It was so much fun to see how much fun he was having!

 

My personal favorite was the Toy Story Parachute ride.  Basically a mini-Drop Zone ride - perfect for Hayden...and me!  It was just enough of a drop but nothing too crazy, as I am not much of a ride person.

I think Hayden enjoyed the parades the most.  We saw many characters and even got to meet Mickey.  We tried to meet Goofy but as he got closer, he got a little scared and told Marty, "He has big teeth and I think he is going to bite me.  I like Lightning McQueen more better anyway."  So Mom and I took a photo and off we went to Walt Disney Studios to catch some Cars themed attractions.

While at Disney, a couple things kept running through my head.

First, it truly is a universally magical place!  Here we were, in Paris, with all sorts of families from all over the world.  And despite Disney originating in the US, here were all these kids, in their princess dresses, or wearing mickey mouse ears - enamored by these characters and having the time of their lives.  Living outside the US, I now realize how infused the American culture is with other cultures.  It is a bit surreal.

Second, I feel so unbelieveably blessed.  I saw so many kids, with disabilities and/or being pushed in wheelchairs.  I saw others taking an elderly parent.  Their families, taking them to Disney to enjoy a wonderful experience and perhaps make their dreams come true.  I couldn't help but feel so fortunate with all of God's blessings.  That we were coming to create an awesome memory for our son, Hayden.  That we had the the resources to even make the trip, without worry.  And that  we have two beautiful, healthy children with which to enjoy this experience and create a lasting memory.

As I watched Hayden enjoying the parade of characters going down Main Street, sitting atop Marty's shoulders, I couldn't help but tear up.  I hope I never forget this experience and I hope Hayden remembers it too.  It truly was magical!

We packed up and left for Paris on Thursday night.  Marty arranged for us to stay at the Hyatt Vendome for two free nights.  The hotel was beautiful, and typically runs about $1,500 per night.  So we felt a little conspicuous coming in with my mom, an infant and a toddler.  They were gracious, we were subtle, and we enjoyed the hotel and location very much.  It was cold and damp on Friday.  We walked to Jardin des Tuileries, for a stroll, a little trampoline action, and then lunch.  Then we took the Metro to the Notre Dame.  By this time it was cold and drizzly - a perfect time to head indoors to the church!  Both boys did really well and respected the hushed tones that the church required.
 

Marty planned for us to go to dinner to celebrate our 8th Anniversary (the day we left for Paris), so mom and the kids stayed in while we went to Garnier.  The restaurant is known for their seafood - I imagine they are most famous for their raw shellfish, which neither of us were in the mood to try.  We dined on haddock tartare, we each had a fillet of fish as our main course, and I had the chocolate mousse while Marty had the Pot de Creme.  Overall, our meal was just 'ok'.  It was just so nice to get out and enjoy time to ourselves and uninterrupted conversation.  It's also hard to believe 8 years have gone by so quickly!

This morning, October 30, 2012, my step-grandmother passed away.  Her health had been deteriorating for the past several months, and recently declined even further.  I will always cherish the memories of her teaching me a little bit of Japanese (she was fluent in about 5 languages), introducing me to my first Pen Pal Maya Tsukuda,  taking me to her very favorite places in Hong Kong (The Peninsula Hotel, the popular Seafood Restaurant Boat, Victoria's Peak, and stopping at the perfect spots for photos), making little origami birds to hang from my canopy bed.  She was my grandmother in marriage, but she treated me like one of her own.  I am sad that she never got to meet our boys and that so many years went by since we last saw her.  I hope she knew how much we loved her.

Spring 2004

Celebrating Grandpa's 90th - Oct 5, 2008 (w/most of the grandkids)

Three Months & A Little Redux

My little boy turned three months old yesterday!  It is so hard to believe - he has really shed the newborn look to become my very happy, smiley, chatty baby boy...and very chill!  I think about all the trips we have taken, up mountains, over bumpy cobblestone roads, and many a grocery adventure...and he either sleeps through it all or just hangs out, happy as a clam, without complaining.  We really are VERY lucky!

I found myself flipping through Hayden's baby milestones this week.  Hayden was an equally happy baby - with just a wee bit more hair.   And as Beckham gets older, he is looking less like Hayden did as a baby.

On Saturday, while Marty was still away on his trip, we decided to venture into the city via public transport.  The boys did a great job and my mom was a huge help - I'm not sure I would have wanted to take both boys all by myself.  It was a perfect day - sunny and warm.  We enjoyed walking around, checking out the lake and the boats, having lunch and feeding the ducks and swans.  

As we walked down this road near Old Town, Hayden pointed to these flags and said, "Look Mom, it's like at the Reds game." I'm not sure he fully comprehended my explanation that this was the flag of Switzerland.

Marty returned from his trip to Morocco & we enjoyed our first "date night" out with our friends, Grace and Sean.  We went to a cute little place called Lola Bar for their new shabu shabu.  It was delicious and SO nice to get out and enjoy uninterrupted conversation with good company and good food!

Today, we did a trip "redux" and returned to Annecy.  We even ended up at the same restaurant for lunch, despite trying to get a table at about four other restaurants.  Annecy is like a little Venice with a canal going through the town.  And along this little canal, there is an outdoor market on Sundays, selling produce, cheeses, meats and clothes.

Last time we ate at this restaurant, they brought this little cow to the table at the end of the meal and we didn't know what it was.  A couple minutes later, we realized it was cold and had ice cream inside.  Hayden, of course, asked if he could get another cow.  Look how happy he is!

Beckham didn't nap the entire time.  We realized, we had forgotten his pacifier, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

And then we found this!  Three months old and he already has TWO teeth! :)

Hayden has decided that he's going to keep all the local swans well fed.  He wrapped up a big piece of bread from lunch so he could feed the birds.

And then we rode the outdoor carousel and ran into one of Hayden's classmates, Bogdan (in the stripes). I learned that Bogdan's been having a really hard time with this move because he is from Romania and doesn't speak any English or French.  The poor boy has anxiety every Sunday, because he knows he has to go to school the next day!  These kids naturally have connected with those who speak the same language, yet they aren't old enough to realize when other kids are having a harder time.   I felt so bad for Bogdan, so Hayden and I had a long talk about playing with him so he isn't so lonely.

Earlier this week, it was rather chilly, and I am in love with little baby leg warmers, so we donned on a pair.  These are no longer just for women in love with the 80s.  I think they are mighty adorable on my little one!  Beckham is going to be wearing these, this fall/winter. :)