Happy first of May!

Ok, just a few new photos so that we can stop looking at snow! Today is "Labor Day" in France - a holiday, and also the day where traditionally people give each other little bouquets of lilies-of-the-valley..

They grow wild in the woods nearby, so Michael & a friend went out and gathered a bunch yesterday. Then they got up early this morning to assemble their bouquets, and set up a stand to sell them...

At mid-day they'd made about 30 euros, and were hoping to at least double that by the end of the day..!

Snow-time !

So, here we are on our first day of skiing.
This was the only day it snowed, which was fortunate...

..since I don't think the" icicle-hair" look was very good on any of us!

My parents joined us for a couple days, and enjoyed the mountain scenery..

After watching the boys come down the slope a few times, my dad decided he really wanted to try it. So the next day we rented him some skis, and here he is getting a private lesson from coach Alain.. (The videos are pretty funny, I'll try to post one too.)

Nico & Michael participated in their first slalom race (along with Alain and assorted Rolland cousins, young & old)..

They were a little disappointed that their times weren't fast enough to place in the ranking, but they didn't miss a single flag and I was just glad they made it to the bottom in one piece!

But no slalom nonsense for me of course.
Here I am in my element on a nice, scenic, FLAT slope!

Ok so here's a video of my dad on skis, I hope it works..

New Year's Eve fun..

New Year's Eve was a mellow affair, attended by some of the usual suspects: my parents, our neighbors Lydie & Denis, friends Eric & Catherine, Alain's dad & his new girlfriend. Here we are having appetizers at the bar. (The kids are upstairs with their 2 friends on the computers, and I'm afraid they weren't in any of the group shots that evening! They did, however, come down to eat at some point..I think)

Oysters are a holiday tradition over here, so here is Alain on oyster-shucking duty in the kitchen..

One of my goals in life has been to get my parents to like oysters, so whenever they're in France at Christmas-time, they oblige me by tasting a few..

..and I think it's starting to grow on them..

At some point during the evening (presumably after several glasses of wine), we decided it would be fun to dress my dad up in the traditional Arab garb that Alain received as a gift when he went to Saudi Arabia on business last September..

..as you can see, my dad went along willingly..

..and even looked quite proud (although in my opinion, not very Arab!)

Of course there was no way Luis was going to let my dad get all the glory, so he ran next door to get his own outfit (acquired during a recent trip to Egypt), and posed for the camera as well..

The evening ended with a delicious dessert, courtesy of my mom: red velvet cupcakes!

Happy New Year!!

Holiday feasting..

Merry Christmas!

Come on in, unload your presents...

Enjoy some appetizers...

Have a seat at the table..

And eat until you drop..!

Happy Halloween!

Disney fun with cousin Brian..

My cousin Brian has been visiting us in France these past 2 weeks, and as a die-hard Disney fan, one of the must-do's on his list was a trip to Disneyland Paris. French cousin Pauline hadn't been to the park since she was a baby, so we took her as well. We couldn't have been luckier with the weather, and spent a long, exhausting but fun-filled day..


On our way into Disney Studios (right next door to Disneyland). Enthusiasm was high..(ps: the boys will be getting haircuts this week, if it's the last thing I do!)

Can you tell how excited Brian is to finally be here?

I think we made the most of every single photo opp that was remotely available, and this is before we even got into Disneyland! (these pics were all taken at the Studios park)


In addition to being a Disney buff, Brian is also a HUGE Pixar & Toy Story fan..


Monsters & Co..


Needless to say, the boys were delighted to have someone to ham it up with..


And I have to admit, I do have a soft spot for Mike Wozowski..

Dinner is served..

Alain's cousin & his family are moving in right next door. They'd been living in Bordeaux for years, so we haven't spent much time together until now. This past month, the kids have been getting acquainted and have hit it off together pretty well. Last week, they decided it would be fun to prepare a meal for the grown-ups, and here are a few shots from the evening...(photos were taken at my parents' place down the street, where the cousins are staying while they do major renovations next door!)

Nico preparing hors d'oeuvres canapés...(spread with guacamole & tarama)

Michael slicing sausage snacks..

The appetizer spread (the grape/cheese cube toothpicks were my contribution to the evening)

Pizza ready for the oven..! (it was quite tasty - that's chorizo on there, along with some onion, lardons & goat cheese)

And some very colorful & creative, home-made cupcakes for dessert!

The boys with cousin Pauline, a slightly more experienced cook who will hopefully be an inspiration to them :) (She is roughly Michael's age, although you can't really tell because they're in that phase where the girls are taller!)