Hello Revel!

I've been here barely a week and it feels like I never left, everything is familiar and yet I feel like I'm experiencing things for the 1st time again. It's interesting how I appreciate things around here much more after being without them for so long. Things that were ordinary before strike me as exceptional now and I feel like I'm rediscovering them and enjoying them more now.

It's little things like hearing the church clock sound every hour, the rooster sing at random times throughout the day (our neighbors' rooster is a little wacko), the cricket sound, looking at the mountain covered with green trees that look like green mousse from afar and wanting to stretch my hand and touch it, remembering I've felt this before, but I had forgotten. Tasting ordinary food like ham, bread, butter and potatoes and wondering if I'd been eating fake food those last 4 years! Playing cards with family members, sitting outside under the gazebo waiting for neighbors (uncles and aunts) to come have a chat and drink.

I went to the store by myself yesterday and drove a stick shift like a pro. I was rather happy with myself! I found myself in the dairy section of the superstore, holy mackerel! There were 5 GIANT aisles of yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, fresh milk and dairy desserts. The boys discovered "Les Petits Suisses" and can't get enough. How did I live without these? I've never seen my kids eat SO much, seriously they devour everything my Mom gives them. They even had anchovies today, yuck!

First taste of Danette. Score!

It's all gone buddy...

Sleeping in bunk beds, I remember sleeping in these when I lived in Divonne, I was 7!

Walking in the neighborhood with cousins

Feeling special

The vegetable garden

William was so excited about this tomato, he picked it when it was red

Josh found a bike in the garage, it's small but good enough for now

Sharing toys with cousins

Discovering toys I used to play with...

Pretty Elise

A present from their cousins

Little planes from the Planes movie

Back to their old habits

A little bit of art

Playing in the pool

Drying in the sun

Eating outside

The cows just behind the boys' new school

Making apple sauce from the tons (litterally) of rotten apples we have in the garden. Notice Coraline's face and mine as we extract worms and bugs from every single apple but unwaveringly continue this middle-age family habit...

Happy boy, captured by his brother, most natural pictures I have of him

Sliding in my uncle's garden (next door)

Learning new tricks

Today all the cousins left, and we started getting ready for school next week. Before the school year starts my parents wanted to take the boys to Chamrousse (the closest ski resort, 25min from home). They had bounce houses and games for kids.  The boys had a blast. Josh had practiced his French with his cousins all week and tried it on a few kids there.

"C'est a moi", "C'est mon tour", "Merci", "S'il te plait", are aquired now. He also managed to answer correctly the question from a stranger "Comment tu t'appelles?"

Giant bounce houses, rodeo whale, obstacle course pirate ship... a dream!

Mini golf and fishing

Trampoline, man William amazes me with his tricks!

First friend: Louise. I overheard this conversation (Josh talking): "Plus d'eau s'il te plait!", "tout, tout, tout", "encore!"
Then a couple of kids tried to destroy 2 sand tours near him and he said "Cassez pas!"

Ring toss, Bowling, Baseball, Basket ball, play structure, this place had everything a kid could dream of, but it's closing tomorrow... We're ready for school to start, hopefully we'll meet some families then, so far we haven't seen a kid around the village (except for all the cousins), but they've got to be somewhere!