Robin Hood & CowGirl

Today we went to our friend Milo's 7th bday party.  It was a "Come as your favorite Superhero" theme.  Here's Léna today, 4 years old and almost one month.

 

Here's Estelle 2 years ago, aged 4 3/4.

 

Back to Léna today....

 Estelle inherited a few years ago the old Disney RobinHood film, where Robin in a fox.  She has always loved it, I mean really loved it.  Today she went as RobinHood - good costume for a boy party!  Estelle wanted to draw claw marks on her cheeks, as she is convinced that Robin should have scars from being attacked.  I was afraid they looked like swastikas but we let it go.

A good time was had by all, great food, fun picnic in the park, good games.

Eating Lettuce, and bday gifts!

 Léna will eat leaves of lettuce.  So will Estelle, but only under penalty of something.

 One day this week we came home to a birthday package for Léna from Uncle Cedric!

 Vermont storybooks and Maple sugaring coloring books and vintage postcards of Mt. Mansfield and Vermont Life magazines with Jericho on the cover and a Cabot headband.

 THANKS Uncle Cedric!

 2 days in a row this week I tried to make Lisa's pizza loaf.  But I don't have a thermometer!  So anyways it was good but not as good as Lisa's!

Mother's Day in the USA - Léna bday last wkend

 Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, weren't we beautiful?  Still are!

 Above - Léna bday party in Nice one week ago today.  We got sprinkled on a few times, but other than that, a fun day & picnic!

 Léna has on a t-shirt that says "Birthday Girl".  It had been Estelle's and I ran across it just in time!

 Basile in orange.

 Starting the first game - a Scavenger hunt for things you'd find in a park.

 Thank you Fransiska for documenting this event with my camera!  If Thomas and I look weary, we had been up l-a-t-e cooking and baking after a l-o-n-g day at the school flea market. 

 All those kids packs from our flights every summer on Air Transat came in handy....

 Here I imitate something, or someone.  Who knows.  Behind, the port of Nice. 

 Basile sees a plan.

 Estelle, Maelys & Eva looking on....

 Time for singing & candles....

 I had colored the cupcake batter blue (which is unusual in France, they never use food coloring) so one child asked me "Why are you making us eat Playdough?"

Léna and Estelle enjoy their blue cupcakes!  Léna's was decorated with a "speculos" cookie and lilac frosting.

Estelle wants to say:  "I took a cupcake with pink frosting and blue inside and the Oreo on it.  And a fairy decoration.  It was good."

 A limbo game was fun too!

 Hours later, one little four-year-old was fast asleep reading her new book about being 4.  It was a great day with good friends and lots of fun for Léna - she received some fun educational gifts too.  And Estelle went on to a 2nd bday party in another park that afternoon before this photo was taken!

Happy Saint's Day, Estelle! Happy Bday Calvin!

 This photo, from July 2011, was taken at Cedric's pond in Cabot.  Calvin (who turns 25 today!) was showing his little cousin the finer sides of frog catching.  Calvin and Estelle share May 11th as a special day - it's also Estelle's Saint's Day today - Bonne Fete Estelle!

Léna turns 4 today!

 Yesterday (Sat 27th) we drove to Saint Cannat, near Aix-en-Provence, to meet up with everyone at Thomas' cousin Pascal & Sylvie's house.   I brought the cake (well really it was 2 cakes one top of the other, but that's another story).

 The 8 Smurf candles were certainly the crowning touch - they should be, at 14 bucks.  !

 Andrée & Guy drove to Pascal's from Calvinet, where the girls had been since April 12th.  Though both of them had been car sick, they were in fine form.  Aurore (pictured above, Pascal's younger daughter), had also made a cake to celebrate Yvette's 81st bday which was on the 25th.

 Somehow Estelle was the one to blow out the candles!

 Yvette & Dédé live right in Aix, so we were so happy to see them too!  It was a nice reunion.

 Meanwhile, Agathe, Pascal's older daughter, owns a horse, named Cascabel, and the stables is just down the road.  So she brought him by, and SuperChat (class mascot of Léna's class who has been with us since April 12th) got to meet the horse!

 After the horse, we went back in and lit the candles again (gotta get my 14 bucks worth!)

 Finally the sun came out and Estelle got to do what she's been waiting for - the trampoline!

 Meanwhile, guy talk.  And, Guy talks.  (I know, I know, but it was too fun a joke to pass it up).  Thomas and Pascale (first cousins), Dédé and Guy (married to sisters).

 We got home LATE last night - 10:15!   One of these little girls below stepped into the apartment, put on her pymamas and went right to sleep.  The other stayed awake until midnight.  Guess which was which.  Hmmmmmm.  This morning, said night owl was awake at 6:45.  Hmmmmmm.......

 The day began with Barbie.  Then, waffles and a card from Grammie & Aunt Lisa & Uncle Dan.

 Then, we took Léna shopping with her special birthday money from Papy & Manou.  After, we went out to an Indian restaurant.  SuperChat enjoyed this outing as well.  He's really been getting around France in the past 2 weeks.  I think he'll be happy for a little peace and quiet back at school tomorrow.

 After lunch, back home to open up the new Barbie and her horse, Tawny.  Thanks Agathe and Cascabelle for inspiring us!

 Merci Papy & Manou!

 So much to play with, so little time.  It's hard to be 4 years old.

 There's a lot of decisions to make.

 And cake to eat.  (please note the "4" candle in use AGAIN. I'm saving the Smurfs for their encore appearance next weekend at Léna big birthday party  - lord give me strength).

 And after bath time, one last round of singing Happy Birthday, behind the lilacs from Saint Cannat.  We also REALLY enjoyed Aunt Martha & Uncle Chris calling and singing pretending to be their cats meowing out the Happy Birthday song.  They were on our speakerphone and our whole family was howling with appreciative amusement cause they REALLY sounded like cats.

It's been a great birthday, even if it rained all day!