Old Photos from Phone

Finally got around to emptying out the photos on my phone.

 This was the last days of Léna's 1st year at school, in June.

 This was her great teacher, Cathy.

 This summer, the girls went to Paulette's for their haircut!

 They spent one day (after I was robbed) swimming with Maxence and Berenice in Cannes.

 ...and their little sister, Sixtine.

 We hikes in some gorges with friends.

 We say a street theatre festival.

 Thomas and I went to London.

 Saw the Globe theatre.

 And attended Simon's wedding, with our friend Amy (who has since had a baby girl).

 Beach time.

 Visits to Fransiska and Basile.

 A day with Chantal.

 Léna's coathook at school.

 Patrimony Day - a visit to a chapel that is normally closed.

 An art exhibit.

 Estelle got a magician set from her godfather, Francois.

 The oboe adventure began in September.

 I watched Eliza's wedding on Skype.

 More days at the beach.

 Bike riding around the city.

 Léna devours coleslaw.

 My students in Monaco try to put together a puzzle of the 50 states.

 The new big huge park that his disrupted the center of the city for 3 years finally opened at the end of October.  It is incredible.  And HUGE.

 This was one of the ceremonies for its opening.

 We gathered olives as we do each year.

 On Veteran's Day (WWI = Armistice here), we had a great visit from Claudine & Roland, from Angers.  We saw a neat exhibit.

 How school was during WWI.

 Look at the weather on November 11th!

 Nap time.

 Ken finally has some clothes from Estelle's fake birthday party.

 December 1st - the advent calendar's begin.

That's all, folks!

The Fake Birthday

 It all begin last spring.  Estelle started to complain.

 "I never have a birthday in France."

 "Why don't I ever have a birthday here?"

 "I want to have a birthday party with my French friends!"

 Sunday, Estelle got her wish surrounded by 27 other kids she knows at Fun City in Cannes.  Old friends and new.

 Meanwhile, some parents escaped on a bench for a "quiet" moment.

 Little sisters came too!

Estelle invited friends from her old school and friends from her new school. 

 We could choose between cake or crepes.  Since it was 9:30 on a Sunday (yes, 9:30 on a Sunday.  In Cannes.), we chose crepes.

 Thomas doesn't know anybody so I sometimes referred to the kids by their instruments.  Let's call these two Guitar and Viole de gambe (I have no idea what that is).

 That kid with his finger up is a twin.  He plays the cello and his twin sister the violin.

 Red pinney = piano.

 There's Saxophone girl down there in this photo too.  p.s. who took these photos with my camera?  Estelle carried my camera up into one of the labyrinths?  

 Blond pigtails = trombone.  Next to her, the other long-haired blonde = guitar.

 See that redhead on the air hockey?  Bassoon.

 Meanwhile:  "The Inner Circle", aka people I was pregnant with.  (ok not Lud exactly).  Fransiska (Eliott), Caro (Milo), & Lud (Eva & Louise).

Estelle had the morning of her life.  It was worth it.