More Paris...

I loved the Seine! It was so pretty. All the bridges were so neat. This one had the big N for Napolean. Can you imagine being so important that you could order having your initial put all over like that? The building is La Conciegerie which was a jail at the end of the 14th century. During the Revolution more than 4,000 people were help prisoner there (including Marie-Antoinette) and about half of them were guillotined. This is the fountain outside the entrance to the Louvre. The entrance is in the glass pyramid.

What? I'm not tired, let's go see some old stuff inside the Louvre!

Inside was neat. From this center you can go off in 4 different directions. There are three wings with 4 levels each of art! You really could be in there for days and probably not see everything. There was also some neat shopping including a Starbucks and an Apple store. My Dad was excited to stand outside the Apple store and get a lighting fast connection on his iPhone :)

Notre Dame

The first of many, many spiral concrete stairs we would climb. This is climbing up to the top of Notre Dame. Here's the little door leading to Quasimoto's bell tower

My Mom and Dad and me

So much to see! Yes, there's the Eiffel Tower in the center background in the mist.

Ah, Paris!

I had the most incredible opportunity to go to Paris a few weeks ago with my parents! It was so neat! We were only there for 2 full days (the other 2 days were spent in airplanes) but they were FULL days. We saw so much! Here are a few of the first things.... like the Metro at St Michel we emerged from coming from the airport. How cute is it?! Our hotel was in the Latin Quarter right near Notre Dame. There it is, flying buttresses and all! Weather was a little chilly but not much different than Seattle, so that was good.

We climbed up to the top of Notre Dame to see the gargoyles. They were really neat. The view from up there is awesome.

We even went into the bell tower to see Quasimoto's bell

What is it?

Hayden was so funny the other day. I came home from the grocery store and he picks up the lime and says, "is this an avacado?" so I tell him no, it's a lime. Then he picks up the ginger and says, "is this a potato?" so I tell him no, it's ginger! You're 0 for 2! I guess I know who won't be going to culinary school to become the next Wolfgang Puck! ha ha :)

Good bye Alvin

Our sweet little hamster Alvin died today. He was such a sweet little thing. He was really gentle and the kids loved to hold him and watch him run around in his ball. We will miss him. I'm glad my friend Kelly took these photos of him just for fun last year, because they turned out so cute & it is great to have them to remember him by.

Happy New Year it's 2010!

The moment we've been waiting for, Happy New Year! Zoe was afraid to pull too hard on the popper string... she was so funny, her face reminded me of Buddy the Elf testing Jack in the Boxes!

Bentley (the Sutherland's dog) was so tired. He just kept looking for someone to sit still so he could have a place to lay down. Matt was kneeling behind the couch for just a few minutes and Bentley saw that as an opportunity to get comfortable!

New Year's Eve games

We hung out with the Sutherland's on New Year's Eve and had lots of fun in their game room. The kids played ping pong, foosball, pool, and air hockey almost until midnight! Hayden and Dylan were especially festive with their New Year tiaras and leis! The adults played darts and pool. It was a lot of fun! Carson tried pool and thought it was cool!

Zoe and Ashley ping ponged back and forth...

Madeline got tired toward the end of the night and chilled out under the pool table.