Skating

The kidlets skating at the open air rink just a few hundred metres from our house.

Lily's first time on skates. She started out with cheese cutters and one of thise kiddie-contraptions that helps them stand up. One moment when we were not watching she decided to skate across the rink to get another one that she liked the looks of a bit better...

HEY!!....I thought you couldn't skate...(you three year old you!)as she zoomed around...!!

Riel is like Crash Charley, lots of speed and copious enthusiasm but no abilty to stop. He goes all out and then just slams into the boards to stop himslef...

Whatever works for ya!!

Christmas in France with the children

A trip to Strasbourg to the christmas market was lots of fun, here the children watch the Giant Manege Noel, while we wandered the city's different Marche de Noel which sold anything for kids candy to decorations to regional foods to crafts.

Strasbourg in close to the border of Gwermany, is about a 3 hour drive from Dijon, and is famous for its Christmas Markets.



Then as it darkened we wandered the streets searching for the perfect gifts, admiring the lights, sipping hot mulled wine and looking for a little nibble.
It was Magical.



One of the Markets we visited was a Romanian craft market and we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of some regional dancers with enourmous bells tied around waists singing and parading around. Lily was not too sure of them...



This is a shot of the Christmas Train in Dijon, as we also have a Marche de Noel here.

Buche Noel

WE are just buzzing with Christmas preparations over here I tell you. I am teaching Riel to cook and we made a Buche Noel together last week, even did chocolate leaves...

check it out,

It was Yummy!!!

5 Euro Baby

Whew...sorry it has been sooo long...

So the tooth finally came out, only took about a week, and happened a bit by accident.



During roller-blading class at school he fell face first onto a jump and guess what...yep...it fell out right then and there. I think the poor child was a little traumatized by the abruptness of it all...Good news is the tooth was found and the tooth fairy paid up a whole 5 Euros for that baby.


Like Beth said the first one is worth more and I think I can go with that.

Our little guy is growing up!!

Urgent: Tooth Fairy needed

“Hey Mom!!”

“I have WIGGLY tooth!!”

He rushes over to me; immediately I give it the wiggle test and sure enough it is moving a LITTLE tiny bit.

Riel had been asking me for a while when it was going to happen to him as one of his best buddies has been all toothless and whistley-like for a while now.

After that came a barrage of questions like what happens next and does it hurt, how do the new teeth arrive and what do we do with the old ones and so on.

So of course we launch into the whole entire Tooth Fairy thing (and all you experienced parents out there are going to have to help me out here) the tooth under the pillow, fairy finds baby tooth and leaves a little something.

Riel’s eyes are getting wider and wider…

I for one have a few questions…

1) How does the “Tooth Fairy” find a tooth the size of a grain of Kat-kibble under the head of a sleeping child’s pillow in the dark??

2) What is the going rate for the tooth fairy these days?

3) Does the Tooth Fairy wear anything special? (Yes loaded question I know...)

4) What does the Tooth Fairy do with the Kat-kibble after he/she has retrieved it…surely the reappearance of any particular tooth that a parent might happen to be attached to might just blow the Tooth Fairy’s cover….? (No?)

When I mentioned casually that ALL of his teeth would eventually fall out and be replaced his eyes widened in surprise…and a little bit of concern…

“Ohhhhh…”

Then it was all real quiet like.

…………..,

“Can I watch TV Mom?”

“Sure Honey”

Riel climbs the stairs and sits on the top step so he can see the TV and a mirror and proceeds to watch TV and check on his tooth every 60 seconds or so.

“Watchya doing honey?”

“I don’t want to miss it when it falls out…!!”

Silently to self….Oops…forgot that part…