Sure we're still here!

Hey everybody ... um, somebody is out there, right? We had a very busy weekend, after a busy and tiring week that included Betsy's return. On Friday night, we took it easy, the usual dinner and a movie at home routine. Saturday we puttered in the morning, then I went with Carter to his first soccer "match" of the year. Recall they don't actually play a schedule, they just practice every Wednesday afternoon, with occasional, no-advance-notice "plateau de samedi" mini-tournaments on Saturdays. We got to the stadium to find the plateau had been canceled, but the team scrimmaged on a nearby (grim, dirt- and rock-covered, graffiti'd) "playground" next door to Calvin's old maternelle. Carter and the boys had a blast, even if the team uniform is Tar Hole blue.





Saturday evening we met Betsy and Calvin at the American Church for the Christmas concert, which was lovely, except by the time we got the boys home it was 8 and I had to make dinner etc. But we survived, and the boys even slept in a bit Sunday morning ... or at least let us sleep in a bit. Sunday midday we met our friends David & Melissa near the grands magazins, or big department stores Le Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, to see their holiday windows. Well, the crowds were nuts so we bailed, went into the store to check out the terrace, had some lunch, did a bit of shopping, and headed home. (That's the dome in Galleries Lafayette, and the boys outside La Madeline, below.)





Sunday evening we had a sitter lined up for us to go to our wine tasting group, but it was cancelled, so we went out with our friends Meredith (the chef) and Kevin (from Mandeville) and tasted some wine anyway. Oh, and some Lenny Kravitz-endorsed fallafel, too! The things you can do in Paris ...

Also check out our family photo candidates here. Obviously (to me) we're not going to get out holiday cards in time, but maybe soon after the new year. I have put a 2006 photo album together (for printing) and am trying to figure out how to get that on the web, too! Keep watching this space ...

Now I'm off to bed. As you can tell from this ramble, I'm a bit tired. Carter is home tomorrow (random Wednesday off) then it's off to sports in the afternoon, and I'll play Risk here with my friends Kevin, Micah (from wine group), and David (another stay-at-home dad from Carter's school) tomorrow night. Type to you soon!