Seeing Red

Today Kaitlyn earned her red belt in karate.  She is hoping to continue in San Antonio and become a black belt.

 

26 Weeks

Madeline is growing and moving around a lot :)

Cheeeeeeeeeeeese

After chocolate it was time for cheese!

 

We learned about the process of cheese making.

And then got to try cheese aged 6 months, 8 months, and 10 months.

After we walked into town for lunch.

 

We had amazing cheese fondue before we headed home.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Today we went to Gruyeres, Switzerland.  Our first stop was the Cailler/Nestle Chocolate Factory.

We had a great tour that taught us about the origin of the coco bean and chocolate through history.

 

After our history lesson we learned about the ingredients necessary for Swiss Chocolate.

Next step was the assembly of their yummy treats.

FINALLY… a whole room with all you can eat chocolate.

 

Spelling Bee

Tonight competed in her school spelling bee.  We were so proud she was brave enough to get up and give it a try.

We were amazed when she spelt the word “fronds”.  She made it to the 3rd round.

Au Revoir

This morning we headed back into the city and went to mass at Notre Dame.

 

We stopped for lunch and this time BOTH girls got escargot.  The food was amazing during this trip!  We were so happy the girls were willing to try new foods.

We walked around a little after lunch and then said au revoir to Paris.

Paris

We went to Paris a year and a half ago and it POURED rain!  Although today was a little cold but we had a great time.

Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe.  The arc was commissioned by Napoleon as a memorial to the military.  Brian enjoyed showing the girls where our name is.

 

France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Girls liked the French bathrooms.

 

We all enjoyed going to the Eiffel Tower although the walk up left us all a little winded.

After 328 steps you reach the first platform.

After 669 steps you reach the second level.

 

The stairs to the 3rd floor are closed so you have to take an elevator.  The girls were very happy for that!  The view from the top was beautiful.

 

After the tower we went to the Louvre.  Although you would need a couple of days to really appreciate all the art inside, we were able to see some of its highlights.

   

The girls got berets :)

Kaitlyn wanted to try some French food and ordered escargot (snails).  She loved them and let us all try them.