Un Bon Bébé

We had been talking about it for months and she knew we were going to "Rans!" to see "Dada!" but I am not sure Rylee was quite prepared for our fabulous international adventure. She did, however, amazingly well on all the flights and adjusted phenomenally to the time zone changes like a champ both going and coming. Most importantly, she was THRILLED to see her daddy and spend two whole weeks frolicking about Paris and the surrounding areas with him. If I had to choose two, I'd say Daddy and the bread were probably her two favorite things about France. Mommy and Daddy took about a zillion pictures, but will resist the urge to post every single one. Here are some snipits from Rylee's triumphant takeover of France.

Bath escapee 

 "Playgrounds have SANDBOXES over here, Mommy!!"

 People watching at a local cafe

 Chugging contest... Rylee won.

 No high chairs in all of France, it seemed. Rylee learned to sit at the table like a big girl.

 Modeling her beret

 "Hi! Welcome to our flat!"

 She couldn't decide: water, milk, or snacks.

 Stroller pocket as baguette storage? Oui oui!

 Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkey.

 She had to adapt a bit to her French sleeping arrangements

 Checking out the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

 Investigating les poissons at the Aquarium

Enjoying the sights during a boatride on the Seine

 Rylee's favorite playground in Paris... in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, of course!

 Like I said, baguettes and Daddy were her 2 favorite things. Not even mittens would stop her...

 Le pooped after the Marche de Noel on the Champs Elysee

 Please note she fell asleep with frites in both hands.

 Checking out les etoiles on a giant beanbag at the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie

Presenting... Minnie Mouse, the French version!

 Pretty sure this was her favorite meal of the trip: spaghetti and meatballs. Yes, they had spaghetti and meatballs in France. And her sweatshirt would never be the same.

 "Whoa, Daddy, all the people look like ants down there!" (top of the Eiffel Tower)

 Talking to the locals at the Jardin de Tuileries

 This is what Rylee thought of the Louvre.

Snacking and smiling at Notre Dame

Looking teeny weeny with Mommy at Versailles

Thinkin'

Becoming one with the artwork at the Musee Rodin

Old McDonald Had a Farm...

Rylee had a most exciting second Halloween. She went trick-or-treating with the rest of her friends from Old McDonald's farm, like the (twin) cows and the (Hello) Kitty. She could hardly wait for Mommy to let go of her hand and let her loose at each house. The candy, of course, sort of took a backseat to the meeting and greeting. She is already talking about next year. Here are some pics from the Halloweenie festivities.

Master pumpkin carvers at work.



 And this is what Rylee did while we carved pumpkins...

 All lit up.

 BOO!

 ...with an "oink oink" here...

 With Aunt Genny, cleverly disguised as the devil.

 And an "oink oink" there...

 Ambushing Elmo

 Getting chauffeured for a while... this trick-or-treating business is hard work!!

This little piggy went zzzz zzzz zzzz all the way home!

Fall Festivus for the Rest of Us

"So, what's the deal, Mommy, are we goin' to this Fall Festival soon or no way?"

 "MELMO!!!"

 "So not as furry as I thought he would be in real life..."

 ...and then the music started...

 ...and Rylee got down with her bad self....

 I mean, this girl has MOVES!

 "Whoa, Mommy, have you seen this??"

 "Let me see if I got this right... shuffle, ball, chain, shuffle, ball, chain..."

"Ok, I'm done. Let's go home and take a nap."

Down on the Farm

It's that time of year again, punkin pickin time! So, Mommy packed the kids in the car and made the annual trek to Huber's to pick this year's winners. Rylee was about a zillion times more mobile this year than last year, so she really got in on the action.

 Discussing their strategy

 And they're off!!

 What is this oddly shaped, orange creature?!

 They're everywhere!!

 Tried to teach her to say pumpkin, but it's sounding more like "pickack," so here she is inspecting a potential "pickack" candidate

 It's not the same without Daddy, but snacks sure do make it a little better.

 Doing the big slide with big bro (got them mid "weeeeeee!")

 Making friends with the farm animals

"Boy, this sure was hard work, BB. I could use a hug."