20/52

Vingt :: Enjoying all the attention at her great-grandma's house in the south of France.

It was so hard to pick a photo from this week because we were in so many places and doing so many things, and there were about a million photos taken of it all.  We spent a couple of days this past week in a small town outside of Nice where Gui's grandparents live.  Their property is dreamy: the house was built entirely by hand by his grandparents, they have a lovely pool, a huge vegetable garden, and about a dozen olive trees that they produce all of their olive oil from.  It was a good place to take a breather after a few hectic days in Paris.  Avienne enjoyed so much being the center of attention the whole time there, but especially at mealtime where she ate lots of new foods and entertained us with silly faces and random applause.  Wonderful new memories were made in a house full of old ones.

Linking up with Jodi's 52 project.

Tour de France : Part 1

We're finally back from our first big family vacation which we spent, of course, in France. We spent a good 19 hours travelling yesterday, so right now, we're embracing our jetlag, slowly unpacking our overstuffed suitcases and trying to get back to normal life.  (We're also crossing our fingers that we get a new water heater  installed tomorrow because ours broke while we were away. Le sigh.)

Avienne met so many new family and friends in France, and as exhausting as it all was, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment that we were able to meet up with so many folks in such a short time. I still have to sort through a crap-load of photos from this trip, but here is the first set of my favorites from the beginning of our adventure.

► Avienne spent quality time getting to know new family and visiting with her old favorites. ;)

► Of course, family reunions call for cheese plates and fruit-covered tarts.

► Avienne took her first trip on a train to visit friends in Caen.

► Although thousands of miles away, we celebrated as Texans do and had margaritas on Cinco de Mayo...

► ...and we barbecued (well, our hosts barbecued...I just ate and drank wine).

► Fun times were aplenty, as usual.

► We took a ferry to a little island called Chausey.

► Avienne had a glorious time playing in the dirt with a new friend.

► We spent most of the day walking around the entire island, soaking up the beauty all around.  There were wildflowers springing out of sea rocks, clear, blue water in every direction, curious lizards and birds, and even a field of black sheep.  A pirate ship even showed up on the horizion.  I don't think I've ever been anywhere else as calm and quaint as Chausey.  (I only saw one car on the whole island, and it was parked!)

► We enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful day on the island, then headed back towards Caen before catching the train the next morning for Paris.  I'm so glad we decided to start our trip out with a side-trip to see two of our absolutely favorite people.  It helped us rest up and relax a bit before we started bouncing around Paris. I always leave Normandy ready to take on anything - somehow, it's where I always find my reset button.

19/52

Dix-neuf :: Taking flight at the Eiffel Tower.

Avienne enjoyed her first picnic at the Eiffel Tower this weekend. We're having so much fun introducing her to all of our loved ones here, but we haven't had much time to visit all of our favorite places. I was really glad we were at least able to bring her to the Champs de Mars to enjoy a perfect view and good times with old friends. It's going to be hard to leave!

Linking up with Jodi's 52 Project.

18/52

Dix-huit :: Smiles for days. 

We're visiting family and friends in France right now, so sorry this post is a week late. This is pretty much the face we've been seeing since we got here. Avienne has been so much fun to travel with, and I think it has something to do with this scrunched-up smile she's been giving everyone she meets. In the airport, on the train, at restaurants and in the park - she throws this smile out everywhere she goes.

Linking up with Jodi's 52 Project.

17/52

"A portrait of Avienne once a week, every week, in 2013."

Dix-sept :: Our little Austinite enjoying her first time at Eeyore's birthday party.

I just love this picture of Avienne.  It is so characteristic of her these days - her legs crossed at the ankles (always), her little hands clapping with delight (often), her two little teeth poking out from her big smile, and an all-around happy baby doing what she loves most: swinging.  This was Avienne's first time at Eeyore's Birthday Party, one of our favorite Austin (and family) traditions.  She generally loves being outside and around people, so she really enjoyed spending the day surrounded by fun-loving folks at Pease Park.  I love seeing the outgoing and happy little person she is becoming - most definitely taking after her Papa in the personality department, too, it would seem.  

Linking up with Jodi's 52 Project.

Avienne and her reflection

Avienne loves the mirror. For pretty much her whole life, I've been taking her to the mirror each morning to wave "hello" and say "good morning" to our reflections.  Lately, every time we pass in front of a mirror, she grins like she's seeing an old friend.  And, if I leave her in front of her reflection long enough, she'll start being the silly girl she is when she's around other babies. 

Last night, before bed, she was being silly as ever, so I grabbed my phone and took a few funny pictures.  Then, this morning, she went on for about ten minutes with her reflection and I caught a few minutes of it on video. She cracks me up, my sweet fille.

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