Loire Valley and Chenonceau 2013

I was definitely apprehensive about bringing the kids to Europe but am so glad Ben and I decided to go for it.  I went when I was 4 and still remember things about the trip.  Hopefully Liam and Lila will take something away from this trip....if nothing else we can go on more trips since I know long flights are manageable with them now.

After routing through JFK we made it to Charles de Gaulle with only a minor incident of spilled apple juice all over Lila.  We then rented a car and got stuck in Paris traffic as we try to make our way to the Loire Valley.  The ride seemed long but we did pass a lot of lovely yellow mustard fields along the way.

After several hours of driving we made it to our apartment in Amboise that we found to rent on the internet.  I think this is the best invention since we had a kitchen, washing machine, several bedrooms and everything we needed to be comfortable with kids.  It was located on a small street near the bell tower and local chateau.

  

After recovering from jet lag and orienting ourselves we went to the first chateau only 10 minutes away.  Chenonceau is probably one of the most well known chateaus in the valley and for good reason.   

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the garden of mazes since it started to rain and sent us running to the car.  Although all the chateaus are beautiful this one is like visiting a real fairytale castle.  Definitely beats the Disneyland version!  

Easter 2013

I always loved getting a new dress for easter every year as a little girl.  Lila apparently is a lot like me and was very happy to continue this tradition.  She actually let me dress her is something other than pink this year.

Another family easter egg hunt at Grandma Johnson's house.  We were lucky it was a very nice, fairly warm day in Logan.

The Grand America always does a nice job of celebrating the holidays and we are often finding ourselves running down there to see their displays and grab a bite.  

The piles of snow and freezing temperatures are thankfully ending.  So happy to see spring finally make it to Utah this year.

Birthday Boy

Ben told me we could celebrate his birthday this year if nobody would mention how old he was turning.  I told him it was all relative and he was in the prime of his life!  

On a more serious note, Ben recently had a close friend die and it really made me appreciate him all the more this year.   Somehow a tragedy forces you to refocus and remember what is important.  I'm lucky Ben is a great dad and husband and gives so much to us as a family.  He also keeps life interesting and fun and I count myself and our 2 kids fortunate to have him in our lives.  Happy Birthday!

Tween in the House

Liam turned 10 on February 25th and declared he was a tween.  He has turned into a sweet kid with lots of interest in learning magic tricks and playing with friends.  Although he isn't particularly fond of piano and doing homework he is turning into a good student and musician.  His teacher said he is always kind to others at school and likes to write stories in his journal.  He still loves Star Wars, legos and his cat, Lucky. 

Liam is also a pretty good big brother to Lila, making sure that when I'm not around she is taken care of and watched out for.  He just lost 4 teeth in just 1 week and growing out of all of his shoes.  Life just wouldn't be the same without Liam and we love having this tween in our house.      

Instead of having a big friend party this year Liam decided to take 1 friend to the Grand America hotel and swim, watch movies, order room service and have a sleepover.  I had no qualms about doing that this year.  He ended up getting plenty of gifts from family that I don't think he felt like he came up empty handed in the present department either.

Holiday Happenings 2012

Christmas is a great time of year for the kids.  Although Liam wasn't fond of me making him wear a bowtie for the christmas card pictures he still managed to put on a smile, even if it was begrungingly.

Liam got to wear his bow tie a second time for a Christmas concert that same week.  After preparing with his teacher and learning how to bow for the audience he played the Indiana Jones theme song for the concert.

To my amazement he wore the bow tie a third time for the Nutcracker.  Lila was old enough we actually went with the whole family this year.

To make the holiday season even more chaotic we took a quick trip to California to see my brother and sister a few days before Christmas.  We made gingerbread houses and explored Santa Barbara, returning home just in time for Christmas eve.

Fortunately Santa made it to our house and Liam got a telescope, Lila got more dolls than she needs and Ben got a high end vacuum cleaner that he was lusting after for months.  A busy but decidedly good December for 2012.

Christmas 2012

Fall 2012

Here's a quick recap of the last few months activities.  Going backwards in time here is the latest in family gatherings.  Today I spent time with the Johnson girls at the Grand America.  Since Lila likes Fancy Nancy books she had no problem agreeing to go to tea with her Grandma and learn some basics in good manners.  

As we do every fall we spend many weekends raking up leaves.  Liam is getting better every year at helping clean up the leaves that fall from the big trees around our house.  Even Lila is learning to help out.

Almost forgot to post Halloween pictures this year.  Here is a shot from the annual Johnson Halloween party.

 Lila couldn't decide which costume to go with so she started out as a bee and then decided to be a unicorn.  All Liam cared about was that he was something scary.  He was supposed to be some grotesque thing but could barely stand to keep the mask on his face.

Lila has also continued to take ballet classes from Ms. Kim.  She loves ballet so much she wants to have a ballerina party for her next birthday.

Before the weather turned cold we also went and hiked around Red Butte.  They've got a great kids garden and we finally took advantage of it since it is only about 5 minutes from our house.