Day 3 in Paris - Our feet are sore

Gotta make this quick. Today we headed to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. We met Christoph's family at the Versailles train station and spend most of the day there. Below, we are in the famous hall of mirrors.

After Versailles, we dragged our exhaused bodies to the Louvre and raced around to see the famous pieces of art. Below is Mikel in front of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

We may look happy, but our dogs are tired. Below, we are outside the Louvre, gaining the energy to head to dinner with MaryBeth. We did not get to bed until 1:00 a.m.

Day 2 in Paris - The Germans invade

After finally dragging ourselves out of bed, we headed over to the Dome Church in the Invalides. The Invalides is a series of grand buildings built by King Louis XIV, with the Dome Church at its center. There we saw the tomb of Napoleon and toured the military history museum.

Across the street from the Invalides was the Rodin Museum. Below, Mikel is, in her way, 'thinking' next to The Thinker.

After lunch at a street side cafe we headed to a, you guessed it, cemetery. However, this was Mikel's choice. This old cemetery includes the likes of Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, and the Lizard King himself, Jim Morrison. Below, Mikel is getting an upclose look at the monument for Oscar Wilde. For some reason, the sculture is covered with kisses. So Mikel dug deep in her bag and painted those lips to give Oscar a kiss.

We were supposed to meet the family of our former exchange student at the Arc de Triomphe at 5:00. Problem is we didn't know this. We eventually got the message and trudged over. We ate at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees and planned our next day trip to Versailles. We will head out with them on Friday to Germany.

Below is the Eifell Tower during an evening light show. We tried a new camera lense that adds flare highlights to lights.

Day 1 in Paris

Although this blog is supposed to emphasize Sarah, we have the power to veer from the norm. We are in Paris, sans Sarah. She is at home with her grandparents. We arrived in Paris at 8:00 a.m. and spent the day trying to be active and stay awake. Below, we are in front of the Louvre.

We are staying with our friends MaryBeth and Chris, though we may never see Chris as he is on a business trip to Amsterdam. Below is Craig, with our lovely host MaryBeth, in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

In the evening, we decided to take the obligatory pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. That night we went to bed at 10:00 p.m. and we slept for over 10 hours. Now, I believe, we are on Paris time.

Sarah's Birthday Party

Our fast growing girl turned 3 on the 14th and she had a party the following weekend. Sarah's mother was tireless in her preparation for the Dora the Explorer themed shindig. A pavilion was rented at Russell Creek Park here in Plano and a good time was had by all.

Above, Sarah is being patient as her mother tries vainly to light the candles. There was a fierce wind blowing.

The picture above was actually taken a few minutes before the attempt to blow out the candles. Sarah and pal Emma were sneaking licks of the cake icing.

-

A pinata was part of the birthday festivities. As opposed to the kids beating it silly, they just each pulled a string and out flowed the candy. Kinda sounds like a socialist pinata to me - equal distribution to all. Plus, no blind-folded kid swinging a stick into some unsuspecting adults' privates. I was looking forward to cashing in on America's Funniest Home Videos.

-

Apologies again to all those who have 'noted' the long lapse between posts. Again, we will try to make a more concerted effort to post more often.

It has been too long

It has been way too long since our last post. I typically don't pay much heed when somebody says they are soooo busy. Guess what? We have been way busy lately. None the less, below is a pair of pictures of Sarah at a Mardi Gras parade last month. She is becoming quite the animated young lady.

Fall Fun

The time leading up to Halloween was a busy time for Sarah. She visited two pumpkin patches, had a pumpkin carving get together at her place, and returned to the Stewart's small ranch to show her friends the miniature horses and donkeys. Below is Sarah with some of the best friends a gal can have at the Stewart's homestead in eastern Collin County.

Halloween was spent trick-or-treating at The Shops at Willow Bend. Yes, we took out little girl to a mall to get her candy. Sarah was a butterfly, which is one of the first words English words she learned. After attending a pirate themed party a few weeks prior, and running around the house with a plastic sword and yelling "Arrrrrgggghhhhh," we almost made a last second costume change.

The State Fair of Texas

In a year of firsts, another. In October, Sarah experienced her first State Fair of Texas. Her parents have attended the fair every year since 1990, so this was a special day in that Ripkenesque string of consecutive visits. Below, Sarah bites into her first corney dog.




We just don't go to the Fair for a few hours, we make a day of it. Sarah test drove some cars in the Centennial Building, visited Big Tex (below), sampled ice cream in the Food and Fiber Pavilion, fed animals in the Petting Zoo, and helped daddy buy a ladder in the Grand Place Building.

And of course, Sarah hit the Midway. Some attractions she is still too short to ride; however, she did a few rides, some by herself. Below, Sarah and mommy enjoy a fun ride.

Plano Balloon Festival

Yes, we know, we are way behind on our posts. We'll catch up soon.

In October, Sarah attended her first Plano Balloon Festival. Usually Sarah is fearless, but she did not want to get to close to the big balloons landing only a few yards from her. Sarah was joined at the festival by her buddies Emma, Hope and Faith.

Amongst the balloons were the various food and knick-knack booths. At the Verison booth, Sarah got to ride daddy through a virtual sky of balloons. Earlier, mommy had to keep daddy from engaging the dimwits over at the Vote Democrat booth.

Near the end of our stay, Sarah watched as others jumped up and down on the quasi-bungee jump contraption. Sarah got over excited and had a major meltdown because she couldn't understand that she had to wait her turn. She eventually cooled down and had a blast. Faith and Hope are in the background.

Royalty

Sarah as Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi. Mikel could get her dressesd up at home, but Sarah refused to dress up for our trip to the Asian Festival in Arlington.

Farm Fun

During the labor day weekend, Sarah and BFF Molly visited a couple of small farms in the country. Below, Sarah is a tad timid when it comes to petting a piglet.


Both young ladies had a good time petting the minature horses and donkeys and imitating the nearby rooster.

Future Gymnist?

During the summer, Sarah took a tumbling and a ballarina class. She excelled at one and had little interest in the other. Below, Sarah shows a knack for the balance bar.

Vacation in Corpus Christi

In early August we drove down to Corpus Christi on Texas' Gulf Coast to join the Aydon clan for some fun in the sun. We shared a bay front house in a small town called Ingleside, which is on the opposite side of Corpus Christi Bay from Corpus Christi.

Below, at our palatial bayfront estate, Sarah shows Devin the finer points of face painting. I wish Sarah could take credit for the dragon on Devin's face, but Mommy was the artist. Mommy was not the artist for Sarah's cheeks.

s

s

Sarah was right at home on the beach. Other than the annoyance of some salt water in her eyes, Sarah had a great time on the beach and in the water.

One of the attractions of Corpus Christi is the Texas State Aquarium. Sarah got to see lots of 'fishies.' Sometimes she saw the fishies from Daddy's shoulders, while she checked to see if Daddy's hair was thinning.

Above, Sarah is explaining to Auntie 'shell the mating habits of the birds in the enclosure. Michelle was constantly commenting on how smart Sarah was and whether we would entertain a trade of Sarah for her three boys. Below, Sarah explains to Brent the finer points of Dolphins.

The next day we toured the USS Lexington. The 'Blue Ghost' is an aircraft carrier for all you landlubbers. Below, Sarah, though only a U.S. citizen for five months, shows her patriotism in front of a flag that flew from The Lex.

s

As one could guess, we also squeezed in a ballgame. The Hooks play at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. Very nice ballpark, with views of the bay, USS Lexington, Texas State Aquarium and more. It was decided that we needed matching Hooks shirts for picture time after the game.

Wedding in Tulsa

Sorry for the long lag in posts. No excuse.

The weekend of July 15, Craig, Mikel and Sarah, with Craig's mother Doris, headed to Tulsa for a wedding. Craig's cousin Danielle was getting hitched and many of Craig and Doris' New York relatives would be attending. More important, this would be many of our relative's chance to meet Sarah.

We arrived on Saturday. The wedding was Sunday night, so to fill some time Craig, Mikel and Sarah headed over to the Oklahoma Aquarium. Typical of a 2 year old, Sarah enjoyed the touch tanks. She was pretty fearless, though the splashing of the small rays backed her up some. Below, Sarah has just finished viewing turtles.


The wedding and reception took place at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Mikel and Sarah both wore outfits purchased during our trip to China. Sarah's outfit is incomplete as she refused to wear the top that goes with her skirt/dress.

We discovered that Sarah really loves to dance. Craig was winded after many a dance with his daughter. Look closely, Sarah is sporting a big smile; she is having so much fun.

Sarah's Big ALOHA Birthday Luau!

WOW! What a party! Xie Xie (thank you) to all who came to celebrate Sarah joining our family and congratulating her on her 2nd Birthday! What a cutie patootie she was in her little outfits!

Please continue your applause for the hosts with the most - the Aydon Family - for graciously hosting this event in their home, catering the food and (insert drum roll here) the VOLCANO CAKE! Yes, that IS sparkly orange lava flowing down a solid cake volcano, and yes, the lilies were edible sugar confections!

the oasis in Southlake...

Ahhhhh...........................The Pullium kids together again with Clint, Brandon, Taylor, Paige, Kaitlyn, Abigail and Shep have fun with Sarah.

Espo does the honors...

Sarah is not too sure about this whole burning wax things on her cake!

Just in case you were wondering if Sarah would fit-in, know you know! Cool Bulgari shades!

GrandPop and Don discuss important global topics, Sean and Val soak up the rays, Pam and Linsay chill in the shade, and Brent organizes the goodies!

Sarah flips over her gifts as Faith does the hula...

We think that's Devin under there!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sarah parts I & II

Grandma Doris encourages Little Miss to have a bite of Chinese Buffet before dessert at Beijing China Restaurant on May 12, 2007


Beautiful hand-painted sign from good friends Carrie and Chris

Cutie Katie smiles for everyone!

Maria & Lucy baked a cake for Sarah for all to celebrate and share!

Lucy shows off her new glasses - too cool!

Sarah likes to have her cake and eat (her fruit) too!

Is this a Sprouts dinner event or show-time at the Zoo?

Emma knows how to work the camera!

Sarah thanks Grandma for a delicious dinner!

Thank you to Aunt Janet and Uncle Dan for the totally cool trike!

Sarah shares a private joke with Aunt Cindy at Kuby's German Restaurant and Deli

Sarah knows how to accessorize!

Thank you to Grandma Doris and Grandpa Jack for the sand and water table! Sarah's never had so much fun getting wet and dirty!

A big kiss and another Thank You to Aunt Glady for the cool sand toys!

See you later for pics from the BIG KAHUNA BLOW OUT LUAU!