paris with grammie & papa...

Finally, a post about my parents' wonderful visit... It was a two-part adventure, the first part being a long weekend stay in Paris and the second being an excursion to the Loire Valley.  Unfortunately for all of us, Max was really sick (he had bronchitis) during Part One.  We tried to enjoy Paris life - and the absolutely stunning weather - to the best of Max's ability, but we were a bit limited.  We did however venture into the incredible Tuileries Gardens... and in general, we had a great time.

The three guys just outside the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre.

Brook & Max exploring, Papa reading a map.

Me and a not-so-smiley Max with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

The pretty boats for children to rent in the Gardens.

The Rosenbaums...

My lovely parents...

On a Max-free day, my parents took a boat trip 

on the Seine to see the sights...

Generally, though, we did a lot of this... 

movie-watching with a sick Max.

When Max started to feel better, Papa gave him 

his first painting lesson...

which Max LOVED!

Thanks, Papa...

Click here to see more photos of Part One - Paris.

a champagne adventure...

In early October we spent a weekend in the Champagne region with "the friends."  We rented this very cool house...

We cooked big meals and enjoyed "communal" living.  The kids ran wild and the adults relaxed (or tried to).  Here we all are before our venture into the town...

No visit to the Champagne region is complete without a visit to a vineyard.  We found this small, family-run vineyard...

We visited the vines and ate some of the grapes...

 

And on Sunday morning, we celebrated Rafaela's 2nd birthday!  

As you can see, it was a fantastic weekend!  Click here to see lots of photos from the weekend.

happy halloween!!!

Today we had a big Halloween parade and celebration 

for the children at INSEAD.  All the kids looked great!  

Max was a very cute and happy penguin 

(unfortunately, my pictures aren't so good, but you get the idea).   

He also did his own make-up.

One Halloween trick Max really liked was to sneak away from the group and then make us chase him all over the place.  Exciting!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

In other news, we've had a busy October with a fun trip to the Champagne region, and an excellent visit with Grammie & Papi (including excursions to Paris and the Loire Valley!).  I have finally started to sift through all the photos and create albums, so stay tuned for more updates this weekend.  (That's a promise.) 

similarities...

Max's newest haircut

and

Is it just me?

this little guy...

I've been thinking about Max a lot lately...  Today he is 19 months old.  Oh how the time flies!

Here are some things to note about this little guy as he begins his 20th month in the world.  

Max loves binkies.  In fact, binkies are his "comfort" object.  If he's tired or having a tough moment, sometimes I give him a bowl full of binkies and he lies on the floor in - what we call - "binkie heaven."  

Binkie (and packing peanut) Heaven

He also hides his binkies now and we find them in funny places.  Like our mailbox.

Wait... what's that in the mailbox??

A blue binkie!

Max says all kinds of things.  Some of our current favorites:  o-meal (oatmeal), ba-pack (backpack), pancake, horsey poop, moise (mouse), Moits (Max)

He hates having his hair cut (by me).  For this reason, his hair is always a work in progress.  Some nights I can only get one side cut.

He loves loves loves tractors (sometimes he says "tractor" in his sleep).

He also loves HIKING.  Really.  He hikes.  Sometimes with a walking stick he finds on his own.  Lately we take him into the forest every day and he hikes for at least forty minutes.  Then we have to drag him out. 

   

And those are just some current Max Facts.  In case you were wondering.

joyeux anniversaire, barbara!

Saturday night was Barbara's birthday.  We celebrated in typical Chilean fashion - great friends and tons of food!  It was excellent.  Happy Birthday, Barbara!

Barbara receiving birthday wishes from all over the globe...

The ladies... and Brook.

Who loves her husband???