Happy Halloween!

Happy Haunting

Theo and his friend Armand went to a Halloween party that I helped organize at Bkidz on Sunday. Theo was the mischievous monkey (again) and Armand dressed as Scooby Doo. The children had a blast running through the games and halls of Bkidz fueled by the built-up energy that comes from rainy days. The parents spent most of their time chatting and regulating the amount of candy each child shoved in his mouth.

The two-hour party included a costume parade, a treasure hunt, Trick-or-Treating and busting pumpkin piñatas. Between the activities and the crash from the sugar high, Theo was completely spent when we arrived home.

When Pigs Fly

Theo's Fall Break began today and he brought home several assignments he completed in class. One was a booklet of all the things he has learned since September (songs, pictures, classmates' names, a white paper on quantum theory, etc.), but the more interesting one was the paper mache pig he made to conclude his Three Little Pigs case study.

After hanging it in his room, we appropriately named it "Floyd", so that he may keep watching for those pigs on the wing.

CJ From CA

My friend Carol Johnson (with whom I worked with at the University of California, Santa Cruz) was in Europe for a "breather" before starting her new job at the Monterey Institute for International Studies. She came to Lyon for a couple of days and we had a great time visiting the city during the day, then wining and dining during the night. Anne-Laure spoiled us with her cuisine and Carol spoiled Theo with her presents (Belgian chocolates being the main one).

The House That Piggy Built

As some of you know, Theo did a "case study" on the three little pigs at school. The work included reading the story, then bringing the appropriate materials to build the houses with his classmates. Here are the results.

We have a budding Frank Lloyd Wright, no?

Mates & "Merde"

Saturday night, our good friend Nabila was in town from Beirut. It had been awhile since we'd seen her, so we had a great time catching up. She is doing well and is enjoying married life and a new job. It's possible that she'll return for a visit with her husband sometime in the new year.

Earlier that day, I volunteered at "Lyon à la Carte," an expo for expatriates where the guest speaker was Stephen Clarke. He is best know for the "A Year in the Merde" series (or "In the Merde for Love" as it is known in the U.S.). I love his books and had a chance to chat with him for a bit. He's a nice guy.

For those that don't know, "merde" is the French word for "poo"... hey this is a family-oriented site, so I have to keep it clean ;-)

Wedding Bells & Blackberries

Our good friends Sophie and Cyril got married last weekend. The wedding was fun and the bride and groom seemed to have a blast. We left earlier than usual for a French wedding (3 am as opposed to 6 am), because both of us were exhausted.

The next day we had a leisurely lunch with my in-laws before going mushroom hunting (no, not those kinds of mushrooms). The season hasn't been good this year for Cèpes or Girolles, so we didn't find any. However, wild blackberries were abundant and we definitely picked our share. The two baskets of berries were used to make a blackberry crumble and blackberry muffins (Yummy!), before being placed in the freezer for another day.

Theo had good time exploring the countryside with his Papy and collecting straw, wood and bricks for school (he is "studying" the Three Little Pigs and is doing a hands-on case study).