Big strike Thursday

Things were jumping down at the Bastille today. This is the biggest gathering we've seen so far, it was bananas. The beast parts were the giant balloons, we haven't seen those before.

Goofball

Burning time in the 1st

We had to burn some time before picking the kids up from school the other day so we kicked around the Fancy 1st for awhile. Here's Gretchen with aspear sticking out of he head.
An old church.
An old building.
Why do you think the artist gave this statue such a deep ass crack?
Cheese.
Dylan is so over the sights of Paris.
Here i am moments before putting on my hood and increasing my creepy factor 100 fold.
Famous stuff.
See what i mean?
Dylan liked this statue.
G in front of cops and famous stuff.
Dylan oblivious to the famous stuff around him.
I don't know why there were so may headless babies in this piece but i was willing that bird to crap.
G in front of more famous stuff.

More paint

Dylan and Chloe had a painting session on Saturday.
Dylan needed that brush. Liam didn't want to paint.

Dylan finished up his painting.
After everything was cleaned up Liam decided he wanted to paint. He spent a lot of time mixing the colors.
And his favorite animal was the subject.

Paris postings

The ceiling, it was actually raining.
Gretchen's been getting up in the neighborhood.
Caught in the act.

Late night video watching.
Dylan's for Obama.
Me too
Crazy face
Bike shop sign
I framed the Parra poster.
Dylan not acting autistic at the market.
chickens
Liam explains it all.

Another cut

Liam was next up on the chopping block.

It's a good look.
Maybe a rat tail would be a better look.
Here i am cutting "public menace" into his hair.

Another painting day

We like to paint on Fridays a part of "school" for Dylan, with her French Language finals over Gretchen joined us this week. For some reason she thought a pre painting dance was called for.
Hard at work.

The dragon goes on before the unicorn and wizard.

Damn this lack of talent.
This is hard work and i haven't even begun the clean up yet.

Art Show

On sunday we went to a showing of local artist at 11 rue Pasteur on the top floor. We had to climb a winding staircase.
The check in for the show was a little elaborate.
"This is a Monkey" by someone known only as Liam.
Dylan drew a face with crazy hair i'm not sure what he's trying to say with all of the open space.
"Vermont" by Chloe.
Again by Chloe a mixed media tribute to Paris.
Sculpture arrangement by Liam.
The flier for the show.
A patron signing in.
The opening party.
One of the artists at the opening.

Time for a trim

It was decided last night that D needed a haircut i mean come on, it's a new America.
Can you even this out a little?
Wait a second, don't cut that yet.
Maybe we should go with the mullet.
The finished product.

Random janvier

Saint Ambroise
Street junk
Tiny motorcycle helmet
Frites are the perfect bribe.
Liam thought this bush thing looked like a giant's ice cream cone.

The song

Liam rushed out of school excited about a new song they had learned in french class. He wouldn't let me take pictures so i held the camera at my waist and shot away. He needed a moment to prepare.
Something about a rabbit.
and then a hunter with a gun...
The rabbit runs away...
at this point the hunter is looking for a deer...
the hunter learns a lesson or something.
and what do you think? It sounded pretty cool, it was all in French and Liam's explanation of the song didn't entirely make sense but there you have it.

I promise

Hmm, I've only taken one picture this week, this rainbow. It rained Monday and Tuesday but D and I caught this rainbow on the way home from dropping off the kids for school on Convention.

Natural History Monday

The plan was for D and I to meet Chloe's class at the Natural History Museum, did you know that there are two Natural History Museums within one block of each other? Neither did I, This is the wrong one.
We've just walked into a room full of bones, D doesn't know what to think.
Still taking it in.
Elephant.
Whale.
Cases full of bones.
Orangutan dissected and plasticized.
Jars of brains.
Hippos
Mr. Mastodon Farm
Dylan contemplates the mastodon.
D and the giant prehistoric bear.
Taking a short break.
Looking for Chloe.
D checking out the dinosaur room.
Wow.
And the horse wins by a nose. Is that a horse.
Monkey skulls.
Human skull
Gorilla skull.
Two headed lamb.
Cyclopes cat.
We finally made it to the right museum, Chloe was pleased.
Siblings.
Chloe draws a porcupine.
D and the hippo.
Dylan thought everyone was suppose to sit down.
Chloe and the girls.
It's a parade.
Elephants to the front.
Gare d' Austerlitz has really long escalators.
We beat the bus back to school.
D was tired.
While we were off at the museum Liam's class made king cake, he took his cooking spoon with him.

Saturday soldes

Gretchen and I got out to join in on the soldes madness, specifically we were looking for proper pillows. It was cold.
The lights are still up at the Marie.
I don't know when they take them down

We also stopped for groceries, i was happy.
Remember when we went to the Shepard Fairey show a couple months back and I took a picture of my favorite piece? I found a shirt of the piece for half off! And, icing on the cake, i've dropped a shirt size, hello large.
We bought pillows!! Even on sale they were hella expensive, but not as bad as the 72 euro pillows.
I didn't know what to do with my old crappy french pillow so i put it on my forehead to keep it warm, G thought it was funny.

Flag burning

Gretchen and I wandered into another protest on Saturday. This one was about the Israel/Palestine mess. Apparently about 3000 Palestinian supporters were marching, we got there just in time for the traditional burning of the American flag. I was a little too nervous to take many pictures. Look closely, beside the guy on the bike is the Palestinian flag, above that is a burning American flag.
There were also several hundred police. We didn't stick around.

Cooker

Santa put a spoon in Liam's stocking this year. Liam has decided he wants to be a cooker. He also wants white cooker clothes.
We had a long talk about it the other day. Liam doesn't want "the man who writes things down"(the waiter) to take food out to the customer, he wants to. I asked him what he would make and he said, "customer's choice", I kid you not.

afternoon paint

Dylan waits for inspiration to strike.
And he's off.
I worked on my snake. Gretchen says i cannot hang it up.
Thanks for the new paint set Hillary.

This is not unusual here.

A week of stuffs

Dylan had two days of waiting for the other kids in the snow.
He kept it moving to keep warm.
Liam lost a glove and ended up wearing mine.
It was so cold on Tuesday that D ate his cheese sandwich on the fly, we were worried it would freeze before we made it home.
Snow!! Le Bataclan is the colorful building in the background.
Weird, an empty corridor in the metro. It reminds me of the shots of an empty London in 28 Days Later.
Dylan rocking the new ipod while he waits.
Liam on the ice. This time wearing one of my back up gloves.
Somedays Dylan likes to laze about in bed.
Lots of work and fights were focused on the new puzzle. This is not a fight. Liam got into the habit of putting pieces in his pocket that he didn't want Chloe to use, seems logical.

This is how cold it was in the apartment this week, the glass ceiling is a blessing but mostly a curse.
More puzzle time.
Liam actually asked for a haircut.
Double thumbs for the result.
And double thumbs for the completion of the puzzle.
Finally done.
Getting down to the MGMT video for Time to Pretend, Liam love the part where the dude rides the cat.
Gretchen took a picture of my awesome new camera, thanks Co!

Couple days

Liam wearing the new pjs and holding Dylan's new videos.
Liam at the outer door of the building, rue Pasteur is just outside.
This guy has been getting up all over the 11th.
Christmas is over.
The Dragons decided to take a bath.
he little one on the spoon is Drowaah, he is actually a dinosaur but don't tell Liam that. And yes, that is his new cooking spoon because he is now a "cooker"
Dylan.
Liam mid stim.
This is what we were greeted with this morning, snow!!
Chloe book in hand.
By the time D and I dropped off the kids and made it back to the 11th the streets looked like this. As i write the snow is falling even heavier.
St. Ambroise from the bathroom window.

January Christmas

The last christmas box reached us on the second. Mario pajamas were a huge hit.
Dylan had a little trouble with the yarn.
Liam works the presents, Dylan is still working on that yarn in the background.
Dylan reporting the events to Mama.
That's a load of dragons.
Caleb's new shirt.

More scoots

Liam rolling, that is snow behind him.
Chloe on board.
Liam taking a break.
Dylan takes a turn.
Liam takes a break to run down some pigeons.
Job well done. Don't worry those birds behind him will get theirs.
That's right, Liam has discovered that he can chase down pigeons on his scooter.
I'll spare you the other two dozen pictures of him running down pigeons oh his scooter.

New Years Rock

We had to make a sweet sign for New years.
Chloe decided it was a hat occasion.
Dylan wasn't sure about his headwear.
Liam working on the sign, he insisted that the hippo be wearing a hat and have paper on its back.
Dylan decided the hat was cool.

Liam had to check his out in the bathroom mirror.
We had a good spread.

Becca even got a hat.
Even with the chin strap Liam had a hard time keeping his hat on.

Chloe breakin it down for Becca.
I was also having a good time.
a very good time.
Dylan started getting tired.
Caleb rocked most of the evening.
Gretchen appreciated the sign.
Becca had never experienced the awesomeness of Schoolhouse Rocks.
Here they are doing the fives.
Yes Liam has a hippo on his hat and Gretchen can't keep up.
At some point there was dancing.
As it got closer to midnight there were just a few of us wearing party hats.
Without smiling Liam explains the hippo.
Liam had to check his watch for the countdown.
Happy New Year!!


This is moments before someone started winging confetti at people.

Whoa, time for bed.

Randomness in the last year

Plastic wrap on a grand scale.
Gretchen at the market on a cold and icy day.
Another shot of the plastic wrap, i'm guessing that the fish stall behind it put it up because earlier in the day it had been blowing and raining. That mesh thing is a vent for the metro.
Amelie and Gretchen went somewhere.
Liam schoolhouse rocks while D lurks pantless.
Becca, Julian and Gretchen went down to tourist central the Champs Elysees.
Becca and the Arc.
Lights and traffic.
Gretchen not waiting for a cab.