A quick update...list form..

Owen is getting soo big!

This month has been extremely busy for us! We are still getting adjusted to our new surroundings, and wishing we could all speak french fluently. That would help a ton! It is difficult when you are in a new place with so much to learn about the area and how things work, but then to add the extra work of trying to translate basic knowledge things into English can make for an exhausting day. For example cleaning supplies...how much do you mix in with how much water? What do I look for when I need to buy Hydrogen Peroxide? ( I still have yet to find it, I think they sell it in the Pharmacie). It is, as I said, difficult, but with great challenges come great rewards, right?  We are still excited to be learning all of these new things, and are trying to enjoy the challenges as well...some days are good, others, well, we won't go there. ( For those of you that do pinterest, there is a correlation between the number of pins and the type of day I'm having :)  ).   On to our list of current events in the Flamm family.

1. With the help of a wonderful neighbor, Christine, we have been able to enroll Kylee and Carson in the local Maternelle. We will see how it goes for them.
2. We visited the Maternelle for a school carnival, and met another American mom with son that will be in Kylee's class.
3. We have also made friends with some mothers who are french, but speak English very well. We will be getting together with them to hopefully form some type of french/english play date.  They would like to keep their and their children's english skills current, and I would like our family to learn more french. I have my first play date on the 11th of July.  One of the mothers has a sons Carson's age and a daughter's Kylee's age.  These children only speak french, but it will be good for Kylee and Carson to interact with them as they will be going to school with them.
4. Unpacking is quite the feat with two busy toddlers, and an even busier 9 almost 10 month old who wants to get into everything, and who thinks he wants to start walking.
5. Going to the grocery store with Eve, a member of the church, was , believe it or not, fun for me. She showed me different ingredients and how I can use them.
6. Trying new cheeses. We have not ventured out to much in this area yet, but we have tried camembert, the brie cheese here, the comte, and a few others. Still have yet to find one that the children will eat.
7. Baking is different here because of the variety of flours and sugars.  My first attempt to make cookies was somewhat successful. I like a chewy moist cookie, but my usual recipe turned out flat, crispy pancake cookies.  They tasted good, but not the texture I like. With a few more tries, I think I will be able to come up with something better :).
8. Carrefour markets on Saturday are C-R-A-Z-Y!  Think of a packed day at Costco (superbowl weekend), and then double the crazy, and you have the Carrefour Market in Montesson.  I could barely maneuver my shopping cart without bumping into someone.  Ridiculous.
9. I had my first rude encounter with an old french man at the market.  I was with Christine, our nice neighbor, who was pointing out the various cheeses to try, when this man came from behind me and was pushing me with his shopping cart.  At first I thought it was an accident, but when he persisted, I was quite annoyed! Then as we were checking out, the same unpleasant french man was behind Christine and I in line. He persistently and rudely nudged Christine into me, and in front of us was a woman with a baby in a stroller.  No where to go!  According to Christine that is usually the behavior of Parisians and often the older generation.  They have a thing about waiting in line...they don't like it, so watch out!
10. Our bathrooms don't have outlets...blah!
11. Our bathrooms don't have cupboards...blah!
12. We do not have a linen closet...blah!
13. Our towels and sheets are in a box under the sink, waiting to find a nice home.  It is common to move into a house without cupboards in the bathroom and kitchen.  So we were very lucky to find a home with an already built in kitchen :)
14. Our street has a lot of expats from the UK and a very kind Swedish Family.  I think one of my favorite things is when the neighbors ring our bell and ask if Kylee and Carson can play in their english accents.  They sound soo refined!
15.Went to the musical festival in Paris.
16. Sunday drives in Versailles
17. We are loving the 90 cent baguette from our local bakery
18 Picard, a french frozen food chain...very yummy things at decent prices :)
19.Attending a Relief Society Fireside South of Paris to listen to Sister Reeves speak. 4 hours of driving for 45 minutes of listening.  It was a fun evening, and I was able to learn more french.  Everybody has been super helpful!
20. Trying to plan day trips. We will be going to the Loire Valley this weekend
21. I love that Kylee and Carson play together.  They have their bad days with lots of fighting, but on a whole, they are great play buddies!
22. Purchasing a vacuum was a long process (again with the translation adding more time), but we are very happy with our purchase.
23. I never knew that a garbage can could bring me such peace! Owen has been getting into everything, including the garbage, and here you have to separate it out.  So we had three small garbage cans. One for trash, one for cardboard and plastic, and one for glass. These three garbage cans were placed on our kitchen counters ( I know, GROSS, but I think I chose the lesser of two evils...Owen eating garbage or garbage cans on kitchen counters).  So, when we were at Carrefour market we came across one garbage can that had three separate compartments, and a lid.  We hit the jackpot of garbage cans.  It is not that aesthetically pleasing, but oh, how I love it!
24. The humidity in Croissy Sur Seine.  I am not a big fan of feeling sticky.
25. Enjoying listening to a Frenglish book with daniel.  It's a different approach to learning the language.
26. Loving this brand in France bonne maman
27. Daniel and I have been praying for a smooth transition since we made the decision to come here, and the Lord has blessed us by placing many people in our path to help us in getting settled and staying sane :).