The Adventures of the Matlocks

A chapter is complete...

2011-12-09T02:55:00.007+01:00

I realized that it has been one year since my last post. Talk about procrastination! A lot has happened over the last 365 days.... a transatlantic move, travels, new school, new job, new house, new neighborhood, a new life really. Our life in Europe seems so distant now, as we have been sucked in to the highs and lows of suburbia. Gone are the cobblestone streets and boutiques, replaced by culdesacs and Target. There are aspects that I miss dearly from France (baguettes!) others things that are best left behind (constant struggle to communicate).

The three years in France were full of adventure. We left Virginia practically newlyweds and returned to the States as a family of 4. While in Europe, we were able to visit over 14 countries, conquering most "The Matlock Way", through food and drink. Our two beautiful daughters have French birth certificates. We lived in the middle of "Vieux Lille" (the old town) and experienced city life. One car was all we needed. Lifelong friendships were made with people from countries around the globe. Our French went from non existent to fairly functional. A new love of strong coffee and outdoor marches (markets) developed.

It is truly amazing at the speed in which three years passed. As I sit here trying to create closure to this blog, I cannot help but reflect on what I gained from our time among the French. It is impossible to sum it up in a tiny little blurb. I grew as a person, as a wife, as a mother. I realized that the more I traveled, the more there was to see. My culinary world was broadened and I found a deep love for food and somehow my palate became braver (bone marrow, escargot). Relationships can be created with anyone because we all have a need to belong and be loved, some are just trickier to cultivate. Through it all, God was faithful and provided for us more than I could have ever fathomed.

This next phase of life in New England contains its own story, another chance to be stretched and challenged. An oppurtunity to enjoy the four seasons, family, big cities, back country roads and English speakers!

Au Revoir France.

Salut to the next chapter in life...

On the Table

2010-12-04T05:26:00.001+01:00

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Pool Shark

2010-12-04T05:25:00.001+01:00

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bath time x 2 (accidentally)

2010-11-11T10:20:00.001+01:00

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Airplace Rice

2010-11-11T10:18:00.001+01:00

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Bag Lady

2010-11-11T10:16:00.001+01:00

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My little Helper

2010-11-11T10:15:00.001+01:00

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Kayden and her Babies

2010-11-11T10:14:00.001+01:00

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Teatime with daddy

2010-10-18T18:54:00.001+02:00

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Annika actually does do something!

2010-10-18T18:53:00.001+02:00

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A day in the life...

2010-10-16T16:56:00.001+02:00

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Fun with Clay

2010-10-16T16:51:00.001+02:00

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attempts to smile

2010-10-16T15:57:00.001+02:00

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Sweet Girls

2010-10-16T15:42:00.001+02:00

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Potential Athlete?

2010-08-17T21:01:00.002+02:00

Wondering if she has any potential powder puff or soccer skills...

Testing out the Crib

2010-08-16T21:43:00.002+02:00

Kayden thought it would be a good idea to test out the durability of her sister's new crib.

My Little "Helper"

2010-08-15T22:50:00.002+02:00

Kayden thinks it is so fun to "vacuum". Now if I could only train her to do it properly, my house would be spic and span!

Please!

2010-08-12T19:44:00.002+02:00

Someone please give me a ride!!!!

Puddles

2010-08-11T16:06:00.006+02:00

At the park today, Kayden discovered the only puddle in all of Lille. After "gently" putting her toes in it, she decided to jump up a storm and then sit in it. At this point, she was completely soaked so I said, what the heck, I will give her a bath when we get home. She loved the puddle and kept chasing a little boy around it. The fun stopped when a homeless man came and washed his hands in the puddle. Kayden looked at him as if to say, what are you doing, then followed his lead and "washed" her hands too. Strange. I made the executive decision at this point to take my wet child home.

Reunion

2010-08-10T21:06:00.006+02:00

Over the weekend, 2 precious friends came to visit and explore Lille. Andrea and I met while working together in CT and became close friends. Jolene was my wonderful roommate on Mercy Ships over 3 years ago. We had all worked and hung out together in Ghana on Mercy Ships 3 1/2 years ago, but had not been all in the same place since. What a treat to be able to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world and show them my little slice of France. We just hung out, shopped, meandered the back allies and markets of Lille and had much needed catch up time. I feel so so blessed to have spent my weekend with these beautiful ladies.

Kayden LOVED being a part of the girl weekend with "Joely" and "Di"

Free samples at the market

Fresh fruit anyone?

Mommy- daughter bonding in Paris

2010-08-07T15:37:00.014+02:00

Kayden and I headed down to Paris for an overnight mommy daughter bonding trip. My good friend Claire was in town with her son so we were able to have some wonderful hang out time. It was refreshing to be with an old friend who is in a similar place in life (has a toddler, pregnant, husband is deployed, used to live in France, now lives where we did in NY). We wandered the streets, braved the Metro with a stroller (NO esculators or elevators), shopped, picnic in the park and amazing ice cream.

Blowing kisses to dada before getting on the train in Lille

Our garden picnic in Tivoli Gardens by the Louvre

Not allowed to play on the grass!!!! Rip off!!!

Theo and Kayden needing moral support from each other during shoe shopping

Splashing in the fountain at Centre Pompidou

Ice cream break!

Pretty sure the hotel had Kayen sleep in the linen cart

Our morning walk to the Arc de Triumph

Place de Concord

Kayden crying in our final Metro station because A) The wheel fell off the stroller B) the train was so crowded we had to wait for the next one C) French BO is HORRIBLE!! D) She did not want to say good bye to her buddy Theo

Too cool for the car

2010-08-05T20:03:00.001+02:00

On our trip to Chievre for groceris, Kayden thought she was super cool with her glasses.

A little Silly

2010-08-04T22:32:00.002+02:00

Bath time silliness

Eastern Europe

2010-06-08T15:16:00.032+02:00

We took Eastern Europe by storm with a 2 week road trip through the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. The trip was amazing, despite dealing with floods, hurricane winds, torrential down pours, horrible maps and wrong turns and a cooped up cranky toddler. Here are some pictures to show the journey.

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic- the main square. Love the colorfulness

Incredible dessert made by wrapping dough around a metal looking rolling pin and roasting it over a fire. Yum yum.

View from church tower in Czesky Krumlov

The castle gardens, beautiful in spite of the rain

View of Czesky Krumlov

Outside of our B and B

Budapest, Hungary- a gorgeous city!

The boat ride we took on the Danube River- great way to see the sites and stay dry in the horrible rain!

View of the bridge in Budapest from our hotel window

Budapest, Hungary

Date night! We hired a baby sitter through the hotel and had a night out to ourselves. It was WONDERFUL!

Looking down from the cathedral steps in Budapest

Steps up to the castle in Krakow, Poland

Main square in Krakow- notice we are always under gray skies with rain galore!

FLOODS!!!! Krakow was under a lot of water with bridges shut down and roads completely submerged under merky, muddy flood waters

Jewish area in Krakow

Random pianos on display throughout Krakow

Castle in Krakow

FINALLY sun in Prague!! In the main Old Town Square, a giant TV screen was set up to broadcast the hockey championships.

Prauge- view of the castle from across the river

Always active! Castle entrance in Prague

The buildings in Prague were incredible, pictures do not do them justice

Crossing over the Charles Bridge in Prague

More Prague- loving the sun!

The little fam

We were so lucky to meet up with Shane's sister in Prague. Her college choir was on tour in Prague, so we saw them sing and were able to spend some free time with Melissa. Kayden loved hanging out with her "MiMi"

Italy 2010

2010-04-13T19:04:00.016+02:00

For our Easter vacation, we took a 10 day trip to Italy, exploring Rome, Florence and Venice. It had been a dream for the both of us to see Italy, something we had talked about even before we were married. Having Kayden along made it a bit less romantic, but wonderful none the less!!

In Rome, our hotel was at the top of the Spanish steps, allowing for easy access to the rest of the city. We took Rome by storm, hitting up the Vatican, Colleseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon as well as other famous sights. We were both amazed at how integrated the ancient ruins were into the modern city. You turn a corner and then, boom, right in front of your face, lay a structure that had been around for 1000's of years. Incredible. And, of course, we had to have gelato every day and try as many flavors as our stomach's would allow. My favorite turned out to be kiwi. Yummy.

Florence was our next stop on our Italy 2010 tour. It had a completely different feel than Rome, with smaller winding streets, CROWDS galore, and quaint shuttered windows. We loved the river and the gorgeous bridges that linked the 2 sides of Florence. Our favorite day of our whole trip was in Florence. We wandered the streets, getting lost in the back allies and then headed up to a park with a look out point over the entire city. From there, we found a random path that took us into the hills of Tuscany. Amazing views and a fantastic time in nature. The day was finished with an INCREDIBLE dinner at "Il Latini", Rachael Ray's favorite restaurant in the whole world. (yes, I know, I am a dork for knowing this). All the food of our 5 course meal came from the owners farm, tasting fresh and fantastic. When can I go back??

Venice was our last stop. Our hotel was tucked away in the North East corner of Venice, among the locals. We loved this escape from the crowds and it allowed us to get a small taste of the non tourist part of Venice. Everywhere we walked seemed to be a photo op. We were both in awe of the place, a city that was built on mud 100's of years ago and still thriving today. Highlights included a gondola ride and a water bus ride down the main canal. I think I could have cruised the canals all day!!

We came away from the trip more in love with the Italian culture and food than ever before. The language is beautiful, the scenery amazing and the people were super friendly. Kayden was a rock star in the Italian's eyes- Old and young alike always stopped to pat her on the head, chat or wave, saying "Ciao Bella". She of course worked it, blowing kisses, waving hi and goodbye. This earned her free cookies, ice cream and candies.

Venice- Rialto Bridge

View from our "bus" ride

Gondola ride. Sadly, they do not sing anymore!

Kayden in "guck" heaven

St Marco Square

Canal by our hotel

Square in Florence

Dinner at Il Latini- Can you tell what animal Shane ate??

View from the park over looking Florence

Junk galore to purchase

Colleseum

Standing on the steps of St Peter overlooking the Vatican

Roman Forum

First glimpses of the Roman Forum

Piazza Navona

Making Valentines

2010-02-28T08:50:00.003+01:00

Here is a clip of Kayden attempting to paint with Jello. Notice she tries to brush her teeth with the brush instead :)

Chasing ducks...

2010-02-28T08:30:00.004+01:00

We strapped on Kayden's back pack and let her run after the "gucks". Who knew nasty pigeons could be so much fun!

2010-02-28T08:26:00.002+01:00

Kayden figured out how to master the bouncy thing at one of the Madrid parks.

2010-02-28T08:20:00.001+01:00

Kayden had fun mastering the slide in Madrid

Thoughts from Madrid...

2010-02-24T15:10:00.014+01:00

Some pictures from Madrid...

Unidentifiable fish tapas platter

Kayden has officially mastered the slide

Beautiful view near the castle

Old post office/ new town hall

Spanish love

Super yummy churros and chocolate

Fantastic castle courtyard (we couldn't take pix inside)

One of the many beautiful fountains in the old royal park

Kayden LOVED being on her leash. The Italians tourists loved her in return, yelling "Bella, bella"

Gorgeous park

We had an awesome time exploring the city of Madrid. The buildings were immaculately clean and beautiful while fountains frequently dotted the roadside. Here are some musings from our journey....

-When going on a trip, it is important to NOT leave the camera memory card in the computer back at home...
-Traveling with a 1 year old is challenging. Taking her to a art museum, not a great idea.

-The older Spanish ladies with money all seem to look the same- lots of hairspray, makeup and puffy fur coats

-FEW people speak English in Madrid

-When ordering an unknown tapas platter, be prepared to have a plethera of fish and octopus tentacles

-Asian and Italian tourists loved Kayden and followed her with cameras. Quite entertaining.

-Elevator ettiquette is lacking in Spain big time. Belgium too. Make that all of Europe.

-The baristas in Spain make excellent caramel macchiotos at Starbucks

-With a giant language barrior, be prepared to get milk when asking for tea (leche vs te?) and not receive what was thought ordered

-Churros and hot chocolate are amazing. The chocolate was almost as thick as Hershey's syrup, making for a perfect dipping sauce.

-Playing in the park with a one year old can be the high light of a trip when you see the joy shines on their face when let out of the stroller!

-Castles are incredible, but people used to have way to much money to waste.

In a nutshell...

2010-02-02T15:01:00.020+01:00

The holidays have come and gone and no blog updates have been posted. Ops! Life has been a bit on the busy side. December kicked off with a 2 week trip to Garmish, a small town in the German Alps. Shane had training here for 2 weeks, so I tagged along to eat the food and climb the mountains. We were able to take day trips to Munich and Innsbruck, Austria and conquered 6 different Christmas markets along the way.

For Christmas, we headed to the States for a month. Shane and I were able to get away for a night and headed to NYC to enjoy the magic of Christmas in the city. Christmas Eve was spent with my family and then rest of the break up in the mountains of NY. We were even able to squeeze in a trip for New Years Eve to old friends in Watertown, NY.

Shane had to head back to France for work, so I took off by myself to California for a fantastic mini girls reunion/ birthday celebration. It was incredible traveling without a baby!!

It is good to be back in France together as a family and I think we have all recovered from the busyness of the holiday season.

Here are pix from the last few months to tell our story!

Number one Chargers fan... even if they choked in the playoffs
Girls weekend minus Ber

So fun meeting up with Cath and Tam

Who said tubing in 0 degree weather was a bad idea? All you need is an orange suit

Kayden's adventures on the sled

Kayden and cousin Alex

3 generations of ladies

Kayden DID NOT like Santa

3 Men and a Little Lady

Opening gifts Christmas Eve

Rockafellar Christmas Tree

Kayden's first haircut

Stuttgart, Germany Christmas Market

Innsbruck, Austria

Munich, Germany

Germany

View from my hike

View from our balcony of the German and Austrian Alpes

Normandy

2009-12-01T09:24:00.009+01:00

Shane's parents came to visit and we were able to spend a long weekend in Normandy. We stayed at an amazing house tucked away next to a river and mill, reached only by a dirt road. The best part was that each night we were able to make a roaring fire. So cozy!

Our first day was spent visiting Mont Saint Michel, an old abbey over 1000 years old. It is on an island with only one road that twists and turns through the few store fronts. We were excited to try one of its famous fire roasted omelettes, until we saw that they were almost $50. CRAZY!!!

We all fell in love with the town Dinan, just over the border into Brittany. Perched high on a hill with cobble stone streets and half timbered house leading down to a river, we felt like we had walked into a fairy tale land.

The D Day beaches were a humbling experience. I kept gazing out over the sea, trying to invision the thousands of men riding in on the waves to fight for our freedom. Hard to imagine what our history would be like without the sacrifice.

Our pasties one morning from the local bakery

Omaha beach, American invasion point on D Day

American Cemetary at Omaha beach

Our cozy house

Slacking...

2009-11-20T21:00:00.018+01:00

The last month and a half has been very busy and I have been a major slacker in updating this blog! So, in a nutshell, here is our life in pictures!!

Stonehenge- we spent a week in England while my parents watched Kayden. A whole week to ourselves! Marvelous!

Bath

Our Amazing Bed and Breakfast. The food was wonderful, proving that all British food is not inedible.

Oxford, such a beautiful city. We ate at the Eagle and Child where C.S. Lewis and Tolken would gather and discuss their thoughts.

London Tower Bridge

London outside of the government building. A whole week in Southern England and not a drop of rain. SO lucky!

Tampa Bay vs New England game at Wembley Stadium in London. 6 of us from Lille went to the game, including my dad. Everyone wore whatever team jersey they had, so each team was represented in the 84000 plus crowd.

Giving hugs to her bear with bed head. Can she get any cuter?? Oh she can!!

Signing "more" and loving her books.

Cuddley bunny for Halloween. We went to a Halloween party for a little and she was asleep before the trick or treaters arrived.

Helping "unpack" while in Germany for Shane's hernia surgery. He is doing great!

Kayden and her best friend Emilie playing. Kayden first started walking while trying to chase after her buddy.

Decorations at Kayden's party

My beautiful one year old! Where did this last year go?? She brings so much joy to each and every day. God has blessed us incredibly with such a wonderful little Peanut. She had a "Pretty in Pink" party. Everyone wore pink and we had pink food. Fun!

Day trip to Ghent in Belgium

2 Years

2009-10-12T13:47:00.008+02:00

Last week Shane and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. The last 2 years have definately been action packed- 3 moves, 3 jobs, living in France, a baby. In the midst of the craziness, I have fallen more in love with Shane and know that there are a lifetime of anniversaries to celebrate in our futute. Shane, thanks for being my best friend, the person who I want to hold hands with the rest of my life.

Shane made our anniversary wonderfully special. He arranged for our neighbors to watch Kayden over night (we owe them big time!). Since he was away on training, I took a train down to Paris to meet him. The town Shane was staying in was called Chantilly. It was tucked away in the forest surrounded by many walking trails and a castle. He took me to eat in a castle that was hidden down a long winding road, nestled among the trees. So romantic! The food was incredible, the atmosphere romantic and the company superb.

Path into town

Royalty?

Horce race track in the back ground

The little things in life... make me smile

2009-09-24T09:19:00.005+02:00

The other day Kayden dug a little too deep into her toy box. Of course before rescuing her, I had to record it!

For her next trick, Kayden will be saying "hi" and waving.

Portugal

2009-09-18T10:07:00.004+02:00

To celebrate the end of summer, we spent a week in Southern Portugal. We rented a house with our neighbors that had a wonderful pool and central location, close to beaches and fantastic little towns. The week was spent exploring different beaches, golfing, heading to the spa for beauty treatments, relaxing with wine poolside and just enjoying the last few days of summer.

The beaches were beautiful. To our surprise, Kayden was incredibly scared by the first beach we went to. I think the crashing of the waves threw her off guard. She became more relaxed with each beach we visited and loved eating sand. Yum?

We were lucky enough to trade off babysitting nights with our friends and were able to go on a few romantic date nights by ourselves. What a treat! There is nothing better than watching the sun set over the ocean while eating amazing fish with the love or your life.

A highlight was going to the "End of the World". We visited the most south western tip of Europe, which at one time was thought to be where the world ended. It was crazy to look out at the vast expanse of ocean and think that hundreds of years ago, people had no idea other continents existed.

The house we stayed in was an adventure in itself. Our friends beat us home one day and found the old housekeeper cleaning the patio in her bra. Yipes. Geckos would come into the kitchen at night. No toilet paper was supplied. We ran out of water for a few hours after the pool guy refilled the water in the pool.

Our last day we ventured into Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The city had little cable cars all over, conquering the steep, San Fransico like streets. Many of the buildings were completely covered in small colorful tiles, making for incredibly exteriors. We went to the fortress that overlooks the city. The view was amazing and the history of the place dated back hundreds of years. Such a neat place!

Despite some issues with the house, the trip was perfect and relaxing. We would highly recommend Southern Portugal to anyone who wants to just soak up the sun in hidden beach coves and escape from modern day life into the twisting petite streets of old Portuguese villages.

Shhhh!

2009-08-30T20:55:00.002+02:00

Tonight as I was singing Kayden to sleep, she pulled out her binkie and tried to put it in my mouth. Twice!! I can take a hint. I know I am off key, but isnt she too young to tell :) The whole time she did this, she had the biggest smile on her face, pretty proud of herself for "inventing" such a fantastic game. Actually, she was probably just happy to be prolonging bedtime. What a silly peanut!

For the Grandparents

2009-08-14T10:36:00.005+02:00

Here are just a few video clips of the Peanut. Consider it a tiny glimpse into everyday life. She is too funny and getting to be such a good crawler!

USA

2009-08-12T10:07:00.014+02:00

We were able to spend 3 weeks in the wonderful USA this summer. While traveling between New York, Idaho, and Connecticut, we saw many family and friends. It was so fantastic being back on American soil, surrounded by nice English speaking people and to be back in a familiar culture. We will see you at Christmas! 4 more months!

Favorite ice cream in the world!!!

The Watertown crew- they just keep growing!

Ice Cream break with the cousins

On the boat after a "rough" day on the water

Hanging out with cousin Sydney and her diapers :)

4 beautiful generations

Kayden and Owie feed the ducks, cows and goats- or just hitch a free wagon ride

Baby shower for Turch and baby Lucas

Congrats to Jaman and Cristen!

One Year

2009-08-10T13:25:00.003+02:00

A year ago today we moved to France for Shane to work with NATO. As I reflect back over our year, so much has happened!

The biggest event was the birth of Kayden, the joy of our lives. Neither of us could have ever imagined how amazing parenthood would be. Though there are many stressful days where we want to ship her overseas to grandparents, a morning smile or an evening cuddle erase all of those frustrations.... Large doses of coffee help too!

Over the last year we have...

.... learned to somewhat navigate the French health care system and realized that sign language gets you far when trying to communicate.

.... improved on speaking and understanding French. With lessons 2x a week I should hope so! We are making an exciting break through- learning past tense. Woohoo!!!

.... made friends that have helped us adjust to life in Lille, translated for us, listened to our concerns and fears, and laughed with us as we all together struggle to understand French culture.

.... traveled to over 8 European countries and hope to add many more to that list

.... eaten massive amounts of French pastries and baguettes. Yum!

.... realized French cheese and sausage, are, well, interesting. Perhaps they grow on you?

.... been blessed by friends and family visiting.

.... learned to play Mario Cart wirelessly with friends in the USA, making the distance seem like nothing (less at least)

.... learned to appreciate the silence of not having TV and a baby sleeping.

.... found a church to attend (only one English speaking one in Lille)

.... realized that Nutella can go on anything and make it better

.... grown as a couple, weathering the ups and downs of marriage, a new baby and a crosscultural experience.

Over the last year, I realize that Lille has somehow become home. How and when did that happen, I have yet to figure it out. I know God has placed us here for 3 years. I find strength in knowing that He sets a path before me and always is by my side. When Shane first called me to tell me that we were moving to Europe, this song was playing on the radio. It has since become an anthem for my life...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life

I won't turn back

I know you are near

And I will fear no evil

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

Whom then shall I fear?Whom then shall I fear?

(Chorus:)Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

We'll live to know You here on the earth

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds onAnd there will be an end to these troublesBut until that day comesStill I will praise You, still I will praise You

Crawling!

2009-08-04T21:33:00.009+02:00

It has happened- Kayden is mobile! She has been doing a backwards type of crawl for over a month, but not really getting anywhere (obviously). While attempting to reach a toy, she would propel herself backwards, thus being further from her chosen destination. Needless to say, this led to many frustrating moments!

Over the last week, she has started to figure out the whole crawling fiasco. We left her in the living room during our French lesson the other day, only to hear something banging on the floor. She was attempting to lift my weights, which she had CRAWLED over to. It was in that moment we knew our lives had changed once again. Time to baby proof!!!

Her crawling is funny to watch. She has yet to master it- her right leg is still stuck underneath her bum. Too cute.

We are so in awe of God's gift to us in the form of Kayden. The moments of exhaustion fade away with her smile and giggles.

Here is a small taste of her crawling. I apologize for the poor camera work. It sure is hard getting an 8 month old to crawl on command.

Avoiding Reality

2009-07-29T00:45:00.003+02:00

Back in France. Yep, that is where I am. After 3 weeks of traveling around in the States, I find myself back in France.

Coming back to my own house has been nicer than I thought. The quiet is definately welcome, as well as being surrounded by my own things and sleeping in my own bed. The piles of laundry and unpacking, however, are not a handosme sight... I will eventually get everything put away. Just give me one more day to recover from jet lag. How long can I use that excuse???

I have concluded that I am avoiding the reality of living in France. During the past few days of being home, I have done as little as possible to interact with the outside French world. If I dont see them, hear them, then I can still pretend that I am just living in an extension of the States. Oh, the glorious USA, how I miss thee. Today I ventured out to the military base an hour away to buy groceries.... We could only live on frozen corn, toast and couscous for so long. By choosing to buy my food at the American military grocer (commissary) I once again did not have to deal with any potential need to speak French.

How long can this last? Maybe tomorrow I will venture out, embrace the Frenchies and dive back into the reality that this is my home for 2 more years. Or maybe not. Denial will have to work for now.

Spain Pictures

2009-07-27T09:55:00.024+02:00

Here is a photo journey of The Cousins Trip 2009 (hopefully the first annual). It started in France, took a detour into Belgium and ended in Spain.

Heading out to the market with Andrea and Kristen. It happened to pour on us... typical day in Lille

The Boys in front of the Citadel (Max, Shane, Brian, Mike)

Brugge

Gaudi's Park in Barcelona

Kayden's poopy pants on Brian's shirt.... too too funny. Our first tapa's restaurant in Barcelona. YUM

Gaudi's Apartment building roof top

Barcelona street

CANDY!!!! at the market in Barcelona... We let her have one of everything.

The view from the fort in Barcelona

Shane practicing his security guard moves

Look out world

Kayden and Brian enjoying appropriate sized beverages

Gorgeous fountains in Barcelona

The awesome fountain light show

The manny

Las Ramblas- one crazy street

La Sagrada Familia

My Love/ Hate Relationship with Travel

2009-06-27T11:53:00.006+02:00

As I was getting ready to fly to Barcelona last week, the title to this blog popped into my head and I started taking multiple mental notes on what to chronicle. Little did I know how much the chasm between loving and hating traveling would grow.

Take the airport for instance. I love the easy access to fly any where and everywhere. Yet it is also a point of major stress. It drives me nuts when different people at the counter let things slide while others dont (ie weight limit). I have found a trick- put Kayden on the counter and with one smile, my grossly overweight bag travels free of charge. The securtity line. Do I take my shoes off or leave them on? On this past trip to Barcelona, the security people made me try the Benadryl I was traveling with because it was 4 oz, but let a full bottle of water pass through. Make sense? Nope. You got to love the people who stand in line an hour before the flight takes off, even when they have assigned seats. Typically, even if their seat assignments are the last to be called, they stand blocking the line, creating mass chaos to get on the plane.

Lets not forget about the crazy priced airport food. You practically have to take money out of saving to feed our small little family at the airport. At the same time, the Pizza Hut guy at the Brussels airport made sure my pregnant cousin had the last box of pizza before closing and through in free chicken wings.

Once one boards the airplane, a whole other dynamic of extremes is explored. For instance, who are the people who think it is ok to yell and jump over seats the WHOLE ENTIRE 2 HOUR FLIGHT. It drives me nuts when travelers act like they are 5 instead of 35. How hard is it to understand- electronics off, seat up, safety belts fastened, tray tables away. This apparently seems to be an incredible difficult concept for some to grasp.

As you can tell, our trip getting to Spain was a bit of a headache. It was actually the worst flight I had ever been on due to the incredibly small seating fit only for Barbie size people, and even then, they would not have been able to stretch their legs. As well as the insanely loud people surrounding us who thought is was a great idea to clap and yell and hit each other at various moments on the flight. Grrr.

Once in Spain, we stayed in an amazing apartment in the heart of Barcelona. It was a beautiful city, with many incredible sights. Gaudi' apartments and park were some of my favorite for their originality and beauty. Tapas and sangria were a common craving as well as anything cold (ice cream!) as it was much warmer than any of were used to. The trip definately ranked Barcelona up there with my top cities in the world. The people were super friendly and the whole place was easy to navigate by foot or metro. An true highlight was that there was a Starbucks at the bottom of our apartment. A glorious sight!!!

One damper of the trip was that my purse was stolen our first day out. I had set it at my feet while eating at an outdoor cafe and then next thing I knew it, the purse and its contents (video camera, wallet, credit cards, cell, passports) had vanished. We reported it to the police and got new passports at the American Consulate. Apparenlty purse snatching is a HUGE problem in Barcelona. If I had only known before... No money was lost b/c Shane had the cash and nothing was put on our credit cards. The heart breaking part was more just loosing the camera and the memories of Kayden. I was reminded that the important things in life are really my family and friends and the God has truly blessed me with incredible sets of both.

Austria and Slovakia

2009-05-30T19:41:00.015+02:00

A definate benefit to living in France is the easy access to travel. When we found out that Shane had a 5 day weekend, we looked for the cheapest flights we could find to a bunch of various destinations. Austria turned out to be our best choice and away we flew!

Vienna was a beautiful city. It was clean, had gorgeous old buildings, tons of history, huge parks, multiple Starbucks, amazing food and super nice people. For instance, we were looking at our map, trying to find Mozarts house when a little old lady saw us. She not only showed us on the map where the house was, she walked us to it. Now thats customer service! The weather was perfect- sunshine in the upper 70's. We even got a little tan, which has yet to happen in Lille :) On our continueing quest for culture (insert wink here), we went to the Belvedere museum. It was a rich man's giant old summer vacation mansion. The city of Vienna has converted it into an art museum. At the time of our visit,we saw an exhibit of Mucha's work and the general art gallery. This museum actually had the original of "The Kiss" by Klimt. Kayden seemed to enjoy the art too, testing out her new sounds (dadada, bababa, t-t-t-t) in the nice quiet rooms.

Our next stop was Slovakia. We took the train from Vienna to Bratislava and stepped into a different world. Slovakia was under communist rule up until 1989. Though it has experienced tremendous economic growth since, the remenants of hard times remain. The actual city of Bratislava was clean with older buildings, on the river Danube and once again, had wonderfully nice people. A castle perched on a hilltop overlooked the city. Unfortunately, the castle was under restoration so we were unable to see the inside. Yet the views from the hilltop overlooking the city were quite spectacular. We were so happy in Bratislava, discovering the richness that Eastern Europe had to offer and enjoyed scrumtrulescent food and sights. An added bonus, it was a bit cheaper than other countries we had visited.

Vacation was great and it was hard to return back to the reality and routiene of our every day lives. One fun fact I learned upon our return that I care to share.... Vienna is ranked among the top 5 best cities to live in the world. Having visited Vienna and many other places around the world, I can fully understand this honor.

Walking over the Danube River, Bratislava in the background

View from the castle over looking the city

Opera in Bratislava

Part of the Hofberg Complex, the former emperor's residence (Vienna)

Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain and Soviet Monument commemorating the Russian liberation of Vienna

Karlskirche, dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, patron saint of the plague

Kayden's first swim in a pool!

Stephansdom church- dedicated to the first martyr, Steven, in the heart of Vienna

Eating Out

2009-05-26T15:24:00.005+02:00

Our favorite restaurant in town is a small Italien place called "Chez Guissepe". We have been going here about once a month since before Kayden was born. They have a small menu but every item is amazing and the pasta is made fresh as you wait. The waiters are familiar and friendly with us and we manage to communicate fairly well... on a good day.

ANYWAYS, today I took my friend there for lunch, promising her an excellent meal. As we turned on to the street, I realized the restaruant sign was no longer there. WHAT!!! How could they get rid of my favorite place!!! Then I realized that it was still there, just under a new name. AND the food was the same. The food was incredible but Kayden did not want to sit still. Also, high chairs are not common in France, so it was my lap or the stroller. She was squirming all over, whining and having "stranger anxiety" towards my friend. In my mind, I thought, how the heck am I going to survive this meal! Waiter to the rescue! Our favorite server took Kayden and brought her around the restaurant. She was giggling and having a blast. He showed her off at every table, toured her around the kitchen and held her until I was done eating. He has to do 2 rounds around the place. It was so fun to watch, as well as finish a meal. They have kept my business, even if they changed the name!

6 months

2009-05-18T13:00:00.006+02:00

Today Kayden is 6 months old. Half a year. Wow. How did that happen?

As I think about the last 6 months, I am blown away by how much Kayden has changed. Her daily new discoveries never cease to amaze me. When did she go from a completely helpless infant to a bustling little baby? Though she still is dependent upon us, her little personality is starting to emerge. Always chattering away, her new sounds are "dadadada, bababbaba, t t t t t," as well as just yelling while strolling on cobblestone since her voice becomes quivery. She loves holding her own bottle, attempting to turn the pages in her books, playing in her "office/ activity center", putting her binky in and out of her mouth, applesauce and bananas, Phase 10 playing cards, being with other kids and morning cuddle time. (I love cuddle time too!)

Each night before Shane and I go to sleep, we have "Peek on Peanut" time. We sneak into her dark room and just stare at her in the crib. It is one of my favorite moments of the day when together we stand in awe and joy over our precious daughter. Last night I was overcome by the thought of how Jesus does the same to us, smiling at His creation, enjoying what He has made. I felt like I had a small glimpse of the intense love that He has for me, for Kayden. What a gift I have been given to share this love with Kayden.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Kayden Joy!

The bear and doll have nothing on me now!!

Good times with Mom

2009-05-16T09:58:00.006+02:00

These past two weeks have been filled with "hang out with mom time." She came out for 10 days to keep me company while Shane was gone on a training exercise. Of course, being with Kayden was the main draw!

It was so nice to have her here. Last time she came to visit, I had just come home from the hospital after giving birth and was a bit less inclinced to show her the sights of Lille and beyond. This trip, we were able to explore my town and its many walking paths. We also took day trips to Brugge, Belgium and a tulip show at a castle near Brussels. Even though we did get out of the house, mom's main focus was being with Kayden every second. Kayden sure misses her constant attention. I miss the extra time I had on my hands! An added bonus was that Mom was here for Mother's Day. How fun to have 3 generations of women together!

I feel so blessed to have been able to spend this "girl bonding" time with mom. We ate loads of chocolate and just enjoyed being together, with great talks and laughter. God has given me a wonderful mother, whom I admire and love.

So, mom, when do you come again??

Mother's Day in Lille

Wine Tasting!!!

2009-04-29T10:12:00.011+02:00

We were lucky and blessed to have Dan and Lindsey come visit us for a 5 days. It was so nice to see familiar faces and fun to show them our Lille favorites.

A highlight of our time with the Decloss' was our road trip to Eastern France to taste the wines in the Alsace region. Nestled between vineyards and mountains, we stayed in the town of Riquewihr. Dating back from the 1500's, Riquewihr was full of cobblestone streets and half timbered houses, - so quaint! Our apartment we rented was actually in the old wall of the city. Here, we were able to taste many wonderful white wines, challenging our developing wine palates with new flavors. The wildlife in the area was abundant- Lindsey and Dan had a family of wild boar cross their path while running. Needless to say, they ran right home!

After following an extremely windy road up the mountain, we reached "Le Haut Koenigsbourg" castle. It is perched on top of the mountain, with views of the Black Forest, Alps and Alsace region on a clear day. The scenery was incredible! The castle itself seemed more like a fortress and had been restored back to its 1500's glory in the early 1900's.

Saying good bye to Dan and Turch was so sad :( They are missed already. On our way home from wine tasting, Shane and I stopped in Luxembourg for lunch. Check another tiny country off our list! White asparagus is the spring delicacy of the region, so we ordered some at a restaurant to see what all the hype was about. To me, it tasted just like the green stuff.

We eagerly await our next set of visitors to putter around Europe with.... hint hint hint!!

Family picture from the front of the castle, Kayden is very interested ;)

Luxembourg!

Part of the castle

Mini me's???

The vineyards up the hill from where we stayed

A pit stop on our way up the mountain

Road Rage

2009-04-17T14:59:00.008+02:00

I hate French drivers. Belgian ones too. As I drove around today, a rage for these European drivers grew with in me. It was cold, foggy, and rainy today with poor visiblity. This didnt stop them from constantly tailing me, flying by at 90 miles an hour or forgetting to put on their turn signals until halfway into my lane, if using them at all.

Apparently in town, you can make your own parking spot. Anywhere you like is suitable, on the side walk, in the middle of the road (just try to remember to put on your blinkers) or diagnolly across 3 spots. Oh, and dont forget the odd rule that people entering into traffic from the right have the right away. What? How does that make sense?

I will stick to walking as much as possible, thank you very much.

On a happy note, here are some pix from the last few sunny days and Easter weekend! Our little Peanut always makes a rainy day brighter.

Food, Glorious Food

2009-04-08T09:31:00.004+02:00

This past weekend, we gave Kayden her first tastes of "real" food. I don't know if extremely watered down rice cereal counts as a scrumptous treat, but a kid has to start somewhere. Needless to say, it was quite the experience. Kayden had her own spoon to play with as we tried to gracefully feed our 4 1/2 month old mush. Our hopes are that some food actually made it to her tummy. Have no fear, we will perservere!

Today

2009-04-01T15:55:00.004+02:00

Today is a good day. No, a great day. The sun is finally shining without a cloud in the sky, the thermometer reading a balmy 59 degrees. Kayden and I went for a long walk along the river, breathing in the smells of spring. Trees were blossoming with pink flowers. Daffodils covered the grass. Kayakers were conquering the calm waters, stirring a longing within me to buy a kayak and join in the fun. Do those come with baby seats? Meandering through Lille, I found myself at an outdoor cafe at the "Grand Place". While sipping my "grand cafe au lait" I was able to people watch and just truly enjoy being in France. I took Kayden out of her stroller to observe the scenary and she just could not stop smiling and talking. My little city baby is not used to the wind in her hair and the sunshine in her face! Tonight, Shane and I are off to our favorite restaurant for some home made pasta and Italian wine. A perfect way to end a beautiful day.

So fast

2009-03-26T14:15:00.004+01:00

4 months have passed since Kayden was born. Wow, does time fly or what! She all of a sudden has become a world traveler, been able to grasp things, grab my hair and necklace (fun times), play on the floor by herself for extended periods of time, nap almost regularly, "stand" when being held and smile even more. And in my humble, non biased opinion, she just gets cuter and cuter.

We saw the doctor yesterday, and drumroll please, she has gained 5 pounds in 6 weeks. weighing in at the grand total of 12 lb 4oz. The doctor was really impressed with her growth, saying she looked good. She even rolled over for him. It is crazy to me that we also got the go ahead for rice cereal and beyond. Yipes, it's that time already! Am I mentally prepared for "real" food? We will soon find out!

Home Sweet USA

2009-03-23T10:31:00.021+01:00

6 flights. 3 time zones. Numerous visits to friends and family. Amazing.

Kayden and I spent the last 3 weeks treking across the ocean to CT, NY, CA, and ID. We were two busy ladies! I was a bit apprehensive traveling alone with a baby, but Kayden was a rockstar, adapting easily to our new settings and time zones. She has saved her breakdowns for being home in France- please sleep through the night!

Being back in the States was the breath of fresh air that I needed to survive the rest of the winter. At first I was completely overwhelmed with everyone speaking English and actually being friendly! What a treat! The stores had me wide eyed and trying to absorb the sights and smells of the mall and Super Target. Got to love the American need for excess! Oh how I miss it already.

We were lucky to spend time with both sets of grandparents, all enamoured with Kayden. It was so fun to see them interact with her and help out with diaper changes, feedings, along with some babysitting so I could have free time. Yeah! My parents and Shane's both agreed that I could just leave Kayden at their homes and return to France alone. Dont think Shane would have approved of me showing up without his baby girl! Shane's grandma did not know we were coming, so we surprised her with a knock on the door and just walked into the living room. She was speechless, just staring at us. Later, she said she thought she was imaginging things!

My brother let us spend the night at his bachelor pad. So, it became a remake of "3 Men and a Baby". Kayden is lucky to have such an adoring uncle!

For 2 days, Ber had 4 of us with babies in tow invade her home, creating what felt like a church nursery. It was a blast and madness all at the same time with 5 babies ranging from 3 months to 8 months. Of course, they all broke down right when the lasagna came out of the oven! I feel so blessed to have incredible friends to share the adventures of mommyhood. On this trip, Kayden and I met 8 new babies and saw 4 baby bumps! Tis the season for babies!

Thanks to everyone who made the time to hang out and let me crash at their homes. I loved seeing each and every one of you. Kayden was so excited to meet all of her mommy's friends as well! I miss you all and look forward to the next time we can be together. God has truly blessed me by putting absolutely amazing friends and family in my life who I can laugh with, share my hopes and fears and just be myself.

The Baby Reunion

Good times in San Diego with the DuFour's

Kayden and cousin Owen.

Kayden hanging out with her brand new friend (liteally, 36 hours old) Elliana

Cousin Sydney, just 2 days older than Kayden

Searching for sunshine

2009-02-27T10:18:00.007+01:00

The winter in Lille has dragged on with one cloudy , drizzly, cold day after another. I have begun to wonder if the sun even exists. Please, say it does! The dreary days suck the life out of you and make you want to curl up on the couch and never leave. In an attempt to shake off the winter blues, Shane and I took a trip up to Amsterdam last weekend.

Our weekend trip was a much needed getaway. The Dutch speak excellent English and are much more friendlier than the French, which was such a welcome break! We explored the back allies and canals and enjoyed strolling the streets. To continue our search for culture, we went to the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. Both were very interesting and essential Amsterdam sights. Our favorite moments centered around food, of course. The Pancake Bakery makes massive pancakes with more fillings and toppings than you could ever dream- ice cream, whip cream, fruit, nuts, chocolate carmel. Dessert pancakes were the most important to me on the menu, but some also had meat, veggies, and cheese. Yum yum.

The infamous red light district was quite disturbing. Yes, there were prostitutes in windows and multiple "coffeeshops" to buy pot. But more disturbing were the multiple large groups of men gawking and visiting these places. It hurt my heart to see such sadness and people searching for temporary fullfillment.

So, did we find the sunshine in Amsterdam? Nope. Not one itty bitty ray. It was worth it and we plan to go back when the flowers are blooming and leaves are on the trees. Afterall, what is a trip to Holland without seeing some tulips?

2 weeks = 2 pounds!

2009-02-25T13:04:00.005+01:00

Two weeks ago we had quite the scare at Kayden's well baby check up. After weighing her, we realized she was not packing on the pounds as she should and the doctor was very worried. He felt that there may be some milk allergy or other problem and referred us STAT to a pediatric GI specialist for testing, afraid that if this slow weight gain continued, there would be "brain damage." Those words obvioulsy scared the crap out of us. This was a tricky thing, due to the fact that the GI doc has no openings until this summer. After writing a franctic email to my OB regarding the situation, he pulled some strings and we were able to see the doc within 4 days. He examined her and felt that the problem was not something metabolic, but rather that she needed the supplemental nutrition of formula. By this point, she had already gained a pound! We were so releaved to hear that our precious, perfect (in our eyes!) baby would be ok. He had us rent a scale (they do that a lot in France) and weigh her every morning...

SO yesterday marked the 2 week point of "Operation Fatten Kayden". When I put her on the scale, it blinked a beautiful number- she had gained 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) in 2 weeks!!! YEAH!!! She still has a way to go, but is on the right track. We are so thankful for all the prayers and words of encouragement, we needed them!

All that said, Kayden has been extra happy, smiley and playful over the last 2 weeks. She has started really enjoying her baths, likes sitting in her Bumbo seat and is sleeping through the night consistently. Thank God for watching out for our little family!

Kayden with her new chubby cheeks and bad hat hair!

The Star of the Show

2009-02-08T12:41:00.004+01:00

On Friday, Kayden and I attended our first French NATO event. It was the ribbon cutting and reception for the opening of the new Community Service Center. As we passed through security, we were both given a name tag, Kayden's being almost as big as her head. We pinned it on her blanket and went about our business. Well, she became the celebrity of the whole day. The photographer for the event kept taking pix of her, I was interviewed on camera with her in my arms and everyone kept coming up to us and asking questions about the baby. She was dressed from head to toe in pink (like I said, the color is growing on me). Yet it was amazing, that with a pink hat, pink jacket, pink blanket, pink sweater, pink overalls, and pink socks, people still asked me if she was a boy or girl! Huh, are they blind. Even the general's wife said, boy or girl? Oh, I guess a girl because of the pink. You think?

This picture is just too funny, clearly not enjoying being photographed!

Look How Much I've Grown!!

2009-02-01T22:34:00.005+01:00

The pix on the right was taken when Kayden was 1 week old. In the pix on the left, she is 8 weeks old and growing taller each day! She is still quite the little peanut and so adorable.

Just for fun..

2009-01-13T10:45:00.004+01:00

Kayden has found out how to somewhat suck her fingers. If she can't get just one, she goes for the whole hand.

No one can make Kayden smile like her daddy. It is precious!

Fun times

2009-01-08T12:07:00.006+01:00

What is a baby but little doll to play with... and feed and change and feed and change.... We are having so much fun with Kayden and enjoy her more and more. I am even beginning to like the color pink and find myself picking out more and more pink clothes for her. Here are a few random pix and some video clips.

Snuggling with Kayden on my birthday

She is not really sure what to make of the photo shoot

We put Kayden on the table and watched with amazement as she rolled over from her tummy to her back. We thought it was amazing. She, on the other hand, did not seem to agree!

Kayden's Room

2009-01-08T11:51:00.008+01:00

Here are a few pictures of Kayden's nursery. She seems to like it!

Kayden loves hanging out in her bouncy chair. Sleeping in the crib, well, we are working on that!

Close up of the crib

SO many hours spent in the rocker.

She LOVES her changing table and laughs, smiles and kicks at some random spot on the wall.

Little coat rack with precious mini jackets and sweat shirts

Dedication Pictures

2008-12-29T11:38:00.009+01:00

Here are a few pictures from Kayden's dedication.

Our little family

Kayden's pretty dress from Grandma Maureen, laying on the blanket great great grandma made for Karen's dedication years ago

The whole Matlock bunch

Proud Grandma Maureen and Grandpa Dean

The Holidays...

2008-12-27T22:41:00.007+01:00

Its hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and 2009 is quickly creeping up! The whole holiday season has taken on a whole new feel with a precious little infant in the house. As I read the story of baby Jesus to Kayden, I could not help but think about how horrible it must have been for Mary while riding the donkey or how dirty it must have been to give birth in a stable. The whole birth story hit a little closer to home this year for sure!
Shane's family has been out here for Christmas, enjoying Kayden and the sights, tastes and lights of Lille. We were so lucky to be able to dedicate Kayden on Christmas Eve. The church had a "Crib Service" which was pretty much an interactive living nativity while the Christmas story was read. I was Mary at one point and Kayden was Jesus. So, with little kids dresses as angels and "shepards" surrounding Shane and I and the rest of the family, Kayden was dedicated to the Lord. It was such a special evening, a very memorable first Christmas Eve for Kayden!

2008-12-12T20:09:00.011+01:00

Hanging out!

Cozy with daddy!

First bottle!! Success!

HATING bath time!

Post bath photo, clean but not happy

Getting into the Christmas spirit

Freshly washed, spikey hair

I Love NY jammies

Praying for a good meal

All tuckered out

Attempting a photo shoot

A week of firsts....

2008-12-12T19:35:00.003+01:00

The last three weeks since we have been home from the hospital have completely flown by in a sleep deprived blur. Each day is a new challenge/ adventure in how to get Kayden to sleep, reading her cues and just trying to figure out how a new baby fits into our lives. After frantically reading every book in the house regarding babies and paniking when Kayden did not match perfectly to the suggestions, I am attempting to embrace the fact that she is an individual. She did not read the books or get the memo on how she is expected to behave. Therefore, as the parent, I can come up with my own routine for her, using books as a reference, rather than the ultimate authority.

All that said, this week has been quite the week of firsts, at least as the new parent!
This week for the first time, Kayden has...
puked, peed and pooped on me....
hung out at her first coffee shop with mommy and daddy...
visited the pediatrician and has grown 2 cm and over 1/2 pound...
stopped screaming with every diaper change...
used the Baby Bjorn and LOVES it...
been quiet for a whole dinner!...
had her first bottle...
smiled when I read "The Polar Express" and Santa was mentioned (it was probably gas,but a smile none the less)
smiled during our little family prayer (again, a bodily function- spit up followed all over Shane)
listened to Coldplay, the Eagles, and U2 lullabies to go to sleep...
had her boogies cleaned out with the blue suction thing and SCREAMED...
went clothes shopping and Christmas shopping with mommy...
had tummy time on her play mat and was amazed by the squeaky toy...
peed and pooped all over the changing table at 5am...

It was a great week.

In the stress of a newborn, I also have realized that sometimes I forget to just stop and enjoy our beautiful little daughter. In a book I just finished, the author concluded with these thoughts... "So here you are, trying to figure out if you have what it takes to be the mother your child needs, the mom God intended you to be., What do you get for all the diaper changing, sleep deprivation, headaches and worries?
You get glimpses of God every morning, and giggles under the covers every night. You get more love than your heart can hold, sticky peanut butter kisses and arms that fit perfectly around your neck. You get a hand to hold, and someone to remind you that clouds look like dinosaurs and that dandelions make beautiful bouquets. You get to blow bubbles, fly kites, bulid sand castles, and jump in mud puddles without caring about the mess."

CHARGERS!!!

2008-11-30T16:19:00.006+01:00

THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

In case there were any confusions, Kayden Joy Matlock is a San Diego Chargers fan. In this picture, she's currently dreaming about the Chargers finally firing Norv Turner and hiring a real coach. She's also dreaming about how she doesn't like the NY Giants, and if she saw Eli Manning, she'd punch him in the mouth.

Why is she a Chargers fan, you might ask? Because her Daddy is, and Daddy trumps everyone else!

- Written by Kayden's Daddy

Motherhood- the first week home

2008-11-29T15:01:00.008+01:00

Home. It feels so wonderful to be home after spending 5 days trapped in the hospital. Though the 5 days were a great way to make sure everything was ok with Kayden and myself before sending us off, I was incredibly ready to leave the confines of my little room and face the world.

It is still hard to grasp the concept that I am a "mommy" and Kayden is my "daughter". Those words sound so grown up, belonging to my parents or our friends. As I try to wrap my mind around the concept that my life has taken a turn towards parenthood, I am so greatful to posses the title of mom. Before I had Kayden, I was scared that she would not fit into the life that Shane and I share together or that she would just lay there and we would have no idea what to do with her. On the contrary, Kayden is incredible and the love that hit the instant she came out is overwhelming and amazing. She not only fits in to our little family, she has bonded us even closer together. Seeing Shane hold Kayden, rocking her, changing her numerous poopy diapers and constantly loving on her is the best sight I have ever seen.

I had no idea how emotional I would be after child birth. At any given moment I am prone to tears of joy or of some other unknown emotion. Hormones. Oh so fun!

My family was all here this past week and we were able to spend some great quality time with Kayden. We were also lucky to all be together to be there with Kayden as she experienced her first Sunday full of football, a favorite passtime. There was hardly a moment that she was not in someone's arms. She is a huge snuggler and loves to just curl up and take a nap on your shoulder. We are in awe of how much time we can spend just staring at her and laughing at her littlest facial expressions. Or watching in dread as her face signifies another dirty diaper!

After having been a pediatric nurse for 5 years, I have often wondered how my medical background would affect my parenting. Well, it seems that I have completely forgotten how to function as a nurse and have buried any common sense in the back of my brain. I AM that emotional mother who cries, ok balls, when told her baby has jaundice and needs to go under the lights. I shook the first time I gave her a bath. At the same time, I did check out her veins to make sure they seemed easy enough when the nurse had to draw blood. As time goes by, I am hoping that the nurse in me will continue to rise to the surface, objectively processing the daily changes in Kayden.

My favorite times of the day are after she feeds and takes a nap on my shoulder. She is so precious and peaceful, I wish I could sleep like she does! Every night is a new adventure- how much sleep will we all get??? Living in a constant state of exhaustion is a blast!

We took her out on the town where she was lulled to sleep by the cobblestone roads. This worked out perfectly, allowing us to have a quiet dinner out. She also went to her first Thanksgiving celebration with all of the Americans here. Though she did not get to have her first bites of turkey, I think she quite enjoyed being passed from one warm embrace to the next.

These are my rambling thoughts of the moment. Maybe after a little more sleep, I can come up with something a bit more cohesive. Moral of the story, I am so blessed to have Kayden Joy Matlock in my life!

KAYDEN JOY MATLOCK

2008-11-19T13:33:00.002+01:00

Family and friends, the time has FINALLY come. On Tuesday, November 18th, 2008, at 1038 pm (France), Kayden Joy Matlock entered the world. She was a 6.8lbs, 49 cm, and is the most incredible thing that we have experienced. We fell in love with her the moment we saw her, and have fought on who gets to hold her more. She is a supper cuddly, beautiful girl with a full head of dark Matlock hair and big blue eyes, accented with the Abrahamsen face and nose.

Here is the brief run down of events that led up to this incredible moment (through the eyes of Shane, since Karen's still in the hospital). If you just want to see pictures, scroll down. I'm currently blogspot retarted, and trying to post pictures throughout isn't working out too well.

We went to the hospital Tuesday morning, thinking that Karen would get a cream to help her dilate, then would get induced on Wednesday. Not so.

Karen was apparently far enough along that the medical staff felt she could be induced that day. After waiting a while for a birthing room, off we went to the 'war zone', as I now like to call it. The first few hours, Karen was given and epidural and everything was set up in the room. They then broke her water, and she went from 3 to 10 cm dilated within 2 hours. A little while after that, 'Team Delivery' came in, and had Karen push while they suctioned. 15 minutes of that, and the most incredible little girl was born into this world.

Karen and Kayden are both doing very well, no complications, and all the memories of the long, frustrating days of waiting for this delivery were gone. She hasn't cried much (yet), and any time she's gotten ready to cry, being cuddled in her dad's arms is what works best. I'm glad to she she's already a daddy's girl...and rest assured, she already has me wrapped around her finger.

In France, that have you stay in the hospital for 5 days for your first child, so Karen and Kayden will be there a little while longer. We really couldn't have asked for a better delivery, once it finally came. The language barrier was very minimal, and the doctor who delivered Kayden spoke great English. We are so thankful for the prayers and support from our amazing family and friends across the globe. Karen and I are so happy to have Kayden in our lives and have can't wait for you to all meet her.

KAYDEN JOY MATLOCK...pictures

2008-11-19T13:11:00.020+01:00

Karen before going to the hospital.

The birthing 'suite'

I'm not an OB/GYN, but I play one on tv.

Kayden's first moments

Kayden attempting to figure out how to cry

Getting the measurements, wishing she could have some milk.

So adorable! Even the diaper that's too big for her!

The proudest father ever!

Daddy's girl

Such an incredible moment!

Kayden and Karen bonding time

Kayden and Shane falling asleep together in the hospital room.

Yes he does!

Kayden's first little 'bath'.

Mama putting some cute clothes on

Kayden not really have a clue what's going on.

French Movie Theater Experience

2008-11-16T18:34:00.003+01:00

Today we ventured to our first movie in France. As an attempt to take our minds off the impending arrival of Kayden, we thought it would be good to see the new James Bond movie and let our minds get lost in the action. In France, most movies are dubbed over but there are a few showings in VOSF (version original, subtitle French). We arrived to find the theater in mass chaos and two little old ladies cut us off in line. In fact, there were old people all over the place trying to get tickets. Neither of us had seen so many people our grandparents' age pushing to catch a Sunday afternoon film. We waited in the line, got our tickets and then attempted to get to the actual theater. Well, a massive crowd had gathered and were all pushing to try to get to the ticket collector. From our understanding, they would only collect tickets for certain movies at certain times. We almost got trampled, but managed to make our way unharmed. It was at this point we noticed people bringing in pizza boxes, drinks from the cinema bar, duffle bags and even a rolling suitcase. I guess next time we just need to bring our picnic basket and load it with goodies for the movie! The final part of our movie experience that made us laugh the most was a commerical for a French recording artist. It showed a sneak peak of his new music video.... hmmm, French are weird. It was a white screen with this guy in the middle. Then, sperm were swimming on one side of the screen and then a pregnant belly on the other. WHAT??? So so strange!
Anyways, after getting through all the randomness of theater, we enjoyed Quantom of Solace and now are veteran French movie goers!

Kayden, where are you?

2008-11-08T17:13:00.004+01:00

November 7th. Just another day on the calendar. Also known as my due date. Unfortunately, Kayden did not get the memo that she was supposed to be out and as I write this, seems completely content to never show her face to the world. Its amazing how much faith and hope can be placed on one random day chosen by the medical system on which a child should be born. The French due date is Novemeber 14th, but I keep trying to tell her that she is American and should be true to her roots and come out now! I realize that most babies are not born exactly on their due date, but Kayden could have been the exception. It is a strange holding pattern that I am in- waiting for labor to start, wanting to feel pain knowing that it will lead to something wonderful.

So, in the meantime, Shane and I continue to wait, trying to occupy our time with long walks in the park, eating at new restaurants, shopping in town and some Mario Kart. The nursery is ready, the bedding washed, the clothing folded, the diapers stacked, bags are packed. Now all we need is our precious daughter!

Stay tuned!

Waiting... 39 weeks!

2008-10-31T22:28:00.010+01:00

As the calendar draws near to my official American due date (39 weeks today), each day possesses a sense of mystery. Is today the day? Should we go on a road trip or stay close to home in case something happens? How far does one have to walk and how much castor oil must one drink to go into labor? I find myself experiencing a plethera of emotions, feeling completely ready to hold Kayden in my arms to absolutely terrified about finally meeting my daughter. These thoughts vary hourly, making the day a rollarcoaster ride of extremes. It has been entertaining telling people I am due in a week, because everyone has a piece of advice about when they think I should have the baby, what their grandma always says, or a personal experience. Kayden will come when she is fully cooked... the doctor swears it will be before Christmas!

I saw the doctor on Monday and he guessed that Kayden would greet the world in the next week to week and a half. Wow, deep breath, I can do this!

SO, with that in mind, Shane and I have been trying to spend as much quality time together in our quiet home and its surroundings. It has been a terrific week and I must say that I have the best husband in the world. Not only is he super supportive, adorable and handsome, he puts up with mood swings, decorating projects, my obsession with baby clothes and helps when I just can't seem to get on my shoes :) Its a blast being married to your best friend!

We took a day trip over the border to Belgium to explore an old town called Tournai. As with most European towns, it had some amazing churches to discover. To get into the fall spirit, we also attempted to carve pumpkins while watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin. The pumpkins turned out way better than last years (which were supported by tooth picks and falling apart before a candle could even be lit!). Shane made a scary Elivs and mine was a silly bat. We were so excitied to light them for our neighbors, but no one shared the same enthusiasm, as Halloween is not celebrated in France.

In the last week or so, we have found a new hobby of looking for antique/ European furniture at second hand stores across Europe called "Troc". They have some amazing items for excellent prices. Shane is like a kid in a candy store, getting more and more giddy as we weave through the rows of dressers, armoires and unidentifiable objects. I think almost every car ride we have taken in the last week or so has landed us at a new Troc. That said, we have are still searching for our perfect European pieces. They will be found... we do have 3 years!

The wait continues... Our doctor is out of town lecturing in Lebanon until Saturday and I really want to watch the Giants play the Cowboys on Sunday, so, maybe Kayden, could you come on Monday??? (If it were only that easy!)

We will keep you posted!

Pictures from our getaway!

2008-10-13T17:46:00.019+02:00

Cathedral in Reims: The first king of France was coronated here.

Table on which WWII surrender treaty was signed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's office was next door

Troyes

The crazy crooked buildings in Troyes

Troyes. I'm hungry, get in my belly!

Our amazing room!

The walls of the houses are angled...they might fall over soon.

Random vineyard we found while driving around

Champagne tasting

The champagne factory sign

Cross in the vineyards

The apple farm!!! YEAH!

Loaded down with our purchases

Loving the beautiful apple orchards

The vineyard across the street from the champagne man's house

The champagne man, his son and Shane in the basement cellar

View on our drive of the Champagne Valley: Epiernay below.

Babymoon- 1st Anniversary

2008-10-13T13:00:00.004+02:00

This past weekend, Shane planned a surprise destination getaway to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. To make things more interesting, it also doubled as our "babymoon". With my only request being- not too far away from my doctor!, he schemed up an incredible trip. Where did we go, I know the suspense is killing you????!!!!!

Shane chose for us to go to the Champagne region for a few reasons. One, it was another place we could check off in our attempt to conquer all areas of France. Two, it was within my 1-3 hour radius of my doctor. Three, the area was in full autumn vibrancy... Since we both love the fall, I border on obsession, it was perfect! Plus, four, who doesn't like to try a sip of champagne straight from the vineyards!

We drove down to Reims and took in the sites of the quaint little town. It is known for its INCREDIBLE cathedral, dating back to the 1100's. Since the 400's, there has actually been a church on the cathedral site. To continue our quest to become more cultured, we went to the museum where the surrender treaty was signed by the Germans in WWII. Very interesting.

Our next destination was a town called Troyes. Many of the buildings looked like they were fresh from the pages of a Shakespeare play and contained a ton of character, leaning to the side and crooked. The bed and breakfast we stayed at was unbelievable. It looked like a place straight from a fairytale, with a secret little garden and wooden beams. Loved it! The town is known for a special kind of sausage they produce, andouillettes. Shane attempted to try some on his pizza and then was generous to share some with me. Conclusion- DISGUSTING!! It tasted like the pig sty and had the consistency of mush. Ick ick ick. Needless to say, it was not a French delicacy we will crave!

Saturday we had our favorite breakfast of french pastries and coffee and then set out to see the country side. We drove through itty bitty towns, each boasting multiple champagne producers. The day was incredibly beautiful, crisp and fresh with the smell of fall. Our windows were rolled down in the car and we found it to be the perfect oppurtunity to sing along to Christmas carols. Wonderful! We were able to see one champagne factory and taste some of the various types sold. Neither of us are huge fans of champagne, but it was fun to see the champagne making process and to experience the final product.

Sunday, we sadly had to leave our little bed and breakfast and hit the road to the cider producing part of the region. With another perfect sunshine filled day ahead of us, we stumbled upon a Fete de Pomme (Apple Festival). AWESOME!! We were the only English speaking people there and all the locals were out with their stalls selling tasty products of the region. Of course we loaded up at the festival on some French goodies- no sausage though! The apples were delicious and fresh, picked right from the orchards surrounding the festival.

The highlight of the trip was visiting another champagne producer at his home. A fellow officer at Shane's work had recommended we visit the vineyard where he gets his champagne from and arranged an appointment for us. Little did we know what kind of adventure was to be had! We pull up to this little house in the tiny town with vineyards all across the street. A little old man comes out and welcomes us in. Turns out, this is the man we had the appointment with and his son was on his way to translate. We were actually able to communicate with our French and sign language while the little old wife kept telling us to MANGEZ - EAT!!!! The champagne had been produced by this family for over 5 generations and was a smaller producer, with only about 30000 bottles a year. So we sat around in this little French man's living room, sipping champagne and just chatting about its production and life in general. It was surreal. Then he took us into his basement where 1/3 of his champagne is stored and explained to us the process, with the help of his son translating of course! They even walked us up into the vineyards, cut off a bunch of grapes and had us eat some. We left feeling so blessed for our glimpse into small town French life and also weighed down with a few bottles of champagne.

The weekend was incredible. There were so many once in a life time memories made. Most of all, it made me so thankful for my amazing husband who put so much time and effort into creating the perfect weekend. Being married to Shane just gets better and better! He has set the standard high for anniversaries to come....

Home

2008-09-29T16:57:00.008+02:00

Well folks, we have finally moved into our place! After looking at 8 different apartments, we chose the first one we had seen. Our furniture arrived on Thursday with minimal damage (a few cracks) and nothing was lost. It is so wonderful to be able to sit on our own couch and sleep in our own bed after exactly 2 months of being homeless.
The apartment we ended up renting is really neat. It is part of an old mansion that has been broken into 6 seperate apartments. No one is certain of the exact age of our place, but it is over 100 years old. Our guest room on the first floor used to be for the horses , therefore has 4 old stone troughs, a brick ceiling and tile walls. Such a cool room. Guess you will have to come see it! The rest of our place supposedly was half for the servants, half for the rich people. It is 3 stories with lots of stairs (which will be interesting with a baby). We love it.

Prior to our stuff arriving, we had a brilliant idea to paint the bedrooms and bathrooms. We did not factor in to our home decorating excitement that neither of us really know how to paint. Shane hadn't painted since high school. I had helped my dad paint through the years (turns out, he did all the hard work) and did some painting with Habitat for Humanity. The project took WAY longer than we ever could have guessed (doesn't it always happen like that). After 5 trips to the local equivalent of Home Depot, we are done with the painting! SO, if you ever hear either of us say, "I think I want to paint half the house in one weekend," use whatever it takes to change our minds!

An added bonus to our new home is that another American family lives across the courtyard. Mark works with Shane at the Citadel while Kelsey stays home to take care of the baby. They have been a tremendous help in making everything here go semi- smoothly! AND Kelsey is an excellent source of info for all my baby questions. Lots of questions! They even threw an American BBQ this weekend so we could meet the rest of the neighbors. It was funny to see French people try to put together a hamburger- it proved to be a tricky task! We feel very blessed to have Mark and Kelsey so close.

Off our mini balcony- 33 weeks!

Our door is the one to the left and the second story is ours

Our fancy living room prior to our stuff arriving

Not the greatest pix, the horse trough room

Brugge

2008-09-27T17:31:00.004+02:00

Last weekend we decided to escape Lille and head up to Brugge, Belgium for the night. It was a fantastic get away to an amazing, story book like town. We took the train - LOVE public transport and found ourselves a nice hotel right in the center of town. The first night we spent just exploring back allies and scoping out the sites. It was truly romantic, with bridges glowing in the dim light of the street lamps and the peacefulness of the canals before our eyes.

Saturday morning, our main goal was to find delicious waffles (our lives tend to center around food). The breakfast place served amazing Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and real chocolate melted to pour on top. I was in heaven- chocolate for breakfast, heck yes! We wandered the city a bit more, enjoying the aromas wafting out of of street corner waffles joints and chocolate shops.

This trip, we felt quite cultured, as we went to 2 museums- the Fry Museum and the Chocolate Museum. Let me tell you- fries come from Belgium originally and are incredible! Also, chocolate has been perfected in Belgium and it truly is life changing.

While I tend to go for sweet, Shane is drawn to the hundreds of varieties of Belgian beer. We had lunch at a place that served over 400 different brews. The menu was like a dictionary! Shane was in heaven, while I sipped on my coke. I think if we had time, he would have tried every single one of the beers. Instead, he settled on one and was in all his glory- a new beer discovered!

The whole weekend was wonderful. Its amazing how refreshed one can feel with just a night away. We will try to squeeze in as many times like this while in Europe.... now if we can just figure out how to do it with a baby - 6 more weeks!

The Chocolate Museum

PARIS!!!

2008-09-12T12:22:00.029+02:00

This past weekend we had the awesome oppurtunity to go to Paris. Our friends,Kari and Josh, were on a European vacation, with a stop in Paris for a few days. We saw this as a perfect excuse to travel, see a new city and hang out with friends.

The whole weekend was amazing, with incredible food, long midnight walks,beautiful sites and just a great time hanging out with friends. I had to pinch myself multiple times to bring myself to the reality that I was actually in Paris, the City of Lights and Love.

Shane and I took the train down from Lille, which was an excellent experience. A smooth, nice quiet ride, arriving to Paris within an hour. It dropped us off a few blocks from our hotel and we were able to see our first sites of Paris. Our hotel was quite the budget lodging- bright yellow walls with painted green furniture. Yet, it was clean and we spent just enough time there to sleep and shower.

We met Kari and Josh at their hotel and then we hit the city! We walked in pouring rain to Notre Dame and realized we had arrived just in time for mass. Since none of us are Catholic, we decided to forego the massive line and come back another time. We also decided to buy cheap umbrellas to fight off the rain. Soon as those cheesy tourist umbrellas were in our hands, the rain stopped and we did not have a drop of wetness the rest of the weekend! From this point on, we wandered the back allies of Paris, taking in the sites and sounds of the beautiful city.

Our goal was to see the Eiffel Tower at night. It was so windy by the time we got there, we could not go to the very top. Instead, we split a bottle of wine in the park while gazing at its twinkling lites. This was proceeded by a breathtaking walk home of all the monuments lit up at night. Truly was romantic!

Saturday we had our first go at the Paris Metro and ended up at the Arc de Triumphe. Another magnificent piece of French history. The climb to the top led to a panoramic gorgeous view of the whole city. We trekked about the city the rest of the day, stopping at cafes along the way to people watch and enjoy French cuisine. Also, to my delight, multiple Starbucks' lined the streets. You can guarantee I was at one each day! Yum! That night, we had a delicious greek dinner in the Latin quarter and then shared some wine in the glow of Notre Dame. Wonderful.

By the time Sunday rolled around, we were all so exhausted, we hit up a creperie for breakfast, Starbucks for a final coffee and then said our goodbyes. I can vouch for all of us that our legs were tired and that we were not used to being up so late at night. We are getting old! It was a fantastic weekend!

To top it all off, when we got home, we realized we could get NFL games through the internet. So thats exactly what Shane and I did- rested our worn out bodies in front of the computer to catch the first games of the season. Love it!

The opera with Kari and Josh

Under the Eiffel Tower at Night- Magical

LOVE NUTELLA ON ANYTHING

Outside Notre Dame- it was COLD and windy

Arc de Triumphe

Defence Monument in background

On top of the Arc de Triumphe with Eiffel Tower in back and baby belly looking huge!

On the way to Notre Dame in the pouring rain

Pulled Over

2008-09-10T11:22:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we were on our way to our OB appointment, attempting the drive to the hospital for the first time by ourselves. Shane was behind the wheel because the car we are borrowing is so monsterous, it can probably drive right over all the mini euro cars. I find this intimidating, and gladly let Shane take charge. We were feeling rather confident, armed with 2 maps and the GPS. There were signs for the hospital and we thought that going through the round about would be the shortest way.

Not so much.

As soon as we got on to the round about, we realized about 8 cars were pulled over with multiple cops milling about. Hmmm. Strange. In my head, I thought, Oh well, they will just let us go, we look innocent. Wrong again. The police signaled for us to pullover and asked for our license and registration. At this point, we realize that our international drivers licenses were safely at home and we have NO idea where the registration is in the car. I start to break a sweat while Shane sits calmly. We try to tell the cops we speak English but they just keep rattling away in French- not helpful! At this point in the story, I might add also that Shane was in his full army uniform, our car had the French government/ foreigner plates and we couldn't look more American if we tried. Still, no mercy.

Finally we find the registration and proudly (ok, frantically in my case) hand it to the cops. Turns out, from my basic understanding of French, that the lane we had been in was a red paved lane meant only for emergency vehicles. After this proclamation, they let us go on our merry way. All that trauma for that small tidbit of info! I was about to pull the pregnany/ baby card but luckily got away without taking the situation to that level.

The conclusion of the story...
1. Shane is much calmer in situations involving getting pulled over. Me, on the other hand, well, lets just say I pray hard and almost break out in hives.
2. Every one has to have a cop story when they are overseas! Now we have ours and hopefully no more will be added to the repitore.

Missing Starbucks

2008-09-03T11:31:00.002+02:00

I love coffee. True confession. For those who know me, this is not a shock. I can tell you my favorite drink at every major coffee chain and which airports around the world house certain coffee shops. The obsession all started back in 10th grade while living in Sweden. Across from my high school was the perfect cafe called "Kanel". There, I was introduced to my first cappocino and my life has never been the same.

All that said, while being pregnant, my cravings for coffee have lessened, some days they are non- existent. Yet when the desire for coffee does hit, I need a piping hot mug in my hand ASAP.

Now throw moving to France in the picture. No flavored creamers in the stores (Shane and I are used to 4 in our fridge), little tiny shots of super strong coffee are the norm, and if you want a "grand cafe au lait, s'il vous plait", its going to cost you 4x as much as the standard. This large coffee is nothing that exquisite either- it is just in a bigger cup with a side of milk.

I am rambling, this I realize- but I do have some exciting information to share! Yesterday was a breakthrough day. I went to Cafe Meo with some friends and realized they had lattes with flavored syrups and other such novelties. AND they came in big to- go cups! Life will be ok in France! Ordering was a bit tricky though. Despite pointing at the item on the menu (After Eight- expresso, milk, mint and irish cream syrup, my mouth is watering now!), I received a very bewildered look from the barista when asking for decaf. Its sounds the same in French and English to me, so whats the confusion. He then nodded in understanding, or so I thought. When the order was brought to our table, my luscious beverage sat there steaming with a peculiar smaller cup of coffee on the side. What? My assumption is that he thought I wanted a side of decaf. Oh well. I poured it in to the After Eight, hoping that it was decaf and that I was not giving the poor baby 2 shots of espresso instead! She would go crazy! All that said, it was a wonderful delight on my tongue, just what was needed on another rainy day in Lille.

Baby Steps...and other musings

2008-08-29T21:54:00.019+02:00

Baby steps.... this is the theme of life at the moment.

I am learning to embrace the smallest of accomplishments rather than focusing on the daunting future of 3 years in France. I place pressure on myself to know the language fluently by the weekend (not going to happen), to have the French fashion sense morphed into my preggar wardrobe (again, not working) and to blend in rather than stand out as some crazy American.

There have been days in which I have wanted to just stay at home and not have to face attempting to speak French and the embarrassment that follows. Yet at the same time, I realize while stumbling through conversation, I am making small advances.

All that said, I can manage to order a baguette, coffee, a carafe of tap water and simple items at the market in my broken french. It feels wonderful to be understood! The pointing and desperate look on my face for someone to understand me may also help!

We have been learning a lot about the French way of life. One of the most noticable things is that the French do not feel the need to pickup their dog poop frpm the side walks. Instead of gazing at the amazing architecture, one must focus on the side walk... just ask Shane, he learned the hard way this weekend!

Common French thought is that a toilet in a bathroom is dirty. Therefore, some bathrooms have just a toilet, nothing else. While others have just a shower and sink. If you get really lucky, you have all 3. We saw this all the time when looking for apartments. It strikes my nursing mind as strange to not be able to wash your hands directly after using "la toilette". Isnt that a bit on the unsanitary side?

We tried out the only English speaking church in town this past weekend. It was not a church we would choose if we were in the States but options are quite limited. Can Eikon just church plant over here??? We received great advice from the colonel before attending the service. He has been in the army 25+ years and lived all over the world. He said you need to make the best of whatever place of worship is made available and find the good in it. With that in mind, Shane and I attended and found ourselves enjoying the eclectic bunch of people who were all coming together to worship. They were all very friendly and invited us to stay for tea and cakes- a very very British crew! We did meet one Englsih man who was wearing a Pittsburgh pirates shirt and knew all about Steelers football- someone we can identify with! After tea, we had to walk home. Minor problem- it was POURING rain! We made the best of our 20 minute walk. It turned out to be a fun time because how often do you ever get to walk in the rain at nite in the streets of France with the one you love??? Kissing in the rain is a little colder than they make it on the movies! But still very romantic....

Classic Shane face while enjoying a traditional Lille meal of steamed mussels in cream sauce, French fries and local beer

Gorgeous building we passed in Belgium

A Weekend in Lille

2008-08-24T14:43:00.019+02:00

Homemade Crepe with Nutella at the "marche"....

Followed by people watching and "un grand cafe au lait". We concluded that this will be our new Sunday morning tradition- a trip to the market followed by a fresh crepe and coffee. Sounds perfect!

All the amazing, delicious bread

Fresh veggies and fruit

A walk through the park by our house. Shane's office is also in the center of the park at the Citadel.

The bridge to cross into the park

The back entrance to the Citadel, Shane's office building

The main entrance to the Citadel

French pride

A beautiful stroll

Fishing along the river

Little bridge

Baby Update

2008-08-22T18:48:00.004+02:00

I had my first doctors appointment this past week. Dr Phil spent over an hour just talking and checking everything on the baby. He even did an ultrasound and made it 3D. In the US, we had to pay for a 3D and here he was, just clicking away and making Kayden stand out. Of course, her head was turned the wrong way with her hand in front of her face. She has done this the last 3 ultrasounds. The time Dr Phil spent just this past week was more than the combined total of all my visits with MD's in the States over the last 7 months. Maybe birthing in France won't be so bad afterall... He said the baby looks healthy. We were a bit apprehensive about the potential size of her head, due to the fact that Shane and I, well, have big heads. When he responded, "No, her head is normal. She will be a smaller baby," the joy was indescribable!
We learned that in France, a full term baby is considered to be 41 weeks gestation...grrrr. That pushes my due date to November 14. BUT I am still holding out for Novemeber 7!

French Frustrations

2008-08-22T16:37:00.006+02:00

On this rainy Friday, it has been 2 weeks since we began our move to France. I can honestly say that I have been able to avoid vast amounts of homesickness... until today.

Shane and I were feeling adventurous and decided to drive the car to Ikea and the grocery store. After a few wrong turns and tense moments, our hearts skipped a beat (at least mine did) as the blue and yellow of Ikea loomed before our eyes. We broused the store, receiving inspiration for our new home from the cheap Swedish furninture. For a moment, I forgot I was in France, but rather felt that I was just browsing the Ikea in Connecticut. We decided to load up on Swedish food delicacies, our stomachs growling and mouths drooling. As the cashier attempted to run our credit card mulitple times, she concluded that our Master Card was "American" and would not work. I could feel my neck starting to break out in a sweat as I noticed we were holding up the line, which had grown to the length of any ride at Disney. In broken Frenglish, I managed to convey the need to put back all our goodies. We setteled on 2 luke warm chicken sandwiches, purchased with the little cash we possessed, while my parched throat longed for the icey cold sparkling pear cider.

Though we were disheartened, we mustered up enough courage to enter the grocery store. Easy, right? Wrong. There are 3 aisles of yogurt, the stench (or aroma) of the cheese aisle greets one from miles away and the milk is non refridgerated. I have yet to work up the courage to try this, as my taste buds directly associate this unnatural substance to the box milk I drank while in Africa. Our safety zone was found in the bread section, where rows and rows of baguettes and pastries spoke to my stomach, saying "Chose me"! With great restraint, we managed to chose just one baguette (the biggest one though!) and some "pain au chocolate." Trying to balance out our diet, we attempted to buy some veggies. Upon observation, people were bringing there fresh produce to some fancy scale with a guy who would then in turn say something and walk away. It was all a bit intimidating, so we stuck to frozen vegetables. When we were fully satisfied with our selection, we found a line and started placing our items on the conveyer belt. No sooner had we unloaded almost everything, when the cashier started speaking to us (in French, of course) and pointing to the sign. Apparently, it was the line for a special card that we did not own. So, rejected again, we put the groceries back in the cart and found another line. On a positive note, in France, there are special lines for handicap and pregnant ladies. I do not know if the French culture is trying to say pregnant people are handicapped (Shane seems to think so) but I will take full advantage of that line while possible! We finally managed to pay, with the "American" Master Card, and still with a bit of dignity.

I never realized how the simple task of driving and grocery shopping could be so mentally draining. Next time I am in the States, I will fully embrace these tasks with an enormous smile on my face. In the meantime, I vow to tote my English-French dictionary where ever I go and pray no one asks me a question!

One week down...

2008-08-16T16:48:00.002+02:00

Today marks our first whole week of living in France. It is hard to believe that this is our home for the next 3 years. This week has been full of information and sensory overload, as well as embarrassing moments in French culture.

Our first day here was met with overwhelming jet lag. The couple we are staying with, Mark and Kelsey, took us around Lille on a walking tour. Needless to say, we were completely disorientated but in awe of this beautiful city. We experienced our first outdoor market with tons of fresh flowers, fruit and veggies and bread. In LOVE with outdoor markets already! The outdoor cafe scene is hopping and we were able to get our first taste of French coffee and beer. Shane and I are both in agreement that we will be completely happy with the beverage choices in our new home!

We have been able to overcome the jet lag mostly to explore Lille a bit more. There are beautiful parks, old gothic churches and buildings that are older than the US everywhere. Last night, we ventured out for the first time for a dinner date by ourselves. Our theory was that if we ate in the touristy area, English speaking waiters may be more prevalent. Putting our theory to the test, we ordered come crepes in extremely broken French. With pointing, gestures and Franglish, we managed to have our first taste of French cuisine- delicious!

The Americans that Shane works with have been extremely welcoming and hospitable. They are letting us stay in their homes, share their meals and have been excellent tour guides . On Tuesday we went to an "UnThanksgiving" dinner where we had a turkey dinner. It was pretty much an excuse to get together and socialize. Embarrassing moments tend to follow me, this was no exception. When it came to saying good bye, the colonel's wife does the kiss cheek French thing. Well, I tried to be all culturally suave and kiss back but instead ended up kissing her on the lips. Ops! She laughed, I turned red. It will be a moment never to be forgotten. I think I will stick to hugs and handshakes.

Today we went on a tour of the hospital where Kayden will be born and also met the doctor. "Dr Phil" gave us a personal tour of the birthing facility. Having worked in and seen many hospitals in the States, in my opinion, this one was extremely minimalist but clean none the less. I know we will be in good hands there, but the posh ness of birthing in the States is clearly lacking. We have to rent a bed each night for Shane and there is no TV in the labor room. It could be a LONG process! All that said, we feel confident in our doctor and French health care... if only we could understand what they are saying!!!

The baby update is that I am now officially in my third trimester, month seven. Kayden has officially started kicking so much that by just watching my stomach, you can see her movement. It is fascinating, rather odd but super exciting!

New adventures definitely await us this next week. Tomorrow we are venturing into the huge market in the North- African/ French/ Arabic area and trying out the ONLY English speaking church in town. The big item on our agenda is to find an apartment. We are torn between practicality or living in something that radiates an old European feel.... It’s quite the debacle! Stay tuned!

Finally in France!

2008-08-14T11:51:00.000+02:00

Wow! After months and months of discussing, praying, planning and looking forward to a new adventure, we have finally arrived in Lille, France. It took only 5 planes and 2 days, but we have made it safe and sound. More to come....