Turning 30 in La Rochelle

Well, not that I actually feel different but I feel that this birthday signifies moving into the next chapter of life. The next decade beginning in a new country definitely gives it a positive spin. I had my first dinner party Sunday evening and now have been invited out for a birthday dinner this evening with my propriétaire, his wife and another couple. Their teenager will babysit! I am definitely looking forward to having an evening out after what has probably been the longest strtch in the past few years that I've gone without being able to leave the kids home in the evenings and visit with friends, go out to dinner, see a movie or whatever!

I feel very cared for today as I've received many cards in the mail, a couple packages, and countless emails and e-cards. It's amazing how much the computer has changed my experience here compared to when I was a student in Paris and had only letters and the occasional highly regulated phone call. As an FYI, it seems that with global priority mail, it takes about 5-6 business days for packages, and wih express about 3 and letters seem like they've come within 7 days of being sent.

I have been letting the fact that I am here with the kids and don't have to work for another week sink in. I am just sort of realizing that, although briefly, I am doing what i really have wanted to do for awhile- just be here for them. It is great that when they are home with me, it is just us and no other kids and people running in and out all day. There is a kind of calm that we haven't had in such a long time in our home and maybe that's why I am feeling so settled. I can think of just me and them. Julian seems really happy with it. He is so perfectly content to be here, with me all the time, just chilling.

Yesterday Julian kissed me goodbye at sat quietly playing at the table when i dropped him off for school. he had a little fit in the morning when he woke up and i told him it was school day but quickly got that out of his system so that when we actually went he was fine. yeah. his teacher even said "il a même travaillé un peu!" Today was the same, calm as could be at dropoff and all morning with no problems or sadness.

2 little things i've been wanting to note. Julian is obsessed with the letter slots in people's doors here! Everytime we walk down the street he goes to each door to see what kind of letter slot they have and pushes his hand into it to look inside and check it out. One morning a woman actually opened her door when he did it, thinking someone was coming by with mail only to discover it was a little curious boy playing. Very cute. I think he is super curious about them because on our street, all the houses' front doors are right up on the sidewalk and of course the letter slots are at Julian's eye level, and there are many different little variations in each of them, old and decorative, push-in, pull-up, two sided, and so on. The other thing he and Mimi are both noticing all the time is the dog poop! It's closer to their eye level! But even though you don't see litter on the streets, no one ever scoops the poop and there are so many small dogs that you have to look down as you walk to dodge the tiny turd bombs everywhere.

Julian is enjoying play-dough right now. He's making spaceships with fire coming out and doors that really open. Yesterday he made a playdough face with 2 long arms coming out of either side. most everything he does/plays with/makes involves having fire coming out of it somewhere. He loves his race car undies because those race cars have fire coming out of them!

Yesterday and today it rained in the morning but now the wind is blowing the clouds away and the sun is coming through. so far that is a pattern. If it starts gray, it blows off my midday. most days start chilly and heat up to the mid 70s and then cool down in the evenings again. lovely. I do wish we'd get a day that stayed grey all the way through, just to satisfy my love of cozy overcast weather, but i really won't complain.