Panic attacks, public bathroom disasters, and Foie Gras.

Overcoming a fear

So with one foul swoop we took Marcia to the Airport to get her on her way home and picked up Teresa who's here for a week to visit.  I think if this experience will give anything to our children it will give them some serious survival and lessons in overcoming fears experiences.  I was blogging during Todd's mom's and the boys trip to the Eiffel tower so I missed most of that experience.  I've been up it before and to be honest I was a little worried about Austin who is afraid of heights.  I knew if I took his sisters up there he'd likely freak out and be consumed with concern over their safety.  What I failed to appreciate was how worried he would be for his own safety.  Apparently when the doors of the elevator opened at the second level where you have to transfer to another elevator he had a full on panic attack.  It took a good 20 minutes to calm him down.  Eventually he gathered his courage and ventured out and up further.  It was great he overcame his fear, he's even asking if we can go there again.  Todd's mom came home a little annoyed with Todd who had her walk all the way home.  All the while telling her they were walking the the metro stop.  He's done this to me and many others.  I once recall when we were hiking and he told me we only had 2 miles to the camp site...3 hours later we were still hiking.  Anyhow, I think she forgives him.  The next morning it just worked out that Marcia's flight left and Teresa's arrived at almost the exact same time.  So Todd took her to the airport and picked up Teresa.  

"Teresa Time"

Teresa rented an apartment(nicer than ours) on our block.  The girls and her are in"Teresa Time" heaven there.  Teresa was a pretty good(jet lag wise)the first day.  We walked to Champs de Mars and the girls played around.  We then went to the grocery store and gathered some more "stuff."  Teresa's landlord also speaks no English.  So once again I was relegated to role of translator in a language I don't speak.  Her landlord was a sweet older man who seemed to be amused with our attempts at communication.  Eventually we succeeded in our exchange and she was set in her temporary home.  

 The next day we got up and went to the farmers market.  The girls and Teresa looked over the jewelry and then we headed over to our local park.  The kids played a while but it was too crowded for Austin to use his plastic baseball bat that we seem to take to the park with us each time we go in the hopes that we can play home run derby.  However, with the weather turning nice the parks are more and more full of people and he does not get why I won't let him hit a ball into a crowd of people.

So after some disappointment we moved onto the Rodin museum.  Teresa had been there before and suggested it.  There is a really nice garden area there that is actually free. We walked around and enjoyed the artwork as well as an ice cream cone.

Jackson practicing his "moves"

Anyone got a napkin?

Teresa and the girls shopping for jewelry.

Summer is here.

Bringing bread home.  There is a bird at the flora shop across the street...we've named him tweetie.

Teresa's street at night

 That night I had told Austin we would head back over to his park to see if the people were gone so that we could go play baseball.  Teresa had kept the girls for the night so it was just us and the boys.  The girls kept telling Todd and I that we could not pick them up.  In fact I had to go over there to give them something and I was met with scowls when the door opened. We asked  the boys what they wanted for dinner.  They of course wanted Mc Donalds..surprise!  So we went there and I was at a minimum grateful I didn't have to cook for once.  The park turned out to be more crowded at 10:00 at night than it was at 2 in the afternoon.  The weather here has done a complete 360.  It is summer here, where as last week it was winter.  Where we were curled up by our heaters we are now sitting with the windows open the breeze blowing in.  I guess when that happens everyone goes to the park.

The Thinkers

Checking out Teresa's house and the girls room.

Funny sign

 So our friend Aaron from Hawaii was in Europe and took a day trip over to Paris to see Todd.  He arrived at our door in the morning and Todd and he went out to the Catacombs.  The kids, Teresa, and I went to the "Cotton Candy" park.  Which to our disappointment had no cotton candy that day.  We ate a small picnic and the plan was to meet Todd and Aaron at the Sacre Coeur later in the afternoon.  Eventually we got a text from Todd saying they were done and headed that way so we packed up the troops and headed to the metro.  On the way we passed one of those self closing, self cleaning toilets.  The boys had to go I went  in and explained how it worked...there's an open door button and close door button, etc.  So in they went but when the door started to close Austin freaked out and pushed it open.  Jackson stayed in to go but what we did not realize was that it was about to clean itself because the door had been opened again.  So the door closes and then Jackson is in there and saying he cannot get out.  THEN there is an alarm going off...then there is screaming from Jackson who for the most part is the calmest coolest member of our family.  Austin and the girls start to freak out on the street.  I am trying my best the talk to Jackson to figure out exactly what's going on and how to get the situation which is quickly becoming a major incident rectified.  I turn and yell at Austin and the girls to quit crying and go over by the park because their freaking out is not helping poor Jackson.  I have no idea what is actually happening in there, I only know there is a lot of spraying water sounds and a screaming 7 year old in there.  So I am trying to pry the door open while trying to get Jackson to use the emergency door open lever I saw when I was in there.  (I am also telling him it's ok and that this is supposed to happen, which seems to calm him down a little.)  Eventually he gets that pulled and the door finally opens.  He is wet from his knees down, soaked and very upset.  After a few moments of group hugging we gather our wits about us again and head home...that was enough adventure for one day.

Wet shoes...poor boy.

So that night Aaron, Todd, and I went out to dinner while Teresa watched ALL the kids, in fact they spent the night at her apartment.  So we went to some authentic french place.  We ate escargot, foie gras, and other French yummies.  We decided to walk back to the Champs de Mars which is filled with people.  It was like a big party.  It was fun to watch the lights sparkle, somehow I ended up in a line dancing to Brazilian music I think and eventually we made it home.  It's funny we have been here 2 months with no company and all our company has come in a 2 week period so it's been really fun to have other people here.  It's also given us an excuse to go see sites.  Today Teresa and I went to the Orsay Museum.  I actually got to take some time to look at the art today rather than paying attention to kids making sure they were not trying to re-hang pictures and set off alarms.  

Teresa came over for dinner and then we made crepes for desert.  The girls went back over to her house to spend the night.  They even have their "own room" there.  Poor kids too bad no one likes them...

Aaron