Playing

On colder days, Ben's parents would put the rain shield over the stroller to keep him warm (it's very good for wind as well as rain). Ben was nice enough to take naps in the stroller and let his parents keep wandering around Paris (visiting La Maison d'Astronomie and La Droguerie, a yarn and doodad store, among other places) while he slept. His parents took him to parks whenever they could, even when it was cold. Parks in France come with lots of instructions about what age should use what, but Ben happily played on everything he could reach. There was a particularly nice park across from the Bon Marché department store, which has a very nice toy department and a nice restaurant (Ben is very happy with his toy Parisian garbage truck, and enjoyed the lentil salad). We all had a wonderful time in Paris, and a great time hanging out with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jan, who took great care of us. They fed us extremely well, and were willing to peel any number of "apples" (mandarin oranges) for Ben.

Pompidou

One day Ben went to the Pompidou museum, but the children's area was for big kids, so he just ran around in the the lobby, and climbed the stairs, which was very amusing.

Notre Dame

Ben also went to see Notre Dame cathedral. He thought it was pretty cool inside, but he particularly liked the big area in front of it and the park along the side, where he could run and climb. He was extremely popular with Japanese girl tourists, and ended up in lots of people's photos.

Out for a ramble

On one of the warmer days, Ben went with his parents and Grandpa to the Jardin de Luxembourg, where he had a wonderful time walking and splashing in puddles. It was also cool to see the collection of all kinds of different pear and apple trees there. Ben doesn't understand this French idea of not walking on the grass, though. We walked around the neighborhood too (with Ben in the stroller) and looked at lots of buildings. We also stopped into a rug shop, where Ben loved checking out all the rugs and his parents bought a new one to hang up at home.

Cité des Enfants

Paris doesn't have a full size children's museum, but in the Cité des Sciences (Science Museum, or science city) they have a special part called the Cité des Enfants, or Children's city. It is out at the Parc la Villette, which was a really big deal in architectural circles in the late 1980s, and Ben's parents went to visit in back in 1990. Ben thought the Cité des Enfants was the most fun ever, and ran around so much he exhausted his parents and grandparents, even when they were just watching him. There was an area with water, and mirrors, and a maze to run through, and handprints and footprints, and a thing to drop marbles in, and a construction site just for really little kids. We were all working so hard to keep up with him that we didn't take a whole lot of pictures (plus his parents had trouble with their flash). Luckily, rather than the unstructured nature of American children's museums, this French one lets you in for only an hour and a quarter, and then moves everybody out and lets in the next group, so while we were exhausted, we still had enough energy to take the subway home.

Paris!

Ben took a big trip to Paris with his parents to visit his Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jan, who are living in Paris this year. He rode on a 747 and was very excited about going "uppyair." So excited that he only slept about an hour of the overnight flight there, and walked around the plane a good 10+ times. We were very tired when we got there, but still enjoyed a good breakfast and a walk around their neighborhood, which is near the Biblioteque Nationale. There is lots of new building there, so it was interesting for Ben's parents. Ben rode around in his stroller, which he was very happy to be in in Paris, even though he tends not to like in in the US.

Word of the day

The word of the day is "pot pie." Ben thinks it is very yummy.

Busy busy busy

Ben and his parents have been very busy, which is why it has taken so long for his posts to go up. As soon as we got home from Indiana, we were packing to go to Paris and visit his Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jan (posts to follow shortly), and as soon as we got home from Paris, the semester started (and we had another snowday, which is fun but makes it hard to prepare for classes). Now we are finally back into the rhythm of everyday life, which includes reading lots of books, playing with blocks and cars, and eating peanutbutter with your fingers, because as everyone knows, that is how it tastes the yummiest.

Lots of new experiences

While the cousins and aunt and uncle were the most exciting thing about Christmas, Ben also got to experience lots of new things. At a birthday party he went along to, he got to try out a real piano, which was a thrill. He also got to play with Julien's light saber (unfortunately, Ben now has one of his own, along with a ukelele of his own) and Sebastien's car. He liked the mobile over the changing table (and promptly knocked it down) and he also liked playing with the recline of Ellen's old chair. We can't wait until we can visit Julien and Sebastian (and Adrienne and Rick) again.

Climbing High

They have this big grapevine climbing structure at Wonderlab, and the second time we went it wasn't too crowded, so all the adults tried it out, along with Julien. The little guys just watched for now.

Fish

They have a fish tank at Wonderlab that Ben and Sebastian really loved. Ben has a fish in his classroom, named Lucky, and he knows the word fish, thanks to "One Fish, Two Fish" and goldfish crackers.

Wonderlab

We went to Wonderlab twice during our visit. We sure wish we had the equivalent here; I think we'd be there several days a week. Ben and Sebastian thought the toddler area was lots of fun, especially the water (I do need to remember to pack a whole extra outfit for him when playing with water is a possibility.)

Wonderful visit

But the whole time visiting was really lots of fun, and everybody enjoyed hanging out with everyone else (even battling can be fun).

Battle Bots

While Ben thought it was amazingly fun to be with his cousins, his relationship with Sebastian was not without some conflict. Julien said that they were battle droids.

Worn out

The day at the Children's Museum really wore everybody out.

More fun at the Children's Museum

After the dinos, Julien went to look at the robots with his uncle Andy, while B and Sebastian played with the moms (Uncle Rick was at the MLA). They were very impressed by the Dale Chihuly ceiling and sculpture and the play area set up under the ceiling, and, after a good nurse, they also had fun in the winter play land and the store, but it was well past their naptimes so they were ready to leave at the end of the visit.