Cake and Presents

I think Gabriella was exhausted yesterday since we've been celebrating her birthday most of the week, but there's always room for cake and presents! She woke up from her nap to this loot, she spotted it right away. 

 It didn't take her very long to start opening everything.

 Cake for Gabi's 2nd birthday.

I bought trick candles (mistakingly) they were a hit! She thought they were hilarious. 

Playing with her new toys!

Playing with Dad.

Gabriella's favorite things at 2 years old:

• Purses, anything with a handle that she can put on her arm
• Animals,  every kind but her favorites are dogs, kitty, horses, monkeys, and loins
• Kicking and throwing balls
• Trains and buses
• Camera, taking pictures and having her picture taken
• Shoes and clothes
• Make up
• Jewelry
• Being just like her mommy
• Dolls and all their accessories
• Suitcases, push cars, dolly's stroller, anything that she can push/pull 

Gabriella's favorite phrases at 2:

• "Mama, dada, play"
• "Where'd dada go?"
• "Where'd blankie go"
• "Apple in my sippy"
• "No, me"
• "Me play outside"
• "Me want this, please buy"
• "Sit here"

Gabi is saying everything we say right now, she talks all the time. She loves to play, eat, color, read books, and stickers right now.  Pretty much she's become all toddler over the last year! Happy birthday again Gabriella, we love you!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Gabriella!! I can't believe you're already 2 years old, the past two years have gone by so fast. 

Your birthday party last year

And oh, how you've changed this year!!

This morning before you were really awake

Birthday Puppets

We started celebrating Gabriella's birthday a little early this year. Since she LOVES puppets right now, we took her to a puppet show here in Grenoble. She had so much fun, as soon as it was over she said "more puppets please"

Catching ducks and the carnival

New outfit from Grandma, she loved the owl on this shirt. She was going "hoot, hoot" all day

Outside the puppet show theater

Pointing to the show we were going to see

Gabriella and daddy had to wear matching shoes

Waiting for the show to start

 She loved the show, she laughed when everyone else was laughing and she sang along to all the songs. (Even though she didn't know them!) After she said she wanted McDonalds for dinner.

Playing in McDonalds after dinner

On the bus ride home, she was so happy!

New skirt from Grandma, she loves to spin around in it.

Life in France

I feel so lucky that we had the opportunity this year to live in France; we've been able to see so much. While my mom was visiting, we took a couple of day trips close to Grenoble and we saw some beautiful places. It was so nice to enjoy the countryside too. We got some great pictures of Gabriella, she was in a great mood the whole time!!

 Our first trip was an hour train to ride to Aix-les-bains. Which was a beautiful little city on Lac du Bourget. It was a great trip and lots of fun to be around the lake, we were lucky the weather was perfect.

At the gare waiting for our train 

Lac du Bourget

The tulips were so pretty.

 

Next we drove about an hour outside of Grenoble to the middle of no-where to see the Palais du Facteur Cheval. Which is a palais that a local postman built in the late 1800's to the early 1900's. It took him 33 years to build it, every day he would pick up rocks along and his route and add on to his palais.

The detail was unbelievable

Next we drove to Lake Geneva, but we stayed on the French side this time. We drove along the lake and stopped in Yvoire, Evain, and Thonon. It was so pretty, I think I could be happy staying there for a long time!

Yvoire

Putting our toes in Lake Geneva

We had a blast, I can't believe how beautiful spring is here, it makes the long winter well worth it!! In other news, Gabriella's 2nd birthday is on Saturday. I can't even comprehend yet that she is almost 2! The time has flown by!!!

Back to Paris

We finally made it to the Sacred Heart

Here are more pictures from our last trip. We ended the trip with a few days in Paris. The weather was amazing and we had such a blast!

 By all time favorite thing to do in Paris, spending the afternoon at the park under the Eiffel Tower.

The first one in always has the best selection!

Playing outside the Opera House

The Louvre was so pretty at night!

We had so much fun in Paris this time. It made me realize how much I will miss living here in a few months. Here are my top five reasons I will miss France:

5) Learning French

4) Walking everywhere

3) French food (never thought I'd say that!)

2) Markets

1) The Parks

And of course here are the top five things I won't miss:

5) Learning French

4) Carrying home the groceries

3) Missing Copper and Coco

2) Restaurants that are never open

1) Smoking, smoking, smoking

I can't believe we are down to just a few more months! I am so happy we moved over here and spent the year.