Our trip to France!

We just got back from 10 days in beautiful France - a country I'd never been to (Paris-Charles de Gaulle doesn't count!). We spent the first three nights celebrating our friends Thomas and Izzy's marriage and the following week at a farmhouse with the entire Fitzpatrick clan - including the Kenmore Fitzs.

There were fields of grapes, sunflowers and various other crops (wheat?), giving us a gorgeous view anytime we drove anywhere. We went to a traditional French market, old chateau and cooled off in nearby rivers and lakes.

Freddie and Elsie had a great time with their cousins Keeley and Corina and new friends, Rory and Ava. It was a madhouse of children (six all under the age of three) and Irish but within the insanity (bedtime the first night included about 2 hours of EVERYONE screaming!) came so many laughs. Boardgames, red wine (I had to time it right to avoid Elsie's feedings!) and oh so much cheese.

We ate so many chocolate croissants - they were a staple at breakfast, snack and anytime we had a cup of coffee (which was quite frequent, to say the least!) - that Freddie is still asking for them.

Here are some pics from the wedding...

Finding shade under a tree

Francie entertaining children

It was HOT

Probably our first family photo!

The Fitzs

Where's the groom?

Reenie Roo enjoying her ice cream

Funny faces

A rite of passage...

Freddie and I both went through a rite of passage this afternoon....he got his haircut from a real hairdresser! Sob! Haha just kidding. It went very well. We talked about it all day - how you get to wear a cape and sit in a big chair and make funny faces at yourself in the mirror.

When it came down to it, he got a little nervous but once I agreed to stand by his side and hold his hand, he was fine. We looked at the penguins on his cape and stuck our tongues out in the mirror. Only slight hiccup was when Elsie decided she wanted a nap so I put her in the sling and rocked her/shoved the paci in her mouth with one hand while holding Freddie with the other hand.

The hairdresser (we were at Trade Cut on Easter Road) was really nice and - get this - it only cost £5! William joined us, too, and got his hair cut after Freddie's. Next time we'll probably make it a whole family affair and I'll get mine done too. Elsie might even like a trim!