6 Weeks of Readjustements

After 6 weeks of reajusting and getting to a "normal" life again in the States I thought I better get on a normal blogging schedule again too.

As a little update, Jonathan and I are in the middle of deciding where we will be going next after leaving Paris. Jonathan was actually over there for three weeks while the kiddos and I stayed here. It was much easier for one person to sell everything out of an apartment than a whole family. So while he was doing that we were with my parents in the States. We were so happy to have him back! But the kids and I so miss Paris. Claire and Matthew have asked several times when we are going "home" or back to Paris. They don't quite understand everything about the move. It will be helpful when we are able to tell them where we will be next so that they can focus on that instead. Until then we are relying on God's strenght to be able to show them patience and trust during times of uncertainty. He is always faithful.

I have to share some of the little cultural and life style things that we've had to get used to.

• The first time Claire went to use the bathroom in the States she came out with a very worried look on her face and said, "Mommy, I can't find the button for the toilet!!!" In France they have buttons on top of the toilet to flush it. When I showed her the handle and how it works she looked at me kind of funny and then said, "Wow, Mommy, that's cool!" Haha!
• Two days after we arrived in the States, Jonathan went to a lunch meeting. Matthew watched his daddy drive off in the car and then asked where he was going. I told him that he was going to a restaurant to meet someone. Then he said, "Mommy, why doesn't he just walk there?" In Matthew's mind you walk everywhere because we did that in Paris. He believes cars are only for long trips. Both Claire and Matthew were also confused for the first week when we took the car to the grocery instead of walking.
• The milk here in the States taste much different than in France. It took Claire several tries to even start to drink it. Now she's doing ok, but she still doesn't like it.
• We took one big grocery trip to Walmart and I won't do it ever again. We'll just stick with Aldis and Price Chopper for now. Do we really need a whole isle half a mile long for chips? Really??? It's just a little overwhelming.
• And yogurt...I miss yogurt!!! I have found one brand similar to the French yogurt that is actually made for babies and toddlers here in the States.
• Do we speak French or English? For the first week it was strange to say thank you instead of merci or hello instead of bonjour. Claire kept asking if the people we were going to see spoke English or French. Then my sweet Matthew decided to introduce the nursery worker to Micah one day at church and said proudly, "Regardes! C'est mon frère, Micah!" (Look it's my brother, Micah.)
• So I kind of forgot that complete strangers say hello when you are walking by. I was walking along the sidewalk with my kids the day after we arrived and the guy running by said good morning. It scared me to death.
• Restaurants: huge portions, hovering waiters, refills before my cup is even finished. However, I am seriously happy about having restaurants that cater to kids and even have high chairs again.

I'm sure we will have more funnies to post over the next few weeks. But here's a little quote from Claire and Matthew a couple weeks ago.

As we were coming home from church, we passed a fire station and Matthew said that he was going to grow up big like Daddy and be a fireman. When I asked Claire what she was going to be she said a doctor. She then said, "Matthew, you can come to Russia with me and be a fireman and a I will be a doctor." (One of Claire's future dreams is to help the orphans in Russia) Then Matthew said, "I will rescue the children without daddies and mommies in a fire and then take them to your doctor office. You can help them feel better." "Yep," said Claire, "that will be great!"

It was seriously the cutest thing ever!