Just a quick picture from yesterday | Photograhe vendée

Party Party Party! | Photographe Vendée

Tomorrow we are going to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary (it was 2 weeks ago) We invited our close friends and our family -- we will be around 75 people, I think. Our theme is the "Love Boat" since we went on our cruise for our honeymoon and we will be going on another to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Everyone has to wear "Cruise Attire" -- I can't tell you what we are wearing since it is a surprise, but I'm sure I'll have some fun pictures to share in a couple days. I better get back to getting things ready.... Have a great weekend -- I know we will!

Cha- ching!!! | Photographe Vendée

That is what I heard in my head when I walked past the diaper aisle in the grocery store. We are FINALLY a diaper-free houshold!! Leïla has been potty-trained during the day for just over a year now, but she didn't want to give up her naptime and bedtime diaper. So she is still being true to her nickname that I gave here when she was learning to walk -- "Little Miss Lazy Butt" -- and needed a little shove to go in the right direction. So last week I decided I wasn't going to buy anymore diapers. I told Leïla this, and we counted how many diapers were left. The last diaper was Sat night. Which was a pretty good thing since stores are closed here on Sunday and I couldn't buy anymore dipaers even if I wanted to. Naptime went off pretty well and she didn't have an accident. Monday morning she woke up around 10:30am and had an accident (I think that is what woke her up) and since then no more accidents! We have had a couple short diaper breaks over the last nine years, but is nice to know I don't need to spend anymore money on diapers!! Yeah Leïla!!!

Happy fourth of July! | Photographe Vendée

I feel so bad about not updating my blog lately -- seems like I am getting nothing done lately. Well, I can't say that is totally true -- I did finish my friends' wedding album, I have had a couple photo shoots (you can see some on my biz blog), and the girls wrapped up their school year and had the end of the year show. Hubby and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We had friends and family stop over but we will be having the real fiesta soon, but that will be in another post.

Of coarse we didn't really get to celebrate the 4th of July, but the girls received cute 4th of July shirts and flags, so we did get into the spirit a little bit. I ttok them out this morning for some quick pictures -- the weather was windy which cause some technical difficulties! I also noticed that my kids don't know how to wave a flag -- you would never see people waving little French flags. We will be celebrating the 4th on the 18th with my American friends -- they even do a baseball game which should be pretty humorous since I don't think I have played since I was in junior high and Teddy has never tried before.

I better get moving and do some more cleaning, busy life = dirty house and I can't stand it anymore so I am off to spring clean (see how behind with things I am!!!)

Another day at the beach.... | Photographe mariage Vendée

But this time it was work related and without the kids! The bride and groom for June 6th wanted me to do their formal portraits and in a way "a trash the dress" on Monday. Perfect weather and we did a lot of fun poses and locations. I will be adding more to my biz blog over the next week or so -- so if you want to see some of my work you can check it out there http://jillbrochardphoto.blogspot.com/

Hit the Beach! | Photographe Vendée

We are so enjoying the nice weather this week. Another one of my cousins is here and I am just happy that the weather is playing along. So yesterday we headed to the Vendeen coast and had a day at the beach. It was probably the best beach weather I have seen in a long time -- not a cloud in the sky, rather warm but not buring hot, and not too much wind. Alison was in the water in no time and though it wasn't warm enough for me, it was warmer that a couple weeks ago. Sami had fun playing on the beach and made instant friends. They were fishing jellyfish (ewwww!) and putting them in their pails. At one point Sami had about ten in hers. I thought they looked pretty funky, some were a dark brown color. I had never seen so many on the coast line here, but that didn't keep people out of the water. I brought my little video camera in a zip lock bag so I could snap a couple pictures.

Bathing beauty (though she won't even get close to the water)

Sami having fun "fishing"

Alison and Sami making a big sand castle

A little flashback..... | Photographe Vendée

So now that we are back to kind of normal living after our two weeks of medical stuff I fifgure I will blog about last week and what happend before the horrible toe incident. My cousin and her family came for a quick visit while travelling in Europe. Their son is just a year older than Leïla and she loved having someone to play with. Though she could say his name correctly -- instead of say Max, she would say Mask. Max speak English but naturaly goes into German. So with Leïla who understands some English but naturally goes into French, it made for some interesting kid conversation. I tried to film them but they wouldn't really let me. It is really a shame that the three days they were here we had AWFUL weather -- wind and rain! They left for Paris on Thursday and Leïla asked for 2 days straight "where's Mask" and wasn't happy hearing that he was gone. :(

The 4 kids making yummy homemade pizza Mask -- I mean Max ;)
This week my other cousin has come to see us and it looks like we are going to have much nicer weather. Today is just beautiful so we are going to head to the beach, though it was be hard to keep Sami out of the water. Alison's stiches are out so she can go in the water but Sami's toes still bleeds some (especially after Leïla stepped on it). But in general Sami is doing pretty well and you can't tell she was in the hospital only 5 days ago.