Birthdays

We got to celebrate two birthdays this week. Paul turned 7 on Monday and Marie turned 4 on Wednesday. Wow, 7 and 4! It's hard to believe how much they've grown in just the time I've been here.

I wasn't there for Paul's treasure hunt birthday party since I was busy getting lost in Cassis with Valerie, but on Monday night we got to be there for his birthday dinner and presents. That night, we all, including Valerie, gathered on the floor of his bedroom to play his new game "Qui-est?" That's our "Guess Who." I adored that game when I was a kid. It's a bit trickier in French, especially when one of your team members speaks no French, another (me) speaks enough but can't for the life of them figure out if the other team is saying 'blond' or 'white' (those are startlingly similar in French), and the other making the other two play because it is more humorous. Obviously, Paul's team won.

Next was Marie's day. There was a party and for the first half, I was the child wrangler. My job was to keep them upstairs in Marie's room while downstairs was being set up for her treasure hunt. Keeping 6 fidgety 3 and 4 year olds in one room is not as easy as I had anticipated, especially if one is strong-willed and already possesses strong leadership qualities. I had to run down the stairs on a few retrieval missions.

But it was fun and entertaining. I ate way too much sugar and regretted it later on but it was yummy. And what a great opportunity it was to practice out my French. I think I was mostly successful but judging by some of the blank or confused looks, I think some of the kids just thought I was stupid. Hm.