The other side of the pond

We just got back from our very first international family trip. Like every year, we fly to France to visit my family in the South of France in a little village called Ventenac. But this year was special because Olivia was with us. We were a little worried in the beginning. How was she going to handle an 8 hour flight followed by 5 hours of train? Well, she was amazing. We even got people in the plane congratulating her for being so good. She spent her time sleeping and reading books:

Once we got there, things got rougher. Unfortunately, Olivia didn’t get to sleep well. We’re not sure why. It could be a combination of things starting with of course the jetlag, teething and the intense heat. Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent her from enjoying the pools:

Noelle and I didn’t get one full night of sleep. Olivia woke up every night anywhere between 3 and 5AM. Since none of us could go back to bed right away, we went for walks shortly after sunrise:

It was also Olivia’s first time at the beach. Despite the heat, the water was too cold to swim. So we spent most of the time playing in the sand, which she was scared of to begin with. Then, she was literally covered with it:

11 days went fast and we took the train back to Paris. We spent a day there, which gave us just enough time to roam the Champs Elysees and shop the French boutiques. Olivia ate at her very first French bistro and got to ride the subway:

We shot 362 pictures in just 2 weeks and 99% of them are of Olivia! Well, it was her first trip across the Atlantic, so it needed to be immortalized Here are a few shots of our exhausting, yet great vacation. You can also find a few more on my Picasa page.