SeaWorld (tm)

While visiting the kids' grandparents, we got a real treat and headed off to SeaWorld. There we got to see a dolphin show.

It's quite amazing what they manage to train these animals to do. Michele's still trying to train Gregoire to pick up his socks off the floor!
(Does that say something about Michele's training ability or Gregoire's brain?)

And a killer whale show

 That's alleged killer whale, your honor.

 Not to mention some really badly mannered and loud-mouthed sea lions and cousins.

 We also got a chance to see the famous Florida penguin in its native habitat. A rare treat!

In the land of lawyers, you can never be too careful (seriously, there are fish tanks everywhere... you'd think they'd warn you if there were quicksand). Compare with this.

 Where better to learn about lovely critters than in a shooting gallery?

SeaWorld is huge (huge!) and we were happy to have a stroller. Malo got pushed around by everyone.

Lucie also got to feed and pet little rays, which, it turns out, eat calamari (lucky fish...)

More beach pictures

The good thing about going to Florida for Xmas (rather than, say, Pennsylvania) is that there's always the beach to go to. Malo wasn't so keen on the strange feeling of sand underfoot at first, and he stuck to the beach blanket and the shade.

 Soon, he was having a face-to-face with Daddy.

Lucie came to ask: should we dunk him?

  After all, I'm not afraid of the water...

 In the end, he escaped un-wet... (not a word, but should be)

Santa Claus brought Gregoire a new camera lens, and it's a pretty cool toy... Thanks Santa!

 

Day at the beach

We had some warm weather and headed to the beach. Lucie, true to herself, barely made contact with the sand.

Life's a splash.

Who's happy?

Lucie flying a kite. You've got to love the concentration.

and pure happiness. She's loved doing this since she was about 2.5 years old, and for some reason, she just "gets it".

Zoo

One of the great attractions of the Melbourne area is its remarkable zoo. We've visited in the past, and it's always a hit, not matter the age of the kids (and adults). It's very well organized and laid out, and the animals have quite a bit of space. Lucie's grandmother volunteers there, and so we got the low down on a lot of different animals. Lucie really enjoyed feeding the birds.

 

And the giraffes. This time, though, she understood that the cookies weren't for her. That's what being a big girl will do for you...

 She got to monkey around a bit.

 Malo got a ride on a two-legged horse.

 Not to mention some hugs

 It was absolutely exhausting.

The zoo also includes a lavish children's educational/play area, complete with wading pools, activities, animals (not in the pool, this isn't a Darwinian zoo in that sense of the word...), etc... and the kids really enjoyed it.

Flying Shark

In Florida, we encountered a new endangered species, the remote-controlled flying shark.

This animal is vicious, but easily maneuvered by a 4 year old with a remote control. It turns out that Lucie is a natural when it comes to flying things, be they kites or sharks.

 The flying shark hovered over all parts of the house.

 I tried to show Malo how to operate it, but he was more interested in drooling on me.

Christmas in Florida

Christmas came to us in Florida. Lucie's Popop had misread the label on the 3m-tall Santa that he bought: he thought it was only 3 feet tall. 

 The neighbors also went all-hog on the Christmas lights.

 Someone had even gotten the Grinch, Frosty, and the baby Jesus together for a lawn party.

 On Christmas eve, Santa paid a visit, only to be greeted by a 4 year old's acusatory finger: "I know you're not the real Santa, you're my grand father"

 On Xmas morning, Malo got a little confused among of all the presents that Santa had left the night before.

 He really liked the wrapping paper.

 Lucie got her wish: a flamenco dancer's dress

And, because it's the 21st century, a princess' sword. Who says girls can't kill dragons?

Florida

We've arrived in Florida, visiting this blog's number one fans...

Lucie and Malo went right into the the pool, bright and early (think7:30am) on the first morning.

  

Malo then quickly moved on to taking driving lessons in his Popop's home-built race car (did we mention that said Popop built the whole thing himself? - ok, not the frame, but the engine and all that)

Christmas is coming!

The kids with Santa. There's a great Christmas village by Abbesses. You'll notice that Santa's not wearing the exact same outfit as in the US, he's got a hood and a cloak. The Christmas village is organized every year by a neighborhood charity, and so it's the same Santa every year.

They organize a face-painting workshop, and Lucie got her face painted.

 Of course, she chose Hello Kitty and here's her reaction to seeing her face in a window.  Is Hello Kitty the cat's pajamas to four year old girls everywhere?

 

Organ grinder at the Christmas village. Along with the music and Santa, there are lots of stands selling presents and food. Because it's France there's even hot wine for the big people.

We brought our tree home, put it on the floor, looked at Malo, and said SHIT! Luckily it fit on this table where Malo spends most his time trying to pull the ornaments off the bottom branches while Lucie keeps hanging them back up.

Here is an example of the extremes a big sister has to go to to keep her little brother from destroying her Lego house. BTW Santa left his hat for Lucie last year. I'd like to say she's getting into the holiday spirit but honestly she's worn it year round.

Who me? I would never try to topple the Christmas tree.

Spaghetti

Over the past month or so, we've been encouraging Malo to feed himself.

They say you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, and it does seem that a kid can't feed himself without making a joyous mess.