Monumenta @ the Grand Palais

A couple weeks ago we took Lucie and Malo to see the Monumenta exhibit by Anish Kapoor at the Grand Palais. For the fourth time in five years, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has invited "an internationally renowned contemporary artist to appropriate the 13,500 m² of the Grand Palais Nave with an artwork specially created for the event" (from the website). Greg and I were able to see the Anselm Kiefer in 2007 and the Richard Serra in 2008 and now this year's Anish Kapoor.

Lucie, Malo and Greg when we first arrived.
Lucie gets down low for a better look at what she's seeing.
It's pretty funny.
She's got to push at it.
Then try listening to it.
Okay, now it's time to go inside.
Greg tries again to explain what's going on.
Being inside is like being on another planet and Lucie has a hard time understanding why she can't climb into the other balls.
Back outside, we goof around.
Malo is less than impressed by the whole thing.
To him it just looks like a super-sized meal...

Lucie in Corsica

Lucie, our seasoned traveler, was also an angel on the flight and she had a great time in Corsica.

She splashed around.
Ran up and down on the beautiful beach.
Tried swimming with goggles.
Lounged on the beach with a book. (Since she can't actually read yet, this meant begging her aunt to read to her.)
And was rowed around by her dad.

Malo in Corsica

We went with Greg's family to Corsica for a long weekend. This was Malo's second vacation that involved taking an airplane and once again he proved himself to be an excellent little traveler. He didn't cry once on the plane.

In Corsica, he happily napped on the beach.
Enjoyed sitting in the shade.
Stuck a toe in the water, just that once. (He had a small cold.)
Got lots of hugs and cuddles from pretty women.

And even went on a mini-hike with his parents.

Coucou Malo

Goodbye Texas

After ten days in the Lone Star state, we said goodbye and flew back to Paris. We already miss all our friends. Here are a few last photos from the visit.

Brooke getting a giggle from Phoebe.
Two good friends sharing a book.
The zen-est dog ever, Puck.

Austin Zoo

We visited the Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary. Lucie fed the animals. Her favorite animal was the deer, but we didn't get a photo. Instead, here's her and a llama.
Stella will tell you that feeding the animals is very serious business!
Mina and Louis met us at the zoo.
The zoo is made up of rescue animals. One has to wonder where these tigers were before they came to the zoo. Hopefully not someone's backyard!
Malo and Phoebe happily snoozed through the entire visit. Back in middle school, Brooke and I thought it was funny if we had the same outfits on. Now it's funny that we have the same baby carriers.

Fairies

Back in Austin, Lucie transformed from a cowgirl into a fairy princess.

More ranch pictures

Lucie, not one to be afraid of the animals, wanted to pet some orphan calves, so we entered the corral that they live in, receiving milk from a milk cow twice a day.

The calves were more afraid of Lucie than the other way around. A year ago, when we traveled to a farm in France, she was terrified of the cows and of some of the animals
Malo also partook in the fun, trying on some cowboy boots for size
After Lucie had gone riding, Greg wanted to have a go, and so James obliged again.
Don't be fooled, there's only one cowboy in this picture, and he doesn't live in Paris.

On the other hand, this Paris-dwelling horse carried more than her fair share!

Horseback riding

Lucie asked if she could go horseback riding, and her wish was granted. She loved it.

Ever the gracious host, James had chosen mild-mannered Cisco for the ride
After a while, she made room for Little James on the horse.

They had a good time together, with their matching cowboy boots.

Being Lucie, she had some pretty clear ideas about where she wanted to go
Afterwards, she learned some basic horse care pointers from Katherine.