Europe Trip Part Two

The last stop on our trip was Paris, France!  We were only there about a day and a half, but we got so much done!  We didn't stay in the greatest of hotels....well let's be honest, it was the worst hotel we've ever stayed in I think.  We laughed about it, and then slid the table in front of our door for a little "extra" protection :)

We woke up on Thursday 10.6 ready to take on Paris.  After some breakfast at Starbucks, we headed to find Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was enormous and made with such detail.

Shot of the city and the water as we were walking

Next up was The Louvre = amazing!

Where we saw The Mona Lisa

We stopped and had lunch which included a cheese plate.  It was...interesting.

Then it was on our way to The Eiffel Tower, which we were both excited to see Paris from the top :)

We had a little more time before it started getting late, so we decided to go to Galleries Lafayette.  It was 7 stories of shopping, each floor catering to something different.  It was very expensive and pretty overwhelming, so we stayed on the children's floor and picked up a few gifts for Hadleigh.  Afterwards, we decided to go see The Moulin Rouge.  I was really excited since my girlfriends and I *love* that movie.  Here's some shots we got.

The trip had some hiccups, but overall we were so fortunate to have the opportunity to see such great places.  And it was nice for Daniel and I to get away just the two of us.  We missed Hadleigh dearly and were both ready to come back to give her hugs and kisses :)

Europe Trip Part One!

I had the opportunity to go to Geneva, Switzerland for work.  I am working on a data project within our organization, and one of the main reasons for the project was Europe.  Daniel and I knew we wouldn't have this opportunity again, so we made it into a little getaway for us.  Although I did have to work 3 days, we still got to see some pretty amazing sights.  We left on Friday 9.30.11, plane ride through the night, and got into Geneva Saturday morning.  We went straight to the hotel to check in and to take a quick nap before meeting up with Mathilde and Steve.  I was starting not to feel well, but I really thought the nap helped.

Mathilde and Steve picked us up and took us to Chamonix, France.  It's the home of Mount Blanc which is the highest point in Europe.  They prepared a nice lunch that we ate in town, and then Daniel and I rode the cable cars up to the top to see the most amazing views!

Then Mathilde and Steve took us to see Mathilde's hometown of Megeve, France. Daniel and I both absolutely loved her hometown.  It was so pretty and quaint.  We got to meet her mom and dad which was really nice since she has come to stay with us over the years.

We then left to eat dinner, but unfortunately I started feeling really sick again so I wasn't able to eat.  The next 2 days I was laid up in the hotel room :( NO FUN!

Monday night I was finally starting to feel a little better, so Daniel and I ventured out in Geneva to find something to eat.  We ended up at a fondue cafe, which was soo yummy!

We were able to see a few sights around Geneva before we left...

Mount Blanc from Lake Geneva

Famous Flower Clock - it really worked!

Touch-a-Truck (while we were in Europe)

While Daniel and I were in Europe, Gran & Gramps took Hadleigh to "Touch-A-Truck".  It's an event where they have all kinds of trucks the kids can get in - ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, tractors...etc.  Hadleigh apparently had a blast holding onto Gran or KiKi's hand and walking.  Gramps was busy behind the camera taking pictures so we could see what our love was up to while we were gone!

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Hessler

My best friend Kristy got married!!! 9.18.11 was the big day.  Originally she had planned on getting married in Nags Head, but Mother Nature had different plans.  Hurricane Irene came through, shutting down the part of Nags Head where she was to get married.

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON....

She had always talked about getting married at her parents house in Ashland and it worked out beautifully!! It was perfect and everything was DIY, which I love.  I'm so glad I was able to get there early to spend sometime with the pretty bride before she walked down the aisle to Michael.  All of our best girlfriends were there too - which it's becoming hard to get us all in one spot at the same time.  It was so fun seeing all of them <3

Starting with some details of the wedding....

The getting ready....

The ceremony...

Reception...

The girls <3

1st Day of Preschool!

On 9.12.11 Hadleigh started Preschool at Trinity United Methodist Church.  We actually were pretty excited for her to go to preschool and get some interaction with other adults and children.  She goes 2 mornings a week and she seems to have a lot of fun.  Daniel works from home on the days Hadleigh has school, so he can drop her off.  It's only 9-12pm, so Nana picks her up from school.  She cries sometimes when Daniel drops her off, but her teachers are really sweet and one of them already has Hadleigh pegged as her "cuddlebug".  So she immediately takes her and hugs on her when she gets fussy.  They play, have snack time, do a craft, music class, and then have outside play.  It seems to be really good for her (except for the picking up strep throat within the first week of going).  Our babygirl is growing up so fast already!!

Here are a few pictures I took the morning before her first day!

Lily & Hadleigh

Had to post these (late) but super cute pictures from Hadleigh's birthday weekend.  Lily & Hadleigh had lots of fun riding around the house in the car :)

And of course we try to get them to give eachother kisses

BFF I tell ya! <3