New Superhero on the Loose!

Watch out! He's mean, he's serious, he's found new and exciting ways to use his mom's mascara... It's uni brow boy! Emily did eat frog legs in France! She said they tasted like old chicken. She couldn't bring herself to eat escargot, although she did have one on her plate. She still insists that the best chefs in the world work at the Dallas Airport. Emily says crossing the street in Europe was crazy. Not only were all the cars going the wrong directions, but you had to cross one half at a time. She said it was really scary standing in the middle of the street with cars whizzing by. She also shared another scary tale. At one of the hotels in France there was creepy red writing on some one's bathroom mirror. They were telling everyone about it and when Emily went to her room, she and her roommates screamed when they discovered creepy red writing on their mirror. Apparently, several other ambassadors were scared by the writing on their bathroom mirrors and began screaming as well. Emily said everyone was silenced by one of their leaders hollering, "Get a grip, it just says to enjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant!"

Day Fourteen

Emily flew out of Paris this morning and landed in Dallas/Ft.Worth this afternoon. She was treated to a free dinner and hotel room in Dallas by American Airlines. The rain was so bad, they had to cancel her flight. She called home and sounded disappointed, but I say it's a blessing in disguise. Now, she can get more sleep and get over a little jet lag before she gets home. :) I wonder if she ate any frog legs while she was in France...

Day Twelve - Emily is NOT in Scotland

Wow, make that two bombs in London yesterday! Now, I saw that the car that rammed into the Glasgow Airport in Scotland may be connected to the two cars found in London yesterday! Just stay away from France you terrorists! I guess, right now, maybe I'm glad the French didn't join us in our war with Iraq. Today Emily is at the famous Musee du Louvre. She should have seen the Mona Lisa. In the heart of Paris she will be seeing the most prestigious monuments of the city, including the Notre-Dame cathedral. Here at home we are getting ready to start some repairs and renovations on our house. The first thing we are going to do is take the wood burning stove out of our playroom. Then, I'm hoping my dad will come visit because I want to knock part of a wall out. :) Emily is excited to meet her new foster sister. Today we discovered that she really likes Cinderella. She found Sariah's wig and Emily's dress and has been dressing up everyday. I can't wait for my camera to come home, and Emily too!

Day Ten

Today Emily explored the Chateau de Versailles, built during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King. She walked the bejeweled Hall of Mirrors, and surely checked herself out many times. :) She got to see the private chambers of France's flamboyant Sun King and wander the vast formal gardens. From 1682 to 1789, the Chateau was the seat of the royal court. Then in 1789, the French Revolution put an end to the monarchy. Today the palace is often used for international gatherings attended by world leaders. Later, she went to Paris and saw the Arc de Triomphe on the Avenue of Champs-Elysees, the world's first "organized" roundabout and Napoleon's homage to the armies and himself. I've heard that most insurance companies won't even cover you if you drive on the roundabout! Sariah had her first ballet lesson this month. Ballet originated in France.

Day Nine

Bonjour et Bienvenue en France! Emily's exploration of France began today at Le Memorial de Caen Museum. The museum highlights the effects of D-Day, but also examines how to learn from the past to achieve a peaceful future. The Caen Museum describes the journey of Europe's descent into war, Hitler's rise to power, through the dark years of uncertainty, and finally, its emergence with a vision of peace. She took part in D-Day and join the Allied Army as it leads the liberation of France, through a visual presentation of the Allied victory. Later, she took a coach to the coast of Normandy, the actual location of the D-Day landings. Finally, she went to the American Cemetary overlooking Omaha Beach. Here are my giant babies, obviously I couldn't find a picture that had anything at all to do with this post. :) Once again, we have five kids. We have no plans to adopt and our license expires in October. We are just helping a little girl that is very sweet and in a bad situation. She needs to be with her family, so we are helping transition her to go home. :)

Day Eight

Today Emily increased her Harry Potter mania by visiting Oxford. England's oldest university was founded there in 1167. Christ Church College was used in the movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." She spent $3.50 somewhere at Stonehenge. She had to wait quite awhile to board the ferry to France this evening, she was dissappointed that there was only one store to shop in with all that down time. :) She said the ferry looked like a mini cruise ship. I'm hoping she slept well to the gentle current of the English Channel. Can you tell that's a Harry Potter poster on Emily's wall? See this isn't an irrelevant picture! CPS called again this morning and asked if we would take a six-year-old girl for a few weeks. Emily says "we should", I say "maybe", Terry says "No way!"