My very boring In-Law post

Flowers, just because they're pretty

Believe it or not, I don't have much to say.  Nor do I have any great photos to share.  Here's why:
1.  They arrived so late that I stayed behind with the children and we were all sleeping by the time that Fred had his parents back from the airport.  So, no touching reunion photos.
2.  His Mom asked me not to take pictures of her.  Which basically ended it right there.  So I had to sneak in a few.
3.   I forgot to charge my camera battery and it ran out of juice on the way back to the airport.  So no photos, saying goodbye, at the airport.

Basically, I got nothing!  So now I'll try to piece together what I can.  One last thing, although Fred's Mom doesn't read or speak English, I still can't post funny photos of them.  That would just be mean.

She came bearing gifts

See what happens when I try to de-clutter.  That's right, it comes back to me.  It's like Karma, but with baggage.  And most of these things were Fred's grandmother's that his Mom is giving to him.  Why she brought two bathroom towels, I'll never know.  But I'm sure you all see that huge stack in the back.

That's right.  She brought white hand towels.  They aren't new and she's had them packed away for a billion years.  But if you recall, she almost had a heart attack back in 2005 when she had to use my dingy ones.  I wasn't offended.  I accepted them graciously.  As graciously as I could seeing as how she thinks I'm a filthy pig.

Johnny and his Pappy

Remember when I told you that Fred told his parents that my job was to drive around the city in a little vehicle cleaning up dog poop?  Well that is just an example of how Fred and his brothers treat their parents.  They joke with them 24/7.  And I feel so bad for them at times because they really do believe him.  So Fred convinced John to play a practical joke on his Dad.  They told him that John had a chameleon in this tank.  So his dad spent about 10 minutes trying to see the thing as John kept pointing to where it was.  I only knew about what they were doing half way through their little game.  I felt awful, as I rushed down the steps to snap a picture.

If you cook for me, you're okay in my book.

My kitchen was totally destroyed after this meal but I didn't even care.  Mostly I didn't care because Fred's mom cleaned up after herself.  Don't you just love her!  Anyway, they made Paella for us one night.

They spent hours making this dish.

I have never eaten it before but I'm dying to eat it again.

Grand Pierre, Petite Pierre

Joshua is very loving.  It's easy to fall for him and Fred's parents certainly did.  Claire was in there too.  In fact, she was my translator throughout most of their visit.  At first, I would say, "Claire, what are they saying?"  And she would reply, "I don't know, they're talking too fast."  But by the middle of the week, I knew that she could understand them because she came upstairs and said, "Nanny wants to know what cabinet you keep your 'clean' glasses in."  Yeah, I know.   But I was very proud of Claire.  John could do the same but he is scared to death to talk.  Jacob mostly ignored them the whole time.  I wonder what they could be saying about us now.

Like that Paella pan?

His parents mentioned, before they arrived, that they would be cooking this dish so Fred ordered the pan.  This is what I came home to one day.  Actually, I come home most days to find things that Fred has purchased on-line.  You can pitty me now.

So of course, it's something else I have to find a place for.  I don't mind though.  Especially if Fred will make it again.  Soon!

The kids loved it too.

Really, it was a successful trip.  She only made a few comments which pissed me off but I got over it.  Here's an example.  The tub that they were using for showers, is losing it's enamel.  And although I scrubbed it like nobody's business before they arrived, like my old hand towels, it's not the whitest tub in the world because you can see grey steel beneath it.  Fred over heard her talking to his Dad about how dirty it was.  Thank God he caught it because I didn't.  Fred was quick to correct her although I think she still thinks it's dirty.  So before they come again, I either need to re-enamel that tub or buy another house.

The highlight of the trip was taking them to NY with us.  Fred's brother, Christophe, set them up in a Hotel overlooking Central Park.  It was stunning.  The weather was nice enough that they could go out and do some site seeing.  They left, back to France, the day after we all returned from New York.  All that night, she kept talking and talking to me without even taking a breath.  I asked Claire, "What is she saying now?"  Claire responded, "She's still talking about New York."

Thank you for reading my boring In-Law Post.

Your Filthy Friend, m.