we have been here in casa three weeks and counting. our apartment feels like home and we are actually enjoying the small space. we all already have great friends (yes, even beckett) and we are excited to be living in community with them. so far, we are loving life in casa. we have had many adventures already. scott got pulled over by a police officer on the way to the beach for turning right on red, which is illegal here, but don't worry, he got out of it. the police officer only spoke french and scott played the dumb american so he pretty much just laughed at us and waved us on. going to the grocery store is culture shock enough. i was so proud of myself for knowing how to ask for turkey at the deli (in french) but i did not know the conversion for pounds to kilos so i ended up getting almost a kilo of turkey, which is over 2 pounds...needless to say we had ate a lot of turkey for the next couple of days. we ate dinner as a group at a restaurant where they have the cow carcases are hanging and you go select which part of the cow you want and they cut it and cook it for you. i did not take any part in picking out the meat or wouldn't have eaten it...and i have to admit that it was pretty good. scott has made a friend at the local grocery store who usually weasels scott into giving him more money for watching our car while we shop or for washing it. we are getting used to the fact that everything takes more time here...everything! for starters, we don't have a microwave so leftovers are pretty much a thing of the past. we buy our produce on the street or in the market and we have to let it soak in the sink with a some special cleaner before eating it. i am having to learn to make meals from scratch because the only prepped meals are pizza and chicken nuggets. i am thankful to be across the hall from a family who has lived overseas for years so she knows how to make lots of yummy meals.

now, about the kids...
ella is having so much fun. she has made friends with the little ones across the hall and they play together all day. it is so nice to be able to open our back door and let her run around and come and go as she wants. there are a lot of teenagers, too, so she is getting lots of attention. she is getting so big and is constantly amazing us with her adult words and phrases. she does miss the family back home and blows kisses to their pictures. beckett is awesome. i could not be more thankful for such a chill baby. he is so sweet and so precious. he adores ella and is usually looking at her or grabbing at her and laughing. he is getting so big (if you can even imagine him getting bigger) and he will be crawling before we know it. he also has a friend next door...a 5 month old baby girl who has almost as many rolls as he does. they are so cute together.

here are some pics so far...