It's been a long time in between posts (4 months) but I wanted to give everyone an update on how the Rotundo Family is doing:
Since the last time I posted we have been to France and back. I was there for 2 weeks and Christelle and the boys were there for 3 1/2 weeks. It was a really relaxing time this go around. The weather was sunny (unusual for Normadie) and in the 70's most of the time. The boys loved being there and Julien kept saying how he wanted to stay.
The first week we were there Julien got to take part in a soccer camp run by Christelle's cousins.
Let's just say it was one of the best all-around experiences we could ask for our child. In the morning they did soccer drills and in the afternoon they got to go to different places for fun. All of the kids were super nice also. That would not happen here in the states. Obviously is was really good for his language development and he improved his French tremendously.
Evan was baptized along with his cousin Carla and of course a party ensued. It always seems to be a good time when her family gets together. There was plenty of wine, champagne and the best food you could imagine. I learned some of the secrets to life from one of Christelle's older relatives. She was 91 years old and explained that eating as well as possible and avoided stress were the keys to longevity (along with a glass of wine a night).
Christelle and I watched the semi-finals of the Champions League (that's soccer for those that don't know) with all of Christelle's cousins. Usually we hang out at least one night with all of her cousins when we visit. It was a fun time that included French pizza and the French version of the game Scene It. The pizza was different but really good. My favorite had Canadian bacon and potato on it. The boys ended up winning the game and that's all that really matters.
After I left to come back to the states, Christelle's cousins took Julien to watch his first professional soccer game. He was super stoked and talking about it for a while. Christelle and the boys also went to her sister's house for a couple of days before they left. He boys got to go horseback riding and play tennis. Julien looks to be a natural at tennis. He was playing like a champ.
As usual the time flew by and I was constantly reminded that Americans work to hard and don't get enough vacation time. We plan on returning to France next summer for the wedding of Christelle's sister, Celine.
Some individual notes:
Christelle is always looking for new and interesting things for the boys to do. She can never sit still at night because she is always in search of something different for them. She's the best. She still is a workout fiend and wakes up 3 times a week at 5 in the morning to go workout. She will tell you that she doesn't have any self motivation, but she'd be lying. [email christelle]
Julien is really excelling in kindergarten and is one of the top in his class. He really loves to read and is now reading chapter books. He is still practicing Martial Arts and is getting ready to test for his next section. He is totally in love with soccer and wants to play whenever he can. We all play at night after dinner and he is getting super good.
Evan is still my little bruiser. He definitely doesn't act like a 2 year old. He will start preschool this upcoming September at a really good place (Christelle camped out overnight to get him a spot). He's always learning something new and surprises us all the time. He started to ride a real bicycle now and is doing all of the pedaling on his own. The problem is he loves to use the brakes and is constantly stopping.
Dominic finally made the move to another company. After a year of being fed up at my old job I finally found the place for me. I now work for LAK Advertising, an advertising agency that is looking to increase their abilities in the Direct Marketing industry. I just started 2 weeks ago and everything is going great so far. As a gift to myself for finally getting a new job, along with a pay increase, I bought a new 50" Plasma screen TV. I have wanted a big screen TV for quite some time now and it seemed like the perfect fit. Christelle wasn't left with nothing, she got a new love seat for the living room. [email dom]
As a family we have been going to the drive-in movie theater to watch movies (the boys love it) and we plan to start camping this weekend. We have also started the weekend trips to the beach. It looks to be a fun and refreshing summer with lots to do. Hope to hear from all of you soon. If you feel like dropping us a line click here.
Dom
