So, we spent some time in the mountains a few weeks ago. Some of our best friends from Austin were visiting La France and hooked us up with a slightly extravagant chalet tucked away on a hill in the Alps. I'm not much of a mountain (or nature) girl, but it's hard not to feel the magic that radiates from being in a valley full of sunshine surrounded by colossal, snow-capped mountains. Our visit there definitely brought out my inner hippie.

 Being the city folk that we are, we opted out of any major physical activities and settled on sightseeing from the lift's drop-off points (and eating all the traditional cheesy, meaty specialties in the area, of course). We explored a bit once we reached a good point on the mountain and couldn't stop watching all the brave paragliders jump off of the mountainside with only an oversized umbrella on their backs. Although I opted out, Guillaume, Avienne and the rest of the group put on their big-boy pants and took an open-air lift across one of the mountains to get a good look at the great Bossons Glacier. The pictures they took were beautiful, but after seeing the flimsy little chair lift, I'm definitely glad I sat that one out. 

 Our week in the Alps coincided with Avienne's third birthday, so we planned a small fete for our little miss to celebrate with two of her favorite pals. It's a little unexciting to plan a party for 3 kids and their parents so I thought for sure the kids wouldn't be into it. Thankfully, our little troupe was easy to please, and we ended up having a blast with them and a few props in the form of cheap bubble guns, balloons and a piñata full of chewy French candy. Not to mention, my BFF brought some corn masa back from Texas, so with her tortilla-making skills, I was also able to make Avienne's birthday lunch request...tacos. It very well might have been the first time anyone's ever made homemade corn tortillas and tacos on that mountain, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud about that. As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of Texas, . . .


Avienne was so excited about playing in the snow. We spent a good while making snowballs and watching them explode when we'd throw them on the rocks down below. 


Watching the parapenters (as we Franglified the term) take off.


They are literally flying above the mountaintops. Literally.


This little box was going to the next level of mountain; I opted out, but Gui and Avienne are in there!


Avienne had this face the entire time her sparkler candle was lit, so we had a redo with just the regular ones right after. Meh, it's always hit or miss with toddlers, isn't it?

When the fun seemed to run out, the kiddos had THE best time popping all the balloons in the yard.


Piñata first-timers, but they really got into it!

She just LOVED her new pink skates from Grandpère.