Still in the South

Hey guys,

So, we're still in the south of France, at this great house in St. Maxime. The weather has been beautiful all week--probably in the upper 80s every day, with perfect blue skies and all that. I had forgotten how much I enjoy swimming in the ocean; something about the saltwater is so pleasant. The beaches are a bit rocky for my taste, and really small. Ben tells me that most of the Mediterranean coast has only short beaches, not the big long ones like in California, which I guess is what I always imagine a beach should be like. Being here has reminded me how much I enjoyed going to the beach when we lived in Ventura--makes me wish I had my boogie board, even though there are no waves over about 1 foot here. 

Things have been picturesque, but to be honest I'm getting a bit bored. We spend every day going to the same beach, or sitting by the pool, and I'm a little tired of it. I think this must be a very American mind-set, the feeling that we can't sit and do nothing for too long. Ben and Victoria were lamenting that, because of Ben's work load right now, they were only able to take 2 weeks and not their normal 3...if we had to be here for 3 weeks, doing the same thing, I think I'd go slowly mad. But, one of my goals in coming to Europe was to partly integrate their mindset--less work-focused and frenetic--which is probably in the end a far healthier way to live.

The boys have been fun and exhausting, as usual. Like any 2 year old, Henry is always testing boundaries, seeing what he can say 'no' to and what he can get away with. In a lot of ways it's more difficult to discipline him with so many caregivers around (me, Ben, Victoria, and Victoria's parents) because when one of us says something he doesn't like he screams for someone else to play with or take care of him. It's all very normal, and I'm sure he'll return to normal when we get back to Geneva. Alessio finally came down with the chicken pox yesterday, but he has it so much worse than Henry did. I feel really bad for Victoria and Ben because they were up with him all night while he screamed. It's good to have Victoria's parents around right now, because they can help care for Henry while Alessio gets the attention he needs. However, I'm finding them a bit exasperating. They are very nice, but they often tend to undermine me with Henry when I'm trying to take a firm stance with him and, like all grandparents, they choose to spoil him and give in instead. I can't exactly contradict grandma, even when, like today, she insisted Henry didn't need a diaper on after lunch and he subsequently pooped on the floor. I cleaned it up without complaint. What are you gonna do, right? Plus, I'm still pretty new in the house so I don't think Victoria's mom really trusts me with them--she tends to take over situations, and I kind of feel like she's always watching me. Thus far, I'm not sure she approves of what she sees. This makes me a little apprehensive about having to spend a week with the grandparents staying over while Ben and Victoria are in Hong Kong. 

Speaking of Hong Kong, I told Victoria and Ben that if they are able to take me, I will go with them. The basic hindrance to this will be whether or not they can find an apartment with enough extra space to house me. If all goes according to plan, they will find a place while they are in HK the week after next and be able to tell me what's what when they get back. I suppose I'll have to suck it up and make it through until then...