This is Guillaume with his clarinet teacher to his right. She's new this year so I can't remember her name.

Since she received a digital camera for Christmas, Alienor is our new photographer/ cinematographer and delights in taking care of the family's videoing needs. There's Guillaume on the clarinet but can you find Margot and Perceval behind their hideous 'leafy tree' masks?! The other masks in the play were quite well done but I think the green ones make the kids look scary.

Alienor on the piano. Look at those hands!!

Alienor on the piano.

Let It Be

Last year it was John Denver. This year it's the Beatles. Alienor and Patrice learned how to play 'Let It Be' on the piano by watching something off YouTube. (Alienor is better than Patrice!!) Kind of fun to play the piano with Paul McCartney on the laptop. We haven't memorized the lyrics but the kids have fun singing the chorus. I got a big picture book from the Bicherbus on the Beatles so the kids can recognize who is who. They were a little shocked and disappointed to find out that the Beatles smoked! Kids are funny. And I'm sure that they don't understand how long the Beatles have been around because they keep asking if so-and-so knows who the Beatles are. Does Gramma Cass know who the Beatles are?! Wouldn't you know that Margot's favorite Beatle would be Ringo Starr!

Happy 60th Birthday!!

We love you!

Big Bisous from Luxembourg!

Happy Birthday Gramma Cass, Love Margot

Happy Birthday Gramma Cass
Love Guillaume

Yellow Submarine

This is Margot playing 'Yellow Submarine'. This is another song that she's just played by ear and obviously needs to work on a little more.

This is a song that Guillaume just started to learn on the clarinet.

This is one of the songs that Guillaume has been working on in the last few weeks. His new book has a CD so he can play the song with an accompaniment. This has proved a great motivation for him. He also enjoys improvising on the clarinet with the music on the CD.

Let It Be

As you can see, we've been listening to the Beatles a lot around here. Margot has a good ear and has figured out how to play 'Let It Be' on the violin.

Happy Birthday Gramma Cass
Love Perceval

Perceval didn't have any instrument to play for you so this was his idea. Unfortunately you can't here the CD in the background well enough - but Perceval is cute drumming away.

Bonjour Remi,
Tout le monde se joint a moi pour te souhaiter un joyeux 51eme anniversaire. Nous avons essaye d'appeler mais vous etes surement chez Rene.

Gros bisous et bonne semaine!

Patrice
Joc
Alienor
Guillaume
Margot
Perceval

Happy Birthday Pumpkin!!

Patrice's birthday was the third of December - 39 and holding! I made enchiladas for a birthday lunch. They turned out great and we all wanted seconds - reserved only for the birthday boy. We sure do miss mexican food! Here are a few pictures of Patrice with the kids on his birthday. In the first picture Alienor was on her tippy toes but we didn't realize it until we moved the kids around a little. We were laughing because she was getting lost in the back behind Margot. Luckily Alienor can laugh about it too. I guess we'll have to start putting Alienor in the front and Margot in the back, even though Alienor is older.

Here are a few pictures from Saint Nicolas here in Leudelange last Saturday 30 Nov. Alienor played the piano for two of the school children's songs that they performed and then she also sang with them. Then Guillaume, Margot and Perceval got to get in line with the group of children that are not in the local school system. Of course that meant that all of the other kids were under 3!! Oh well, it helped us get through the line faster and we have to take advantage of any advantage we have as homeschoolers - which aren't many! Unfortunately, Alienor was at the end of a long line so by the time she made it up to get her bag of goodies from St. Nicolas Patrice has already left with the younger kids and the camera. Oh well.

Here's a picture of all four of the kids with St. Nicolas at Cora. We sure racked up the candy - makes up for the lack of Halloween I guess. It won't work, will try again another time, maybe!

Sending out a BIG thank you to Gramma Cass for following through on her promise to send birthday presents for Margot, Perceval and Guillaume with a little something for Alienor thrown in there as well. WE LOVE YOU! Poor Margot was starting to get desperate and was beginning to lose all hope. Gramma Cass sent the presents to Patrice who brought them back with him from his trip to San Francisco/San Antonio this past week. His luggage didn't make his connecting flight in Paris so he came home with no luggage. That evening Gramma Cass happened to call and talked to the kids. Gramma Cass explained to Margot the problem with the luggage but Margot didn't believe her and said she thought Gramma Cass was lying. You'd have to know Margot. She's an unusual one! She can say the boldest things and get away without it sounding offensive.

Of course a few technical difficulties made it so I missed the cutest of the boys' exclamations when they saw the PlayMobil for Perceval. They are still really into PlayMobil. And luckily Gramma Cass found a 'chevalier' (knight) that we don't have! Actually, the boys think Perceval's PlayMobil guys look more like Gaulois than chevalier (any of you up on your French history?!). And yes, we speak franglais in our house!

Well this is taking so long to upload that I may as well continue writing. Maybe not, can't think of anything interesting to say at the moment.

Thanks again, Gramma Cass! We love you!

Des photos de septembre 2006.

Voila une photo de la famille Duffort, Patrice, lors de notre visite chez Sophie et famille en septembre 2006.

Bonjour, c'est Remi le Papy
Bonne année à tous