David's parents have arrived!

They arrived on Wednesday for what will be a three-week stay. They're in Amsterdam for four days right now visiting friends and relatives, so we haven't had a chance to see much of Paris with them yet. I'm sure we'll have many adventures with them when they return on Sunday.

On their first day here, they accompanied Emmett and me for a walk around our neighborhood to a couple of our favorite parks, including the Place des Vosges.

To my great surprise, we actually ran into a MESSAGE acquaintance while there, my first time running into someone in Paris (I know so few people here so far). As we were leaving the park, a woman approached us and told us in French how happy she thought we all looked together. Apparently she had been observing Akung holding Emmett as they watched the toddlers play in the sandbox. The woman sitting next to her was the acquaintance I had just met recently at a MESSAGE event. Kirsty explained that she and her mother-in-law (the friendly woman who approached us) had been watching the doting grandparents for a while and thought "they looked just lovely together. I wish I'd had my camera with me!"

Running into Kirsty and her family encapsulated what we love so much about this city. We've found Paris to be incredibly warm, friendly, welcoming and gracious, and we're cherishing each moment here. These spontaneous acts of graciousness have been regular occurences for us, thanks in large part to Emmett, I'm sure. Who couldn't love a city that treasures children as much as the Parisians do?