Day 150: James’s 5th Birthday! — Wine Tasting at Tertre Roteboeuf — Quick Tour of Saint Emilion — Concert at Chateau Soutard
James turned five years old today here in St. Cibard outside Bordeaux.
He slept in like a teenager, waking 9:30am after a late night with the Thienpont kids last night.
He suited up with his Real Madrid kit and a new baby blue v-neck sweater then brushed his teeth and his shaggy hair. Breakfast was served in the garden outside the chateau: a chocolate croissant with five candles and hot chocolate.
The morning was more focused on the grownups: Jan brought us to a wine tasting at Tertre Roteboeuf with Francois, the memorably loquacious owner and Frenchiest French guy I’ve ever encountered; followed by a quick tour of the Saint Emilion village; lunch with Jan’s brothers; and a visit to Jan’s new chateau and vineyard.
We picked up Jan’s dog Mao Zedong and brought him back to the Thienpont property for an afternoon of bikae riding, cherry picking and running around with Mao and Oscar.
We also gave James the rest of his presents: a car you can put together with a little screwdriver, a foam boomerang, a new set of felt markers, a magic trick, a figet spinner, a calculator with plastic tappity-tap buttons and, from Lobsy…. his first Kindle! A heart melting quote: “Daddy can you put Go Dog Go on my Kindle so I can practice and then read harder books?”
I took a much needed nap for an hour. I’ve been rocked by spring pollen allergies and didn’t sleep well last night. The red wine at the tasting and lunch probably added to my drowsiness.
I had to refuel because we were headed to an 8:30 concert at Chateau Soutard with Jan and his parents.
At bath time James was frustrated and emotional about something and said, “Willa had the best day of her life when she turned seven and I had the worst day of my life when I turned five!” It broke our hearts but we knew he was just being five. Still, Willa *did* have a ridiculously fun day with Lobsy and all of her sisters in Madrid and today was pretty un-birthday-ish for James.
We are dialing up the “birthday week” big time, though, while in Disney over the next couple days, so don’t feel too bad.
Jan made omelets for Willa and James that they barely touched — a little embarrassing. They had baguette and cheese but wanted to finish up because we had promised a few iPad shows before bed.
A local fifteen year old came over to babysit. She spoke zero English but amazingly the kids were totally fine as we left — probably excited about the shows. When we returned at 11:30 the sitter was dazed, having just woken up — on our bed.
Soutard is a really nice property with state-of-the art wine-making facilities. Totally different from the Tertre Roteboeuf which was old school and authentic. Both make great wine!
Jan tracked down these cork-shooting bow and arrow contraptions which the kids will inevitably love. We’ll attempt to send them home and see them again Jan 2020.
The concert was really nice — about 90 minutes of contemporary music played by a violin, cello, piano trio in an event space followed by some delicious wine and snacks after the show. We were among the youngest people in the room.
I commented to Margaret that we were going from high-brow France to low-brow: tomorrow we take the train back to Paris on the way to Disneyland Paris!
A few thoughts about James on his 5th Birthday
He’s grown up so much this year — and especially over the last 5 months of travels. He’s thinned out and getting taller. He’s got a sense of humor, starting to do imitations and cracking jokes. He’s becoming more outgoing, comfortable telling stories to new people. He’s still an excellent sleeper and now likes to sleep with his mommy’s thin blue pants that he rubs with his fingers while making a little sucking sound with his tongue and teeth (still a little boy thank God!). He’s becoming a more flexible eater, following Willa’s lead though still not at her level. He’s got a sweet tooth, loves ice cream and begs for coke (always a sucker for a soda bribe). He likes math, learning from cards (blackjack) and iPad games. He’s learning to read and can get through most of Go Dog Go and Hop on Pop on his own. He’s lucky in cards and will beat your ass in Rat-a-Tat Cat. He loves to play sports of any kind — immediately energized as soon as a ball is tossed or kicked his way. He loves the water and has become a strong swimmer. He loves his iPad and is obsessed with shows like Wild Kratts, Paw Patrol, Inspector Gadget, etc. He’s generous, kind and knows right vs wrong. He does *not* like to be wrongly accused (who does?). He loves his family, his cousins and his grandparents. He always considers his sister when he’s getting a treat or a gift but still drives her nuts once in a while. He has, of course, always loved his mommy but has recently become more visibly affectionate, melting her heart. We’re completely obsessed with him. Happy birthday James!
(Note: after writing this I decided to go back and do a similar birthday-overview for Willa, added at the end of our post on May 24.)
