Grandparents are a Circus (wait...)

The title really should have been Grandparents AND a Circus, but oh well.
On Tuesday Emily's parents flew in from California (by way of Charlotte and Frankfurt). We were very excited to see them and they were very excited to see Lincoln (and us, but we all know the real reason they came was to see our little pumpkin pants).

Bus ride from the airport home.

Can you see the exhaustion in the grandparents'
faces? Jet lag or Lincoln caused?

Someone loves his puffs. Good thing
Grandma brought a ton more.

Just before Grandma and Grandpa Butler showed up something else popped up in our backyard. Magically, it would seem, a circus set up shop just outside our back window. Of course, we had to go. So, we dragged the jet-lagged grandparents, little Lincoln, and Chad's friend from school to see this Italian circus in France. Needless to say, it was awesome! Lions, tigers, zebras, camels, clowns, jugglers, acrobats, horses... and the list could go on. Just check out the pictures.

Just setting up.

The next day Grandpa Butler decided to sleep for 8 hours in the middle of the day to get over his jet lag. On Thursday we all went to Geneva and went to the beach and the Patek Phillipe watch museum. Unfortunately the watch museum doesn't allow for any picture taking so we only have photos of the beach.

Chad got roped into being a student assistant/coordinator for Duke's academic conference on Customary International Law and Opinio Juris (if you don't know what that means don't worry because no one else does either). So, unfortunately, Chad stayed all day in Geneva while the rest of the bunch headed to the bustling city of Lyon, France. Grandpa was scared to drive in Europe (and let's be honest we were all scared that he was driving too!) but he did a great job taking us to Lyon.  We were able to see a Roman Ampitheatre built in 19 AD.  It was really neat!

We then walked a little ways up the hill and came to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere.

We thought it was funny that there were souvenir coin machines right in the chapel.

We then went to Le Parc de la Tete d'Or which was really cool.  There were beautiful roses, fountains, random statues, a river, bike trails, mini golf, a summer camp, a free zoo, and pretty much anything you can imagine.

Grandpa helped Lincoln get some walking practice in.  That little man will be walking before we know it!

Here we are in front of a real-life giraffe (although Emily thought it was fake because it did not move at all!)

Red Pandas are really cool!  Emily never heard of them before but fell in love quickly.  They are really cute and very fluffy!  They look like the mix of a panda and a fox.

Well, until next time...