Sara & Ron | Happily Ever After

On August 4th, Sara and Ron said "I do" in front of a big crowd not once but twice...just to make sure! So they had an Indian wedding ceremony in the morning followed by the catholic ceremony later in the day. Same place, different settings, two very beautiful moments. Rachel, Théo and I were all involved in the wedding so we were not able to take pictures, but here is a few shots that we "stole" from others...(the shot of Sara is from the actual photographers and is promising to a lot of more amazing pictures...)

Congratulations again to Sara and Ron, wishing you all the happiness in the world. Now you two get me the professional pics so we can get an even greater sense of that special day! Much Love, Rachel Fab & Théo

5

Yesterday marked our five-year anniverary. As has been our tradition each year, we celebrated our special day with an amazing meal at an elegant restaurant. This year we chose Ninety Acres in Peapack-Gladstone. It was a memorable experience from start to finish - the ambiance was beautiful, the different courses were each delicious and the attention to detail was exceptional. Truly an evening to remember.

A little walk down memory lane with a photo from each of our previous anniversary celebrations... The first year - dining in the train car at Rod's at the Madison Hotel where we had our reception. Year number 2 - at the Highlawn Pavilion where Fabien had taken me for dinner the night he proposed. Celebrating our third anniversary with both of our families at La Campagna in Morristown. Back to Rod's for year number 4. This time, it was a reservation for three...

Dual Citizenship

Yesterday I went to the French Consulate in the City to declare Théo's birth. So I got to the train station and waited for the 7:11am train, among all these workers wearing ties and suits waiting for the same train everyday almost like robots, all looking the same, waiting to be packed in one of the wagons.
Once at Penn Station, I walked all the way up to 74th street, where the French Embassy is located. Hoping that I didn't forget anything, I gave them everything I had brought. Luckily, everything was there and so they registered Théo on the French Records. A round trip to Manhattan cost $18.50 now, and so I would have been upset if I was missing anything and would have had to come back another day, especially knowing that it was only $9.75 a few years ago!
But all was in order now and I could go home happy without rushing. Though, I thought I could maybe catch the next train and so I decided to start running...wow I forgot what it feels like! But this time, in less than 15 minutes I was back at the train station. Sweating but happy I got back there fast but I got also mad when I realized I just missed the train by only 3 minutes...and that the next one would not leave before an hour...shit!
Whatever! With Théo's birth certificate in hand, and his name added to our "livret de famille", he his now officially a French-American little guy, and I'm happy!

Blog Virus

The virus has touched another person. It's my dad's turn to contract the illness of blogging. So here he is, writing verses, playing with words, typing infinite sentences on his keyboard. His blog is "Les Copains du Tourisme Parisien" (Friends of Parisian Tourism) in which he tells us about his Parisian day trips, his cultural walks in the city of light, his experiences in restaurants that would please your palate... In sum, it's a good place to discover or re-discover the Parisian culture, share a moment with him on the Quais de Seine, around the Pantheon, in Montmarte... and if you can read french and want to take a look at it, or if you just want to see some pictures of Paris, it's right here. Enjoy the trip.

Baby Shower

According to tradition, you have a baby shower for your first child, and so this past Saturday, with a lot of work from Sara and Bev, it was Rachel's turn to have HER baby shower! I drove with her to her parents, making her think we were only going there for lunch. I took my time to make sure everyone would be there to surprise her when we got there.
Again, thank you to all of you for giving Rachel a great shower and for being so generous. I got worried when I saw all we (I) had to bring back home thinking I'll need a few trips to do so, but it's crazy how much you can fit in the "Fit"... so everything came home with only one trip! Baby Janus is not even there yet but already so spoiled...

Happy Mother's Day

Like every second Sunday in May, this is Mother's Day. But unlike every second Sunday in May, this year is Rachel's FIRST Mother's Day and we were so happy to celebrate it as she has only 7 weeks left to go now. And since she is continuing to carry the baby nice and warm in her well-rounded belly, her first gift, this cute dress from Gap, will get lots of use until the baby's arrival as the weather gets warmer and warmer.
After a deluxe breakfast made by chef Fab with cappuccino, croissants, strawberries and homemade "fromage blanc" (!), we went to spend the day at Bonne-Maman's with the rest of the family to set up and organize her front and backyard like we do every year. It was another nice day to spend with the women we love and take care of them: the moms and mom-to-be.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

Emma Giulianna...

...was born last Thursday and made Barbara and Massimo some very proud parents. So the next day we went to visit them and see how everyone was doing. Congratulations to both of you guys and welcome to the world Emma. In a few weeks we'll switch roles and take your spot...

All Weather Sport

Every beginning of the new rugby spring season starts with our traditional tournament: The Ice-Turtle Touch Rugby Tournament.
We could not have a better name for it this year as we started to play this past Sunday with 14 inches of snow, leftovers from last week's snowstorm.
It was a blast to play in it, laugh out loud and have so much fun. Let's hope that it won't melt completely for this coming Sunday!

New Addition

After having kept the secret for a little while to make sure we would have time to tell everyone, it is now official, the Janus clan will expand as Rachel and I are expecting a happy event scheduled for June 27th! Yeap, Rachel is pregnant for a little more than 4 months now. Actually, she even felt the baby for the first time yesterday...on the other hand I will have to be a little more patient and wait a few more weeks to be able to feel it too.

We'll try to post updates of the pregnancy regularly. Next step is in two weeks from today with the next and last ultrasound (20 weeks) before the delivery. After which we will have to be very patient and wait for the day of birth to see the baby again.
We might lose some room in our apartment but we will gain so much more in our hearts and we can't wait to see our little one come into our world.
Santé!

Rachel's Turn

Already December 18th! That means that Rachel just turned 31 yesterday. So after having shared the same age for a little less than two weeks, she went ahead and thought she would age a little more just so she can say she still the oldest.
We celebrated it at Ruth's Chris with work as it was my company's Christmas party. So, a good meal and some nice gifts further, Rachel finally ended to turn the last page of her 30 years to fully jump in her new decade.
Joyeux Anniversaire mon coeur, this year, you're still the prettiest.

More Pictures From My 30th One

30 Years Old...My Turn!

What should I say...but a super hyper mega huge THANK YOU.
I come back from work on Friday night, jump into my sweat pants, grab a cup of tea, seat on the sofa and I can finally relax after an exhausting week at work.
Well it won't be for too long because someone just knocked at the door. Shit, probably the landlord who lives next door...what does he want again...wow! It's Seb, Astrid, Marie and Adam who just drove all night to surprise me and spend my birthday with us. Awesome! Now I know why Rachel had me clean the entire apartment!
Despite our friends tiredness, we're finishing the night around a pictionnary game and it's then time to go to bed (we let the wives win).
Saturday Morning after a short trip to the mall, we're heading to the city as Rachel made a reservation at a restaurant in West Village. Just the time for a little walk at the X-mas market in Union Square under the snow (yeap it's snowed on my birthday, how cool is that) and we finally get to the restaurant Philip Marie with the nice surprise of seeing Bonne Maman, Sara, Beverly, David, Pat and Arlette there.
Hey who's that person seating next to Bev....oh SHIT! Hiding behind their menus, Maman, Papa, Tonton, tata, Claire and Ivan made the trip as well, all the way from France! Now I'm looking also for my borthers...maybe they're somewhere behind the bar or disguised as waiters! Nope, but I'll have the occasion to speak with them over the phone later in the evening.
So after recovering from the shock, the evening went on and we all had a great night that ended at the Norwood Lounge (thanks so much for that Ron) where Jason, Jen, Barbara and Massimo were again waiting for us to get there! Wow this is never stopping. I'm so glad I could share all that with all of them!
The Lameau family left us on Monday morning as they went back to Quebec, my family replaced them in our apartment, and me, well...I'm still enjoying all of them and all the special moments that come with it!
Thank you SO much to those who came from far and less far to make me feel so special with a place in their heart, thank you for my gifts, thank you for having lied to me (in a good intention), thank you to the air mattresses/GPS/sheets loaners...and a enormous, humongous thank you to my crazy amazing little wife for having organized the best surprise ever for my 30th one! I love you.

Happy Birthday Papa!