For most of the drive, he’d kept a hand in Abbi’s, but as he got closer to Monte Carlo, he slipped his hand away to place a call to his younger brother, Claude. They greeted each other in French before Andre told him that he had him connected to the bluetooth speaker in the car.

“Hallo, Abbi. How are you?” Claude asked, “Maman’s anxiously awaiting your arrive. We’re all excited to see you all. She and Papa already have a security escort waiting for you both at your hotel.“ Claude chuckled, “You would think they were preparing to welcome le président home.”

_____

“I know I can dress comfortably. And I plan to sometimes. I have a lot of sundresses, sandals, and hats. But I still want to look decent if I’m going to end up being photographed,” she said. Abbi did ask for some help finding fashionable clothes that she could wear in Monte Carlo without sticking out like a sore thumb. While she loved athleisure and wearing leggings back home, she was told that wasn’t acceptable dress in Monaco. But she could wear some maxi dresses if she wanted to be comfortable. She bought several. And if she ever felt like she needed other things to wear, Abbi knew Andre would happily take her shopping.

“Hello, Claude! I’m doing well, thank you. Very glad to be off the plane and onto solid ground again.” Abbi laughed a little at Claude’s comment about the way his family was welcoming Andre home. “I know they’re excited, but I didn’t think they would go all out like that! We’re excited to see you all, too. And I think Milo will have to get used to seeing so many people. He can walk, but I don’t think his feet will touch the ground much if everyone holds him,” she chuckled.

Abbi chuckled. “Thank you. I definitely need a break from that movie. If he wants to watch it, your parents can put it on for him,” she grinned. Abbi was so excited that they would be able to have some time to themselves during the trip. Andre’s parents would take Milo as much as they wanted. She wouldn’t deprive them of alone time with their only grandchild. “I think it’s more Milo than me. But I will take it,” she grinned. Everyone was nice to her at the wedding, despite her being from a completely different world than Andre. “The biggest difference,” she nodded. Back home nobody bothered them. Andre was only recognized on occasion. “I will just make sure I’m put together any time we go out.” In Portland, Abbi was usually wearing comfortable clothes when she went out. Especially when she had Milo. She rarely wore makeup, and when she did, it was the bare minimum. Foundation, mascara, and a little blush. But now that she was with Andre at his home, she needed to dress up a bit more. She even got some new outfits for the trip to fit in as much as possible. Normally, Abbi didn’t like to spend Andre’s money, but she accepted it when buying the new clothes. She kissed Andre’s cheek before getting into the car. “I know you will.” There was no doubt her husband would keep them safe. It was just a shock to her that people were so interested by them just getting into a car at the airport. Abbi reached over and held Andre’s hand as he drove, except for when he needed both hands. “Now I know why you’re always in a suit or dressed up,” she said as they headed for the hotel.

Abbi chuckled and nodded. “Oh, I know. It’s the cutest thing ever, but I definitely would have preferred for him to sleep half the flight. I love the songs from Encanto as much as anyone, but I think if I hear them again that many times in a row I’ll just go pop, whoa.” She quoted ‘Surface Pressure’ in a sing-song voice. “At least he’s tired now.” Abbi made sure Milo was secure in his car seat, facing backward. “I think we’ll decide where to eat after the nap. I’m honestly too tired to think about food at the moment. And if I wake up from the nap too exhausted, I’ll definitely opt for room service so we can relax a bit more. I’m excited to see your family again. It’s been forever.” Abbi FaceTimed with them fairly often so they could see Milo, and they were always nice to her on the phone. So she was excited to be able to talk to them in person. When Abbi heard the shutters off the cameras, she frowned a little. “Jeez. I always forget you’re kind of a celebrity. I’ve never been more glad I’m wearing makeup. And I’m glad I didn’t step off the plane wearing pajamas.” It was strange being photographed by strangers. Strangers who would be paid for those photos. She also didn’t like that they were getting pictures of their baby. Maybe there would be a way to keep pictures of Milo off of websites or out of magazines. “I’m glad they can’t go inside. I wouldn’t want them stalking us while we’re there.”

Family Fun | Abbi & Andre

@abbizimms​

Andre was pleasantly surprised at how well Milo had done for his first international flight. Although flying on a private aircraft where Milo could toddle about whenever he didn’t have to be seated on his booster and fastened in. For the 15 hour flight, Andre traded off with Abbi on keeping a close eye on their son and entertaining him while the other could relax more or even nap.

When the family of three landed in Nice, France, the sun hadn’t yet risen, but Andre knew by the time they reached Monte Carlo, the sun would be turning the sky shades of pinks and oranges. While loading their luggage into the rental car, Andre looked over to Abbi noticed Milo beginning to doze off and cast the small boy a sympathetic smile, knowing the time difference would throw him off for a bit. He turned his smile to Abbi and asked, “Do you think we should let him get some rest at the hotel before we go over to my parent’s? Everyone will be especially excited to see him once we go over there.” His parents had offered for them to stay with them–the space was certainly more than accommodating–but Andre figured the three of them in their own space while they were in Monte Carlo would be best. It certainly didn’t hurt that Reyes Group owned two hotels in close proximity of his parent’s home.

_____

Abbi didn’t love flying. She wasn’t scared of it, but she just didn’t like sitting in one place forever. So Andre suggesting they fly on a private aircraft was perfect. Not only would she be able to get up and move, but Milo would, too. He was very squirmy when he sat too long, and because he was fairly good at walking, he wanted to toddle everywhere. The flight would take more than half a day, so she and her husband traded off napping and keeping their son occupied. He was easy enough to entertain, even if it meant watching Encanto on a loop the whole flight. Abbi nearly had it memorized.

Though she was able to move around, she was grateful when they finally landed in Nice. The time difference was going to be brutal for a few days on her and Milo, but they would have plenty of time to relax and get used to the time difference. Milo was getting so big, but he still wanted his mom to hold him all the time. So she held him as their luggage got loaded into the rental car. They’d be away for a while, so they had several bags. “I think that’s a great idea. He’s clearly exhausted. He didn’t sleep much on the plane. I think he was just excited about being in a new setting.” She kissed the top of her little boy’s head as he rested against her shoulder. “They will keep him plenty busy. I don’t think his feet will touch the ground with as much as he’ll be passed around,” she laughed. “I could use a little nap myself. One on a bed. What about you, babe?”

“I sure hope so,” she chuckled and watched her husband and baby playing with the snow. “Yes, that sounds amazing,” she said. It was one of the perks of having a fireplace. Her apartment didn’t have one of those. Abbi loved watching Andre with Milo. And hearing him softly sing a lullaby was one of the sweetest things she’d ever witnessed. “Oh, thank you, babe,” she said and handed over her jacket, gloves, and scarf. “I’ll get some milk warmed up for him,” she said. “Yes, we should figure that out. We can’t just watch TV all day. I don’t love sitting him down in front of a television. Plus, if the power goes out, we’ll have nothing to do. So I figure we can play some games together. And we can spend a lot of time with Milo and try to get him to walk a little bit - even just assisted. I feel like he’s getting closer to his first steps, and words every day.”

I’ve never heard of either of those games, but I’d be happy to learn! Especially with Dixit. I like chill games.

I think that’s a good idea. For every 10 visits maybe a free cupcake? Or a small pastry? Or maybe once a week - on a slower day - you do buy one get one half off? I’d come down to buy stuff.

There’s only so long a kid can stay in a room when they’re bored to death. They would definitely leave if they hated it.

That’s really horrible. Nobody should be subjected to that. You should have your privacy no matter where you go. Especially when you’re with the baby.

Abbi chuckled a little and nodded. “Yes, he’ll be all right,” she agreed. She loved seeing Andre with their son, playing in the snow. “What a cutie! But yes, probably revenge.” She snapped several pictures and some videos of the two together, and sent them to his phone, along with both of their parents. “You can tell he loves you so much, babe. Should we go back inside and warm him up? His cheeks and nose are starting to get red.”

That’s really awesome. And it’s great that you have them. It’s honestly really cute that you and Sky got to bond over the mystery. I’m sure that was really special for you.

Oh that’s good. Food spoiling isn’t the worst thing in the world. Inconvenient, yes. And it sucks that you have to spend money on those items again, but it could definitely be worse.

Oh yikes. I completely believe that. That’s a really good rule to have. He may want to, or he may want to stay away from the cameras completely. I saw a video the other day of Hilary Duff putting her kid in the car, and the kid was really upset there were paparazzi there. I think it’s really awful to take pictures of kids without their permission, and without the parents’ permission.

Okay so hi everyone! I’m putting this out here as a bit of a water tester as it were… but…. I got some pretty awesome new board games and was wondering if anyone would be interested in maybe like a board game night? Could even get some hot cocoa or something together and have a nice get together! And we could put together like a tournament and everything! I’ve got plenty of games we can try! Some more complex than others and some more combative or co-operative! I think it could be a lot of fun!