Skiing in the Alps

So, with the one week of overlapping school vacation that the Mommy (teaches in one State), the Daddy (teaches in another State), and the Kiddos (go to school in a third State) had in common, they decided to go skiing in France. Perhaps Switzerland or Austria would have been more logical since they (supposedly) speak German in those countries, but no matter that they didn't understand a word being said, the Kiddos were ready to go!

The practice area was a totally different experience from the way the Mommy and Daddy learned to ski... The "Magic Carpet" lift was a revelation. Not only does it not involve a tow bar from which small children repeatedly fall and slow down the lift, but it also shields you from the elements (which, on the first day, was a blisteringly lovely sun, but it came to be a bit more useful on the second and third days...).

The Kiddos were placed in ski school for 2 hours a day, with an instructor whose English was, well, not exactly perfect and a bunch of other children, some of whom spoke French or English, but many of whom did not. No problem, the instructor was great and made himself understood with hand gestures and body movement. Either way, the kids caught on, and where they had trouble, the others helped. Lautje and Anneke actually helped interpret the instructors Frenglish into Dutch for one nice little girl who was having trouble. But in the end, it is not that hard to just follow behind the person in front of you (of course, none of them obviously learned how to keep their poles behind them...).

Two hours of ski school for the Kiddos meant two hours of free time for the Mommy:

and the Daddy to explore the mountain. Or, as explained to the Kiddos: to scout out suitable runs for them later in the week. They seemed to believe that excuse...

The sunny pictures are from the first day. The second day was an entirely different experience for the Kiddos:

The visibility might have been horrific, and the wind ridiculously aggressive and biting, but the fresh powder was incredible and the Mommy was quite happy:

Later in the day the weather went from aggressive to downright mean and vindictive. Needless to say, the Daddy, despite his "Polar Explorer" jacket, didn't really enjoy the sideways, hurricane force winds:

The blizzard though, did rather change the skiing conditions for the rest of the week, much to the better. Just compare a picture of the view from the balcony from the first day:

with the same view post-Blizzard:

With the addition of fresh snow (pretty much every day of the week thereafter), the trip turned into a series of amazing and beautiful sights:



Hey, if you had the Daddy's stomach problems, you'd find a purpose-built toilet at the top of a lift beautiful as well! The Kiddos even found the time and energy to go sledding on the last day while Mommy and Daddy packed:

Ok, well, more accurately said, the Mommy packed and the Daddy "supervised" the Kiddos:

All in all, everyone had a great time, and Lautje even overcame his nervousness about going all the way to the top of the mountain. After the first time seeing the view and skiing all the way down, he was the first one back in line to go up again.

The only unfortunate part about the Kiddos really enjoying skiing was that they couldn't wait to get to the mountain each morning, which meant that the Mommy and Daddy's plans to sleep in and relax were effectively destroyed. Oh well, sometimes one has to suffer for their children. Just like all of that selfless "scouting" the Mommy and Daddy did throughout the week, just for their children...

Looks like the Mommy and Daddy will need second jobs, because the Kiddos are already planning their trip back for next year!

Winter is coming!

... well, actually: it's here! But first things first: 

The Mommy and Daddy recently realised they raised a mean snowball thrower.

 While his sister spent her time building a lovely snowman. Well, snowcat:

 Really - who doesn't love snow?!?

Eventful Summer Weeks

The Terrible Twosome had a long, sunny and eventful summer that started with a few precious days by the sea.

While Anneke spent most of her time gathering sea shells, the Dude had other priorities - he and the Opa developed their very own (very relaxed) style of flying a kite:

Beach time was swiftly followed by climbing time - and both kids mastered the challenging course with amazing skill:

And then, of course, there was Texas. And for the Dude, Texas ALWAYS equals "trains with Poppa":

Poppa also took the opportunity to teach the kiddos how to play a mean game of Washers - and amazingly enough, they managed to get through several rounds without hurting any innocent bystanders!

  And whenever the opportunity arose, Anneke treated the Nanny to a music session on the porch:

As always, there was barbecue. REALLY GOOD barbecue. And finally, finally!, the quasi-vegetarian of the family (who, during his first Texas visits, had declined the REALLY GOOD barbecue in favor of nibbling on the single slice of white toast that accompanied it) could not get enough of it:

Appropriately, the amazing visit to Texas was concluded by an amazing visit to Mars. Well, almost. But definitely just as much fun:

Good times...

It is done!

So, the dude spent the last few months searching for the mythical holy grail of, yes: remote-controlled boats. His requirements were as specific as they were seemingly unsatisfiable: The boat needed to be small enough to comfortably fit in the tub, yet big enough to allow king and queen (the lego zoo keeper and grandmother who currently reside in the dollhouse) to go for an outing without falling off, and since king and queen do NOT travel light, it absolutely needed to have an open deck. In addition, and maybe most difficult of all, he needed to be able to pay for it, so the 399€-version the internet had to offer, gorgeous as it may have been, did not quite fit the bill. The search spanned three countries on two continents and all the stores the Mommy, Daddy and anyone else he could enlist could think of both online and offline. Despite the many setbacks, he never lost hope - and rightfully so, for behold, the holy grail has been found:

Now he just needs to learn not to crash it into the walls... 

Hey, listen!

It's almost a melody!