Friday - Sara on skis again; Winter wonderland

Today is Friday; it feels festive.  Even the snow flakes falling from the sky seem to dance with the wind in the air rather than fall straight down.

Dan made homemade crepes for breakfast, complete with some Swiss strawberry jam to top them.  He made Sara’s crepe in the shape of a heart.  Julia ate crapes faster than he could make them.  I had my first coffee of the trip.  Normally I shun caffeine, but it is hard to resist a hot cup of coffee on a snowy day.  Every window shows a winter wonderland, so we got ready and headed outside all together. 

We had Sara’s skis, Julia’s skis, Dan’s skis, and two pairs of skates.  Sara wanted to ski right away.  We had her walk ‘till we got to the church in the center of town, then I put her skis on. She proudly skied forward.  Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.  It was Dan’s first time seeing her “ski.”  He walked next to her, and they looked cute as a Father-Daughter team.  

Dan tried having her hold onto an end on a ski pole and then pulling her forward.  That ended in a splat to Sara’s butt, and when she got up she admonished Papa for going to fast, using her finger to point our the spots, she said, “I’m hurt here, here, and a little bit over here.”  It was hard not to laugh at how seriously she explained her “hurts.” We knew she was okay, Dan wasn’t even walking a normal pace when she fell.  That was the end to the pulling, and Sara went back to skiing herself down the road towards the sports complex.

When we got there Sara skiied up the hill (a lot of effort but she just forged ahead like a little cog train) and then we all went into the ski school area for kids that was not in use - so it was all ours to use.  

Sara did several runs with Dan (they are about 10 meters long) - and then he put his own skis on and they skied together - with Sara’s legs on the inside and Dan’s on the outside.  That got her to feel forward motion - and she had a look of wonder on her face.  They did that for several runs.  I was busy with Julia, who decided to walk up and down the ski magic carpet - waving to me with a big smile on her face.  (Very cute.)  She looked like the Queen walking around on parade - she looked like she felt she was having a grand time.  Julia will not wear gloves so her hands get red. No matter how I try she just will not wear them.  

It was snowing, and the whole scene was festive.  Up on the ski hill to our right the ski school was doing their end of week display, with kids careening down the hill to collect a medal and a hug from their waiting parents.  Motion was every where.  Ski lifts, ski gondolas, skaters, skiers, kids, parents, sledders, and walkers swirled around in perfect harmony.  The sun came out even while it was snowing (puffy white light flakes) and it glistened off the Alps in a huge semi-circle above us.  

Dan left to go skiing around 12:30 and Sara, Julia, and I ate some bread from the bakery as our lunch, and then we returned the ice skates.  We did a town walk, which lead us far to the East, before circling us back to the apartment.  I got us two pizzas for 5 CF each, and we put them in the oven for a second lunch.  

Dan got back to the apartment while Julia was trying to nap.  She ended up just goofing around in her crib and not sleeping, but at least she got some “rest” in a warm cozy spot for the first time this week.  

It snowed, snowed, and snowed today.  Off and on.  Even while the sky is blue!   It is like someone is standing up high over our heads and using a shaker of powder sugar - just big flakes that are light and puffy.

We went out for an evening walk.  Sara noticed a few lasers and light displays from store fronts - they added to the quaint white lights, the wooden chalets, and the folks walking around town.  I was going to go to the fish market but we had some meat balls to cook so I skipped it.  

Back at the apartment I made dinner while Dan telecommuted.  Julia and Sara are *very* eager kitchen helpers.  So much so that I sometimes end up holding Julia in my arms and giving Sara little jobs (she loves to pour water from the green ceramic pitcher they have here).  But to really cook I let them watch a bit of Peter Pan on the iPad.  Our dinner turned out nice, with Julia eating about 8 meat balls (they were small, but that kid can eat!) and Sara eating a lot of salad (a new thing for her, she just loves it!).  

Julia went to sleep very easily and Sara is about to get ready for bed, though she doesn’t know it yet!

It was a fun day.

Quotes of the day:

(last night) Sara: “We should have salad for breakfast Mom.  Keep it a secret.  Only tell Papa and Julia.”

(at breakfast) Sara: “Mama, some people in Switzerland put juice on their cereal.  It makes it nummier.” 

(at breakfast) Sara: “Papa, please do stop tickling me.  I’m trying to work and eat at the same time.”  (she was trying to do addition, with her favorite sum being 4+5=9) 

(mid-day) Sara: “Sometimes I don’t know what to say, so my brain tells me what to say.”

(at lunch when I was singing along to music) Sara: “Mama, don’t sing.  Let your brain sing the song.  You can hear the song that way.  It is happening to me.”  (I think she was telling me to sing “in my head” and not out loud!  I won’t take it personally.)  

Thursday - Sara went Skiing! Sara/Julia went ice skating!

I was up with Julia at 7:35 AM.  Sara slept ‘till 9:03.  Dan slept ‘till 10 AM!  (Dan has been getting up with Julia since the first day, so he finally got caught up on sleep.)  

My early time with Julia was fun, though I’d been wondering why when Dan got up with her he never really made breakfast.  Now I know.  With this whole apartment to explore Julia is into everything, and it takes every bit of adult brain power to keep her from turning the knobs on the stove (which she has done), pick in the kitchen trash (which she tries to do), explore the glass candle holders (which makes a clinking sound), and putting some crayon art on the walls (yellow crayons don’t show very much).  I did manage to make oatmeal for the two of us, and since I just dumped the bag in with out measuring, there was enough oatmeal for Dan, Sara, and some spackle for the walls too.  

Dan starts work at 10:00 Eastern Standard Time, which is 4:00 in the afternoon.  He spends the morning with us, then has ski time, then gets to work here in the apartment.

He helped me pack up the kids into the double Bob-Stroller around 11:00.  By that time we had an early lunch in our bellies.  I set out with out any real ideas about what to do. A local kid-art thing was canceled so I just headed out with both kids in snow pants, 5 dolls, some money, water, and 2 sleds.  Oh, and my village map, which is worn and torn now, but it is essential for navigation!

Sara wanted to try ice skating, so I tried to find the ice rink.  I crossed the river, went passed a gondola, and started up a ski hill.  Realizing that it was not smart to push two kids up a snowy ski hill, I back tracked and took a snowy road.  There are no cars here.  “Car free” means that the only vehicles are little electric rectangular things that are tricky since you can’t hear them.  Being on the road (which is a narrow path like thing) I constantly am looking over my shoulder to see if a vehicle is coming up behind us.  There aren’t that many of them, but you don’t want to be in their path since they expect you to move!  

I must have taken a wrong turn, I ended up near a place that blasts music with a seating area.  I looked up and saw some cute kids skiis hanging outside a ski shop.  Leaving the kids outside I leaped up the two steps into the ski shop and went inside.  The man wanted 50 SF for the kids skis.  

Thinking that was crazy expensive, I asked to see a used pair.  He found one, and offered them to me for 30 SF.  I offered 20 SF.  And we settled on 25 SF.  I retrieved Sara and Julia, and the next thing I knew Sara was wearing skis in the ski shop.  She looked amazingly cute.  She has been asking to ski for months - and now she was wearing skis!  The man taught me how to put them on, then before I knew it we were leaving the shop with Sara wearing skis!  

Sara was skiing!  

Sara skied up the road - which isn’t much of a road - more of a walk way that happens to have those electric vehicles on them.  She looked straight ahead (not down at her feet) and moved forward with ease.  She used her poles, and I just couldn’t believe how natural it seemed!  She was doing so well!  She didn’t want help “I’m fine Mom” she’d say when I tried to assist, so I just enjoyed seeing our little daughter on skis!  

We were near the kid ski area, so we headed there.  Sara chugged her legs right up a hill, across a flat area, and into the kid area.  It is for the ski school, but with only one private lesson going on, the ski instructor didn’t mind that I rolled in with one kid on skis and the other kid in a double stroller.  It probably helped that Sara was so happy and she did look cute.

We used the ski school run (free).  Sara went right up the side of the run, with me and Julia by her side.  At the top she looked down.  Her skis were a little crossed in front, “how come I’m not going Mom?” she asked.  I told her to keep her skis straight, and when she made the parallel she started moving down the hill.  Her first ski run!  She went straight down.  She was happy with her self and I was so happy she was having such a good first ski day - when just under an hour ago we left the apartment with no plans! 

She then wanted to try the ski lift, which was a kid magic carpet.  I helped her on, though she said, “I’m fine I can do it” and she rode up the hill like a pro!  I was by her side walking in my boots and Julia was at the top of the hill watching.  I helped her off the lift and that was the last time I helped her.  She did all her other rides on the ski lift magic carpet all by herself.  On and off!  

She had her first splat (fall) on her second run.  She was trying to go faster and her skis didn’t cooperate so she landed on her butt.  She stayed there for a while, mystified, wondering what happened.  Her pink legs and colorful arms went every direction, and she said, “why did I fall?”  I told her falling is part of skiing.  (She better get used to it!)  She didn’t get bugged by her fall.  And she didn’t want help getting up.  (“I’m fine Mom” she said for the 10th time.)  All by herself she figured out how to get back up - which isn’t easy with sticks on her feet, and poles in her hands.  She did it with very few sound effects - sort of matter of factly.  Then she continued down the hill.

By this time she was so independent (which I couldn’t believe!) she just skied up and down a while.  It was the perfect slope, just enough gradient to keep her moving, but there was no way she could get really hurt.  The ski instructor that was there only had one student and I was thankful we were able to share the area with them.  

Finally she got to the magic carpet one time and asked to go ice skating. Since that was our plan in the first place, I helped her take off her skis and she got into the stroller.  Oddly, she broke a ski binding.  Maybe buying “used” wasn’t the way to go after all.

I went back to the ski shop and Sara went in and said “my ski broke” she is so cute, that he gave her a new set (this year’s model - and new!) for free - and we got to keep the other pair.  So now, for 25 SF, we have little skis and poles for both girls!  The one pair has a broken part, but we can still put them on Julia and let her try it!

For lunch we stopped at a bakery with a master baker.  He wrote a great book on teaching kids to bake, and there is a bakery museum.  The bread and stuff is very good there.  I got a ham/cheese hot sandwhich, which came with “salad” according to the menu.  When she brought it to the table “salad” as a portion of tuna salad, some corn, some carrots, and other stuff.  A great value for 8.50 SF - and healthy too.  I shared with the girls - so it was an easy meal.

We continued our original quest of finding the ice rink.  I circled the village and followed the map, and ended up by a chair lift.  After studying the map to see just how I got onto the wrong side of the river, I asked the lift operator where in the world the rink was.  She was helpful.  She got out of her office and showed me where the rink was.  I was close to it, I just had to get back onto the main road, go down a bit, cross into the sports complex, climb a hill and then we’d be there.  

We finally got to the rink.  A natural outdoor ice rink.  There were some people playing curling, and some people playing hockey, and some kids that were probable about 10 years old.  Sara skipped in the snow to get there.  Ready to get going, I entered the wooden building to get skates.  Nope.  The skates are back on the main road, down on the left.  Ahh!.  Back we went.  After asking at 3 different ski shops I finally found our place. It was underground, and Sara got a cute pair of size 28 hockey skates, and I got a beat up pair of size 8 figure skates.  7 SF each.

Back on the main “street” we retraced our steps. Finally, we were ready to skate. Julia was asleep.  I got skates on Sara.  She stood up and away she went.  She skated (walking really) with confidence and she was so happy - and it was her first time - she just did it!  No hesitation, no questions, she just did it!  "I'm skating Mom!" she said.   I stayed in my boots for a while, but she really didn’t need my help so I put my skates on.  She used a little bar thing to help her balance and she just skated around the rink a little exploring how it felt and I was so proud of her ability and desire to try new things - and do so well at them.   

Julia woke up.  I wasn’t sure how to skate with a baby, Sara, and myself.  I pushed the stroller over to the edge of the rink.  I skated towards Sara, and Julia let me know she had no intension of being left in the stroller.  I got her out, and she “skated” in her boots while holding my hand.  Thankfully Sara was so independent that I could be with Julia.  

Soon Julia was independent too.  Sara had left the rink and got Julia her very own bar - so the two of them “skated” around together!  All by themselves! It was lovely to see.  They were both  smiling, confident, and having a great time!  I was so happy.  It was snowing like powdered sugar so the scene was lovely.  

After a long stretch of perfect fun where the girls moved around the rink like tiny rumba vacuum cleaners, Julia took a splat and that was the end of that.  I scooped her up, we took off our skates, and I began the walk back to the apartment.  The girls were quiet in the stroller, except for Sara asking questions the whole time.  

Back at the apartment we ran into Dan who was leaving to go to the store to buy a SIM card for wifi.  We went to the store together.  Sara told him she skied and skated and he was happy for our adventures.

We had dinner (pork, local pasta, carrots, salad, etc) and the girls did a little coloring and at 6:30 Julia went to sleep with just a quick hug and pat on the back.  She was tired from all the fun!  

Quotes of the day:

(in the apartment) “Poo Poo” (Julia now says Poo Poo when she has a poo in her diaper, and she grabs my hand, and walks me to her diaper changing area, climbs up on it, and is ready for a fresh diaper.  This is the first step to potty training!)

(on our walk) “Doll” (Julia likes having a doll to hold, and will ask if she doesn’t have one.)

(at lunch) "Thanks" (when I gave Julia a drink.  Sounded like tanks.)

(on our walk while it was snowing)

Me: “Sara, do you want your shade down so the snow doesn’t go in your eyes?”

Sara: “No.  I can only see when there is snow in my eye. See?  There is no snow here, and I can’t see, but this eye has snow on it, and I can see.”

Me:  “Okay honey.”

(after dinner)  

Me: “Sara why are you biting your nails?”

Sara: “So my seeds don’t get bigger.”

Me:  “What?”

Sara: “Every time I eat sunflower seeds my nails get longer. So I do this so they don’t get too long.”

(after lunch)

Sara: “Mom, I have the hiccups. The last time I had the hiccups, Grandpa and Grandma ‘Reen gave me a blueberry muffin to make them stop.  Can I have one please?”

END

Wednesday - Winter Hike with Sara and Julia

Today we were up around 8, made eggs, made more eggs after Julia ate the first batch, then Sara and I ran to the market to stock up. 

Walking to the market isn't just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other.  For Sara it is noticing giant icicles clinging to roof tops.  Seeing ice sheets on hand-rails.  And seeing how much snow she can make fly with each scuff of her foot.  

When we got there we got several meat items (though I bypassed the horse meat), some nice peppers, and some fresh bread.   We also got a village trash bag, as all the trash has to be in a certain bag for them to take it.  The bag is 2.65 CF (Swiss Francs).  

Back at the apartment Dan was working, and Julia was goofing around in her crib.  Since she wasn't going to take a morning nap I packed up the kids (it takes several minutes to get them into their snow outfits) and we left.  Dan said he left for skiing soon after that.  

Our hike:
Armed with a map, my backpack, and sturdy boots, I took the kids across the village and headed to the river.  There are two bridges across so I just picked one.  Turned out the one I picked lead us low, and we needed to be high.  Big difference.  Since we were low in the valley (at stream level) I had to figure out how to get up high again.  I began walking one direction, but a warning sign made me turn around.  I began walking straight up hill along the river, on a snowy switch back narrow path.  It kept getting more narrow, and I wondered why I was the only one on the path.  But the sun was shining, the air was crisp, and the girls were content.  So I kept going.  

Mid way up, I parked the stroller and walked ahead to see if we should keep going.  It looked okay, so we forged ahead - climbing higher.  Soon we were level with the other bridge - so our upward climb was done.  

We walked across the other bridge named "panorama" and looked at the view.  Stopping the stroller meant two hands came out - one on each side - with the girls wanting a snack.  I gave them some fruit and kept going.  

Our hike was to a Restaurant in the woods.  "Restaurant Waldhus Bodmen" Saas Fee.  There were other hikers out.  Most hikers had walking sticks.  Most hikers also were grandparent age, and smiled at us as we went along.  I didn't rush our hike.  We looked at everything along the way.  We looked at the snow piled on lamp posts, we looked at frozen water falls, we looked down at the neighboring village.  There was no wind.  It was easy - and Sara and Julia continued to be happy.  

When we finally got to the restaurant we saw two slides and a little tree house.  The kids used both, then we went into the restaurant.  It was the only building in the middle of the woods.  

Stepping inside to the wooden building, Sara saw a jute box and wanted to play it.  A wurlizter.  I let her poke a few buttons then we went into the restaurant.  

It was about half full, with one busy waittress. It smelled of fondue.  One whole wall was a window into a room with bunnies, chickens, and roosters, and little critters like hamsters.  The kids loved it.  We got the table right by the critter room, so they watched them the whole meal.  They had chicken and french fries and shared a glass of milk.  I had apple strudel.  It was relaxing and nice.

After that we discovered a kid play room, where the girls were jubilent.  It had dolls, stuffed animals, vehicles, and was cute and Swiss - with red checkered curtains on the windows.  They were the only ones there, and they were lighter than air as they played.  It was adjacent to the critter room, so we went over there to watch them also. 

"What a neat restaurant" Sara said.  We finally left - after being there for hours.  

Our walk back was uneventful and seemed quicker as return journeys always do.  

Julia fell asleep with red cheeks and bright eyes.  I thought Sara was asleep, but when we passed a bakery she sprang to life.  She must have radar.  She choose a small meringue (sp?).  Since Julia was asleep I walked the kids around the village for a few miles - hoping that Sara wouldn't notice we were taking a circuitous route. When she finally woke up we got some milk at the market and then went to the apartment.  

Sara was eager to tell Dan about our day.  He had been skiing and was now working.  He said he had a great ski day.  Sara talked about our day.  I went down to put the stroller away, and Julia opened our apartment door in search of me.  She left the apartment, went down the rock spiral staircase saying "Mom?" all this while Dan was "watching" her!  

We had dinner, played, then had some "popcorn fun" as Sara calls it, which means we have bowls of popcorn and watch a movie.  

It is snowing now, and there is a lot of snow in the forecast, including 18 inches on Saturday.  These folks know how to handle snow though - this is the alps after all!  

Time to get some sleep.  

Quotes of the day:
(Seeing a huge frozen chunk of ice clinging to a rock) "Maybe it is a water fall" (Sara was right it was a frozen water fall.)

(At breakfast) "Mom, let's make candles today."

(on a walk) "Mom, what do hunters do?  Why?"  

(at dinner) "How do you grow beef?"  

(on a walk) "Mom, can we watch the gondola go up?  How fast does it go?  Where does it sleep? How does it sleep?  Why?" 

(at breakfast) "cereal"  (Julia said that)

EOM  

Tuesday - Afternoon

After sledding Dan went skiing (so his ski day started around 11:30 or so) and Sara, Julia and I finished lunch and went out to explore the town.

For our walk around the village I had Julia in her sneakers (per her own request, she handed them to me, then she put them on herself) and 'wind pants' that are just a sheer wind-breaker type material.  Her legs went swish-swish when she walked, which she figured out right away, and so she was sure to get a lot of swish-swish sounds in for every one to hear.

Sara wanted to be in her snow pants "I always wear my snow pants Mom" so that was fine.  Even for a walk she still likes to climb everything made out of snow.  Other kids walk down the street, Sara climbs down the street, going from snow bank to snow bank - rising and falling like the tides.  She loves it.  

Our walk took us to the big bridge over the river.  We looked down at it.  It was raging, white, and frosty.  Sara asked "how fast is it flowing?" so I said 10 miles per hour.  I figure even if I make up a number at least her is satisfied hearing some sort of quantification.

For our walk the kids were having the best time.  They walked together most of the time.  Sometimes Sara would plunk down into the snow and Julia would plunk down on a door step.  Julia prefers to keep her butt warm, while Sara just likes snow.  

I got the kids a muffin on a stick, a Swiss thing I guess, and they were involved eating that for probably 30 minutes as they walked.  Sara tried to "share" some of Julia's, which Julia tolerated once, but after that Julia let Sara know that she was happy to finish it herself.  

Julia's  hands got cold on the walk.  For some reason she rips off gloves when I put them on, so her hands get red.  I carried her back to the apartment in the Ergo Baby front carrier, and she fell asleep.  Back at the apartment we put her into her crib and she took her afternoon nap.

While Julia napped Sara and I went out to explore the village (Dan was working near Julia).  We took the train around town, we walked, we danced to the music from the outdoor apre ski cafe's.  We decided to look for shiny rocks (Sara is now in love with rocks) and we found her a pink gourd that has sparkles inside for 5 SF.  She was very happy.

Then we made dinner, played, and got Julia to bed.  Julia was not interested in going to bed.  When I said "night night" she walked the other way, got her sneakers, got her boots, got her coat, and went to the door.  She opened the door.  Then she got me my shoes, and got Dan's shoes too.  Then she got Sara her gloves.  She was saying "lets go play outside!" even though it was 7:30 and clearly time for bed!  She took her morning nap on the sled, and her afternoon nap started outside too - so maybe she thinks she is supposed to be outside in the Alpine air to sleep!  Once I got her in her room (the apartment has 3 bedrooms which is nice) she was sleepy by the time I got her in her Pajamas.  Then she was out like a light after a few more minutes.

Time for us all to get some sleep now.  So I'll sign off.

Quote of the day:
(Out for a walk) Mom, when people see a monkey out walking, why do they give the monkey a banana?   

END

Tuesday - Sledding!

Today we were all up around 8AM.  That is a good change from sleeping late due to the time change.  We made eggs, oatmeal, and french toast for breakfast.  The kitchen is well equipt and the dining table is huge.

We mentioned sledding, and Sara got up and put her snow pants, jacket, turtle neck boots, hat, and gloves on.  She said, "I'm ready!" standing there a puffy blur pink.  We got Julia ready too, and headed out.

The sledding here means, walk to a gondola (Hannig is the name of it I think) and buy a ticket for me.  I cost 12 Swiss Franc, the kids were free, and Dan used his lift ticket.  No one else was there.  We were the first ones.  The lift opened at 8:45.  The lift operator was still getting the office ready.  She sold me the ticket and 2 sled rentals 8 SF each.  We got the kids onto the gondola platform.  Sara asked, "where does it go?  how fast does it go?  have I been on one before?" We told her "up, pretty fast, and yes, she was on a gondola before in Wengen Switzerland, and Kitzbuchel, Austria."

We had our own gondola.  Probably the only ones on the whole gondola itself.  We rose up into the sky.  The village got smaller as we rose up.  Sara looked around at everything - the mountains, the sky, the village, and the snow.  It was fun.  Julia sat on Dan's lap, then pushed herself onto my lap, where she snuggled in for the ride, while keeping her eyes open to check everything out.

We got to the top.  The man gave us 2 sleds.  We exited the building to find a playground- up in the Alps!  Sara ran to it.  Julia ran to it, as fast as a little kid can run in snow pants.  It is like trying to run through molasses, but Julia did her best to keep up with her sister.  "Ahahhhh!" Julia said, pointing while running.  Sara and Julia played on the playground. No one else was any where in sight.  Just us, the Alps, 2 sleds, and 1 bird soaring over head.  I could hear the whir of the gondola, running with out passengers.

We started down the sled run.  We were about 2,500 meters high.  The sled run is 5 KM long.  Sara and I were on one and Dan and Julia on the other.  The snow was groomed.  Sara said "My shadow has ridges" because of how it looked on the groomed snow.

The sled run had an exciting start, with a steep down hill. I yelled the whole time.  Trying to slow down.  We made it okay.  I got a crash course in how to "steer" a wooden sled with out actually crashing.  There is no steering other than my own feet.  I did fine.

We continued sledding. Down, around, straight, fast, slow.   In to the glade, and also some wide open area.  Sara said, "this is fun!" "go that way!" "now that way!"  she was trying to make sure we didn't go flying off the edge, which would have sent us sky rocketing straight off a ledge with no guard rail and only trees and snow below.  We had one close call, where I crashed us into a snow bank rather than having us go plummeting down off the ledge.  After that Sara kept telling me how to steer - which was funny.

Julia was unsure about the whole thing.  She went with Dan, and did some sledding, some riding on shoulders, and some sleeping.  Yes, towards the end she slept.  By that time we could see the village and it was her nap time so she decided to sleep.  Dan pulled her along on the wooden sled, so she had the best fresh air imaginable for her nap.  It was sweet really.

Sara and I went fast, slow, and really fast.  I got good at digging my heels in to slow down, or raising them up to zoom along.  The sled run had switch backs, so we'd get off, wait for Dan and Julia, then keep going.  It seemed like we were sledding for hours.  It probably was an hour or longer.  The scenery was gorgeous.  Blue sky, sun, and sparkly snow.  The only other people were one lady with a dog pulling her sled.  They went fast, the dog was having the time of its life.

Towards the end we took the hiking trail down since they were working on the sled run.  We came to probably 60 rock steps.  I carried Julia. Dan carried the sleds, and Sara walked.  It was actually fun.

We turned in the sleds, and walked back to our apartment.  Julia took a nice nap in her cozy crib, probably dreaming of sledding, while Sara and I made grilled cheese (with REAL swiss cheese) and then we played with some polished rocks.  Dan went skiing (he is out now) and we are all having a good day so far. It is 1:50 PM for us.  We are probably going to go out for a walk now to enjoy our sun.  There is supposed to be a lot of snow in the coming days, so Sara should love that.  Dan has an 11 day ski pass.  He will go for a few hours each day.  He is working in the evenings.

I'm going to sign off for now.  Thanks for reading.

Quotes of the day:
(before sledding) "Let's go!  I'm ready."

(while sledding) "Faster!"

(after crashing into a snow bank) "go that way Mama" (pointing towards the mountain away from the drop off.

(after we were half done) "I'm done sledding, lets walk down" (not a chance!)

(a little further) "come on Mom! Let's sled!" (I was walking at the time, it was flat so I needed to pull Sara, she wanted me to hop on and go! I had to explain how gravity works.)

(after we were done sledding) "Can we go to a bakery now?"

END

Monday - Less Jet lag, Explore Town, Ski

Last night was good. We all slept through the night, even Julia, who did wake up 2 times, but was quick to go back to sleep after just a few rocks in our arms.  (That is better than her needing to be awake for 1-2 hours before sleeping again.)  Sara slept with the tiny aid of some cold medicine for kids.  She has a little bit of a stuffy nose and it seemed to make her feel better.

In the morning, Dan took Julia out to get his ski rentals. The operator thought she was cute in her pink snow suit.  When they got back Dan left to go skiing and Sara, Julia, and I went out to play in the snow.

The snow is deep and plentifull.  Every where.  Sara loves it.  Our village is pretty, surronded by the Alps and nice traditional architechture for the buildings here.  Sara knows where all the bakeries are.  Her favorite is a cookie with a smile on it that is mainly a butter cookie with some jam.  She always ingeniously says, "Mama, how about this one for you, and this one for me" so to ensure I don't eat too much of the cookie - but we usually only get one and share.  Julia is usually asleep when we go to the bakery, which is good for her (naps are great) and nice for Sara and I to have some fun bakery cafe time together.  Sara likes to swagger into the bakery, pick out a cookie, pay for it, then find a seat. She thinks that is just great.  I like it too, it is a chance to warm up our pink noses, our chilly feet, and hang out with the locals, who are doing the same thing.

Dan said the skiing was great.  It is not crowded here.  And the snow is puffy and we just got 10 cm last night.  The sun is nice too.

Towards the end of the day Julia took an afternoon nap, Dan telecommuted to work, and Sara and I left to go play. We both wore our ski pants.  We played in *every* drift of snow.  We made slides,  we made snow men, we had snow ball fights, we just had fun.  For 4.95 Swiss Francs we each got a little sled that we can use to sled in snow banks.  She really likes climbing up snow, then she figures out how to get down.  We stayed in one spot for probably a half hour while a local apres ski place was playing outdoor music. Sara and I played to "Sweet Home Alabama" and we grooved and moved in the puffy white snow.

After being out for 2 hours we came back here after a quick stop at the market.  Two markets are close to our apartment so that is nice for brining stuff back here.  The streets are snowy but easy to walk on.

When Sara and I returned to our apartment after playing in the snow Julia was still asleep (great nap!) and we started dinner.  It was a great evening.  Julia woke up and we had pork, ham, cheese melted together, with a green salad, green beans, and pasta.  The girls enjoyed dinner.

After dinner we did some jigsaw puzzles that are here.  We had them in bed around 8PM.

It was a great day, getting more normal after the jet lag and time change (6 hours different).  We are happy with all the snow, nice people, nice apartment, nice village, and fun together.

Quotes of the day:
(walking around village) "Mama, some people like bunnies so much, that when they see one, they say 'Bunny!'"

(hugging Julia) "Mama, I just really love Julia."

(dressed to go outside) "Look Julia, Mama decided to put a turtle neck on me.  This is a turtle neck."

END

Sunday - First day in Saas Fee

We arrived yesterday after a day of travel from the US.  

Last "night" was a bit crazy.   We put everyone to bed, then when Julia woke up it was 3:45.  I got up with her.  I got her back to sleep at 5:30.  When she woke up again at 7:00 I told Dan (who slept this whole time) that it was morning and it was his turn to spend quality time with Julia while I spent quality time with my eyes shut.  

He got up, made coffee, and gave Julia breakfast.  It wasn't until later he realized that at 7:00 it wasn't really morning, it was 1AM here in Switzerland!  He thought it was a little dark, and I was to out of it to realize it wasn't morning at that point either.  

After I got Dan up to be with Julia I went back to bed, and slept 'till 7:00 - only this time the 7:00 was 1 in the afternoon!  Sara slept that long also.  Dan and Julia had also gone back to sleep, and had gotten up at 5:30 (so I/Sara got 1.5 hours longer than them)  -  So basically Dan and I both took turns with Julia, both being up for a while and both getting her (and ourselves) back to sleep.

When we did all get up we were all happy.  We felt good.   We made breakfast and put on Winter clothes to head out.  

Sara loves it here.  She climbs on *every* now bank, she walks in *every* patch of snow.  Seriously.  If there is a snow bank she scoots right up it with a huge grin.  Then she either scoots down on her butt or asks for help back down.  Her desire to climb everything means we walk slow - and it is fun.  We just stroll around our cute Alpine Ski Town.

At one point we saw a cute red town "train" that takes people around.  We decided to hop on.  We didn't know where the train went, but it was free, cute, and how far could it go?  It ended up taking us all over town - which was a great tour.  It was open-air (we were not closed in) so it was hop on-hop off and the girls just loved every moment of it.  Sara sat to my left next to the "window" which was just open air, and she looked around with wonder in her eyes.  There are shops, snow every where, people strolling, kids sledding in the streets, bakeries, old mountain huts, and the Alps climbing up to the sky.  Julia sat to my right.  She is very independent.  She didn't want my arm around her, didn't want me to hold on to her coat, so the only way I could protect her from a sudden stop (and projectiling forward) was to put my leg up in front of her.  It worked fine. It was a smooth ride.  Dan sat right behind us with the Bob Stoller folded up.  

Soon we stopped at the tourist information to get a town map and other information.  

Julia fell asleep after that in the stroller.  We walked around the town (Sara walked most of the time, and then hopped in her side of the stroller for some of the time).  We walked over the bridge with the plunging river down below.  We found the indoor swimming area.  We saw the kid slopes.  We hit a bakery (no surprises there).  Sara had some sort of nut cake and Dan had a donut.  Julia slept and I just shared their stuff.  

For our mid-day meal we had pizza.  Sat right by the window on the second story - so a great view of town - I could see the kid's ski area from my seat.  We got two pizzas, one with all sorts of stuff on it (anchovies, mushrooms, herbs, salami) and one with plain.  The girls ate every morsel.  We did too.  I saw other people had a carafe of water on their table so I asked for one.  We were glad we  wouldn't have to pay for water (as is very common).  Then when we got the bill the carafe of "glacier" water was 5 Swiss Francs!  It was just funny.  I guess we'll have to figure out if we can get "free" water (since the water is excellent here) of if the thing everyone does is pay for water (even if it is just in a pitcher sitting on the table).  We don't really mind that much paying for it (since if you have to pay, you have to pay, so you may as well just put up with it) but it would be nice if they gave "tap" water for free.  A coke is 5 SF, so that is out of site.  All this is nothing new.  We just have to figure it out for this particular town and roll with it.

We hit the grocery store which is very close to our apartment.  That is nice to not have to carry groceries far.  We got stuff for salads, some meat, vegetables, and so forth.  Sara loved the cheese department - which is huge here in Switzerland! 

Our weather was lovely. Blue sky, with light snow, and warm for walking around.  We had Julia in her pink snow suit (she just immediatly takes a coat off, so since she has yet to figure out how to get the snow suit off we just put her in that).  We had Sara in her coat, turtle neck, leg warmers, gloves and hat.  

I gotta run.  Time for dinner.  Bye! 



Quotes of the day:
(At bath time) My butt sort of looks like an island!

(On the town train) Mama! Papa!  Look at all the mountains!  (A funny think to say when we are literally surrounded by the Alps!  But she just looks at and comments on everything.)  

(At a pizza shop) I want fish and chips!  (Not quite.)

(At an out door bakery selling pretzels and donuts) I want to go to an indoor bakery.  (Just funny, since we couldn't believe she'd turn down a donut.)  

Saturday - January 25 - Travel Day

Made it to Saas Fee today.

Left our home airport on a 5:45 flight and got to Zurich.  The flight was easy.  Just over 7 hours.  We had the three middle seats on the airplane (so both Dan and I had an aisle and Sara was in the middle of us).  Julia didn't have a seat (not needed until 2 years).

I started out holding Julia on the airplane, but in the end it was Dan that did the lion's share.  He held her in his arms for most of the flight - either standing up in the back of the plane or in his seat.  That left me free to take care of Sara and get a little sleep.  Sara is now old/big enough not to be in her car seat on an airplane.  What a nice treat not to have to lug that around!

We landed and got to the train station.  Bought a 2 day train pass, that also works as a 1/2 fare card.  We rode the train to Visp.  There were first class cars, second class cars, and family cars.  We chose the family car.  That meant a lot of little kids.  It also meant a slide, and a little boat to steer, and a place for kids to climb!  It was all on the upper deck of the two deck train car.  Sara and Julia were over joyed to see it and played non-stop for at least an hour.  Their cheeks were red for all the fun.  Sara tried talking to the other kids, who must think Americans talk a lot!

For the last part of the train ride Julia fell asleep in Dan's arms and Sara fell asleep using me as a pillow.  They both slept soundly.  We had to wake both up when we got to Visp.  Getting off a train with two kids and 100 lbs of luggage is tricky.  We did fine.  Everyone else scurries off the platform and we usually just stand there for a while to catch our breath and we glad we made it.

Sara fell asleep immediatly back in the bob-stroller.  Julia was a little cranky - not knowing what she wanted (and we didn't blame her) but she settled down watching Peter Pan on the iPad.

In Visp we took the Post Bus to "Saas Fee" our little town.  We expect to be here 2 weeks.

The Post Bus ride was fun.  Sara was asleep curled up in Dan's arms, Julia was asleep using my hand as a pillow (a great work out for me having to hold the same pose for an hour).  On the ride we climbed up, up, up, into the Alpine world.  I'd see arched bridges in the distance and then after a few criss-cross switch-backs we were going across the bridge.  The bus hugged the road. Often I looked to my left and only saw the guard rail - with nothing but valley below.  Steep around here.  Is a little hairy to think about but the drivers are used to it.

The sky was blue.  As if someone put a drop of blue food coloring into a glass of milk.  Like a white-blue.  We went past everything - little villages clinging to cliff sides - streams crashing down jagged rocks - snowy mountains - all very Swiss.  After all the travel thus far it was nice to have two sleeping kids and just chill.

We got to Saas Fee and walked to our apartment.  We were all glad to be "home."  The girls explored the place.  It took a while to decide which bedroom for whom, and then we switched it around anyway.
I'm going to close now to head to sleep.  Sara and Julia are already in bed, and it is high time for us too.  It is 6:34 Swiss time.  We ate in for dinner, pork with cheese and ham inside (we went to the grocery store during our first walk around Saas Fee).

During our first walk around Saas Fee Sara was so cute.  She was pointing to everything and commenting on it - even ice!  Thick ice, thin ice - and she loved the snow.  She is an expert at walking in snow, then asking me to get the snow out of her boot.   ;) We love that she is so excited about everything - I played in the snow with her while Dan was with Julia (who was sleeping in the Bob stroller).

I better get to sleep now.  Who knows when they will wake up tomorrow!

;) Lori

Switzerland

Not there yet.  Leave tomorrow. :)