We were all up today by 8:15. It was snowing, of course. A light puffy snow. Down here in the village the snow is just lovely. Up on the ski mountain the snow is very plentiful for the skiers. Since we usually seem to hit ski places when there isn’t much snow, this is a wonderful change. We feel lucky to have all the snow - Sara just thinks it is the best thing ever.
We walked Dan to one of the gondolas by 10:30 and then we were on our own to enjoy the day. We hit a bakery for some bread - a heavy 1 kilogram loaf of a really nice wheat bread. Hard on the outside and soft on the inside. The baker knows us now, and smiles at Sara and Julia every time we go there. When we left the bakery Julia clammered for some of the bread and I tore her off a chunk (it is always not sliced, it is just a loaf). She pushed away the chunk of bread, and was only happy once I gave her the whole loaf. She happily took it in both hands and began to feast. Sara was interested in a nearby commemorative coin machine, so she missed out on the bakery stuff, including a really good apple turn over. I should add that my pants are all fitting me differently. They are looser. Even with all this bakery stuff and cheese I have to pull up my pants from keeping them from going down over my hips. I guess all the walking (including a lot of hills!) balances everything out. Plus our meals are healthy.
I pulled out my trusty village map and headed for the church. It is the center of town and we’ve been to it a million times, but we’ve never been up the hill behind it. So we went up there today. There was a great play ground, complete with slide, rope ladder, rope roof, and climbing wall. It was all blanketed with snow. The girls played in the snow and the playground ‘till the church bells clammered noon. And those bells are loud.
When Julia was done playing she lead the way further up the hill. She just loves picking a direction and walking. She will look over her shoulder to see if we are following, but she is sure of her status of leader. She went straight up the hill and around the corner. She is a strong walker. After several minutes we went back to the stroller and decided to visit the church. It was empty of people, but had some nice stained glass. We toured around it in silence, ‘till we went back outside.
After that we went to the market to stock up then walked back to the apartment. Julia ate a bit of ham (the local dried/cured meats are excellent) and then she zonked out in her crib for about 2 hours. Sara and I made our lunch (hamburgers, pineapple, broccoli, and french fries) and then oddly we saw Dan walking up the hill. The mountain was partically open, but had high winds. He made it a short day and actually joined us for lunch. It was a nice surprise. After that Sara and I went out for a walk in the village while Julia finished her nap (and Dan was here to watch her). We ended up walking up and around, finding a spot to make a small snow man with pinecone arms. Sara didn’t let him last long, and blasted the poor guy with a snow ball. I guess part of the fun of being a kid is making and then un-making something.
We ended up at a toy shop. Sara looked at each and every toy. She still is in love with rocks (the shiny colorful kind) and tried to get me to buy myself some jewelry. “This would look so pretty on you Mom.” It is hard to resist a comment like that, but the only thing we bought on our walk was a pack of playdoh for the girls to share.
I got a text message from Dan that Julia was up from her nap and very happy. Sara and I were in the village and made our way back. The streets were festive, people walking every where and snow gently falling. Sara darted to a different bakery and we got a local treat to bring home and share. I ordered in German.
Back at the apartment the girls played (that means they ran around the apartment chasing each other) while I made dinner: pasta, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cheese, ham, pizza, pine apple, apple, and prunes. That may sound weird but we had it all in the fridge and I decided to try to empty some of it out to clean up some left-overs. We ate every bit. It was a nice dinner - Dan and I sat on one side of the table and our two little goof-balls were on the other side. They ate everything in sight (including the fruits and vegetables) and they had such fun sitting next to each other. Sara would sometimes pause in between bites to turn and give Julia a kiss on the cheek. Julia handled the intrusion with one swift arm movement, which did not serve as a deterrent, but rather as a source of humor for us all. It is fun to look across the table at the two humans we created. Especially when they are being adorable.
The evening time went quickly. Sara cleared the dinner dishes to the kitchen and I put them away in the dishwasher. Then the girls played with their favorite “magic clip” Disney dolls (they are great toys!) and I colored with Julia a little (I made letters and the colors them in) - we also did some wooden puzzles - at which Julia is getting very good! She can empty out and then fill in a whole puzzle by herself - and look like she is having the best time.
Sara and Julia wear their full snow clothes when we go out. That way they can climb snow banks and stay warm. They also end up sliding down snow hills on their butts. Both of them find fun easily - even simple things are fun.
We went into a hotel today and found a kid play room. The girls loved the wooden cars, plastic Disney figures, and small people about the size of a thumb. A while later Sara and I toured around a 5 star hotel. It was very nice, grand fireplace, fancy people lounging around, and a huge display of treats for guests to enjoy.
It is 7:35 now, Julia is asleep and I’m about to have Sara start her bedtime list. It was a fun day.
Quote of the day:
(Just now) Sara: “Hey Mom, look how much popcorn I have in my mouth ahhhhhhh” (she then showed me exactly how much - she loves popcorn)
(Evening playtime) Sara: “I’ll help you Jewel!” (then Sara lifted Julia up so Julia could open a door knob - good team work!)
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