Snow

There has been great excitement in the UK at the moment due to snow.  Funny how you get used to it being normal.  It would be abnormal if there was no snow here in January.

However, it appears that both our children like snow and snow activities which is good.

Last year, skiing suddenly "clicked" with Katie - the last day of the season!  She was so keen and had fun with her ski teacher but with us she wouldn't listen, then all of a sudden, bingo!  So this year she has been brill.  I have taken her a couple of times to Lenggries which is a perfect place for small children and families.  However, we had a bit of an adventure because I decided we would go up on the next drag lift but then as I am a rubbish navigator we ended up in the basin of the main ski area so we went up on the chair lift all the way to the top. Hmmm. . . . Well she was dead excited to be at the top and started coming down ok but hen suddenly she was too tired and too scared.  I think it must have looked very scary to a small person.  So we came down the whole rest of the way with me skiing with her between my legs!  I was exhausted.  She was so brave but quite scared.  Fortunately it hasn't put her off and we went again but I promised not to take her to the top!  She's doing really well.

Then we have been to Ellmau for the weekend and she did a run with Matt and was super.

This last week she has hopped on a bus two days with a bunch of other kindergarten children and gone off for ski lessons!  The last two are this week, but the temperature is set to rise so might not be so good.

Katie at the top before getting scared

Sledging yesterday

Alex is not as keen as Katie was at 2 1/2 to ski but he had a try on them at Ellmau and was ok.  He definitely has stronger legs than she did at the same age.  I think we'll try him again when we go for out ski holiday next Saturday.  He has, however become much tougher the last few months and really enjoys playing in the snow. It's nice as last year he wasn't that keen at all.

Alex testing out skis

Excited at being in the mountains

Yesterday we had a great afternoon.  We went down just to our local small hill and spent two and a half hours sledging. It was a glorious sunny afternoon and so lovely in the sunshine. No one got cold either.   Alex was quite kamikaze and I'm sure he's got braver because Katie is.  He was super, whizzing down the slope and the falling in the snow.  Katie's friend William joined us with his dad and they raced down the slope. Then Katie met a 10 year old boy called Anton who was going down a steeper slope and flying over a bump at the bottom.  Katie was keen to join him and she was great!

Alex doing a happy dance!

Katie and William whizzing

Having a break from sledging

So the children have been having fun in the snow and Matt and I have had a few skis too, with Magda.  And last weekened we stayed the night at Ellmau and both had a ski. It's great Nigel isn't a keen skier so is happy to potter and be my donkey carrying skis and stuff.

 

Me and Magda

Two videos (if they work!)  Katie skiing, and Katie on the sledge jumping.

And now we have out Kinderhotel ski week to look forward to a week on Saturday.  A bit extravagant but I'm sure we all deserve it.

Happy 2013

We have just started normality again after Christmas, which was very nice thank you.

We had some snow here beforehand to get us in the winter mod but then it all started to go and we travelled home in 20th December for 10 days in soggy Devon.  And was it soggy?  Never seen it so soggy!

Lots of snow in December

We were prepared for rain but it hardly stopped and the floods!  Well . . . .   never seen anything like it!

Anyhow, the first thing we did the day after we arrived was go and get the Christmas tree.  Dad had already chopped one down and so we traipsed up the field to take a look.  The first one he showed was pronounced as  "A bit scruffy!"  But this one was ok.

Will this do?

Matt brought it in and Mum, Dad and the children decorated it while I went upstairs and opened all the Amazon parcels to start wrapping presents.  Took forever and when I came down the tree was decorated and Katie was desperate to put presents underneath.  They were really good and didn't squash them all to work out what was in them.

Jingle Bells!

We  had quite a busy schedule but it didn't feel too manic. Went out for dinner with Ali and Mark which was lovely and on Christmas Eve The Shingleton's and Evan's came round for lunch and a walk but we just went up in the field which was good enough for the children.  

Me and Jen

Exploring the undergrowth

It was so funny, Katie and Alex were concerned about Father Christmas not taking his boots to come in the house.  I had just hoovered and so Katie said that in our note we should write "Dear Father Christmas, Please take your boots off because mummy has just hoovered."  

Milk and mince pies for Father Christmas and carrots for the reindeer.

Katie was also interested in whether Father Christmas ate ALL the snacks left out for him and was that why he was fat.  When I went out on the doorstep later to retrieve the snacks, there was a mouse eating a mince pie.  I threw them to the birds.


Christmas day was spent in the usual opening pressie fashion but then we went to the Thurlstone Hotel for lunch.  There were 17 of us and we couldn't all fit in Matt's mum's house!  I was totally gobsmacked by how busy it was and how many people were away for Christmas or just out for Christmas lunch..  It was very nice and I had fish just as a change as mum had done a turkey a couple of days before.

Christmas morning

Playing Glücks Piraten with Amos

Dad making Hazel laugh

So a good Christmas Day. Boxing Day we went to Matt's dad's and the rest of the time was spent seeing friends and relaxing. All very nice.

Alex liking the mud

And jumping in the flood with Katie, Klara and Freya.

We came home on 30th and no snow.  Almost spring like!  We did fireworks on New Years Eve early for the children. Katie likes the pretty ones and not the bangs but Alex likes the noisy ones best!  Weather was clear and at midnight the fireworks around us were really good.  We did some but I think we need to spend a lot more money to get a good display!

On New Years Day I went skiing with Katie.  We had a fun time and it got to be quite an adventure. She was doing really well so when we got to the top of the T-bar I saw some kids coming down from the next T-bar so thought, what hte hell , let's go up!  But my navigation is rubbish and so of course I missed coming down immediately after the lift so we ended up going all the way to the top on the chairlift!  She got a bit scared on the way down so I had her between my legs.  I was terrified I'd put her off for life!  Bot so!  She had a great day and I told her it was ok to be scared sometimes.  Now we need some more snow to go again!

ski bunny

At the top, just before she got tired and scared.