Austrian Ski Holiday

This past January we took a family ski trip to Austria. We loved the family resort where we stayed in Croatia so much that we wanted to try one of their other locations, plus it was time to get Jake back on the slopes. Bill did an excellent job during the 8 hour drive in the snow, until we were 1/2 a mile from our destination and we got stuck on a snowy mountain. After destroying a pair of snow chains and being offered a tow by a passing tractor, we made it!

We made it!

This was the first time the kids shared a room. We had a great time listening to their conversations and giggling each night. Surprisingly, Bria was the one that made sure they went to sleep, don't mess 

with her sleep time!

We signed up Jacob for the 4 year-old ski school class and even though his teachers spoke yet another new language, Jake did great and loved it. His favorite part was putting on all his ski gear (we'll see how long that lasts). 

Day 1 of lessons

And while Jacob was skiing Bria was on the playground. 

After skiing we had some fun in the pool.

 Great expression from Bill as both kids jump simultaneously. 

Time for dinner. We had the same table all week, and the kids loved the nightly ice cream bar. 

Some after dinner playtime with Dad...

Day 2 on the slopes, time for Bria to give it a try. Despite her adventurous personality, she was not a big fan, and there were some tears.

"Let's do this."

And here you can hear Daddy torturing Bria. Priceless. 

Just comforting my daughter after we made her ski.

Bill enjoyed a day of skiing in the Alps.

Not a bad location for a post ski swim.

We loved our stay in Austria and Jacob really enjoyed the skiing, but it was soon time to go. We weren't ready for the vacation to be over, so our next stop was beautiful Lake Königssee in Bavaria near Berchtesgaden, Germany. It's a natural lake formed by glaciers located within the Berchtesgaden Alps. An added bonus was that the Welt Cup was taking place in town that weekend and the entire Canadian Bobsled and Skeleton team were staying at our hotel.

While it was pretty overcast and cold while we were there, this is what Lake Königssee looks like in the summer.

Here are the kids at the lake waiting for the boat ride. 

 On the boat "Falkenstein"

 The Captain of the boat stopped in the middle of the lake and plays the trumpet so you can hear the echo. Then we continued our journey to St. Bartholomew's church, which can only be reached by boat or hiking. It is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church named after the patron of alpine farmers and dairymen. In 1697 the church was rebuilt in Baroque style. Every August people make a pilgrimage to this church by hiking over the Berchtesgaden Alps. 

 

 Inside St. Bartholomew's Church. 

That night we had a wonderful dinner at the hotel. Bria really enjoyed the "welcome drink" they made her. 

 

The next day we started with a morning swim...

And then headed into Berchtesgaden...

 View from our balcony. We could see Eagle's Nest from our room.

 Next stop was the bobsled and skeleton track to watch the teams practice.

Our final dinner....

Bria made friends with the bartender.

Jake made up a sweet song for Bria the princess who is looking for her castle.

 

We loved our hotel in the alps.

Auf Wiedersehen Königssee, until next time. 

Christmas 2014

We had a lovely, and quiet, Christmas 2014 in Kempen. The entire holiday season we thought it would be our last in Germany so we were trying to take full advantage of the Christmas markets, the food, the culture and all that makes Christmas in Europe magical. It was only after Christmas that we found out we will actually have one more here. Christmas was pretty special this year as we were able to experience it through the eyes of a 4 and 2 year old. Jacob was especially excited and it showed with his constant decorating, singing and talking about Christmas. To sum up the season Jacob told us everyday, "sometimes it's Christmas." Here is our favorite picture from Xmas 2014 of the kids on Christmas Eve:

And one of our tree after Santa departed...

And Christmas morning of Bria in her new hat and scarf....

Looking forward to one more Christmas season in Europe next year! 

Jacob turns 4

To Jacob on his Fourth Birthday,

          Words can't express how we feel watching you grow and becoming such a big boy. We remember the day you were born as if it was yesterday, and here you are turning 4. At the same time, when we watch how empathetic you are to others, it's hard to believe that you are actually only 4.  You are our sweet, caring, compassionate little boy and you make us proud every single day. We will never tire of your need to stop everything you are doing to tell us,"Mommy (and Daddy), Jacob loves you, " or "Mommy you are my heart!" You are the boy who wants to sing Christmas songs all year long, genuinely loves making his little sister happy, and wants to be a superhero...we hope you never lose your special spark.  We had our reservations when we threw you into German school when you didn't speak the language, but we have been so impressed at how you have handled the situation.

Happy Birthday Jacob, you are my (our) sunshine! Love, Mommy and Daddy

A Very Sunny Thanksgiving

At some point I decided that I was just crazy enough to fly 10.5 hours solo with two toddlers to be with my family for Thanksgiving. Despite not getting a minute of sleep the whole flight, the kids did exceptionally well. It was obvious that they are pretty accustomed to travel these days, and they were great helpers.

As is tradition, my entire family gathered in Naples, FL to celebrate the holiday. The long trip was completely worth it. We had a wonderful visit with everyone, and the sunshine definitely didn't hurt!

In addition to all the family time, we were so excited to meet up with my college roommate and her family and meet adorable baby Grace. It's a given that Duds and I always have a great time together, but the highlight was seeing how much fun our kids had together as well.

Here's a recap of the visit:

This is the result of not sleeping on the flight.

 

 Ignoring the jet lag and having fun at the Children's Museum. 

 Fishing with Grandpa at the Museum,

 Beach baby.

 Having fun with our friend Jackson. 

 Baby Grace and her beautiful mama. 

 "I didn't travel all this way for nothing, let's go swimming!"

"I could get used to this view, what do you think Jacob?" 

Beautiful sunset on my birthday. 

Bill and Casey sending birthday wishes from Germany.

All ready for our Thanksgiving Day Race.

Sisters on Thanksgiving

Cousins and 2nd Cousins

We passed the torch to the next generation of babysitters. Thanks Jack and Spencer! 

Cousins heading to the beach.

Thanks for swimming with us for hours and hours Grammy and Grandpa! 

"Is there something on my face?"

Enjoying our last sunset before heading home.

It was such a fantastic visit and worth every minute of that long flight. A huge thank you goes out to Grammy and Grandpa for opening their house to us and letting 2 toddlers take over. This last picture sums up the week perfectly- family, fun and sun!