An evening with friends

Last night friends stopped by to visit before we head out on our big trip this Sunday.  Lots of kiddos, lots of fun, lots of activity, and lots of coats.

Brotherhood of Knights

I guess Vic has been observing all the sword fighting this winter because he has found his own sword to wield.  Now that he is walking he has his hands free to join the other boys.  We did not encourage this, but he found an extra cardboard sword and made himself known.

Seth's improved sword, shield, and armor

A Slumber Party

Friends recently celebrated their 10th Anniversary by staying at the nearby Igloo Village.  We had a slumber party in the warmth of our home with their kiddos while they did their best to stay warm on their bed of ice. All the kiddos had fun, and Megan and Jose enjoyed their once-in-a-lifetime igloo.

Wrestling with Mr. Craig

In pj's and ready for a movie.  Vic opted for his crib instead.

Snow Fun

From our balcony we can see the slopes where the Alpine Ski World Cup is going on most of this month.  (The city if packed with lots of fun activity.  Parking is not so fun, however.)  The boys, Cynthia, and I took the gondola to the top of the slope to check it out before it was the center of the attention. 

 

Innsbruck, Austria

Another outing with Cynthia was a day in Innsbruck, Austria.  It is a beautiful, old city about an hour south of us.   

Neuschwanstein Castle

Cynthia, Craig's mom, came back to Germany with us for a short visit.  One of our first stops was the castle of castles, the one that inspired Walt Disney, Neuschwanstein.  It was constructed in the late 1800's under the direction of King Ludwig II, an eccentric and reclusive man, though he only resided 172 days before a suspicious drowning. 

The drive, the day, the castle, and the surroundings were gorgeous. 

The view below the castle

Vic's life as a little traveler, strapped on the back while Mama takes pictures 

Our Sweet Little Vic

A bit about Vic...

1.  He has finally started walking.  Early last week he started with a couple of steps.  By Friday he was walking. 

 

2.  Vic loves climbing and eating.  Here are both of these passions in action.  He calls all food "nana", which began with one of his first loves, bananas.  Bananas are no longer his favorite, only eaten when nothing else more appetizing is offered.  

"Mom, I know there is a muffin left in this pan."

3.  Vic is a thumb sucker. 

The callous on his left thumb, the only thumb for sucking.

4. He loves to sit under this piece of furniture in the dining room.  Seth calls it "Vic's throne".  And while in his little cubbyhole, he has a funny routine.  He sits and looks at a book, slides it under the furniture, gets down on his belly and gets the book out, and then returns to his "throne".  He does this at least daily.  We all have our little routines and habits.

Book in hand...

Book under the furniture

 

Birthday Fun

Craig did a super, fantastic, amazing job with my birthday this year.  The morning before my birthday he wrote me a sweet, funny poem about my surprise birthday-eve adventure.  He got a sitter for the boys, and we left at 6pm last night in warm clothes, the kind for being on the mountain after dark.  To my surprise, outside our apartment I found a group of friends waiting to join us on our trip to Ehrwald, Austria, for night sledding.  Oh my, it was so, so, so much fun.  The kind of screaming, laughing, smiling fun usually reserved for kiddos.   If I maneuvered Google translate correctly, I believe that the sled run was 3 km (1.8 miles).  It was fast and curvy and crazy.  I have a few bruises today from a crash or two. 

At the top of the slope was a cafeteria/bar with live, traditional German music (think oompa –loompa, yoddling, accordions, lederhosen, and beer) where we had birthday cake, and some took breaks from sledding.  (Kuddos to Jon and Margy for taking baby Ian with us.)  

The night ended with a small misadventure due to our misinterpretation of the sign at the top of the gondola.  We saw the 9:30pm and the 11:30pm.  We assumed sledding rental, ticket sales, etc stopped at 9:30, and the sledding ended at 11:30.  Well, no.  Wrong assumptions on our part.  When Craig, with sherpa-like cargo (4 sleds, a birthday cake, and other miscellaneous items), Margy (5-month old baby Ian in an Ergo, all her snow gear, and baby bag in tow), and Nikki (7-year-old way past her bedtime who was scared of the sledding) arrived back at the gondola to return to the cars, they found it all shut down for the night.  They first tried walking down the road, which proved to be more treacherous than the slope.  Then they returned to the slope to try to walk down it.  That too was impossible, so they sledded very slowly down the mountain taking care to protect baby Ian and avoid drunk Germans  sledding home from the bar.   Craig played father figure to the wandering party, and as a result had to count the losses of a sled that he just couldn’t hold onto and the birthday cake (the yummiest birthday cake from a German bakery).  I’ve laughed out loud to myself today when I picture someone finding our cake.  It will be such a mystery.  Why is there a half-eaten birthday cake carefully placed in the woods near the slope still in a perfectly good box?  Back to the sign… it basically said that the gondola closes at 9:30 but those enjoying the beer and music at the lodge may sled themselves back to bottom anytime before 11:30.      

  

 Me, Craig, Kevin, and Jon

With the German birthday cake and Monterey County, California cider

The sacrificed cake

Our group.. Jon, Margy,  & baby Ian and Lenka with kiddos Kevin & Nikki

The Perry Side

After Elba, we headed to Lake Martin to enjoy the Perry side of the family.

Snow at Lake Martin???!!!!

It is beautiful, but we came to Alabama looking for warm weather.

Reading with Sue

Wrestling with Craig, sr.  What boys love to do.

Reading with Papa Zac



Vic enjoying Carolyn's lunch.  That's our amazing eater.