Moving to Germany

We just returned from our Look-See trip to the Frankfurt area. We are definitely moving there at the end of June! We were super pleased with the selection of houses and we think the area will be great. There are lots of small to medium sized towns with great restaurants and shops. The variety much surpasses Zurich, but on the down side the area is more suburbia than quaint like Zurich. One town we really liked reminded me a lot of Plymouth. We had hoped to find a house there, but unfortunately all the houses we liked there didn't have a back yard and Aidan said "having a garden is really special to me". So we decided to pick a house a bit further from a village so the kids would have a yard. It wasn't that much of a compromise, however, because considering I had a list off 10 things that I wanted in a house, the only thing we didn't get was walking distance to shops and restaurants! 9 out of 10 ain't bad.

We are at least walking (albiet a little far and down/uphill) to a bus stop that would connect us to Frankfurt or Wiesbaden, a Thai restaurant, and a few small flower shops and markets. Everything else we could possibly need is within 10 minutes in some direction.

Besides a few cute towns, we found a great mall (yes, a REAL mall!), a fantastic indoor/outdoor pool/spa, take out restaurants, parks, and hiking trails. We are 10 minutes from one international school and 20 from the other. I still have to decide on schools. Hopefully, I can figure that out later this week. One decision at a time, please!

Anyways, here are some photos of our new house! This is the street view. We have a one car garage and carport, with a good sized back yard. The ground level is actually our basement. The window on the left will be our guest room. The other 2 bottom windows are actually a separate (tiny) apartment. Right now no one lives there, but if they do it's not a big deal as their entrance is totally separate from ours. The playroom and living room have access to the small terrace and have fantastic views of the rolling hills. The third floor is where our bedrooms are. There the windows are mainly skylights.

Here are 2 pics from the master bedroom

Through these skylights we also have a great view of the hills and forest.

This is a little area upstairs across from kids bedrooms. It screams "reading nook". We'll remove the fire extinguisher and add book shelves and beanbags to make a cozy corner.

It was an over cast day, but this is our street view. Up a level in our living room, you look above this tree line and out over the forest and hills. We are on a corner, and as you turn the corner it's a dead end. Very private and quiet (until we move in!)

We looked at so many houses in such a short time, I forgot to take many pictures. Once we move in I'll post lots more. It's more than double the size of our current apartment, so we are thrilled about that! We have 3 bedrooms, a play room, a study, a guest room, 3 12 baths, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, storage area, terrace and full yard. Everything is updated and newish. There is a great fireplace in the living room too.

As much as I HATE to leave Zurich, I think that Germany will be alright. It's a good transition place before moving home. I'm really looking forward to the house, but I'm sad to leave our friends. I'm sure we'll meet new people before long. Now, I just need to decide on where to put furniture and what school the kids will go to!

Signs of the Times

Today Lainey was playing pretend. She came out of her room dangling car keys (pretend Minnie Mouse ones) and said to me "I'll see you later". She walks into the living room and begins tapping her hand and touching her ear. I hear her say "goodbye". Then she walks by me again back into her room and as she passes me she says " I just sent my best friend an email on my iPhone".

4 -year-olds. Do they have an app for that?

Lainey Rides a 2-Wheeler!

Of our 2 kids, Lainey has always been the more athletically "gifted". Aidan is quite athletic now, but it took him a while to shed his baby chub and get coordinated. Lainey has always been a lightweight which I think helps her be more in control of her body. When she rolled over on the exam table at her one-month appointment, my pediatrician said "uh-oh, that one's going to be a mover and shaker. She'll keep you busy with sports and the emergency room!". Sure enough, we've done the ER thing a few times already and she's quite capable of all physical activities! Ballet, yep. Tennis, not bad. Gymnastics and yoga, very flexible. Swimming, easy peasy lemon squeezy as she'd tell you.

So I figured it was time to get on 2 wheels! Aidan only learned last summer, just after his 6th birthday, but here's our little 4 1/2 year old ready to roll! Granted, her bike is smaller than Aidan's, so that helped, but from the get-go she had the skill down. She could balance and roll without pedaling from the start. I only had to tell her once where to out her feet to start and she remembered. After just a few times of me holding on to her (and of course the prize of an ice-cream if she figured it out!) she got it! She can't start on her own yet, and doesn't go far (but that's just because she stops pedalling) but she's got the hang of it!!

I love this red top area at school. I taught Aidan here last year too. Very flat, big, enclosed and softish surface. The perfect place to learn!

We kissed those training wheels buh-bye!!

Last Day of Skiing

All season long, I've wanted to ski at Davos or Klosters. We had booked a night there, but had to cancel it due to the darn G8 summit. Skiing with all those politicians would have been a drag. Then we tried to go for a day a few weeks ago and the weather was crap. Finally, finally, finally on the last official weekend of the ski season, we made it!
We just went up for the day. We arrived in time for lunch at the top of Jakobshorn. I can see how this is a happening spot in high season. The British royals are known to ski here, but we didn't have any royal spottings. We did however find a cool place to eat lunch outside at 10,000ft! Aidan enjoyed the "entertainment" of hammering a nail into a big log. Huh? Not what you usually find to keep kids entertained at restaurants, but oh well. We supervised closely and all was good.

We ate our brats and ribs next to a breathtaking view. It was so bright up there, Lainey wore her ski goggles to eat in!

If one was without children, you could lounge about on beach chairs amongst palm trees in the restaurant-bar area.

We settled for a beer overlooking this area.

If you really wanted an experience, you could even sit in a hot tub up there!

After a successful weekend at Murren, we thought we'd all be able to handle the blue run. Jason, Aidan, and I were OK, but I think we should have let Lainey get her confidence back on the nursery slopes first. She was a disaster. But, we HAD to ski down, there was no other way down. I kept her with me, but she was tired and acting all of the "madame" she did for Addie in Murren. Whining, asking to be carried, etc. I think she was a bit tired, and a bit scared, but a lot just not into it. I may even use the word lazy at times. Anyway, it took us over an hour to get down a not-so-difficult blue, that I know she could have done a few weeks ago. Talk about a test of parenting patience. About 30 feet from the bottom, she refused to go anymore, so I took her skis off and made her walk down. Grr...she can be stubborn. I wonder where she gets it from?

By that time, Jason and Aidan had been waiting a long time and Aidan still wanted to ski. Jason took Lainey to the car where she promptly passed out and Aidan and I decided to ski all the way back into town. a 10,000 foot descent! I was exhausted from dealing with "madame", but he and I did it anyway. It was great until about the last 1000 feet where the snow had all but melted and the path was pretty flat. Parts of it was like cross country skiing on grass. Tough work. But we made it!

1/2 way down to Davos

Provence...in Detail: Our Home away from Home

We rented a great villa just south of Aix in Fuveau. We had plenty of room for both families, and finally on Friday, the weather cooperated enough to just stay at "home" and let the kids play in a fabulous yard. The kids were outside all day, playing soccer, climbing the tree house, swinging, and collecting garden stuff to make potions. They were covered in mud and grass stains by dinner time!

We parents also enjoyed the sunny day by having lunch with a nice Rosé on the patio and Megan and I did some shopping in Aix sans husbands and kids! The wild children, still for the first (and last) time!

Lainey on the swing

Backyard view

Cheers! It's lunch time!

Lainey and the treehouse

Late that night, we busted out the Pastis, the local drink of choice. Locals drink this stuff morning, noon, and night. They water it down to their tastes and preffered strength. It was FOUL! It tasted like black licorice gasoline. There is not enough water in the world to water it down enough to the point any one of us would drink a glass of it. Crazy Provençals! We will definitely pass on this treat and stick with your 4 Euro bottles of Cotes du Rhone wine!

Provence...in Detail: The Pretty Village Tour

After seeing lots of cities and Roman ruins, we wanted to see the Provence of books and movies. So, we followed a driving tour of the "pretty villages" that we found in a guide book. This drive took us through Bonnieux (where A Good Year with Russell Crowe was filmed), Menerbes (where the author of A Year in Provence lived), Gordes (an amazing tiered stone city), and L'Isle Sur La Sorgue (a city known for antiques). And, FINALLY, we found all the vineyards and tasting rooms we'd expected in France!
A (good) day in Provence for sure! A vineyard and tasting room. Kids played outside while moms and dads tasted a bit, and bought a lot!

I'm pretty sure this is the restaurant in the movie A Good Year. Very picturesque.

Can't remember now if this is Menerbes or Bonnieux

Menerbes-Life is Beautiful!

The town of Gordes is built into this rocky mountain. Very cool.

In L'Isle Sur La Sorgue. No antiques, but I did buy a beautiful blanket for Lainey!

Gelato along the river while Mommy shopped.

Provence...in Detail: Arles

Garden where Van Gogh painted

Roman Arena

Roman theatre

More arena pics

Not much to say about Arles. It was kind of a let down. The ancient Roman Theatre and Arena were cool, but I wish we could have seen bullfight. I agree with Van Gogh who painted there for a while. He said something along the lines of "Arles is underwhelming, but enough coffee and wine maks one able to paint here". I kind of think I'm over old Roman towns.