Christmas and A Road Trip to Munich and Zurich

School got out so late this semester that it just seemed crazy to try and plan anything big in terms of travel.  Also, since we don't know what next year will bring, we are trying to be a bit more frugal in our spending.  So needless to say we stayed close to home.  Funny how in all 7 years of being here we haven't been up to Germany once.  So we decided on a manageable distance to drive with two toddlers, and went with a long weekend trip to Munich (2 nights), and 1 night in Zurich on the way home.

So the day before we left we put up our mini Christmas tree, and then we were off on the 21st.

Attempt 1 at photo in front of the decorated tree  

Attempt 7

 

Attempt 47! 

The mini tree with Liam's decoration on top!

The drive up to up to Munich really isn't bad, and we hit no traffic or bad weather, so we left around 10am, and stopped for lunch for an hour on the way, and we still were there by around 3:30pm.  We found a nice hotel (Eurostars Grand Central Munich) just outside of the main walking area, and managed to get a junior suite so we could have a separate space for the kids to sleep in.  After we checked in we headed out taking the S train into the main Marienplatz to poke around before dinner.  It was super crowded right in the square, so we just kind of moved through the craziness, but if was fun to see the Christmas market thing in full swing.

Our hotel bathroom - Eowyn took a nap in here because she and Liam couldn't stop talking!

Marienplatz

Friends recommended a nice Indian restaurant, so despite being in Germany we opted for Indian and enjoyed every bite!  After a delicious dinner we made our way back to the hotel for bed time.  The two of them were pretty excited to be in the same room so there was a fair bit of chatter before they finally knocked out.  It was pretty cute to hear them though, so we didn't complain too much!

Chowing down on samosas at Goa restaurant

Happy boys!

Eowyn has recently become enamored with Liam's baby doll.  To the point where she dragged that poor doll everywhere we went on the trip.  She even wanted to take it in the swimming pool!  We had to draw the line somewhere, and we also realized quickly that we would need to get her into another baby doll of her own, or else Liam would be upset!  Thankfully Christmas was just a few days away, so we had that one covered!

Run around time on the main drag - Eowyn with Baby Doll

Trying to get them to look at James for a photo - these two are the worst at posing!

Eowyn and baby doll in the stroller

Liam really wanted to push her and she was happy to let him for a while - it was a win-win for us!

Old town

Walking around the old town

Since our full day in Munich was a Sunday the only things open were the various Christmas markets, so we spent most of the day wandering around the city checking them out.  The kids got some run around time at the beginning when it was less crowded, and then we had the strollers to get through the rest.  We did some of the mandatory things one must do in Germany, like eat a giant bretzel, and a foot long hotdog!

That thing is bigger than his head!  Good thing we all shared it!

Liam loved being up close and personal with the giant Lion sculpture

James and his half meter long hotdog

Eowyn and a fry

And it's gone

Liam and I shared a hot dog

We also came across some amazing musicians playing Bach and Vivaldi on an accordion and a violin.  The kids were happy to sit and listen for ages!  We also all loved wandering around the Medieval Christmas market because they had people in costume and on stilts, which the kids loved.  They also had more interesting and unusual things for sale.

Selfie with my new hat

The stilt walkers at the medieval market

A fairy gave Eowyn a feather!

One of the other big successes was finding a really good Persian restaurant close to our hotel.  We actually ate there for dinner on Sunday and for lunch on Monday on our way out!  Our hotel also had an indoor pool, so on Saturday afternoon after their late nap, we took the kids swimming.  They loved it - so much so, it was tricky getting them out in time to get to dinner!  But we also made sure to make time for swim on Sunday morning after breakfast!

Delicious dinner at Shandiz Persian Restaurant

 Monday morning we tried to find one other market we were told about, but it wasn't open when we went by, so we had a lovely walk in the sunshine and stopped at a playground to let the kids play before the long car ride to Zurich.

Swinging in the park

 The kids did really well on all the drives - napping for some of the time, and otherwise being pretty amicable.  Unfortunately, we made a few poor planning choices after we got to our hotel in Zurich, which led to a mighty tantrum from Liam, making us second guess the stop over.  We stayed at the Wellenberg Hotel in the old town, so location wise it was perfect.  But being Switzerland, it was so expensive and didn't have half the amenities or space that the hotel in Munich had, which was also considered a 4 star (and it was so much cheaper!)  At any rate, we then made a choice to go into a Sushi place nearby, only to realize too late that they didn't have a very good menu for the kids.  So we spent almost 100Ch on a meal but didn't get a whole lot of food for it.  You live, you learn, I guess.

Thankfully the next morning we all woke up in better spirits.  We were able to get up and just wander the streets of Zurich.  And of course we spent a very long time in the toy store so Liam could go down the dragon slide!  We met up with Jen, Josh and his mom for lunch at Hiltl, and then walked with them through the train station christmas market.  The market itself wasn't super impressive, but the giant christmas tree covered entirely in Swarovski crystal was!

The Swarovski Tree

 And soon after that we were heading back to the car via a couple more stores to find a sippy cup for Eowyn.  We made it back to Lugano around 6:30pm, with some beautiful sunsets on the way.  Unfortunately, after a trip full of great weather we came back to rain!

Blurry sunset on our drive home

 Christmas morning Eowyn and Liam opened one present each - their gifts from Alessandra and Paul.  Of course they were the bigger gifts so it was a big deal.  Liam got some crazy fire station with multiple vehicles and noise making capabilities.  Eowyn got a very sweet wooden train.  They spent a few hours playing with those toys before we moved on to the gifts we had for them.

Not sure what to make of things - Eowyn, baby doll, new sippy cup and Liam

Playing well together

 Later they opened a book they got to share - Bernstein bears - Lending a Helping Hand.  And we read it together a few times.

Daddy's turn!

 And even later in the day they opened their final gifts. Liam's reaction was priceless.  "Blach" is what he said when he first saw his responsibility chart.  What can I say, we are just those kinds of parents I guess!  Oh well...Actually he's been really into it since that first moment when he was probably hoping for some kind of toy. Now we take time every night to go through the 7 responsibilities we've selected for the week.  He even got James back in his room at 9pm the night before last because he forgot to do it before bedtime!  I like that it mixes up household responsibilities with actions and behavior.  This first week we've been working on sharing, not whining, being respectful, getting ready for bed, clearing the table, keeping hands to ourselves and putting toys away.  He loves to count how many he got each day.
Eowyn got her own baby doll so she can drag it everywhere and leave Liam's behind.  She has two other dolls, but for some reason the cuter dolls like her cloth one, or the new one from Alessandra's mom with hair, just don't appeal to her.  She wants it to be bald, like a baby.  So despite our own feelings, we let her have just that, and she is happy.

Gift opening 

The Blach moment - Eowyn on the other hand got her very own baby doll

 To round it all off, we had a lovely Christmas meal at Josh and Shan's house.  It was simple, with tasty soups, home made bread that we brought, plus a quiche, and some yummy desserts and a salad.  The abisi's were also there, but it felt really nice a low key.  At one point Eowyn came out of the kids room dressed in Calvin's spiderman costume.  We cracked up! She had such a good time in it!

Laughing on the floor with my little spider girl

The bigger kids also got dressed up!

Shiri's Visit - Dec 2013

So fun to have Shirin come for a visit on her way to Sally's wedding.  I'm afraid I missed the chance of photos with her and the kids, but the photos are from her time here, so they will have to do.  We had a pretty leisurely visit with just a couple of excursions to town, one for her haircut, and one with the kids (may have been a mistake!).  Otherwise we looked at a lot of wedding dresses, chatted, ate, played with the kids and did some yoga!  She was such a good sport and on the day she arrived (delayed by a cancelled flight and arriving by train in the end), she still made it out to a dinner we had planned to celebrate my birthday.  And not just a quick bite - I mean a 10 person meal which went till 11pm!

She brought the kids some adorable towels - an owl for Eowyn and a lion for Liam.  They spent about 20 mins dashing around the house in them!

Eowyn trying to figure out where out is!  Liam's lion face

 "Bust up" is a common occurrence in our house.  Shirin got to witness it first hand.  My ribs have not been the same since my 15kg children keep jumping on them!

Eowyn likes to bounce on me and then say: are you ok? followed by a kiss

 At least the perks are lots of cuddles and love!

Snuggle fix!

 James does the daring feats, I stick to more moderate adventures!

"balancing"

 There was a phase where bathtime wasn't complete without goggles.  Eowyn loved to try on Liam's goggles too, though they weren't quite the right size for her.

Lounging by the door on our way to town

Shirin post hair cut - looking lovely!

At the airport - shirin heading off to England

Days of Enlightenment - or at the least - The Sun Shines Again!

Finally, finally, finally we have seen what seems to be the last of the rain, and the sun has been shining for the last few weeks.  What a difference it makes to my mood here!  The challenge with Lugano and little children is that there aren't a lot of indoor things to do when the weather is bad, so we end up staying cooped up at home a lot, which does nobody any good.  But with sunshine, even in the colder temperatures we find a little bit of time to swing on the swings outside, or run around in the park, walk down to campus - anything that gives us some fresh air and exercise!

Carolyn managed to catch a great shot of some of the kids when we had a little meet up in the Montagnola square.  I don't think, in all the years we've tried, anyone has managed to get all the kids to smile, be still, and look in the right direction.  Big success right there!

"The big kids!" - Cassidy, Calvin, Liam, Drake, Stirling and Grayson

Sometimes the ordeal of packing Eowyn into the car twice a day just to drop off and pick up Liam is just exhausting.  Other days, she's quite the funny little person keeping me entertained with her questions, her music requests, and recently, her funny face.  Out of nowhere I turned around and she made this face.  I started laughing and asked her if that was her funny face, and of course she proceeded to repeat if for me a number of times.  She will still do this same face if you ask her!  

"funny face" Eowyn

 We have had a lot of playing pretend going on at home (as seen in Liam's swimming/diving outfits from a previous post).  What I didn't add was a photo of Eowyn, also eager to play, walking around with a backpack on her back.  She does this from time to time now - takes it out and asks me to help her put it on, and then wanders around for a bit!

Carrying her load

 In an effort to save some money on food (which we have done quite well at, I must say) we have also been eating one dinner, and sometimes two, at the dining hall.  To me this is a sacrifice because the food isn't that good, and it is always a bit hectic getting the kids to eat, focus and then leave in time for bed.  We have to do away with bath time and usually story time too, which often is a tricky thing, but the kids just love it.  I mean it's like a special treat for them.  Just yesterday I said to Liam that we'd be having dinner at the dining hall.  He literally got up, danced a jig and starting shouting "weehee, we're going to the dining hall for a special treat!  I promise mummy when it's time to go I'll just say, ok, and do good listening and just leave right away.  No fuss!"  Can you guess what we often have trouble with by his immediate response?!
The advantages are that we save money, I don't have to prepare a meal, and we don't have to clean up.  The kids love the social aspect and getting to see some of the other families with kids at the meals.  It's always a bit of a party for them, though for us it's kind of crazy ensuring food is actually eaten etc!

Dinner in the dining hall - oh what joy! 

Though she may not look it, she is also enthusiastic about dining hall food!

 The great thing about Lugano is that when the weather is nice, it's beautiful.  So even in November a stroll along the lake makes it a good weekend.  We haven't had a lot of these this year, but we did manage to get down town with the kids at least once and make the most of the sun.

Bumping into the Miller kids down town - Eowyn looking up to Josh, (her favorite!) and the boys

 Sometimes, amidst the fighting and non-sharing and screeching in our house, we manage to capture the two of them playing nicely, or doing something so sweet together.  It happens on a regular basis, but the loud altercations tend to outnumber these moments:

Liam invited Eowyn to sit on his lap and read her favorite counting book

 Kat's due any day now with baby 2, so we managed to go out for tea at a fancy hotel and just the girls to celebrate her.  It was really relaxing and an enjoyable afternoon, but I must confess that my scones are WAY better!

Alison, Kat and Carolyn at Hotel Splendide - Afternoon Tea

 This year we had 2 Thanksgiving dinners and somehow managed to skate by again without having to tackle the turkey.  I feel like it's too risky to offer to do it and then mess it up, so I'd rather stick to what I know!  On Friday of our long weekend we had dinner at the Millers with a few other friends.  Shan did a crazy job of preparing almost everything, but I brought some homemade apple stuffing (which is quite tasty!) and a salad.  The kids were super amped up and I'm not sure they ate a whole lot, but us adults actually sat and enjoyed our meal.  Yum!

Kids table (sans Louisa) - Liam, Oliver, Eowyn and Calvin

Adults table - James, Rik and Louisa, Matt, Patrick, Josh, Sam and Shan

 Thanksgiving 2 was hosted by Leigh and was a continuation of our tradition of doing Thankgiving together.  I think this was the 4th year!  We've grown as a group, and so this year it was us, the Doves, the Walsers and the Millers (Dibberts and Christina and co were out for this year).  We must have planned exceptionally well because everything was just perfect.  We even arranged to have 2 of our Franklin sitters help out with the kids so they could be downstairs for some time playing and not get under foot with food preparations etc.  So we had a calm and lovely time getting ready for food - everyone brought plenty and everything was delicious.  We even sat down and ate first, and then had the kids and babysitters come up so we could help them with their food without having ours get cold.  Genius is what it was!

Good times - adults chilling while waiting on the food! - Josh, Shan, Kat and James 

Dinner before the kids came up - All the adults

And I was there too!

 And then the kids came up and it was fun and games with them eating at their tables and running around as they do.

Drake, Eowyn and Calvin

My birthday this year fell on a Weds - a beautiful sunny wednesday.  This is the short day at Liam's school, so everyone goes home at 11:30am.  Whenever possible, we head to the playground for a picnic lunch and outdoor time instead.  There were a number of weeks when this wasn't possible, but luckily my birthday week was just gorgeous, so outside we went.  As a really sneaky surprise Leigh had baked a giant birthday cake for me and brought it with her, so after the kids had eaten lunch we all got to enjoy a piece of her delicious cake.  It certainly made the day feel more special in an otherwise regular kind of day!

Cutting my giant cake - me, Leigh and Carolyn

 There are days when I honestly feel like I am stumbling around blindfolded with this whole parenting thing, and days when it is the most wonderful thing in the world.  What I do know, is that it is all-consuming.  Once you become a parent it's so hard not to identify with that role over anything else.  I also know how deeply I value conversations with other parents, as they can understand what I'm saying when I complain or feel at a loss.  I know it's a bit of a cliche, but I get it now.  The tricky piece is keeping hold of the other bits of ourselves - our dreams and aspirations that go beyond being a parent.  I also am learning that we need to be a bit gentler with ourselves when we think we screwed up with the kids.  It feels terrible, but we've all been there at some point, and it's the continued reflection and striving that will make us better parents.  I hope my kids will some day forgive me for all the mis-steps I have made along the way.  I'm sure there are already too many to count, but hopefully my love for them will override that.