Update

Quick update, we just finished our traditional gourmet diner. We are now enjoying the fireworks that already started.

Happy New Year

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and safe 2013!

Day 3

As you can see, yet another beautiful morning in Königsleiten. Yesterday evening it snowed a little while but not much, but enough to get the idea.

The kids had yet another great day and enjoyed themselves on the slopes.

Three of my four guys...

Robbie on our balcony with his first bottle of wine, I guess...

And the two youngest are ready for the mountain. They did their best and are allowed to start on the blue slope next lesson, bravo kids...

Update

I couldnt keep this pic from you, as Robbie is trying to get the hang of crocheting...

Day 2

Today the kids had their first day of lessons, son #3 and cousin #2 had their very first lesson, so that is always fun to see. The weather is fantastic, sun, warm...

 

 

And as we are staying in a dutch hotel, when we arrived back home this afternoon,  there were oliebollen and punch. How much more dutch can you go?

 

Austria - day 1

Yesterday we all arrived at a decent time in Augsburg so we had a nice diner at the local brewery, big Wiener Snitzels with french fries and big beers...

This morning after breakfast we left for Austria and this is what we encountered on the highway... Eerie, as normally it is very busy, but hey, who are we to complain?

That is until we hit Munchen and this is what we encountered... 4 lanes of stau... for kilometers, even when we crossed into Austria.

Once in Zillertal... stau...
But after a 16 hours trip, we finally arrived in...

So here we are, everything went OK, skilessons are taken care of and tomorrow morning the kids leave for their skilessons, blissful peace and quiet.

Merry Christmas

 

Well, I promised a pic of our tree, so here is it, a 4 meter tree, we have had a bigger one, but I still think it is quite big. But I could have accepted it as I sent DH with the boys to get it...
I know I like big trees, but boys...
So for those of you that need to work today, have a nice day and hopefully tonight you can just join a christmas diner that someone else prepared.
Here, we are the one preparing and my family will come over today, so that so be fun.
Wishing you all a Meery and bright Christmas!

Gingerbread houses

As the weather is horrible overhere, rain, rain and more rain, we are stuck indoors. I thought it would be fun to make some gingerbread houses, but it turned out that DH and I made them and the kids were watching TV, LOL...

So the idea was good, but the execution failed... Og well, I guess DH had fun trying to glue the parts together with sugar.

I am running out of time...

It has been hectic overhere, I have a million thing sto do and for some reason not the energy to do them. I have a broncitis, which is also not helping, but OK, we´ll live.
I have to buy christmas gifts very quick no as the days are ticking away until christmas.

My mum was friendly enough to help the school of the boys out in making advent wreaths with the kids. ANd as you can see, son #1 enjoyed having his grandma over. This happened actually two weeks ago, but they only posted pics of the event on their site recently.

And this is the result.

10 years

Today Alexandra would have turned 10. So I bought us a nice chocolate mousse birthdaycake and we thought of her. She is still in our thoughts and our precious girl.

ADO Den Haag

Yesterday evening we were invited by a cousin of DH to watch a soccer game between ADO and PEC, in the Eredivisie. We got a tour through the stadion, had a nice diner there and then watched the game. We also were allowed in the lockerroom, but helas, no players in the hottube...

It was the first time in my life that I watched a game, but I must admit it was fun and entertaining, especially since we were in the chairs next to the opposite side... and they were having a party as they made the first goal.

DH wasd friendly enough o buy me a hat...

And this was the end score...

And offcourse after the match you need the obligatoir talks with players and coaches, no serious, this is the spot where they are interviewed, but it is DH with a cousin of his.

First snow

This morning this is what we saw... first snow. I know, for some of you folks, this is nothing, but for us, it results in the picture below...

One big traffic jam, so I left early to go to uni and I made it in time, but I avoided the highway as there were a lot of accidents.
Tomorrow morning the weather people predict at least 10 cm snow and total chaos on the roads, so we shall see...

Sinterklaas

Yesterday evening we celebrated Sinterklaas at my PIL. They invited all of DH s cousins and their kids, so it was a fun family gathering. As you can see, grandpa is grandpa even to our cousins.

For people that dont know who Sinterklaas is, check out this site. It is a bit early, but as the 5th of December is during the week, we cant come to Holland, so Sinterklaas wass willing to come eralier for our kids and their cousins.

As you can see, the boys were fairly confident that everything would be OK, which was different than last year when they were quite nervous...

And offcourse our Sinterklaas is quite the showman, so he asked for a grouppic.

At night we celebrated with only the adults and son #1 was allowed for the first time to participate. We played the Sinterklaas game, a game were you all start with two presents, but you have to trade, exchange or give away presents, fun game and I was spoiled... got the CD of Fifty shades of Grey, so I did very well, considering that DH got a pack of womens magazines... Oh well, good for me, I will take them with me of ski holiday.

Advent

Son #1 made this advent wreath at school. They hadto bring all sorts of decoration stuff and the school asked grandparents to come and help out, so my mum went overthere with all her decoration stuff. She does do flower arrangements, so all the kids were impressed with all her stuff...
Son #1 was very proud of his grandma.

Home sweet home

Yesterday we arrived back home after a 6,5 hours drive. Not bad actually, as it is more than 750 km drive from Berlin. That is the Deutsche autobahn for you, ... go as fast as you want on a couple of parts and no traffic jams...
The kids are very happy with the gifts we got them from the Lego store. And we are happy to be back in one piece. If you want to see more pics, check out My life as Marie.
Today at work I was called by school that son #1 hit his head during gym and his front teeth are loose... They are still loose at the moment and as they were death in the nerves already from a previous fall, I guess they will not last long.
He was picked up by my parents from school and spent a large portion of the afternoon sleeping, so I guess it was quite a hit, but he looked fine zhen I picked him up, no naussea or anything, so I guess he is just a bit sore in the mouth.

Berlin 3rd day

This morning we had breakfast at a local Oriental place, next to where our friend live, OK, this were just two dishes, there were two more... Because we were with four... So after a wonderful breakfast, we went on to visit family, Berlin Tempelhof airport, where we stood on the tarmac as you can see.

 Also funny is that they have a differnt crossing guy in the east part as in teh west part. So a pic of das ampelmännchen. I even bought cookie cutters of him.

 

 Then we went to see a part of the Wall... Really surreal to see it standing there.

 

Tonight we had diner at a local Indian restaurant, and now we are all done for the day.

Berlin

Yesterday I arrived in berlin to visit our previous Aupair and her boyfriend. DH came by car because he was already in germany for work.
We spent some time shopping, great clothes shopping in Berlin.
Today we visited the lego store for the kids. We went to an Absinth store, because I wanted to buy some Absinth and they had some really nice ones, so I bougth some for myself.
After that we walked to Brandenburger Tor to make some pictures and then we walked along Unter den Linden where we made this picture.

Busy weekend

 

 It started on Friday, when my dad came over and wanted to built the lower part of the table he made for us. I always wanted a big table where more than 8 people could sit on.
And as we didnt find a table that we liked or was big enough, we decided to ask my dad to make us one. So on Friday we spent the better part of the day building the base of the table.
On Friday night I left for friends who live in The Hague as were were going to a spa on Satuerday in Noordwijk, a bit too far to drive on Saturdat morning.
So we had a wonderful day at Azzuro in Noordwijk, great spa, nice treatments, nice lunch, so a fantastic day. The girl did a great job giving le a natural make up.
At night DH and I had a bowling and dinner date withe some fellow students of mine. And I mistakenly had the wrong time in my head... but we had a fun night.

 

And when I came home, this is what our new table lokks like. DH and my dad finished it, and I am very happy with it. It is definitely big enough to have our annual christmas diner.

Not feeling well

Have not been feeling wel the last couple of days... Slight case of food poissoning... I guess I ate a spaghetti that was not OK...
Been to the doctor and got some medication, so hopefully this is over soon, although I lost some weight...   ;-), but as that is mainly fluids... Oh well.