3rd Day Skiing: Thomas joins

This morning Léna said she didn't want to go to ski. When I asked why, she replied: "Well, I might have to pee." She went anyways and had a good time.

When Thomas and I started out to ski today, we ran into Estelle out with her group.

When Thomas and I arrived at the mid-low-base of the mountain to get back on the lift, lo and behold there was Estelle and her group.

Check me out, Mom.  I'm up here where you and Dad are.

Today we had lunch at a restaurant, outside on the terrace in the sun.  After, Thomas took Estelle out on the slopes for her first real skiing experience, wearing no pinney, and not with her coach.  He took her all the way up to the top on the mountain on the chairlift, and she skied all the way down, by herself, with him behind but no help from him, never fell.   I find this amazing.  The child has been on skis a total of 12.5 hours of her life.
Meanwhile, how to keep Her Highness occupied while Daddy & Estelle are up the mountain:

Here's the paper-maché King which was going to be burned late in the afternoon.
Is anyone else reminded of Bob Dog from Mr. Rogers when you look at this photo?

Finally we looked over and there came Estelle & Thomas on their way back: strangely you must take a short T-bar to get back up to the station from the bottom of the mountain.

So comfortable she can wave.  I can barely keep standing up on those dang things.

 Meanwhile:
When we got back at 4:30, it was time to make some crepes.

Nothing like raclette!

A few older photos from Sunday & Monday

This is what happened in the afternoon after Day One of skiing:

A few photos from Sunday afternoon when it snowed, snowed, snowed.  We had just picked up the rental skis and the girls tried them on in the yard.  We dragged them around.

Much fun to be had in the snow in the yard:

Sunday morning we found this park in the village with the girls' favorite things:  swings!

I heard Léna over on the swing murmuring something over and over.  When I went up to her, I realized she was singing a little ditty Martha made up last summer:  "Léna likes to swing, swing, swing, Léna likes to swing, yes she does.  Up to the blue sky down to the green grass up to the blue sky, down to the green grass."  (we changed it to 'down to the white snow')

Here's another favorite pasttime:  drinking hot chocolate.

So far, so good on this trip.  Lying on the bed Saturday afternoon with that migraine, I did think to myself, well, things can only get better after this.  I was right!

2nd Day Skiing

Today I got right back on the horse and went straight up to the top on the chairlift first thing. I was able to even spot our chalet. Here's a fuzzy zoomed photo:

I had 4 great runs, and by the 4th run I got brave enough to go onto a blue trail.  A friend gave me some pointers about how to make turns which really helped.   It was thrilling to go fast.  The girls were both smiling at the end of their lessons - Léna even won a prize (cola-flavoured candy!) for being the last kid standing on this merry-go-round thing they use to teach kids to hold on.  She was pretty excited.

Meanwhile, grandparents are great.  They crawl around pretending to be a wolf.  They make you homemade fries cook in duck grease.

They feed you when you arrive back at the chalet after being gone for 2 days for work (Thomas).

And they read to you when you're in your PJ's.  Life in ski heaven is good.  Tomorrow:  Day 3 = skiing with my husband.  Watch out.

First Day Skiing!

 Today was Day One of ski lessons.  11:00 - 1:30.  Above:  Estelle maneouvers a slight incline.  (she fell shortly after I took this photo).  Below, about 90 minutes later, you can see Estelle lower left, in red/white, heading left, next to girl w/pink pants (strangely that girl is named Léna).

 Below:  The REAL and one and only Léna, who survived her first day.  She did great, though was crying at the end because she saw me get Estelle first as I couldn't get thru the mob of parents to her right away.  She was tired enough to let that push her over the edge and was crying by the time I got back to her.   When I said "Why are you crying?"  she wailed back "I WANT TO GO TO A RESTAURANT!"

 Once the girls were safely into their lessons, I put on my rented equipment and got myself a 5-day (student price!) pass and off I went, first time in 8 years.  After going down the same trail that Estelle's group was on and using the (I don't even know what it's called in English????  T-bar?  J'bar or something like that) "tire-fesses" (literally:  "buttcheek puller"), I decided I was ready to go higher:

 With my handy laminated little minimap in my pocket, off I went on another tire-fesses which brought me to a 4-person chairlift and with some major terrified trepidation, off I went.

 Totally worth it.  The views were amazing.  I stayed on only one huge green trail that took me all the way down, and then it was time to get the girls.   

Thomas left this a.m. at 7:00 to head back to Sophia to work today and tomorrow.  He'll come back up tomorrow night and stay thru til Saturday.  I look forward to skiing with him - though I totally enjoyed being on my own today, even tho I only skied for an hour.  Conditions were perfect.

Piou Piou

Sunday - today we checked out the village of St. Dalmas, which to our delight has everything we need.  Then we went the 2 km more up the hill to La Colmiane, the ski station.  We got all our stuff to be ready for skiing tomorrow.  Here's the girls with Piou Piou, the mascot for the little kids' area.  Estelle & Léna we SO excited about him.  It snowed beautifully here today and things are great.
I have been in fine form all day - no migraine!

Ski Chalet, Day One

Our little family is happily installed in St. Dalmas, a village in the greater commune of Valdeblore, where there is a ski skation La Colmiane.  We arrived this afternoon and are thrilled with our chalet that I found to rent on the internet.  The owner and his wife were here for the meet & greet.

No photos to show yet and here's why: this morning at 7 a.m. I woke up with a headache, which progressively got worse as I spent my morning packing up to leave Nice, with Andrée & Guy helping.  We left around 12:30 for the quick ride (less and 90 minutes) and my headache was escalating.  Eventually I was carsick and Thomas did a quick pull-over.  As soon as our meet & greet was over at the chalet, I laid down and things went from bad to worse.  After vomiting 10 times and feeling like my head would split open, phone calls were made, and a lovely doctor named Vincent arrived at our snowbound chalet, gave me a shot in the butt and some codeine to drink and went on his merry way.  1 hour later I was able to sit up.  4 hours later I ate soup.

Holy migraine, batman.  This happened to me once last year and the same result:  only a shot in the butt was able to save me.  Anyways, so grateful for the French system of doctor house calls - even up a mountain in the snow!  Yeah France!

Provided upon popular demand - apparently inquiring minds DO want to know!
Translation of Léna's report card!

"Léna is all about being discreet and efficient.  This little girl rarely speaks out in class but when she does it is always very apropos and fair.  She is always in a good mood and has a willingness to help others which serves her well because they all want to include her in/share with her their play/games.

She consistently wants to complete the exercises asked of her, whatever they may be, and she does so with reflection and ease.

What a pleasure!"

Léna's Report Card

A few photos that I managed to get this morning when I dropped Léna off at Carnaval.

Léna and a little classmate, Liora (Little Red Riding Hood). Louise refused to let me take her photo but she was a very cute Tinkerbell.

 
 And for those of you who want to brush off that rusty French....enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Our Valentine's Day is off to a good start.  Here's Estelle & Léna with a nice care package that arrived in the mail last week from Auntie Martha.

 Little Debbie's Snack Cakes - Iced Valentine Brownies.  (this is a silly joke between me and Martha which dates back a few years, trying to hide Little Debbie products on each other.  Don't worry if you don't understand.  We barely do!)

 But look how excited they are because of the colorful box!

 Yum Yum!

 If it's sweet, she'll eat it.

And here's a little "atelier" for making Valentine's Saturday morning before we left for our snow-weekend.  This was fun.

Today at school it's Carnaval.  Really, Tuesday was Mardi Gras, but since the teachers were striking (There is a proposed reform to make the kids go to school on Wednesday mornings, which no one wants). Carnaval was pushed back to today.  Léna went in full cowgirl/flamenco dancer attire.  She was excited!  Estelle's school doesn't do this but I will go today to give a little English lesson, my first time since she's been in 1st grade. Should be interesting!
My special Valentine Thomas is in bed for day #2 with a gastro/flu bug that all of Nice seems to have.  I myself am back on cortizone for my lungs as I've been coughing up stuff.  And Léna's been sick too with a cough.  We are ready for vacation which starts in 2 days!

This and That

 It's a lot of work to try on last year's snowpants.  Toooooooooooo small!

 Yes another frangipan.

 New coat rack thing.  Amen.  I finally found it after searching for 6 months.  Thank you French craigslist-type site.

 Sous-chef above.  Meanwhile, out in the hallway....

 Testing out new velour p.j.'s....  Martha do you recognize that teddy bear with the little blue sweater? You gave it to me for my baby shower for Estelle, in Mom's basement in the winter.  He was pinned to a clothesline in the rafters.  Léna loves loves loves that bear.

 Estelle's new thing:  giving rabbit ears to everyone in photos.

 Valerie visits on Friday afternoon and got treated to a big costume fashion show.  And art.

 Making telephones out of yogurt cups. 

 Now that Léna doesn't nap on Wednesdays and on the weekends, Saturday nights after we get home from the pool, it's a big race to get some food into her before she looks like this:

 Like I said, Estelle is all about rabbit-earing people in photos now.

That's all for now folks!