Skiing Videos

Here's Pascale skiing in Flims:





Bernie took this video, which I think is hilarious and have been posting it everywhere:

Opening Gifts

Since we got back from Switzerland on Friday (Boxing Day), Father Christmas came to our house on Friday night and left gifts to open on Saturday morning. Here are some highlights!



Josephine's favorite gift was the play makeup.

Snow and Fun

We spent Christmas in Switzerland this year! It was really wonderful getting out in the open air. I get to feeling very cooped up in the city in the winter, and skiing is just the thing to get me outside.

Pascale came up with a good word. Fantastifee. Sort of like catastrophe, but in a good way. This vacation was a total fantastifee.


The hotel had a Christmas Eve celebration for the kids. They asked the parents to fill out forms asking for something nice for Father Christmas to say and what he should say to criticize your child. I did not fill out the criticise portion. Father Christmas (weinachsmann) asked Pascale to sing a song, and she resoponded with a rousing rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Into the microphone and everything! Weinachsmann had some sort of monk for an assistant.





This platform is located in the play room at the hotel. Can you even imagine an American playroom that includes a 6-foot-high platform?




The skiing and the scenery were amazing. The Alps were showing all their snowy glory. It was snowing when we arrived, and continued to snow for the next 36 hours. It was sunny for the rest of the week, at least at the top of the mountain. It's one of those resorts where the lift takes you through the clouds to the sun. Those are clouds down there in the photo.




Our hotel room had a loft where the kids slept. It was a lot of fun for them to play there, but it was not so great for sleeping. They got a little scared at night.




Josephine on the terrace of our room




The hotel was straight out of The Shining. There are all these underground passages connecting the different hotel buildings.





Renting skis




One of many dramatic staircases in the hotel




Getting ready in the morning





Getting ready in the morning





We spent hours eating outrageous lunches every day. This restaurant was a steak house in a massive teepee. A steak teepee.





The hotel had trays of fruit in the hallways.





Our hotel had an outdoor pool that the kids loved. It does feel incredibly indulgent to swim outdoors when it's snowing. I'll have to remember how much I liked the outdoor pool the next time I'm feeling smug about my carbon footprint because I don't have a car.





Pascale ready for her ski lesson





Pascale loved her ski lessons. She told me that she liked playing with Johnny during her lessons. They would sneak off and eat snow together. I assumed that Johnny was a kid. Then we ran into him later in the week, and Pascale pointed him out to me. I was rather confused that she was pointing to the person pictured above.





Josephine at dinner





Pascale at dinner





Bernie and me at another marathon lunch.





Pascale going up the Magic Carpet lift





The kids ate at a buffet every night, then they had a nice dinner for the parents.





Eating a fancy dinner





Pascale with her Yeti ski class





Pascale ice skating. The ice rink rents these animals that the kids can push around so they don't fall.




Josephine skating. She's game for anything.





Pascale, Josephine and I built a snowman.





Christmas Eve




Pasclae with her Yeti ski class




Then there was a second Father Christmas set up by our tour group on Christmas Day. This one was Australian.




Josephine with her Christmas present




Josephine made us a Christmas card in the creche

The White Tiger

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. It won the Booker this year. You must read it. It might just be the book that defines this decade.

Tis the Season

The Tree! The Gingerbread House! Cards!

The girls both finished their school terms this week and they have a whole month off! Josephine finished on Wednesday, and was home on Thursday. Then on Friday, she wanted to go back to school. I guess she likes her schedule. It should be better this week, though, because Pascale finished school on Friday, so they will have each other to play with.

Making a gingerbread house. Their interest in this activity lasted approximately 3 minutes.


The tree came from this kit. Brilliant!


Pascale displays the Christmas card she made in school.

Our tree. Pascale made the decoration for the top. I'm typing this entry by the light of the Christmas tree.

The card that Josephine made in school


The card that Pascale made in school


A friend of Pascale's had a skating party. I had a moment of panic when we arrived. All I could see were sharp weapons strapped to the feet of clumsy toddlers. I got over that, though, and Pascale did really well! She would not let me help her, and she kept falling down then getting right up and trying again. We'll have to go skating at least once more this year.

Theatrical Experiences Galore

This week, we attended Pascale's school play, Josephine's school play, and a Royal Academy of Music performance that included Rebecca! This may have been the most theatrical week of my life. Then yesterday, we went to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. It's a big carnival. We went last year, too, and it's about twice as big this year.

Josephine has been playing some rather complicated imaginative games. In the one pictured, she puts on all of her swimsuits at the same time, then we take a taxi to the top of the jungle gym at Gambado, where they have a paddling pool. All the stuffed animals go in the paddling pool with us.


The carousel at the Winter Wonderland. Josephine is holding on for dear life because English carousels go really fast.


The swing ride at the Winter Wonderland. Josephine is so terrified that she can't even look, but of course she wanted to do it again as soon as it was over.


Pascale on the plane ride.


The whole cast of Pascale's school play. She did not like the halo I made for her, so she did not wear it the whole time.


Pascale in her play.


Josephine was a cow.



Josephine the cow in the manger.



Josephine let me do her hair!



Bernie and I went out for dinner at Gordon Ramsay. The dessert presentation was very impressive. Those balls are truffles, and the ice cream comes surrounded by dry ice. There was also this dessert drink that had pop rocks in it.


Josephine dressed at Captain Lola.


Josephine and Bernie on the helter-skelter.



Here's Pascale doing the dance from her school play