Christmas Eve at the in-laws

Christmas pictures - the out-takes

So what does it really take to get a decent picture of yourself in front of the tree with two kids?







Piece of cake, really.

The tree

The boys helped decorate the tree. There were some casualties. A generic red ball, not special. A hand-painted goose egg, special. Christian's ornament for this year, special but with luck not sold out. Dancing Santa's arm fell off (and yet he kept on dancing). Hopefully that will be it for the season.

Baumpflege

The tree cutters came to work on the willow tree that is the pride of the property. It was below freezing all day, and when I realized the men actually were going to work on the tree, not just evaluate it, I thought, poor guys.

I should have known I would soon be supervising my own tree-trimming crew. Really, how long have I been Alex's mom?

Totally should have seen that coming.

Today

Snow, at last. Beef stroganoff for dinner. Playing hide-and-seek with the boys. (Reto: "Hmm, where did everybody go?" Christian, who is supposed to be hiding with Alex: "Hier! Hier! Igloo! Igloo!" Alex: "Christian is a Spielverderber!") And bears, guarding this house and welcoming us home.

Hockey, season two

We have started hockey again this year, and after the gap of the off-season I see huge changes in Alex, leaps of maturity that I did not notice in the small steps leading us from day to day. But this start into a new hockey season brings me messages of change: in his attitude above all he is a new boy. He is confident. He is eager, even volunteering that in addition to the standard Saturday afternoon practice he would like to go to the optional Thursday session as well. He hits the ice and doesn't look back - unlike last year there are no requests for rests, no coming off the ice to sit on the bench, no sitting on the ice refusing to try. There are no tears; on the contrary, every time he looks up there is a smile on his face. I am even allowed this year to leave the players' bench and go to the restaurant, which is out of the line of sight of the practice rink, for a coffee; and I find that now that I can do this I do not want to. It is too fun watching the surprise appearance of this new Alex. For reasons I no longer recall, shortly after Christian was born I started calling him the Butterfly King; but it is Alex this winter who is spreading his wings.

(Alex is in the blue jersey with the white stick; in all the pictures but the first you can figure out which one he is.)

Birthday boy

Christian, my sunshine boy, turned two yesterday. Two. Happy birthday, sunshine.

Räbeliechtli Umzug

There is a tradition in Switzerland of the Räbeliechtli-Umzug: the turnip (or rutabaga?) lantern parade. The Kindergarteners hollow out a Räbe (which is either a turnip or a rutabaga, I can never tell), etch designs into the skin (they do not carve full through the way you would with a pumpkin), put a candle inside and parade through town in the evening with their Räbeliechtli and singing songs. The tradition is associated with St. Martin's Day, which is today even though our town had the parade last night.

Alex practicing the Räbeliechtli song.

The lantern.

Singing in front of the school house before the parade.

Parading.

Parading. The kids paraded in pairs, holding hands. I noticed Alex put a little effort in working his way next to This Girl I Shall Call J.

Pumpkin time

Wood sprites

After a long absence, a photo dump

Some pictures of our new place - we're living on the farm. (The horses belong to my brother-in-law)

Budding environmentalist

Me: I'll be right back, Alex, I have to go to the bathroom.

Alex: I'm coming with you! Two pees for one flush!

Saturday

Overheard at our house

... while building a castle out of pillows and blankets.

Alex: "Come on, Christian, we need something to stabilize the portcullis."

Yeah, he's four.

At the BEA (county fair)