Snowplow

The most popular winter activity around here is skiing. For kids, it's surprisingly affordable. You can rent skis, boots and a helmet (mandatory for kids) for $135 for the ENTIRE season. To ski, it is $7/hour for the lift ticket. Since there is no school on Wednesday afternoons, a lot of the kids around here sign up for a weekly ski trip. A bus will come and pick up the kids (without parents) and take them to the ski resort (about 20 minutes away) to ski for the afternoon. Before our kids could attempt an adventure like this, first they had to learn how to ski.

After Ruby's health improved, she and Alex took a ski lesson on a Saturday. Then Pete worked with them for about an hour at a hill near our house. I was surprised how quickly Alex picked up on it. For Ruby, it was a little harder. Part of the trouble was that her skis weren't big enough...they were about the same size as Uncle Spencer's shoes. I also think she is so small that the added weight of the helmet didn't do her any favors. But she was a good sport and they were both fearless.

Our little Beth

After all the traveling we did last month, we started the new year with a healthy dose of reality. Too real if you ask me.

For those of you who are fans of the book "Little Women", you will recall that Beth dies tragically after contracting scarlet fever from a neighbor's baby. If you're like me, you would think that in the year 2009, scarlet fever doesn't exist. But I'm hear to tell you that apparently it's alive and well in Switzerland and our little Ruby managed to get it.

It started out simply enough. She woke up Monday morning (the first day back to school) and said her throat hurt. She didn't eat much breakfast and I assumed this was a ploy to stay home from school. Surprisingly, she practically begged me to go to school. I figured she couldn't be that sick and sent her. This pattern continued through Wednesday, with mild fevers cropping up here and there, and a few doses of Tylenol and Motrin.

Things changed a little bit when she woke up on Thursday with red, rosy cheeks. I was a little concerned but again she said she was fine and so I sent her to school. When she came home for lunch, her cheeks were even more red. Wondering if she was having some sort of allergic reaction, I decided to have a look at the rest of her body. Much to my surprise, her whole torso was covered with a red rash that was really rough feeing, kind of like sandpaper.

This was the point when I began to do google searches using "sore throat" and "rash" combinations. The answer that kept popping up, scarlet fever. Thinking I must be the most dramatic parent ever, I called Pete and my dad for some sound advice. They both told me the same thing, call the doctor.

Long story short, I took her in and yes, she did have scarlet fever. In fact, as soon as the doctor came into the room and took one look at her he knew. He said she looked like the perfect textbook case for scarlet fever. Apparently scarlet fever starts out with strep throat followed by an allergic reaction that the body can have to an edotoxin that is released from the strep. The doctor put her on penicillin for 10 days and she is fine. Thank goodness for modern medicine and a happy ending for our little woman.

One of the craziest symptoms of scarlet fever was her tongue. On the day I discovered her rash, I also found that her tongue was covered with bumps (they looked like strawberry seeds) and a thick, white film (sorry if you are grossed out). After being on the antibiotic for 24 hours the white went away and her tongue was bright red, still with the little strawberry seed-like bumps. The picture above does not really do it justice.

skip the cake and pass me some hot chocolate

On our way back to Switzerland we decided to make one last stop at Versailles. On our original trip to Paris back in July, we had also planned on stopping here. All I can say is 6 months made a huge difference. Instead of sunshine and beautiful gardens we had frigid temperatures and snow.

Much like Notre Dame the day before, the whole world was visiting Versailles the day we were there. Even though we arrived when it opened, the lines were already long and the palace was packed with people. Through all that I have to say that it was amazing and now I have a better idea of why the poor, starving people in Paris were revolting against the monarchy. No expense was spared in building Versaille.

Me and Henry in the hall of mirrors

One thing that I found to be really weird and a little crazy was the modern art displays they had inside of Versailles. Take this giant, pink "balloon" dog. Although Ruby was in love with it, to me it took away from the beauty of the palace...not to mention it made an already crowded room just that much smaller. In my opinion, this belongs in my 4 year old's hands at a birthday party or at best in a children's museum.

Alex, Ruby and Henry taking a break on the stairs inside

I would love to own this globe

Pete and Ruby with the gardens in the background

Our group at the backside of the palace

a view of the back of Versailles from the grounds

I imagine the gardens and the fountains are a lot prettier in the spring and summer.
They seemed to go on forever.

Our group calling it quits and bidding farewell to France

the bells, the bells

Since a lot of things were closed on New Year's Day, we thought it would be a great idea to go see Notre Dame. Apparently the rest of Paris had the same idea. The lines to go inside were about 2 hours long. Oh well. The outside was amazing and I'm not sure if the kids would have appreciated the inside after waiting for that long to go in.

New Year's Day

On New Year's Day, we headed back to the Champs Elysees to get a closer look at the Arc de Triomphe. Since most of the tourists were probably hung over from the night before, the street and the arc were really quiet, with few crowds...which was nice.

Rachel, Alex, Heather, Abby, Ruby, Pete and Henry

Ruby and Pete

Checking out the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Joining the ranks of famous people to step inside the arc

In front of the obelisk "taken" from Egypt

At the Place de la Concorde they were giving free carousel rides in honor of Marie Antoinette (she was beheaded by the guillitine on the Place de la Concorde). Everyone hopped on and went for a ride. The carousel was old, built in the 1800s and each horse was given a name.

Ruby riding Henry

Henry picked Sean

Alex chose Philippe in honor of his Uncle Philly

Birthday gift

Pete promised me when we moved over here that we would do something really fun for my birthday. He wasn't kidding. I realize that few people get to spend their 30th birthday in Paris. However, I would have been in my hotel room for the night had it not been for a kind and thoughtful sister-in-law.

Pete's sister Heather gave me the most amazing gift for my birthday. She came and hung out in a dark hotel room with my 3 sleeping children so that I could go out and celebrate. I think I should also mention that this was her FIRST trip to Paris and it would have been just as fun for her to celebrate the new year out on the street instead of in the Best Western.

We took the metro to the base of the Champs Elysees and walked up towards the Arc de Triomphe. The trees were magically lit up from the top of the street to the bottom and I think this was a birthday that I will never forget.

Thanks Heather! I love ya.