Italy without gelato? Never!

The most amazing site in Milan is the Duomo. It really is beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't go inside because the lines were long and we have three kids. But I guess we did the next best thing: we sat outside of it and ate gelato. Side note: Does anyone else out there wonder how your kids can wait in line for the Dumbo ride for 45 plus minutes but they are so antsy waiting for anything else, including ordering food at McDonald's?

It would have been nice to get a family picture in front of it but...

...Henry was too busy chasing the pigeons.

This was the best group shot I could come up with.

Mmmm, strawberry

Of course Henry would sit still for a little gelato

Looking back at these pictures I realize I may have been a little harsh in my first post about Milan. It was dirty (especially compared to Switzerland), the drivers were insane, and it wasn't as cool as Venice, but we definitely had a fun trip. I guess I'm not too sexy after all.

Shoppers take note

For those who love shopping and all things couture, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the place to go. It is probably the most beautiful shopping "mall" I've ever been to. For those who have ever taken kids shopping, you can only imagine what mine were like here. Henry was running around like a crazy person and I was bribing him with M&Ms to try and keep him in one place. Ruby kept asking me how much longer until we could leave. Alex just wanted to buy something. Needless to say we didn't spend too much time here.

Of course in this stunning old building you would have to find...

... a McDonald's.

The one store we did go into was Andrew's Ties. Pete's childhood friend James has been bringing Pete ties from this store (is it 4 times now?) ever since he served his mission in Milan. Of course we had to check it out, meet Andrew and let Alex pick out his very first Italian tie.

James also directed us to Luini's, which is just a stone's throw from the Galleria.

Alex and Ruby excitedly awaiting their very first panzerotti

Sitting on the curb enjoying our lunch

More sightseeing

The next stop we made was to the Castello Sforzesco. Alex is fascinated by castles and this one was no exception. This castle is now home to museums and art galleries but we just took a look around the exterior. I loved the front view with the fountain...didn't care so much for the people selling friendship bracelets who wouldn't take no for an answer and proceeded to tie them on my kids' wrists anyway.

My kind of art museum

I didn't love the Louvre. There were so many people that it was impossible to enjoy the art...especially with 3 little kids. Going to see The Last Supper was a totally different experience. We got our tickets on the Internet before hand for a specific time. They only allow a certain number of people in the room and you have 15 minutes to ponder and appreciate this amazing work of art. It was great for the kids too. We plopped down on one of the benches in the room and were able to explain the painting (which is really big and covers an entire wall) and why we were taking the time to see it. It also gave us the opportunity to talk about the real "last supper". Alex and Ruby asked questions and were genuinely interested, which for me made it all worth it. Thanks to my brother Phil, who told us to go to Milan to see The Last Supper.
This is the Santa Maria delle Grazie which houses the painting. We actually almost missed seeing it. We had planned on taking a shuttle from our hotel, followed by the metro. Unfortunately we were enjoying our breakfast a little too much and lost track of time. After we missed the shuttle we had to drive across town to get there which was no small feat (see my previous post about crazy drivers). Our ticket time was 8:30 and the tickets said to be there 20 minutes early. After running down the street with our kids in tow we entered the building at the last possible moment: 8:29. Luckily we have a GPS and Pete has an amazing sense of direction. Otherwise, it would have been an opportunity lost.

One of the funniest things we have encountered is other tourists taking pictures of our kids. It has happened in France, Switzerland and Italy. If you look in the background of this picture you can see some people trying to take a picture of Henry.

Honestly, who wouldn't want a picture of this cutie pie?

The 3 amigos

A rare picture of me and Pete, courtesy of Ruby

An even more rare family shot

I'm too sexy for Milan

We decided to take a quick trip to Milan a couple weekends ago. I'm sorry to all of you who love Milan because it wasn't my favorite place. The drivers were crazy, it was really dirty and the people weren't too friendly. We definitely saw some cool things (The Last Supper especially) and I can't complain about the food we ate, but it's not a city you need to spend hours and hours in...unless you are a shopper, which I am not. Even though we were only gone for 24 hours (including driving) I'm going to break it up so that I don't have one mega-long post. I also have to give a shout out to James and Paige for giving us great advice and play-by-play directions on how to find the best stuff.

PS-In case you are wondering about the picture, this burnt bus was just sitting on the street our hotel was on. Who knows how long it had been there. After seeing how well the city cleans up after itself, I honestly think if we went back several years from now it would probably still be there.

Oh go away and leave me alone

I know I'm a total wimp when it comes to cold weather. I've already complained about it several times on this blog. But give me a break! My first year back in a cold climate and it has been snowing for 6 MONTHS. You can check back to an October post to confirm this. The problem I have is that last winter it snowed 3 times. That's it. Three times all winter long. Ironically, we were here for one of them. It happened on our first day in Switzerland. You can check my April post to confirm that as well.

Several of Pete's colleagues say that we are a curse. At first that idea was laughable to me. We moved from the most perfect, mild climate anywhere. How in the world could the cold weather have followed us? But then strange things started to happen. The day we left Venice it started to snow and the next week Venice was flooded. The day we left Paris it started to snow. In a short time they had received 4 inches. Remember our trip to Interlaken last July? It rained everyday...in the middle of the summer! I don't know what to make of it anymore.

When February ended, Pete and I made a small wager how many more times it was going to snow this winter. I, of course, picked the bigger number. One day I called his office to tell him that it was snowing AGAIN and I was going to win. He told me it didn't count if the snow wasn't sticking to the ground. So throughout the day I took these pictures and emailed them to him. I'm pretty sure that 4 inches of new snow count. The crazy thing that day was that it wasn't even raining at Pete's office 30 minutes away!
I'm sure that you are already bored by this post but I just thought I'd end by mentioning that yesterday was a balmy 52 degrees. As I walked to and from the school several times I thought to myself, "Ah, spring at last". This morning I woke up to a white lawn and it continued to snow on and off all day. Ah nuts.

It's all downhill from here

We bid farewell to the month of February on the ski slopes just past Saint Cergue. We met up with friends, the kids were happy, and the sun was out. Pete skied with Alex and Ruby while I kept Henry busy on the sled.

If you think Ruby's skis are tiny, you should have seen some of the ones we saw there.
Skiing is a big deal over here and parents start their kids very young.

Pete and Ruby on the tow rope

Like father, like daughter

Ruby gaining confidence

Goofing around

Alex was definitely more adventurous on this trip.
He skied a lot on his own and went down steeper hills.

Alex and his buddy Henry Christensen

This may be the first time since October that I have worn short sleeves outside

James Caine and Ruby were best buddies

Ski bunnies

Alex

Ruby

Alex

Questions

Is it ever going to stop snowing?

We will have 3 sunny days in a row and I'll think to myself, "Spring is on its way".
The next day: more snow.

Why do American things taste so much better in Switzerland?
Our friends sent us a package for Christmas that included a box of graham crackers. After holding onto it, we finally dug in last week. I swear, nothing has ever tasted so good.
In a matter of minutes, the four of us had eaten half the box.

Why did so many schools in America cut their art programs?
For the past 2 months Ruby has been working on her "bonnehomme de niege". Each day after school she would excitedly tell me what part of her snowman she had made that day. This Friday she finally brought it home and we saw the finished product. I have to admit that I was pretty amazed. Not your average kindergarten art project.

Now that the Red Sox re-signed their catcher, how will they be this year?


Will Alex's front tooth ever come in?
I realize that it will be awhile before his incisor comes back in. But the front tooth that came out with his accident was already loose. It's been 8 months and there is still no sign of anything new.

Why are curls like this wasted on a boy who will have short hair his whole life?
Don't get me wrong. I love his hair. He wouldn't look like himself without it. It's especially cute in a baseball hat with the curls flipping out the sides. But imagine those curls on Ruby.

Why have I heard this song a million times but I'm not sick of it?
It must be those cute French accents.