Christmas Day

We had a low-key Christmas day. The girls were up early; we could hear them squealing down in their bed (yes, a sleepover all in one bed). Here is a little video clip of them coming up and seeing the tree, and looking in their stockings. It is a shortened version but gives you the joy and excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

The girls have been working on gifts for each other all month. They chose a project out of a little craft book we have, and with very little help from Geoff or me they completed these self-designed gifts.

Adele made the bags, Ceci made the hair bands, and Tennie made the little monster friends. They were so excited for their gifts to be opened, and there was much tackling and hugging afterwards.

Ceci and Adele got Santa slippers from our "French grandparents" who live upstairs, and little dolls from grandpa and Babsie.

I don't know if your house is the same, but toys are strewn around the floor Christmas day with dabblings into each gift. A little painting here, a half put together puzzle there, a game opened and examined but never played, dolls undressed and dressed again, and candycane wrappers that never made it to the garbage with all the distraction. Geoff and I stayed in our pajamas all day, we ate simply, and spent the evening talking with family. It was a great day.

What we can't capture in pictures, or adequately describe in our holiday posts, is that this has been one of our most sacred Christmases because of all the learning and growth we are experiencing individually and as a family. Our reliance on and love for the Savior has never been greater. The celebration of his birth and life and death is deep and personal this year. But those feelings will have to be shared at a different time, and possibly a different place.

We hope you had a joyful Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Too bad someone hasn't figured out how to harness a child's energy at Christmastime. Today alone, I'm sure we could power a town with the volume of our children! For weeks they've been too excited to play. They just sit around and stare at the gifts under the tree, and beg to open just one. To think tomorrow is the day! Thankfully we were receiving a skype call right as we were headed down to bed. Geoff saw that it was Santa calling to see if the girls were asleep! They were in bed and forcing their eyes closed in a wink! And after today's anticipation they were conked out in no time.

We had a full day. All of us worked on preparations for a big Christmas Eve feast. In the afternoon six missionaries joined us in putting together some boxed dinners from the food we had prepared. We then walked down to our local market where we have become acquainted with some homeless people. They sit near the carts. (You have to put a euro in the grocery carts to use them, and then when it's returned the euro comes out and it can go back in one's purse or in the little bowl by the homeless person.) There are a couple from Hungary, one from Germany, another from Switzerland, and a gentle, downtrodden man from Holland. Two wouldn't accept our food, but the man from Holland gracefully accepted, as he is more familiar with us, and had friends who he wanted to give our other boxes to. The girls even brought bones for the three dogs there. They, of course, gladly received!

We came back home to sit down to the feast ourselves. Like the missionaries, we miss our families during the holidays, and it was nice to be together.

The time came to read and act out Luke 2. When it comes to drama our girls mean business! They ran for costumes, outfitting themselves in different robes and head scarves for each of their roles. Ceci was Mary and a shepherd, Adele was a very serious Joseph and a shepherd, Tennie was the a donkey, the angel and a wise man, I was the innkeeper, a shepherd and a wise man, and Geoff was the narrator and cameraman. It was quite a production! The girls then opened a small gift, we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and off they went to bed.

Ahhh...quiet at last. It ought to last until, oh...6:00am!

Happy Birthday to me!

38!!! Wow my parents are getting old!

I had a great birthday. I wanted to go sailing for my Birthday Adventure but the Nautical Center was closed for the holidays...we'll go another week. Instead I went on a long walk on the beach, then we all went to town for more of the Christmas Festival. One entire park is filled with huge figures from French nursery rhymes and some fun activities for the kids. We ate a late lunch on the promenade then drove to Ventimiglia for our favorite gelato. Perfect day.

Who doesn't love a carpet slide ride?!

Tennie sure does!

Ceci and I took a ride on Santa's sleigh

The girl's went on a fake ice skating rink...wet plastic of some sort. Little blades were strapped to their shoes. It was hard to pull them away!

Tennie and Adele loved feeling like Mary on the donkey rides.

Right after lunch...

Clementine trees line the park and are good for picking...wish we could send you all a basket!

A leftover picture from last night's cookie making...

Oh the weather outside is DELIGHTFUL!

Sunny, beautiful weather returned to our Mediterranean town and we spent the day outside...

Adele's costume during lunch "entertainment"

Ceci serving muffins with her swim floaty on...

Geoff must have said a dozen times today, "This is why we came to France!"

The girls doing a rope course in town

Giving the climbing wall a go...

This was Adele's first time and she was so scared, but determined to ring a bell at the top. Everyone at the bottom was cheering her on for her courage.

A Christmas puppet show

Geoff's mom sent some Christmas puppets and the girls put on a show. This is the end.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

As luck would have it we’re here in “subtropical” Menton, France during the worst winter locals have seen in decades (some argue their whole lives!) It is colder earlier, and there is significantly more rain. The weight of consecutive cloudy/rainy days that is so familiar to us has afflicted us a few times here. Thankfully it won’t last as long.

Living in a stone house with lots of windows and tile floors is wonderful in the warm weather but outright COLD in the winter! We have a wall heater in the bedrooms, and in the main living room, but the downstairs toy hall is too chilly to play in so the girls spend most of their time upstairs. We’ve been doing all of our schooling upstairs this week, too (which is going better, I’d like to report). Our upstairs area isn’t all that big, and you could say we’re feeling pretty…cozy! The rain creates a lot of humidity, and being up against the mountain like we are keeps us nice and moist. One week Geoff pulled out his nice church shoes and they had a fuzzy mold growing on them! Shoes and coats that we wear outside don’t dry, and the closets all smell very moldy. We’ve always had the moldy smells, but when the doors were open all day the fresh air carried the smells away.

We’ve had such crazy rain/wind storms this past week that our pool is on the verge of overflowing, roads are closed off along the beach because the waves are crashing over leaving big rocks all over the road, parking lots are flooded, and I read that a few families had to evacuate because of mudslides.

In the mornings the girls and I bundle up and go on a walk just so we get out. This morning we went down the street and walked through the olive garden. The girls love the knobby trunks and imagine all sorts of tree house plans, or fairy habitats. At home the girls have been busy making gifts for each other for Christmas. We were hoping this would create more of a giving attitude this year, but they still handle, and try to guess, the presents under the tree and are hopeful of a big pile Christmas morning. We’re not sure where this hope comes from as we only give them one gift, and Santa only brings one as well! Tennie isn’t sure there is a Santa. She says she thinks it might be us. But she has written her letter and plans to leave out cookies just in case! They are most excited that Santa leaves presents on December 24th in France!

It is hard to believe Christmas is just over a week away. While there are lights up around town, and Christmas markets are open, we don’t go to those areas of town very often. And it isn’t a holiday season that is in-your-face. It is really nice to escape the bombardment of commercialism. We don’t have a list of neighbors, friends, and work associates to buy gifts for…and thank goodness! It took Geoff three days and about 6 total hours to mail off a few packages this week! Sounds crazy but we didn’t know where to buy padded envelopes (We still don’t!) and the post office computers were down yesterday. Things just take a long time here! It is nice to not have multiple Christmas parties/gatherings on the calendar, as fun as they are. So…if the weather is going to be frightful, and we are going to be very “cozy”…Christmas is the time for it!

Tennie's self-portrait

Ceci the "princess" (doll pants on the bottom and panties on the top)

Adele learning to pay the Penny Whistle that my mom bought them on a recent trip to Ireland

ON STRIKE!

The French love to go on strike. Teachers were on strike awhile ago, firemen have been on strike for awhile (interesting that while they have the ‘ON STRIKE’ sign taped to the front of their trucks we only see them when their sirens are blaring and they’re zooming through traffic), I swear our internet company goes on strike every few days, and this past week I joined the ranks. Darcie, the Z School teacher, went on strike. I recognize the irony of it. Shouldn’t a school named after Zion function under the mantra of ‘one heart’ and ‘one mind’? Yes. But I was totally desperate, and like all other strikers I was scraping up some power when there didn’t seem any other way to get it! We had hit a wall with school. There was a lot of distraction, goofing off, an unwillingness to learn, and more than enough moaning and groaning. This has always been a challenge, but it hit an all-time high when we re-engaged after our trip. I was tired of threatening a lost summer making up school; I was tired of getting mad. Because I was at wit’s end school wasn’t enjoyable for me or for them. So I went on strike. I was serious, too.

The girls were a little uneasy. They knew the implication was doing 1st and 3rd grade next year. I was uneasy for the same reason! But I stood my ground. I want them to take more responsibility for the success of school this year. In the few days off I also recognized ways in which I wasn’t being very respectful of them. I realized my own contributions to what wasn’t working. It was insightful.

Both Tennie and Adele individually requested a private meeting to find out what it would take for me to teach again. We talked of the respect I expected from them, and the changes I was going to make to show more respect as their teacher. I also gave them 10 days each. They can wake up and choose not to do school on any given day up to 10 days (including sick days). I’m willing to do that many make-up days during the summer months. But if they use more than 10 days I’m done teaching. And, every day they get two warnings. On the third warning they forfeit one of their 10 days. They agreed to the terms. We start back up on Monday.

In search of a Christmas tree

Last weekend we headed to the Menton Christmas market in hopes of finding a Christmas tree. Instead we found that thousands of tourists had decended on our town! In honor (and anticipation) of their coming the town had a carnival, fire truck (with beach wheels) rides, helicopter rides, sidewalk markets (it is very common here for a vendor to sell clothing on the street or outside of the grocery store) and hot food stalls. Apparently every December weekend will be like this.

Notice the crowded sidewalks in the background

Ceci getting a drink from the town drinking fountain

But, no Christmas trees in sight. After some asking around we were told to go to the the sort-of Walmart-like store across town (not quite as big...but then again, could anything be quite as big?!) Or maybe our little grocery store would have one. Inside our little store there was a small stand of small trees, and small is what we wanted. Afterall, it has to go down 100 stairs and back up again in the end! Geoff was voting for a small palm tree, but the females in the house wanted the traditional sort so that's what we brought home. The girls did the decorating (hopefully that's obvious by the picture). We decked our halls with the few things we bought in Germany and are now enjoying the sunny season!

Neuschwanstein and beyond

You’ve probably seen pictures of the famous Neuschwanstein castle. Ludwig planned this castle with the help of a stage designer. Ludwig was made king at the age of 18 after living in this remote countryside in Bavaria with his mother. He was sheltered from royal limelight but exposed to fine arts and education. He grew up with his mind enraptured with fantasy; obsessed with the medieval times and legends of those days. His castle was built to look like a romantic medieval castle, and the interiors were amazingly beautiful. Detailed woodworking, scenes from legends painted on every single wall, fine tapestries and fabrics on the windows and furniture, running water in the castle from a nearby spring, a very modern kitchen for the late 1800s, and spectacular view from every window. It was a lot to visually take in. For all its beauty and finery it didn’t compare with the stunning views from the windows, or the countryside we passed through, or the Swiss Alp mountain passes we saw. We’ve seen dozens of castles and cathedrals. It is to the point where we say, “There is a castle on that hill!” and the girls don’t even look up from whatever they are doing in the backseat. The castles and cathedrals of the world are beautiful; some of man’s best handiwork. They certainly use the best materials and art and creative power to express whatever it is they are trying to express. But after awhile they all sort of start to look the same. Even in Neuschwantstein with all of its grandeur the rooms started to look alike. Yet, we couldn’t get enough of the natural beauty on our 20 HOURS (!!!) of driving. Using sky, land and water in an endless variety of ways God expresses himself. Last summer I read a discourse given by Hugh Nibley were he talked about how people try to be unique and expressive through material means. With their appearance (body, home, etc.) people try to stand out from (or above) the rest. He argues that in the end those people end up being the most stereotypical of all. Instead, by developing our mind, our talents, and our God-like characteristics there is endless individuality. After this trip I realized that Hugh Nibley was really on to something!

We stayed the night in Fussen, a nearby town, and then drove 15 minutes through Austria (long enough to get a 120 euro fine for not having a toll sticker on our window…who knew?) and stopped for lunch in the beautiful valley, and country, of Liechtenstein. We had lunch in a little café with views of the current prince’s castle. Fun country of 34,000 people!

To break up the trip home we stayed the night in Lugano, Switzerland which is situated on Lake Lugano with mountains shooting out of the water on all sides. Our hotel was waterfront with very deceptive internet images! It was so tacky that it is impossible for me to adequately describe or even capture in photos, and certainly couldn’t be imagined up by Hollywood’s greatest set creators. It was so tacky (and smoke-smelling despite the numerous no-smoking signs) that it distracted us from enjoying the views. We hope to go back when the weather warms up a bit, and under different hotel conditions!

It was so great to pull into our sunny little town of Menton. We put away our heavy coats and boots and have been enjoying the warm sun on our faces. It was a great trip…but home is home!

Ludwigs boyhood home which neighbors Neuschwantstein

We rode in a carriage to the castle as it was quite a hike...

probably the girl's favorite part of the whole trip!

A view from a park we stopped at in Liechtenstein.

The castle sits up on the hill overlooking the valley.

It was just built in the 1980s!

A lone picture of Lake Lugano...it doesn't do it a bit of justice!

Christmas markets in Germany

In Germany we added a few places to our “Favorite Places” list! Driving to and through Germany was a winter wonderland. It had just snowed (but thankfully the roads were clear), and on occasion snow would drift down to add to the magic. We went to Augsburg at the recommendation of our good friends, Scott & Monica Stallings. The Christmas market had a new delicious smell around every corner, and there were plenty of small trinkets to keep the girls giddy! Augsburg was also the place were Martin Luther was tried for heresy and we visited the monastery where he stayed (and escaped from). One of the earliest welfare settlements in the world is in Augsburg. A wealthy man named Jacob Fugger set it up for poor fellow Catholics. It is still in use today with residents getting beautiful little town homes for 1 euro a year!

The centerpiece of the Augsburg Christmas market

A little carriage ride around the market

Ceci waiting for her lines during a play the girls put on one evening in our hotel room.

We heard of a beautiful Christmas market up the “Romantic Road” in Rothenburg so we extended our trip by a day and spent the day there. This town is a medieval gem! It felt like we stepped into a fairytale movie set only it was real! And boy do they ever know how to create Christmas! This isn’t the commercial kind of Christmas, but the warm, cozy goodness of Christmas. Tennie caught the spirit, and spread it around for the rest of us. We had given the girls 10 euro to spend at the markets. Tennie had been saving for the past few months to buy things during this trip. But when we arrived she began searching for what she could buy Adele and Ceci for Christmas. She was scheming and debating what they would love the most. When she found something she was so excited and would tuck it away in her pocket full of scrumptious, secret love. She spent her savings and her market money on Christmas presents for Adele and Ceci. We met a Santa on a cobble stoned alley. He pulled out some candy to give to the girls. He handed a piece to Tennie and she quickly gave it to Ceci. He handed another piece to Tennie (clearly trying to give her a piece) and she quickly gave it to Adele. Impressed by this little girl’s generosity he gave her three pieces and folded her hand around them. Tennie didn’t notice and she quickly passed them around to her sisters. Witnessing her giving spirit was the highlight of our market adventures.

This picture, and the next few, are an attempt to capture some of the medieval architecture...we fell in love with this town!

These year-round Christmas stores are bursting with Christmas cheer!

So many handmade goods to admire

This Christmas car had a mountain of gifts on top. The girls are hoping its on its way to Southern France...

We loved the horse carriage crossing sign!