A guy and a girl

I have a wonderful husband who I can call my best friend.  He is always patient, quietly observing when She is being crazy and/ or emotional (often in combination). He still looks at her with a sweet smile and twinkle in his eye.

He is so handsome, smart, strong and soft at the same time.  She shutters at the idea of a life without him and is so thankful that she finally decided to go out on a date with him after rejecting his offer THREE times all those years ago.

They worked together for 8 years before the babies came.  He is now the "Sugar Daddy", but he tells her that she is the sugar that makes him sweeter.

They complete each other.

I love his beard.
He loves my imperfections.
I'm social.  He's private.
He's practical.  I'm....not.
He likes dark meat, I like the white.  (thank goodness for THAT when we get the weekly rotisserie chicken).
I love the dimple his smile produces that not many people get to see.
He tells me to never change a THING.  Ever.
I tell him to smile more.

Not to mention, he is an awesome Papa.

After all of these years and adventures, I still love him as much, if not more than I did 14 years ago.

Happy (late) Valentine's Day, A.

Snow. Sun. Ski. Repeat!

Look at this beautiful snow bunny of mine.  Sweet.

We just got back from our first family vacation in The Alps.  Praz de Lys, France to be exact.

Ok, so I must be totally honest.  I wasn't necessarily looking forward to this ski trip.  I know.  Ridiculous, right?  Let me explain.

I'm from Michigan.  The place where people LEAVE in February to find sun and warmth somewhere south of the Mason Dixon.

I am familiar with snow.  I am familiar with cold winters.  I have skied before, and in true spirit of trying things before criticizing them, I knew I could honorably say that skiing is not my favorite sport.

So, when Arnaud's family invited us to spend a week with them in The Alps, I was happy for our kids to spend more time with their cousins, but as for me?  I was less than thrilled.  After a loooong winter in Holland, I have been so missing warmth and sunshine that I was more ready to book a holiday (as they call it here in Europe) in Dubai or anywhere close to the equator.

Then, this happened:

Have a little vegetable soup

Say Fromage!

Mila

Rémi is under there somewhere 

Vin chaud

On skis at the base of the slope

Top of the slope w/ my honey.  His coffee, my vin chaud!

The boxes that our rented fondue sets came in

Mila's wearing her Ecole Ski Francais metal with pride

Rémster and his badge

The week brought us tons of family time, lots and lots of skiing, warm sun and copious amounts of cheese, charcuterie and vin chaud that the French Alps ooze.

Lessons come from everywhere, I think.  Just as I was reminding Mila and Rémi that their dreaded daily ski lessons would "surprise them" and that sometimes the things in life that scare you the most end up being your best memories, I was having a little epiphany of my own.  

Delft pottery

Delft pottery is definitely one of those things that people like to buy and bring home from The Netherlands.

When Mom visited in December, we decided we wanted to see the real deal.  One of the only original Delft pottery factories in the world, Delftse Pauw.

This "factory" was really a 3 story old large house, situated on a canal in the city of Delft, just 20 minutes from home.

We learned a lot about the technique, colors and stamps that make this process 'original' and not like the mass produced pieces you can find in the airports.

This stuff is hand painted each and every day.

Loved this place.

Cologne. Christmas. Crowds. Check.

When my Mama visited in December, we took a bus trip to Cologne, Germany for the Christmas Markets.  It was hard to focus anything, let alone the market with crowds and the Cathedral, or Kölner Dom, staring down on us.  This massive catholic church is the single most visited thing in Germany, with an average of 20,000 visitors per day (thanks Wiki).

It was crowded but we managed to snag a few Christmasy things, but mostly, we enjoyed just walking around and spending time in this beautiful city.

Thank the rain

It rains a lot in Holland.

Sometimes, it's hard to find the good in consistent grey skies, wet everything and hair that NEVER cooperates.

One of the benefits of rain, is the green, green grass and moss in the forest.  When the weather is better than bad, we love to take a Sunday walk.  Luckily, we live near a cute, walkable forest.

Mila in particular loves to build fairy houses there.  She also collects "beautiful things" for the fairies.  Rémi can usually be found somewhere near by collecting sticks and then doing his best not to destroy what Mila just built.