Georgie and friend on the 5^th night of New Year sleepover

We had a great New Year’s with our friends the Richardsens. We went out for New Year’s Night at La Ruca and had a cold dinner and watched small children set off industrial fireworks on the street. New Year’s Day we had an asado with chivito, tira and colita. It was a great dinner. We also went on a rafting/camping trip. It was a lot of fun and there were lots of bugs. Here are some pictures.

Tonight is Three Kings night. The Three Kings visit all the children in most of the Spanish speaking countries. January 6 is when The Three Wise Men arrived to check out the Baby Jesus. They come and visit on camels so we leave grass for them and we made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. We hope we get lots of presents and candy. Hopefully, no sticks and rocks.

It was very hot today so we had time inside to think about what we wanted to happen in the next year. Here is everyone’s resolution.

Dad: Share more often

Owen: Catch bigger fish

Oscar: Practice futbol more

Andre: Give up the diapers

Sofie: Make more friends

Callum: Play more futbol

Mom: More reading ALONE

Tonje: Practice Spanish verbs

Georgie: Play more princesses

Henry: Better grades

Steffen: Eat more protein

Happy New Year’s and Three Kings day!

Today is Christmas and I was very happy!  Today for Christmas we got a Wii.  We had a Game Cube so I want to sell it on eBay for $40.00.  The best part is that we can use our Game Cube games on our Wii.  We have 8 games for our wii.  I, Callum, got some goaly gloves and shin pads for soccer.

I hope we have a nice rest of Christmas

P.S.  I was  just kidding we were going to sell  our Game Cube!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
P.S.S.  The mud monster is our devil sister Georgie.

Every Christmas Eve, we always have the same food.  Shepherd’s Pie and Christmas Crunch.  Christmas Crunch is probably the best Chrsitmas dessert ever made. We give it to Santa. The ingredients are pretzels, marshmallows, cherrios, Honey Grahams and chocolate.

My siblings and I invented a club called KPK (Kids Power Klub).  I know club is spelled with a C but it sounds cooler with a K.  Our klub is for organizing parties for ourselves, talk about news and what we can do to help each other.  Our biggest goal is to continue our klub until 2008.  We have started klubs before and we never have been able to make them last.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends far away…

Enjoy the picture of the Cookie Christmas Tree and cookies before Georgie ate all the M&M’s off of it.

• fishing
• playing soccer
• swimming (in pond and baby pool, the river is too cold)
• cooking
• hiking
• going in the canoe
• watching Christmas videos

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve….

I believe in Santa Claus. Santa gives us presents and gives us whatever we want. I also believe in my mommy. Because she loves me and she gives us presents for Christmas too. Santa is better cause he doesnt yell. Santa is way better. I am learning to swim weeeeeeeeeeeee. We are Santa’s elves.

Lets hope we have some internet access in the next few months. Hoping to report what is going on with pictures and video. Wish us luck.

Merry Christmas and here is a random electronic Christmas Card. We were not meant to receive it but it got forwarded around. Its cute, and it makes you want to be in the snow for Christmas, not 92 degrees with humidity. The kids liked it.

Over and out.

Our family arrived with the dog and visiting family members on December 21st. Just enough time to get ready for Papa Noel and make ourselves back at home. The weather before New Years was cool and the water in the lake COLD and the water in the river ICE.

New Years has brought warmer water and more guests. We have been spending more time in the river riding the current, although the water is now somewhere between room temperature and COLD.

We will be better bloggers now that the internet is being somewhat useable and we have more adventures to report.

THE BAD

• Flights to all ski resorts cancelled due to snow storm, we are stranded at Neuquen Airport, 500km from where we wanted to be

• Aerolineas Argentinas predictably not helpful and GM gets mad

• Need to find our own transportation to Chapleco (Andes ski hill), or reboard the airplane that would be returning to BA, and if we were lucky they would book us on an airplane “later in the week”

• Spent 5 hours in a van driving to Junin then Chapelco

• We arrive at house to pick up the truck. With the exception of the actual house, our property is underwater. The region is experiencing record flooding

• We arrive in San Martin and are told that the GM’s truck cannot make it to the hotel that is located on the ski hill due to the road conditions. Make complicated arrangements for its parking and eventual delivery to us at the hotel.

• Apparently, one standard off-road vehicle is not sufficient for our ascent up the hill, 3 different vehicles, each with a better traction system, are used during the expedition. This means all 7 passengers and their luggage (11 pieces) have to be transferred each time…it’s an harbinger for our nightmarish transportation logistics that we must deal with everyday (END OF DAY ONE)

• No communication with outside world. GM’s cell phone is MIA. My phone decides to refuse charging.. The hotel has only a radio phone, (ie) CB radio. Yodelers stage a sick out.

• We have previously decided that (after years and years of whining and pleading) we will let Henry and Callum try out snowboarding.
• Decision not a good one: can’t rent snow boards or get snow boarding lessons on the hill near our hotel and can’t get to main ski hill on skis due to the snow dump, must use 2 different Land Rovers to get to main ski hill. (this lasted all week)
• During the entire week lifts and gondolas were breaking down. Would suggest they do some maintenance prior to ski season opening
• Henry hurts wrist on second day of snow boarding and requires x-rays (negative). Invest in wrist braces recommended by our new friends in the Infirmary
• See new friends again next day when Jenny (nanny) hurts her leg skiing in the fog and has x-rays (positive for fracture)
• Spend day at Hospital with Jenny getting new x-rays and learning from other new friend orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jorge, that Jenny needs arthroscopic surgery, 3 month off her leg and physical therapy
• Organize surgery, hotels and new flights for Jenny
• Callum has 103 temperature and seal cough. I ignore symptoms
• On final day of skiing as I am packing up the car, GM calls to tell me that Henry has paid a visit to our old friends in the Infirmary, has arm x-rayed (positive for fracture) meaning more hospital visits and hooking up with our orthopedic pal Dr. Jorge. Reinforces negative feelings about prior snowboard decision
• Our favorite restaurant (the only restaurant) in Junin, La Ruca, is closed for renovations

THE GOOD

• There was a much needed snow storm
• The kids had fun, totally oblivious to the stress we were feeling and they were causing.
• Owen skied a ton and had a lot of fun (was neither sick or injured)
• Henry broke his left arm (his writing hand!)
• The hotel was very nice with good food, nice service and great views but it might as well have been on the moon given our transportation logistics
• Everyone (except the bruja at Los Pendientes and the Areolineas Argentina) were exceptionally warm, nice and helpful to us. Argentines are really great that way…
• Definitively confirmed that snowboarding (riding, shredding, whatever) is a waste of time. In all likelihood this option will not be offered to offspring on next SKI vacation.
• The heat and fireplaces worked pretty well in Junin.
• The river went down
• The pond is full, at least for now…Enough said on that subject.