Let it snow! Avoriaz with the Charlessons: WALKING!!

While we were in Avoriaz our gorgeous daughter learnt to walk!

She had been standing up for a while now, but not had the confidence to let go of her supporting furniture. Well, all that changed right before our eyes.

I was so happy that Thomas and I were both there to witness her first steps. She was understandably hesitant at first, just going from a chair to a couch about 1 metre away, but she upped her confidence and her ability in no time, happily tottering between Thomas and me (about 2 metres apart).

It was like she could do it as long as she didn't stop... when she stopped to regain her balance (or think about how awesome she was for being able to accomplish this major milestone) she'd collapse immediately.

Then came the challenge of how to get up! At first there was heavy reliance on sturdy furniture, but she slowly developed the ability to regain balance all by herself.

Now (as I write this about three weeks later!) she hardly crawls at all. Where before she became very upset if she was left alone in a room - even if I were just getting a toy from around the corner - she can now follow me so she's a much happier Poppette. Happy days...

Let it snow! Avoriaz with the Charlessons: Skiing lesson #2

We awoke the next morning to an unbelievably gorgeous view - clear skies with loads of powder snow!

Bronwen and I decided that individual lessons would probably be a good idea, so I headed off with Jean-Francois for my beginner's class while Bron benefited from the teaching of Nicholas for the morning.

It was SO much better than the day before! After he had me on the baby, baby slope (not even the bunny slope: this was for the 4-8 year-old kids that come skiing with Club Med or whoever) but it was at just my level. :) Jean-Francois had me slightly turning left and right with inconsistent ability on my part until he was confident I could brave the 'big slope' (i.e. the bunny slope!).

By the end of the 1.5 hour lesson I could (still inconsistently) turn and I didn't fall over too many times. I didn't - and still don't - get the whole 'turn the way you don't want to go' motto for skiing... I've worked out my own way which seems to have sufficed - it may even be the right way but I just came to that position partly of my own accord.

In the photos below... the top one is the reception for our accommodation after the night's snowfall; two views from our balcony; the gentle incline of the slope nearest our accommodation... I am wearing the fluorescent orange jacket.

That night Margaux was determined not to go to sleep. I tried relaxing her and putting her into her cot 5 times before I gave up and let her cry herself to sleep. It's the first time I'd done that and I felt awful, but after about 5 minutes silence reigned in the bedroom.

Let it snow! Avoriaz with the Charlessons: Raclette in all its cheesy glory

The boys spent a long day skiing (from 9:00am-3:00pm!) and were ready to crash when they returned - as opposed to Bron and I, who had spent a lovely day together with our kids and were now keen to get on the slopes and practise what we'd learnt.

Bron took off like she'd been skiing for ages... I slipped and slid down the slope, snow ploughing all the way and trying not to crash into the fences, but I only stacked it a couple of times so it was progress... silver lining and all that.

What was rather exciting though was that it was snowing while we skied! Throughout our stay there was frequent snow, which really added an extra element - and I understood why skiers and snowboarders loved powder.

Our main highlight that day though was dinner... Thomas hired a raclette from reception (of course) and educated us in the art of  melted cheese, meat, gherkins and potatoes - permitted only to those who have endured the slopes during the day! Seriously, there isn't a whole lot in there that can be described as healthy and it does serve to replace any fat you may have burned off while skiing...

Let it snow! Avoriaz with the Charlessons: The arrival

After a week at home in Portugal Thomas, Margaux and I were bound for a week of skiing in the French Alps with Bronwen, Jonathon and Flynn Charlesson! Madness, I know. Thankfully we had that week in Portugal to help our bodies (Margaux's and mine) acclimatize from the 37* day we left in Perth to the -4* day we arrived in France...

We arrived in Avoriaz (the intentional skiing village we were to stay in) at about 3:00 that afternoon... via train, bus, and cable car.

The scene was incredibly picturesque - in fact, pictures will never do it justice.

We arrived at our accommodation, which was truly astounding. We had quite a large apartment, plus access to a heated swimming pool, a ski room, a daycare centre (for kids aged 3+, unfortunately), baby kits (highchair, travel cot etc.) for each infant and a menu for daily bread!

Margaux immediately set off for an explore around the apartment and we settled into our room. She discovered, much to her delight and our concern, that the microwave was the perfect height for her to push all of its buttons and twist all of its dials. Thankfully the combination of buttons and twisting was too complicated for her to get it working, but she was determined to try!

We had our first dip in the swimming pool, which Margaux simultaneously loved (the water) and feared (the bubble jets). She tried to climb face-first down the steps into the pool, but we put a stop to that!

The Charlessons arrived at about 8:00pm, having driven up from the bottom of the mountain - craziness! They uploaded all their gear and shopping, and we settled in for a tiny beer and Bronwen's home-made fajitas.

Let it snow! Avoriaz with the Charlessons: the first day of skiing...

Monday began with samples from the bakery and a spectacular view of overnight snow followed by morning sun. Ahhh... could it be more perfect? No.

Being an intentional ski village meant there were absolutely no cars at all - the closest they came were very active snow ploughs - and you literally stepped out of the door and put on your skis!

We headed out to hire our ski equipment - and were very pleased to have Thomas do the liaising in French! Margaux found a very narrow staircase in the store and, with some concerns for her safety, I attentively watched her proceed to alleviate her boredom by climbing up and down the steps.

Bronwen had booked a lesson for us two that afternoon, which I was both looking forward to and feeling some trepidation about... Well. I couldn't even stand up on my skis, let alone do the 'duck walk' (trying to walk forward while wearing skis). I had such difficulty getting my skis attached and I fell off so many times that I bruised my shins and any sense of dignity I may have possessed before the lesson.

In a lovely show of support, Thomas and Margaux came to watch... one day I hope I'll find the footage (photos AND videos) that he took of that first day as something funny rather than pure embarrassment!

(So in the above collage, the first pic is how the village looked; the second is of Bron and I feeling confident before our lesson; then there's a view of the slope we learnt on, as seen from the balcony of our apartment; and finally there is a miniscule image of me in the photo, but thankfully that isn't very visible and what you focus on is the gorgeous view from the slope we 'skied' on.)


Bron, on the other hand, took to it like a duck to water. After about 20 minutes she was shouting, 'I'm addicted!' and skiing her way effortlessly to the bottom of the slope.

We finished the day with plans to practise tomorrow and perhaps schedule private 1:1 lessons to cater for our differing levels of competence...

Holidays galore: morning tea with Katie

Margaux and I were lucky to have a second catch-up with Katie from Radio Lollipop - this time on the day before we left.

She met us at Mum and Dad's and then drove us to the Core Cider House, where Margaux had a wonderful time crawling around the grounds - with me trying to stop her from falling down limestone steps!

Margaux and I both managed to get a bit sunburnt... the best bits to explore were always much more interesting than where we were sitting (in the shade) but I didn't think of that. Now we know for sure that Margaux and I have the same sensitivity to the sun!

 

It was a lovely way to finish our trip, but all too soon it was time for us to be Portugal-bound...

 



Holidays galore: A catchup with Amber and Anna

It was on January 13th that I finally had a chance to catch up with Amber and Anna together - and with all of our kids!

We met at Anna's with kids in tow, and enjoyed a mid-summer morning tea while watching the little ones play. We all joined in at the sand pit, though, and it was a lot of fun.

Isobel slept for a good portion of our visit and was delightful when she woke, while Ollie enjoyed demonstrating his toys and water activity table for Marley and Margaux.

Marley had given Margaux an activity pack for the sand (bucket, spade, rake, mould of a crab), which was put to great use! It was absolutely great to have the kids so happily occupied while we nattered away - keeping our third eye on our munchkins, of course...

Margaux crashed towards the end of the visit, but remained staunchly photogenic until the end. She was in and out of the sandpit, plus up and down the outside stairs... her knees will never be the same again!

Holidays galore: Time with family friends

Mum, Dad, and I made the most of our time together over the next 10 days. Obviously (Margaux and) I spent time with other friends and on other outings, but we devoted a lot of our attention on stoking home fires.

In the photos below, you'll find evidence of feeding, eating, playing with Harvey, playing the paddling pool, going for walks, and a photo of Mum in her black-and-white dress feeding Margaux at a lunch hosted by Aunty Catty.

There we met lots of relative relatives (second cousins, first cousins once removed etc.) and dined on finger sandwiches and trifle. It was a very lovely way to spend an afternoon - which we concluded by driving around the leafy green suburbs and back to Carmel in time for an evening barbeque.

We ate that night at Ric and Joce Sugars', along with Judy and Bob Jackson, and Allison Hepburn.
It's amazing to be with people who were such staple adults in your life as a kid and to hear your parents saying what they really think... and you not quite knowing if you now fit into the role of a kid or an adult! It's hard to explain so I'll leave it be.

Margaux was absolutely exemplary in behavior, falling asleep during the meal and managing to wake up just after we left - but staying awake well into the night!

Holidays galore: Kirsty and the Kalamunda Water Park

On January 6th, Dad dropped Margaux and me off at the Kalamunda Water Park, where we met up with Kirsty, Eleni, and Clem.

We shared a delightful afternoon of splashing about in the shallower pools with our kids and trying our best not to get sunburnt - with great success!

Kirsty and I had a proper catch-up, the likes of which we hadn't done in an age, and the three kids played happily in the water. It was so wonderful to spend a decent amount of quality time with her - which continued from the Water Park back to Mum and Dad's... the kids were cold and had had enough of the water but Kirsty and hadn't finished catching up at that point!

They stayed until her kids were ready to crash into sleep... Clem loved the bush surrounds and the ability to tear around as he pleased, while Eleni enjoyed the big swing. It was great having them all over.

Kirsty, ever camera-shy, insisted on being behind the lens, but she captured Margaux beautifully - shivering with cold but determined to stay in the water!

Until next time, fair Kirsty!

Holidays galore: Nick and Thomas' farm goodbyes

It was the afternoon of the 3rd that saw Nick, Margaux, Thomas, Mum, Dad and me up at the farm for the last time these holidays.

Nick took advantage of the Wonky House that night, while the rest of us enjoyed the creature comforts of Stone Idyll. Unfortunately he had to leave first thing the following morning, but we had Thomas with us for the whole of the day.

Margaux cracked up laughing while watching Mum and Thomas rolling a blueberry between each other and her. I can't describe it... the sheer joy she found in being part of the game was hilarious in itself.

Mum, who had recently given Thomas a ukulele as an early birthday present, got to work teaching him the basics. He practiced diligently and was able to play a couple of songs by the time we left the next day!

Margaux and Harvey, who had started out as bitter enemies, slowly grew to respect each other - with Margaux even reaching out to pat him a couple of times! She was still a bit wary of him, but it was like she enjoyed scaring herself by getting close to him and then pulling away at the last minute. Maybe she'll be a horror movie fan: deliberately setting out to scare herself...

By mid-morning on the 4th we all set off back to the hills. I didn't take any photos of the last day with Thomas... in fact, I didn't really give him a proper goodbye. I didn't want Margaux to be distraught, so I kept her entertained in the kitchen while Dad drove Thomas down to the airport.

We packed so much into the two weeks he was with us, but it still felt like he was gone far too soon. I knew we had two weeks before being reunited, so Margaux and I (and Mum and Dad!) made the most of it.

Holidays galore: Emanuelle and Cora's

From the apartment in East Perth, we headed to Cora and Emanuelle's for a quick hello and a dip in the pool with their two daughters, Madeline and Josephine.

Margaux had an absolute ball going between Thomas' arms, a floating play-pen, and lots of noodles. We did a couple of full dunks with her - holding her, blocking her nose, and plunging underwater together - which gave her a bit of a surprise!

 

Cora and I nattered in the comfort of the pool (while Emmanuelle and Thomas looked after the kids) and were supplied with selections from a fruit platter, and hibiscus-infused champagne... heaven!

 

Mum showed up to take us to the farm for our final stay there before Thomas left. She spent some quality time with Emmanuelle, Thomas, and the three girls, and entertained Madeline with face (arm) painting, which was lovely.

 

 

And all too soon it was time to head off for sundown drinkies on the deck!