29 Dec 2007

Christmas - Part Trois


Noone can ever say that we did not celebrate Christmas the year we spent in Norway -at this point I'm feeling a bit Christmassed out!

Mid-morning following our late-night karaoke session, two parents, two grandparents, four boys, four DS consoles with various new games, six pairs of skis, six bum trays, seemingly endless pairs of mitts, gloves, snow pants and jackets were packed into two cars, and away we went to Cottage-land. Also known as Winter Wonderland.

Our cottage is situated in the mountains above the beautiful town of Ål, and is very popular for cross country skiing. Right outside our door are kilometers and kilometers of machine groomed trails, some lit, some not. There is also a downhill centre across the valley, and Norway's largest tobagganing hill is only a short drive away.

Arriving after sunset, we quickly threw together a dinner of leftover food from the day before the boys got into their outerwear, strapped on the cross country skis and went outside to test out the brand new head lights they'd received for Christmas.



Looks like they worked out pretty well!

The very next day, we woke up to very mild weather, and a touch of rain that quickly turned into snow. While my mother and I drove down the mountain for groceries, the boys played in the snow. My dad will tell you that he had no help whatsoever building his snowman, as the boys were far too busy making snow tunnels and having snowball fights.



Later that afternoon, Christopher, Mathias and I ventured out for what I thought was going to be a short skiing trip around the cottage. As it turns out, the boys had a 10k trek in mind. I finally managed to convince them, some 2-3 km in, that it was going to get pitch black soon, and we'd have to wait until the following day to venture any further away. As we were returning to the cottage, Mathias and I had a miscommunication in advance of skiing down a large hill, with the end result that I had to throw myself into the snow to avoid crashing into and possibly mortally wounding my little nephew with my Christmas-stuffed self.

This is me following my not-so-fluffy-and-soft encounter with the snow:



A bruised and swollen eye is the hot look for New Year's, dontcha know?

We did do the 10k trip the very next day, and it was an awesome outing - despite wearing sun glasses on a cloudy day to not scare off other skiers with my blooming eye.



That night, those heavy clouds became an increasingly intense snow storm, which we took full advantage of:





And here's what we woke up to this morning:



Thanks to the wonders of heavy duty snow removal services, we were able to pack our boys and their gear into our little car, wave goodbye to my nephews and parents who were staying on at the cottage, and make our way back home.

Which is where we are currently - and not without a touch of panic - cooking dinner for hungry boys, while doing laundry and packing in preparation for our trip to Manchester, England first thing tomorrow. That is, cooking, doing laundry, packing, and...ahem...blogging. Because no matter how busy I get, there always seems to be time for blogging.

34 comments:

Suburban Correspondent said...

Oh, I am so jealous of your snow.

And if our area got that much snow, we wouldn't have been dug out for a week.

the dragonfly said...

Oh, how wonderful! I'm not a friend of snow most of the time...but once or twice a year I can really enjoy it. :)

Enjoy England!

the dragonfly said...

Heidi: On my blog you commented that you liked the picture of me and my dad. Um...were you talking about the "merry christmas" picture? Because...that's my husband! Although when I was waiting to go into surgery the doctor said "your dad can come in to wait with you, if you'd like." He gets it all the time...he's ten years older than me. :)

Julie Pippert said...

It's so great you manage to travel so frequently...how *do* you manage to travel so frequently, go to so many neat places and do so many neat things?

Great photos and loads of fun. Hope your eye is okay!

Julie
Using My Words

familymclean said...

Wow, how beautiful!! Looks like a fantastic time, minus the mishap with the eye, yikes!
I too am feeling Christmas-ed out, we had a total of 8 gift openings! Now my kids are expecting it daily.

shay said...

Your never ending Christmas sound wonderful! How fun to be with family and in the snow.

I agree. There is always time for a quick blog! lol.

Can't wait to see the England pics;-)

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Yeah for blogging time!! I hope your eye has recovered - what a way to end a nice outing!!

I bet if I did some cross country skiing I MIGHT NOT be considered the fat friend anymore!! (I heard that burns a ton of calories!)

Hallie

Mrs. G. said...

Well as far as the blogging is concerned, I am glad that you still have your priorities in order. Except for the eye, your holiday looks merry and bright. Happy new year to you all!

Aliki2006 said...

Happy travels! Look at all that gorgeous snow!

Anonymous said...

Hey there, can you ship some of that wonderful looking snow to us? My kids still haven't seen snow never mind skiing 10km in it!!
Glad you had a great christmas and hope the black eye has receded by now.

Lainey-Paney said...

LOOK at all of that SNOW!

...sorry about your eye!

Jennifer (Jen on the Edge) said...

My children would be so envious of yours!

Travel safely to England!!!

Kellan said...

I just love your life!! Like Suburbancorrespondent - I am so jealous of the snow and also of your trip to England tomorrow! You have greated so many wonderful memories for your family - for your boys, with these trips to the cabin and just living in such a magnificent place. You are very lucky and I love hearing all about your adventures. I wish I was there! Take care. Kellan

Amy Y said...

Great photos, as always! Looks like you had a great Christmas!
Sorry to hear about your eye though and hope it is all better soon!

Stomper Girl said...

Tomorrow when Melbourne gets to a horrid 41 degrees (don't know the conversions sorry) I am coming back to your blog to cool myself down with those gorgeous snowy pictures.

I hope your eye is okay and that you have a great trip to Manchester!

Tip Junkie said...

Looks like a ton of fun!! How amazing.

Beck said...

Poor you!
A very dramatic fall down a ski hill has left me - predictably enough - with a permanent aversion to ever skiing again. Still, your pictures make it look so idyllic! (except for the injury one...)

Shan said...

Great pictures of what looks like an amazing trip to the cottage.

painted maypole said...

snow tunnels. hard to believe I used to dig those every winter. now I break out the scarf and mittens if it gets to be in the 50s here in Louisiana!

Lisa said...

I hope you have a great trip!

The pictures from the cottage are wonderful!

Don Mills Diva said...

Wow - I love that you guys are really taking advantage of all Norway has to offer and digging right in and enjoying the winter. It's just lovely to see and read about.

Don Mills Diva said...

Oh and I tagged you over on my blog - come see!

kim-d said...

Awww, Heidi, I'm so sorry about your eye--hopefully, some of the swelling has receded? :) The last time I went cross-country skiing, I managed to snap BOTH skis in half--yes, I am very talented. Not real graceful, though! My mishap also happened going downhill on x-country skis.

And to be honest, Minnesota is looking a whole lot like Norway right now, as far as snow is concerned. But I'd still like to see Norway's snow!

Have fun in England, and I can't wait to hear about it!

Victoria said...

Ouch - hope the eye is recovering!

Lovely pics, as always! Good luck on your trip!

Steph said...

Your family definitely knows how to have a good time. Looks like a blast!! Hope your eye is feeling better, and that you have a fun trip to England.

Tania said...

Black eye notwithstanding, you guys are really good at taking advantage of snowy weather. I need to get my two-year-old outside more often, but as of right now, she is trained to say, "It's too cold out there!"

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Hi it's me (WorksForMom), I just changed my profile name. I hope you and your fam had an awesome Christmas.

I so live vicariously through you. What fun pictures (minus the black eye thing - egads).

carrie said...

Oh, I am soooo missing my skis right now!

All that snow is soooo pretty!

Happy New Year Heidi!

Lisa said...

Eeek. SO sorry you got hurt. OUCH.

Hope you are feeling better now.

What an amazing Christmas otherwise.

Jennifer said...

What fun! (Um, except for the you getting hurt part. Not so much fun, that.)

Kat said...

Sounds like you had a perfect time skiing. Other than the bruised eye of course. The pics are great! That is my hubby and my dream. To have a cottage right on a ski hill.

Mighty Morphin' Mama said...

Goodness! that looks like so much fun, sounds like a terrific time for all. I love all the outdoor activity, I forgot how much I love being out in the snow til we went tobogganing the other day. Love!
Thanks for stopping by and your kind words about my little sick boy. I think it will be early to bed for all of us tonight.

Valarie said...

Seriously, you have the best life!! Excluding the whole slamming head first into the snow thing.

Kristi B said...

Thank goodness you make time for blogging! I love reading about your adventures. You lead such an active and interesting life. I'm GREEN. Alas, I guess if I weren't so lazy, I could be doing some of that nice stuff too! :-)