WORDS FROM THE LONG-LOST MOM OF TWO


You haven't heard much from this peanut gallery lately. (Where the heck does "peanut gallery" come from anyway? Wait! I hear the clickety-click of that phrase being googled all over the world! I expect a response within minutes of posting this!)

So, before I collapse into bed only to wake too-few hours later in a stupor that I will remedy with a cup of strong coffee (and lots of milk to make me less guilt-ridden about drinking it), I thought I would take a moment to post a few photos and a few words. I actually just looked through Jeff's latest entries and wanted to add a few notes about other things we've been up to in recent weeks.

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SUNSHINE! PARKS! PLAYGROUNDS!

Before our brutally windy weekend (yes, Mr. Klein, it was BRUTAL!) we enjoyed an absolutely glorious weekend of short-sleeves and sunshine. One thing I love about the Czech people is that they truly appreciate the sun...soaking up every ray available, and usually with a beer in hand. These two photos were taken at Letna Park, one of the two major parks within only a few minutes walk of our new flat.



Mattias was with us, I swear, he was just sleeping in his stroller...poor little second child...

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SLEEPING! (or not)

Some nights are easy and some nights are....well, interesting! Here's Ella waking up Mattias and I one morning. We started out the night with everyone in their own bed, but by morning, Mattias and I were in Ella's bed and Ella and Jeff were in our bed!

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BATHTIME!

Ella enjoys a special treat sent from Kit & Tom in South Korea.

And Mattias gets his bath in the sink with Ella assisting. She bathes her "babies" and also holds Mattias' ears so he doesn't get water in them.

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CUDDLES!

Looks like he's starting to warm up to his sister's affection...not quite so grumpy this time.

She's a big girl now, but not too big to snuggle with Daddy. Incidentally, "Life of Pi" is now a favorite of both Jeff and I - thank you, Sarita and Caesar!

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Lookin' Good!

Is this boy handsome or what?!?!

Not a Fit Night Out For Man Nor Beast - Updated

Up to now, we've had an easy winter. We've had only one bad spell of weather, freezing rain and sleet (as luck had it, on the night Mattias was born). And unlike friends in the States and Canada, we've had no snow on the ground, save one little flurry in mid-January.


Saturday and Sunday were exceptions.

We had a windy weekend - a very windy weekend.
Saturday afternoon we had a hailstorm complete with thunder and lightening. We found the wind to be absolutely crazy both days. Rounding the corners between buildings, if we weren't careful the stroller would blow over. Jeff and Ella went out Saturday morning for a walk, but Ella refused to walk.

We didn't realize how bad it was for all until Jeff got to work and heard stories from others.

Europe labeled the windstorm "Emma." The worst hit Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. then moved to Eastern Europe. Reports says wind gusts were up to 190 km/h (118 mph) - "the strength of a Category 3 hurricane."
(Update: now learned 14 people killed due to related accidents)

In Germany
Check out this video of a Lufhansa flight trying to land at Munich on Saturday afternoon. As you can see from the video, the plane crabs badly coming in, then gets a bad gust at the worst time --- yes, that's the wing hitting the ground; yikes! They landed safely on a different runway at Munich.




In Czech Republic
A coworker shows me pictures he took Sunday afternoon of his cottage in the woods. Fallen trees everywhere. He tells me that a "popular activity for the previous regime" (Communists) was to plant large, single-species forests -- just spruce trees. While not a sound ecological approach, spruces grow the fastest = good for wood production. Unfortunately, spruces also have a shallow root system, so they fare badly in wind storms.

p.s. "Not a fit night out for man nor beast" was made popular from W.C. Fields in his classic but zany parody film "The Fatal Glass of Beer" You can view the whole movie here:

http://www.archive.org/details/fatal_glass_of_beer

Missed it by That Much

Jeff was in London for one day yesterday, leaving last night around 8pm. News has it the UK had their worst earthquake in 20 years just 5 hours later. Missed it by that much.

Jeff was there for work, but managed to walk about Monday night.
[I have a hard time blogging about myself in the 3rd person, so it's "I" from now on. :) ]
I walked a loop around the bridges near Big Ben.
I stayed nearby at the Grange Holborn hotel. If I remember the signs right, that's the Bloomsbury Square neighborhood, but I should ask Michelle R. to be sure.

Obligatory movie snippet ... "Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament"

I walked past the Westminster Abbey. Since watching the Divinci Code only a week ago (finally), I really wanted to see Sir Isaac Newton's tomb. The guard at the gate said that tourist visiting hours were over, but I noticed a couple people just walked past him. Then the guard mentioned that catholic mass started in 15 minutes.

Well, given the choice between attending an evening mass or not getting inside, I took the mass.

So, here's a shot of the Westminster Abbey and the famous globe over Newton's burial spot.

After hearing "Here endeth the lesson" a couple times between the choir boys singing and I couldn't help but think of several Monty Python quotes.

The choral singing was absolutely beautiful, but a big highlight was spotting so many tombs and momuments. It would be unjust to list only a couple here, so here's a link if you want to run through the names yourself.

Just Pictures...

We're noticing some personality differences.
One smiley kid...one grumpy kid.

Mattias: "Get this girl away from me."

"Smile, Schmile...whatever. Just take the shot."


And a quick movie from the "aquarium". Kids all love this screen on the floor, displaying animated fish and water that reacted to movement.
Kids there were loving it, running all around, trying to catch the fish.
The one stationary kid in the middle, just focused on her pretzels - that's Ella.

Relaxing Weekend

First, we're very happy Yaya and Baboo got home safely. A day late, but still in time for Erica's baby shower & party. We are so looking forward to seeing all of you this summer!!

Saturday, Ella and I (Daddy) went to Morsky Svet, or "Seaworld," Prague's aquarium.

Ella absolutely loved it.
Unfortunately for Daddy, he has also seen Chicago's Shedd Aquarium and Boston's New England Aquarium.
Apples and oranges. Like comparing somebody's prized 120 gallon saltwater fish tank to the goldfish-in-a-cup prize you win at the county fair.

After some homework & metric conversion, you compare:
Square Area in square feet
Boston: unknown, but jellyfish exhibit alone is 5,000 square feet
Chicago: 422,000
Prague: 10,700 (...likely including bathrooms and cashdesk)

Total Aquarium Gallons of Water
Boston: 200,000 gallons just in its "centerpiece tank"
Chicago: 750,000
Prague: 19,800

Entry price for 1 Adult & a 2-year old
Boston: $19
Chicago: $18
Prague: ~$15 (240 Kc)

Still, all that's important is, Ella loved it. Especially the 'petting zoo' portion. Ugh...I'll have to post a picture or movie up soon.

What did we do on Sunday? We (Ella and Daddy) finger-painted pictures of our Seaworld adventures. Located just 15 minutes walk away from home, Seaworld is (unfortunately) too close an adventure to ignore. I'm confident that we'll visit often.

Company CEO Update
Klaus Zumwinkel's, who was Jeff's CEO last week, is still being investigated for tax fraud. Klaus has graciously tendered his resignation to Deutsche Post World Net (and the Executive Committee has graciously accepted it).

Klaus Zumwinkel. How neat a name is that? It's best when you pronounce it as a German name should be: "Klaus Tsumvinkel". Just say it out loud to yourself a few times. It's fun, isn't it? But, here, it's neither cute nor fun, it's Dr. Zumwinkel, former CEO Deutsche Post AG.

later, -Jeff

p.s. Baboo - I hung up the 2nd living room lighting fixture. It's more beautiful than the first. :)

p.p.s. New England Aquarium - take a hint from others and update your website with some overall statistics, ok? (It makes it much easier to brag about you.)