Happy Birthday!

The kiddos' birthdays both fell on the weekend this year. Andrew turned 13(!) on the 7th and Sara turned 9 on the 8th! We invited some friends to join us and headed for the capital of Slovenia -- Ljubjana, where they have an indoor water park. We got there Friday night and went straight for the Mexican restaurant we had heard about -- Margarita's were calling! It is so rare for us to get those here in Italy. Here's me and Laura with our margs!


Bryan, Andrew, and Andrew...


Sara and Sam...


The Christmas lights were still up all over town. It was beautiful!



Enjoying some hot gluhwein under the blue lights...


The castle overlooks the city and was blue too!



Next day, Happy Birthday Andrew! We toured the castle grounds and took in the amazing views from the top.



These street musicians were great, and I've never seen that instrument on the left before...


Ljubljana has a wonderful market, everyday...


Andrew just loves the dragon statues they have in this city.


This was a funny little graffiti on a bridge...


Andrew, Sara, and Sam had some fun playing in the hotel room...


Unfortunately, Sam got some boo boo's when he and Sara tripped while piggybacking. Good thing mommy had those cool band aids to make it all better!



That afternoon, the Atlantis Water Park. None of the slides were working that day, so that was a bit of a birthday bummer! Still, a good time was had by all! Our friends, the Robinsons came over to help us celebrate, too. So, the kids were thrilled to have friends, Doug and Delaney to join the fun.



Me and Amy...


Sam...


With the slides down, the kids found other fun...


My favorite people!



Andrew picked sushi for his birthday dinner! Sara was thrilled, too!




Next morning, Happy Birthday Sara! After breakfast, we headed home (only 2 hours) with a stop at Ikea on the way! Sara really wanted more Japanese food for her birthday dinner, so we found a place we hadn't been to. So, more sushi! What an international birthday weekend - Italy, Slovenia, Mexican food and Japanese food! Couldn't have been better!

Birthday monkeys!

2011 Finale

On December 30th, Bryan and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on the slopes with the kids! Here are the gorgeous flowers my sweetheart gave me...


It was a beautiful day to ski -- fresh powder, blue skies, and sunshine!








That evening, Bryan and I dressed up and went out for dinner without the kiddos! It was a great mountainside ristorante close to our house that we had never been to, with an amazing view. We had the place to ourselves for awhile, with seats by the fire, cared for personally by the chef and owner. What a lovely dinner!

Next day, we spent New Years Eve with friends, at the Blakes house. Our friends the Linds and the Robinsons were there as well, along with a host of the Blake's Italian friends that we've "partied" with before. It was a great time, celebrating and sharing the two cultures' traditions -- made a lot easier by the voluminous intake of vino and grappa! Here I am with my girlfriends -- Laura, Angela, and Amy...


Bryan and Matt...


All the men -- having a shot of grappa!


Our hosts for the grape-picking back in the fall, Beppi and Silva...


Roberto, Nick, and Devin...


Sara and Delaney...


Andrew and Doug...


We had amazing food, mostly made by the Italian bunch, including their traditional New Years-eat-at-midnight-good-luck-soup of ham, beans and barley. Yum! We even had a bonfire, sparklers for the kids, and watched the midnight fireworks, set off in the lower towns, off Angela's balcony! 2011 was such a great year for the Watsons! Buon Anno Nuova 2012!!!!