A trip to the zoo

After it had been raining all day Saturday it was sunny and relatively mild on Sunday. Not a good day for winter activities but then we hadn't been to the zoo in months.
After the first stop at the kids farm we warmed up at the Amazonia exhibit.
The Arapaima is a prehistoric fish that can be up to two meters long and needs surface air to breath

The Amazonia exhibit also had a study area

Then it was time to check out the Andean bears and the sea lions. It appears they enjoyed playing with the children

A carousel ride

and a trip to the lions concluded the day at the zoo. For some reason the lions were not in their area though but Mia still like the dinosaur skull there

Ice Skating

We thought that Mia would also enjoy some ice skating and tried out a new ice rink the county opened just 5 minutes by car from our apartment. Since it was a nice sunny and cold day it was a bit crowded .
The had some nice penguins to help the new skaters

But after 30 minutes Mia already tried to stand by herself

After some time she managed to slowly cross from one side to the other

After almost two hours on the ice it was time to warm up with some hot chocolate

The next day we went back and invited Larrisah and Christop to join us

Story Time for Mr Mimi

Mia though that Mr Mimi would also enjoy a nice story time and picked a book about a talent show at school to read to him

Mr Mimi didn't complain.

First Snow of the Year

A strong cold front on Thursday night brought us a heavy snow fall which looked really beautiful. The next morning it was sunny and very cold and we had about 2 cm of powdery snow. Enough to try out the new sled.

Unfortunately the playground with the hill was not officially open and the fun there didn't last too long. It was still nice to play in the snow at another park

New Years Hike

We had enjoyed the hike in Turkey Run park after Thanksgiving so much that we returned there on New Years day.

This time we decided to cross the little creek called Turkey Run by stepping on the boulders. Quite the adventure

The evening before we had spent with the Caccatios but didn't stay till midnight. But even 11 pm was a record for Mia

Get Together at the Dietrich's

The Dietrich family invited us and some other friends for a afternoon at their place. It turned out to be a great time for all the children and the adults as well.
While the parents enjoyed goulash, sausages and potato salad and other great food the children had a great time in the backyard: There was a big trampoline, swings, a playhouse with a slide, a train set and other things.

When it turned dark another highlight was the Jacuzzi. We had forgotten to bring a swimsmuit for Mia but Kross' Oma helped out with some swimming trunks and Mia could join the fun

After that it was time for ice cream. But what were the best sprinkles to pick?  A very difficult descison

Luckily everybody found the right ones

But the evening was not yet over and the kids roasted some marshmallows on the open fire

On the way back home Mia fell asleep in the car - she was really worn out

The first Ski Lesson

Yilei and Rex invited us to join them on a trip to Liberty, a ski resort in Pennsylvania about one our from Clarksburg. We thought it might be a good idea to let Mia try a ski lesson for beginner.
First we checked out the place a bit.

Then it was time for a nice lunch before the two hour lessons that started at 2 pm

Then we had to pick up the equipment. Mia didn't need a helmet because she got one as a present from aunt Yilei

Aunt Yilei was there to wish her the best for her first lesson

Before she could put one the skis the new skiers had to warm up with their instructor

First they practiced with only one ski. Then a bit later they were ready to go down a little slope with two skies.

Even after two hours in the cold Mia had still fun and the instructor told us that she did pretty well

Time to warm up warm some hot coca and and enjoy the evening view from the restaurant.