Started last week with no voice. It was great teaching the kids to whisper, so that I could speak. Worked only when I didn't really need it to work and when I needed to put on the serious Cara voice I'd clap my hands and give them the MOM look. If I could have I would have stomped my feet like a child with a fit if I thought I could get away with it.Anyway, to the point. Birthday weekend was a success. First Juan took me to dinner the night before my BDay to Chez Panisse. I think this restaurant has been hyped up so much that it actually fell below our expectations. The food was good, but it didn't go beyond that. Considering the price and the wait to get reservations fulfilled we came away feeling like we could have created something better at home. I know that Alice Waters is the name behind comfort food, and that was what we experienced, it's just that we did expect something more. The only course that we came away truly enjoying was the squid and lemon dressed salad. Everything else for a prix fixe menu was so heavy (got the comfort aspect and then some). We really wanted to like it, but the heaviness bogged us down. We did come away with a new addition to Juan's apple pie (far better than the one we had there). They had creme fraiche whipped with a touch of sugar just to the side of the pie. We'll have to recreate this. To speak more positively the service was excellent and we loved the architecture. Juan is certain it's taken from a Frank Llyod Wright style all the way down to the lighting fixtures.
Friday morning (no hangovers for this gal-given my throat earlier in the week I stuck with one drink - a fantastic Pear Sparkling Wine) was spent getting ready to head to the mountains. With Milan in school Tate and I picked up the rental skis (the snowboard/boots are part of Milan's lesson at the resort). The last time (and our kids first time) we headed to the snow was two years ago. This year we came away with big and wonderful memories for all.
First this was Tate's first real experience with the snow (he has no memory before - I mean he wasn't even walking last time we went). He was on his skis and looking like quite the skier. We used the little hill with the conveyer belt at first. Juan was great teaching him and I went up once with Tate; at the top I see Tate slide off with his little skis and I automatically think I can do the same (forgetting I have boots on and getting my toes clipped at the end - yeah, I'm the one that made the conveyer belt stop okay). I later removed my boot to ascertain that my toes were still there.
Both days I was on nap duty. The first day Tate and I never even made it to the resort. We stayed at the sled run until 11:30 then I had to practically carry him the 1/2 mile back to the lodge. I was ready for a nap, too that day. The second day we were at the resort, so I packed Tate in the car to drive to the lodge, but he fell asleep before we made it out of the parking area. I ended up going to the lodge anyway, parking in front and racing in to grab my Kindle from the room. Then we drove back to the resort (glad we paid the $20 to park in the front lot for the day, because I just went right back there and sat in the parked car reading).
It was sunshine skiing, because with the sun out it was too warm really to even wear our winter jackets. Milan had a day of skiing and then a day of snowboarding. He came away declaring "I'm only going to snowboard from now on". I didn't really get to see him in his classs. At first they just hang out on the little hill talking and doing little stature practice then they go to the hill with the conveyer belt. After Tate's nap we caught up with Juan and he took Tate on the lift.
I went to get Milan from his snowboard class and we waited at the bottom of the slope to see Juan and Tate coming down. The second time Tate went up was because big brother was there to join them. All my boys head out on the hill while I wait down below camera ready. Milan comes down first. I'm so amazed at his skills that I completely forget to catch it on camera and just observe him in awe. He comes sidling up in front of me perfectly. No pics of him on the move, but I've got him in my head forever.
