Kate Turns 9

Anna, Camilla and Kate prepare the party room - or Spa!

Gift bags prepared.

The spa begins with chocoate facials and home-made bath salts.

Joanne Ledgewood doing the toes.

Steve and Alex Ledgewood man the feet station - a huge hit.

Some girls just didn't want to move.

Camilla and her apple - what a great way to wash off the chocolate.

Gertine Brouwers paints the fingers.

Gabi and Kate at the facial station.

Cupcakes for all.

A kitty theme.

More cupcakes for school mates at Oak Hill.

Some ice skating too on her actual birthday.

Breakfast in bed.

Auntie Jenn here to celebrate the birthday.

The loot - a shirt from Auntie Jenna and roller blades from Grandma and Grandpa.

It is happening - the kids continue to grow-up. Our baby Kate turned 9 this week. It is her 6th birthday party celebrated outside the US. Her 4th birthday party in Dubai was one of our first big events. My how the time flies.

This year Kate decided to have a Spa Day birthday. Maria did a fantastic job of planning and getting organized, and friends Gertine Brouwers and Joanne Ledgerwood joined in the fun. We had stations for the feet, hands and faces. The kids loved it - Steve couldn't get some of the girls to stop soaking their feet in hot water and rose petals. Facials done with chocolate were a big hit. And, of course, Gertine and Joanne's exerptise on finger and toe painting gave the kids something to leave their spa experience with. Thank goodness we had Gertine and Joanne there - Steve is not an efficient painter of toe or finger nails!!

Kate was not pleased that her actual birthday was during the week, and even more unhappy that Steve would be on a business trip to Singapore. However, Auntie Jenn came to the rescue to help finish the birthday week.

We Ski Italy

Breakfast at Hotel du Glacier.

Courmayeur waking up. 

Dubai friends Jenny and Thatcher Brown.

Getting ready for ski school.

Steve and Maria making turns together.

The crew ready for ski school with Nicolas.

Jenny and Maria - snow bunnies.

Thatcher and Hollis before lunch.

And during lunch.

Skiing the Gargamel run. 

Crosby and Kate enjoy lunch.

Our walk to the lift was through the tiny streets of this Italian village. So charming.

During our frequent trips to Italy we've passed through the Aosta Valley many times. Settimo Vittone, the village where Maria's family come from, is located on the border of Aosta and Piemonte. We frequently remarked during our travels that we must stop here and ski the Italian side of Mont Blanc. So we did.

Joining us are long-time Dubai friends Jenny, Thatcher, Crosby and Hollis, who are living in Genoa. It was a great to see them again while enjoying the Italian ski culture.

We stayed in Dolonne, a sister village of Courmayeur. These villages sit at the base of Mont Blanc and are destination resorts known for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. We stayed at Hotel du Glacier; a wonderful little place run by the nicest Italian family. The hotel was only a 5 minute walk to the lift. We enjoyed walking through the streets of this old Italian village. And the food was fantastic - we loved the polenta.

The skiing was great. The kids enjoyed lessons and skiing the runs named after the smurfs. Anna, Kate, Crosby and Hollis got some good kid time in together - the families get along so well. The only bad part was that the weekend had to end. We look forward to next time!

Ligurian Coast and Camogli

Ligurian Coast.

Portofino.

Camogli.

Italians know how to do sunsets.

We managed to find gelato.

Camogli at night - bustling with activity.

Where there is a beach, there is a Kate. No, she didn't stay dry.

Focaccia at Ristauranti Maulina in Recco.

View from Breakfast at Cenabio di Dogi.

Beautiful colors of the Camogli buildings - and practical.

Camogli's original buildings.

Yes, Camogli comes equipped with Italy's famous narrow streets.

We decided to break-up the trip from Casperia to Crans with a stop in Camogli, one of the many beautful seaside villages that dot the Ligurian coast. On the way we stopped in Portofino, another famous seaside, resort village.

Camogli has a rich history - during the Middle Ages, the port was once filled with 100's of Camogli fishing vessles. Napolean used its port for his navy before it was destroyed by Admiral Nelson at the Nile. The colorful houses were functional as well as beautiful - having helped fisherman find their way back home. Now the village is a tourist destination and we can see why. The scenery is beautfiful, the people are friendly and the cousine comprised of fresh fish is amazing. We look forward to a future visit to see our friends the Browns, who live only six miles up the coast from Camogli.

Kid Afternoon in Rome - Roma Bioparco and Borghese Park

Bioparco di Roma

We are ready - let's go in.

Always fun to see and watch.

Beautiful day for the visit.

And not too crowded.

Leopards are beautiful and rare - brought back memories of Kenya.

We took the street car to the bioparco.

Borghese Gardens.

Christmas decorations in front of the Spanish Steps.

Spanish Steps - heading back to the metro.

Following our visit to the Vatican, the kids decided to use their afternoon to visit the Bioparco - or the zoo. We took the street car instead of the metro so we could see more of Rome's streets and people.

The zoo was opened in 1911 on the original Villa Borghese estate and covers just over 30 acres. The weather was beautiful. We saw many interesting animals and, of course, spent time watching the various monkeys and limurs - always lots going on with these animals.

Following our visit, we walked through Villa Borghese Gardens to the metro station located at the Spanish Steps. The garden is 148 acres and was converted from a vineyard by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the late nineteenth century. It was given to Rome and its people as a public garden in 1903. The Romans appreciate it as, even on a winter day, the garden was full of people out for a walk.

We successfully navigated the metro's red line to Termini stop, where we switched trains to the blue line. We departed blue line at Tributina where we caught our regional train back to Poggio Miterto. Exhausted but happy, the family returned Casperia.