2009 was simply a fantastic year for all of us. With so much going on, we had a lot of fun and everyone stayed healthy and fit.
The year started with Erik joining Katia at Little Badgers Early Learning Center. He was such a proud boy joining his sister at school, and Katia was just as proud to take care of him and show him the ropes.
The kids skied a lot at Panorama, having an absolute ball and loving the sport. They joined the Jack Rabbits cross country ski program and loved playing the "learning games" with all the kids.
Penny decided she still hadn't had enough of "school" and took additional personal training courses and her nutrition and wellness certification, and of course continued her daily outdoor adventure pursuits. She had a wonderful trip to Maui in the spring, with some great friends of hers, and thoroughly enjoyed her much needed break!!
Max continued to train hard for the X-Alps and and was able to attend the Nova Pilots Meet in Slovenia in February. Here he was able to connect with European pilots, who all helped him determine possible routes for the x-alps.
Max left for Europe in June to have a some extra time to scope out the routes and prepare himself for the X-Alps. Penny and the kids followed in early July, and Penny thoroughly enjoyed her 10 hour flight, which was mainly during daylight hours with the 2 kids!
Penny had a couple of weeks to get over the jet-lag and prepare herself for the race, and it gave Max and Penny some time to finalize the last details of the race. Katia and Erik bonded with Oma and Opa, and started to learn and understand German pretty quickly, which was great, as they were about to spend the next few weeks with them and without mama and papa!
I'm sure most of you know, the Red Bull X-Alps was an absolutely amazing experience for us, and definitely a highlight of the year. It was a mental and physical challenge for both of us. It was an experience we will treasure forever, and believe it or not, are thinking of possibly doing it again.
Our stay in Germany has been wonderful. The kids absolutely love their kindergarten, have made some great little friends, and Katia especially, is speaking Germany nearly fluently, and Erik more and more so everyday.Penny on the other hand, is loving her German classes (3 days per week), and has definitely learned a lot of German, but not nearly like the kids. As Katia says "mommy you don't speak German very well, I think I will speak English to you!"
Being in Germany has offered us some great traveling opportunities, and we have had some wonderful trips throughout Germany, Austria and Italy (Dolomite's)
Now the ski season started and we are enjoying it so much as a family as the kids continue to improve everyday. Erik is obsessed with snowboarding, but we are trying to keep his mind focused on skiing!! We have a pass for Allgaeu area (560 km of runs) and are loving the variety. Max & Penny bought touring skis here, and have already had some great adventures.
We hope all our family and friends have had a wonderful year, and we wish you all the best for a merry Christmas and happy and healthy 2010.
Slide-show of 2009 pictures
(about 300, take your time)
X-alps video slide-show
Bike ride to Kindergarten
Erik Snowboarding
Hike & Fly at Hahnenkamm
Flight in the Dolomite's
