Around here lately.

How we spend the winter days around here...

 

Michael has been in the habit of late, of trying on Mama and Papa's shoes and going "shopping" or to "see" one of his friends. Quite comical.

 He anxiously awaits the day when Dominic can play trucks and trains with him.

 Michael's concerned face, as he tells us Dominic is "cwying."

 I got out last week for a little hike with our Canadian friends, the Bifferts. Very chilly, but great exercise, and I was glad to be shown the local hiking trails!

 Hiking mamas - thankful for good conversations.

 At the top of the hills, overlooking the valley that is home to Trumau and its surrounding towns.

 

 Hiking huts, or "huttes", are interspersed along the hiking routes here in Austria. Inside we found a cozy warmth from a wood stove, and food and drinks, if we wanted them.

 My hiking buddy - I see you taking yet another picture of me, Mama.

A bit of refreshment - apple pear wine.

Last week there was quite a bit of talk of imminent snow; here is Michael checking for flurries...

 We do lots of reading, especially before bedtime, with Mama balancing a babe on each leg or arm.

 Sometimes we watch instrumental, song, ice skating, or dance clips on YouTube. Here we are watching my favorite oldie tap dancer, the amazing Eleanor Powell. Seriously, check her out if you haven't seen any of her dancing!

 Just chilling. So serious most of the time.

 

 And yes, the snow began this past weekend, along with weather in the "teens's"! I wasn't minding the dry spell, but I know Andrew and Michael were anticipating some snow play this winter, so for their sake I was glad to see it arrive. We are supposed to be getting more throughout this week.

We hope you are all staying warm in your perspective areas and are enjoying the winter season!

Sunday outing.

Photos from 2 weeks ago...we took a small day trip to the westerly side of Vienna. We first attended Mass at the beautiful Votive church (first time there) - it's mixture of Gothic arches, stained glass and wall frescos made for an impressive combination.

These big stone churches get very cold during the winter; we were thankful to find that the seats are heated - nevertheless, we all remained bundled up for the entirety of Mass.

We then drove out to a large hill on the outskirts of Vienna, called the Kahlenburg. This hill is home to numerous trails, parks, and cafes. Despite the cold, many people were out for a walk, including elderly folk. It is inspiring to see people of all ages set aside time for routine exercise and outdoor exposure here. The boys were sleeping so we didn't get out of the car. I was glad to scope out this place for future hiking reference though.

On the other side of the Kahlenburg lies the town of Klosterneuburg, which is right on the banks of the Danube and is home to a 900 year-old Augustinian monastery. We stopped for a brief visit.

Michael enjoyed the mini playground on the monastery grounds.

As we did not purchase the full tour ticket, we could not get into the main section of the church. What we could see was gorgeous!!