Finn's first Day back at school

We had a fun summer with lots of adventures and lots of traveling and seeing family and playing with friends. 

But we were looking forward to getting back into a routine and Finn especially was looking forward to going back to "school". As I had explained in a post a few months ago - it is not school, it is playgroup and Finn absolutely loves it. He has already found some friends and loves to go every day.

Yeah, I am ready!

Here is my name button for my first day!

And I brought my crocodile on my first day

That was fun!

Bubbles

Probably one of our favorite activities in the past months has been blowing bubbles. Finn and Lilly just love it and the neighborhood kids keep stopping by to blow some bubbles with them.

Lilly has the blowing bubbles thing down - she just pours all the liquid usually

She really knows how to do it

This was a windy day and the boys just stood on top of the slide and held out the bubble stuff - the wind blew bubbles on its own

End of Summer Hurray

I am back to work now 50% or 20 hours per week and I really enjoy it. Finn goes to school, but unfortunately they only take kids starting 2.5 preferably 3 years old. Which leaves Lilly. In order to be able to work I found an inhouse childcare option for Lilly here in Alberschwende. The concept is called "Tagesmutter" and Lilly spends 3 mornings at Ingrid's house. Ingrid is one of several Tagesmuttis in Alberschwende and she currently takes care of 3 children. Lilly loves to spend time at her house and has a new friend called Marie her age.

In the summer Finn's school was closed, but he was lucky that he could also spend some time at Ingrid's house. It was super fun as Ingrid has 3 bigger kids of her own which were there during the summer and also several other kids she takes care off. They had a blast! On their last day of vacation I baked them chocolate muffins and they had an awesome day - last hurray of summer!

My kids are to short to play tablefussball - so the big kids put it on the floor for them.

Having a discussion in the kitchen with Ingrid

That day Ingrid had 8 kids (including her 3 kids) eating muffins - what a fun round

Lilly goes on the big swing there

Reading books in the kitchen with their friends

Alptag in Alberschwende

Also in Alberschwende where we live the cows were coming home from the mountains - a week later than in Mellau. We went to enjoy the festivities with my sister Marion and my niece Alissia.

Always on September 15th 3 different Alpen come home and gather in Alberschwende. 

Alberschwende is their last stop on their long walk home and all the cows are being gathering at the town square and from there the farmers come to get them - if they have not passed their home on the walk to Alberschwende already. You can hear them from far and it sounds like thunder. The cows wear big bells and once they arrived the noise is really loud.

In between arrivals, there was a nice music playing and good food served. The kids got dressed up in their Austrian jackets, hats and wooden shoes and enjoyed the show.

Finn with his hat, knitted jacket and wooden shoes. He also brought his own cow - just in case!

Lilly got very excited.

The first Alpe arriving in Alberschwende

Finn got to sit at the horse carriage

My sister is a horse fan and got Finn to pet the horses

The herd of cows at the town square

Having a drink at the town fountain

If everything went well during the summer, the cows get decorated with flowers

The last Alpe had arrived in Alberschwende

Baby Lara

Yeah, Finn and Lilly got a new cousin. Baby Lara was born on September 11th and is the youngest daughter of my brother. Now Finn and Lilly have the baby fever and love visiting her. It also increased their interest in playing with dolls a lot and Finn and I are having lots of talks about big bellies and babies :-)

Cute baby Lara.

Lilly always wants to touch and hold her

Danceclass for Lilly

Although Lilly is only 1.5 years old - we went to our first dance class. I know it is early, but it is not that serious and it is mostly about moving and having fun.

My dad's cousin Nicole is a dance teacher and we had seen her several times over the summer. She usually teaches a little kids class (2-4 year olds) and she recommended that Lilly should try it. She thought that she would enjoy it - and she did.

On Thursday mornings only Lilly and I have our special outing and we go to dance class. It is really sweet and she is having fun. It is also something special to do for just Lilly and me. Usually it is always the 3 of us (Finn, Lilly and me) and I am glad we get to do something just the girls.

And of course I had to buy her a little outfit :-)

She looked just too cute in it.

Sunrise in Alberschwende

Fall in Austria is beautiful. Here are several sunrise pictures from our kitchen window.

Alptag in Mellau

Each year the cows in Austria spend their summer on the moutains. From late June to early September they live at the Alpe together with the cows from several other farmers. When they come down at the end of summer it is always a big celebration called Alpabtrieb.

On September 8th all the cows from the Alpen in Mellau came down and we went to see my brother and his family as they live in Mellau.

Alptag in Mellau is fun and the kids had a blast.

All dressed up in dirndl, Lederhosen and hats

One of the Alpe entering Mellau

Ben and Lilly look great in their hats

We went to the playground in between and Finn liked to jump off this log

Finn is wearing the dirndl of her godmother (30 years old)

Also Hannah looked cute in her dirndl

The kids waiting for the cows

It is never too early for a beer

The cows wear big bells and are nicely decorated with flowers

Ice Cream with Oma and Uroma

This week fall is officially going to start (unofficially it has already started a few weeks ago).

But whenever we get a nice day we try to extend summer for as long as possible.

A few weeks ago Finn, Lilly and I took their grandmother and their great-grandmother out for some ice cream. 

Finn and his bee ice cream

Lilly also got her own bee ice cream

My grandmother - the kids great-grandmother really loves ice cream

Walk in Alberschwende

Usually on Fridays Ben is off work and we do something fun with the kids, but this week he had to work and we were home with no car. So we decided to go on our own little adventure with our stroller.

We packed up our stuff and walked to the playground near the soccer fields in Alberschwende. Usually this is not such a long walk, but there is road construction going on and we had to take a little detour. On the way there it was fine, but coming home it was getting close to lunch time and they got a little cranky...

On the walk there we stopped at my cousins house. Unfortunately she was not home but we picked some yummy raspberries from the bushes in her garden and they kept us happy for a little while. 

At the playground we enjoyed the slides and the big monkey swing. And after a snack we decided to join the soccer training that was going on at the fields next to the playground. Finn and Lilly loved kicking the soccer balls and Finn told me: "You are the trainer and you need to tell me what to do." I think I need to look for a soccer team for him.

On the walk home we stopped at the chicken farm to say hi to the chickens. They have a nice life there with big fields around the barn where they can roam.

And on the last stretch we picked some pears from our neighbors tree and the kids at them.

Overall: good exercise for mom and lots to see and do for the kids.

The stroller is big enough for both kids and holds lots of stuff in the back

Our neighbors pear tree with lots of juicy pears on it (already as a kid I ate the pears from there)

Happy chicken

Lilly and Finn like the chicken farm

Hiking in Hittisau

Last Sunday we took a little hike with the kids. We found a loop that was not too long and we could bring our stroller in case the kids did not want to walk - well, they sat in it for most of the time :-)

We drove to Hittisau and parked at the Almhotel Hochhaederich (check it out, I might be back for a Wellness day). At the hotel they have a great playground and lots of animals in the fields around: horses, sheep, cows, goats. After having a look around we started our tour. We walked on a nice gravel path through a pretty landscape. There were some gates for the cows that we had to open and close or climb over, which was rather difficult with our stroller, and only the cow poop was a problem once.

We passed several Alphuts, but decided to stop at the hotel again to have lunch. 

Interesting about this loop is that it starts in Austria, goes into Germany and ends in Austria again.

The kids enjoyed their ride

To bypass one of the cowgates, they had this cool bridge

Fall Flowers

We liked to look at the cows

Lunch was yummy and we finished all after our hike

Outside the hotel the had these fun go carts 

The one for 3 was great