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7/23/2002 10:20:00 PM
Boulder Creek, CA
In the Santa Cruz mountains and the redwood forrest

February-March-April 2002

The weather was miserable as was our health. One of us was always sick, either the boys or me - Robert "Thank God" kept well, probably because he is gone Monday to Thursday anyways

Hallo everybody,

Yes, the Schmids are still doing their reports, with the exception that they are not "monthly" anymore....SORRY. Well I tried to send at least this one out before I went on my 4 week vacation to Austria in June, but somehow it was the last chore on my "To do list" - and got left behind. Now that I am back I am trying to put it on top of my list and make it a priority to finally translate the last half year German reports into English. Most of you know what has been going on anyways so there is not much news left, but I need to do them for our records so I might as well just sent them off to you too - your choice if you'll read them. Let's get started, I only have 2 hours until the boys are back from their play date!:

February to April were rather quiet and so therefore I had not written a report every month anyways. The weather was miserable as was our health. One of us was always sick, either the boys or me - Robert "Thank God" kept well, probably because he is gone Monday to Thursday anyways. None of us had anything serious but always enough to stay at home and cancel all our activities. When my friend Hemma got phenomena during our ski trip to Tahoe the end of January, I think I had talked to early about me never being sick.... I came down twice with a pretty bad cold and flu, just laying down on the couch doing nothing at ALL, something I haven't had in a long time and are not used to. Benjamin and Sebastian both had the flu, ear infections and so on - NOT FUN!

Mid March we had decided to go one more time skiing for this season, since we had so much fun in January and wanted to put Sebastian on skis again. Benjamin is old enough to go to the daycare center and Sebastian would have taken skiing lessons, so that Robert and I would have had a couple of hours to ourselves on the slopes. We rented a very nice apartment with views of the mountains, right at the ski lifts - unfortunately I got to see more of the inside as I wanted. I had been sick the week before, so I wanted to relax and read a bit on Saturday and go skiing on Sunday. Well Friday night Benjamin came down with a very high fever and was miserable all weekend, he did not want to eat, sleep or even watch TV - no need to say more. The only "good" thing was that it snowed really hard both days and I would not have enjoyed skiing in that type of weather anyways. For Robert it was heaven, lots of powder and very few people. Since we lived right at the slopes he came back every couple of hours to take care of us. Sebastian day at ski school day was not successful either since he had no fun with all that wind and the teacher decided to put him into daycare... So all well intended plans did not work out and on Sunday we decided to take Benjamin to the doctors up in Kirkwood, since his fever would not come down at all (they are more used to broken arms and feet - but tried to give their best) - he gave us some medicine and once back home I took him to see our doctor. Anyways the whole irony is that Robert had not wanted to go skiing again and I had to convince him, with the outcome that he had the best two snowboard days in a long time!!!! How does he always get so lucky?!?!?!?!

Looking at my calendar there is really not much more to tell about those months. Even early April was rather slow, the weather and our health improved drastically. There were a few things to do in and around the house and prepare for my moms visit, so I can enjoy the time without doing too much. Mid April we did our quarterly babysitting exchange with our friends Hemma and Christoph. One weekend our kids were there and the weekend after Lucas and Mia stayed with us. It really helps a lot to have a few days by ourselves and regenerate our energy. Hemma and I both said that the days without them lets you almost forget you have children, no agenda to meal plans, no noise,.... We all enjoy those weekends and look forward to repeat it in fall, once we are all back from Austria. Robert and I get especially spoiled since we also will have a weekend away once my mom is here, more about that in the next report. This time we stayed at home and enjoyed the house "alone", and the time together, something we really needed. With Robert gone during the week, the weekend is so busy with things to do around the house and all the social activities, that there is hardly and time left for family or the two of us. He also is hoping to pick up more on paragliding again, he hasn't been flying since our weeks vacation in October, and is going to attend a competition the end of May.

As you already read my mom is here on her annual visit, already spent 2 weeks in Temecula with her sister and the two of them took a nice 2 day drive up the coast, arriving last Friday in Boulder Creek. Jimmy came up by plane on Saturday and we had a wonderful get-together. Maura and Bob joined us for a Paella dinner and afterwards a movie at the home theater (that is almost finished!). Sunday morning Barbie and Jimmy started their drive back south, and even though it was only a very short visit, it is always such a nice time and special memories with them. Hopefully they will be able to come up again sometime this summer, even with my cousin and her family. My mom and I had a very relaxed first week, we did not do too much, besides the usual kids activities (pre-school, gym, music, hockey,...) and enjoyed the time at the house. It also is her 7th visit and most everything has been seen and done the last years. She really is enjoying the garden and pond this year, now that it is ready (we were re-building it last time she was here). Thursday she left with the Austrian friends to go up to Mount Shasta for her spiritual festival and they plan to come back on Monday.

I hope I'll be able to send my next report the end of May, once my mom has left and before I will go off with the boys on a 4 week trip to Austria! I am finally going home after 1 1/2 years and for the first time in 4 years in summer! I am so much looking forward to it and will let you know all the details later.

So long and enjoy your days,

Love Niki,  Robert, Sebastian und Benjamin -  and all the animals

PS There are two more highlights in Roberts calendar that I certainly cannot miss in this report. Number one his visit to the Olympic games in Salt Lake City in February and a night with the stars and the Grammy award show, where most of you have received his own personal report... very funny.

He had spent just Sunday in Salt Lake to see a Hockey game, he managed to sneak into the Austrian quarters to have a real coffee. The game was really good, big crowed and lots of fun, something one doesn't get to see very often. He already was at the Olympic games in Austria when he was a little boy, but way to young to remember the spirit and fun there. To catch his flight home he had to leave the game early but did not seem to have missed much, certainly a day to remember this time!

PPS I hope to send the May and June report tonight so that I will be up to date again with the German ones!!!!!

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