Leavenworth, Washington

While we were on vacation in Plain, Washington I forgot to tell you about my day trips with the kids to Leavenworth!!! Leavenworth is about 30 mins from Plain and is a faux Bavarian Village! And ALL the businesses play along, even the gas stations look Bavarian and all the signs have the Bavarian lettering! Even McDonalds! It was so special, the first day we went there we had a good walk around and peeked in all the shop windows!

The next day I took the kids back to Leavenworth and we danced in the band rotunda, then went out to lunch at a 50's style diner just out of town! Some people might wonder how I got on taking three young kids to the diner on my own, but I managed! it was certainly a busy morning! 

Out and about in Seattle!

The houseboats remind me of "Sleepless in Seattle"!

I'm the king of the world!

Best  view of Seattle skyline from Gas Works Park!

This was written on a church I was walking by! So cool!

Hanging on a tree that I walked past!

Cool street where all us au pairs met up in a cafe for our cluster meeting 

haha Drive up diner menu - right in front of your windscreen, you just look at it then put your car headlights on and someone comes to take your order! It feels very strange!

Then they bring your food out on a little tray that clips to the window on your car, so you eat inside your car with your food outside the car on the tray! haha

I was impressed with the tray!

Plain, Washington

So we are on vacation! The family described it to me as a "cabin", however it would be more accurate to describe it as a 5 star resort hotel! hahah this place is amazing, just check out the photos! So far we have had some great weather and some not so great weather, but it is so cool being away with the kids and going sledding and exploring everyday!

Super Au Pair to the Rescue!

There are times when you never know what you will end up doing with the kids! Take today for example, Kianna, the 5 year old girl I look after who has down syndrome, went to the toilet by herself then locked the door and couldn't open it again!! It was just a simple turning of a little button, but it is different from the ones at home where they are just a push, and I think it really confused her when she came to open the door! So I was talking to her through the door and trying to explain what to do in a very simple manner, but she did not understand what I was saying! So I drew her a picture of the door handle and the bit to turn and slid it under the door for her to see, she said that she understood what to do but the poor thing was still confused and became very hysterical!

Luckily I am very calm under pressure, and I tried to see if there was a way to unlock the door from my side without needing tools, there wasn't, so I went and got something to calm down Kianna, I gave her the paper bakery bag with the remaining half of a large pretzel I had got them earlier in the day. I stuck it under the door so she could happily munch away while I fetched tools. As it is a holiday house, I could not find a screw driver at all, but I found a pair of scissors, a thin piece of plastic and a swiss army knife! I removed the doorknob to the point that I could unlock it from my side, I opened the door to find Kianna happy as larry eating her pretzel! I was so happy that she was ok and not too panicked, and I was so pleased that I had the skills to get the doorknob off, without breaking or damaging the door! Super Au Pair Gina to the rescue! haha Kianna has learnt now that there will be no more locked bathroom doors! :):)

A cute afternote: A few hours later, I went to the toilet, and locked the door, then I saw these little fingers sticking under the door and Kianna called "Pretzel! Pretzel!". She was offering me a pretend pretzel while I was locked in the bathroom! Sooo cute!!! haha :)

Family Vacation

This week, because it is President's day and mid term break, the children are off on vacation. Tomorrow we will leave to go to Plain, Washington - a small ski town a few hours east of Seattle. Close to Plain is a replica Bavarian village called Leavenworth (http://www.leavenworth.org/), it looks soooo quaint and cute! I hope I will be able to go there - it will depend on the amount of snow on the roads.

While we are away, my host family parents will go skiing with the older children and I will look after the younger ones. The family will be skiing at Steven's Pass, which was on the news today as 3 experienced skiers were killed in an avalanche there! It was a little shocking considering we are going there tomorrow! I think the news has shaken the two boys a little bit.

Here is a link to the news article http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57381225/washington-avalanche-kills-3-veteran-skiers/ . I am still excited about going on a roadtrip and seeing this winter wonderland, but I do really pray that the family remains safe!

Oooooh Decadence!

Making scones with the twins!

My lovely bakery dessert today - Lemon Brioche and Blueberries! (From the amazing Essential Bakery)

The American Experience!

This week I have been doing some distinctly American things!! Haha. I realised the other day that I have not eaten fast food since I have arrived here in the States! So I decided to go out for lunch to a well recommended Seattle burger place called Dick's Burgers (http://www.ddir.com/), it's the old-style drive up burger joint that you see in the old movies! You just drive up, park, go to the window and they give you the meal - there is nowhere to sit at all, you have to eat in your car! I didn't realise that they would not have a place to sit to "eat-in" so I walked awkwardly back to my car with my milkshake and little bag with my burger and fries. I had high expectations of the burger, since even the banker when I set up my bank account had raved about the burgers! I ate it and it was nice, nothing particularly special! In fact, it didn't have any tomato sauce, and I kind of missed the tomato sauce! However, to their credit the fries and milkshake were very nice!

Then, later that night I went to my first college basketball game!! I went with a couple of the other au pairs from our cluster. It was the Washington Huskies vs. the Arizona State Sun Devils. As it was a home game for the Washington Huskies, the fans, locals, and University of Washington students were out in force! The stadium was huge and pretty much packed! Everyone was decked out in the team colour - purple! The national anthem was sung, the cheerleaders were performing, the band were playing, the television crews were busily running their cameras around, there were young boys who were given the honour of polishing the floor every time there was a pause in the game. The atmosphere was alive and vocal, but in a very welcoming and positive way. The Huskies won, whoohoo!

I was very impressed with the high turn out of people, I like the way that the Americans stay interested and involved in their local high schools and colleges by attending games and supporting teams like this. It is something  that fosters community and celebration, which is great! I can't say I paid much attention to the game itself, but I know that the Huskies won and that's all that matters!

University of Washington for the win!

Getting ready! Huge stadium!

Close up on the happenings - the camera crews, the players, the cheerleaders!

Au pairs unite!

They did this every time the Huskies were about to do a penalty shot, it was like the anticipation signal

He shoots, he scores!

The crowd erupts into claps and cheers!