Last week at this time...

This is what we were doing last week. We didn't know what we were getting into when the people at the hotel suggested we visit a nearby hot springs. It ended up being quite a resort. We were a little disappointed having imagined lounging in a natural rock lined pool overlooking the ocean (I'm not sure why we thought that, but we did). Anyway, to make up for the disappointment we got massages for the kids. The girls doing the massages thought it was hilarious. They said something to Hieu that she had a hard time translating for us. It was something like, "They say your children are... well I don't know the word in English, something like they get whatever they want..."

I told her the word she was looking for was "spoiled". So she learned a new word, the kids got massages, and we ended up enjoying the not so natural hot springs after all. Well worth the $2.50 US we spent.

This is what we're doing this week. We have come back to a world of white. White roads, white sky, white grass. The sun and massages seem a world away (which they are, I suppose). We have spent a lot of time inside since we're seriously lacking in snow gear. But, yesterday, when the sun was shining a wee bit the kids ventured outside to make a snowman. The snow didn't pack so well since it was covered with a layer of ice so they made a snow slide instead. It was a serious blow to hear that there was no way they'd be allowed to slide down the greenhouse roof. We'll try to take them sledding today.