Clayton & Co.

Come along

2010-11-07T19:08:00.001-08:00

Somehow a lot of people missed the link for our new blog in the last post. You can find us here. Sorry for the confusion.

Closing the book

2010-10-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

We boarded our flight with much more confidence than we had two years earlier. With our kids now being seasoned travelers the only worry was how in the world I was going to endure the long flight 32 weeks pregnant. Luckily I had my doctor's note in hand, otherwise I'm not sure they would have even let me on the airplane. I was out of my seat more than Henry and after about a dozen trips to the bathroom in the first 5 hours of the flight, I stopped counting. I'm sure the other passengers were a bit annoyed.

We were lucky to be able to fly in an upgraded class (in between Economy and Business), so we had more room and the seats reclined farther back. That said, none of the kids slept until about 45 minutes before we landed. It was at this point that Ruby and Henry conked out and couldn't be aroused. I can't really blame them seeing as how it was about 9pm Swiss time. Unfortunately, neither one of them was too happy to be woken up in order to deplane. They were both in tears and refused to walk. Pete and I had no choice but to pick them up and carry them along with our carry on bags and theirs. I know angels must have been holding me up because that's the only way my large belly and I could have endured any extra baggage.

When we finally arrived at the passport line Ruby was hysterical. I'm sure we were quite the scene as she cried and screamed to get back on a plane and return to Switzerland. Her tears only served to work Henry up as well and Pete and I were desperately working to calm them both down. After getting our passports stamped we were sniffed out by an airport dog who discovered we had an apple in our bag (whoops!). We were then rejected and sent over to the customs line where we had to send all 10 of our bags and carry-ons through another scanner. We finally made it out to the curb where our favorite driver was waiting to load us up into his gigantic van.

Pete and the kids at the start of our flight from Paris

Henry happy to have his own TV screen

Our first week in America was a bit rough. We stayed in a hotel for four nights, my brother's house for 2 nights and my parents' house for two nights. The kids complained and cried every day that they wanted to move back, especially Henry. We did our best to show them all of the perks of America that they had forgotten: the beach, the weather, family, friends, Disneyland, eating out....the list goes on, but they were not to be swayed at this point. We finished up the month of May with the following:

The happiest place on Earth

Autopia

Big Thunder Mountain

Henry's birthday

Memorial Day breakfast with cousins

Four months have now passed since our move from Switzerland. In that time we have moved three times and added baby number four to our family. We have gone against everything I know and had a schedule-free summer. The kids went to bed later than usual and had sleepovers with cousins. We hit the beach and the pool more than a pregnant/new mother should. I took a long hiatus from cooking and we ate out too many times. We soaked in as much time with family and friends as was humanly possible. The kids started school and were amazed at how well they could understand everything.

Life has definitely continued for us but we are finding that we are different. I remember when I arrived in Switzerland a friend there told me that when I moved back I wouldn't be the same and I would always miss it. At the time I laughed and told Pete she was crazy. Funny thing is, she was dead on. I am changed, as is our entire family, but it is for the better. We still miss Switzerland...just yesterday Henry was asking me when we could move back there. Even with all of the amazing things here that he has come to love, he still thinks of it as home.

It is with these thoughts that I bring this blog to a close. The whole reason for this blog was to chronicle our adventures in Switzerland. Now it is time to move on. If you'd like to continue following our family, check us out at www.1swissmiss.blogspot.com. I will promise monthly updates on our family with perhaps a little bit more here and there. For the next month I will leave this blog up and then it will become private as I continue working on my blog to book. Thanks for following us on our journey. It was one heck of a ride. In the words of Tolkien:

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

The End

Last Hurrah

2010-10-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Instead of flying right out, we checked into a hotel for three nights in order to catch the Monday (less expensive for Pete's company) flight. We used our last weekend in Switzerland to visit Lake Geneva and eat gelato one last time. We also visited a park right around the corner from our house to play and meet up with friends for a picnic dinner. Finally, we attended church in Geneva for the last time and had the pleasure of eating one last Swiss meal (raclette) with friends. I wasn't great at taking pictures (too busy crying I guess), so the links provide a few more visuals.

Ruby on the trampoline

Alex flying high

Ruby chasing down her brothers on a four-wheeler

The boys in the lead

Alex

Ruby

photo courtesy of Henry

Last day of School

2010-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

When I complained last year about school getting out so late (July 2nd), who knew that this year the kids would be ending extra early? Their last day of school was our last day in our house so it was quite emotional. There were tears every time a neighbor stopped by to say goodbye. There were more tears when the kids said goodbye to their teachers and friends. It is really hard to leave a place and the people there when chances are you will not be returning.

The kids with their favorite crossing guard. He was so much fun. He often was hiding behind the bushes and would jump out to scare the kids as they came around the corner. On Halloween he was even wearing a crazy monster mask.

Traversez!

Henry with his teachers-Dominique and Valentina

Ruby with her teacher Laura

Alex with his teacher Sylvie. This was an extra hard goodbye because she had been his teacher for two years. She was the one who helped him in those early days of learning French.

Evan, Elliott and Alex
The boys of Chemin Raulan

Packing up

2010-08-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Once again, we watched as the moving company packed up our entire house. It was crazy as the kids were finishing their last days at school, I was trying to sell our Swiss appliances, visiting my OB to get a written permission slip to fly, showing the house to potential renters and tying up any other loose ends.

They packed a lot differently in Switzerland...

...with lots of bubble wrap! You can see the enormous roll of it in this picture.

Instead of carrying everything down multiple flights of stairs they got creative. They handed it over the second floor balcony to the waiting men outside in the backyard.

They were also creative with boxes. You can see that they used boxes and tapes to "wrap" up our kitchen table and chairs.

The kids didn't seem to mind. When they came home from school it was lunchtime as usual.

And no I don't always serve froot loops for lunch...only on special occasions.

Here is the gigantic truck that pulled in ready for all of our things

There was barely enough room to fit our van. 4 inches to be exact.

Chez Clayton

2010-08-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Before the movers came and started emptying the house, I went around and took some pictures. This post is mostly just for me so that I can remember our house in Switzerland.

Front door/Family room

Family room/view of backyard

Looking from Family room to Dining room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Upstairs hall (Alex's room on left, master straight ahead)

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

Alex's room

Henry's room

View from balcony into backyard

Upstairs bathroom

Attic/Playroom/Ruby's room

Going Away Party

2010-08-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

On one of our last days in Switzerland, my good friend Toni (her son Ethan is Alex's best friend) had a party for Alex and Ruby. She decorated with red, white and blue and made some amazing cupcakes (see below). She had each of the kids make a card and then took lots of pictures. The next day she had all of it put together in an amazing book that the kids loved. It was a lot of fun mixed with sadness...we were really closing in on the end of our Swiss experience.

Alex, Ruby and their friends from school

Cupcakes with Swiss and American flags

Ethan and Alex

Elliott and Alex

Basile and Alex

Manon and Ruby

Ruby, Elie and Carolina

Henry and Todd

Celebrating with Pete

2010-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to celebrate one more of Pete's birthdays in Switzerland.
This time we had candles.
Check out this post to see how much the kids have changed.

For a belated present we headed back over to the Adventure Park as promised

Alex was able to do some harder courses since Pete was with him.
Pete was also able to get some better pictures since he was at the same level as Alex.

I love this picture of Henry looking up at Alex.
It gives you a better idea of how high up he was.

Pete said there were a couple of challenges for Alex because his legs weren't quite long enough.
I'm impressed that he didn't chicken out so high off the ground.

Hooked on and ready to zip

There are a couple of courses that are only for 16 yrs and older.
We talked Pete into going on one. Here he is at the start of his course.

Ruby did a couple more challenging courses her second time as well

Here are a bunch of short clips of Pete and the kids

More than chocolate

2010-07-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are probably familiar with Toblerone chocolate. What they might not know is that there is a line of 2,700 9-ton concrete blocks in the shape of Toblerone chocolate that was built during WWII to stop tank invasions. The Toblerone line starts in Bassins and follows a 10 km (about 6 miles) path all the way down to Lake Geneva. We discovered it early on while living in Switzerland and wanted to hike the trail that follows the line. It was one of those things that we always talked about doing but kept putting off.

With few chances left and day after day of lousy weather, we decided if we wanted to do it, it would have to be in the rain. On one of our last Saturdays in Switzerland, we put on our rain boots and coats and headed out to hike a small portion of the line. It was extremely muddy and slippery in parts but it was also green and beautiful.

Alex, Henry, Pete and Ruby at the start of our hike

Henry and Alex staying dry

Along the way Alex found some of these. If you can't tell what it is look closer...

...it's a giant snail! I didn't know snails this big existed. Gross.

Is it possible to be pregnant and fashionable in rain gear?
Only if your rain boots have cherries on them.

Finally discovering the Toblerone Line

Kids on a wire

2010-07-26T11:25:00.001-07:00

Sadly, weeks before we left Switzerland, we discovered this great ropes course for ages 4 and up. One weekend while Pete was out of town, I took the kids along with Alex's friend Jack to try it out. It was a huge hit and the kids made me promise to return with Pete.

Jack and Alex getting ready to go

Alex and Jack at the start of their first course

There were different levels of difficulty with varying heights

All of the courses eventually led into this really cool wooded area

It's hard to tell in these pictures but Alex is pretty high off the ground

Ruby getting ready for her first run

She is so fearless and it was funny to see her impatience with older kids in front of her that were going slow

Alex on one of the many zip lines

Ruby's turn on the zip line

Tulips at last

2010-07-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

After waiting and waiting, the tulips finally came

As always, they were beautiful

A little piece of heaven on earth

You can tell by our attire that the weather still hadn't warmed up even though May had arrived

Weather aside, we were happy to enjoy the tulips with Pete's sister Jane and her husband Clark

Our kids were in heaven to have more guests and we were sad they could only stay a few days with us

More sights close to home

2010-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

We love the city of Nyon. Not only is it where Pete works, but it is right on the lake and only a 15 minute drive from our house. On one of our last nights together before everyone left for the States, we decided to take the family there to look around and eat at one of our favorite restaurants, La Croix Verte. They have a French chocolate lava cake (called a moelleux) that is amazing.

Jeff and Marge

My parents, me, Charlene

Alexander girls

Charlene and Christina
Eating out at La Croix Verte

Christina and Marge

Papa Jeff and Ruby

Tommy enjoying some Hawaiian pizza

Alex went a little more French with his chicken cordon bleu

Henry walking the streets of Nyon with Papa Jeff

A view of Lake Geneva at sunset

Telepherique

2010-07-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just across the border into France, you can ride a cable car (telepherique) up to Mont Saleve to get a great view of Geneva. After Alex's baptism, Pete took his parents along with Alex, Charlene and Tommy to try it out. Unfortunately for them, the view wasn't as clear as they would have liked due to the erupting volcano in Iceland. Nevertheless, they said the ride up was cool and the view was still pretty amazing.

Darn that volcano!

Tommy and Alex

Grammy Margie

Pete and his Dad

Charlene and Tommy

A view of the cable lines back down the mountain

Alex's Special Day

2010-07-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

On April 17th, Alex was baptized in Geneva, Switzerland and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was such a great day shared with family and friends, including Alex's best friend from school that Alex invited. His baptism will be another reason why Switzerland will have a special place in my heart.

Besides the baptism and the confirmation, a highlight for me was Ruby singing a solo. You can listen to the song she sang here. Although she had practiced, when we arrived at the church that morning she was so nervous she told me she wasn't going to do it. Right before it was her turn, she whispered in my ear that she was fine and would go ahead with it. It was so sweet and I wish I had it on tape. Afterward she told me the reason she sang was because she wanted Alex to know that she loved him. Those are words that melt a mother's heart!

Alex with mom and dad

Our family before the baptism

Alex and his best friend Ethan

Alex and Bishop Mongillo

Alex and Tommy

Ruby, Tommy and Alex in front of our church building in Geneva

Tommy and Alex ready to take off their ties and play

the Pete Clayton family

Aunt Charlene, Tommy, Christina, Pete, Henry, Ruby, Alex, Mama Linda and Papa John

Grammy Margie, Christina, Pete, Henry, Ruby, Alex and Papa Jeff

Alex with his Clayton grandparents

Alex with his Alexander grandparents

A Swiss Dinner Experience

2010-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

For a fun night out, we decided to take our family to the Edelweiss restaurant in Geneva. It is a huge tourist trap but it is really fun. They have traditional music and food including fondue and roschti. It was a late night for the kids since it doesn't open until 7pm, but they had a blast. I've included some videos below for your listening enjoyment.

Charlene, Tommy and Alex

Fondue, mmmm

Christina and Ruby

Serenading with the alpenhorn

It's not everyday you get to hear an accordion player

Henry taking a turn on the alpenhorn

Alex was quite good at it

Annecy take 5

2010-07-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

We love the city of Annecy, France so every time we have visitors we take them there. On this trip we had Marge and Jeff (Pete's parents) along with Charlene, Tommy and my mom and dad. Missing in this picture is Marge who was our photographer for the day.

We happened to go on a day that they were having a street market. The produce was beautiful and Marge took more pictures than were possible to post.

Check out these huge artichokes

Tommy and Charlene with the prison in the background

Charlene and Christina

Christina and Papa Jeff

Papa John and Mama Linda

Papa Jeff and Grammy Margie

Christina and Tommy in front of the statue by the cathedral

Tommy in the doorway of the cathedral

Our first view of the cathedral without scaffolding

This yellow building is one of my favorites

The canal leading to the lake

Lake Annecy

Me and Mom

Me with my parents

Me with my in-laws

Papa Jeff and Grammy Margie

2nd Grade Camp

2010-06-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure a lot of Americans are familiar with 6th grade camp. Basically for one week (Monday through Friday) you go with multiple 6th grade classes to a camp. You sleep and eat there and do various activities throughout the week. If you decide not to go, that doesn't mean you get a week off of school. Usually you have to stay behind and go to school with the 5 graders for a week.

I myself am a graduate of 6th grade camp and think it was my first time away from my parents.
Thus I was a little surprised when Alex came home with a letter explaining that his 2nd grade class would be going to camp for half a week. Much like 6th grade camp, they would be spending the night, eating all of their meals there and doing activities with another 2nd grade class in a neighboring village. On the last night, there was even going to be a dance! If they didn't go, they had to stay behind at school with the 1st graders.

Maybe it's because Alex is my first, or maybe it's just me, but I felt like Alex was way too young for all of the above. Luckily for Alex, Pete was on his side and thought it would be lots of fun. We ended up compromising and he went all day until dinnertime and then we would pick him up. In the mornings after breakfast we would drop him off again to spend the day with his schoolmates.

He was a little nervous the first day, but by the time I picked him up he was not happy to be the only kid going home. He spent time playing ping pong, reading, playing soccer (in the mud) and even constructed a fort out of wood. Below you can see pictures of the building they stayed in and the surrounding grounds. For Alex, it was another reason why Switzerland is awesome.

Back to Chamonix

2010-06-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

When we visited Chamonix for the first time it was a hot August day. Heading back there in early April I wasn't expecting to have very nice weather. Fortunately for my family it was a gorgeous, sunny day.

Tommy, Ruby and Henry

We headed to the train station to make our way up to the glacier

Buddies on the train

Christina and Ruby

My mom and I opted to stay at the top of the mountain with Henry.
Charlene, my dad, Tommy and Ruby took the gondola and then walked the 350 steps down to the glacier. I was proud of Ruby who did it all on her own this time without being carried one step. If you look closely at this picture you will see the gondolas and some of the steps heading down to the glacier.

Tommy and Ruby down at the glacier

Inside the glacier

I double-dog dare you...

Behind Ruby you can see part of the stairs down to the glacier

Another shot looking down at the glacier. It's quite a hike...especially coming back up!

Charlene and Tommy ready to take the train back down

Papa John and Mama Linda

Christina, Henry, Ruby and Tommy

The group minus myself getting off the train

Papa John and Mama Linda in the center of Chamonix

Papa John and Henry in front of the train station

One last memory of Chamonix

If you look at the inside of this restaurant,

you probably wouldn't guess that it is actually a...

McDonalds!
This was probably one of our last visits to a McDonalds' restaurant.
I am so burnt out on McDonalds that I can't imagine taking my family there for the next 5-10 years!

Olympics

2010-06-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

After checking out Lausanne, we took a quick metro ride to the neighboring city of Ouchy (pronounced oo-shee). It is right on the lake front and is so beautiful. It is also home to the Olympic Museum and the headquarters of the IOC.

Charlene, Christina, Mama Linda, Papa John, Ruby, Henry, Tommy
At the Olympic Park with Lake Geneva in the background

Pete, Christina and Ruby in front of the Olympic Museum

Ruby holding a torch from the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver

Charlene and Mama Linda

They had all sorts of athletic statues around Olympic Park

Alex and Henry

Flags of Switzerland mixed with the Olympic flag

Henry, Alex, Ruby, Mama Linda and Tommy

Mama Linda and Papa John in front of Lake Geneva

Ruby, Henry, Alex and Tommy

After the museum we headed to a nice crepe place overlooking the lake

I think it was my parents' first time eating crepes with ham, cheese, eggs, tomatoes and the like

Afterward everyone ordered ice cream which consisted of one mini scoop in these glass bowls.
It was about $3.50 a scoop and I think Pete could have eaten it in one bite.

The other big city

2010-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

We actually lived smack dab in the middle of Geneva and Lausanne but for some reason we never really went to Lausanne. After visiting with my family, I wish we would have gone more often. It is a really beautiful city but you can see from the pictures that we were there on a cold, breezy day.

Papa John, Mama Linda, Ruby and Henry

Ruby, Alex and Tommy paying tribute to Tommy's sister Caroline

Tommy and Charlene in front of Notre Dame de Lausanne

Another view of the cathedral with Henry in the picture

We were finally able to add Pete to our group

Tommy and Charlene with a view of the city

Charlene and Ruby, who was so happy to add another "girl" to our group

Charlene, Mama Linda and Christina

Tommy and Alex standing inside Notre Dame

Missing the tulips....again

2010-06-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I took my family to Morges to see the tulip festival there. We have been every year and it is really beautiful. Unfortunately, just like in Holland, the late winter had kept the tulips from blooming so there was nothing to see. There were only a few bulbs that were up. Better luck next time. We decided to walk around Morges and luckily there was a street market going on.

Ruby, Henry, Tommy and Alex next to Lake Geneva

Alex, Papa John and Tommy

The group in front of the street market in Morges.
The kids found a balloon man who amazingly knew all sorts of facts about the U.S. While he made balloon animals for the kids, he quizzed us on presidents, movies and other categories. I have to admit that several times he had us stumped. He must play a lot of Trivial Pursuit in his free time.

Onto the chocolate

2010-06-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

After the cheese factory we decided to end our day at the Caillier chocolate factory in Broc. It had been redone since the last time we visited but one thing was the same. At the end of the tour there was a room full of chocolate and you could sample as many as you liked. I had to keep my eyes on the kids though. The last thing I needed was throwing up on the drive home.

Mama Linda, Ruby, Tommy, Alex and Henry in the sampling room

Ruby and Tommy putting down as much chocolate as they could

Charlene and Mama Linda

Mmmmmmm, chocolate

After all of our chocolate eating we were super thirsty. While the kids were playing on the playground next to the cafeteria, Charlene and I were waiting in line to buy some water. About 2 minutes later, Tommy and Alex came rushing in shouting that Henry was hurt, followed by Ruby who was carrying him. There was blood all over the both of them.

Apparently, the older boys had been playing a little too rough with Henry and he had smashed his mouth into the playground equipment. His gums were bleeding pretty badly and one of his teeth was cracked in half. Unfortunately, it was almost 5pm and we were over an hour away from home. I knew by the time we got there my dentist's office would be closed.

Long story short, I got a hold of Pete in the States and he found an urgent care dentist that we rushed Henry to.

Henry was not happy about being there but he was pretty tough. The verdict: 2 teeth were broken and needed to come out. Ironically, they are the exact same teeth that Alex lost in Paris. He was too swollen to have it done that night so we made an appointment for the next day and Pete (fresh off of a flight from LA) took him in. Unfortunately, they could only remove one and a half of the teeth so now he is stuck with a little broken tooth.

After the accident before the teeth are removed

Swiss cheese

2010-06-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

From Fribourg we headed to Gruyeres to check out the cheese factory there. Since we had already been there once I thought my kids would be bored and want to play on the playground outside. Silly me. They wanted to take the tour one more time and watch how the cheese is made.

Alex and Tommy "milking" a cow while Ruby waits for her turn

Fun facts about making cheese

Ruby and Henry learning all about the process of making Gruyeres cheese

On the tour there are a line of different things (grass, flowers, herbs, etc) that cows eat that can affect the flavor of their milk and therefore the taste of the cheese. The silver canisters hold the different scents that you can sample. Beware of the stinky cow poop canister Dad!

Charlene taking a smell of one of the many different scents

Fun in Fribourg

2010-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

My parents arrived two days after my sister and we didn't waste any time showing them around. The day after they arrived we headed to Fribourg, which is a place I have always wanted to visit. It isn't far from us but somehow we've never made it up there. It was a charming city although we happened to arrive there at lunch time and apparently everything closes during the lunch hour. Whoops! We made up for it by stopping in to a crepe shop for a bite to eat.

Our group consisted of my sister Charlene, my mom and dad, me, my nephew Tommy, Alex, Ruby and Henry. It was nice to have one adult per child. Unfortunately, Pete missed out on a few of our adventures as he was working in the States.

The kids in front of the fountain (1525) next to the Hotel de Ville

My Dad, Mom and Charlene in front of the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) which also dates back to the early 1500s

Charlene and Tommy, who is holding the coveted paprika-flavored Pringles, which are not sold in the States but have become my kids' favorite

Alex, Tommy and Ruby on the Zaeringen Bridge which crosses over the Sarine River

Standing in front of the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas

Inside the cathedral

Tommy and Alex testing out the comfort of the seats

The exterior of the cathedral

Company

2010-06-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

April was the month of visitors at our house. We had 4 straight weeks of family...in part thanks to the volcano in Iceland that kept some of them stranded for an extra week. Our first arrivals were my sister Charlene and nephew Tommy who is only 8 weeks older than Alex. They have been best buds since they were babies. Alex loved showing him what life is like in Switzerland. They played a lot of DS, read a lot of books and enjoyed an almost 3 week long sleepover.

While they were jet lagging we took it easy and visited a few different parks

Even though the weather wasn't cooperating their favorite park was Signal du Bougy

We decided to try our hand at miniature golf. It was hilarious because the "greens" were like a concrete sidewalk. The golf balls would go flying and usually ended up long past the hole.

Our favorite hole was this one where we had to "tee off" with a putter. See the video below to get a better idea. By the time everyone had finished the hole we were laughing to tears.

Our morning ended with a stop to the little bakery to buy some fresh, hot rolls.

Fore!

Double the fun

2010-06-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

This year Alex's birthday was the day after Easter. Since Pete was heading out of town on his big day, we decided to combine our Easter celebration with his birthday party. We had our friends, the Murdocks, up for dinner and birthday cake. Since we didn't have any family in town, it was nice to share the day with the kids' adopted "grandparents".

Easter and Birthday decorations

8 years old

The Birthday Boy

Make a Wish!

Party of Five

The kids with Barbara and Kent Murdock

Easter

2010-06-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last year we were in London over Easter so we missed out on the usual traditions. This year we came home just in time to fit it all in.

If I'm being honest, this is the first time we have dyed eggs since Alex was 2. Ruby and Henry were in heaven.

Not only did we dye them, but we drew and painted on them afterwards

Henry's egg started out blue and ended up a lovely brown shade when he was done painting

Can you get your 8 year old to wear a bib?

On Easter morning the kids woke up bright and early ready for egg hunts and candy. Can you tell how dark it still is outside?

Henry showing off his basket and...

...his chocolate bunny

Is it weird that Ruby is wearing her Santa jammies on Easter?

Just like last year, Ruby and Alex went to the village shop to make their own chocolate bunnies

Alex's basket and chocolate bunny riding a scooter

Catch up

2010-06-09T09:34:00.001-07:00

Back in March, my friends threw a baby shower for 5 of us who were all pregnant at the same time. We ate yummy food, played a game and laughed and talked a lot. Thanks to Aimee, Laura and Harmony for putting together a fun party.

The spread, excluding some amazing desserts

Me and Sarah, who was due 3 months before me but had the tiniest tummy ever

5 expecting mothers in order of due date from right to left:
Suzy (April 2), Sarah (April 30), Alma (June 3), Jessi (June 14), Christina (July 17)
Suzy, Sarah and Alma have all delivered healthy baby girls

Great friends

Disney Magic

2010-05-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

When we moved here I promised I would never waste vacation time going to Disneyland in Paris. Our kids had been to Disneyland so many times that it seemed unnecessary when there were so many things in Europe we would never be able to see again.

After so many of our American friends told us how fun it was and how it really was different than the California version, we decided to give in to our kids' wishes and try it out. I'm so glad we did. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun. The lines weren't terrible so we actually were able to go on a lot of the rides. It was kind of cool to see the newer interpretations of everything and I loved it that the park was a little smaller and it was easier to get from land to land.

A huge downside: smoking is allowed in the park. There's nothing like waiting in line while the person in front of you is blowing smoke your way. The other funny thing was that people weren't quite sure how to form lines. When I made my way to the concessions stand (more than once), instead of one or two lines, there was just a large mass of people grouped together. I wasn't sure who was first in line or who to stand behind. Lastly, for being the happiest place on earth, the Disneyland employees weren't too happy to provide friendly customer service. Weird! I'm used to those overly smiley folks walking around Disneyland hoping to make your day by trading pins with you.

Anyway, like I said, I'm so glad that we took the trip as it will be a great memory for us and the kids. A month and a half later, Henry is still belting out "It's a Small World" wherever he goes...outside to play, in the bathroom, in bed...our neighbor thinks it's pretty funny.

The entrance to Disneyland Paris

Walking right down the middle of Main Street USA

Our first view of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Some strangers take better pictures than others

Our first stop was Ruby's choice and mine as well

The ride was fun because the song was sung in French at the beginning and then switched into other languages, including English

It was interesting to see images of North America that aren't included in the original Small World

Right when we walked off of Small World there was a mini-parade just starting

The kids were excited to see a few characters but it didn't last long.
By mini I mean there were about 3 or 4 floats!

Pete took Alex and Ruby on Star Tours while Henry and I headed off to...

...destroy Zurg on the Buzz Lightyear ride

I love this because you can barely see the top of Henry's head in the picture

Next, it was off to Pirates of the Caribbean.
The ride is pretty similar only the scenes are in a different order.
Oh and the drops were in a different place so even I was surprised.

Can you spot us in the back of the boat?

While Pete ran to get some fast passes the kids and I headed over to fantasy land.
The line for the tea cups wasn't as long as I had anticipated and Pete wasn't back in time to ride with the kids. Let's just say I haven't ridden on the tea cups since I was a kid for a very good reason. The kids were nice to me though and didn't spin us too fast.

Henry was excited to go on Big Thunder Mountain.
Alas, he was a couple inches too short and they wouldn't let him on.

Waiting in line for Big Thunder before Henry and I got kicked out

Alex was a little more hesitant than Ruby even though he had been on the ride before back home

This picture is funny because Pete was actually taking a picture of our kids when his picture was taken

If you look closely at this picture you will see rocks on the other side of the water.
The train actually goes through a tunnel under the water and comes out on those rocks on the other side. While Henry and I were waiting we kept seeing trains pop up over there and couldn't figure out where they were coming from.

A family picture

We couldn't figure out why we weren't having any luck finding characters in the park.
When we finally stopped to eat lunch at this fun buffet place, we discovered a lot of them inside.

Pluto trying to steal a drink of Henry's apple juice

Getting close and personal with Alex

Ruby was bawling because she kept trying to get a picture with Minnie and was getting ignored.
Mickey came over and it was really cute because he was trying to comfort her and get her to smile.

Big hug

A cheered up Ruby

Minnie finally shows up

This cool beanstalk was sprouting up right in Fantasyland

For the finale the kids took one last ride on the carousel

Henry definitely did not want to get off of his horse

Ruby said it was the best day ever!

Trying to get the sword out of the stone on our way out

See you soon!

April in Paris

2010-05-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

Even though we suffered a major accident there, we still love Paris. We decided we couldn't move back to the US without stopping by one more time. It was windy and rainy when we arrived but we were pleased to see to sun shining by the time we made it over to Notre Dame.

Although we have been to Paris twice before, we have never actually made it into the cathedral.
This time things were working in our favor as there were no lines.

Pointing out the Kings of Judah to Ruby

The beheaded St. Denis
We told the kids the story of St. Denis inside the cathedral and they thought it was pretty funny.

Henry and one of the rose windows

Pete and the kids inside Notre Dame

Ruby and Christina with Pont Neuf (the oldest standing bridge in Paris)in the background.
Ruby is crying because she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, not some stupid bridge.

We couldn't disappoint her, so after checking into our hotel and having dinner, we took an evening walk to see the tower one last time.

Finishing off Holland

2010-05-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

Our final stop in the Netherlands was the capital, Amsterdam. It was a lot more crowded than our previous stops and it was here that the rain we had been eluding finally caught up with us.

In front of one of many canals in Amsterdam.
If I remember my boat guide correctly, there are over 1,000 canals in Amsterdam, more than Venice!

Westerkerk, in the background, has the tallest steeple in Amsterdam and is the church where Rembrandt is buried.

Enjoying some more yummy fries and grape Fanta in front of the Anne Frank house.
Like in Haarlem, we never made it inside because the online tickets were sold out and as you can see the lines were LONG.

When the rain started, we hopped on one of these canal buses to take a closer look at the city without getting soaking wet.

Dry and warm inside the boat

Alex's future mode of transportation?

Standing in Dam Square, the most central in Amsterdam

Disappointment in a beautiful city

2010-05-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

We took one morning to explore the city of Haarlem. It is smaller and less busy than Amsterdam and there was one sight I really wanted to see there. Back when I belonged to a book club, one of the selections was "The Hiding Place"(thanks Tami). It is the true story of the Ten Boom family who were hiding Jews in their home during WWII and were discovered by the Nazis. The family was sent to concentration camps and Corrie, the author of the book, was the only survivor. It is a fabulous book.

Anyway, the Ten Boom house is still there along with the watch shop attached to it. There is a museum and a tour of the house. After checking to make sure we visited on a day that it was actually open, I spent the drive from our hotel to Haarlem telling the story to Alex and Ruby and getting them excited to actually visit this site. We arrived 15 minutes before opening to avoid any lines (as was recommended online) only to discover that the house/museum was closed! Apparently, a local school had reserved the entire morning for a school field trip. What are the chances???

We were all really disappointed, especially Alex. After hearing the story he was really excited to be able to see the actual hiding place still located in the house. It was not to be. We still took pictures and enjoyed seeing the rest of Haarlem.

Alex, Ruby and I standing in the center of Haarlem's Market Square with the Town Hall in the background

Haarlem had some of the most beautiful buildings

Pete and Ruby with the 15th century Gothic church in the background

More wooden shoes

Inside the church we were impressed by the pipe organ.
It has 5,000 pipes and was played by Handel and Mozart.

Walking the streets of Haarlem

We stopped at this little outdoor cafe to warm up and enjoy the atmosphere

We had hot chocolate with whipped cream and Dutch apple pie

In front of the Ten Boom watch/jewelry shop

In the alley behind the watch shop you can find the Ten Boom house

So close, but yet so far

City #4

2010-05-06T02:42:00.000-07:00

Instead of staying in one of the more crowded cities we stayed in Leiden, which was sort of in the middle of all of our destinations...not to mention cheaper. I had no idea how expensive things were in the Netherlands. Leiden was a really beautiful city and we had fun walking around one evening looking for somewhere to eat dinner.

Pete was lucky enough to try his hand one more time at parallel-parking canal side

This picture may not seem too interesting...

...until you see how narrow this house really is

I was surprised how many cities in Holland are filled with canals...

...and windmills

Pete and the kids on one of the main streets of Leiden

Our hotel had a great indoor pool which may have interested the kids more than sightseeing

3 kids who are in need of a little sunshine

When I saw this picture I realized that Henry has grown up so much.
He definitely has the body of a little boy more than a baby.

Pete's genes have definitely ruled over mine

The hotel also had a really fun game room.
If the kids weren't asking to go to the pool, they were asking to play in here.
I honestly think they would have been completely satisfied with our trip if we would have camped out in the hotel for three days straight.

Henry loved the "germ" balls as they're called in my family

Rent-A-Bike

2010-05-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

We promised the kids before our trip that we would rent bikes. There were bike rentals just outside of Keukenhof which seemed perfect. What we didn't know was that they don't really rent kids' bikes. The smallest one they had worked OK for Alex (see below) but there was no way that Ruby could have held it up even though she is a great rider. So instead of Pete riding with Henry on back and myself going solo, Pete took Ruby and I was left with Henry as my passenger.

What you should keep in mind is that I was 24 weeks pregnant at the time. I'm not sure I should have been riding a bike, let alone carrying a passenger. Nevertheless, we only planned on a 3 mile leisurely ride, with a stop in the middle for lunch. It didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Problems arose when we took a wrong turn and our 3 miles turned into 6. Furthermore, the place we planned to stop for lunch was, for some mysterious reason, closed. Add into all of that the fact that about 30 minutes into the ride, I had to go to the bathroom. Because the restaurant was closed, there were none in sight and I was forced to press on. The last 20 minutes were unbearable for me. I felt like crying/dying and have never pedaled so hard in my life.

Fortunately I made it back to Keukenhof with no embarrassing accidents, although I must admit that I pedaled straight to the entrance of the bathrooms while Pete was left to explain to the park guard what was going on. It all ended well and we enjoyed a nice lunch back in the park.

5 on Bikes

Alex was the leader...

...while Henry and I brought up the rear

The first half of our journey Henry was all smiles.
They disappeared when he finally figured out he was never going to get a turn to pedal.

We passed lots of flower fields

Unfortunately many of them looked like this

Alex and I having a race-he won

Pete passed the camera back to Ruby and she took a lot of pictures.
Some turned out nice like the one above, although we did get a lot of the ground and the back of Pete's head.

She also attempted to get some of Alex doing tricks on his bike

Almost!

Look Dad! No feet!

Beautiful Keukenhof

2010-05-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Kuekenhof is the largest bulb flower park in the world. In fact, 7 million flower bulbs are planted there by hand. There are 100 different varieties of tulips alone. We had heard great things about it and since it was only about 30 minutes from our hotel, it was #1 on my list of things to do in the Netherlands. We were a little early to see most of the flowers (see previous post), but the park was still beautiful and we found plenty of things to keep us busy.

Pete and Ruby at the entrance of the park

They had a Russian theme going on this year.
Ruby and Alex, my Matryoshka dolls.

There was a small little petting zoo that Alex and Henry loved.
Ruby was a little nervous though and stuck close to Pete.

Alex, Ruby and Henry climbed the tower in the center of the maze

Christina, avoiding the stairs at all costs

Christina, Ruby and Alex walking across the pond on stepping stones

Fortunately no one got wet although we had one close call

Family picture in the middle of the pond

Here you can see the start of some of the bulbs

Everyone wanted a turn trying on the shoes

We stopped into this little bakery to sample some poffertjes, which are mini pancakes that they sprinkle powdered sugar on. We also had to sample the Dutch apple pie. Both were delicious!

Ruby and Pete with the Keukenhof windmill in the background

Pete walked up to the top of the windmill with the kids while I rested below

These pictures are dedicated to our cousins the Jarmans.
If you look closely on the motorcycle it says, "From Russia, with love".

Tiptoe through the tulips

2010-05-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was excited to visit Holland to see all of the tulips. They are my favorite flower and I couldn't wait to see fields and fields of them. Unfortunately, because of a long winter, we were a couple weeks early. There weren't as many as I had in mind, but we still saw plenty of beautiful ones at Keukenhof (more on that later) to satisfy me.

Hello Holland

2010-05-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

Our third country was the Netherlands. After going to church in the Hague, we made our way over to Delft, which is famous for it's blue and white pottery. It was a cold, windy afternoon. We didn't stay long, even though I would have liked to. It was such a charming town.

I gave Pete the task of parallel-parking our car.
Let's just say that no one exited on the canal side.

The kids happy to be in Delft and free of the car

photo courtesy of Alex

Christina, Alex and Ruby in the center of town

Pete, Christina, Alex and Henry with the New Church in the background
photo courtesy of Ruby

New Church

Alex, Ruby and Pete in front of City Hall

Ruby, Pete and Alex

the three amigos

The kids who lived in a shoe?

Alex and Henry each took and turn with the camera to capture some of the things that Holland is famous for:

Wooden shoes

Bikes

Windmills

Tulips

I'm not sure if Holland is famous known for them, but we saw a lot of cool weather vanes

Pete and the kids in front of the canal

Venice of the North

2010-04-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

The next stop on our journey was Bruges, Belgium. It was another one of those fairytale European cities. I've never seen so many beautiful brick buildings. The canals made it even better and we were fortunate to have the weather on our side. The food was delicious and we saw a lot of the city on our canal boat tour. The kids were happy because they didn't have to go inside any museums and they were able to eat fries for a snack and waffles for lunch.

Henry's first look at Bruges

The streets of Bruges heading toward Market Square

The first thing we did in Market Square was stand in line for some fries

Pete and the kids sampling Bruges' famous fries with gravy

The Bell Tower in Market Square has 366 steps up to the top.
Pete was up for the challenge but unfortunately had no takers.

Henry, Pete and Christina in front of the Bell Tower

Market Square

We stopped for lunch to try some real Belgian waffles

Strawberries and whipped cream, yum!

Bananas and whipped cream, double yum!

There are plenty of chocolate shops in Bruges.
Alex had a good time taking pictures of all the interesting treats.
Here you can see a giant chocolate Easter bunny.

Chocolate fondue tower

I thought this was the coolest one.
It is a giant Chinese dragon made entirely of chocolate.

The chocolate shop we stopped in was Dumon.
The chocolate there was amazing.

A family shot on a canal boat

Pete and Ruby

Henry

Alex

The Church of Our Lady which is home to Michelangelo's sculpture "Madonna and Child".
After our boat tour we headed over there to check it out for ourselves.

Going under an extremely low bridge

Loved the brick work...

...and the windows

A shot of the bell tower

Henry, Ruby and Alex with the bell tower in the background

Family shot in Bruges

7 cities in 7 days

2010-04-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

We had already planned a trip for Spring break, but after finding out it would probably be our last, we added a couple extra stops. When we arrived home a week later, we had logged 2400 km, been through 4 countries and stayed in 4 different hotels.

Our first stop was Reims, France. This amazing cathedral greeted us upon our arrival.

Unfortunately, due to a tunnel fire that parked us on the freeway for an hour, we didn't pull in until 11pm...long past our kids' bedtime.

The next morning we headed out in the rain to get a better look.

The cathedral in Reims was the place for the coronation of 25 French kings and queens.
Construction began in 1211 and after WWI it was so severely damaged that it was completely rebuilt.

The stained glass in this window was removed during WWI in order to save it from destruction

It was really beautiful inside and out but I think Pete and I were the only ones who could appreciate it. The kids were more interested in heading to McDonald's for breakfast.
Side note: they don't serve breakfast at McDonald's in Switzerland...it was delicious!

The hunt is on

2010-04-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Before our kids' spring break started, our village had an Easter egg hunt. It was pretty American except for the giant, scary Easter bunny and the free wine available for parents. Luckily they had areas separated off for the younger kids, otherwise Henry would have been mowed over by some candy hungry 10-year olds.

While the kids were looking for eggs, the Easter bunny came out to help and offer more candy

Henry with his eggs

Ruby, Henry, Alex and Ethan
Side note: check out the size of Ethan's Easter basket. This is what everyone's basket looked like. Of course our kids had the American super-sized baskets which was a little embarrassing.

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate

2010-04-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

One weekend, while Pete was out of town, I took the kids to the chocolate festival in Versoix. They sample lots of chocolate, including some yummy fondue. Their favorite part of the festival was the construction of a ginormous chocolate Easter bunny. It was going to be 5 meters (about 16 1/2 feet) tall when finished and the next day the local hockey team was coming over to break it with hockey sticks and pass out chocolate to the public. Alex and Ruby were mesmerized and wanted to keep watching until it was finished.

Alex and Ruby with the partially finished bunny in the background

Here you can see them working on the head of the bunny

Carefully placing a giant chocolate panel on the bunny's body

There were also lots of displays of chocolate-all with a circus theme

A chocolate clown

Henry, Alex and Ruby in front of a chocolate three-ring circus

A chocolate monkey family

The next day my friend Alma went with her family to watch the destruction of the bunny.
She was nice enough to pass on her pictures to me so the kids could see the final product.

The giant chocolate bunny

Breaking the bunny

Handing out chunks of chocolate bunny

In this picture, my friend's daughter is holding a piece of the bunny.
Can you say stomach ache?

It's great to be 8!

2010-04-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Serenity now!

2010-04-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

Why is it when the kids are happily playing together it is never quietly?

Shiner

2010-04-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Alex and Henry in the tub
+
a detachable shower head
=

This was a few days afterward.
It was so bruised and swollen he could hardly open his eye the morning after the "accident".

Wind chill

2010-04-05T02:48:00.000-07:00

The first week of March the sun began to shine, the snow was melting and I was sure that Spring had arrived. Leave it to me to jinx everyone else. The second week of March brought freezing cold temperatures, made worse by the bise (pronounced "bees").

Last winter we learned that the bise are strong, freezing cold winds that blast their way through the valleys of the Alps. They clocked the winds over Lake Geneva on March 8th at 90 km/hr (about 56 mph). You can imagine what it was like for the kids who had to walk to school in those conditions with the thermometer reading 18 degrees Fahrenheit. I had pity on Alex and Ruby and actually drove them.

I tried to take a video of what it was like outside but it didn't really do it justice. The winds are a lot louder than they come across on the movie. The filming is horrible because I was freezing and my hands were shaking. You can see the neighbor's swing blowing above. The wind blew so hard that the swing flipped around and around until it was stuck to the top of the playground!

Change

2010-03-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Recently my friend Kelly made a post on her blog entitled, "Shed a tear and then feel blessed". Although it is about a totally different subject, I am echoing her sentiments.

Last week we found out that we would be saying goodbye to this:

and returning to this:

It came as quite a shock since we weren't planning on moving until the end of the year and are expecting baby #4 in July. Moving is never easy, but with 2 months notice, 3 kids, a dad traveling every other week and 1 pregnant mom, it makes it even more complicated.

I have to admit that in the first few days there were a lot of tears. It's not that I'm not excited to be back with family and friends or to have some of the conveniences I have been missing. I'm sad because it's the end of another chapter in the book of my life.

It's hard to know that we will have to say goodbye to friends that we will probably never see again. It's made worse by the suddenness, especially for a person like me who avoids surprises and change at all costs. I will miss the beauty, the diversity and the simplicity that Switzerland has given our family. I know that this experience has changed me and our family for the good.

In less than two months, I will invite the movers into our house and we will begin to prepare for the next amazing adventure that will become part of our story. Like before, it will be filled with challenges and heartaches, but it will also be full of fun, excitement and happiness.

Until then, we will keep you posted as we finish what has been a crazy, wonderful ride. A bientot!

Blogging for Pete

2010-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

While we've been living abroad, Pete has flown all over Europe for work. I'm always trying to get him to take the camera and blog about his travels. Unfortunately, he doesn't look at his trips in the same light. To be fair, he is usually working long days and it is unusual for him to be able to get out and see any part of the city he's in. Nevertheless, recently he had a trip that I could not ignore. I've decided to post about it even though it was a couple of months ago because honestly the pictures are cool and I wish I could have gone too.

In January, he ended up in Moscow for work. This was not just another work trip because his sister Heather and her family live there. Unfortunately, he was only there for a few days and didn't have too much time to visit with them. They were nice enough to meet him at his hotel (not close for them) and take him to Red Square and out to dinner so he could experience a little of the city. It was FREEZING cold and DARK and after hearing Pete's stories of his trip (for example: it took him about 2 hours to go 20 miles for a meeting), huge kudos to my sister-in-law for living there the past 3 years. She's a lot tougher than I am.

Abby, Allyson, Pete and Rachel in Red Square

A closer picture with Saint Basil's Cathedral in the background

Pete and Heather at the Starlite Diner

Finally

2010-03-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

We have tried several times over the last couple years to visit Bern. It is less than 15 minutes from the Swiss temple, but every time we've been to the temple it's been cold and rainy. Until now. The last weekend in February we finally made it and it was beautiful. The weather was pleasant and Pete now has a new favorite Swiss city.

Christina, Pete, Henry and Ruby in front of one of the famous statues found around the old town of Bern

There are 11 of these throughout the city and they are all different.
You can check out some of them here.
Alex thought they were awesome and tried taking pictures of all of them.

Pete and the kids in front of the Rathaus (town hall)

A closer look at the cool clock on the front

Kirche St Peter-und St Paul

Alex, Pete and Henry on Kramgasse Street which houses an apartment where Albert Einstein lived from 1903-1905. It is now a museum.

Alex, Ruby and Pete with Munster in the background

Munster is one of Switzerland's great Gothic cathedrals

I though these doors were amazing

Henry at the front entrance of Munster

Alex took pictures of the gargoyles that he thought were really cool

The entrance to Munster has a depiction of the last judgment up top

Here you will notice the saved on the left and the "other guys" on the right

Alex pointing things out to Ruby and Pete. The kids were really engrossed in this.

The Zytglogge is the clock tower that was once used as a prison

Alex, Pete and Ruby in front of the Zytglogge

Pete and the kids on Marktgasse Street which is the city's main shopping district

Pete and the kids in front of the Federal Assembly building

Switzerland is represented by the initials CH. It took us a while to realize that stood for Confoederatio Helvetica.

The Swiss National Bank

Henry looking tired and done with Bern

The end of winter 2010?

2010-03-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

With a few more snow storms, the kids had the chance to ski and sled a couple more days, thanks to a willing Pete. The first trip we took on a Saturday in February with just our family.

Pete and Henry

Pete doing most of the work

Henry giving up his skis to make snow bunnies as he calls them

Alex decked out and ready to go

Ruby figuring out the tow rope on her own

Our cute ski bunny

2 years and 2 feet apart

Alex calling it quits for the day

Alex

Ruby

Henry

Trip #2 was in March, and Pete accompanied two other dads and their children. It was snowy and cold (21 degrees) and afterward Alex and Ruby were ready to trade their skis in for spring weather and bikes.

Claire, Ruby and Elsa

Alex

Henry

Last trip up the hill

What happens when dads try to be kids
(our friend Mark)

Henry showing Pete how to sled without a sled

Thoughts on school

2010-03-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reading an email thread from some friends in California about schools. They were discussing budget cuts to music and art, increased class size, fund raising, etc. As I read through these emails it suddenly dawned on me that in the not too distant future, I would be dealing with all of these issues. That's where the sadness came in.

I love the school here in Switzerland. I feel like my kids are getting the kind of education that I had when I was young. They go to the gym once a week to play games, but also to learn how to balance on a beam, climb a rope, use the rings, etc. They have music every week and the kindergartners even go to a dance/music class once a week. They have art once a week where they paint, draw, color and even sew. When's the last time your child came home from school with something like this:

What exactly is it? I'm not sure, but it makes a great holiday decoration. The best part is that Alex made everything on it. If you look closely you'll see that he:

Sewed this snowman, complete with buttons

Cut shapes out of wood, glued pieces together and then strung them together with wire

For crying out loud, there's even a real dried orange on here that he said they sliced up in class

Among other things, at school the kids have:
*made vegetable soup
*made bread
*gone sledding and ice skating
*gone hiking and had a picnic in the woods
*had swimming once a week at the town pool adjacent to the school
*put on a musical play complete with costumes and props that they made and painted themselves

As if all of that isn't enough, I love it that here they let kids be kids. The curriculum is structured so that until mid-2nd grade the kids aren't overloaded with homework. At recess the kids go outside and run around no matter what the weather, snow included. Here it's OK for teachers to hug their students or reprimand them without fearing a lawsuit. They do old-fashioned things like cursive and penmanship tests and Alex and Ruby have had to memorize many poems and songs. There is no such thing as the PTA or fundraisers.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I hate it that I can't take them out of school when I want. Later on down the road the kids are tracked into programs. At the young age of 12, some kids head down the college road while others take the garbage collector route. Insane? Definitely.

But for our family, at this point, it has been lovely. Alex and Ruby walk to and from school together and have become friends with all of the crossing guards. They have friends and get along great with their teachers. I've even grown accustomed to the kids coming home for lunch and I think I will miss it in the States (as will Alex and Ruby once they realize they have to eat sandwiches everyday for lunch). Hopefully I will appreciate the time we have left and gear up for all of the jog-a-thons and bake sales I have been missing. Oh, and is it too early to start collecting Box Tops?

Party time

2010-03-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

We have come to discover that birthday parties are a big deal in our village. Not in the American (rent a small circus and have pony rides) way, more in the number and duration of the parties. Ruby and Alex seem to be attending countless parties all of which are a minimum of 2 1/2 hours. For example, this week Alex has a birthday party that begins at 11:45 am and ends at 5pm. Maybe it's just me, but I find that a little long. It's also amusing to me that the kids usually pass out the invitations at school whether or not everyone in their class is invited. Apparently nobody here is too worried about hurt feelings.

Alex and Ruby hate to miss these parties even though a majority of them are glorified play dates. After one party I asked Alex what he did for 3 hours. His answer, "We played outside on his swing set, played inside with his toys, looked at some books, and oh yah had some cake." They have done some interesting things like making bread and candles and as you can see from the picture, Ruby recently attended a party where the mom painted all of the kids' faces. I hate to be the party pooper in our family, but as Alex's birthday approaches I'm trying not to be pressured into throwing another party like last year. After all, I don't think too many 8 year old boys would find it amusing to play pin-the-baby on the mommy's belly. Like I said, maybe it's just me.

Birthday presents

2010-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what to get your children for their birthdays? Of course my kids are always asking for things, but in the back of my mind I'm usually thinking, "Will they even play with that for more than a week?" or "Is it worth the money?".

Ruby has always been rather easy to shop for because all she wants is things related to her babies: new outfits, bottles, strollers, carriers, etc. This year I think I've really outdone myself though. I'm not sure that I will ever be able to top this birthday present...unless she gets a new car for her 16th birthday which is highly unlikely. I know she will play with this gift and I know it is definitely worth the money. For her 6th birthday, Ruby will be receiving a...

...little sister!

In case you think I'm trying to pull a fast one on you (like last year), here is a really crazy ultrasound picture with no alterations. Our latest addition should be here on or around July 19th. With 2 boys and 2 girls, I'm starting to feel a little like Jerry Seinfield when Kramer declared that he was "Even Steven".

Mr. Independent

2010-02-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

In Switzerland, when you reach the ripe old age of a 1st grader, you become eligible for Wednesday Skiing. The kids here don't have school on Wednesday afternoons and in the winter they can sign up for ski club. A bus picks them up at the school and takes them about 1/2 hour away to a ski resort in France. They ski for a couple of hours and then the bus brings them back.

I was a little hesitant to sign Alex up because the kids have to be responsible for everything...all of their gear, getting in and out of their skis on their own...there are adult chaperons of course, but the kids are expected to carry their own weight. After only one previous season of skiing I wasn't sure whether or not Alex was up for it. He assured Pete and I that he was mature and capable and for 5 weeks, Wednesdays were his favorite day of the week. He had the time of his life.

Alex with his friends, Henry (from church on the left) and Ethan (from school on the right)

The skis lined up and waiting for the bus

Once the bus arrived the kids were all responsible for putting their own skis and poles in the back of the bus

Then they would take the remainder of their gear and head for the door

As you may have guessed from the pictures, these aren't any old school buses.
They were nice, fancy, traveling buses complete with televisions.

The finishing touches

2010-02-28T05:47:00.000-08:00

After the Temple of Zeus we headed over to the Plaka to do a little shopping and visit this cute little church.

The church of Agios Eleftherios was originally dedicated to the goddess of childbirth, so naturally I had to stop by. It is just a tiny little church and some say it may be the smallest in the world. Although we were there during opening hours, for some reason it was closed and we couldn't get in.

If you look at this close up photo you can see the friezes that go all around the building

Alex took over the job of photographer while we walked around trying to find an open door

He captured some amazing, meaningful shots

"Are you getting any good pictures, Alex?"

From the Plaka we headed over to see the Tower of the Winds and ended up in Monastiraki Square (photo courtesy of Wikipedia). Pete and I had a nice lunch of kabobs and fries (thanks to a recommendation from the Jarmans) while the kids ate snacks and waited for something more appealing.

We walked through the flea market (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) adjacent to the square, where Ruby found a lovely necklace to add to her collection.

Not the kind of temple we are used to

2010-02-28T05:24:00.000-08:00

About ten minutes away from Syntagma Square lies the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was the largest temple in Greece during Roman times and held one of the largest statues in the world. While there we also got some great views of the Acropolis.

Pete and the kids with the Acropolis in the background

Our family in front of the Temple of Zeus (or what's left of it)

Only 15 of the original 104 columns are still standing.
Imagine how big it really was.

It took about 650 years to complete the temple...a little longer than the one in Salt Lake

The family with the Acropolis in the background

More of Athens

2010-02-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

After our eventful day visiting the Acropolis, we took a break from our sightseeing so Pete could fit in some work meetings. It worked out great because it was raining anyway and it gave us time to hang out at Julie and Spencer's place. The following day, the sun was back and we ventured once more out into the city. This time we took the Metro one stop to Syntagma Square, which is the largest and most central in Athens.

Syntagma Square (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Right as we exited the metro station there was a little cart selling these monstrous sugar donut looking things. Of course we had to have one. Unfortunately the square was filled with many stray dogs who also were in need of a large sugar donut. We spent little time perusing the square and headed off to find a more secluded (dog-free) area.

Luckily, a few blocks away we found this little spot in front of an old Russian church.

Christina, the kids, and one LARGE sugar donut

I think the diameter might have been the same size as Ruby's head

Alex taking an enormous bite

Henry not wanting to be outdone by his older brother

Picture overload

2010-02-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Looking up at the Acropolis

Alex checking out the theatre

A better view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Henry a little wary of several stray dogs we passed on the way up

Ruby on the steps leading up to the Propylaea

A family shot

Ready for our closeup

My stylish sister-in-law

Hannah and Spencer

Cute cousins-they may look similar in size but are actually 4 years apart!

Can you see my three kids in front of the Propylaea?

Mars Hill

Julie, Hannah and Ruby heading towards the Temple of Athena

Small, medium and large

Christina wanting to know how close the kids were sitting to an early death in the picture above

Henry is small potatoes compared to the Parthenon

Julie, Christina, Pete and Ruby

Ruby, Hannah and Alex

Family shot in front of the Parthenon

It must be said: "How did they build this??"

The boys with the city of Athens in the background

Pete and Christina

Heading down from the Acropolis to have lunch in the Plaka

We found a nice little cafe that served up traditional souvlaki, gyros and Greek salad.
A bonus: even though it was early we didn't have to wait around because it was open all day.