Ascension in Yvoire, France

The kids had Thursday off for Ascension Day. We decided to visit a midieval town in France, just minutes from Geneva. I had pretty low expectations. Someone had told me it was boring. The first thing we did was take a forested trail down to the lake. It reminded me of day-trips to the beach from my youth. We walked along the rocky beach, skipped little rocks, and climbed on the big ones. The kids were having the best time.
We walked around the castle and then through the ancient city. The streets were lined with boutiques that sold lovely things like hand blown glass (the blower was looking at us through the window), art, and homemade gingerbread. There was also a sensory garden. I can't wait to go back and see, hear, taste, feel, and smell what that is like.

Vevey, Switzerland

Have I mentioned that I think it's a pretty good thing we live in Switzerland? Saturday morning Greg woke determined we were going to have a great day and go on a little trip. Honestly he was the only one with that thought. The rest of us were barely along for the ride. As it turned out. . . 20 minutes down the road he'd nearly given up on all of us. That's how we ended up in Vevey!
We parked and he pulled out a most amazing picnic-which he bought groceries for and prepared entirely on his own. The picnic included the most delicious chocolate eclairs. I believe they were my first eclairs since we've lived here.
After eating, we were all starting to feel much much better. The day was beautiful and Vevey has a beautiful park that we enjoyed for a couple of hours.

That's why I'm glad we live in Switzerland (and married to Greg). We'll do Basel another day.

Amelia

Amelia was here last week. Yeah! It was such a great time being with Aunt Amelia. We kept very busy. Here are some pictures of our day spent in Lyon, France.
This is how Henry and Elsa enjoyed the Textile Museum.


This is how they enjoyed the ruins.


Here we are crossing the pedestrian bridge.

This is why I think Lyon is funny. A mini Eiffel tower. Serious.

This is why I don't intend to spend too much on a badly needed new camera. Any suggestions?

We love you Amelia. Thanks for coming.

Annie Was Here!

Annie came and I haven't any pictures. I just wanted to document how much we enjoy visitors. Annie why didn't we take any pictures?
She brought us a cupcake pan that I am so grateful for. Sarah and Alma are probably thrilled too. I made banana muffins in my new pan. I didn't spray it-they don't sell non-stick spray here-and not one muffin stuck to the pan. It's that nice. We have gone way too long without a muffin pan.
Annie you rock.

Sunday Walk

A couple of weeks ago we decided to enjoy our Sunday morning at Lake Divonne in France.

The kids enjoyed the meadows, flowers, bike paths, the prospect of going to the beach, and the boats. Henry brought his scooter, Elsa brought her bike and Ansel brought Elsa's old scooter.

Then Elsa fell down a hill and Ansel wet his pants and it was time to go home.

Fits.

I embrace every aspect of my children's lives including the "terrible twos." Ansel's tantrums are mild-he doesn't kick or throw himself on the ground. In fact they are quite endearing. Runny nose and all.

Paris and Disneyland

We went to Paris and Euro Disney for Spring Break. Of course we had a wonderful time. Euro Disney was more fun than we expected. We kept hearing that it was expensive, but we got a fabulous deal. People complained that it was crowded, but Disney knows they're popular and makes every effort to ease the pain. We were totally entertained. We had also heard that it was smaller. My kids are too young to care. It was a great Disney experience again. To enjoy comparisons by Greg click here.
We spent four days in Disney and one day in Paris. Does that seem crazy? We'll go back to Paris, of course. However, we did pack a lot into that one day.

Henry at the Louvre. We did go in and see the Mona Lisa and a few other works. The crowds were much more daunting than Disney and not nearly as well managed. It sort of burned the kids out quickly.


Greg is really great at turning food into fangs. Ansel was making monster noises, but the picture doesn't capture that.

Guess where we are.

Mike L. poses with Henry and Ansel. They had scream monitors right next to this statues. Children swarming to see if their scream could go off the charts. It was the most awful part of our Disney experience.

Paris Disney's castle was quite enchanting.

Small World was also newer and included more of the world. The boat ride was Ansel's fave.

Henry's Gag

A few weeks ago Henry attended the Geneva Auto Show with Greg.  He had a great time hanging with his Dad, and sitting in some cars.  He likes the glitz.

Apparently he enjoyed this red Jeep the most.  He's been telling anyone who asks that he bought it.  The price varies.  Last time I heard he got a steal of a deal $200!  It is being kept in a safe place until he turns legal driving age.  That would be 16 in the States but 18 here.  He's concerned about that difference.  Maybe his garage holding fee jumps after 10 years.

I didn't think much of his "joke" until I heard him tell Elsa about the Jeep he bought.  His presentation is flawless, he doesn't even smile.  I think he might even be convincing himself that he bought that red Jeep.  Elsa doesn't want to believe him, but is thrown off by the fact that his story doesn't vary and he's totally serious when he talks about it.

I wonder how long he'll keep this gag going?

Trusting The Dishwasher

I've always been intrigued by the dishwasher. I have total respect for its function. After three years without one, I vowed I'd never complain about emptying it, because I'm just so grateful to have it.

Growing-up doing the dishes was a process.  You scraped then washed with soapy water then rinsed THEN put the dishes in the dishwasher.  I never even questioned the process.

Not even when I left my house for college.  That's when I realized casseroles were indeed a viable meal not just a Mormon joke.  Admittedly sometimes I try my hand at a casserole.

After watching others do dishes and really thinking about the job of the dishwasher I decided to drop a step - the soapy water.  I still scraped and rinsed and scraped and rinsed repeatedly until there was nothing left to scrape or rinse.  I felt pretty good about this for a long time.

About two years ago I read an article on going green.  Growing up in Oregon these articles are typically second hand.  No new info, I've been doing their recommendations for a lifetime.  Imagine my surprise when I read that a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing!
Since that article I've considered dropping another step - the rinsing. I thought about it for two years, but couldn't trust my dishwasher to get the dishes clean and sterile.

Recently after considering how I could simplify my life I decided to drop the rinse. I put a couple scraped only dishes in. When I unloaded, I couldn't remember which ones weren't cleaned before I put them in the dishwasher. All of the dishes came out sparkling.

Little by little I've spent less time and used less water prepping my dishes for the dishwasher. It has earned my trust.

I still can't run it unless it is totally full. I know and love lots of people who can/do. However, that really isn't a problem considering my mini dishwasher.

Locked In!

Our car's keyless remote has been acting a bit strange lately.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it works when it shouldn't.  That's how Ansel got locked in the car today.  I set my keys on the driver's seat, like I've done for about five years.  Apparantly the pressure of the fall locked the car.  I had no idea, and when I shut the door to go to my seat, realized I'd locked myself out and my little boy in.

For the first five minutes I wasn't panicked.  The store security will just get their slim jim and me and Ansel will be on our way.  

Ansel wasn't worried he had an entire bag of groceries to dive into.

Then the security arrived.  He acted like he'd never had to deal with this in his life.  The child in the back seat was entirely new.

He went back in the store for reinforcements.

I began to be puzzled.  Maybe I've misunderstood.  My French is pretty rudimentary and he was speaking pretty fast.

An older couple saw my plight and came to give me support.  Plus, they spoke English.

Two new security guards arrived, both shaking their heads.  I'm still calm.

My feisty translator informed them they must call the local dealership and send them to get us out of this mess right away.  The security guards seemed like they obeyed, but I couldn't believe what they came away telling me.  We would have to break the glass to get into the car.  My car is too secure to break into.  What?

Fifteen minutes have passed and Ansel is starting to get hot.  My fan club surrounding me is getting bigger and questioning my sanity.  How could she possibly not know she locked the doors?  Why wasn't she holding the keys?  Why doesn't she have any friends?  Why does she not even know how to get a hold of her husband?  It's shocking.  But. . . they all stayed.

Twenty minutes later we get a hold of Greg.  (I remember I do have a friend who is also smart enough to use the internet.  Apparantly the store wasn't.  She quickly located Greg's work number and gave him a call).  But it's really too late to try and locate a spare key.  Ansel has beads of sweat forming on his neck!  The sweltering 60 degrees is still way too hot inside the car.  

The fire truck and police arrive in five minutes.  The passenger's side window is broken.  They scoop up Ansel with urgency and care.  Then pour a bottle of water over his head.  He's just fine, but keeps telling me the firman broke glass in his eye.

I'm still not quite sure what that means.  There is definitely glass everywhere but none of it near his little body or beautiful blue eyes.  I'm so grateful for that.

My new friends stick around to make sure we're all right and even clear the glass off my seat so I can drive home and pick up my kids from school.  Their bell just rang.

Ansel's been tagged.

Elsa definitely is our artist. She's never without a notebook and a pen or set of markers.

The downside of housing such an artist is we end up washing more walls, and the way she stylizes our couch cushions with permanent ink. We thought she was getting better and taking the "world is my canvass" thing a little less literally...until she tattooed her little brother.

I'm not sure which is funnier: the fact that she placed this so perfectly between his shoulder blades, like Ansel sauntered into a tattoo parlor and asked for it, or the V-shaped angry eyebrows.

Elsa's 5!

Congratulations Sweet Elsa! She had a terrific birthday. We celebrated with all our usual family traditions. The kitchen table was decorated with gifts and the birthday ring. She learned the song "I'm Five." Her picture garland was hung and still hangs. She chose her favorite breakfast-Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And she invited some friends over for a celebration. The party was actually a week after her birthday. Birthday on the 19th and party on the 25th. Grandmas and Grandpas sent lavish gifts that also included treats for everyone. Thanks.

Her party was a hoot. We chose a magical pony theme. All the guests received headbands and tails to become magical ponies. They colored princess paper dolls because every magical pony's best friend is a princess. We played some games and then I performed some magical tricks. Definitely a highlight. ha ha. Five little girls are a breeze to entertain. Definitely the most enjoyable party for me.

Elsa has had a great year four. She has shown so much courage and strength. If I could make a peacemaker, she is definitely it. She has such a generous heart and always trying to make sure everyone is happy. What an important role she plays in our family. We love her.

Ansel is social!

The social life of the third child-or any child after the first- is really an after thought. We have recently discovered how much Ansel enjoys his buddies. Yesterday I asked Ansel if we were buddies. "Abrham's my buddy!" He quickly informed me. Then he mentioned all of his friends in nursery by name. I guess a few playdates may be headed his way.

Skiing is his passion.

Henry came home with a silver medal from his last day at ski school. He couldn't have been happier. He is totally convinced he is going to grow up and be a professional skier (and an inventor). He also enjoyed the new hat and shirt. So much he wouldn't take it off. He wore it three days and two nights in a row.

To add to his obsession he has chosen a hero.

My First Public Election!

My goal upon moving to Switzerland was to integrate myself as much into my community as possible. I know this is a difficult thing for a foreigner. When the school sent home a sheet looking for volunteers I thought, "Here's my big chance." I sent the form back with a big check on the "Yes." or "Oui."
When I had to miss the meeting because it was the same evening as the Primary activity I was pretty bummed. But then the school called me and asked me if I was still interested. Sure. Then they asked me to write an application 500 words or less why I'd be qualified for the job. Whatever this is Switzerland. The PTA could be that intense.
Three days after I submitted my application I go to pick up the kids for school and find it on the front door of the school translated into French!

Apparantly I wasn't joining the PTA but running for the school board. Rad.
Bummer, I didn't win. The election was last weekend. Apparantly voter turn out is a problem. I received 9 votes and the winner received 15. His name is M. Schweizer. Translated that means Mr. Swiss Man. I can't consider losing my first Swiss election to a man named "Swiss Man" a loss.

Bavaria

Our friend Mac back home in Chicago sent us a Flat Stanley. We were thrilled to have him join us on our trip. Here we are in front of the Neuschwanstein Castle. The kids enjoyed walking up the mountain to get to the castle. ha ha. In the castle they were thrilled to find pieces of their own lives. Elsa found her name on the walls and Henry seemed to relate to the throne (actually absent) and the jewels. He really believes he is a king!

Here we are at the Deutches Museum. It was a good time. Lots of science. Apparantly we missed some of the best things. Homemade lightning and the underground mining caves. Dang.

The hit of the Deutches Museum was this bright red fire truck. It kept all three children entertained for hours. Seriously. You could climb in it and on it and push lots of buttons.

The Glockenspiel downtown Munich. We had messed up our camera on this trip so we are working with our phone. Nice.

I think I look a little crazy in this picture. Like the stressed out woman in the church foyer that always talks way too loud. May I never be her. I think I'm appeasing Greg with a big grin for another picture. BTW-He uploaded these pictures for me weeks ago.

This is really why Henry was excited to go to Germany. He wanted one of these boxy German back packs that kids around these Euro parts carry. It was filled with lots of fun stuff like pens and colored pencils. They are crazy about colored pencils over here-plus little bags to carry them in and folders to organize them in. Yes. I'm still talking about the colored pencils.

We've succumbed to the fact that McDonalds is the most family friendly restaurant in Europe. Hence, three times in one week. This picture doesn't show us enjoying their famous fare. We are actually at a cafeteria in a department store. Those also seem to work nicely.

Why even go on a vacation if the hotel doesn't have a swimming pool. Really.

Annelie

On our recent trip to Munich (see next post) we met up with a friend from my mission. It was fun to visit with her and her family and share mission stories. We were never companions, but we had three of the same companions. She was always their favorites! She was a year ahead of me in the mission.

School. School. Ski! School. School. Ski! Church.

This is how Henry counts down his week. He's doing fine by the way. His mood has been better and there has been less struggle to go to school. He's a good boy. Elsa is also doing a good job. She had to start going two afternoons in addition to her four mornings. That's a lot for a four year old.

Henry has Cross-Country skiing on Wednesday (no school on Wednesday in Geneva). He leaves at 8:00 AM and doesn't get home until 5:00 PM. He loves it. He looks forward to it all week. Since we arrived in Switzerland in July he has wanted to be in the mountains and the snow. I'm glad it has been all that he was hoping/expecting.

Elsa and Henry had their first down-hill ski lesson this week and they loved it. Henry mastered the bunny hill and even went off and stuck the jump they had set up. Elsa was a bit more reserved, but also had a great time. She is fearless on the sled.



We met up with some friends for skiing and of course ended the day with some delicious hot chocolate.

As for church. . . it is their day to speak English freely with friends. They've never enjoyed church as much. In fact yesterday ended up being there for six hours. When we were finally ready to go, I couldn't find them anywhere. Apparantly there was a video broadcast for the YAs and Henry and Elsa had sat down on the last row to watch it. They just hadn't had enough. ha ha.