It's the weekend (in Switzerland)!

Day 7 -

Finally, a day that Jeff is off to explore with us! Today we visited a town called Interlaken, which was a little over 2 hours by train. It is a ski town, so there really wasn't a lot to do, but man, it was beautiful. I mean BEAUTIFUL! We watched paragliders land (which, by the way, Cole must be thirteen to do...at least that's what we told him!), ate lunch at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where they didn't take credit cards or speak ANY english, and saw several old churches.

To end the day right, we took a different train back (on purpose), but then ended up on the Golden Pass, after following the instructions of the train worker, instead of switching trains in Spielz (sp?). It took us an extra hour to get home, but the views were absolutely breathtaking from the train. We zigged and zagged all through the mountains, so much so, that the floor was still moving when we got to the apartment last night.

We knocked out some leftovers for dinner and had a little chocolate for desert. It was a great end to a great day!

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Day 8 -

It's Sunday, and apparently daylight savings happened here last night...lol! When we got up this morning, I checked my phone for the time and went about my morning getting ready. An hour later, Jeff asked what time it was, and when I checked my watch, I told him my watch was doing something wonky because it was an hour off. A little while later, he realized his watch was an hour off.  That's when we figured it out! We knew it hadn't happened yet (because there was only 5 hours time difference from home, instead of the usual 6), but had no idea it was happening today.

We took the trains to Broc (Montboven to Bulle to Broc Fabrique) to see the Callier Chocolate Factory. What a treat that was! They had a short tour that we really enjoyed explaining the origins of chocolate (back to the Aztecs/Mayans), and had a chocolate tasting room. All of it (well, almost all...I don't like mocha), was delicious. And it happened to be "family day", so we got bread, hot chocolate, and an extra free chocolate bar for each of us. Awesome.

After we left the chocolate factory, we took a short train to Gruyeres, to see La Maison Gruyere (the cheese factory). We had lunch at the cheese factory - fondue and a meringue/cream desert, followed by a short tour of the cheese factory. Cole was able to play outside on the playset for a few minutes before we caught the train back to Montboven, to head back to Montreux.  Ava was a little cranky, but then she fell asleep most of the train ride. The views were again beautiful.

We are enjoying Chinese take out tonight from Bejing Town, supposedly the best Chinese food around.

Thankful for a great weekend and lots of time to spend together :) Monday is coming all too quickly!

Busy day!

Day 6 -

It's been a full morning here! We got up and had breakfast, then hit the train for Vevey. We went to La Maison Ou Verte until they closed at 11am. Then I was trying to think of a way to entertain the kids for a while, so we walked down to the lake. We found a fun little park when we first got to the lake, but Cole was hesitant to play. It was shaped like a shipwrecked boat. So we walked a little further to the big park area and Cole played for a few, but he was not being nice, so we kept walking.

We picked up lunch from a little bread shop, and caught the bus to Montreux. This was definitely a lengthier travel time, but it was Cole's first bus ride. He loved it. And he especially loved not having to get off for a while :) Once back in Montreux, we went to Migros, the grocery store, to pick up a couple of things for dinner (and chocolate, of course!). We are having penne with meat sauce and garlic bread for dinner. After dinner, unfortunately, Jeff is heading to Lausanne for drinks with the team he's been working with. It may be a long night. LOL.

So thankful for a fun day and my two little loves (and my one big love, too!) :) The Swiss wine and chocolate are a good end to a great day ;)

Bonjour et Au Revior

I'm learning French. LOL :) A few days late, since we're already here, but it's fun! I'm using an app called DuoLingo and it's very interactive and engages you in the learning process through your smartphone. It even has you say phrases and corrects you if you're wrong. It's refreshing to learn a new language.

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Day 4 -

I decided to get out in the morning instead of staying in, but it was still a little too chilly to play at a park. So I went to the Food Museum (Alimentarium) with Cole and Ava. We had a great time learning (a little) and playing (a lot - they have a cute kids corner area). It was not what I expected; it was much better laid out and more interactive than I thought it would be. We had planned to meet Jeff for lunch, which didn't work out, so then we were going to come back for lunch. As fate would have it, on our way out of the museum, another mom was talking to her daughter in English!! So I said hello and we introduced our children.  Her 8 month old was named Eva (pronounced Ava!). Too funny. We stayed and had lunch we Amy and her two kids (and her adopted mom, Pat). It was a chaotic meal, but it was so nice to have a little conversation in the middle of our day.

         

(above: left, Cole @ Food Museum scanning food barcodes; right, exhausting afternoon!)

Breakfast for dinner sounded really good, so I picked up a couple extra things at the corner market and started cooking as Ava went down for her nap. Cole fell asleep on the bean bag with his arms propped behind his head. Brian joined us for dinner at the apartment. We had French toast, bacon, eggs with cheese, strawberry compote and cream, and fruit. Oh, and wine. Who doesn't like wine with breakfast? :)

Day 5 -

We mosied around the apartment for a while before we got moving to go to La Maison Ou Verte. So when we got there at 10:30, we only had a few minutes for the kids to play. They are only open 9-11 on Thursdays and Fridays. I met another mom there, Catherine, who was very kind and had kids of similar ages. We talked for a few and I was able to help her with a back carry in her carrier. That was kinda cool. She invited us to a park, but it was far enough away to need a car to get to it. Not today :(

Instead, we took the funi (funicular - aka cable train) up to the top of Mt. Pelerin and Cole and Ava played at a little playground up there. Cole loved the funi ride more than the playground. We all loved seeing Daddy for lunch! Jeff was able to bring us sandwiches and we ate together (quickly, since the train time ate into lunch time) and rode the funi down together. It was a beautiful day to be on a park overlooking the Swiss alps.

(above: left, first funi ride; right, the playground with a view!)

Tonight, we walked around in Montreux and walked along the water some. It was a breathtaking sunset over the lake. We had dinner at a restaurant called La Metropole. The food was wonderful. The kids did okay, but it was really too late to be out to dinner with the. We are wayyyyyy of schedule here. Oh well :)

Right now, Ava is asleep. Jeff is snuggling Cole, I am writing this, and we are all exhausted. But filled with thankfulness for this blessing of time together. Filled with love <3

He wrote his name!

So dinner last night was delicious! But the best part, Cole wrote his name. All. By. Himself. WOW! It was not neat, and not in a line, but it was his name. In the chaos of trying to wrap up dinner, we forgot to grab the placemat, but I know what we'll be working on for the next few weeks!

Today is still up in the air. Not sure what we may do, as it is still chilly, so playing outside isn't the best option. We shall see :)

Switzerland

We are in Switzerland. All of us! And the trip was exhausting, but went surprisingly well considering we traveled with two kids. It's day three. So far, we have had a great time. I want to try to remember what we've done each day later, so I'm going to break down the days here:

Day one -

Arrived in Zurich around 9:30a. Took trains to Montreux and got to apartment early afternoon. Cole absolutely loved being on a train, despite the his exhaustion. The apartment is perfect. It did not have a crib, but the neighbors were able to find one for us. We went to a little corner market called Coop to get a few fruits and groceries, and had good dinner at a local pub with Brian, Jeff's co-worker. Other than Ava waking up in the middle of the night, we slept until 10:30a, which has never happened! Except for Jeff who had to catch a train before 8 am to make it to his client on time.

Day two -

After sleeping in (AMAZING! and necessary), we had an early lunch and Ava took a nap. In hindsight, Cole should have too, but oh well. We left around 2:45 for La Maison Ou Verte, a children's playroom. Not knowing what to expect, or exactly how to get there in Vevey, it was a mini-adventure. We took the train to Vevey, with lots of help from strangers getting the stroller and kids on and off the train. Cole did not want to leave the train, which was hard to handle. Once we got him into the stroller, off we went! We found the place pretty easily, and the kids just made themselves at home.

Jeff met us after work and we took a look inside the mall before heading back to the apartment. The mall looks like it might be a good place to go if the kids are up earlier one morning and we need to get out. There is also a big grocery store there which will be nice to grab some things that the smaller market doesn't have. And hopefully it's a little cheaper! We cooked in and had pizza and potato wedges for dinner. Nothing fancy, but it was good! I tried to run to the Coop after the kids were in bed, but they close early Mon-Wed, so no luck. I stopped at a restaurant called Retro that's on the few minute walk to the Coop and picked up ice cream and strawberries for Jeff and I. We had dessert and watched Cheers. A good end to a good day.

Day three -

We slept until 9 - again, unheard of! We had chocolate croissants for breakfast (Jeff went out and got them before work - amazing husband!), and made toasted ham and cheese and diced potatoes for lunch. Ava is napping (ish) now and Cole is about to take a quick nap with me. When we are all awake, we will hop on the train and head to La Maison Ou Verte again. Then we are hitting up Migros to pick up some groceries with Jeff before dinner out at an Italian restaurant, here in Montreux with Brian.

To be continued... (snuggle time with Cole)

Thankful

Tonight, I am thankful for good friends, scrapbooking, and laughter. 

We had a great time tonight at the scrapbook party! It was Jamie, Carly, Julie, and myself and it was the perfect blend of people to end the week with. 

Projects & Planning

I have so much to do to plan for our trip to Switzerland (in just over a week), but I can't seem to get focused on that just yet. Good thing I work well under pressure. Trying to iron out the details of our apartment, what to pack, and how the heck we're going to survive 1/2 day plane trips is quite overwhelming.

So, I decided to work on an older project that I had bought the wood for - a ruler growth chart for the kids. I bought the paint last week, before the ice storm that took out the power. Now the 6 ft board is still leaning against the wall in the kitchen. It's waiting to be sanded...

I have been researching making roman shades for the playroom, so last night, we went out and bought the mini blinds to make them (a pinterest-y idea). Decided not to start making it yet, since I haven't had a big chunk of time to get them completed.

But, while I was at the craft store getting glue to make the roman shades (which are no-sew, by the way!), I bought some tulle and elastic to make a tutu for Ava. I have made about 2/3 of it, and I'm not finished with it either.

1 trip, 3 projects, nothing finished. Ha.

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Update 3/25: Tutu finished before we left. Packing also completed (ha!). 1 trip underway, 1 project finished, 2 projects to go...and a birthday party to plan!)

I like commas (and parenthesis) :)

I'm guilty. I like commas. A lot. I write really long sentences using the comma, when I probably should just consider using a period, but it flows.

I still use the Oxford comma, because it makes sense to me, it doesn't seem to hurt anything, and it is more visually appealing.

And I often use parenthesis (when appropriate!).

I really hate when people spell they're homophones wrong.

I often two space between sentences, but because I know it's not correct, I try to go back and delete it. I read this blog post and feel compelled to limit myself to one space. Sometimes I can learn something new.

I like the last word. See.

That time when Jeff went to India...

We are so thankful for the opportunity for Jeff to go to India, but man, this week, whatever could go awry, has done so.  First, I’ll gripe, then I’ll be thankful (if that’s ok!).

-Cole had the stomach bug the night Jeff was leaving.

-I had food poisoning.

-Ava has had cough, congestion, and 102 fevers.

-We’ve had winter weather twice.

            -Preschool early pick up on Wednesday

            -No preschool on Friday

-The power is out.

-Cole just had a bloody nose.

-We lose an hour of sleep this weekend.

Wow. That’s a whole lotta devil in our house. Jeff travels a lot for work, and not a single time has this accumulation of events happened.

I do realize it could be worse. And, I have so much to be thankful for.

-I am feeling 100% better.

-Our kids are healthy in general. A stomach bug and a bad cold are not a huge deal.

-I’ve had extra time to spend with them during this nasty weather.

-I have fireplaces to keep warm (except the house is a little smoky :/).

-Cole’s nose has stopped bleeding.

-We will see Jeff an hour sooner on Sunday thanks to daylight savings time change.

We are so blessed, and it’s so easy to forget it in the midst of craziness. I’m choosing joy today :)

ETA: I wrote this while the power was out this morning, and it's still out 12 1/2 hours later. I'm thankful for good friends who {have electricity and} opened their home to us. We would be quite chilly tonight otherwise.

This is a season...

I wouldn't change it for the world, but at times this season can be challenging. 

Jeff is in India.

Yesterday, I really couldn't have survived without our wonderful sitter, Erin, who selflessly dropped all that she was doing to watch our kids for the afternoon and all night. I, on the other hand, had food poisoning. I spent the first hours of the evening at urgent care and filling prescriptions, followed by sleeping from 6p - 7a (allow for a few hours of fever breaking in there). 

Today, Erin helped me get the kids up and ready for school (well, really she did the up and ready part, I spent an hour making 2 lunches). Both kids are a little snotty, a few coughs here and there. I pick Ava up and Ms. Suzie says she has a croupy cough. Ugh. Been there, done that. I do not want to deal with croup. She has just plain not been happy the last two days, which I had attributed to my being dehydrated and unavailable all night. Praying that she doesn't truly have croup. And that she gets a good night's rest.

Tonight, Cole tells me before bed that he has bees tickling his ears. Say what? So I google it and I get tinnitus. Seriously?! Has this kid not had enough ear issues? After an hour of tossing and turning and ear rubbing, he finally fell asleep. I see a trip to the ENT in our future. Oy.

4 more days. Jeff will be home. I.WILL.SURVIVE.

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Today's Cole-ism.... Cole likes to blow raspberries on our tummies, and vice versa. Today, he lifted his shirt and said:

"Blow me, Mommy!" (giggle) "Hard!" (more giggles) 

Needless to say it was really hard to not just laugh out loud :)

Sold.

In an effort to simplify and declutter, we are selling some things. Making a little extra money never hurts either. Just for kicks, I'm going to try to keep track of that on this post:

Newspaper cancelled: savings of $6.50 per month (3/2/14)
Home Phone cancelled: savings of $55 per month UPDATED - $61 savings per month! (3/15/14)
K-Love: change from $40 to $10 per month, savings of $30 per month (3/17/14)
Total monthly savings: $97.50

To be cancelled:
SFCC Membership (to be cancelled by Jeff): savings of $394 per month (at minimum)


Sold items:
Cordless phones: $20
Total sold: $20

To be sold:
Double Stroller
Old Cricut

JOY: The Quiet Confidence

Is it? I'm learning to choose joy (and failing often!), and came across this phrase today. It has been playing in my head all morning. Am I quietly confident? I'm not quiet. In fact, often, I reflect and feel I was louder in voice or message than necessary. I'm sometimes confident, but not all the time. How do I find this quiet confidence?

The day before Jeff left for India, I was taking a shower (in case I didn't have time to get one for 10 days...lol), and this verse song popped in my head:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

So, though I may not know in my own strength how to find this quiet confidence, I am sure (confident, even), that God was stirring in me answers to a question I had not yet asked. 

Add to all of this that I've been eying a devotional called "The Confident Women," and I sense that I need to be in the word more. I am committing to 15 minutes each day for the next 7 days. (I made up this commitment as I was typing, to keep me focused on my goal of spending time in the word daily)

I hope to find a quiet confidence.