November Recap

Our 3 year old and 18 month old - how did that happen?

It is hard to believe we are several days into December already - where does the time go?  I know we are so excited about getting back to Florida in a few weeks.  If anyone needs our itinerary I will be happy to provide it to you. In the meantime we are enjoying some snow here and getting ready for Christmas.



So what did we do last month? There were birthday parties, snow, more sickness, a yummy thanksgiving feast and random fun things.

Ali's birthday party

We had a cupcake birthday party for Ali, with a few of her close friends and their mommies.  It was really nice and I think she enjoyed herself.  I am really proud of the little girl she is becoming and happy we have nice friends to celebrate special occasions with.  That weekend Ali and I went to a family hotel in Germany where she could play and I could relax a bit.  The place was completely set up for kids but at the same time for adults also if that makes sense. I am thinking of making that a birthday tradition as we had a really great time together.

The temperatures have definitely dropped although it's been unusually sunny at the same time. Which I will take any day over the rainy cold days. We had our first snowfall on my birthday, followed by a couple more days of light dustings here and there. I have to admit I rather enjoy waking up and seeing the snow - there is just something so peaceful about it.  I would just love for it to snow on Christmas eve so we could all go sledding Christmas day.

Kid's table at Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner in Basel on Sunday with two other families.  We had celebrated with C and her family last year as they lived close by but moved to Basel over the summer.  In addition we invited our good friends B, T & Avi as they had never experienced a traditional Thanksgiving meal.   We brought the expensive but delicious turkey that Erik cooked on the grill.  It was pretty funny as he had to put on his heavy coat every time he went out on the porch to check on it.  C made all the delicious fixings and B brought yummy desserts. The kids had a great time running around chasing each other.

Stomach bug

We have been fighting the same cough/cold/stomach bug for the last few weeks. Several people have told me that it takes two years for expats to acclimate to the various infections and illness here and I am hoping they are right. Which would mean next year will be a bit smoother. This is what just one night of the stomach bug looks like at our place. (PS this was technically thanksgiving day and was day # 4 of the stomach bug at our place).  One of my least favorite things about living in an apartment, no washing machine.  I am really hoping we are all better before and after we head to Florida.

How we roll 

We've been hitting the streets cruising in the chariot lately.  I feel that it is warmer for the kids and gets us there a bit quicker than pushing a stroller.  And it's really good exercise for me. It's also cute to listen to the two of them "talking" which is usually Ali singing a made up song with Miles humming along. Although I packed up the kids rather quickly this morning to head to the gym which is on the other side of town, only to discover that the water bottle I had thrown in my gym bag at the last minute leaked all over my gym clothes.  A rather costly error as we ended up going shoe shopping instead as we all needed some good winter boots.


I'll close with a cute story that is one of the many reasons I love it here.  On the morning of Ali's birthday I needed something at the store so we packed up and strolled over there.  On the way back we hit the farmer's market where Ali told our favorite vendor that it was "Meine geburtstag" =  her birthday and the vendor gave her a package of her favorite dried apple crisps.  On the way back to our apartment the postman saw us walking and followed us back home as he had a package for us that he had tried to deliver while we were out. He knew it was Ali's birthday by the large number of packages we had been receiving and he didn't want her to miss one on her birthday.

P.S. thanks to our family and friends for sending expensive packages across the pond.  It really makes Ali's day when she gets to open one up.

Opening gifts

Hugs from her friends

Our first snow this year

Train trip to Germany

She loves to eat snow

"Indian" day at the family hotel

My lunch date

Enjoying the indoor play area

Kegelbahn

What a clown

Miles likes his wheels

Her birthday present - a scooter

My cute hubby

My little pirate

Queen for the weekend

Fall Happenings

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but we have all been sick, for weeks - like for the last 5-6 weeks.  We seem to just be passing it back and forth over and over again. It's exhausting and frustrating to say the least.  And apparently that is just life here in Switzerland in the winter when your kids are young, as everyone we know has had something.  It sucks and I don't like it one bit!

Halloween storytime

So what have we been up to regardless of the plague? Since I last wrote we celebrated Halloween in style this year complete with some door to door trick or treating, American style.  I conduct an English story time once a month at the family center in town. Since it happened to fall on October 30th, I made it a themed event and told the kids they could dress up.  And low and behold we had ourselves one great Halloween party.  Then on Halloween night, we were invited over to a friends house in the next village and went door to door for a little bit. Ali did great, had no problem being the first one at the door.  Some of the Swiss really look down on trick or treating here.  They tend to be set in their ways and only adhere to their own traditions. They don't like the foreigners trying to introduce anything new.  So the neighborhood we went door to door in was pre-canvassed and told that a group of kids would be coming around.  If they didn't want to participate they could turn off the lights and if they did they can make their home look inviting.  It's one day a year for the kids - I say relax and let them enjoy it.  

They went like 10 times - cost 50 francs

We've had mostly dreary rainy and cold weather mixed with a few surprisingly sunny days.  On the sunny days we try and get out and have some fun (when we aren't sick).  We went to the Herbst (Fall) Market in Basel and Ali got to play with her best friend Avi whom she misses dearly since he started kindergarten. That was a fun outing even though it was rainy and cold. We went on a family bike ride one Saturday and ate at this delicious bakery that has one of the best hot chocolates I've ever tasted. We've been to Murimoos a couple of times when the weather is nice.

This coming week we will be celebrating birthdays. It is hard to believe our little Ali is going to be three years old!!  We will have a small cupcake party, Tuesday afternoon with a couple of her close friends.  Then next weekend Alison and I are going away for a quick girls weekend, leaving the boys at home.  I can't wait and really hope we are both well enough to enjoy it.

It is starting to look and feel like Christmas around here.  Lots of lights, tasteful decorations and chocolate.  I was in Zurich recently toy shopping and they were starting to set up the Christmas markets as well as the singing Christmas tree.  There is something about the cold weather and holiday traditions that I kind of enjoy around here.  I guess it is just a big change after 40 years of celebrating in a warm climate. But don't get me wrong, we can't wait to get home to sunny Florida at the end of next month.  We will try and endure some cold weather for the next few weeks in hopes that it will be warm and sunny in Florida for the entire month of January and we will all be well enough to enjoy it.  Keep in touch.

Trick or treating

Silly kids

The climbing bumble bee

Trick or treating

Crazed superboy

I can knock on the door

How we roll in the cold

Rare sunny day

Me and the munchkins

Halloween Party

Dragon girl

Eating a rice krispy treat

Animals

Playing in the leaves

Fun playground day

Coffee break with daddy

On the train to Basel

Nice day w/ friends at Murimoos

Murimoos

Two Years as Expats

One of 1st family photos after our move

This week marks the two year anniversary of our big move to Switzerland. It's hard to believe we've been here that long now. In some ways it seems like such a short time and in other ways it feels like we've been here longer. For the most part we really enjoy living here.

I love that my children know where eggs and milk, apples and carrots, cheese and meat all come from.  It is fun to live in a rural area, where slow moving tractors on the road are an everyday occurrence and you can't go for a walk within a half mile radius of our home without seeing sheep, cows or chickens. The other night over dinner I remarked that I knew where all the food on our plate came from. And the quality and flavor of the food here is so good.

There are so many great things to do around here from museums, to wild animal parks, to awesome playgrounds.  In addition, just a drive is an experience as we are surrounded by scenic beauty everywhere. There is this sense of safety at the playgrounds and in the area in general.  On Sunday we went for a short walk around our little village.  There is a florist in town that leaves some of their expensive plants and arrangements outside all day and night. These items could be stolen at any time but nobody ever does (that I know of). The people are friendly also, always saying "Gruezi" and helping get my stroller and kids on and off the train or bus. I feel like the Swiss are just inherently good people.

Saying Hi to the goats

Then there are things that are hard to deal with living here - like being far from friends and family.  In the past two years I lost a grandmother and had quite a scare with several other relatives.  We have friends going through really hard times.  A hug isn't the same coming from the computer screen or over the phone. In August two new nephews were born and I have yet to hold them.  Close friends have had new little ones and there are weddings we've missed.  On the other hand, in this scenario we also spend more time with our family. Had we remained in Jupiter, we would have had 3 or 4 weeks a year off for vacation and we wouldn't normally spend all that time with our family.  Now (at least until Ali starts school) we can spend four or five weeks visiting with family, in addition family members visiting us for weeks at a time.  I feel like we are spending more quality time with our families although the visits are fewer and farther between.  The other downside to our current situation is we hardly spend time with our friends except for a few visits squeezed in when we are in town. Not to mention our friends and family who live outside of the Orlando/Jupiter area - we may not see them for years.

Burying her brother

I miss working, I do and I'm not ashamed to admit it (OK maybe just a bit).  My last job was great, I loved what I did, I made decent money and I worked with a really great group of people.  Being a stay-at-home mom is by far the hardest job and I sometimes think I'm just not well suited for it (future blog post).  I miss having an intellectual conversation with my colleagues about a cool project or grabbing lunch with a co-worker that didn't involve picking food up off the floor and asking a toddler to sit and eat for the 20th time. Giving up my career has been tough.  At the same time being home with the two little ones in a foreign country has its upside in that we all get to explore some pretty cool places together.

The weather - I am finding it a tad bit easier to get out and about even on the dreary rainy days but it doesn't mean I like it. I'm just not a cold weather, days on end of rain and no sunshine kind of person.  Sorry honey, but I was born and raised in the sunshine state and plunked down in a part of the world that only sees sunshine for several months in the summer. Yuck! Erik keeps saying we need to head to the mountains and take up skiing in the winter but for some reason the thought of doing that with two little ones makes me very tired.  Maybe in a couple of more years.

I'm very grateful for the friends we have made here.  Most of my friends are expats so we can relate.  Most are married to Swiss men which I cannot relate to but I think it must make the transition here a bit easier when someone in the family can speak the crazy language and understand the nuances of the Swiss.  I couldn't have made it here without my mommy friends. I'm thankful for the camaraderie, the babysitting, the coffee, the food, the laughs and the generosity.

Swinging with friends

Something that still surprises me is how few people come to visit us - yes I understand it's expensive to travel but come on it's one of the most beautiful countries. We have good kids that sleep through the night and you would have your own room. Enough said.

Random things we miss - entertaining.  Our place is just too small for parties, and our kitchen too small to cook anything large.  I miss Thanksgiving and Halloween. We can get a turkey here and make a meal in our tiny kitchen but it just isn't the same without family and football. I miss good quality convenience foods as well as bagels and fresh seafood.

In summary, we like it here. I think it helps that we don't know how long we will be here. Therefore we are making the most of it and acting more like tourists than residents (maybe that is why we haven't learned the language yet).  Our recent trip to Croatia reminded me why we moved here.  There are lots of cool places yet to see.

Observing earthworms

Loving the fountains

Enjoying the fall

The flower shop