Lunch break

We had a ton of snow this week and spent everyday outside. Anthony took a long lunch one day to take us all sledding at the hill next to our house. It was awesome.

The warm up...

The sledding...

and back home.

Pirate King!

Luzern Christmas Market

One of the greatest things about Christmas in Switzerland is the Christmas markets all over the
country. All have local handmade crafts, incredible food and lots of Christmas cheer.

the lights

the goodies

the fun.

Painter

Our budding Picasso.
(Note how much paint is actually on the paper vs. the table, chair and especially Matthew.)

Luzern's Transportion Museum

A great way to spend a cold winter day. An entire day's entertainment in one amazing museum.

Planes

Trains

Automobiles

18 Months Old

Happy Birthday to the happiest, most easy-going kid I know.

Gingerbread Houses

In preparation for Christmas, we tried to make a traditional gingerbread house. Although it wasn't the cutest house on the block, it sure was the most decorative. So much so, that it was a little too heavy to stand for very long...about 5 minutes. The kids didn't seem to mind too much since it was easier to fit in their mouths that way.

Favorite Tree on a Hill - Winter

Here's the winter shot for our "favorite tree on the hill" collection (we pass this tree every Sunday on our way to church):



During church, Brooke volunteered to say the closing prayer all by herself:
"Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for my day. Thank you I could come to church today. Please bless me to go to Disneyland. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Let it Snow!

The perfect winter weekend: Snow Friday night, not too cold on Saturday. Just right for building snowmen, sledding, snowball fights, eating snow...

...Andrew got his first ski lesson...

(still working on his form, but you've got to love the smile on his face)...and a picnic at the "farm" by our house.

Family Photo

I've been trying to find the perfect Facebook profile picture of my family, fed up with all the pictures of just one of us not looking or blinking or crying. When I came across this one taken of all us in Luzern last month, it just made me laugh. It was the end of an attempt at a family photo and the expressions on Anthony's and my faces captures our emotions just right: will we ever get one? We just tried a legitimate photo shoot a couple weeks ago but have yet to see the results...keep your fingers crossed for us.

Once upon a dream...

Please forgive my singing, and the sad attempt of remembering the words, but this is Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip at their finest.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Brooke wanted to be a clown, which totally threw me for a loop since she is a princess every other day of the year. Andrew wanted a real knight's helmet that moved up and down (I did my best with cereal boxes and tin foil) and Matthew made a fearsome pirate. Since there is no Halloween in Switzerland, we did our best with homemade costumes and trick or treating at Daddy's office. We even scored some granola bars from the neighbors upstairs.

The kids loved carving pumpkins this year. My favorite lines were, "There are gunk everywhere," and "Hello, gunk. How was your day?" And Brooke made sure Daddy made her pumpkin not cool, but scary.

1st Snow!

It started late Wednesday evening and continued all night leaving perfect white fluffy snow for play all day Thursday. We had too much fun on Thursday to take any pictures (snowmen, snowballs, snow angels and sledding), but I made sure to get these first pics on Wednesday night of the kids munching the first falls. When I asked them what it tasted like Brooke quickly answered, "strawberries!" Here is to strawberry snow in October!

Birthday Trip

Brooke and Andrew have mentioned Disneyland almost every single day since our trip last May, so we thought there would be no better place to celebrate their birthday. Two complete days in the park, good weather, no crowds, no lines. We rode any ride they wanted (and were tall enough to qualify for), as many times as they wanted, and saw almost every character with ease. It was a perfect time to visit the happiest place on Earth.

Day 1

the parade

the rides

the exhaustion

Day 2

See ya real soon Mickey!

Birthday Celebration

Since all they really wanted for their birthday was to go to Disneyland, we waited to celebrate until the day before we left for Paris. Andrew got his "dangerous Buzz Lightyear," and Brooke wanted a "yellow dress just like Belle." Throw in a karaoke microphone, lots of new books and cupcakes and we've got two happy three year-olds!
(side note: Brooke's friend Emma gave her her first Barbie doll. Is it so embarrassing to admit that I got emotional? I mean, it's her first Barbie!)

Uncle Kael & Aunt Heather

Krienseregg on Mt. Pilatus (Near Luzern)

Interlaken

Trummelbach Falls

It was so much fun to have Kael and Heather visit us. We came to the sad realization that we don't spend enough time with family: Andrew just couldn't get his brain around the concept of Uncle/Aunt. He kept referring to them as "mine cousins" "Daddy's sisters" and at one time even asked where his "sons" were. Titles mean nothing, however, and these two very quickly won over our three.

Trampoline

3 years ago today