Pretty Weeds

It must be dandelion season here, because we pass fields like this everywhere. We wanted to catch it on film before the cows devour them all.

Sandbox

Wildlife Park (Animal Adventure)

Each weekend we gear up our kids for an adventure, no matter what is planned. It could be a flea market in Zurich, a walk around our neighborhood or a legitimate trip out of the country. This weekend our kids asked for an "Animal Adventure" so we took them to the Wildlife Reserve just a few minutes from our house.
1) Brooke 2) Goats enjoying the sunshine 3) A fun ride on the Merry-go-round 4) Brooke feeding the deer a feast of dandylions 5) Looking for bats in the cave 6) Andrew standing next to a two-year old bear 7) Andrew and Daddy on the zip-line 8) Our own "little bear" a name Brooke coined due to the ears on his bear coat, but I think it may also have something to do with how he chases everyone around at a warp speed crawl and steals everyone's food) 9) The real bears (Matthew's mentors)

Change of Plans

We have loved our time here in Switzerland so much we've decided to extend our stay. We'll be US bound next summer instead of this one. All of you who said you couldn't make a visit in just one year have no excuse now!! Hopp Schweiz!!

1) For those of you who remember a previous post about our rock, it has since been dubbed "Pride Rock" and is driven by, visited or talked about almost everyday in our family. 2) Our wonderful friends and neighbors, the Hemmerts. Unfortunately they will not be staying another year...it will be a sad goodbye. 3) Brooke is a champion runner 4) Looking out over the Pride Lands 5) Smelling flowers 6) It doesn't happen very often, but Matthew does get sad every once in a while, usually when we forget to feed him or leave him by himself for too long (easily done when he is so content all the time) 7) Mommy and Matthew 8) Swiss Family Shontz 9) Simba pouncing out of the tall grass

10 Months Old

Added to the list this month: 2 teeth, crazy dancing skills, shaking his head, crawling at warp speed and standing. His pediatrician said that braver babies have more bumps and bruises because they challenge themselves more.

My Tree

We pass this tree on our way to church every Sunday. It takes my breath away every time I see it. Look out for more pictures in the future, I'm determined to capture it's greatness on film.

Best of Friends

We have a play-date everyday at our house.

Crawling

Once there was a snowman

Spring snow is the best: it's beautiful, it's warm and it melts fast

Matthew Benjamin

These two have such a sweet bond. Matthew absolutely adores Brooke and squeals every time she comes to play with him. I really see the little Mommy come out in Brooke as she finds him toys, helps him crawl and makes him laugh. They are especially cute in the car sitting next to each other laughing back and forth at their own silliness.

Matthew started crawling today (forwards that is) so I thought it fitting to make a post just for him. He's still working out some kinks (a combination of the worm, knees and feet) but he is finally getting where he wants to go!! Three children mobile now!!

Chamonix, France

In Europe Easter is a 4-day weekend so we went to Chamonix to ski with our friends (Hemmerts, Framptons, Malms, and Tomlinsons). While we were there we got about two feet of snow. At 8:15 AM, Ashley and Anthony were at the lift, hoping to get first tracks (while the Hemmerts were kind enough to watch our kids). Apparently we were the only ones that didn't get the memo that the mountain was closed due to high winds and avalanche danger. Eventually they did open part of the mountain and we had some of the most amazing powder skiing ever:

Unfortunately, a snow snake grabbed Ashley's leg and she had to ride down in a patrol sled and special medical gondola. (She's now limping around, but recovering just fine and no surgery required.)

On a positive note, they re-closed the mountain just after she fell, so we didn't miss out on any skiing, and we had a great time walking around town, playing in the snow and sharing fondue with our friends afterwards.

In the morning the sun was shining, and even more snow had fallen. Here's the view from our hotel:



It was a perfect day for skiing. Of course, it was our turn to watch the Hemmert kids so that they could ski. I was a pretty jealous, but I already had my powder day, and we all had fun sledding and eating snow:

At one point Dan Hemmert called me and said, "Anthony, if you can, you really should find a way to come up here. I've never skied in snow this deep before." (This coming from someone that grew up skiing in Utah.) Thanks, Dan. That's a nice image for me to think of while I'm down here playing with your 4 kids. Fortunately, the Hemmerts are better parents than we are and didn't want to leave their kids all day, so I got in a few more runs that afternoon:


On the way home Andrew and Brooke discovered that their blankets double as Spiderman masks, and we stopped in Lausanne for some crepes:


And in case you were wondering how we manage to travel around with three small kids, here's what our hotel room usually looks like:

Catching Up

I've had quite a few drafts filling up my posting box lately and thought it was time to catch up. I'm still not completely caught up, but here's a start. Some of our adventures from the last few months:

Old Town Zug

We decided to spend a relaxing Saturday in Old Town Zug. It was gorgeous weather and we enjoyed shedding our coats, admiring the charming buildings and throwing rocks in the Zugersee.

Starbie

We had fun at a friend's birthday party at this indoor play park. My kids were off playing before I even walked through the entrance. They'd come find me for help on the go-cart, a treat or for an occasional "watch this Mom." A place we will definitely go visit again!

Lech am Alrberg, Austria

Some good friends watched the kiddos while Anthony and I went to Austria to officially celebrate his 30th birthday (only a few months late). The conditions were not perfect (as you can see by the chairlift that seemed to be taking us up into oblivion, but we had a great day skiing, eating and experiencing wellness (European for "spa").

9 Months Old

Skills: Crawling backwards (still working on forwards), standing up in crib, hugging, kissing
Words: Mama, Dada, baba, hi
Loves: Dancing, being tickled, being thrown in the air, being naked, baths, his Podee
Favorite foods: Yogurt, pizza, cheerios, salami, carrots, bananas, Easy Mac
Favorite toys: Cars, balls, blocks, shoes, chairs
Teeth: 4 1/2
Laughs at: Brooke & Andrew

Spring Sledding

Anthony took a long lunch break to join us for a picnic and sledding. Now that the snow has melted we'll have to go back to look for Brooke's PBJ.

Clean as a Whistle