HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!!

Isaac trying on armor on his birthday

Isaac turned 4 and I just can't believe how fast three happened.  It is interesting how my perspective of time and age changes with each child.  For example, Luke always seems so old as he reaches new milestones.  I remember his fourth birthday and how Chris and I felt like he was so old-a real kid vs toddler.  But with Isaac it's so much more obvious how young four still is.  The other day Luke and I were playing "fighter pilot" on the couches.  Isaac came in, hopped right up and joined in the action.  After a few minutes, (in the midst of Luke's serious pursuit of the enemy) Isaac exclaimed, "look at that dragon", and lassoed the mythical creature with such enthusiasm I could almost see him myself.  I'm really going to miss three...Isaac has boundless energy and such a vivid and innocent imagination.  He wakes up every morning with excitement for a new day the way three year olds do.  He loves with all his might and never hesitates to tell it like it is.  He is as feisty as he is cute, and I just hope I never forget what it feels like to have his tiny arms wrapped around my neck as he plants one of his self-coined "smackaroos" on my lips.  

CINQUE TERRE

It has been raining and cold for 30 out of the last 34 days in Zurich, and our Atlanta seasonal biorhythms are screaming…we need some sunshine and heat!  So, we decided to head south to the Italian Riviera!  We wanted to check out Cinque Terre-five very old villages all connected by a hiking trail on the rocky Mediterranean coast.  (We decided this spontaneously on a Thursday night, and planned to leave in the morning on Friday for a four day weekend).  Needless to say, our excitement about a last minute trip to Italy quickly dissipated after looking on-line and calling several hotels to discover that all hotel rooms in Cinque Terre were booked through October.  So, we went to bed at midnight with the plan being to explore somewhere closer to home, and to be sure to book a room for CT early next spring.  Friday morning after dropping the kids off at school, Chris decided to call one last hotel.  And we were delighted when the hotel owner said, "I don't have a room, but my sister Bianca might be willing to rent her apartment this weekend.  I'll email you directions to her place if she is willing".  With an affirmative email within the next few minutes, Chris and I set a new packing record, and we were off for our first Italian adventure by 1 in the afternoon!  

It was apparent that we had left neat and tidy Switzerland as soon as we hit the first tunnel in Italy, just across the boarder.  With half of it's lights working to illuminate a dirty, crumbling tunnel wall we knew we were in for a new European experience.  If Switzerland is the rule-making, obedient (albeit anally retentive) and obsessively clean child of Europe, then Italy is without a doubt the disheveled, unorganized, but creative and passionate older brother.  I have already documented the vast number of rules the Swiss society operates by, but after visiting Italy, I think I know why!  Switzerland just might be overcompensating for the complete opposite approach to life their neighbor to the south takes.  

After the tunnel, the next surprise we were in for was the traffic!  Italian drivers are C-R-A-Z-Y.  We watched wide eyed as tiny little Italian cars were driving horizontally across lanes of the highway.  There was no method to the madness of merging, and it seemed as though we might have been the only ones who could actually see lane lines.  There were times when five cars were spanning three lanes.  At one point, I said to Chris," it seems as though the posted speed limit is just a suggestion".  He (the brave one driving) retorted, "it seems to be the only speed you are NOT suppose to go"…as cars to our right were going 20-30 kph less than the speed limit, and cars to our left were going 30-40 kph faster!   Fortunately, the crumbling tunnels, crazy drivers, and a two hour traffic jam in Milan was all worth it when we reached our destination. (in double the estimated time)

Italy: Rustic. Gritty. Flirtatious. Endearing. Captivating.  Italians have certainly perfected the art of living throughout the centuries.  Cinque Terre is awe inspiring.  Her tiny villages cling to the seaside cliffs like barnacles clutched to the hull of a ship.  Seasoned, salty, and timeworn, there could be nothing more authentically European than Cinque Terre.  Our weekend was beyond fabulous.

We were over the moon when we found Bianca's apartment to be clean, spacious, and a three minute walk to the heart of Monterosso and the beach. 

We spent our time exploring the narrow crowded streets and sites of 4 of the five villages.  We hiked between 3 of the villages (including the hardest leg of the path) and were treated to spectacular views, lemon tree orchards, and a great workout (as Chris spent much of the stair climbing with Levi in the backpack and carrying Isaac in his arms).  We ate seafood and spaghetti, dipped our toes in the Mediterranean, drank Cinque Terre wine, and had our first pizza in Italy!  We took a couple of boat rides to see the villages from the perspective of the sea looking inland-(and happened to meet fellow Hawkeyes aboard one boat, small world!)  We visited a 700+ year old church, and were entertained by some of the best people watching, anywhere!  (On a personal note, Isaac had his first "chinese style" bathroom experience, and Luke got his first blister.)  

Italy is about pleasure and beauty.  But I have to say, for as much as I enjoyed her dusty, rustic charm, coming back to the order and cleanliness of Switzerland made it feel like home for the first time.  And although some rules may seem a bit intense, I love love love her totally disenfected bathrooms, orderly highway drivers, and safe, well constructed tunnels!  It's good to be "home". 

WHACK-A-MOLE...A METAPHOR FOR A MOTHER'S LIFE

I know you other parents out there can identify with me…there are times when it just feels like you can't gain any traction with the whole child-wrangling/cleaning/shopping/cooking/personal improvement/family activity-calendar deal.  But as I am hanging on, making it through the end of a 10 day solo-parenting stint (with a three day holiday weekend as the icing on the cake) I am feeling like I am on the losing end of a never ending whack-a-mole game.  Seriously…I can't believe I ever thought a third baby would just "slip in the cracks".  Ha!  (Don't worry, Levi…I  have come to grips with the fact that those metaphorical moles have bested me…you are worth it all).  Where's the European tie-in you ask?  Well, one of the adjustments that I've had a hard time getting used to over here is the super small washing machines that have super long wash cycles.  (At least we have a machine in our apartment which is rare here.  The majority of apartments here have one room in the basement that-you guessed it-has rules governing it's use: every family gets a scheduled time slot or laundry day of the week. Yikes-we would  suffocate under our own little Alp d'laundry in that situation--there are NO laundromats in Switzerland!!!)  Keeping up with the laundry of three boys-and a husband who has two sets of workout clothes a day-has become a real trick. (like I'm now playing whack-a-mole with my dominant eye shut!).  Anyway, I've instated some new laundry rules…jammies and jeans WILL be worn more than once!  Feels kinda Euro, if you know what I mean.  While I do feel good about saving water, energy, and decreasing the soap in the water system, the bigger personal lesson is that I am coming to grips with the fact that I never will win the life version of whack-a-mole (there will always be laundry, crumbs, fingerprints, crumbs, star wars action figures, crumbs…), but I WILL have fun playing.

FREEZE!!! F - B - I

And that is exactly where we are with this registration process…frozen.  We have filled out a ton of paperwork, submitted passport photos (two sets, as the Swiss would have it-one set WITH NO SMILING ALLOWED), provided proof that we have health insurance, are married, were born in the USA, yadda, yadda, yadda.  And now, the Swiss have come back to us with a request for fingerprints and a criminal record report (or rather lack thereof) from the FBI-by next week.  Meanwhile, there  is only one police station in all of Zurich that does fingerprinting, and according the FBI's website, our request for our "permanent record" will take approximately…13 weeks.  So, until we get this whole thing sorted out, and receive our actual registration papers, we can't get a driver's license, and I can't leave the country.  See what I mean about being frozen?  I tell you what, now that I will have a Swiss bank account AND be on file with the FBI, I just might start to feel like someone important.  

PLEASE MAKE A U-TURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Where the heck am I going?  And why am I in this handbasket???  Navigating these narrow, windy, mountain roads with names as long as my arm would be impossible without Jane, our lovely navigation system voice with a British accent.  I think her favorite thing to say to us is, "Please make a U-turn as soon as possible".   You cannot believe how much more pleasant it is to hear her tell us these things than it is to hear me tell Chris such a direction when are left with a map and our own devices.  (and I am particularly directionally challenged) Maybe I should try using a British accent? Or, maybe not.  I cannot imagine how expats did this international move thing before the age of the internet and GPS systems.  Wow, now THEY were some brave pioneering spirits!

YOU SPENT WHAT?...FOR THAT?...

Switzerland just may be one of the most expensive countries anywhere.  I mean…6 bucks for 10 eggs, 15 dollars/pound for chicken.  Beef?  Pork?  Forget about it!  These prices make NYC look like Kansas.  And it doesn't end with the food.  Everything costs 50-150% more than in the US.  Wow.  Nice to meet you, fiscal discipline.  Other expensive Swiss treats:  Garbage bags.  Yep, not kidding!  The Swiss require you to put red stickers on your garbage bags before discarding them into the dumpster.  Each sticker costs 3 dollars, and the garbage bags are pretty small…about the size of a large bathroom garbage can.  Wow.  Just the cost of diapers alone (now not only paying double the cost for them here vs home, but now also paying to throw them away in the trash) is going to put a dent in the monthly bottom line!  I tell you what, one way to ensure that a family recycles every last piece of anything recyclable is to charge for garbage.  Effective method!  (More on recycling later).  I've even tried pulling the sneaky American trick...trying to dump a dirty diaper here or there in a dumpster when we are out and about-but to no avail!  All dumpsters are padlocked!  It is virtually impossible to find an open public garbage can.  They really make you pay to throw your stuff away, there is just no getting around it.  Vignettes.  Yep, you need a vignette to ride your bike, and a vignette to drive on the highways.  We found out the hard way that you apparently need to pay to drive on the highways in Austria as well…but that is a story for another time!  And, Parking.  Every last parking lot in Switzerland has a meter!  We learned that lesson on our very first trip to IKEA.  As we went to exit the parking lot with a nice line of cars behind us we realized that we forgot to pay for parking!  Apparently the Swiss don't take kindly to backing up to let uninformed Americans reverse their way back to validate their parking ticket!  Live and learn.  

MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day started with cuddles from all three boys in bed and the best french toast I've ever had, thanks to Chris.  As we were eating it, Isaac remarked, "how can we be eating Fwench toast in Switzewand?"  Good question, my little literalist.
After he cleaned up the dishes, Chris asked me what I wanted to do, so I replied, "take me to the mountains"!  And he did.  Chris drove the scenic route, and I couldn't help but ooohh and aaahhh over the spectacular views or stop myself from taking pictures out of the windshield.  We took a walk to a waterfall, and ate lunch at a restaurant nestled in the mountainside known for it's fine food (which Chris looked up).  We even enjoyed a beer with lunch.  We drove through the Klausen pass until we got stopped by a road block...too much snow and fallen rock at the top to go over the tippy top of the mountain, so we pulled over and ate some homemade chocolate chip cookies that I brought for dessert at the highest point that we could get to for the day.  There isn't a Mother's Day that I haven't enjoyed yet, but this one was especially wonderful.  Now that our family is complete, I had my first mother's day with all of my kids, and my first mother's day in the Swiss Alps.  We ended the day all huddled together on the couch, watching a movie on our laptop...starting and ending the day cuddled up with my boys with a trip to the mountains in between...what more could a mother want?!? 

A MOM IS A MOM IS A MOM

Things are getting more familiar everyday.  Luckily, Isaac is going to an International School, and the moms I've met there (from all over the globe: Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Argentina, Malaysia, Germany) are all very supportive and welcoming as they too have experienced the chaos that is an international move and transition-with small children.  No matter what culture they are from or language they speak, we all have the same emotions, challenges, and joys when it comes to our kids.  What a great connection to share with people from every corner of the world.  And while I'm on this mothering note, I might just add that although unpacking an apartment with a baby is challenging-and carrying him to the grocery store daily, up and down stairs, and having him basically as a barnacle can be exhausting, he is really the sweetest, most flexible baby.  No matter how beautiful the surroundings (which are insanely beautiful), looking into Levi's eyes (and Chris, Luke and Isaac's) is really the most beautiful thing I get to see everyday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

It takes a lot of stamina to travel all over Europe with three kids.  It isn't the stereotypical "sit at the cafe and leisurely take in a museum" sort of experience.  But that being said, I wouldn't trade having our boys with us to see all of these places for anything.  They always notice different details than I do, and have a unique perspective about the places we go and the things we see (i.e. "this tram is awesome, Mom" as we are riding it past stunning architecture, or "look at this snail!", as we are walking past a spectacular mountain view).  No one could have prepared me better for traveling to any place imaginable with them-(from churches, to museums, to the mountains) than my Mom.  She and my Dad took us five girls all over the United States.  I value those trips-and all of the museums, National Parks, hiking, and reading-more than I could ever express.  I guess the best way to show appreciation for an experience you treasure is to do your best to pass it on to others you love.  So, thanks Mom, for the inspiration and example.  I could never come close to emulating your energy, organization, and character-but I will keep doing my best!  I love you, have a great day!

OUT OF A FAIRYTALE

Most small towns and villages in Switzerland (and all of Europe for that matter) have a church, an old town, and a castle. As the boys have articulated on several occasions, not all castles are created equal!  Understandably, they have a very specific impression of what a castle should be...drawbridges, moats, high towers, lookouts, knights in shining armor.  It isn't surprising then, that several of the smaller and more house-like structures that are still classified as castles have not lived up to the boys' expectations.  So, Chris and I decided to take them to a castle that would meet...and in this case, exceed, their expectations.  We headed to Fussen, Germany to visit Neuschwanstein (and it's neighboring castle, Hohenschwangau)-both inhabited by King Ludwig.   Although the area is a bit tourist trappy-it is worth fighting the crowds to get a tour of these impressive castles.  There were no pictures allowed inside, but Neuschwanstein (only partially finished due to Ludwig's untimely death), was a spectacle of royalty and wealth that had not only the boys mouths hanging open, but mine as well.  We stayed in a cute little hotel with a view of Neuschwanstein and enjoyed a delicious traditional Bavarian dinner.  We rode a horse-drawn carriage to the top of the mountain to reach the castle, and the boys really got a kick out of the fact that the horse directly in front of Chris was experiencing some bad gas...I thought they were going to laugh their little selves right off of the buggy! (poor Chris wasn't as amused) 
The only drawback of the trip was during our drive to Germany.  We got pulled over at an Autobahn checkpoint, only to find out that we were in Austria (surprise! Chris turned to me and said, "did you even know we were in Austria?"...nope!), and that we were driving without an Austrian vignette.  (a sticker you must buy and post on your windshield to drive on the highway)   The fine was a whopping 120 Euro!  OUCH.  That's a hefty fine to pay for a 10 minute trip through a teeny tiny corner of Austria. (especially when the cost for the vignette is only 7 Euro!)  Guess we should have paid closer attention to the map.  Again, a lesson we hope to only have to learn once.  Once we hit the Autobahn in Germany Chris really enjoyed opening up our little BMW wagon to see what she could do...and lets just say that her reputable German engineering didn't let us down!

MOVE OVER JULIE ANDREWS, THESE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH SOME NEW MUSIC

The radio stations here are hilarious.  We are hearing a lot of 80s music: Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, Phil Collins, and a random sampling of obscure American songs that never made it even close to the Top 40.  On the drive to get Isaac dropped off and picked up from school today I heard the following: Elvis, C and C music factory (which had Isaac giggling), Tina Turner, One Republic, Simon and Garfunkle, Train, Michael Jackson, and Shakira (Switzerland loves her daily dose of Shakira!).  Now THAT makes for an eclectic listening experience!  The DJs are also a crack up, as I listen to them rattle away in Swiss-German, all of a sudden you hear an American celebrity name in a thick German accent and pronounced with a slower pace...JJJeeeffff  Brriiddggeesss...then back to the fast paced Swiss German.  Makes me laugh.  We will definitely be putting that ipod jack to good use in the car we ordered!  Which, reminds me…when IS that car we ordered going to get here?  We were told that it would take 4-6 weeks.  About 5 weeks after placing the order, Chris called to ask if they had a delivery date, and we were notified that somehow the paperwork got "lost in the shuffle".  Our car had not yet been ordered.  Now, I am loving the little M series BMW wagon we have been tooling around in…it makes me actually look like a European, but poor Luke is completely smashed in-between his two little brother's car seats (not to mention, illegal.  Switzerland just passed a law April 30th that requires kids to ride in booster seats until the age of 12).  We are lucky he is such a trooper, always easy to get along with.  Just one more reason I love that kid so much!  

THIS WILL MAKE YOU ITCHY

I have recently found out that there are a lot of ticks in Switzerland, and all of central Europe.  The scary part is, 50-100 percent of them carry one of two diseases: TBE (tick born encephalitis) and Lyme's disease.  There is a vaccination you can get to protect yourself from TBE once you turn 6 and if you are not breastfeeding...so that covers Chris and Luke.  As I read more about it on the internet, my mind starts to replay how Luke, Isaac, and Levi love to roll around in the grass...and I think of how much they have been doing just that.  Heck, all of a sudden I think of the photo-ops Chris and I have tried to create, as we set our babies IN the grass, laying them on each other and rolling them through the thick, disease-infested tick habitat.  Great!  Another thing to keep me up at night worrying...looks like we can add tick checks to the nightly routine!

LAKE GREIFENSEE HOW I LOVE THEE

On Lia's last day here (boooo), and with Chris home from his trip, but fighting jet-lag, we decided to spend a Sunday visiting a favorite hangout of the locals.  On Sundays in Switzerland, everything is closed except for some restaurants.  The Swiss are known for doing three things on Sundays:  exercising outside, hanging with their families outside, or eating long, expensive meals at restaurants (and if at all possible-outside).  Once you accept Sunday as a day that you won't be able to run any errands, or get much done (vacuuming and laundry is also banned due to noise restrictions), it is really fantastic!  It is a guilt free way to ensure that you take time out to enjoy yourself and your family, and there is no more of an enjoyable place to do that than outside-especially when you are in the Alps!  We went to Lake Greifensee to check out the small village and the lake.  There is a path all around the lake, and hundreds of people were out roller blading, biking, walking, and scootering.  It was a beautiful, hazy day.  The pics we took look like I've edited the color on them, but I didn't.  It was the most romantic light.  I felt like I was sitting in a Swiss version of an Emily Dickinson poem (sans some crazy dress and girdle).  We enjoyed some beers at a bier garten, and let the boys wade in the lake.  We walked around the lake for a while and enjoyed some of the first warm sunshine of the summer season and each other.  It felt like a genuine Swiss experience.  It felt great!