BOYZ IN THE HOOD. WITH THEIR MOM.

We only live 10 minutes out of the city!

See what I mean about sweet new apartments?

You can take the girl out of Iowa, but you can't take Iowa out of the girl...

My Hawkeye roots really love a beautiful barn!

The vinyards.

The apple orchard

The mountains and lakes

The sweet sheep who live right out our window.  Levi bids them good morning, good day, and good night daily.

This apartment sits next to a sweet old house

More old and new contrast in the neighborhood

Switzerland does a lot of things well--it's almost like the whole country is an interactive magazine spread that has popped off the pages of FINE LIVING.  Apart from the dynamic natural beauty of this country, I haven't seen anywhere that combines old and new architecture as well as they do it here.  I brought my camera on one of my walks with the boys through the neighborhood this week to illustrate my point.  The Iowa girl in me still loves beautiful old barns-and the way the Swiss seem to nestle their brand new modern apartment buildings in amongst their chalets and farm houses somehow works beautifully.  It's crazy.  Throw in some cows, sheep, mountains, vineyards, apple orchards, lakes, and walking paths everywhere--and you have paradise.  Otherwise known as Schweiz!  

Spring has sprung!!

Our country road up the hill that Chris cycles on

This barn, converted into a gallery, is across the street from our flat

Anyone need to shoot a country music video?

TIME CAPSULE

Time capsule

I wear my sunglasses at breakfast so I'm ready for the sunrise

The other day, I put on a jacket I haven't worn since fall.  I reached in my pocket, and pulled out a handful of little boys' treasures…a headless lego man, some "very special" wood chips, a couple of pebbles, and some euro coins.  I couldn't help but smile and think, this is like a time capsule of our life right now.  The majority of this blog has been focused on sharing about our travels, or eventful experiences--moments I certainly want to remember.  However, and maybe more importantly, what I really want to hang onto is how sweet life is with three little boys.  It is hard to believe that when we moved here Levi was only 7 months…a little butterball of a baby with wispy hair that stood out in every direction (we called him fluffy).  And now, he is a walking--no running, talking--no grunting, toddler-full of smiles and energy and determination.  Luke just turned 8 (gulp, sniff), and Isaac is on the verge of being a very old-sounding 5.  I've written about their ups and downs with tackling this move-and how proud I am of their optimistic little spirits and flexibility, but sometimes I just wish I could capture and hold onto the everyday goodness that happens…the fun bath times with their beautiful blue eyes that look even bigger and more innocent with water droplets clinging to their long, dark lashes.  Footy PJs.  Rocking Levi to sleep and feeling him relax in my arms as his breathing gets deeper and he wraps his chubby arms around my neck, AND his doggie AND book AND water cup.  The simplicity of making heart-shaped pancakes on Valentine's day that can just make their whole day.  Hearing Luke laugh so hard he squeaks.  Having Isaac tell me no less than a dozen times a day, "I just love you so much, Mom"--(I mean, I know I will just be dying to hear him say that when he's 16!!!)  Sometimes, its even the everyday frustrations that I don't want to forget…like the never-ending energy flying around here that is often accompanied with toothbrush battles, wrestling, and loud laughing (or yelling)--ok, maybe I'm getting carried away, here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this time in Europe is obviously cherished because of the opportunity it allows to see new countries and gain fresh perspectives.  But what might make it even more distinguished to me is that these years with our three young boys are some of the sweetest years we might ever have.  And I'm hoping that this whole "outside the box" experience might help me compartmentalize in my memory what a golden time this is for our family.  Enjoying the healthy, happy years of our babies while they are still full of innocence and optimism and the desire to hang out with their mom and dad!

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN

March marks our one-year anniversary of moving to Switzerland.  As the months have flown off the calendar, I find it hard to believe that it could already be that long since we've been here, and I've also found myself reflecting on the year.  Of course, my thoughts begin with looking back at what a struggle the first few months felt like.  When we arrived, every step of the day was such a challenge--small things like buying a train ticket, and feeling comfortable taking public transportation through the city with all foreign signage was intimidating.  Or trying to navigate the grocery store and come up with things to cook was a huge task.  However, I now feel fully acclimated, and maybe even OVER-adjusted.  Taking just food and shopping alone, we had several new changes to adjust to.  For example, the grocery stores tend to carry only one or two varieties of most products.  There is nothing even close to a Target here--with one-stop shopping and bulk options.  The produce and meat are all pesticide and hormone free--which is great for our health, but makes shopping a daily event since truly fresh produce goes bad in a matter of hours to days from when you get it home. And the prices are OUTRAGEOUS…for EVERYTHING.  I often found myself frustrated with my lack of choices, and the frequent trips to the store.  Now that I've been here long enough to find what I like, I don't miss the lack of variety as much, and actually sometimes find myself glad that I don't have so many choices.  I appreciate the smaller markets without all the excess consumerism and marketing.  You take what they have or leave it and move on! (although, I still find myself frustrated with cost and horrible hours)  

I also have come to appreciate how much pride the Swiss take in maintaining cleanliness and order.  When you first move here, the strict rules seem overly restrictive and suffocating, but after living in a society where everyone has a job, a high standard of living, and public streets, landscaping, restrooms, buses, ferries, trams and trains are all meticulously maintained it makes more sense as to why the Swiss tolerate the neurotic orderly approach they have to EVERYTHING.  (don't get me wrong, it can still be frustrating at times!)  Although I don't think their system would work when applied to a country that has the size and population of the US, I do think that they have a good thing going for themselves over here.  

I know when we move back home I will really really miss being able to take a train home after a night out with the girls.  No worries about driving, or taxis, or safety-being out by myself at night.  And speaking of GNO, one of the most rewarding results of making this move is the people we have met.  Although the Swiss tend to be very private and maintain only a small and close-knit group of friends, the women and families at the International School have been phenomenal.  They have been, in large part, the reason we have flourished here and have had such a positive experience.  I absolutely love the cultural diversity, stimulating conversations, genuine friendliness, and open mindedness of the people I have met and become friends with.  Looking at life through the perspective of so many different viewpoints and life experiences is enriching beyond belief.  

One of the hardest parts about being here is saying goodbye to such good friends who have been lifelines as they rotate back to their home countries, or move on to new adventures.  There is an ever-revolving door of expats, and it is difficult to let go of such great people so soon after getting to know them!  There are wonderful people who are generous in spirit and full of love from all over the globe!  Of course, the worst part of being here hands down, is being so far from our families.  I feel awful about taking my parents' only grandkids, and my in-laws' only grandsons so far away from them.  We are grateful for their support of us on this awesome opportunity to see and experience so fully daily life in another country.  

Without a doubt, it feels good to have really adjusted to life in a different country (and kudos to Luke for making the most complete transition, as he is a fluent German speaker in just a year).  Transitions are always difficult, and this one was the most difficult we have ever faced, but it feels great to know that it was all worth it.  We are all very comfortable and happy here, and have bonded as a family in a really special way.  Switzerland really does feel like our home away from home.  Chris and I were just saying yesterday as we were driving home from a day in the mountains how even after visiting Italy or France, we feel a sense of relief when we cross back over the boarder into Switzerland.  Maybe it's that we know all of rules--the speed limits, driving signs, grocery stores, and cultural etiquette…and believe it or not, the German is even sounding familiar!!  It is amazing how with the passing of time what once felt so foreign and intimidating now feels comfortable and enjoyable.  We are looking forward to exploring as much more of Europe as we can with our time left here, and will do our best to keep up with sharing! Thanks for reading!!

LONG OVERDUE...OR MAYBE JUST LONG...(sorry!)

For you sweet people who read this blog, it may look like I have stopped blogging after a year….but that is in fact not the case.  In a wonderfully surprising way, what is usually the most dreaded part of the year for me, (the post-holiday, cold and gray months of January and February that seem to crawl by as I anxiously await spring's arrival), has not been gray, slow, or anti-climactic for me here in Switzerland!  With ski lessons every weekend sandwiched between a trip to Italy in January and a fabulous ski holiday in Austria in February, these two months have flown by and have been snowy and sunny and beautiful to boot!  Enjoying winter like this makes me feel like a kid again….and makes it hard for me to find time to write about this dream of a life we have been blessed with.

The year started off with a bang!  After celebrating New Year's Eve with friends, we woke up bright and early on the first day of the new year, loaded up the car, and headed back to Italy to explore Siena, Florence and Pisa.  As is often the case in life, the journey is many-times as exciting as reaching the destination, and in this case the journey absolutely earned it's reputation for being noteworthy.  Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons.  

Apparently, when you stick some sleepy kids in the car at 7 am, they immediately start playing video games, and you are driving on very curvy mountain roads….car sickness seems to be an inevitable problem.   Poor Luke didn't even feel it coming, and after about 2 hours into the trip he looks up from his Nintendo DS, coughs once in a tone that have Chris and I scream in unison: "don't do it, Luke….open a window…get a bag…no no no no no no no…"  But there was no stopping it.  In our well-intentioned determination to keep our car organized and clean for the trip there was NOTHING we could grab to contain "the explosion".  Seriously????  Not even ONE bag/baggie/wrapper/blanket?  And, with him being stuck between his brother's car seats in the middle, he couldn't get over to the window.  Happy New Year!  With Chris careening off the the road--with no where to really pull over as we were on the side of a mountain, we face the dilemma…is he sick?  Will it happen again?  Should we head home to detail the car and then start over?  Scratch the trip?  Chris looks at me in disbelief and says, "can we just roll him around in the snow to start the clean-up"?  No, we can't.  Poor shaking, embarrassed, ashamed, freezing little Luke with his heart of gold feeling awful about it almost made me not care it happened.  To make a never-ending story just long, we pull into the one open gas station we can find, and proceed to detail the car (and Luke who completely destroyed his winter coat, pants, shoes…).  Chris-being as thorough as he is in his approach to life-spent close to two hours cleaning the back seat, doors wide open, all of us FREEZING.  As we were finishing…but still finding a little splash here, or a soggy crevasse there, I couldn't help but think, how does a kid's body turn a small bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk into an entire back seat of disaster?  I wish we could feed them money!!  Here son, eat this change, and then puke me up 10,000 dollars…wouldn't THAT be nice.  I keep thinking that when I look back at these years they will be labeled in my mind as "the projectile vomiting years"…interspersed with some fun in between. 

With a very clean back seat, and all video games safely stored, we continued on our way to Siena.  The whole trip was lovely.  As any of you who have been reading for a while know, we are addicted to Italy.  The highlights for me included:

-The whole town of Siena.  It was really like stepping back into the middle ages…the entire town has maintained it's medieval historical authenticity.  Impressive and beautiful.

-The Duomo in Siena is huge, but most impressive is it's black and white marble stripes.  Incredibly cool!  Luke, Isaac and I climbed up 300+ stairs to walk to the top of a wall to get a great view of the city and countryside.  Fantastic.

-Florence was spectacular in all of the impressive sculptures, paintings, and architecture that represent the numerous renaissance masters that worked and lived there.  We saw Michelangelo and Galileo's tombs at the Basilica of Santa Croce which was impressive.

-Luke, Isaac, and I again climbed (468 steps, this time) to the top of the dome of the Duomo in Florence.  I was proud of their ambitious spirits for wanting to take on the climb.  Luke took every single steep (but tiny) stone step, and Isaac climbed at least half with some help from me in between.  When we got to to top of the inside of the dome to see the painting up close, Luke and Isaac got very serious and a little freaked out by the depiction of judgment day and hell.  Luke looked at me with a solemn expression and said, " I thought hell was just a really long desert with no water".  I said, lets hope we never find out, and try not to worry about it!  

-After walking through the Uffizi Art Museum, Luke retorted, "wow, these people really liked the baby Jesus"…and it's true…it seems like 80 percent of renaissance paintings are titled, "Madonna and Child"…we saw a lot of them!

-Finally, my absolute favorite piece of art/architecture I've seen so far was in Florence--and was of course, the Statue of David.  There were no pictures allowed, which is a good thing-because photography just can't do him justice.  That statue truly lives up to and exceeds his reputation and the anticipation of seeing it.  Well, for me anyway.  Little Isaac wasn't as impressed.  He was like, "it's just a really big naked guy, it's not awesome Mom".  In retrospect, maybe I hyped it up a bit much for a 4-year old.

-And last but not least, it isn't often that we as a family have bundled up in the middle of winter to wander around and tour cities outside (note that Luke scored a new cute peacoat due to earlier mentioned disaster).  But it really was nice to avoid super crazy tourist crowds, and to make the most out of a winter break!

SWISS BLISS

Our family loves summer.  My favorite thing to wear is flip flops.  We cook on the grill 250 days a year in Atlanta.  Anytime we hear a song that Isaac really loves, he always says, "this reminds me of the beach".  And, if given a choice for a vacation to the ocean, city, mountains, or desert, we most often pick the sandy, sunny, hot BEACH.  I have even thought to myself while building sand castles with only swimsuits, t-shirts, flips and towels to worry about how/or why people would pick the cold cold mountains in winter with the loads and loads of gear for vacation.  I just didn't get it.  

Until now. 

Over Christmas break, we were invited to go sledding in the Alps with our Swiss friends.  We took a 2.5 hour train ride to the top of a mountain pass to go on an extraordinary sledding run.  I think it may end up being one of our top three defining "swiss experiences".  It was a perfect day: blue, sunny skies, snow covered trees, and mountains that looked as if (as Isaac put it) they were dipped in frosting.  The mountain pass road is covered in snow, closed for the winter, and turned into an 8 km-(yes, a FIVE MILE) sledding run.  And let me tell you, it was curvy, icy, fast, and FUN.  First time down, Chris and I figured out that pulling on the sled rope and leaning just wouldn't cut it for steering while whizzing down the mountain, so we dug our heels into the ground to steer our wooden snow bullets.  This of course, sent a spray of snow flying into Levi (on Chris's sled) and Isaac's (on my sled) faces.  Levi wanted nothing to do with it, so Chris took his googles off and put them on Levi's face.  With protection from the snow, the little guy actually managed to fall asleep while sledding.  In another one of life's mysteries, we were left to puzzle over why he WOULDN'T sleep on the exhaustingly boring (for Levi) train ride, but how he COULD even fall asleep while going down a mountain at 34 km an hour on a sled!  (There was actually a radar speed sign on the course...and it was posted on a slow segment!).  

Other highlights from the day shown in the pictures below:

-Isaac fell asleep mid-chew during our lunch break between our two runs down the mountain…think someone had a little adrenaline rush?

-We wrapped a bandanna on Isaac's face for the second run, and he enthusiastically coined himself the SNOW COWBOY.   It was a perfect solution!

-Luke remarked, "that was the most fun thing I've ever done".

-After the run, we pulled our sleds through the beautiful town of Bergün to catch the train back to the top-it was divinly picturesque on a perfect winter day.

-We passed a literal "ice bar".   Cool.  

-My favorite part was holding Isaac tight, and listening to him belly laugh with the speed….we only wiped out once.   I have a newfound respect for lugers in the Olympics. (And a major concern about the mental state of the people who dare to compete in the skeleton event…they go 60 kph, headfirst.  Insane!)

-Levi sleeping on the sled as we pull him through town.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Colmar, France

Colmar, France

Zurich

The Christmas season is in full swing here and I am really enjoying the first white Christmas (coming from Atlanta) we've had in a while!  We've kicked off our "holiday preparation" in full gear with a walk through our winter wonderland of a city.   We stopped to hear some music at the "singing Christmas tree" in downtown Zurich, enjoyed some hot glüewine (mulled wine), and checked out our first European Christmas Markets (which are all the rage here, but have left us a little bit confounded on just what is so wonderful about them-picture freezing temps, TONS of people through which to maneuver a stroller and hang on to two other kids, and lots of "knick-knacky" trinkets.  Chris and I have decided that it's the tradition that everyone grows up with here, so it's their "eggnog in the cup" for them…their taste/feel/smell that says Christmas is here).  We've baked and frosted our traditional Courts' family sugar cookies, and have gone sledding on some pretty big hills in this gorgeous snow.  All of this, plus the constant playing of Christmas music, has really gotten us into the Christmas mood.  We are staying in Zurich for Christmas this year, and although we will miss our families dearly, we are going to cherish the time spent with our boys as the magic is still very much alive as all three still believe.  We are also grateful for our American tradition, as we have found that it differs more than we expected from the Swiss tradition.  

The traditional Swiss Christmas goes something like this (from what I think I understand):  St. Nick (called Samichlaus in German) comes on December 6th, to deliver fruit and nuts to the children who have been good….but fruit and nuts are not all he brings.  He is escorted by his "bad cop" sidekick, Schmutzli…who dresses all in black, also with a beard.  The two come down from the forest, and walk with a donkey through the snow…no sleigh, or reindeer, or fireplaces.  Although they most often come on the 6th, the duo can show up with a knock on the door at anytime between the 6th and Christmas.  With them, they bring a book with the "annual behavior report"-complete with specific bad behavior details.  Rumor has it, that in the past, children who have been bad are scolded by Samichlaus, snatched up by Schmutzli, and taken back into the forest in his sack (kidnapped!).  These days, it is more common to have the children recite a poem promising better behavior during the next year (but they still get a scolding).  The whole scenario seems a little intimidating, if you ask me.  Samichlaus is not the jolly good fellow the American Santa is…but, he seems to do the trick!  On Christmas Eve, Swiss families decorate their Christmas trees…and light real candles on the tree.  On this night, an angel from the baby Jesus delivers a few gifts to children, and a window is left cracked open to show where she's come from.  Gifts are opened then, on Christmas Eve!  

To all of you back home…we love you and miss you, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  May you all find happiness and renewal in your celebrations, whatever they may be!