My turn

I'm sending a little moonshine your way today.

I bet you wake up every morning like I do hoping to find pooh on the floor. Or pee. Pooh was yesterday. Sorry, it's my turn. Maybe you'll get lucky tomorrow. Should I pray for you?

Perhaps you'll fill up a shopping cart of needed supplies, wait in the long line for ten minutes (which is an eternity with three kids under 6) until you're next in line when your three year old squeals that it's time to go NOW! And just for kicks and giggles, you find it was a false alarm after you'd sprinted with said 3 kids to the toddler toilet room. He just wanted to see those small toilets one more time. One hour = three trips to the wee ones' room. Not only does it have smaller toilets, sinks and soap dispensers, but it also has one of those nifty Dyson hand dryers that freak out any baby, Morgan included. Yup, that was THREE times in one hour. I love my life.

Don't you wish you were me right now?

P.S. Ryan potty-trained Easton with a Japanese anime youtube video. He says it was easy. Once again, I'm reminded that Easton and McKay are different children. Darn it!

Anniversary in London

Happy 7th Anniverary to us! We left the kids with a very sweet, apt sitter and joined Big Ben for the weekend. Ahhh, what joy it was to only have one backpack to pack and tote!!!

This was also the first time we’ve flown to a destination within Europe rather than driving or taking the train. One more bonus – stamps in the passport finally! Sorry there's no pictures, the camera fell out of my bag in the van as I rummaged for tissues. Love allergies!

FRIDAY
We hopped on a double-decker bus from Paddington Station heading into the heart of London. We toured Big Ben’s Westminster Palace (where Parliament’s House of Lords and Commons meet) and then took in Evensong at Westminster Cathedral. Ryan and I were so happy to rest our tired feet and soak up the Cathedral while sung to by a small good choir.

Boy did the service take me back to the evening devotionals with Father Neuhaus. When I was an intern for a summer in NYC, my new boss had arranged a place for me to stay with FREE rent! It was 2000, and I made only a mere $500/month. Father Neuhaus was generous to let me have my own little apartment in his rowhouse within walking distance of where I first worked for NRLC – the United Nations and the Empire State Building. It didn’t take long for me to find out I was living with a very respected, leading intellectual of the Catholic church. Lucky for me, he was also one of the kindest as well. I have to chuckle at what he must have thought of this lil’ green Mormon gal fresh out of BYU!

Each evening, Father Neuhaus led evening devotional for the five of us who lived in his building – two of his young staff (one Methodist, the other Catholic), a Lutheran pastor, and another gentleman I can only vaguely recall. On Saturdays, we all had dinner together after evensong and talked for a few hours. That was my first exposure to ecumenical intellectual dialogues. They would expound on topics like pre- and post-milleniumism. What?! I did a lot of head nods, but loved soaking it up!

Back to our trip though! After Evensong, we found a Brazillian churrascarria and then saw Wicked! YAHOO! But just as we were going to give our tickets to the usher, the middle-aged couple in front of us decided to make out! HELLO! There’s a time and place for that, people! It was really gross and really weird. Ryan and I actually laughed out loud when we looked at each other. And then I felt like I was twelve. But it was just the weirdest thing! The show was real fun!

SATURDAY
If you’re in London and find a Sainsbury grocery around 9am – GO IN AND TRY EACH HOT PASTRY!!! Ryan found love in the layers of warm, flaky, buttery yummy-ness. One was chocolate filled, another almond filled, and one that was maple and tasted like the best French toast! We topped it off with yogurt, blueberries, and Starbucks hot chocolate. Happy, happy were we!

Got on the bus again to see more sights. We got off the bus at the Tower of London and joined the Beefeater giving his lively tour. Then we saw the Crown Jewels and a great exhibit of infamous Henry VIII. It was cool to see where many infamous Brits lived or met their fate here. It was a fortress, armory, and prison for many centuries.

For lunch we followed a tip to Brick Lane to find good Indian food. It did not disappoint! And Brick Lane was the hippie version of Portabello Road we later came to find out. All sorts of random people, shops and street vendors. Not a tourist destination yet, but it was fun to see the local 20s-30s scene. We topped off our evening by going to the remade Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. We saw the Royal Shakespeare Company perform Euripides’ Helen.

On the tube ride home, we once again were faced with another middle-aged couple shamelessly making out in public. This was not for the faint of heart, folks! Again, Ryan and I descended into laughter like tweens.

SUNDAY
After timing our visit to the Sainsbury bakery aisle again for hot-out-of-the-oven croissants, we decided we didn’t have time to take the day trip to Windsor Palace. Instead, we decided to meander through the heart of London. We caught the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and walked and walked and walked. We walked through Hyde Park along the Serpentine Lake into the Kensington Gardens on our way to Portobello Road. We had beautiful clear skies almost our entire trip, it was amazing! On Portabello Road, it was fun to see how different it was from the East end Brick Lane crowd! We ate well at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, topping off with some delicious Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes. Mine was poppyseed lime while Ryan devoured his carrot cake one in probably three bites.

Then the real adventure began: Operation Going Home. We hit unexpected delays on the Tube between construction and signal failures. We got to our Stansted Express train just in time to head to the airport, but then a freak accident delayed us for hours. A tree had caught fire and fallen on the above hanging electric lines. The fire had to be put out, the tree cut down, and the lines safely fixed and tested before hundreds could make in on their way. On a Sunday afternoon.

Our train got stopped half way to the airport and held for 20 minutes before they let us out of the hot stuffy un-A/C’d train car at a station. At least one or two previous trains had dumped their passengers at this station and a handful more came within the next hour in 10-15 minute intervals. Almost all were anxious to catch flights which made for some pandemonium. There was a scramble to find buses to come pick up all the stranded. The first bus pulled up and literally laughed because he knew of no other buses coming and saw the hundreds pressing in to get at those prized 40 seats.

Ryan and I were four layers (because crazed people don’t form organized queues) beyond those sacred bus doors, but as they opened and the masses frantically pressed forward, it was apparent that this was going to get ugly. Ryan was able to yank me out of there luckily. It shook something deep within me – memories of the Pentagon metro station on 9/11 as a coworker and I rushed to get out. Ryan and I decided it wasn’t worth the violence so we headed back to the trains to hang with the train engineers who would be the first to know we could all get out of there. They were much more amiable than the frantic hundreds outside the station! After 2 ½ hours, we were on the first train to leave the station and we still think we got there before the first bus arrived.

We had missed our flight so I stood in line to rebook flights while Ryan hunted down other airline and hotel possibilities.

At 11am Monday we finally arrived home to find all was well. Morgan was so happy with her sitter she broke my heart and didn’t even care if I took her from the sitter. I wanted to wail, “Don’t you remember me?! The woman who birthed you and wakes up multiple times per night to feed you?! . . .” The boys were happier to see us and Claralyn had helped them make a banner for us. Good to kiss on and snuggle the rest of the day!

Home Sweet Home!

Nein-Nein-Nein!

This week has been on the warmer side and so their kindergarten has played in the water each day. We also got a new sprinker for the kids so when the boys get home, they eat lunch and then head outside to play in the sprinkler. By 3pm, they are ornery and hungry, but earlier bedtimes have been nice! Yesterday McKay fell asleep in the car around 4:15 and an hour later we just put him in bed. He slept until 5:30 this morning. One tired kid. Morgan had woken up at 5 and I'd fed her and put us both back to bed knowing McKay would be up any minute since the sun was starting to light the skyline.

While back in bed trying to decide whether or not to try and sleep or get up and tackle some to-dos for our trip this weekend, I heard McKay get up and start scavenging for food. Last night we had pancakes, bacon and eggs for dinner in my lame attempt to satisfy my IHOP cravings. [I think the thing I miss most about the States is having a good breakfast joint! Oh, and a Five Guys burger joint and Fireworks pizza but we can somewhat satiate all food cravings here except the breakfast joint. Mmmmm, buttermilk pancakes . . .]

I knew McKay had found the leftover pancakes that I'd intentionally left out for the boys to raid. Then I began to panick. I couldn't remember if the syrup had been put away. I got up and headed off McKay in the kitchen doorway. He was holding the opened syrup jug in his hot little hands. He was headed for Ryan's leather recliner, aka The Man Chair, where he'd put his pancake on a plate. "Ryan owes me big time for heading off this disaster!" I told myself quite self-satisfied.

And then I stepped in a big foot-wide goo of syrup.

McKay had tried to clean up his mess from opening the syrup bottled so I didn't see it until I was in it. Grrrrr! And on my fresh mopped floors! Then I demanded to know if he had it on his feet too. Nope, just his hands.

After his breakfast, he and Morgan headed for the playroom. It didn't take long for McKay to become territorial and start hollering at his sister. Only now he's using his German to reprimand her! "Nein, Nein, Nein, Morgan!" He started this last week. He'd say, "No, No, No! Nein, Nein, Nein!" to her all the time but now he's dropped the English. He's tried a couple other words here and there I think but I obviously haven't understood him. I just know it ain't English. Should I be worried that this is the German he's absorbed from 2 months of kindergarten? Does it reflect what he hears the most? Could be, but I like the teachers and the boys keep wanting to go back each day so I think we're ok.

. . . why is it when one child is whiney-crying, the others must join in with noise at the same decibel level? Right now, it's Morgan's whine with McKay's fire engine alert. Heaven help me! It's not even 6:30!

Conversation Overheard . . .

Ryan and I were in the living room preparing our lessons for church tomorrow. The kids were in the playroom. Easton and McKay were talking back and forth as they played. McKay had his sword and Easton had a car. Normal as normal gets around here.

Overheard . . .
Easton: I’m going to the temple because it’s white, and white inside. And I’m going to get baptized. Do you wanta go to the temple and get baptized so you can live with Heavenly Father?
McKay: No, I wanta get special powers.

Easton made driving and them splashing noises and said something about how he was getting baptized and now had special powers.

McKay: I wanta get special powers.
Easton: Okay, then go in the temple and splash in the water.

Today, Cute = Survival

Morgan is back to waking up in the wee hours of the morning again. I think we're hitting another growth spurt. Yes, that must be it! But I've been having a bout with allergies this week so mornings are not my favorite time. Today we had two impromptu play dates which saved my life - well, actually it probably did more to save the boys' lives to be honest! A few late nights have made them a little whiney and this momma doesn't do whiney! I'm sure you're all familiar with your kids' letting their inner beasts shine for company. So with or without friends over, it was a little rough, except for a couple rosy moments that I choose to share below.


McKay is fascinated with slugs. During story time on my bed this afternoon, he slithered on his belly and said, "Mom, I'm a swug! See?"


Easton was playing with his stickers today. He came to me and said, "Look Mom, I spelled my name!" If you look closely at his picture, he's spelled it out on his chest backwards.


Morgan cracks me up with her choices of past times. For instance, part of our daily routine has to do with the diaper wipes. If the box ever gets left out, she crawls over and starts pulling those wipes out like her life depends on it. And then, she likes to suck on them! Gross!



When she heads for the toy room, she gravitates to the bears and dolls, softer toys. She slobbers on them, pokes their eyes, and wrestles them to the ground. She's definitely different from my boys!

A Skyped Wedding Reception

Would you wake up at 4:30am for a wedding reception? Sure! If your brother's can be partaken of via Skype! But I wish I'd thought about the two-way video because I wasn't ready to make appearances in my jammies, no makeup, and bedhead! What a way to meet the in-laws who are dressed to the nines! Ah well, this is me!

With a nine hour time difference, the sun was rising here in Germany while it was setting back in Kennewick. Morgan was my alarm even though I'd set my watch. Chris and Ben oversaw the technical details of getting me live video and sound. YAHOO!!! It was a beautiful reception, probably my favorite thus far with the round hanging lanterns and lights strung. Hopefully someone will send me pictures soon so I can post a few.

I even got to chat with the newlyweds, Nick and Christine, right before they drove off to a sparklers send-off. Christine was a classic beauty and Nick was handsome as ever. Good thing he was the guy in the vest, otherwise we joked Christine could have grabbed the wrong Bare boy since they've all got the "Amber special."

I wish all families could be so blessed with such an artistic jack-of-all-trades sister/daughter-in-law. I keep saying that when I grow up I want to be as talented as Amber! She designed the invites and save the dates, made many of the decorations by hand, cut all the boys' hair the night before (up til 3am I think doing the Amber Special!), ran with Nick to get better lookin' shoes the day of the wedding . . . every family getting married needs her! I hope some day she can run a wedding planning company for she is simply GIFTED!!! And she's produced some of the cutest toeheads with some help from my brother Chad.

I fought back unexpected tears at the sight of my siblings, dad, and Grandpa Bob. Our family is so funny about being together. We can chat about nothin' forever and laugh our heads off! We just really like gathering in one spot to be together. At any given time, there were at least three of my siblings and/or their spouses in front of the webcam. That's love! I felt a little bad taking them away from the reception. I must say, so much growing up is going on all at once for us Bares! A snapshot, in order for your benefit:

Mom & Dad - New puppy, last wedding for at least a couple years. In eight years, they've had seven kids get married! I could list a lot here, they amaze me!
Me & Ryan - 3 kids, living in Germany and trying to see as much of Europe as we can!
Chad & Amber - 1 son, 2 daughters, managing work and school, new puppy. ID Falls.
Brooks & John - Buying their first home and getting their first puppy. Bend, OR.
Chris & Tricia - New business and first baby boy due in November. DC area.
Ben & Elizabeth - School and work! Gotta catch up more with them. USU.
Nick & Christine - Newlyweds today! A bit of school left. BYU-I.
Lorry & David - He graduated, she's got a semester left, Miss Straight A's! BYU-I.
Matt - Leaves in September to serve a two year mission in Brasil.
Abby - New driver, logging the most babysitting hours ever, still has the best hair in the fam!
Luke - Turns 14 in a couple weeks. Loves football and is growing up way too fast!

A little after 8am we called it quits. I was exhausted and went back to bed after seeing to a few chores. Thank you, Ryan! Families are such a great blessing! It got me thinking a lot about weddings and those life events that draw us together. I sure am glad technology makes it easier to get in touch as we each spread our wings.

Oh yes, and before I forget, our favorite Kid-Speak today was . . .
McKay: "Maa-sketti" is spaghetti.
Easton: "Pop-skitto" is popsicle and "bi-skitto" is bicycle.

Seen and Heard Today

McKay - "We don't say that word. We say tooshy." Easton had said "bottom" apparently and normally McKay would let it slide, but when he's in dictator mode, you will be reprimanded no matter who you are! The boys have been trying to say butt lately and it doesn't fly around here. We're such mean parents! We're fighting a loosing battle, but their innocence is so wonderful while it lasts!

I should take a pictures of the mound of socks McKay goes through daily now. He's so proud of being able to put them on by himself that he runs to put on a new pair any time he steps on a drop of water, spit-up, or sees a spec of dirt! Good thing I'm caught up on laundry, otherwise I'd be really put out! It's pretty funny to hear him report on the event requiring a new pair. I think I counted at last six pairs today.


This hat and his "new" rain boots are his favorite daily wear, any time, going anywhere. The boots were in the van today so McKay decided to wear a different shoe on each foot and both were the wrong foot for that shoe. Easton has never obsessed about his clothes other than textures. McKay wants to pick his clothes for the day if he can now. Oh boy!

Easton - Huge loud crash in the living room this afternoon. I ran in and Easton was shaking like a leaf! It took a good five minutes of holding him to calm him down. He'd been trying to put a dvd in the machine and the entire shelf fell down behind the TV. He thought he was in big trouble but seeing him shaking freaked me out!

The boys and I cleaned their playroom and bedroom today. I caught myself before whining to them about all the books they leave all over the house. I'm actually loving how much time they spend pouring over books and seeing Easton read many starters to McKay or tell him the story of others. They have great little discussions about the plots and characters which I'll see them acting out later with their toys.

While I took care of a lot of paperwork today, the biggest fight was over Easton refusing to play with McKay. McKay was devastated! I didn't know who to put in time out - McKay for not giving Easton some space, or Easton for ignoring McKay just to bug him. I put McKay in time out because I've been trying to teach Easton how to ignore things that bother him rather than descending into a tantrum. Hmmmm . . . still not sure if I did that one right today. Always tomorrow.

Actually, I'm dreading tomorrow because Easton has to have a shot. Hepatitis A is required for school here. Last time he had a shot, I forewarned him of the shot about five minutes beforehand and he totally freaked out. He was carrying on so much that by the time the doctor finished his physical, Easton asked if they'd given him the shot already! He had McKay in a panic too. That was a fun visit. No warning this time and McKay will be at kindergarten so he won't be traumatized about doctor visits. Pray for me!

Morgan devouring a peach at dinner. She's only got two teeth, but she gnawed and sucked that thing down to the pit!



Food is serious business, no smiles. She's quickly losing interest in baby cereals and jarred foods. Can't blame her for wanting the real thing! I tried to get Ryan to do cleanup on this one, but he opted to make chocolate chip cookies. I conceded, as if I had a choice. She got a bath with lots of splash time. The wrestling match that ensued as I tried to get her dressed had Ryan laughing at us. She replied with the shrillest happy shrieks to her daddy. Oh those banshee shrieks! There are noises my kids make whose tones send me over the edge!

After Ryan watched the trailer for Disney's new "Tron" movie, he had to introduce the boys to a classic tonight. They loved it and Ryan and I got some good laughs. I didn't grow up with this movie like Ryan did. It'll be interesting to see what comes of "The Legacy."

I thought a lot today about my family and all the busy-ness that consumes life the week of a wedding. My brother Nick is getting married this weekend. We were lucky enough to catch mom and him on Skype last night. He's cool as a cucumber, even ran to get my parents' new family pup, Maggie, registered yesterday! Cute couple, eh!


Actually, last night I picked up a notebook by my bed and saw that it had a couple entries from when Ryan proposed to me and the week of our wedding. I'm so glad I'd written these because there were some neat details I'd forgotten like the hand-made veil by a family friend, Liz Fisher. What she charged for veils is donated to the church's Humanitarian Aid Fund because of some experiences she had visiting headquarters.

My mom and her siblings have challenged each other to write their life's story as their gifts to each other for Christmas 2010. Mom extended the invite to me and I can't decide whether to start from scratch or organize and digitize all the journals and pictures I've got. A lot of work either way, but fun to think about!

And home on Sunday . . .

Ryan and Easton were sleepyheads, so I left Morgan with some snacks to munch on while McKay and I went down to eat breakfast in peace. Meals with a 9 month old and no baby seat are anything but peaceful. First I tried to get McKay to get dressed, but he’s recently discovered how to dress and undress himself and says, “No mom, I do it myself!” I had to surrender as all moms do. We walked down to breakfast with him wearing his shirt on backwards and his pajama pants on inside out. But he did his shirt, pants, socks and shoes all by himself! I’ve seen much worse fashion offenses and since he was only going to smear jam and spill hot chocolate all over himself, it really didn’t matter.

The guy who runs the Pension is from England and it was classic hearing him interact with patrons in the morning! Beyond not being a morning person and looking very disheveled, you could tell he was mustering every bit of tact and patience he could to deal with some patrons. For instance, a conversation overheard at breakfast:

Woman: We just have juice, bread, jam, and butter at our table.
Owner: Yes. Would you like some coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

[Woman goes back to her parents who are visibly put out. She returns.]

Woman: Do you have any eggs or something else?
Owner with some finality in his tone: We don’t have any eggs because we don’t have a chef.

After breakfast, we had McKay get dressed again. It took awhile since he did it himself. Then he proudly declared, “I put my shoes on by myself. Now I get a dog?”

While packing up to leave, it began to rain and rain. Evidently, the pension owner’s weather forecast of a day like yesterday with just a bit more cloud cover had to be taken with a grain of salt. Our vision of stopping to see waterfalls and the lake on the way home dissolved. Oh well. We made it home in time for dinner and some good hot baths and showers before bed! What a great vacation!

Swiss National Day in Murren

Oh what a feeling! Although we often wished our kids were hikers on this trip so we could take to the real hearty trails, we had a great day catering to the kids and taking in the local scene.

Morgan kept with her regular wakeup routine nice and early. It worked out alright as we made it down for breakfast to see our pension owner nice and frazzled by the early bird crowd.

We took the cable car up to Murren to walk about town. If we were to do this trip over, I think we would have chosen to stay here rather than Gimmelwald because of the stage we’re in. WHY didn’t I bring the stroller?! Lesson learned: Never take another trip without the stroller! We stopped for a mid-morning snack across from this cute house with its great garden.



I took my picture of the house and turned around to take this one of Ryan and Morgan. Love those mountains!!!


Ryan showed the boys how to play hop scotch. The boys loved it, but the locals got an even bigger kick out of it! A few even stopped to watch.


Mount Eiger in the distance as my guys walk the town.


That mountain behind Ryan and McKay is Schilthorn. You can take a cable car up to the top and eat at the revolving restaurant made famous in the James Bond movie,“On Her Majesty’s Service” (1969).


Lauterbrunnen Valley down below us. It was so amazing to see how steep the mountain faces on each side of this valley were!



We came upon the SportZentrum and that’s where the fun began! Morgan got out of the carrier and scavenged to her heart’s content giving us big happy grins of freedom.


How do you do a back flip when your legs involuntarily give out? Man I hate getting older AND being out of shape! I sure miss our trampoline back home! We all spent a lot of time on this trampoline. McKay was really able to hold his own up there and Easton loved showing us his tricks.


Across the way was a great little playground. Ryan would spin Easton on this toy and when Ryan and I got on it with him spinning ourselves real fast, we even illicted some cheers from some old ladies on a bench in the park! What a rush to be a kid again! We were laughing our heads off at how silly we must have looked and how fun it was to let loose!


After seeing an older boy go up the ropes to the slide, Easton was a little eager to give it a try. It is so fun to see our kids try unfamiliar things as they get older and are more willing to take chances.


McKay tried the other rope walk and I loved his unwavering concentration!


The boys love going swimming and we had free passes from the Pension. It was a nice break from the hot sun. McKay fell in love with the bucket of toys in the kid pool, specifically the teapot and cups. Hmmm, never occurred to me to get a tea set for the boys but it was a hit! Morgan was ready for a nap the whole time but loved the water so she put up with us.


Easton is getting pretty brave with his doggy paddle and swimming under the water, but can’t go very far yet. Once he saw another kid with the water wings on, he wanted to give that a try. Fearless! Boy did he love the freedom of the floaties! He went up and down the length of the pool without a care. I didn’t bring any towels so we had fun drying off under the warm air dryers in the bathroom. Now off for some ice cream cones! Ryan even clandestinely snuck off for seconds on the pistaccio.





On the way out of town, we stopped in at the grocery store for some bread for lunch the next day. You should have seen the huge blackberries! I was admiring the baskets of the couple in front of me in the checkout line and she gave me one basket after paying for them because they’d taken the last ones! Chatty nice strangers are the best! The boys loved them and the nectarines! They both ate two nectarines right there on the sidewalk outside the store!


Morgan was so tuckered out from all this fun!


We walked down to Gimmelwald to pick up our jackets and have dinner at the Mountain Hostel. Walking down this path is so much more fun that walking up it! I love standing back and watching my guys. These little guys are growing up so fast!

We hadn’t decided where we wanted to enjoy the National Day festivities. After hanging around and eating dinner at the bustling hostel, we decided to head back up to Murren for a more family-friendly atmosphere – via the cable car.

The boys enjoyed the trampoline and park again until the festivities began. Our camera battery had died on our way down earlier so I don’t have pics. It all began with the local Swiss band leading a local procession of lit paper lanterns through the village up to the SportZentrum. The 15 member band performed a few songs including the national anthem and were followed by a long horn player. A couple representatives of the village gave some remarks in both Swiss-German and then English. Tourism is the lifeblood of Murren.

The Height Lights were lit. Bonfires along the many mountain faces of the valley lit up in unison commemorating the solidarity and independence of the three Swiss cantons uniting against the Hapsburgs 700 years ago. Kinda like the mountain top communication beacon/bonfires used in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” It took me back to my study abroad days in Jerusalem - the lights of Lachish going out as the result of invading Assyrians.

Then it was time for fireworks! Locals everywhere had been lighting off firecrackers and fireworks all day. The village put on a good show which McKay sacked out for in its entirety. Figures! The kids had their light sticks to keep them entertained through the ceremonies and were just itching to use the flashlights for our walk home. As we began our walk and locals were shooting off their firecrackers and such, McKay exclaimed, "Look! Fireworks now!" Ryan had to carry him on his shoulders the entire way down to Gimmelwald.

It took us 35 minutes to walk down to Gimmelwald in the pitch black. Easton was my flashlight leader and he is such a fun good kid! I loved holding his hand and letting him lead me even on the steep steps. Ryan had to keep McKay from dozing off on his shoulders by chatting. Ryan and I are still both a little sore from our heavier loads bouncing our bones down the trail.

I’m no lover of darkness. So when Easton took a little stumble and Ryan got a bit ahead of us, I was a little anxious to catch up. My blood really got a pumping when I kept hearing a jostling bell getting closer and closer. When it was finally upon us, Easton and I turned around to find a local right behind us. No flashlight, just a big friendly grin for us two scaredy cats! Ryan got a piece of my mind when we quickly caught up to him. I just really don’t like the dark and strangers! But the night sky was perfect for seeing the other Height Lights and fireworks around the valley still going off. The sound echoed off the mountain walls all day and night. Ryan was hoping to witness some glacial avalanches in the distance. Such a boy!

Our crew once again settled down quickly for a good night’s sleep. Or at least until the partier who stayed upstairs came stomping in at 2am each night! Gotta love old creeky houses!

Sunbeams in Schonaich

A couple weeks ago Ryan mentioned how fun he thought it'd be if I took the kids on a walk to the flower fields. We were on the way home from picking Ryan up from work and were tired and hungry. I filed that suggestion away in my folder called, "For a patient day." This morning I decided to keep the boys home from kindergarten so we could go do this walk. It's nice and cool outside and soon the sunflowers will be gone. The boys call them Sunbeam flowers.

Can you tell I love where I live? Great motivation to get out and walk when this is you backyard!


I've enjoyed watching the various wheat fields grow around here. The random pattern in this field made me wonder if they are preparing it for a maze or just like to be random?


Once we got to the field, the boys wanted to pick which flowers they were going to cut. They had pretty good taste!



McKay seemed to wonder why this was worth doing.


And then it was like a light bulb came on and I knew what was next!


I think his very words were, "Eas'on, let's FIGHT!" And just like that the pretty sunflowers became swords.


Easton thought it was cool how you stuck your money in the box to pay for your fresh cut flowers. Pretty cool honor system they have here! Sunflowers were 50 euro cents as you can see from the board.


And then it was time for the walk home. McKay loved how his hat would fly off when he ran and it became a fun stop and go game for the boys. They just laughed their heads off for a good ten minutes on this stretch! I love seeing them be best buddies!


On the longest stretch below our home, McKay rode the scooter and Easton pushed and rode the stroller. It was quite nice to let Easton take care of the stroller! Note to self! Morgan likes to put her feet up on our journeys. It’s such hard work being a baby!


Our building is the one you see the best just above the kids. I think we still had a good half hour of walking at this point. Oh McKay loves his scooter!


He even demanded dragging it up the hill until . . .



. . . his thumb spoke louder. And this is why taking walks with the children requires supreme patience. When McKay assumes this position, the slugs cross the road faster than he moseys onward. We got to the top of this little hill and he wanted to ride the scooter again. On gravel. He insisted. I tried to talk him into riding in the stroller. He almost collapsed into a tantrum as I gave myself a pep talk. “We’re in no hurry.” I gave in. He happily rode and dragged that scooter for another ten minutes until giving it back to me to carry in the stroller. He assumed slug mosey pace and didn’t want a ride. In all, a half hour walk took a little over two hours. Again.


I wonder how long we'll be able to enjoy our fun sunflowers!? Sure was fun to see the kids inspect them during lunch. That is, until McKay knocked them over and water spilled everywhere. Real life, real messes, real fun.

High on a Hill . . . in Gimmelwald, Switzerland

We headed to those white peaked majestic beauties in the distance this weekend! After months of hearing that Switzerland is everyone’s favorite place to visit, we finally know what all the talk is about! I must admit my trepidation traveling to a hiker’s Alpine heaven with our kids, but it was truly a great vacation. GASP! Did I just say “vacation” and “kids” in the same sentence? Tis true, tis true! Ryan and I kept getting excited about every breathtaking, therapeutic mountain vista in every direction, around every turn and that’s not even the half of it!


Before we got to the mountains, we passed by two lakes by Interlaken. All the boaters enjoying the great weather made us itch to be out there too!


But we ventured off the hard beaten path to Gimmelwald, a small Swiss village hanging on the edge of a mountain above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We parked the car at the cable car station and rode up the steep mountain face passing many waterfalls. There is a green-ness here that just doesn’t compare to anything we’ve seen in the states. Since we are lovers of fireworks and seeing a bit of life as a local if we can, Ryan timed this visit to coincide with Swiss National Day – August 1.

For a great snapshot of Gimmelwald, read HERE.

How long does it take to walk from Gimmelwald up to the next village of Murren? Depends. Do you have a three year old? Locals said it takes 25 minutes.


Our initial walk up to Murren seen here in the distance took us a little over two hours. Murren is more tourist-oriented with more restaurants and a grocery store. We’d settled in at the Pension in Gimmelwald by 3pm and wanted to take a look at the village and the scenic path up to Murren with the remaining daylight hours. As you’ll see from the pictures below, we certainly enjoyed the sights in between un-photographed tantrums and bribes.


A snapshot in the heart of Gimmelwald. You can’t help but want to try yodeling up here! Ryan and I both would bust out in the yodeling song from “The Sound of Music” now and then. Easton even took a stab at it!


The Alpkase hut in Gimmelwald where a local farmer woman sells her cheese after a hard day’s work harvesting her hay crop. It was the first time I’d seen old hiker boots used as flower pots. Each time I saw them used, they made me think of leprechauns or Harry Potter’s portkeys. Ahhh, a pot of gold would be nice about now after how expensive everything is in Switzerland! YIPES!


One family gathering their hay crop. I’m not sure how they load this big tarp of hay into the small truck but I'm guessing they do it the same way another family does later in this post.




Poor cow was besieged by flies and flappin’ her ears and tail to shoo them away to no avail.


The boys liked imitating the cow’s flapping ears.


We passed this family both days gathering their hay. I must say they’ve gotta have the strongest ankles in the world to work those steep hillsides! These guys were joined by two others the next day to move all the gathered hay UP to the road where their truck swept it up into the back of the truck. Another three farmers worked the hillside above the road bringing hay down the hillside to the road for the truck to sweep up. The truck was driven by the cutest long white-bearded, weathered old man. I even saw a couple of tanned, curly haired toehead blond kids that could have been Swiss poster youth! You have to feel a bit silly and guilty watching and snapping pictures as these people do such back-breaking hard work to eek out a living!


You can’t help but love the stillness up here! I’d smile to myself all the time as I’d hear the clang of nearby cows' or goats' bells. Bells feature as decoration on many houses or barns we passed in Gimmelwald and Murren - just look for them in any shot I’ve taken. The size of these bells greatly varies and Ryan and I both knew our souvenir would be a bell. At each European destination, we’re always on the lookout for what might be a good Christmas tree ornament to commemorate our visit.

Once we made it up to Murren, we’d worked up quite the appetite! You can’t be in Switzerland and not try their fondue. [We haven’t had fondue for many years since an anniversary date to DC’s Melting Pot . Pricey, but well worth the chance if you come across one!]


After browsing many mouth-watering, exorbitant menus, we ate on the large outdoor terrace of the Bellevue hotel to enjoy the fabulous weather, views, and good grub! Such stillness up here was not really conducive to our rowdy, hungry kids. Ryan and I were a bit weary of having to shush them so as not to disturb the ambiance for others eating nearby. Perhaps we should have stuck to the more rustic, rowdy hiker joints.

We rode the Schilthorn cable car back down to Gimmelwald and put our weary crew to bed. We didn’t bring the port-a-crib with us, nor did the Spartan pension have any, so Ryan and I were pleasantly surprised and amused with Morgan’s blanket-wrestling routine as she settled in for the night. I need to video it one of these days! Ahhh, to sleep with the windows open to the fresh mountain air, cow bells, and mountain hostel partiers 50 feet away. Okay, so we could have done without the partiers, but those mountains were an awesome sight to wake up to! More tomorrow when I have more patience to load pictures!