Same place, same person, same month, different year

My little girl is growing up!

http://tomandkatieh.blogspot.com/2011/03/playing-in-dirt.html

Everyday Life

A glimpse into how we spend our days...

Laura came in one morning while I was changing Andrew and asked to hold him. She then started smiling and told us (yes, she already has that bossy attitude characteristic of first children...gotta nip that in the bud...) to take some pictures.  These are my favorite out of about 100.

 Never one to be left out, Laura plays with Andrew's toy as much as he does.  Her favorite activity is taking the toys off the hangers and knocking over the structure.  

If I remember this correctly, I was feeling a bit exhausted so collapsed on the floor in an overly dramatic fashion.  Laura decided to join me.

Pigtails at the zoo.

Throwing rocks onto the still frozen river at Hauterive. 

 We had the place to ourselves - it was a lovely day out.

 Pretending that Mommy is a bridge

Family Photos

We took a quick trip to Hauterive this afternoon to throw rocks, build a fire and roast some marshmallows.  We won't have many more opportunities to visit our favorite spot.  It is so quiet and peaceful there.  I love sitting and listening to the water rush over the rocks.  And Laura loves running around and throwing rocks - she came back a little soggy around her pant cuffs today :)

While we were there we took the opportunity to take a few family photos while Andrew was awake and happy.  So now we finally have some (halfway decent) pictures of the four of us.  It is hard to do with two little ones and a camera timer!  And Laura's Baby managed to make it into most of the shots as well.

Our New Home?

We are under contract and will close, God willing!, on June 6!

Tom took a few days at the beginning of April to house hunt out in California.  Even though he didn't have to find something on this trip, he found something that we were really happy with so we made an offer.  Now we are in the midst of learning how much work it is to buy a home.  No one ever told me that there was so much paperwork involved!  We're excited to be buying our first home and look forward to having visitors in sunny Rancho Santa Margarita, California!

We are praying that God will prepare not just the house for us, but a place - a home - for us as well.  I want to be able to connect with our neighbors, form new friendships and love and serve those around us.  We feel that God is taking us to California and are waiting expectantly to discover what His plans are for us there.

 Not quite the New England look that I love, but a good looking house - Tom did well!

 A formal dining room!  I'll be able to display my grandmother's china (and have a project table when we aren't using it for eating).

We have a HUGE master bathroom complete with a walk-in-closet.  It will be really nice to have a big closet again.

Our very own yard - complete with artificial turf.  We will probably re-sod eventually.

 Laura is already talking about her "pur-pl oom, n, Cali-for-a" :)

 The den just off the kitchen with an extra room (playroom perhaps?) just beyond.  It will be great to be able to cook and watch the kids at the same time.  The laundry room is also right here.  I am THRILLED about not having to leave the apartment and run downstairs to have to do laundry.  And while I do want to teach Laura about sharing, I am glad that I will no longer have to share a washer :)

Huge kitchen!  Huge Fridge!  Double oven!  What am I going to do with all this space!! 

 Double staircase = double gates

 I'm planning to have this room painted :)

 S'mores in the fire pit!

Changes, Changes

Well, after five wonderful years in beautiful Switzerland, we are now in the midst of moving back to the United States.   Close to Irvine, CA to be more specific.  It will be a big change from Switzerland and from Georgia, but we are looking forward to it.  We have a little less than 6 weeks before we leave CH for a final trip (for now) over the Atlantic.  Laura, Andrew and I will be in GA and AL until mid-July and then we will fly to the other side of the country to see our new home for the first time.

It is bittersweet to leave here.  We are sad to leave our home, our friends and the way of life Europe offers, but we are excited to be going back home.  We will be closer to family, able to communicate easily and won't have to spend a small fortune whenever we shop!

Overall, though, we feel God's hand in this move.  Nothing has happened quite the way we planned it or the way we thought it would be.  We look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in this next phase of our lives!

Italy

We crazy Americans decided to drive (gasp!) the 10 hours to Rome (we made it in just over 12) and then Tuscany for a 10 day visit.  It was not easy to travel in our little car with the 4 of us and all of our stuff, but we made it.  We saw the Colosseum, ate wonderful food in Tuscany and fought the crowds at Pisa.  Laura really enjoyed seeing all the sights from the backpack, but I think her most profound memory of our time there was "blinky lights".  Rome abounded in sirens and we were a block away from a hospital.  She still (a month later) is talking about blinky lights and is thrilled each time she "hears" them.  Bwinky wights, go-ing doc-tr, Mama!  She might remember gelato as well...we ate lots of gelato...

 At home trying yet another bakery's macarons.  I still have not found in in Switzerland that are up to par with the ones I've found in France.  I even prefer the ones we make to the ones I've found here!

 We walked and walked and walked.  The first day we made it to the Old Town - behind Andrew and me is the Forum.   Crazy to think of how something so magnificent in its time is now just crumbling ruins, rocks and dust.

I couldn't stop wondering how many Christians (as well as countless others) faced their deaths inside those Colosseum walls.

 Another run around/lunch break for Larua.

 Andrew slept a lot.  Here he's sleeping in front of the Temple of Vesta.

 Constantine's Arch

 Tom liked the Circus Maximus - where the chariots used to race.

 Castel Sant'Angelo and the Tiber River.

We took a day off site-seeing and took Laura to a super cool kid's museum.  There was a kid sized bank, kitchen, supermarket, garden as well as a huge water center and various other things.  Laura loved it.

I was blocking the sun from Andrew's face...too bad...it would have been a good shot of him and the Vatican! 

Laura likes to come lie next to Andrew and ask for us to take their pictures.  We usually oblige :)

 She's cute even when she's grumpy!  I'm not sure what caused this face or this photo to be taken.

 Making homemade ravioli at Fagiolari in Tuscany.  Ahh....

 She was tickled pink to be taking pictures with Daddy's camera.

We stopped in Pisa on the way home for the obligatory leaning tower shots and some lunch.  It was super crowded, but I did enjoy seeing the tower.  Yes it was a tower, yes it leaned, but I still am glad we went. 

Our photographer decided that the sidewalk was more interesting than the tower. 

 

More to come when we get the photos off the other camera!