Chrissy!

We had the honor of seeing my good friend and Brendan's Godmother in June. Chrissy had an overnight in Switzerland during a European tour with her two nieces. I picked them up at their hotel, did a quick tour of Lucerne, and then headed home to meet the kids and enjoy some BBQ'd brats. It was great to see them -- I just wish we could have had more time together! You'll just have to come back! Maybe next time, there will be sun and you'll actually believe that there are awesome views of the Alps everywhere you go. And, yes, I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record about the rain and the views. Hmm. When will that expression go out of date? I don't think my kids have ever seen a record. They certainly don't know what a broken one sounds like.



As usual, she spoiled the kids rotten. There were Jolly Ranchers for C.J., Powdered Donuts for Brendan, Starburst for Abbie, Raisin Bran for John, and Ghiradelli Brownie mixes for me! Mmmm. In addition, she brought the CUTEST handmade pillowcases for the kids. I've been meaning to get some pictures of them. But, I decided I couldn't delay posting about her visit any longer while I procrastinating on the picture front. Stay tuned. One day soon this post may just be edited with some more pictures!

First ER Visit

We hit the ER Saturday for Abbie. She fell off a water trough at Brendan's soccer, landing head first on concrete. She got a bad cut on her forehead. Fun stuff! On the bright side, I got to experience getting to the ER and navigating the Swiss emergency medical system for the first time when it wasn't a *true* emergency. It was amazing! We walked into the ER, and you're right at the nurses desk. No triage or waiting area -- they put us right into a room. Abbie got a "get well" donkey who had quite a collection of embroidered band-aids, stitches, etc. on him (not visible in the photo). The nurses put her at ease right away. They called in the doctor who decided (partly because Abbie was screaming "No stitches! No stitches!") that they could just glue the cut. We were out in 30 minutes. The receptionist said they'll just send us a bill in the mail.

The parents at the soccer game were really nice. They don't really speak to us, but they immediately switched to English when Abbie got hurt and insisted that we needed to take her to get "scotched up". I guess that's the British word for stitches? They made sure we knew where the closest hospital was, which was great. One person even called the pediatrician to see if he was in and we could just go there. The coach was a different story. Brendan was in the locker room getting changed after the game, so John ran in to get him. On the way out, the coach handed John a bag with the dirty uniforms for the whole team. We didn't get any instructions, but my guess is the parents take turns doing the laundry for team. I'm all for doing my part, but I can't believe the coach decided it was our turn as we were leaving for the ER. I just can't imagine thinking, "Oh, your daughter is seriously hurt? Here - take the laundry." In the coach's defense, he doesn't speak English, so maybe he didn't understand what was going on.

It was a bad week for Abbie. Earlier in the week, she had a trampoline accident. One of her bottom teeth caused a big gash inside her cheek/lower lip. I ended up calling the after-hours on-call doctor that night to make sure that she didn't need stitches insider her mouth. It was a pretty big cut, and a few teeth that weren't previously loose, felt loose. Since they were baby teeth, the doctor agreed that it wasn't a big deal. Then, the ER visit. Yesterday, she got stung by a bee on the bottom of her first. I hope the girl stays injury free for a few days!

International Festival

C.J. sported his U.S. colors at the International Fair this morning. It was a great party with food booths from many of the countries represented at the school. John and I enjoyed an American burger, Mexican tacos, Indian Samosas, U.K. Pimms, and U.K. scones. Our children clearly showed their personalities with their food choices. We asked Brendan if he wanted a taco, and he said, "Why? I've already tried a taco. I need to find some new food to eat!" And, off he marched to the Argentina, India, and Pakistan booths to sample some new foods -- all of which he enjoyed tremendously. We ran into C.J. who informed us that he bought himself some Swiss Raclette. We asked why he hadn't sampled anything else, and he said "But I've never had all the other food. How would I know if it was any good?" And Abbie? She spent her first lunch ticket allocation on games and crafts. We forced her to eat a hotdog, and then she ran off to find all of her friends. Her shining moment came at the end of the festival, when she got on stage to dance the Shim Sham.



After the festival, Brendan was eager to get home and earn some money. We acquired a lawnmower this week, and he has been dying to get out to cut the grass. John was ripped away from his phone call with Ray about World Cup games and strategy to supervise the lawnboy, who did an amazingly good job. Brendan is sporting his South Africa 2010 World Cup hat. He also has a Team USA jersey, but it got a bit dirty during the festival, so he handed it off to the family laundress.

More signs went up around town today in support of the world cup. My favorite is outside the grocery store. It says, "Hallo South Africa! Die Schweizer kommen." I could even translate it myself -- Hello South Africa! The Swiss are coming!

Swiss S'mores

They don't have graham crackers or Hershey's chocolate bars in Switzerland, so we had to be creative with our s'mores a few weeks ago. I have to say that I prefer this variety!

Welcome Home Brendan!

Yes, yes, many of you will realize that Brendan got home over a week ago, but what can I say? I'm a slow updater.

10 days ago, ICS third graders headed off Engelberg for 3 nights. They swam, hiked, roasted brats over an open fire, and learned about organic farming. Brendan had the time of his life. He left with a big grin on his face, and returned with an even bigger grin -- and a bag of muddy clothes. It would seem the weather didn't cooperate, and it rained a lot. Brendan didn't seem to notice. The 7 boys in his class roomed together, and seemed to have a blast. A few kids were a bit nervous about being away from home for so long, but Brendan wasn't one of them. He'd been jealous of C.J.'s Outdoor Ed week last year, and he thought he'd have to wait 3 years to go. Little did he know at the time that he'd be going two years earlier than planned, camping by a glacier, and enjoying gorgeous views of the Alps.

I really missed Brendan, but I didn't miss the sibling bickering that went away with his departure. Without Brendan, the age gap between C.J. and Abbie is too big and they just ignore each other.

Abbie will go for her first overnight field trip next year as a second grader.

The Newest Potter

C.J. brought home his pottery project from school. He made this amazing vase! It came out great and I'm proud to have it on display in our china cabinet. Not only did he do a great job with the shape, but I love how he glazed and painted it.

Swimming

Last weekend, we finally saw the sun. It was warm. We could almost imagine that it was summer. So, we let the kids talk us into taking them to the pool.


Notice John at the top, and C.J. laughing at giving Brendan a high-5 on the way down.












John wants to put one of these slides in our next house. I told him that I could take issue with a few assumptions in that sentence!

I'll be the first to admit the pool is a lot of fun. There are slides, diving boards, whirlpools, floats, grassy areas, lawn chairs, etc. I should love it, but it actually makes me miss our pool in California. It was sooo much easier to just open the back door and let the kids out. Our pool here is an outing. A fun outing, but an outing nevertheless.

Here's the rest of the pictures

Grade 3 Athletics Gala

Brendan's grade had an Athletics Gala today. At first, I thought it was an awards ceremony, but then I read the notice a bit closer and realized it was a Track and Field event. Someday, I'll learn the Queen's English and not get so confused!

Here's the boy who needs a haircut:

He was running the big lap around the field -- I think it was 200 meters.

He loves the hurdles:


The 60 meter sprint:


And the long jump:

We tried to explain that you get the longest jump with your feet together, but he wasn't buying it.

On another note...
Yesterday, I received a series of emails that explains living in Switzerland perfectly. The school has a Yahoo group for parents, and one mother sent out a message to the group that basically said, "I lost $20 on the playground today. Could the person who found it, please return it to me? Thanks." I chuckled, and thought, "Yeah, that's likely." Obviously I forgot where I was living, because within an hour, someone replied. "My son found it. We'll leave it in an envelope in the office for you tomorrow."

This afternoon, I was talking with two American children who have basically been raised in Switzerland. They are getting ready to move back to the States, and they are trying to learn the U.S. measurement system (inches, feet, yards, fahrenheit, etc.). Their thoughts -- it's one strange system that makes no sense. I had to agree. Even C.J. took less than a week of using the metric system to declare it the superior system and recommend that the States adopt the system. Good luck on that one C.J.! Maybe in your lifetime...

Dan & Andrea

Our good friends Dan & Andrea came to visit us at the end of May. They brought with them the only 2 days of sun we had the whole month. And, it's pretty much rained every day since they left. So, here's my plea for them to come back and bring the sun again!! (We liked seeing them just as much as the sun!)

It was a short trip, but we made the most of it. They arrived on a Sunday afternoon on a train from Paris. We brought them back to our house to dump their luggage and get the house tour, then we headed off to dinner on the lake. We ate at the Romantik Seehotel Sonne in Kuesnacht, and it was great. John and I were just thrilled to be outside. In the sun. Without a jacket. With no kids. Of course, now it all seems like a dream.



Monday, we did the mandatory visitor's hike from our house to the lake. We had a great boat ride on Lake Zurich, where it was - dare I say it - almost warm! The kids joined us for the hike and boat ride. Since they've seen the Zurich sights and churches just a few times now, we put them on the train in Zurich and sent them home with the dog. They loved the independence, and we loved not hearing any complaints all afternoon. We even got to stop at the Beer Garden for a drink.



John had the day off, because it was Whit Monday -- yet another holiday related to Easter -- the holiday that bears a striking resemblance to the Energizer Bunny in Switzerland.

We headed back to our house to find the kids alive and well. We grilled some brats, enjoyed catching up, and watched the season finale of Lost. They now understand why we know so much about Atlanta weather. Very early Tuesday morning, I dropped them with John at the train to go to the airport. John was off to France and Spain for the week.

Maggie's Visit

Abbie's class is currently researching and reporting on various pets. The class has a (stuffed) pet Macaw named Maggie who is making her rounds through the classmate's homes. Each day, Maggie whispers in the teacher's ear whose house she wants to visit, and off she goes for the night. The children write of her adventures in Maggie's Diary, and they can even include a picture. (Abbie was quite impressed that I could get around the 1 photo limit with a collage!)

I have heard about Maggie every day since the beginning of her adventures. I probably hear more about Maggie than any other aspect of Abbie's day. Unfortunately, the retelling is often accompanied by tears of anguish as to why Maggie passed up Abbie once again. I happened to mention to Abbie's teacher how much anguish Maggie's random picks were for our entire household yesterday, and wouldn't you know that Maggie whispered Abbie's name today? I knew I liked that teacher! Phew.

I was a bit worried that Maggie would be bored, but Abbie had a grand time entertaining her.

• Abbie introduced her to Lucky (Lucky showed little interest. While Abbie was a tad disappointed, I was quite pleased as I had imagined Maggie as a new fetch toy.)
• They shared a snack; Maggie likes nuts.
  
• They took a spin on the swing, and a jump on the trampoline.
  
• They danced.
• Maggie took a field trip to help C.J. get sized for his soccer sweats and rain gear.
• She helped Abbie choose some new sandals. (Shoe shopping -- Abbie's favorite hobby!)
• She listened to Abbie read.
• They snuggled up into bed together.

I hope Maggie enjoyed her stay and she has safe travels to the next house.