Musings of Amy

We decided to have our special fancy Easter breakfast on Saturday.  So this is what the kids woke up to, fruit bouquets!  They are seriously so fun to make and turn boring old fruit into a celebration.  Mine aren’t that fancy, and the kids still just love them.  They also eat way more fruit than normal, since it’s on a fun stick!

To balance out all that healthy, we also had bunny buns!Best recipe from the Church’s Friend magazine ever!  Of course, I made my version with whole wheat flour, but they are used to it by now.

After breakfast we had our family egg hunt.  I filled up the plastic and metal eggs with some candy, and we also had all the eggs the kids had colored.  We made the kids stay in their rooms, while Chris and I hid everything.  He always comes up with the best hiding places.  Challenging, but not impossible, and almost always bring a laugh.

We let Alexandra go first, since she is the smallest.  Without the big kids around, she wasn’t quite sure where to go first. 🙂

Soon we had a house full of children running around, looking everywhere for the treasure.

Papa likes to hide a few up high.  Really high, just for Nick. 🙂Others are just sneaky.There isn’t really any place that is off limits.  Like in coat pockets!Or mixed in with other felt eggs that are decorations!  This one never did get found without help.

They had so much fun, they begged us to hide them again.  So we did.  But just the real eggs this time.  The candy was all used up. 🙂 It’s always difficult to find good hiding spots the second time around, but I think we did alright.

Sarah grabbed the camera and took these pictures of the girls while they were waiting in their room.

  And then it got silly, naturally.

Love my crazy little bunnies.

We had to change up the usual order of things this year and the children were not as flexible as I would have hoped. 🙂  Chris, without realizing what day it was, chose Easter Sunday to be Fast Sunday.  I know, right!?!  He felt really bad about it when he figured out what he had done, but it was too late to change it.  This made our usual Easter morning breakfast of bunny buns and fruit bouquets impossible.  To accommodate the change in eating schedule, we then had to change up when we usually decorate and hide the eggs.  It wasn’t really that big of a deal, but the way the kids reacted, you’d have thought we were cancelling Christmas. (insert giant eyeroll here)

So we decorated eggs on Friday morning and had a great time doing it. I had lots of dye, and we even tried out a few of Grandma Lasko’s fun tricks, like adding vegetable oil to the surface of the dye before adding the egg. This is one of those activities/traditions where having fewer of us would make it easier.  I always have to balance boiling enough eggs so that each kid feels like they got to color “enough”, with keeping the total numbers of boiled eggs that must be eaten within a few days down to a slightly reasonable level.  This year I decided on 30 eggs total, which was 6 per kid.  Of course, a couple cracked in the water, totally throwing off my numbers, but fortunately some of the older ones were interested in quality not quantity so it worked out.

Sophie spent the most amount of time making each of her eggs masterpieces.  They ended up so pretty, that I actually considered not eating them at all!  But that would have gotten stinky in the end, so I just saved them for the very last. These little egg holders they sell at the grocery store are such a huge help when little hands are trying to paint crushable, slippery eggs.  The ones with white spots are the oil-dyed ones.  We were really loving the super bright colors this year.  I don’t remember past years being quite so vivid.  Beautiful!That green one with blue flowers in the right hand corner is one of Sophie’s.  She just might have the patience and skill to make one of those pysanky eggs my mom loves so much.  I will have to look at getting her some supplies before next year.

We were going to rub some of them with oil afterwards to make them nice and shiny, but the colors were so bright already, we decided it was an unnecessary step.  Now we were all set for our family egg hunt the next day.

This year the younger kids got a nice long weekend off of school to celebrate Easter.  So Wednesday at noon, school was officially out until next Tuesday.  Woohoo!  Sounds like a perfect time to have an Easter Egg hunt with friends before everyone takes off for various destinations.

Tanya’s husband had just been in the States for work, and brought back tons of plastic eggs.  So while the kids played, we filled them up with all the candy we had brought. Yes, that is a child in a bunny costume.  Her big brother wore it for the last two years, and now it is Chloe’s turn.  Better picture of her later…

My friend also brought something new and special this year, blown-out eggs that had been filled with confetti and then decorated.  One special egg also had blue glitter mixed in with the confetti.  So before the hunt could begin we needed to explain the rules. The children were free to find as many of the plastic eggs as they wanted.  There were also treats just hidden about in the grass, they could also take as many of those as they wanted.  But they were all only allowed to find and keep 2 of the real eggs.  They should save them and not break them until the end of the hunt, where we would break them all together to see who had found the one with the glitter inside.  That person would win a prize of a chocolate bunny that I had purchased earlier.

And here come the hordes of sugar-crazed children in search of booty. We tried to have the little kids go first, but it wasn’t super organized.  Still, there was just so much candy available that everyone went home pretty happy. 🙂

We love this hunt with our friends, and the kids look forward to it every year.  This could be one reason why.Look at those full baskets!  And they all shared a bit with Nick, who came to the hunt and helped hide treats, but didn’t gather any himself.  So nice.

Oh, who found the blue glitter egg?  That would be this guy, Jasper.Is that not the best “I won” expression ever?  Love it!

And thankfully the rain that had been threatening to fall all afternoon held off until we were all headed to our cars anyway.  Perfect!

We had a wonderful General Conference weekend, and it started off with new bikes for the kids.  Sarah inherited Nick’s old one, and was super happy with that, although we did give her the option of a brand new one as well.  The other kids went in batches down to the local bike store with Chris to pick out and test drive their new bikes.  Several of them also got new helmets.  Then Chris drove down later to load them all up into the car and bring them home.  The kids were so excited!  (I bet the store owner was as well. haha)

They spent the rest of the day outside, riding them around, and then came inside for baths and dinner, before Conference started.  Thanks to Conference Bingo and a couple bags of Easter M&M’s, we were able to watch the entire session as a family pretty much undisturbed.  And the kids are finally old enough to start recognizing some of the apostles by face alone.  That was a fun discovery.

Sunday morning we watched the Priesthood session so that Chris and Nick could stay home and still have time to grill with us before Nick had to go to orchestra practice.  That is one G.C. tradition we just can’t do without.  It was perfect weather for it, as well.  The kids had fun riding their new bikes over, while Chris drove over with all the food and fire supplies. The first thing they did was run over to check out the swamp.  And no one fell in, which is always an added bonus!  I unpacked all the food and dishes, while Chris said “Me make fire!” haha

We were happy that no one else had the same idea we did.  It’s always more fun when we have the place to ourselves, and the kids can play all their favorite silly games with no onlookers. Sarah was given the camera and took this photo of us.  It really is a gorgeous spot, and so close to home as well.

Thanks to Amanda we had real graham crackers to make s’mores with.mmhhmmm, gooey chocolatey yumminess!

Of course, Chris and I always get stuck roasting the marshmallows for the kids.  The fire is usually too hot to stand close to, or they don’t want to accidentally burn their marshmallows.  We do an exceptionally fine job! 🙂

After our fun lunch, we went over to the new church in Bonstetten for Nick’s orchestra practice.  We hung around for a while, exploring all the rooms and trying to figure out what they would be used for.  And since I have no problem telling embarrassing stories about myself, here is another one for you.

We asked if all the plumbing was working, and when we told it was, I went ahead and used the facilities.  Well, yes, the plumbing functioned just fine, unfortunately there was no toilet paper!  I panicked a little, because it is a big building and I didn’t know if Chris would hear me calling me or not.  But hurray! he did, and came to my rescue with a pack of tissues that is always in his pocket.  Whew!  🙂

That afternoon and evening we watched another session and a half, dipping into the supply of gummi bears I always have on hand, since the M&M’s were slowly being consumed.  Bingo isn’t any fun if you don’t have something to cover your squares with, you know.   And would you believe it, the kids were sad when we said it was too late to watch anymore and we had to turn it off!  How did we get so lucky?

Recently the Bishop’s oldest son returned from his mission to South Africa, and he offered to come over and give a family home evening lesson to the kids about it.  He was originally going to come during ski vacation, but as we were all so ill, we rescheduled for a couple of weeks later.

Christoph did a great job making a mission seem special, spiritual, hard, but also fun.  Which is exactly what it is.   He showed several pictures of some of the areas he had served in, including ones of their living conditions.  That was eye opening for the kids.  Here in Switzerland they aren’t confronted with poverty on that level ever.  Which I am grateful for, don’t get me wrong.  But I think they need extra help realizing just how good they have it.  Things like this help a lot.

There were also funny stories, like how people always thought he was from Swaziland, which is a small country on the border of South Africa, instead of from Switzerland.  And finally he just got tired of trying to explain and said Yes! 🙂

We ended the night with some traditional South African music and dancing. He had a bag full of traditional instruments, made from string and dried bean pods, or something like that.  Anyway, you wrap them around your arms or legs and shake them while you dance.

The kids got totally into it.  The music was very lively and the singers harmonized so beautifully.  It was a great way to expose the kids to a completely different culture.

Even Chris and I joined in, but since we were behind the camera, there is no photographic evidence. 🙂  Christoph even brought dessert.  A mission favorite that he learned to love from his American companions; cookies ‘n cream ice cream.  Completely homemade, of course.  It was delicious, and the kids were thrilled to learn he was leaving the giant bowl so they could enjoy the leftovers later. Thank you, Christoph!

The kids spent an entire Saturday outside playing with their sidewalk chalks and the neighbor kids.  They drew an elaborate system of roads,  and parking spaces and drove on them with their bikes.

There were even stop lights and traffic cops. I was so happy to see them using their imagination and having such a great time.  But it was very obvious that they all needed new bikes.  Sophie looked like she was riding a clown bike, it was so small!  The seats were all up as high as they could go, but it wasn’t enough.  The bikes are all about 3 years old, and the kids have done a lot of growing since then.  Plus, Alexandra is ready for a real bike, not her little practice one.  Good thing we already budgeted for that….

It was a gorgeous Saturday.  Sarah asked if she could go outside and take some pictures.  We said yes.  This was the result.  These will be truly boring to all locals, but for any who have never had the chance to visit us yet, it may give you a glimpse of what we see on a day to day basis.  Also, if we ever more, we will be glad to have these little reminders of things we wouldn’t normally think were photo worthy.

Lexi on her practice bike, out in the “hof” or courtyard.

Along the tree line there is a trail.  That is where I start my run 3 times a week.

The construction of three new houses across the street, and the crane that is helping build them.  Whenever we drive away the kids call out, “Bye, Jenny” and when we are coming home they all keep a lookout for who can spot her first.

This is the barn next to our house.  These are all the plaques they have won at horse competitions in the past.

The Swiss version of a drinking fountain.  This one is right on the corner where we cross the street to visit the chickens and occasionally buy eggs.  It’s also very popular with runners and cyclists who are taking advantage of all the miles of gorgeous trails right around our house.

A close up of the Aeugst town mascot on the fountain, a squirrel.  If we ever build a house, I want to get one made out of iron for the garden.

This restaurant is right across the street from our house.  We have only tried to eat there once in almost 8 years.  It was so filled with smoke that we turned right back around while still in the doorway.  Perhaps now that smoking is finally banned inside restaurants and they have completely redone the inside we will give it another try.

This is the bus stop right at the end of our driveway where Nick and Chris catch the bus every morning.  And the little sign behind it is our street sign.  No wonder people always miss it the first time they come to our house!

Our neighbor’s cat.  It’s kind of mean, so the kids haven’t really bonded to it.  But any animal is worthy of photo, according to Sarah. 🙂

There are six mailboxes, but only 5 apartments, very strange.  Ours loves anything from the States….

The small play area right in front of the house.  The round blue sled and the bright pink one are ours.  Despite the lack of snow, the kids weren’t ready to pack them away just yet.  You never know when a freak spring snowfall will make them useful again.

Some cute siblings on the sledding hill.

On one side of the entry is the snow shovels, on the other the brooms.  There are several different ones, all used for different jobs. 🙂

This is our outside doorbell.  Delivery people ring it, or the kids when they want us to toss gloves/hats/coats out the window because it’s colder than they thought.  We hope you will all be able to see these things in person someday.  Love you!

Starting February 20, the kids were all off for ski vacation from school.  Unfortunately, we weren’t really able to enjoy any of it.  Starting with me, the flu ran through our household, catching all occupants , several at the same time, and all of us more than once.  Yes, we had managed to contract three different kinds of the flu, and generously shared them all with each other.  Ugh!

We did manage to go on one family outing, dragging a sick Nicholas along with us, because we really needed some fresh air and a change of scenery.  We visited a little park in Cham that really love, but haven’t been back to for a while.There isn’t really any parking for the park, you have to take a short walk through the neighborhood to get to it, but it’s worth it.

Huge expanses of grass, and water filled with lots of birds to feed.  It used to belong all to one family, who had a little vacation villa built on it. Next to the water there is a small boathouse, also formerly belonging to the family.  You can rent out the mansion for weddings and parties and such, and use the grounds for picture taking purposes.  In fact, there was a couple taking photos there when we were, but they hadn’t rented out the grounds, just the house. 🙂

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and Chris had a lot of fun trying out different settings on the camera to catch the birds mid-flight.  This is one of my favorites of the many he took.

Nick was running a low-grade fever when we left the house, so we brought along a blanket to wrap him up in.  Sitting on the bench in the sun, he looked pretty pitiful.  The kids nicknamed him “Old Man Jenkins”. haha! The kids started throwing the bread I had brought out to the birds and a whole parade of swans came streaming from further down the lake to get in on the feast.  There were also some swans walking around on the grass who came over to investigate.  They are majestic swimming around in the water, terrifying when they come walking toward you with their large beaks snapping in the air for bread.  In fact, they were so menacing looking, it made the big girls run and hide.I am not sure, but there may have been actual tears shed.  However, the youngest members of the family were not fazed, and continued to feed the hungry masses.

We then headed over to the playground, taking the old man with us. 🙂

Waiting for service in the “restaurant”.  Alexandra was the cheerful waitress.

Nick was getting progressively sicker and colder, so we piled all our coats on him.He was a really good sport about it, and as long as he stayed in the sun, it wasn’t so bad.  In fact, it was so sunny most of us got a little sunburned on our faces.

Two against one is only fair in teeter-totter when your opponent has double the body weight! Unfortunately, that made them so evenly matched, they barely moved. And Alexandra didn’t like getting her stomach squished against the handle. It didn’t last long.

Out in the water there is a little tiny island, with a bridge leading to it.  Right in the middle of the grass there is this strange structure. I am very curious if he was added while the family was still living in the house, or if it was something the city installed. On our way back to the car, we encountered a couple who were late to the wedding and slightly confused as to where it was.  The big house is totally hidden by trees, so I pointed out the way for them to go.  My kids just laughed, because it seems I always end up talking to some random stranger when we are out together. haha.

I love Valentine’s Day.  It’s so fun to spend a day thinking, and doing things, for the people you love.  We had our traditional mailboxes out on the sideboard starting about a week ahead of Valentine’s Day.  The kids spontaneously started writing little love notes to each other and placing them in the mailbox (flags up!) so the recipient could find them.  So sweet.  On V-morning, they also found little gifts from me.  There were chocolates and candies, as well as little individual gifts.  Sophie got turquoise yarn to crochet with, Sarah got a clip on reading light, Noah and Nick got mini Lego sets, and Alexandra got a little Hello Kitty car.

This year, I also made some cute skirts and coordinating t-shirts for the girls to wear to school.  Even though Valentine’s Day isn’t really celebrated here, they were still excited to wear their new outfits on the big day. Alexandra got one, too, but I didn’t get a picture of her.  After they rode away on the school bus, the real fun began.

I got to host the Valentine’s Brunch with the Lovely Ladies this year.  It was so fun! Jessi had been to the American Base the previous weekend and brought some darling partyware for the kiddie table. The table runner underneath was made by me, last year. I am very pleased with how they turned out.  They add just the right festive flare. 🙂

This next picture says so much about why I love spending time with this particular group of ladies.  Terrian is the.best.storyteller.ever!  These are not made up stories, mind you.  This is her just  relating to us what happened over the weekend or whatever.  But she does it in such a fascinating, entertaining way that you feel like you’re listening to the latest John Grisham novel on cd, or something.  I so think she needs to write a book, or at least do a video blog of her life.

Anyway, the second part of the picture, besides the awesome mounds of delicious food, is Tanya.  If you are going to take the time to tell a story, you want Tanya listening in.    I always love when I am telling her about some incident and she busts out with her signature “Wu-hat?!?”   That’s when you know all your frustration/hurt feelings/etc is completely justified.  In short, Terrian tells a story with her whole body and soul, and Tanya listens and reacts the same way.  Who wouldn’t want to hang out with people like that?

These were the lovely ladies listening in on the other side of the table.  Notice Julie’s festive red sweater that coordinates so well with the other decorations? 🙂  Meanwhile, during the story telling, in the kitchen we had some busy bees making sure we had delectable breakfast burritos to savor.

It was a wonderful morning of eating, talking and just feeling the love!  I am only sad that not all the invitees could join us.  Fortunately, there is always next year…

Of course, after the feast, I was not in the least big hungry for lunch, nor did I even feel like cooking for my children.  But I did. 🙂

Tanya stayed after everyone had gone home and made the fantastic suggestion that we reorganize my kitchen.  Not in a “holy crap, woman, you’re working in a cesspool here” kind of a way.  More like a “it’s fun to throw away other people’s junk” sort of way.  I totally let her.  It took all afternoon, and we didn’t actually get through all the cupboards, just for an indication of how much junk there was to wade through.  The scary thing is, I have been really good at decluttering my cupboards on a mostly yearly basis for awhile, but it’s always good to have an impartial, non-sentimental helper.  I still need to get a few more organizing bins, but I am super happy with all the changes.  Chris’ comment was, “I’ve been wishing you would do that for years.”

Of course, the very first thing he said when he got home was “Happy Valentine’s Day” and handed me a bouquet of gorgeous flowers.  Sadly, I took no photo of them. 🙁

Naturally, we spent the afternoon decorating sugar cookies for our friends and neighbors.  The kids all made little cards for their friends as well and signed their names.  Then we loaded up a big tray, climbed in the car and went to deliver them all.  It was so nice that I knew where everyone lived this year. 🙂  Still, it took a little while to deliver all those cookies, so we didn’t get home until almost 7.

For dinner, we finished off our Love Day celebrations with heart-shaped waffles and homemade strawberry topping and then everyone hopped into bed.  I am so thankful I have so many people to love and to be loved by in my life.  It makes for a great day!