Christmas Cookie Chaos!!

The setup before the toddlers hit it

Everyone has their family holiday traditions, right? For my sister and I, we always had a cookie party. Our mom let us invite a few friends to the house and we decorated Christmas cookies for everyone to enjoy. My mom also had her cookie exchange, when her friends came over and they all exchanged cookies they made. My mom has been continuing her tradition this whole time, and now that both my sister and I have kids, we've revived our Christmas tradition too.

Cue six toddlers at Mimi and PopPop's house "decorating" cookies. It was definitely what I would call somewhat-organized chaos. It took them a few minutes to understand that they could not simply pour sprinkles on the sugar cookies, but instead they had to smear icing on their cookies first, then pile them high with sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, sugar snowflakes, and many other decorations.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. All the kids ended up running around like wild crazy people on a serious sugar high, which they totally were. It was really fun and hopefully we'll be doing it again next year!

Sugar cookies in various Christmas shapes and LOTS of icing

Cookie boxes- to make sure we weren't left with all of the beautifully decorated cookies

Baby K's cookie party activity- eating a lot of cookies and icing

Let the fun begin!

O's decorated cookies

Again, what she did the entire party

TR (cookie party helper) and Abbs (expert decorator)

Running all the sugar off!!

4am, you are not my friend!

A slight change in scenery

I know I've said this on the blog before, but I really should be sleeping right now. Sleep when she sleeps, right? I got the message about our change in time zone; unfortunately I cannot say the same for Baby K. I'm not sure where she thinks she is, but it is definitely not in the same place I am.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, we're back in Texas for the holidays. We got back a week ago, having come in earlier than expected for the funeral of a family member. The week before, my sister and her husband came to visit us in Switzerland, so it's been a bit of a whirlwind. More on Cookie and Monkey's (Baby K's names for them) visit later.

Isn't it typical life with a toddler to think that you have things somewhat figured out, only for them to then prove that you absolutely do not?? This is Baby K and I right now. We've done the long-haul flight four times now, and also dealt with jet lag four times. I just thought I had a good handle on what would happen with jet lag this time around...cue Baby K laughing in my face.

I deal with middle-of-the-night wakings much better when I expect them to happen. With that said, I absolutely expected to not have a full night's sleep for the first four to five nights. In the past she has gotten up around 3am the first night, then 4am, then 5am, and so on until we get back to her getting up at her usual 7am. She would typically also go back to sleep after a little time quietly playing in our room. Not so much this time!

The first night she woke at 3am as expected, but then it took about two hours to get back to sleep. The next night it was 4am and I don't think she went back to sleep before getting up for the day. It has only gotten worse from there, including waking at 1am and not wanting to go back to sleep. She eventually does around 4am and will sleep until 5:30 or 6. Yikes...not good for anyone! Last night was probably the worst, mostly because she had the whole house up when she wouldn't stop crying around 3 this morning, still awake from her 1am wake up time. 

So what's the moral of the story? It's that I pretty much have no idea what's going on with jet lag or how to handle it. For the time being I've decided that Baby K is so overly tired that her little body won't get back on track, so I've tried to let her catch up on sleep and not try to adhere so much to her schedule. We'll see how it goes tonight. Hopefully she'll start to recover and begin to get on Texas time so we can start to get out and see people without feeling like we're unraveling all the time.

One thing is for sure: I have no doubt she will sleep through the night the night before BK arrives, as that's usually how it goes. Such is life. Think good thoughts for us.

A fashionably fast trip to Milan

Milan Duomo

Last weekend BK and I contemplated a weekend getaway. And of course, when I say weekend getaway, Baby K was invited as well. Nothing too crazy over here, don't worry! BK first suggested that we go into the mountains somewhere. That way we could get out and do active stuff all weekend, hiking and taking in the views. This was a good idea, but then, selfishly, I suggested we go to Milan.

For those of you who don't know, BK's birthday is right around the corner and Baby K and I are getting him some new dress shoes...exciting right? The shopping is not so great in Switzerland, so we thought we would go and see what all the hub-bub was about Milan. Italy is known for leather goods, so we figured, why not? Not to mention that the dollar, euro and Swiss franc have all essentially become equal, which is great news for us!

Milan is a quick three hour (direct!) train from Montreux. We grabbed the train Saturday morning and arrived in Milan just before lunch time. Baby K was great on the train; so great in fact, that BK was able to spend all three hours doing continuing education out of the way, without me getting frustrated at all. If you're a mom, you know what I mean, and how I feel.

One smart thing we did, and I would highly recommend, was buy Baby K her own seat. On Swiss trains you are not required to make a seat reservation, but on Italian trains you are. It was so much better for her to have her own seat. It gave us all a little bit more room to move around, and we controlled the table, so she could color or do whatever we needed her to do.

Statue of Leonardo

It's crazy how much the weather can impact your impression of a city. It was grey, drizzly and chilly all weekend, which wasn't great to walk around in all day. But, as a result of living in Europe, we've learned to adapt, wear proper clothing, and go on about our way. It really reminded us when we went to Paris the first weekend we lived in Europe. I don't know why, but it just makes a difference.

Entrance to our hotel/apartment- a mini door in the door

We stayed at an awesome apartment-hotel type thing called Le Suite de Palazzo Segreti. It is a group of apartments, but run by a hotel, so there is still concierge service to help us around the city, as well as breakfast and some other amenities. We also prefer for Baby K to have her own room when we go somewhere so BK and I can actually interact after 7:30pm when she goes to bed. We also wanted a living room type situation as well so we could watch the Frogs that night too. And yes, we took the AppleTV with us so we could watch American football while in Milan. The place was perfect for us for the weekend!

Living room and hall to bedrooms

I'm sorry to say we did not do so well on the shopping front, as we came home empty handed. We couldn't wrap our minds around how there were possibly enough people in the world to justify the sheer number of luxury stores in Milan. I can't tell you the number of places we passed with shoes that were thousands of dollars. I mean, really? Why? And please know, this was not what we were looking for!

The shopping streets of Milan

After our failed attempts at shopping, we stopped at duomo square to have a quick look around, then headed back to our apartment for the evening. Milan is very easy to get around, with buses, trams and a subway that are easily navigable. Baby K was also dying to get out and run around, so the apartment was ideal for that as well.

The next morning we got up at regular Baby K time (7 to 7:30am), had breakfast, then headed out to go to the duomo. I wish we could have gone to see The Last Supper, but you have to book that months in advance, which obviously we did not do.

Yes we brought the dog- it's how you really get her to go!

Inside the Duomo

Down the center aisle

The Milan duomo is very impressive. One thing that makes it really beautiful is that it appears to have recently been cleaned, so you can see all of the colors in the marble facade. There is still some scaffolding, but compared to the size of the duomo, it seems insignificant. The opulence of Cathedrals in Europe gets me every time, and Milan's duomo was no exception.

Her favorite part of the Duomo

We left Milan around noon, with high hopes that Baby K would nap on the way back home. Unfortunately that did not happen, but she was manageable. Sometimes I get a bit frustrated when things don't go as planned/how they need to go with Baby K, but BK has learned to read my mind and took her to walk around the train when this happened. He's good like that.

That's about it for Milan- honestly, nothing too excited, but actually a nice getaway for us. Baby K napped for almost two hours while we shopped, and it was nice for BK and I to get to wander around chatting, with no real agenda.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and we have a couple of celebrations coming up. My sister and her husband also get here on Monday, which I'm super excited about! Then in no time, we'll be back in the US for our Christmas visit! Time flies when you're having fun!

My heart breaks a little bit tonight

Last night I told BK I felt like my heart was breaking a little bit for all the hate in the world. I rarely say anything political on this blog, mostly because my intention with it is to keep our family and friends updated on our life abroad. With that said, you also may know that I'm a social worker, and generally try to be a decent human being, so sometimes things just get to me.

The State of Texas does a lot of stupid things in relation to caring for people- especially when it comes to people who aren't Texans. Putting a stop to resettling Syrian refugees is one of the worst that I've seen yet. I'm embarrassed by this action. It is one of the worst things we could have chosen to do. Compassion at it's finest. Unfortunately, I have come to expect nothing less.

How quickly America forgets that we ultimately are a country of immigrants. Call it what you want, but unless you are 100 percent Native American Indian, your ancestors came from somewhere else, probably fleeing war, poverty, marginalization, hunger, or a number of other things- perhaps simply looking for more opportunity. I guess if you want to discount that, be thankful that the US did not have the same stance they did when your ancestors came over, that we seem to now.

I think the other thing that is getting me is the sheer amount of hate, discrimination, stereotyping and every other negative thing that goes on out there in relation to people who are different from "us". But, it's only goes on after a western country is hit with tragedy. Too bad for the middle eastern countries and cities who have seen violence in the days, week, months, and years before with no reaction or care from anyone. Only now, we should stop resettling people, don't let anyone in who doesn't look like us, and turn away anyone who is in need.

The thing that has continuously rolled around in my head has been a song that we used to sing at church camp: They will know we are Christians. Part of the song is: And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; yes they'll know we are Christians by our love. I can't help but think right now, they'll know Christians by their hate, fear and unwelcoming spirit. Like I said, I feel like it's breaking my heart a little bit.

I saw this little gem earlier today and feel that it's quite fitting: "If only we had a seasonally appropriate story about a middle eastern couple seeking shelter."

Well crap, that's not very convenient, now is it? I can only hope for better times ahead.

And the project goes on...

Lamb with dates, apricots, and saffron over couscous

Ah yes, the cooking project...it still exists. It's just going slowly and I haven't updated you recently. Thanks to the project, I have found a number of recipes that I go to quite often, so haven't tried a lot of new ones lately.

As a review, here's what we've tried so far:

• Traditional Hummus
• Arugula, Grape and Sunflower Seed Salad
• Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Sauteed Tuna and Green Onion Stalks on Romaine
• Ma Pa Tofu
• Curried Chicken and Cashews
• Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce
• Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops
• Prosciutto and Fontina-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
• Chicken with Rosemary Dumplings
• Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Rice Noodle Salad
• Classic Meat Loaf
• Italian Meatball Burgers
• Grilled Salmon with Korean Barbeque Glaze
• Greek Lamb and Red Onion Kebabs
• Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney
• Cajun Grilled Corn

Last night I made Lamb with Dates, Apricots, and Saffron over Couscous. It was not BK's favorite, but he did eat it. It was cooked correctly and well, just not his (or my) first choice for something to eat. If you like a middle eastern dish that has similar flavors, you would probably really like this one, but it was just a little too sweet for us. I added some Greek yogurt to add a little tanginess and some garlic naan (Indian flat bread) to try and offset the sweet in the dish. I can't decide how I would rate it. BK gave it a 5, which is essentially a 0 since he doesn't give anything lower than a five.

I want to continue to try recipes, and I'm sure we'll have more of these nights where I cook something that is good, but is not our favorite. I'm not sure what I'll do with those recipes that I know we won't like, i.e. Olive Tapenade, as olives are seriously one of the only things that I am not a fan of. Maybe I'll make it when we have guests and I need an appetizer or something. Like I said, just because it's not our favorite doesn't mean it's not a good recipe or meal.

Our most common repeats are: hummus, pesto chicken sandwiches, seared tuna on salad, spicy honey-brushed chicken thighs, grilled salmon, greek lamb and red onion kebabs, spiced pork chops, and grilled corn. I'm happy to report that my little project has worked, in that, I've incorporated lots of new recipes that have become regulars.

Now that fall has brought cooler temps for us, and winter is just around the corner, I'm looking forward to trying more of the soups and stews for a cozy evening meal. BK is always such a good sport and pretty much willing to try anything I make! I'll keep cooking and will have more updates as we go!

A little bit of Halloween fun

Minnie Mouse was ready to party at playgroup!

I'll admit, seeing and hearing about all the fun people had together on Halloween made me a little envious that we weren't trick or treating with Baby K's cousins in Fort Worth or east Texas, going door to door, stocking up on lots of candy. Halloween is not such a big deal in Switzerland, but you can occasionally find groups of expats, typically mostly Americans, celebrating together.

I'll also admit though, I'm not a big fan of Halloween. In fact, it's pretty much my least favorite holiday, probably due to the fact that I really don't like things in costume- it just kind of weirds me out. But of course, I'm willing to overlook that, and even get excited when it comes to having fun with Baby K. So, we did what we could to celebrate, and out little Minnie Mouse was pretty darn cute!

So we celebrated Halloween on Friday with the playgroup we attend each week. They had a Halloween party for all the kids, and everyone dressed up. There wasn't trick or treating or anything, but Halloween crafts and Halloween themed snacks and decorations to celebrate the day. Minnie was supposed to make another appearance on Halloween, but due to some sleeping issues, had to cancel her appearance. It was really too bad, as I know there was a Sophia the First looking forward to playing!

Meringue ghosts and brownie spiders

My love of baking also outweighs my dislike of Halloween. Couple that with the fact that I like to share a bit of American culture with various groups that I bake for, and that brings me to Halloween baking! I made meringue ghosts and brownie spiders for Baby K's creche.

They didn't have a Halloween party or anything, and there was no dressing up at school, but I was excited they let me bring something for their afternoon snack. When I sent a picture, my sister pointed out that spiders have eight legs. My response was that I'm not sure Baby K even knows what a spider is, so I don't think she (and the other tots) will mind four-legged spiders.

So yeah, that's about it for us and Halloween. We actually went to Basel on Friday afternoon to celebrate a friend's birthday that evening, hung out on Saturday, then had to make an earlier than expected departure back to Montreux on Saturday evening (see above sleeping comment). I won't even try to make an excuse, but everyone in our house was in bed and asleep by around 9pm on Halloween night. Judge if you want, but it was awesome, and totally my kind of Halloween!

La question du mois...

**The women's club I am a member of proposes a 'question of the month' each month. It is open to all members for response, and is a way for people to share feelings on various topics. The responses from members are then posted on the club's blog. I thought I would share the question and my response with you each month.

"We run by choice so they have a voice" Running for refugees, circa 2009

Question of the month: This month's question deals with the impact of larger world issues on our personal lives. What are your feelings about the current refugee crisis? Can we continue to live our ordinary lives in the aftermath of large scale conflicts and tragedies?

I've had to really roll this one around in my head quite a bit this month. There are so many answers to how do I feel about the current refugee crisis. My initial reaction is that, of course, it's a terrible thing. Most of the world's population cannot fathom what it would be like to be forced to leave the only country that you know, your home, with only the belongings you can carry and move to a new land. It's almost unimaginable, but it's reality for over 42,000 people per day. And no, all of those people are not from Syria. About half of the 60 million refugees in the world are children.

What are my feelings about the current refugee crisis? My feeling is that the current crisis is just a tiny picture of what happens all over the world all the time. Civil and religious wars rage on in developing countries for decades, typically without the west even batting an eye. It's very far away from us, and often the people don't look like us and may not have our religion, making it incredibly easy to turn a blind eye and say that doesn't impact us. What countries you may wonder? Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, Central African Republic, Colombia...the list goes on and on.

So my feeling is that even though the images that we see now are heartbreaking, this is not something new we're dealing with. My feeling is that I hope people can welcome those who have lost everything with open arms, and not with a look of disgust because they are tired, poor, another religion, don't speak the language. My feeling is that even though the crisis seems bigger than we are, small acts of kindness make a difference for those in need.

And, can we continue to live our ordinary lives in the aftermath of large scale conflicts and tragedies? I would hope that if nothing else, these atrocities help give people some perspective on their lives. In some sense, I think we have to go on living our lives, but perhaps we can be more purposeful about it. Have gratitude for the fact that you reside in a safe country, sleep in a warm bed, put food on the table each day for your family. Try not to get caught up in the minutia that often drags us down, making us forget about things that are truly important.

Are there things you can do to help with the current refugee crisis and change the way you go about living your daily life? Absolutely. Regardless of where you live, you CAN do something. Whether it's giving your time, your knowledge, your resources- monetary, clothing, food, shelter, or whatever else it is that you have to give, someone in need can benefit from what you have to give. So my answer would be, don't keep living your ordinary life. Do something to help someone.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.
- Mother Teresa

All the grandmothers!

Rochers de Naye

Our life has felt like a bit of a whirlwind lately. Maybe not so much for BK, as he's still been working away as usual, but Baby K and I have been traveling around and doing stuff with all the grandmothers. It's been really fun, and I'm so thankful Baby K has had some one-on-one time with her grandmothers and great-grandmother!

Heading home from the airport

My mom was up last, arriving in Switzerland just a couple of days after Nani and NeeNee departed. My days in between included a little catching up on things and one day with five hours of French lessons to attempt to catch up with those as well. Baby K and I headed to the airport Friday afternoon to pick her up!

Hiking up the 1055 steps

My mom has been to visit us five times now, so her visits are a bit more relaxed, as she's here to do a little sightseeing, but mostly just to spend time with us. We mostly stayed in this area, and she and I even enjoyed a couple of days just the two of us, when Baby K went to creche. Over the weekend, she got settled and we pretty much stayed in Montreux. We hiked the 1000 stairs Saturday afternoon, then went to dinner at Le Museum Restaurant for some typical Swiss fare. Sunday was a gloomy, rainy day, but we did venture out briefly to take the funicular in Vevey and make a stop at Hotel Kempinski.

Baby K lunching with her baby

Monday was a sick day for Baby K, as her teeth were really bothering her. Tuesday she was better and while she went to creche, my mom and I spent the day in Geneva exploring. We went to the Red Cross Museum, stopped by the UN, and visited the cathedral.

Photo identification project

Restoring family links section of museum

Statues who represent those who have lost everything, have no rights

I would highly recommend the Red Cross Museum if you're in Geneva. I think it is a great exhibit on war, peace, human dignity, and atrocities that have occurred throughout the world. There are three primary sections in the museum, one on family links, one on natural disasters, and one on human dignity. There are great interactive aspects of the exhibitions that allow witnesses to speak directly to you about their experience. Go if you get the chance.

Three legged chair in front of UN- signifying stance against land mines

We didn't go inside the UN, just walked around the area. For our last little bit of the day we went to Geneva's old town to see the cathedral. I think the lake probably gets most of the attention in Geneva, but it's old town is quite charming and has a pretty large and historic cathedral. I would really like to go back and spend more time in the city exploring more.

St. Pierre Cathedral

Inside St. Pierre

The next day we decided to go to the Zoo de Servion. It was a bit different from going to the zoo in Fort Worth, as it was sunny, but around 38 degrees and windy. We bundled up and enjoyed our chilly little outing. I love the zoos in Europe because you can get really close to the animals and they typically seem to be really active.

Playing at the zoo

Up close and personal with the animals

Zip lining at the zoo

Thursday Baby K went back to creche again and mom and I went up to Rochers de Naye. BK, Baby K and I went up with Nani and NeeNee, but I also wanted to take my mom up, as she had never been and it's an easy trip from Montreux. In the week since we went up with Nani and NeeNee it had snowed, and without Baby K we were able to do a bit more hiking around.

Horn player and flag thrower greeting the train

View from the top

View from the top

Winter is well on its way!

Hiking around, looking down into the valley

Friday morning mom headed back to the airport to catch her flight home. It was a really quick trip, but also a really good one. There were two little ones (Abbs and LJ) eagerly awaiting her arrival back at DFW. They were excited that Mawmaw got to see Baby K, but much happier to have her back with them again.

Waiting for her train

We have about a month long break for visitors, then my sister and her husband are making the trip across the pond to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. No more trips scheduled this year, but still plenty coming up to keep us busy!

Four generations take Switzerland

Now that we've had a day or so to get Mawmaw settled in, I thought I would tell you about the rest of our time with NeeNee and Nani. So many grandmothers, so little time! If only we had more time with all of them!

When we returned to Switzerland from London, we enjoyed an afternoon at home getting settled and grilled for dinner that night. We wanted to have an easy night to recover from the hustle and bustle of London and get ready for a day trip to Basel the next day.

Road trip to Basel!

We took a day trip to Basel so we could show NeeNee where we lived and played during our first year-and-a-half in Switzerland. On our way there we stopped in Fribourg so that Nani and NeeNee could see where BK works now. It was also good for Baby K to get out and stretch her legs a bit a little ways into our trip.

Visiting our Basel apartment

In Basel we had lunch at the pizzaria we used to frequent, then headed up to Munsterplatz to visit the church and square. Kate enjoyed running around the church, and I think NeeNee and Nani enjoyed seeing the inside and outside, including some tombs from the 900s. From there we walked down to Marktplatz, then across Mittlebrucke to take a walk by the Rhein. We showed NeeNee where we used to live, then made one last stop at Novartis so she could also see where BK used to work. After that we headed back to Montreux for the night.

Cloud waterfall at Rochers de Naye

Hiking up to the top!

Sunday morning we left the Montreux train station and rode the Golden Pass train up to Rochers de Naye. This is somewhere we had never been before, but have wanted to go for a while. Rochers de Naye is above Montreux, at an elevation of 6200 feet. You pass through a number of mountain stops on the train, go though the clouds, and arrive at Rochers de Naye above the clouds.

Everyone at the top

The views are really amazing when the clouds clear; you have a 360 degree view from the top. We saw a really unique "cloud waterfall" of moving clouds in the mountains as well. NeeNee was such a trooper and hiked right up to the top of Rochers de Naye to take in the views as well. We had lunch on the train on the way down, then all came back to the house to rest. That evening we had a babysitter for Kate and went up to Hostellerie de Caux for fondue, to have a taste of something traditionally Swiss.

A traditional Swiss dinner

Monday was Nani and NeeNee's last full day in Montreux. BK even took the day off! The weather was chilly, but the sun was out and it was a really nice day, so we decided to take a lake cruise around our end of the lake, including briefly going across to France. After nap time we went around the lake a bit to Chateau de Chillon, then walked back to Montreux to have dinner at one of the restaurants we like to frequent.

Nani and Kate on the boat

Inside Chateau de Chillon

The next morning it was back to the grind for BK, and NeeNee, Nani, Baby K and I had an easy morning at home before they caught the train to Geneva to fly back to the US. NeeNee walked Tobs one last time, with all of us enjoying a stroll down our street, up above the lake. Baby K and I helped Nani and NeeNee down to the station, and off they went, back to London, then on to the US.

On our last walk together for this trip

We loved getting to share our life with Nani and NeeNee and can't wait to see them soon at Christmas!