So I feel like a broken record around here... we are busy, very busy. But this week we got a special surprise: corrupted picture files (on both primary and back up drives) from over a span of 15 months.
To say I was upset would be an understatement. I was a wreck. Thinking we had lost pictures from half of our time here and Betti's first year of life felt like someone had ripped my heart out, stomped on it a few times, played some football with it while blowing at it with some vuvuzelas, then put it back all bruised and beaten.
It sucked.
A very talented friend has our files and we are hoping that he can recover the pictures.
However, I had planned to do some posts for you all about our travels I never got to around here. As luck would have it, those are the pictures that were lost.
I know, it's amazingly horrible luck, no?
Anyway, the purpose of that was to give you something to read while we are traveling for a little bit. Sadly, I've got nothing. So I hope you enjoy your time wherever you are for a bit, Swiss Family Mac is officially on a short hiatus.
However, I'm sure I will have an abundance to say when we get back. So, faithful readers, stay tuned and we will see you in July!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
15 months.
My little swiss miss is 15 months today.
Betti has grown in to herself and has such a little personality. She is still a little timid and hesitant to jump into situations. But that's okay, she doesn't have to be outgoing; Marion will jump in to any situation and show her how it is done!
She is a cuddler and is extremely physical. Betti walks, runs, and climbs. She gets pulled on, pushed, carried, and jumped on by Marion. And she loves every single minute of it.
But the thing she loves the most is carrying her blanket and bear around.
Usually she'll find a spot, lay down, and get comfortable.
I'm so jealous of her. Wouldn't it be nice to have a huge, soft stuffed animal to snuggle up to?
Sometimes she'll change it up. She'll crash into a pillow on the floor, find a corner on the couch to snuggle in to, or (if you are really lucky) decide your lap is the place to be.
And when she snuggles, you can really tell how huge she is.
My baby girl is massive! She is wearing clothes that Marion was wearing at two. Here are some pictures of Marion right before her second birthday.
And yes, that is a chip clip in her hair. Eh, it worked. But now you can see why we marvel at Betti's size! At least until she can understand what we are saying, don't want to give her a complex...
Anyway, Bettina. Yes, she is my physical child but she is making progress with talking. I can understand why it is slow and steady in the speech department; Marion never stops to let her talk! She now says Mama, ball, and baba (bottle). But while she is lacking in the actual word department, she definitely communicates. Lots of grunting and whining, oh joy! She also points a lot and follows simple directions, that won't last long I'm sure. ;)
While she may not talk yet, I'm okay with that. Because I know what it is like to have an extremely vocal child and I don't want to find out what it would be like to have two just yet!
Happy arbitrary month birthday Betti!
Betti has grown in to herself and has such a little personality. She is still a little timid and hesitant to jump into situations. But that's okay, she doesn't have to be outgoing; Marion will jump in to any situation and show her how it is done!
She is a cuddler and is extremely physical. Betti walks, runs, and climbs. She gets pulled on, pushed, carried, and jumped on by Marion. And she loves every single minute of it.
But the thing she loves the most is carrying her blanket and bear around.
Usually she'll find a spot, lay down, and get comfortable.
I'm so jealous of her. Wouldn't it be nice to have a huge, soft stuffed animal to snuggle up to?
Sometimes she'll change it up. She'll crash into a pillow on the floor, find a corner on the couch to snuggle in to, or (if you are really lucky) decide your lap is the place to be.
And when she snuggles, you can really tell how huge she is.
My baby girl is massive! She is wearing clothes that Marion was wearing at two. Here are some pictures of Marion right before her second birthday.
And yes, that is a chip clip in her hair. Eh, it worked. But now you can see why we marvel at Betti's size! At least until she can understand what we are saying, don't want to give her a complex...
Anyway, Bettina. Yes, she is my physical child but she is making progress with talking. I can understand why it is slow and steady in the speech department; Marion never stops to let her talk! She now says Mama, ball, and baba (bottle). But while she is lacking in the actual word department, she definitely communicates. Lots of grunting and whining, oh joy! She also points a lot and follows simple directions, that won't last long I'm sure. ;)
While she may not talk yet, I'm okay with that. Because I know what it is like to have an extremely vocal child and I don't want to find out what it would be like to have two just yet!
Happy arbitrary month birthday Betti!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
My two monkeys
Brian's been away for work but that doesn't mean life is boring here.
Marion's discovered the joy of playing with Betti in her crib. Yea, I don't get it either but it keeps them happy for a solid amount of time.
Unfortunately, I waited to long to grab my camera to capture this moment. Marion was getting antsy.
Can you hear her frustration in these pictures?
"Mooooooooooooooom, I WANT to GET OUT of HERE!"
Yep, she's full of drama and energy and she doesn't stop at any point in the day. That's probably why she crashes so hard at night.
She doesn't look like she is going to move at all, so snuggly in her bed with her headlamp. But this girl doesn't stop for sleep. I've seen her sit up and then put her head on her knees and sleep in that position for awhile. And then she'll decide to sneak up on Brian and I in the middle of the night and sleep (kick, snuggle, elbow) in our bed.
What am I going to do with these two?!
Marion's discovered the joy of playing with Betti in her crib. Yea, I don't get it either but it keeps them happy for a solid amount of time.
Unfortunately, I waited to long to grab my camera to capture this moment. Marion was getting antsy.
Can you hear her frustration in these pictures?
"Mooooooooooooooom, I WANT to GET OUT of HERE!"
Yep, she's full of drama and energy and she doesn't stop at any point in the day. That's probably why she crashes so hard at night.
She doesn't look like she is going to move at all, so snuggly in her bed with her headlamp. But this girl doesn't stop for sleep. I've seen her sit up and then put her head on her knees and sleep in that position for awhile. And then she'll decide to sneak up on Brian and I in the middle of the night and sleep (kick, snuggle, elbow) in our bed.
What am I going to do with these two?!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Six years, woot!
Today Brian and I celebrate six years of marriage. But really, we celebrate the six years and then usually marvel at how we've been putting up with each other for much longer than that.
We met the second semester of my freshmen year in college and started dating in summer 1999 after being friends for awhile.
This shot was taken after one of Brian's football games. He was an All American football player in college; he hates when I tell that to people. :)
We got engaged on June 5, 2003. Despite having been together for four years, Brian managed to surprise me with his proposal. Sneaky! One of my aunts took some engagement photos for us, this is one of them.
We made it official on June 12, 2004. It was a beautiful day in Baltimore after a week of pouring rain. We were very lucky!
Then we welcomed Marion and became a family of three.
And then, as you all know, we became a family a four when Betti was born.
And now, eleven years after we started dating, life couldn't be better.
I love you Brian!
We met the second semester of my freshmen year in college and started dating in summer 1999 after being friends for awhile.
This shot was taken after one of Brian's football games. He was an All American football player in college; he hates when I tell that to people. :)
We got engaged on June 5, 2003. Despite having been together for four years, Brian managed to surprise me with his proposal. Sneaky! One of my aunts took some engagement photos for us, this is one of them.
We made it official on June 12, 2004. It was a beautiful day in Baltimore after a week of pouring rain. We were very lucky!
Then we welcomed Marion and became a family of three.
And then, as you all know, we became a family a four when Betti was born.
And now, eleven years after we started dating, life couldn't be better.
I love you Brian!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Random Swiss radio strikes again!
First song I heard this morning was "Things That Make You Go Hmmm...".
That was followed up by Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.
You just never know what you're gonna get. So much better than a box of chocolates first thing in the morning!
That was followed up by Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.
You just never know what you're gonna get. So much better than a box of chocolates first thing in the morning!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Swiss even have fancy public toilets.
Check this baby out.
Clean and functional. A seat for the ladies, up high so the gentlemen don't piss all over it. Soap and fresh water on the left to wash up afterwards. A hand dryer so you don't leave with wet hands. And clean, did I mention clean?
I think I might cry during my first trip to a public toilet when back in the US this fall.
Clean and functional. A seat for the ladies, up high so the gentlemen don't piss all over it. Soap and fresh water on the left to wash up afterwards. A hand dryer so you don't leave with wet hands. And clean, did I mention clean?
I think I might cry during my first trip to a public toilet when back in the US this fall.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Badi Days
The sun has graced us with his presence the last few days so we've taken advantage by hitting up our local badi (swimming area on the lake in case you have forgotten). Going to the badi on a beautiful day is still my favorite thing to do here. Maybe these pictures will help explain why!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Bern, need I say more?
I've been telling Brian how wonderful Bern is. So on Monday we spent the day in Bern and I finally had a chance to show him this great city!
We made a mistake in telling Marion where we were going and that bears would be there. So the entire ride down she was asking about the bears. Naturally, the bears were our first stop.
And look! Two new cubs! Marion was thrilled.
Betti, not so much.
I feel like I say this entirely too much on here about my youngest. Here's the deal with her- she is slow to react to things. She processes and processes and then wham! She hits you with a megawatt smile. I'm just too impatient to wait around to catch the smile part I guess.
Anyway, the new bear park. It is very nice!
Such an upgrade from the pit.
We continued our way through Bern to the Cathedral, stopping to take in the gorgeous scene over the front door and to go inside briefly.
A friend told me that this scene is about judgement and shows the mayor of Zurich going to Hell on the right and the mayor of Bern going to Heaven on the left. Apparently the two cities had a major rivalry.
Now I have no idea if that is true or not, but I like it anyway.
We continued up the main street, Marktgasse, and stopped at Einstein's apartment where he worked on the theory of relativity. Maybe it is because I am an engineer and Brian is an accountant, but we found that place way cool and learned some interesting tidbits. For example, did you know that most scholars believe that Einstein's first wife (who he met at university, go her!) was a partner in his work on relativity?
After managing to learn a little bit about Einstein while dealing with Marion in the tiny apartment, we headed over to the Bundesplatz in front of the Bundeshaus, Switzerland's parliament, to watch the fountains.
After watching some teenagers next to us, Marion decided to take her umbrella and head out to test her luck.
The first time she came back dry. The second time she was *this close* to getting a face full of water. She ran back to Brian, turned around to watch the fountains, and said, "Daddy, I don't think this is a good idea." :)
We ended our day at the park next to the Bern Munster on the riverfront. The sun came out while Betti snoozed in her stroller, Marion and Brian played on the playground, and I watched them all.
*sigh*
I'll miss you Bern.
We made a mistake in telling Marion where we were going and that bears would be there. So the entire ride down she was asking about the bears. Naturally, the bears were our first stop.
And look! Two new cubs! Marion was thrilled.
Betti, not so much.
I feel like I say this entirely too much on here about my youngest. Here's the deal with her- she is slow to react to things. She processes and processes and then wham! She hits you with a megawatt smile. I'm just too impatient to wait around to catch the smile part I guess.
Anyway, the new bear park. It is very nice!
Such an upgrade from the pit.
We continued our way through Bern to the Cathedral, stopping to take in the gorgeous scene over the front door and to go inside briefly.
A friend told me that this scene is about judgement and shows the mayor of Zurich going to Hell on the right and the mayor of Bern going to Heaven on the left. Apparently the two cities had a major rivalry.
Now I have no idea if that is true or not, but I like it anyway.
We continued up the main street, Marktgasse, and stopped at Einstein's apartment where he worked on the theory of relativity. Maybe it is because I am an engineer and Brian is an accountant, but we found that place way cool and learned some interesting tidbits. For example, did you know that most scholars believe that Einstein's first wife (who he met at university, go her!) was a partner in his work on relativity?
After managing to learn a little bit about Einstein while dealing with Marion in the tiny apartment, we headed over to the Bundesplatz in front of the Bundeshaus, Switzerland's parliament, to watch the fountains.
After watching some teenagers next to us, Marion decided to take her umbrella and head out to test her luck.
The first time she came back dry. The second time she was *this close* to getting a face full of water. She ran back to Brian, turned around to watch the fountains, and said, "Daddy, I don't think this is a good idea." :)
We ended our day at the park next to the Bern Munster on the riverfront. The sun came out while Betti snoozed in her stroller, Marion and Brian played on the playground, and I watched them all.
*sigh*
I'll miss you Bern.
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