Courage

This girl.

She is adventurous, courageous, and full of energy.  She has some serious amounts of energy.

I admire her already.  

Ever since she was walking, I've thought a lot about fear versus courage.  Even before she was born, I remember having conversations with my older sister about how to teach children.  So many of us live life controlled by fear of so many things from tripping on an uneven sidewalk in front of others to getting in a car accident on the way to work.  The thing about kids is, I think a lot of the fears they have, they aren't actually born with them but they learn them.  They learn it either from a fall or an accident or from fears that those around them have, especially parents.  It's even scaring me now just thinking about being a parent!  

Madison, some way or another, was born with great courage and a crazy adventurous spirit.  It's one of the things that I love most about her.  This isn't to say she is careless or without any caution.

"Nannie climb!"

"Wet, Mama! Wet!"

Bryce and I have conversations wondering how we can teach her to have a healthy fear of things like cars on the road and crosswalks.  I sometimes worry just wondering if one day she will have a serious accident with bigger injuries.

As far as energy, I brainstorm ways to use up some of it.  Lately, after we've been walking all around the block or at the park (she walks herself, of course, no way would she sit in the stroller unless we're running), we get back to the apartment building and I take the elevator one floor up at a time while she takes the stairs.  It's always an exciting moment for her to turn the corner at the top of the stairs and see Carter and I there waiting for her.  Then she runs to the next flight and gets going.

Even still, she only takes about a 45 minute nap.  Then she's up and rearing to go out on another adventure.

Back to the courage, a friend recently asked me how we do it at the park with such a curious little one.  I said...it's a lot of work, even to just go to the park, or grab milk at the store.  Everything takes longer and usually results in at least 1 meltdown.  But to not go crazy myself, we have to get out of the house, usually 2x a day.  Now that we're in more of a routine, we are all just used to it.  I'm learning ways to distract her from meltdowns (which doesn't always work), and we just do it.  At the park, I usually have Carter in the ergo or the stroller (in a place that is central so I can always see him) and I walk around with Maddie.  I let her do pretty much anything she wants to.  I usually show her how to do it and then help her do it.  I always supervise when she does things to make sure she learns the right way to do it so it's safer.  Then some things she just can't do on her own like the fireman pole at the playground, but I at least let her try while I help.  Once she does it with me enough, she learns and then I let her do it on her own.  

She gets booboos every day, but somehow my kisses always fix them.  Sometimes I even catch her getting a little booboo, then kissing it herself, then moving on with what she was doing.  She cracks me up!

She gets scrapes and bruises and her knees bleed, but she often doesn't really care or even notice the blood, for that matter.

I know that it's important to teach caution and danger, but I do not want to teach her fear.  Or at least not to be controlled by fear.  I just don't want her living in fear all the time.  

Plus, like I said earlier, her courageous and adventurous spirit is beautiful and inspiring and I'm sure the Lord will use it as she grows up.  

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

[Isaiah 41:10]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[Philippians 4:6-7]

Settling

Reasons why last weekend was awesome:

[Most of these things hinged on #1.]
1. We moved into our new apartment.  The last time in awhile that we will go to a new place (besides our trip home in September for my baby brother's wedding.  "Baby" because he technically is the baby of the family even as a twin, yet the tallest of all.
2.   Ikea delivered and assembled 90% of all of our furniture that we bought for the whole place.
3. We have 3 bedrooms, so Carter can sleep in his own room instead of our bathroom and we can use our bathroom at night.
4. We bought a microwave.  A MICROWAVE!  We haven't used one of those gems in 7 weeks.  We had to reheat (if at all) everything on the stovetop.  Please think about this a second.  Now go into your kitchen and thank God for this cube machine that cooks or reheats anything in a matter of minutes.
5. We bought a hair dryer.  We also have lived without one of these for 7 weeks.  This means I fell asleep with dry hair for the first time in weeks.  I take showers at night and hate going to bed with wet hair.  That makes things a little complicated without a hair dryer. I actually was falling asleep with a towel on my pillow most nights.
6. We have area rugs.  I can sit on the floor with the kids and play, which I do for quite awhile each day.  So this just means I am more comfortable doing it.
7. We are on the ground floor which makes it feel like we have a yard again.

Out on the patio.

8.  Our entire place is more child friendly and comfortable for us overall.  Maybe because it is ours instead of another place that we'll be leaving soon.

9. We have SCREENS in our windows (thanks to Bryce buying screen and tape and spending an hour putting them up).
10. We have dressers to put our things in so we can see where things are and what we have.
11. We have a few pictures frames of friends and family.  It's starting to feel more like home.
12.  Maddie would add: I got some fun new toys - early birthday presents - which I am loving.  A new kitchen, table and chairs, and a glider bike with a helmet.

Cooking up something yummy for me.

Little big man lounging in a chair I just bought him to use in the bathtub.  Check out those thighs.

We are still getting things organized and running to the store to pick up random things that we forgot, but things are good here.

Can't wait to show you the new place.

Laughing and Smiling

He started laughing and smiling ALL THE TIME around 6 weeks.  As a parent, it doesn't get much better than that.  He is the sweetest.  All his smiles make hard or tired days so much brighter.

Front roll!

We got an Ikea gymnastic mat the other day and it may be one of our best purchases yet.

Our very active little girl learned a new move on it a few days ago.

Lucerne [Luzern]

On Friday, August 1st, also known as Swiss National Day, we went 50 minutes south to Lucerne.  We had planned to go to the Bernese Oberland/Alps to hike in the Alps, but it was horrible weather there so we cancelled our hotel reservation.

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It worked out perfect because Bryce still wanted to enjoy a mountain and I wanted to see the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland.  Mount Pilatus is one of the big mountains just steps away from Lucerne.  AND it's technically part of the Swiss Alps.  There you will find the world's steepest cog railway train that goes from the bottom all the way to the top of Mount Pilatus (6,982 ft high).  The train actually goes up at a 48 degree angle in some parts.  It's crazy.  Madison loved it.  She is in a stage where she loves planes and trains.  I can't remember the last time that I rode an actual train.  It was funny to pass hikers who were probably hiking for hours to get to the top.  It looked like a rough hike from bottom to top.  I kept looking at Bryce saying, "Aren't you glad we're here and not there with both kids?!"

Miss Sassafras

Where you board the train

Isn't that crazy?

Straight up the mountain

The top of the mountain was absolutely beautiful.  There were herds of cows and as we hiked, we could hear their bells ringing far off in the distance.

 

Not sure what kind of mountain goat these are, but they were just hanging out on a ledge below us.

Another train coming up.  The trains actually have 3 breaks on them-one mechanical, one electrical, and another...I forget.  A train conductor came by and was talking to us when the train stopped for a few minutes to let another pass.

When we reached the top, we did a short hike to another peak, ate a snack, and headed back down.

Luckily we went up first thing in the morning on the second train around 9am because it got very cloudy just after we finished the hike at the top.

Then we drove into Lucerne and walked around the lake and old town.  It was gorgeous.  It reminded us a lot of Italy.  The lake was full of sailboats and paddle boats.  The Reuss River runs right through old town and a famous 14th century bridge crosses the river.

Feeding birds on the lake.

The famous 14th century bridge in old town.

On the bridge

The beauty of flowers in Switzerland blows my mind.  Every day.  Colorful bouquets hanging off of houses in windows, carefully manicured gardens in people's yards, and community gardens on the edges of towns.

There were tons of Italian restaurants, but with it being Swiss National Day, we felt like we had to eat a sausage and potatoes.  So we found a quiet little cafe on a side street and took advantage of the short nap that Maddie took.

We were back home by dinner and early bed time for everyone.  It is crazy to think we live so close to such beautiful places.  We will definitely be back.

On the other hand, people all over the world would say the same thing about living just a few minutes from DC and in driving distance to NYC like we did during our first year of marriage.

Blackberry picking

Today was Sunday, which meant quiet and relaxed family day for us.

Bryce goes for a run at lunch a few times a week.  His office is just a stone's throw from our new place.  Less than a mile from the office, trails go into the woods and are lined with bushes upon bushes of blackberries.

As you guessed by the title of this post, at 9:30am, we all packed into the car with bags and a big plastic bin to pick berries.  For almost two hours, we picked and picked.  Correction, Bryce picked and picked.  I picked for a few minutes and then entertained Madison singing about animals, took them on a walk to find sticks, then fed Carter.

It was fun to go berry picking together.  For Bryce, it meant a lot because he grew up picking blackberries in West Virginia with his family.  A lot of memories for him.

We probably picked about 2 gallons.  Maddie ate enough for all of us.  Tomorrow should have some fun diapers to change...

We froze most of them and I had to make a cobbler with the rest.

Speaking of cobblers, we had a discussion (mild argument?) about a true cobbler versus a pie versus a crisp.  If you are wondering the same thing, this article and this article helped explain.

Even with no proper measuring cups or spoons and butter that comes in a big square of grams, it still turned out okay.  We are getting places in the kitchen people!  I've also made Snickerdoodle cookies because it's one of the few recipes that don't require brown sugar.

(P.S. it was Pioneer Woman's blackberry cobbler with all butter because I couldn't find Crisco)

A prayer or two

Continuing from yesterday, random notes about how we're doing.

I'm sure you're dying to know what my day looks like.  Feel free to skip the next paragraph full of run on sentences about my life as a stay at home mom.  Of course, I love being a SAHM and count it a huge blessing.

The day to day:  Carter wakes around 5am to feed.  Then I try to go back to sleep.  Maddie wakes up at 6 or 6:30am.  Bryce wakes up with her and makes the coffee.  I get up about 7am or a little before.  It's sad to think that 7am is "sleeping in" nowadays.  Bryce gets ready and leaves for work around 7:45/8am.  Maddie eats breakfast-a banana and toast or yogurt- and watches Dora or Diego on the ipad.  We play with toys and lounge around in our jammies until about 9am.  Carter goes down for a short nap.  Maddie and I get dressed, brush teeth, and usually read books in her room to keep her from running in and waking him up in our room which is on the other side of the apartment.  When he wakes up, I feed him and we head outside with Carter in the umbrella stroller.  We usually go to for a walk around town, to the park, and sometimes a quick trip to the grocery store.  We get back about 12pm.  I feed Maddie lunch and put her down.  If she is in a not-so-great mood and won't eat, I let her watch a show and eat.  She only naps about 40 minutes these days.  I am trying to get Carter to nap at the same time, but it doesn't always happen.  If it does, I check email, blog, wash dishes, pick up, make the bed, or waste time on social media until she walks out of her room and decides that it's time to wake up.  We play with toys, do puzzles, color on a cardboard box with markers, have a tea party, play cars or trains.  We eat a snack.  Then we head outside.  Usually, I am in running clothes and do a short run with the big stroller then let her down and we walk around.  She likes to play with rocks or pick flowers.  We head back home.  I try to figure out what's for dinner.  Then we play with toys again or dance or do front rolls and wrestle on the gymnastic mat from Ikea that I bought the other day.  Right now, we are waiting for Bryce to get home, playing oldies on youtube (All Shook up/Signed, Sealed, Delivered/etc) and dancing, and she's playing with my jewelry while I finish writing this.  Bryce gets home and hopefully dinner is getting ready.  Carter takes a nap sometime in the late afternoon.  Hopefully when Bryce walks in the door, both kids aren't screaming.  He usually takes one of them while I finish up dinner.  He feeds Maddie.  We eat.  One of us gives her a bath.  One of us puts her down about 7:30pm.  One of us cleans the kitchen.  We take showers.  We either get on our computers or watch a show.  Then we go to bed around 9:30/10pm.

Friends: I am here with my best friend.  Thank God for him!  HOWEVER, girls need girl friends.  I have none here.  Well, okay, I have one, but I've only just met her one time for a couple hours.  Bryce's coworker introduced us to a couple that live about 15 minutes away (closer to Zurich).  They both are working right now.  They have a sweet toddler boy.  They're both from the USA but have lived here for 5+ years and don't planning on leaving as far as I know.  I'm hoping that her and I can be friends and hang out more.  I am home with the kids all day every day.  We get out of the apartment once or twice every day, but that doesn't matter when you have zero friends and zero interaction and for me, zero adult conversation ALL day (except for any emails I get and have time to respond to, or if I am able to facetime with someone which usually only happens about 1x/during the week).  This is my biggest prayer request right now.  Being a SAHM is amazing, but going on 4 weeks without any mommy play dates or Bible study, or mom groups to go to is getting rough.  Like, want-to-cry rough.  You fellow mommy friends, you don't realize how important that community is until you don't have it at all.  As in, the only interactions I have had in the past 4 weeks have been with Bryce and the kids, the occasional facetime or email from a friend, and then a "hello" and "thank you" at the grocery store or park.  I see many of the same moms and children at the park, but haven't met any that speak English more than a couple words.  I hear Russian, Italian, and German on the playground.  Also, there are a lot of nannies but not a ton of stay at home moms.  Plus, we are moving in a week, so motivation for me to try and find friends here is lower since I will be about 10 minutes away.  I'm trying to do my research on play groups and mom groups in the area.

Proud moment: Without a church and not knowing the language has been a double-whammy for this loner SAHM.  In my research, I found a "meetup" group online.  I literally just googled "moms zurich english speaking" and somehow found this meetup.com group.  Have you ever heard of that site?  I'm sure there are meetups all over the world.  It was completely new to me.  So, I signed up to be on the listserv of all the play dates and events that they have.  It's basically 400+ moms that speak English in the area (a pretty large area).  So a couple weeks ago, I got the courage to respond "yes" to one of the meet ups in the center of Zurich.  It was at a big bookstore similar to Barnes & Noble that had a fun kids area with a little tree house in the kids section.  Only one other mom showed up with her toddler boy.  She is actually the organizer of the whole online group.  She was really nice and has lived here for 8 years.  She's from Russia but lived in the States and speaks English.  We talked and I learned quite a lot about mommy resources and how things are here with day care, play groups, and with this online group of moms.  I was there for not even two hours, but it was nice to get out.  The only thing was, it wasn't easy.  I drove into a huge city, got there 30 minutes early to find parking, then went to the bookstore and waited.  Then I paid $11 US dollars for said parking and drove 30 minutes home, which was past naptime, which then ruined naptime for the day, which made the rest of the day not-so-fun for anyone.  I did all of that with the two babies by myself without knowing the language or what many road signs mean driving to meet strangers that I found online.  After getting home, even though the rest of the day wasn't great, I felt so proud of myself for doing it and courageous for actually going.  It may seem really silly to you, but it was a lot.  This same meet up happens every week at the same place.  I want to go back, but haven't yet.  When we move, we will be 10 minutes further down the road.  There are play dates at other places and other times, but none are within 10 minutes of where we will live.  She did explain to me that more people show up if it's at your house and you offer coffee or tea.  And she said that it's better to find people within the group that live near you and form a smaller play group.  Anyways, that was my one solo outing with the kids in an effort to make friends.  It's a start.

To learn German or not to learn German:  Language lessons.  We both really should take them.  The thing is, you don't NEED to know it, but it would be nice to know it.  Many people speak the basics of English and we've already gone a month without needing it.  Plus, for me with the kids, having a tutor that came to our place would be best but that is really expensive.  If I went to a language school in Zurich in the evening, that would be logistics to figure out with Bryce and the kids plus a late night out when I am still waking up 3+ times a night AND I would probably have to bring Carter to nurse him which I don't even know if you are allowed to bring a baby into a school class like that...I don't really know if I'd want to be "that person" either.  So at this point, we are holding off and leaving it up for discussion.  We have Rosetta Stone which we plan on doing.  At least that will give us the basics and maybe we'll be fine with just that.

Church:  I have researched churches in the Zurich area.  I found 5 English speaking churches in Zurich city.  One of them is a huge church that has microphones for the English translation.  A friend who had contacts in Switzerland actually recommended one of them to me (which I already found through research).  We will definitely try it, but we haven't yet.  Again, that will be a trek into the city with two kids who have odd nap schedules.  A trek worth making, of course, but a trek nonetheless.  We will go soon, I am sure.  I think we are just wanting to move and get settled into our place first.  At this point, we've just been listening to sermons online.

These were two very long posts.  You've made it to the end.  Thanks for reading and caring about us.

Like I said before, there are amazing things about being here and tough things.  I will keep trying to share both, because I really value the act of being real.

We covet your prayers in the tough things because we know God will answer them in His time and in His way.  He has already answered so many!

4 weeks in

Today is August 7th.  We got on a plane in Raleigh headed for Zurich on July 7th.  Different people have asked me how we are doing overall.  Here are a bunch of random tidbits about what's been going on and how we have been these last few weeks.

Biggest news to be excited about:  We got the apartment that we wanted!!  The second day we were here, our relocation agent took us apartment hunting.  Yes, it did feel a lot like House Hunters International.  We saw 5 apartments in Bulach.  Our wish list was: 2 bathroom, 3 bedroom and in walking distance to his office.  Three out of the five apartments had shared washer/dryers in the basement.  Big bummer.  After discussion that evening, Bryce and I decided that it was a must to have a washer/dryer in the apartment.  With two little ones, a lot of laundry, and an odd napping schedule for them, we needed it within an arm's reach.  The truth is, we could share it.  It would be hard, but we could do it.  When you share a washer/dryer, there's often a written schedule where you write in what time slot you want for the week.  Let's just say, I pictured myself with Maddie on a leash or strapped in the stroller, laundry basket in hand, and Carter on my back in the Ergo carrier, both kids crying, and me trying to rush through doing laundry during my allotted time.  I am so thankful that we applied and got a signed lease with an apartment that has a washer/dryer!!!  Praise the Lord!  We have prayed and prayed for months about our transition to living here, feeling settled, the kids to be comfortable, and overall adjustment.  Signing this apartment contract was a huge answer to prayer and one big step in feeling settled.  [PRAYER ANSWERED] We get the keys on August 11th and will move in that weekend.  I will have to share more about the apartment later.  I will say, it seems perfect for us.

Weather and a little battle: No one really has air conditioning here.  There's not a huge need for it since it cools down significantly at night.  Most places have big windows that open wide and most people take advantage of them.  The weather has been really strange for July, about 3 days a week, it's overcast and/or rainy with temps in the high 60s/low 70s.  The other days it is typical summer weather in the low 80s and sunny.  We had the windows open all the time during our first couple weeks.  One battle that I had were the mosquitos.  I am one of those people that gets bit every time.  Bryce hardly ever gets mosquito bites.  Well, I was getting bites all over my legs to the point where I started where bug spray to bed (after I took my nightly shower, I would douse myself in it).  Then I started noticing poor Carter had little red bumps on his head (I found 7 at one point!).  I started chasing to kill about one mosquito per day that was flying around in our apartment.  I put two and two together and realized that his head was the only thing not swaddled and covered at night.  Poor thing!  So then we put his rock n play in the pack n play with a blanket over it to keep them away.  Bryce bought fans to keep air moving.  We started keeping the windows shut during the day and the blinds down with the windows open at night.  I'm glad to say that I haven't killed a mosquito in over a week.  As far as the weather, someone at work told Bryce that all this rain in July is very unusual, as in, they haven't had this much rain in July for 50 years.

Doctor: Carter missed his 8 week and 12 week pediatrician well-visits.  Thankfully, he seems to be perfectly healthy.  I had been researching threads on pediatricians on this website called "englishforum" for Switzerland.  I was certain that I would only find an English speaking pediatrician in downtown Zurich which would be almost a 30 minute drive with difficult parking situations in the city.  It turns out, I found one that speaks English (including all the receptionists) in Kloten.  I can literally walk there from here.  Once we move, it will be an 8 minute drive.  [PRAYER ANSWERED!] I haven't actually scheduled any appointments for the kids yet because we haven't finalized our health insurance yet.  Both kids will have well visits in the next few weeks and hopefully they will have good experiences there.

Sleep Saga:  This is apparently a never ending battle.  It took 3 weeks for all four of us to fully adjust.  It was about 4 weeks of both kids waking up at least three times each (at different times during the night).  It was horrible for the first couple weeks here.  Last week, I was certain that we were in the clear which means Bryce and I could catch up on lost sleep.  Madison was sleeping all night and taking her usual 1 hour 15 minute naps.  Carter was waking up once and taking 3 pretty regular naps a day.  Then it happened this past Saturday.  She learned how to crawl out of the Ikea crib that we bought after a week living here.  The crib that we bought in desperation hoping that she would give us a few more months of no climbing out.  I should've known better.  This girl, who back in early April, climbed out of her even-higher-off-the-ground crib back in Oregon.  This means we are being greeted after 40 minute naps and as early as 6am.  It is such an unusual feeling to open your eyes in the dark of the morning with a little person quietly standing 2 feet from your face just staring at you.  Carter is back to waking up 3-4 times a night.  Sigh.  Why do I hang on to the idea that I will actually get decent sleep as a parent to two babies?  I need to let go of that hope and just accept it.  These last few weeks are the first time I have started really drinking coffee.  Three cups a day, although small, seem to get me through until 8pm.  Then it's selfishness that keeps me up later, checking social media and watching an episode of some silly show like The Bachelorette.

Speaking of coffee:  In our temporary apartment, there's a Nespresso machine.  It came with 12 little things (like the Keurig) to make your espresso with cream.  We missed our normal sized cups of coffee.  After a week, we bought a french press at Ikea.  But after one cup, the coffee was warm, not hot.  We don't have a microwave and you know we weren't going to pour a cup of coffee into a pot and reheat on the stovetop.  We weren't that desperate.  Two weeks into living here, Bryce came home with a grand surprise: a coffee pot!  Just a typical, keep the pot warm, drip coffee machine like almost every American home has on the counter.  You better believe that the next morning, a cup of coffee seemed like such a treat as we slowly sipped hot drip coffee with a little milk and sugar in it.  Yum.  It's the little things.

Driving: In Switzerland, you drive on the same side as in the USA.  The signs are different and we don't quite understand what all of them mean.  Speed is measured in kilometers so we're getting used to that.  We have a rental car now and should receive a leased car in the next few weeks which will be more permanent.  Our rental car and the leased car will be the same thing (or so they tell us): a VW Touran.  It's basically a mini Minivan.  I'm not a big fan of minivans, but I love this car.  It's small but has plenty of space.  Thankfully it's automatic.  It has a fold out 3rd row seat so a 7 seater car.  The two carseats fit in the middle row with space for me to sit in between when necessary.  Our double BOB running stroller fits in the back.  It gets 51.3 MPG!  Now that is awesome.  We have filled up once since living here and we've driven every day (Bryce to work plus weekend trips).  I think I like it-dare I say-better than our Toyota Four runner.  Check it out.

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Paper work: It's been a journey getting adjusted as far as paper work goes.  The first day, we went to the city office for our living permits and to register (just for living here).  The next week, we had an appointment at Zurich city office to get finger prints and register at the national level.  We finally got all four of our living permits (Swiss ID cards) in the mail a few days ago.  The first week we were here, we spent an hour at USB bank signing up for Swiss bank accounts.  Until this week, we were using all cash.  Now we have Swiss credit/debit cards.  We applied for the apartment which wasn't complicated, but it was a couple times back and forth signing papers and getting the official signed contract back.  Bryce is currently working on finalizing our Swiss health insurance and liability insurance for renting.  All the insurance is privatized here which is quite different than the way it works in the USA.  The liability insurance is necessary for renting, especially because the key system is very expensive.  For our apartment, we will have 5 keys (the same key) which will work our mail box, the door to our apartment, as well as the apartment building door.  If we lose one of those keys, it can cost around 5,000 CHF (more than $5,000 US dollars) to replace.  Some of the paper work takes longer, for example, some documents are printed in German, which means our handy Google Chrome can't translate it.  So...yeah.  Our relocation agent has helped us some, and besides that, I have typed some into Google Translate.

Furniture: Some of you know, we didn't choose to move any furniture here.  We moved here with bags that came on a plane with us.  Bryce was able to take a few big bags on two previous trips here before we actually moved here, but they were mostly toys and a few winter clothes.  Anyways, we are about to move in to our new place which is completely unfurnished.  We have been shopping around looking for furniture basics.  We've had a pretty hard time finding things we would like, but I think we are getting there.  Right now, we are trying to figure out logistics of delivery in the easiest way possible.  I really wish we had a babysitter or family here to help us move in!  Oh well.  Maybe Maddie can help assemble things.  She loves "helping" Bryce with tools.

Looking forward to seeing how God answers other prayers that we've had as we adjust to this new way of life.

More updates to come tomorrow...