Visit in Chamonix

Chamonix really has the feel of a ski town. The smell of the mountain air, the "hard-cores" sitting outside in the cold for lunch in the sun, and of course the "skier-chic" fashion all made us feel like we should be heading for the surrounding slopes. Instead we enjoyed a pizza at a local brasserie, walked the town, and of course hit a few shops on the way out.
Don't worry Grandmas, we kept the little lady well bundled at all times!

Drive to Chamonix

The drive from our place to Chamonix, which is in France, is quite beautiful and we were blessed with a clear day so we could really see a lot (though not all) of the peaks.
Chamonix (pronounced sha-mo-NEE - I've been instructed) is a small ski town.

These pics are just the drive there and of course can't do full justice to the size and grandeur of the Alps, but hey, it's still pretty cool.

A visit to Gruyere

We did a few little excursions with Grandpa Mueller here. First, we visited Gruyere - a small village made famous for its cheese.

We shared a pot of fondue (melted Gruyere cheese) for lunch and had fun dipping pieces of bread, smoked meat, and potatoes in the creamy goo - so delicious.

Then we walked around the little town, up the hill to the museum and into a few of the shops in the center. The buildings are historically preserved to retain the charm and character of the village and there are no cars allowed in the center of the village.


We really enjoyed getting out into the mountains of Switzerland and seeing the beautiful countryside.





















Analise enjoyed herself for the most part and stayed pretty content. I think the snow bunny enjoyed the cold weather.
























Analise and Grandpa Mueller









Smile - I'm telling you a secret!















Babers with her daddy.

Bath Time and cold nose!

Bath time is becoming a fun (and at times essential) part of our evening routine. The kicking and splashing which usually soaks mom as well, is getting stronger and more intentional.
Current favorite toys are a squeaky turtle and fish - and a wet washcloth.




























































Another routine of the day is walking Grady in the afternoon. As the weather gets colder, our noses get redder! This day we went out with Bethany, our friend from Paris who has also relocated to Switzerland. Her boyfriend works at the same company as Daniel. We are excited that they will be living in our same small village - yeah!

Paris Visit

Daniel, Analise, Grady and I drove to Paris over the weekend to visit our friends, the Seelingers, to go to the Thanksgiving dinner at our church, and just to see the city again.
Here we were in front of the Galeries Lafayette building which is all decorated for Christmas. Analise was particularly enthralled by the blinking lights overhead.


The Seelingers and their little one Eloise at the Thanksgiving dinner.









Just a couple of average moms sharing a cup of coffee with their babies at a Paris cafe.









Hey friend! Long time no see - how you been?














"How was your coffee? Mine was a little weak - I think I like something a little more robust, you know, less milky."




"Umm, Analise is touching me and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it."
"Oh um yeah, sorry about that Eloise, I was aiming for the shoulder- darn gross motor skills! - sorry about that."

Lefsa Time!

Two great Norwegian favorites: Lutefisk and Lefsa! I think I might be allergic to Lutefisk (ok, probably not, but lets pretend) but I really wanted to learn from Grandma Schlobohm how she makes her Lefsa. So another trip to Fairbault was required to practice the fine art of lefsa making. Thankfully grandma had prepared the riced potatoe dough so all I had to do was roll it out and grill them up. You can take my word for it - there is nothing so good as a fresh lefsa off the griddle with a little butter and sugar. mmm, mmm good.



































I was going to delete a couple of these pictures - but decided to leave them all for comic purposes! The little gal doesn't stay still for a minute. The funniest part is that she actually needs a net- she's got the hair!

Pheasant Hunt in SD

No trip to the midwest during the fall would be complete without a trip to South Dakota for pheasant hunting.
Well, not for myself personally - but the menfolk really seem to enjoy it. They left early in the morning after a hearty breakfast at great Grandpa and Grandma Mueller's and stayed in Aberdeen for two days.

In the living room, the Muellers have a mounted pheasant and Grandpa Mueller was teaching Analise about the bird.
Analise with her Great Grandpa and Grandma Mueller.






























Analise and her Great Grandma Camillus, from whom she gets one of her middle names - Camille. We hope Analise will grow to live up to the name and appreciate what a neat woman her great grandma is!

We're Back!

Well, we're back home in Switzerland and starting to feel more settled. This past weekend we took a drive up into the Jura mountains, ate lunch at a little Auberge (inn) and enjoyed the great scenery! I think Analise enjoyed herself (though she slept through a good portion of it.)


Time back home in the states went too fast and all too soon it was time to say good-bye. We'll catch you up on our time there over the next couple of days.


















But first, just had to share some pics from Halloween. Analise was a Green Bay Packer's cheerleader - thanks to an outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Mueller and some homemade pom-poms by your's truly. I tried describing the outfit to Chloe - the little French gal I used to nanny - but the idea of girls dressing up in skirts to go out and yell for their team just doesn't really translate too well! Did you check out those legs? This girl might be going places!