new high chair

Looks like Peesers has grad-ee-ated and is now sitting in a big girl high chair.
We were fortunate to find one used from a family at church.
I think it looks kind of cool - "retro" style!

Christmas Again

This week we received a fun package from Auntie Jenn and Uncle Andy.
Thanks guys!
We had fun opening them together.
Daniel asked if I wanted him to take pictures of me opening my gift - but I said no thanks. I wanted to eat my wrapping paper in peace.
Merry belated Christmas to all.

Father Daughter bonding??

mom serves up milk and dad serves up . . .








yeah.
But, she does seem to like it









I promise her inability to hold up her head, to speak coherently, and the constant drool are not alcohol induced.









daddy's little sweety

In the kitchen

Getting ready for lunch is becoming a daily event. The bounce chair goes on the table (we're soon getting a high chair), the food for the day goes on the stove and the plastic wipe off bib goes on the baby.
We've built up a repertoire of foods including -
sweet potato (#1 favorite)
carrots, peas, green beans, potatoes, avocado, apples, pears, bananas . . . hmm, I think that's it so far. At the last check up the Dr. said we could start adding some protein at lunch - so we'll see.
Here she's waiting ever so patiently while we're getting ready.


Is she folding hands to say prayers before lunch?




Those cheeks! I think pretty soon they're bound to pop.












I took this one from kind of far away - but it just struck me how little she is sitting in the middle of the room.







The cow in the ball is from a church friend of ours. She like it but isn't quite ready to go chasing after it.











I'm at a loss for words as to how to caption this. It just cracks me up. I guess it's just proof that this girl likes her lunch!

Divonne Market Day

Oh how I miss the market!
Every Wednesday morning come rain or shine (O.K. - maybe not so much rain, but definitely shine) I hauled out the rolling caddy and basket and headed for our local market.
The fresh produce, vibrant flowers, stinky cheeses, roasting chickens - they all make for a delightful kaleidoscope for the senses. I inevitably bought way more produce than two people could eat and could usually find a few little indulgences that shouldn't be passed up.

Here we have olives, olives and more olives.



Sunday we made our way over to Divonne - a town just across the border in France - and walked through their market. It was wonderful!
We've tried to capture a few of the things that make the market such a unique experience . . .
I won't try to label the pictures because the words don't seem to match up, but I will say that the vendor I was talking to was selling honey made from all different varieties of flowers from the area.


The produce is always displayed in such a way that it looks like art work!




After walking around we stopped for a cafe in a brasserie. Analise, who had been sleeping, woke up to join us. Looking around at the other patrons we saw a variety of Sunday morning beverages - coffee, yes, but also red wine, beer and champagne.

Pros and Cons

Living abroad is full of pros and cons.
Such as . . .
pro - French fashion! Analise is wearing a darling outfit from Berlingaut (a French store) which she was given by a friend of ours in Paris.


pro - you meet interesting people (such as this friend of ours, Vickie)


pro - the scenery is fantastic. This picture if from our front window. I was quite taken with the thin layer of clouds that was hovering over the water and dividing the mountains. King of spooky looking.


pro - the pastries. You will notice mine mostly eaten on the coffee table


pro - the water bottles. Sigg water bottles are lightweight, virtually unbreakable, don't leach any chemicals into your water . . . and they look pretty cool.

pro - the locals are friendly. The lady who delivered the mail stopped to chat with me about the weather.

con - she was delivering a parking ticket.

con - Switzerland is self-policing, so neighbors can turn you in if they see you parking in the "wrong" spot.

con - I visited a friend in a different village, parked in the wrong parking spot for 20 min. and was given a parking ticket for 110 francs!!! aargh!!

pro - tickets are negotiable. I mentioned it to the friend, who talked to the neighbor, who talked to the owner of the parking spot who decided to revoke the ticket. sweet!

Bers . . .

We spent so much time and effort choosing her name and to what end? We are experiencing the growth a of a "nick name" - yikes.
From Analise to
Leesy Peesy to
Peesers to
Babers (dad's addition) to
Bers.
C'est logique - n'est pas?

It may not be logical - but she's our Bers.

Cute outfit

Chatting with mom yesterday I mentioned how much I loved Analise's outfit and I just wanted to eat her up. She immediately responded - "well take a picture!" So, amidst trying to make yogurt, fold some laundry, and make a few phone calls - I grabbed the camera.
Analise is thankfully helping with the phone calls and laundry - how did I ever get anything done without her?
Thanks Tatiana for the darling outfit - I love it and want her to wear it every day! (Unfortunately lunch, drool and diapers make that impossible)

Verbier

Verbier is a well known European ski destination and being only 1 hour from our place we decided to check it out. It was a really beautiful day so we enjoyed the sunshine just as much as the skiing (OK - I admit, I probably enjoyed the sunshine more than the skiing). We traded off Babers duty again - so that means that we're skiing by ourselves. Now, for Mr. Junior Olympics this is not a problem but for yours truly skiing has always been a "social" endeavor - so I found this hill a little intimidating!
Hopefully we can try again with a little help watching Analise so we can go together a few times.








I enjoyed walking the town and sitting out on the patios.









Analise enjoyed cozying up with the locals . . .












and Daniel enjoyed finding the artistic photo shots . . .










It was a pretty good day.

Hey you

"Yes? - you called?"









"What do you want now mother, I'm trying to drive here - but by the way, could you get me out of this corner?"