Kindermusik Time!

Well the instruments are here and I'm in the midst of doing practice classes. Analise is helping by doing quality control on every single block - tasted and approved.

She busied herself taking each one out of the basket and then moving them around but we're not quite at the "put it back in the basket" phase.

She really likes the egg shakers. They fit in her little hand and make a great sound when she shakes them - which she does do when it's not in the mouth.

I also have to crack up when I see her sitting with her little legs crossed. What a little miss!

Snuggle time

This daddy sure loves his little girl.

Time to say Good night

Andy and Jenn caught an early morning flight from Geneva to London - so Bers had to say good-bye the night before.
We sure enjoyed having our auntie and uncle here. Thanks for making the trip guys! We love you lots!

Day in Gruyere

We spent a day in Gruyere going through the old castle and walking around the city.
Of course we had to share a pot of fondue (which we now know we could have ordered much less of) and also shared baby duty carrying her through the castle - (no strollers allowed).

Beautiful views and clear skies made for another successful outing.

Uncle Andy and Aunt Jenn

From Paris we ventured back to Switzerland by train with Uncle Andy and Aunt Jenn. It may have been a vacation for them but it felt like a vacation for me! They definitely stayed busy with Bers and she of course loved the added attention.














We spent the time exploring some different parts of Switzerland. In these pics we took the ferry boat across the lake into France to the old city of Yvoire. Inside the old town there are no cars allowed. The buildings and city walls are made of stone and there are really great views of the lake. We enjoyed perch right from the lake for lunch.









Huge vines hugged the stone fronts of the shops and quaint fountains gurgle in the courtyards.























Bers and Auntie Jenn pose for a quick shot. They were good buddies during the week and Jenn even took over "back seat duty" which entails entertaining during long car rides. It's not an enviable job - but she hung in there!




























It was a beautiful sunny day (though cool) so Bers had to bust out the sun glasses. Doesn't she look glam??


Another day we took a picnic lunch down by the lake and then played at the park. Here Andy is helping Analise get the most out of the experience! Andy also was a great help and Analise always seemed to have a smile for him. He even helped with diaper duty - which resulted in him gagging, eyes watering and a coughing fit that in turn scared Analise into crying.
Ok Andy, we get it - you don't have to change any more diapers!!!

Baby Sarah

Well, well, well, look what we have here . . .
Mom emailed me a few of my baby pictures just to have a look at what I looked like around nine months.
While some people seem to have a hard time telling us apart - I'm having a hard time figuring out if she's even my child (apart from the flare for the dramatic that she seems to possess already).
I'll let you be the judge . . .

Sunshine

We love it!
A picnic in the park after church was the perfect way to end our time in Paris.
Sure enough - Daniel played drums and the little ones did great the whole morning.
I quick ran to the market next to our church and picked up cheese, cold cuts, apples and of course a little vino for our outing. It was a treat to meander through the stalls and experience the sights and smells again.
We plopped the little Easter bunnies down next to the flowers for a little impromptu photo shoot but just couldn't get the two looking in the same direction at the same time . . .

Black and White at Starbucks

I know, Starbucks in Paris is a little wrong somehow . . .
but vacation is vacation and when you need a big ol' coffee there's really only one place that does the trick.
We plopped Analise in the big armchair and she seemed to enjoy the time almost as much as we did.
Quite a little lady with her hand on the arm - I'm surprised she didn't try to order a double mocha frappachino with extra whip cream!

At a cafe and Eiffel Tower

We enjoyed beautiful weather while in Paris and took advantage of it by walking a lot! We revisited our favorite old neighborhoods and stopped for a little cafe creme along the way.
Daniel's pretty sure that I would still be happy to have a little Parisian Miss rather than a Swiss Miss . . .
Well . . .
I can't lie - I do love Paris!
(but Switzerland isn't too rough either)

Friends in Paris

Analise and I had so much fun hanging out with friends Beth and Eloise in Paris over the weekend. Analise slept for two hours on the train and then was a good little travel buddy after that.

I'd like to draw your attention to her chubby little fingers pinching the ear of her lamb. This is a new development that I find pretty cute.
Her outfit from Grandma Mueller sure makes her look like a big girl!











We spent time at the park (most of which was spent keeping sticks and grass out of Analise's mouth)








Time at home (with Logan the dog)









And at Eloise's check-up where the girls liked playing in the balls.
So this is a little snapshot of our time with friends - there are more Paris pics to come!