Carolina In My Mind

 

We had a wonderful trip to Charlotte over Easter.  It was so good to be home!  (And to realize that Charlotte is home - a certain member of our family hadn't always been so sure ;-)  Now, Andy's more American than most Americans!

The kids were thrilled with the Easter egg hunts and the Easter Bunny visit.  It was so great to catch up with so many of you too!  Really, we have the best friends. 

Jonas refused to be in our family Easter photo. 
Jonas and Sara both loved riding in the wagon.  Grandpa spent a lot of time pulling them around.  Felix enjoyed it too!

We spent some time on the lake too.  Jonas loved going fishing with Grandpa and caught 2 catfish!  He's now the top fisherman in the family.

Sara loved the boat too.  Although, she had just picked up walking and was more interested in walking back and forth all over the boat.  Once the novelty of finally walking wears off, I'm sure she'll be even more thrilled to be on the water.

Wendy, Grandma & Grandpa treated us to a fun day at MerleFest.  I have to say, it greatly exceeded my expectations.  And the Kruger Brothers are amazing.  Thanks Joey for making sure we saw them!  I definitely plan to go back - although will likely wait until we've passed the toddler phase to take the kids again ;-)
Andy spent most of the time we were in Charlotte working.  However, he did take a break for 2 days and we went to Charleston.  So nice to have such a great city so close!  A huge thanks to G&G for watching the kids! 

We stayed at a B&B on the Battery.  After we booked it at the visitor center, the lady mentioned that the house is haunted.  Hmm.  I wasn't too sure then!  Andy reviewed the guest book that had the history of the house and I asked him if it said anything about the ghost.  Just that there are 2!  We never saw them :-)

Jonas had a absolute blast flying the kite Auntie Wendy got for him!

Molly was so glad to have us back.  And a little heart-broken when we left again.  We miss her!  And all of you! 

The flight back wasn't too terrible.  Jonas slept much of it.  Sara only slept 3 hours but was relatively quiet the rest of the time.  She probably did win the screaming baby award, but honestly there wasn't much competition.  (Pretty sad when you're scanning the gate area before the flight hoping to spot some other toddlers so yours has half a chance of not being the worst on board :-).

As my friend Lenora once said, one only adjusts to a time zone change as quickly (or not) as the kids do.  Our first week back was long!  The kids did take the standard night/hour change to adjust.  I felt sorry that Andy had to fly out to Brussels the day we got back.  However, he definitely got much more sleep than he would have if he had been home!  So, maybe it wasn't so bad for him after all.

And last but not least, a few tidbits from Jonas:

1)  Recently, Andy gave Jonas some money to put into his piggy bank.  J: Why do I have to save it? M: So you can use it some day, to buy a car ... D: or go to college... J: Or buy an airplane!!!!  (And he means a real airplane.  He wants to be a pilot!)

2)  During a ride home from a playdate, Sara was especially cranky in the car.  J: Mom, do you remember that song about patience? M: Yes!  What a great idea!  "Have patience, Have patience, don't be in such a hurry..."  Worked like a charm.  Sara stopped crying and I had proof that Jonas really does listen to me!

3)  One night we read a book about different bears, one of which was catching salmon in a river.  A few nights later, we had salmon for dinner.  The next day, Jonas randomly said:  Mom, do bears eat salmon?  M: Some do. J: Do they cook them like we do?  M: No.  J: Why not?!

Lago Maggiore

We had a wonderful long weekend in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland. The weather was incredible. Over 80 degrees and sunny! It definitely lived up to the "Swiss Riviera" reputation the travel books proclaim.

On the way, we took a little detour. Andy typed the town of Brione, instead of Via Brione, into the navigation system. You know me, I was more than a little annoyed that we clearly weren't going in the right direction. However, traveling off the beaten path has rewards. We found a quaint little restaurant, complete with view overlooking a waterfall and beautiful village, and had a nice Italian lunch.

After turning around and heading back to Locarno, our destination, we also stopped at a dam. We were surprised to see that it is actually the dam from which James Bond jumps in the movie Goldeneye. The tallest bungee jump in the world. Thankfully, it wasn't open for jumpers that day or I might have had a hard time keeping Andy off the ledge :-)

Our hotel overlooked Lago Maggiore. We enjoyed our breakfasts on the terrace and evenings spent reading books on the balcony and gazing at the stars. We savored every moment!  The hotel also had a playroom.  I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - us or the kids.  They had a big Connect-4 game and Andy enjoyed beating me.  Jonas loved the extra-large Legos and Sara found a baby doll stroller to push around.

 On Saturday, we took a funicular and then cable car up a mountain. Jonas loved these new modes of transportation. Next, we hopped on the boat to Ascona. Another charming town on the lake. Europe is so full of charm and beauty. It really can't be matched. And neither can the gelato - we had our share of it on this vacation :-)

On Sunday, we stopped by Bellinzona. The castle there is just incredible. And, there was a market in the main square, complete with food and music.

I forgot to tell you in my last post that I'm now a VP :-) I'll be serving on the board of the Women's Activity Club that runs Jonas' preschool. I'm looking forward to being more involved and working with a great group of women. Also, I've started taking Sara to a play group there. It's fun to see her interact with the other kids (and moms). She's growing up so fast!

And now some tidbits from Jonas:

During our warm weekend: J: Mom, my hair is hot. M: I know. Do you want to put on your shorts? J: No. My kneeeees aren't hot. My haaaiiir is hot.

While battling yet another stomach bug this week (warning, this is a little gross, but we thought it was funny): J: Mom, why is my butt throwing up?

M: Jonas, you need to get some rest.  Then you'll feel better.  J:  I don't want to rest.  That's wasting my time.

Catching Up!

Sorry it's been a couple of months since I've updated our blog. We've had a very pleasant last few months of winter. At least, I hope we've seen the end of winter :-) In a way, winter was somewhat disappointing. Charlotte might have seen more snow than us. Andy only got to ski once, Jonas didn't make it at all and the winter wonderland was short-lived.

The highlights of Feb/March were our trips to Luzern. A beautiful city! And we had great, sunny weather!

Luzern has a big Fasching (Carnival) parade, so Andy took the day off and we hopped on the train with Connie and kids to see the celebration. The costumes were incredible! And, you can see Jonas' delight when the parade participants started throwing candy to the kids :-)

In March, we celebrated Oma's birthday. She hosted a lovely and incredibly delicious dinner! Jonas got a much-needed haircut. Although, when I first saw it, I was speechless. He suddenly seemed to look like a 5 year old.

We also visited an animal park in Esslingen with Oma's neighbors. Joel and Jonas always have fun together, even though they don't speak the same language. Sara loves animals! Every time we head off in the direction of the farm here in Uster, she starts pointing and getting excited :-) We went to the Zurich zoo again and also to the circus zoo in Rapperswil. They have a sea lion show, which the kids loved! And Jonas rode a pony too. He hopes to ride the elephant or camel with Andy next time.

Jonas went ice-skating for the first time and did great! Our neighbors invited us to attend lessons and Lenora kindly watched Sara while I spent time skating with Jonas. (Can you tell that we have the best neighbors? A true blessing!). I got a tear in my eye watching him :-) He would have stayed on the ice all day, but Mommy was tired! It won't be long before he can skate unassisted. Too bad we didn't pick up on this activity until 2 weeks before the season ended. I plan to invest in some ice-skates in the fall, because we'll be hitting the rink a lot next season. Maybe Sara will even join us on the ice by then!

February and March were a little difficult as Andy's grandfather and my grandma passed away. We miss them, but treasure the memories and trust they are in the presence of the Lord.

Sara took her first steps on March 19th. We even got them on video! She hasn't walked much since then. She still prefers to climb. I am constantly pulling her off of the kitchen table.

Last weekend, we took the train to Konstanz, Germany. It was a wonderful day: Incredible weather, great atmosphere, scenic boat ride, and gelato 3 times (you can't pass it up when it's only a Euro per scoop :-). A great way to kick off the travel season. This is the stuff European life is made of!

We visited an awesome park in Uster for the first time. They have a ton of cool things. Jonas' favorite was the tire swing zip line.

I leave you with a quote by Katy Stewart on the Travel Belles website recently: "Most places we visit merely offer the chance to flirt with them, to be blinded by their exoticism and leave before the spark goes. However, when you commit to a place for a while, when you settle in, the lust may wear off but it is replaced with love."

May you all find a place half way around the world to love (if you haven't already:-). I'm excited about visiting mine again soon (Florence and Munich).

Next stop, Lago Maggiore. Stay tuned!