Hike to the Elephant

There's a beautiful creek in the forest behind our house that hugs the valley floor, and along the way there is a statue of an elephant that spouts out water. Ryan took Chance up in to the forest to find the elephant and some bugs along the way. They set out with their backpacks and a bug box to see what they could discover.

Saturday night we got a sitter to go out and celebrate our anniversary. For a long time I've wanted to walk around old town on a nice summer evening, hand in hand with my honey, admiring the buildings as the sun sets behind them. And finally the weather cooperated enough for this to happen! We really only have one of each season left here in Zurich, and I am so happy to have been able to check this one wish off the summer wish.

We said bye to Chance and headed straight to the movie theater to see Bruno. Woah was that over the top but completely amusing to say the least. We then had pizza down by the lake and then were able to walk around town as the light disappeared from the city. Couldn't have been better.

Mid Summer Update

We're finally settling in to summer, unfortunately for Chance I am lacking in the ability to keep the active kiddo engaged and moving as much as his little body needs. We've been pretty lazy these days, barely making it out of our PJ's by lunch time (and on some days if at all!). But I guess we should both enjoy the slower pace of life before chaos sets in here shortly!

He's probably watching a little too much TV these days, but what's a girl gonna do. Funny thing is that he takes quotes from the shows he watches and uses them in the funniest ways. He's been walking around saying "I'm so mature for my age"....clearly not knowing what that means. He says this in between actually surprising me with some forms of maturity, and then having a complete childish meltdown. It is really amusing.

He also says a lot of Brittish sayings that he has picked up from school. My favorite yesterday was when we were cleaning out his bookshelf. He was choosing which books to keep and which to store, and he says that he'll put this one particular book aside to read to Brooks and "we'll see how he gets on with it".

Yesterday it was storming and thundering outside when Ryan was on his way home. When he walked in the door, Chance asked him if he had seen any "thunderbolts" out there.

Chance has been helping me cook a little. He really wanted to learn how to cook an egg, and did a pretty good job at his first attemp!



This week we also went to IKEA in one of my nesting frenzies. I wanted Chance to have some new bedding. I let him pick out his own duvet, and bought a matching one for both bunks. He picked this one, commenting that it was "very boyish".



46 days and counting....I am so ready to get this baby out of me. This week I have definitely started to feel the weight of the baby and my expanding rib cage, and basically I am uncomfortable all of the time. I am hoping that Brooks comes early like all the other babies born here to my friends. They have all come early, and I could use a week or two of speeding up this process. Chance came up with the great idea of making a countdown chain, and each day we'd tear off link. It's hanging in Chance's room on his bed. I love this idea.



Yesterday we went to check out a new park at the edge of the forest. It was fun to get out and moving a little. We went with my friend Amy, and her almost 3-year old son Layton.



Chance was getting frustrated that Layton wouldn't play with him like his friends do. Wonder what he'll think of the baby just sleeping all day and sitting around! He loved that he could reach the top bar of the swing though.

Tour de France in Colmar

We thought it'd be super cool to say that we had been to the Tour de France, and so despite grave weather reports for Friday, we bit the bullet and headed to Colmar to cheer Lance across the finish. We took the train the short 2 hour ride up northwest and got to town in time for a nice French lunch.

The rain had mercy on us for the first couple hours, enabling us to walk around and get a feel for the super cute French town with bright buildings and little Venetian like canals. Santa got it right this past year giving Chance a camera....it keeps the little man pretty busy, and occasionally we luck out with a cute picture of Ryan and I.

The rain decided to start just as we had finished touring the town, and realized that the main street in which the race was occurring, separated us from the train station that we'd eventually need. We thought that since the riders were still 3 hours out, the French would be nice enough and smart enough to have a cross point next to the train station. Of course that would be way to simple. We had to trek at least a kilometer or MORE back thru the town and crowds, WAY past the finish line to cross, and then walk the same distance back towards the train station, where we'd eventually wait and cheer the riders across. Normally walking 2 km in the pouring rain wouldn't be a problem, but when you are as large as a whale and you have to pee, it gets a little messy.

Nonetheless, I survived in tact and we nestled ourselves near the station along the fence to wait for the riders zoom past. And I mean zoom. I couldn't even make out a single face much less did I see Lance go by. They might as well have been riding airplanes they went by so fast. But it was good to be in the middle of it, and know we took part in a very famous event. Chance loved it, especially the freebies that the sponsors throw out as they drive by before the race. We made it home with lots of loot and some good memories too.

Happy Anniversary to Us

8 Big ones.....here we are, such young little pups