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The adventure here has ended (sadly!).  To follow our new life in Texas, check out
extravaBaganza

74 Goodbyes

It's time that our adventure here has come to an end.  And what an experience it has been.  I remember the first week we lived here, most notably the smell of the fresh crisp air and the view from the head of the lake, with the alps as the back drop of Lake Zurich on one side,

and the most beautiful city scape on the other. 

It's something you never tire of looking at, I've never once passed thru that part of town and didn't go WOW.  And the feel and smell of the crisp air never goes unnoticed either.  Our 3.5 years here have flown by.  This is the only home that Chance has ever remembered knowing.  He has grown from a 2 year old toddler in to a little boy, and I hope that he will remember his time here as it defines his early childhood. 

We have been blessed with great weather these last couple weekends, and have tried to spend as much time outside as possible.  We've spent time in some of our favorite parks.  I remember when we first got here and Chance could barely go down the slides. 

This week at our favorite "Big" park, Brooks rode in a swing for the first time.  And loved every minute of it!

We will miss these parks, the feel of community when you go there, knowing that you are bound to run in to someone you know.  We have spent hours in these parks, on warm sunny summer days, to playing in the snow in the dead of winter.  The best part of the parks undoubtedly are our friends.  Our friends filled our lives and made our time in Zurich what it was.

We will miss the lake front, watching the baby swans every year, the seasons change by watching my favorite trees change from one stage from the other.  I will miss my walks along the lake, a time to reflect and enjoy this once in a life time experience. 

The past couple weeks have been filled with goodbyes.  Not only do we leave behind a fantastic city and place to live, but more importantly we leave behind our friends.  They have been our rock to stand on, our family away from home.  We have raised our kids together, and watched eachothers' families grow.

I went out for one last farewell with the girls.  We wondered why we didn't do this more often, why does it take a goodbye to pull us away from the typical bedtime routine.  It's hard to put into words these ladies, and how much I will miss their friendship.....

And the last night we were in town was exactly how I wanted to spend it, with the friends we love the most and Chance's friends that he has grown up with and that we have watched turn from toddlers in to kids.  That night we had some very tearful goodbyes.  I felt a part of me was left there as we went back to the hotel to spend our last night. 

We take with us an amazing experience.  We have grown closer as a family, as a couple.  We have accomplished one of our biggest life goals.  And in the process to we have grown our family.  We came as 3 and leave as 4. 

Zurich, you will forever be a piece of us.  Thank you for the opportunity to live here, and for treating us so well.  We look forward to our next adventure back in Texas, and hope to one day bring our kids back to see and remember the place that they began.

If you'd like to keep following our new adventure, you are welcome to join in on the new ExtravaBaganza.

Planning Ahead

Chance and I have been talking a lot lately about how our big summer project is to turn our new back yard in to the land of the edible.... I think it will be highly educational and will be my first attempt at a real organic garden. 

The other day amidst utter boredom at home with no toys and a barren apartment, Chance asked me clear out of the blue if I could pull up pictures of our new backyard.  Look at what the kid has been working on......he spent a full on hour analying and then drew this telling me what spots are best for our garden, and for our "coconut and a gobstopper trees".

Pink Pants

I was getting ready for the day, had done my hair and makeup, but still had my PJ pants on.

CHANCE: Mom, You look really nice.  (I think briefly that he actually noticed the make up or the fact that my hair was actually blow dried and decent, but no.....) I kinda like it when you have on pink pants.  Maybe you should just wear those today when we go to Bella's house.

Well, I didn't end up wearing the pink pants despite heavy suggestions from the 6 year old fashion police.  But we did have a wonderful day with my friend Carla, and her daughter Bella.  A common theme keeps popping up here as we say goodbye to all our friends:  spend more time with the people you like.  It's too bad that we didn't get together more often!

Spit Fire

Oh so innocent looking.  So innocent that he's been taking a bite of his food and spitting it all over me unexpectantly, in a very fine spray that perfect covers your clothes in a fine mist of orange dots.  It's really lovely.  You never know when it's coming. 

Sternenberg

The Sunday after school let out, we had a spur of the moment BBQ with the Stavast family at one of their favorite spots the Sternenberg.  The hike up was a big nostalgic, we'll miss the green of the Swiss country side and the peacefulness of hikes in this beautiful land.  We knew going up there this would be our last.  We had hoped for great sunny weather since the views from this place were supposed to be stunning, but instead the wind rolled in and the chill came with it.  We were a little under prepared since our winter clothes are currently floating across the atlantic, but we pushed thru and bundled up.

Little man couldnt really move in all his layers but not once did he complain!

Rick and Linda pulled out some Danish salmon to get things started, and we threw on some ribs and cervelats to round out the BBQ. 

The boys as usual had a blast playing with sticks and throwing them to some random sheep dog they befriended!

School's Out for Summer

Today was Chance's last day of school until late August!  Boy is the kid lucky.  On the last day of school, he proceeded to tell me that he has precisely 119 days of summer "holiday" before he has to go back to school.  I remember when I was in school, each summer was like a year, and I always felt like I returned to school as a new person, so much bigger since I had moved forward one grade.

On Chance's last day, I was unsure how that would go. Luckily he had some playdates lined up the next week to ease the sadness and prolong the goodbyes.  Brooks and I lingered after drop off to watch the class present Chance with a very thoughtful book of photographs throughout the year and notes from each kid.

He looked at that book for hours after we got home and really cherished it. 

Brooks was quite the novelty item that morning as well, I can see now how younger sibblings are always eager to go to school like their big brother or sister.  Although, come the end of the goodbye party, Brooks has a serious look of SAVE ME MOM.  NOW.

So at the end of the day, Ryan and I both picked up Chance.  We said a very emotional goodbye to Nilde, Chance's kindergarten teacher who we have kept in touch with.

We were the very last to leave the building that day, and I even found Chance towards then end, laying on the floor by his class's bench, basically hugging the school.  He didn't want to leave.  And tears came as we pulled out of the parking lot.  But so it goes.  Even the little people have to adjust to big moves and parting goodbyes! 

Still Oblivious

CHANCE: Mom, what happens if a girl never has a baby?
ME: Nothing, you don't have to have a baby
CHANCE: Ever? You don't HAVE to have a baby if you are a girl?
ME: No, there are lots of women that never have a baby
CHANCE: Oooooh, well then if you are a girl and you don't have a baby, then you don't have to work much at all. Well, I am going to tell my wife NOT to have a baby then.

Chance Quote of the Day

ME: Chance do you think you'll be as tall as Daddy one day?
CHANCE: I think I will be taller. Daddy eats too much sweets.

Our Little Englishman

I keep meaning to write about this.....everyday in fact when I hear Chance say something else in an English accent, or some strange word that sends Mimi into the giggles. They use British curriculum at school and most teachers sport a British accent, although maybe not native to the language. I used to question how my friend that I used to ride with could have an American accent when her parents were British. And now I know why.....

Apparently even we are adapting strange accents that we can't hear. Last weekend Mimi informed Ryan that he said "Really?" in a very British way. We were told that we better learn to start speaking TEXAN and fast. Somehow, I am thinking this will only be the start of our adjustment issues back home, although don't get me wrong we are packed and ready to come!

So you've gotta hear this kid say "Chocolate", you'd think we'd been living in London for the past 4 years, or "Harry Potter", or any word with a short "a" in it, like man and can. He draws out that "a" big time.

Icing on the cake was when the other night at our friends house, Jane pulls out a boxed of prized Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. Chance had no clue what they were but loved what he was eating. Later in the evening when the cookies had been put away, he asks Jane if he could have some more of those yummy "Chocolate Biscuits".

BBQ and Brunch

Sadly, we had our last hurrah this past weekend.  One of our biggest blessings was our group of American friends who we met through Chance's first preschool that he attended here. We have grown to be such a tight group, both the adults and kids. We were able to spend a leisurly afternoon with one last BBQ at Jane's. I always enjoyed seeing all the pictures Ryan would take of the kids while there, the candid moments that childhoods are made of.  

And Sunday morning we went upstairs to have brunch with our Swiss neighbors that we most frequently see in the hallway and on the stairs.  It's too bad that it takes a goodbye to bring people together.  I kept asking myself, why haven't we gotten together before?

Chance Quote of the Day

Chance was one of the first kids to arrive to school this morning and while I was talking in the hallway, Chance went in his classroom, sat at his desk and began to draw. I walked in to give him his water bottle, and at the same time Praket, the only other kid in the room asked Chance if he'd like to play Snakes and Ladders. It went down something like this:

CHANCE: No Praket, I am working on my paper.
PRAKET: Please Chance, there is no one else to play with me
CHANCE: NO PRAKET. Why don't you just go play with a ghost or something.

Genetics at Work

I think we've concluded, Chance got Ryan's eyes, and Brooks got mine.

Who Needs Bathing Anyway

ME: Chance, time for a bath
CHANCE: Why mom? I have school tomorrow and I am just going to go there and get dirty anyway?

HMMM......Could this be why? Sadly, I don't think it was school that did this to him, I think it was the fact that our house cleaner is on strike until the move!

Happy Birthday To Me

Another year older, aint it great? This was my 4th birthday to celebrate on the European continent. I always associate my birthday's here with going somewhere exotic.......Spain, Ireland...this year we did a little precelebration by spending the weekend visiting Josh and Katherine in Geneva and a night in Montreux. I love dragging out my birthday!

Monday, the 5th, was an extended Easter weekend, and so we took the opportunity with Ryan off work to celebrate it then. We took the boys up to the forest for a little exploring

and found some really cool wood piles to climb on.


Not sure where Chance has picked up this WAZ UP MAN stance, but it keeps finding its way into our pictures. For now we are embracing it as a "cute" gesture.

Views from the top were amazingly clear and the Alps spread out before us like.......like something. You get the point, they were stunning and clear, and they had to know it was MY birthday weekend to cooperate like this!




So back at the house it was (probably the last, boo hoo) Sprungli cake, some fireworks atop the cake in a very Swiss fashion,

and then it was on to my gifts. See anything strange? Look closely?

Yes, even my husband must be in a little bit of subliminal denial about my age. How can I be married to someone THAT OLD! No, I am no longer 32.

Brooks was sad he didn't get any cake, but he's holding out for his birthday in September. He said he can maintain his physique without any extra calories. Instead, he was pretty happy knawing on the end of the balloon stick.

And then to end the festivities, Chance had 3 pieces of white paper in his hand, and begins cutting away letting it all drop on the floor. Mom, I am making you a birthday puzzle.......HMMMM. I say, oh boy Chance that will take me all night to complete that puzzle.

So in the morning when the "puzzle" had all been cleaned up and thrown away, he asks, "Mom, where's the puzzle I made you? You said you'd stay up all night putting together?" And the kid was serious.

And if all those festivities weren't enough, on the actual day, Jane and Jen put together quite a nice spread for me, making me feel extra celebrated. And then I returned home to the sweetest birthday card. I think Mimi is getting a little sappy about us moving home, but at least I know who to call should I get swarmed by bees. Yes, my mommy does love me!