First Day of School!!

Today the kids were off to school and reality was now setting in that I was actually sending my 3 year old to Pre-K.  The cutoff for Swiss schools is Dec 31st, vs the August/early September back in the states, so with the new cut off Aaron is old enough for school.  He is potty trained, but doesn't always feel the need to use the toilet.  We will see how this goes in school.

The kids are riding the bus to and from school which are really large vans with booster seats since it is law they are in a booster seat until 12 years old.  The girls start earlier then Aaron so they had to be ready to catch the bus at 6:50, yikes that is early!!  Aaron gets on at 8:30 and rides by himself.  Although today I rode with him to ease the transition, and it also helped me say good-bye to my baby as he heads off to school.  It was very weird for me to take the public bus back by myself with no kids to keep track of.  I need to call the school to see if they help the small kids from the bus to their classroom.  Today there were no teachers in sight and I don't know if I am comfortable having my 3 year old ride the bus when there isn't anyone on the other side to help him get to class.  It isn't uncommon for kids to be walking to and from school by themselves at all ages, so it may just be the way they do things here.  They will all ride the bus back and get dropped off at 4:40.  I am sure they will all be very tired at the end of the day!  Here are a few pictures from this morning.  Looking at the pictures now, the girls seem a little nervous, hopefully that wore off when they got to school!

Hailey and Sydney waiting for the bus.

On the bus and ready for school.

Aaron ready to catch his bus to school.

We made it to school!

They wear uniforms to school so it will be easy in the morning since they have a choice between a white short or long sleeve polo and can wear what they want on the bottom.  Aaron has a smock he wears over his clothes.  I can't wait for them to get home and hear all about their day, hopefully I can get more than a "good" out of them!


End of Day Update:


We all survived the first day of school, barely!  Girls were on the bus at 6:50 and reassured them there would be teachers on the other end to direct them.  Well, I guess I should know better since we are in a different country as there were no teachers in sight and after a few minutes Sydney was in tears because she didn't know where to go.  They finally found a teacher to direct them and there day started to get better from there.

I took the bus with Aaron to put our minds at ease only to get a call at the end of the day that he missed part of his instructions and took his backpack and headed outside of school rather than back to his classroom.  He was MIA for awhile until a teacher found him crying after the other kids told his teacher he went outside.  The door is normally locked but was open due to 90+ degree heat.  Oh yeah, he also had 2 accidents at school : (

Aaron fell asleep on the bus within a few minutes of leaving, per Sydney.  Both girls complained their stomach hurt due to motion sickness, so will send bags with them in their backpacks in case they are going to get sick.  Hopefully it had more to do with the heat that the driving since his driving seemed fine this morning.

Guess it can only get better from here : )

Last weekend of summer!

Before I get to the weekend I thought I would share a few pictures from Annecy, France.  Rachel and I packed up the kids after picking Sydney up from skating camp on Thursday and headed to Annecy for a little fun and shopping.  There were also a couple firsts for me : )  I am sure this will sound pathetic, but I ordered McDonalds for the first time and filled the car up with gas.  I got the correct food and the car is still running  : )  I am always afraid they are going to ask me something and I won't have a clue, but I think I am finally getting over it a little.  It will help when I go to French Immersion the last week of August.  These may seem like small tasks, but they are milestones for me when living abroad.  

Now I just need to get that darn bill paid.  I have been trying to pay a bill for the last month and am having issues.  To get to e-banking I need to have a small key pad to enter my pin and then after a couple more steps it will give me an input code so I can actually view my account and pay bills.  There are orange and red bills and the orange ones have been easy.  I didn't realize there were two kind so I finally get the red bill process figured out, only I have to verify through this key pad that it is me who is actually trying to make this payment.  Well, this is where I get hung up and I think I locked up my contract and need to get a new card to use my key pad.  There is much more security around banking here than back in the states, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I am in Switzerland.

Anyway, back to Annecy and sharing a few pictures.

The girls with their scooters.

Macy and Sydney at the playground.

Girls at the playground.

A few more beautiful sunset pictures I thought I would show you from Sydney's terrace.  In case you forgot, Sydney's room is also the guest room when we have visitors, so this could also be your view if you come visit!  Hint, hint ; )

Sunset over Lake Geneva

Rain shower over Lake Geneva to the left of previous picture.

Church bells to right of Sydney's terrace.

The church bells go off everyday at noon, Saturday at 5:50, which is "last call" before the stores close at 6:00, and Sunday morning.  There was one time they went off at 1:45 in the morning for 15 minutes.  Randy and I started to wonder if it was some sort of warning system, but later learned it was probably some kids goofing off.

Sydney and I started our weekend very early by heading to the skating rink so she could take 5 tests and compete here in Switzerland.  We were at the rink by 6:45 and spent most of the morning there.  I have included some video.  Those of you that are familiar with skating in the US will notice it is a little more casual.  There is music playing in the background and for most of the tests her coach was on the ice with her to give pointers or translate for her.  It is much more objective here where she has to earn so many points to pass.  All competitions use the IJS so you can understand why skaters receive 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.  It will be a transition, but I will definitely like that it is more objective.

Sydney will also be taking an hour of fitness and dance every week.  She is not excited about the dance, but I can tell she has had a couple lessons.  It was a successful morning, she passed all of her tests with flying colors and will compete at the C4 level.  It is a good thing her coaches in CR worked on her loop jump since it was part of her test, nice work Coach Amy and Tanya!!

After some lunch we all headed down to watch the Lausanne Triathlon, which was a world event with elite athletes from all over the world.  It was right along the lake so we also took out a paddle boat with a slide so the kids could go swimming in the lake.

Elite women coming in from swimming and transitioning to their bike.

And they are off...

Hailey going down the slide.

Sydney swimming in the lake to stay cool.

Hailey and Sydney on the front of the paddle boat.

Aaron finally decides to give it a go.

Picture of building with unique roof pattern.

It was a great Saturday and Sunday the family went to Aquasplash so Randy could experience "vacation" with us.  It has been in the mid to upper 80's so trying to stay cool without air conditioning!  We have all survived the move and hanging out over the past 3 months, but it is time to get into a routine with school and give me some time to myself.

Paris

Our first trip since moving to Switzerland was to Paris, France.  We didn't spend much time in Paris since the focus of this trip was Disney Paris which is a 35 minute train ride outside of Paris.  We took the fast train to Paris which cut the trip in half.  We are about a 6 hour drive, but we opted for the train this time and arrived in 3 1/2 hours.  The kids were very excited to ride the train and it was very relaxing.  We didn't need to worry about getting lost, if there would be a restroom when one was needed, and no worries about anyone getting motion sickness.  Things were not as smooth upon arrival as we had to find the luggage locker and make our way through the train station to find the correct train to see the Eiffel tower.  There are a lot of stairs and with a stroller can make it a challenge.  Thank goodness we didn't have our luggage, although we will save that fun for later.

Sydney and Aaron at train station in Lausanne.  The kids have there own backpacks so they can carry there own stuff.  I am done carrying a bag of stuff for them to do.

Sydney is taking on Randy in a game of Blokus, a new family favorite.  

Here are some pictures from the Eiffel tower and heading back to the train for Disney Paris.

The girls reaction when seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time - priceless!!

We stopped for a snack and between bites Aaron and Hailey chased the birds.  I think this will become Aaron's new pastime while we are here.

Eiffel tower and double decker carousel in front.

Kids pose on a metal sculpture.

Randy and the girls leading the way back to the train station.

We made it back to the train station and after walking around for quite some time we finally found our luggage and were off to find the train to head out to Disney Paris.  The metro system in Paris was pretty easy to figure out, but the RER A train which runs out to the suburbs would prove to be a challenge.  There are 4 trains and they all run on RER A rail so we weren't sure how to figure out which one was RER A4.  There was a train on the track we needed so we hopped on thinking it was the right one, we had a 50/50 chance.  Well, it was the wrong one and was taking us south of where we needed to be.  We were all tired, it was also dinner time of course, and we still had to figure out how the train monitors worked.  We made it back to the main line and a very kind gentlemen helped us with how to read the monitor and know which train we needed to be on!!  Thank goodness, we finally made it to the hotel, got checked in, and quickly headed down for some dinner so we could head back up for a good night sleep.

Friday we were off to Disneyland Park in hopes of everyone lasting long enough to see the fireworks at 10:25.  Disneyland Paris is located in one central location with Disney Village, Disney Studios, and Disneyland Park right next to a train station.  We had 2 day, 2 park tickets, so could go back and forth all we wanted Friday and Saturday.  Everyone had a great time and even though we didn't make it for the fireworks on Friday, we did make it to the parade, which the girls joined for a few minutes when a float stopped in front of us.

Randy and the kids in front of the entrance.  The younger two are having the hardest time looking at the camera, guess there is too much to see!!

The girls in front of the castle.  Sadly, they have already grown out of princesses and showed no interest in seeing them.  Guess that gave us more time for rides.

First ride was the rockets.  Aaron was very excited until it was our turn.  I had to dragged him back into the rocket after taking these pictures.  Fortunately, he loved it!!

Randy and the girls behind us in their rocket.

Quick stop for a picture with castle in background.  Poor Aaron,  he is once again getting in touch with his girlie side thanks to 2 older sisters.  We have put an end to Sydney painting his nails!

The Buzz ride was a hit by all.  We went back the next day for another go!

One last shot by the boys, right at mom.

Randy and the kids in Mad Hatters Maze.

Patiently waiting for the parade to start.

My phone is keeping Aaron occupied while we wait for the parade.

Aaron's reaction when he sees the parade coming - priceless!

Girls doing their part in the parade, it was a great day!!!

Another picture of them in the parade.

On Saturday we started out at Disney Park to go on a couple favorites and then we headed to Disney Studios to check out the rides.  Randy and the girls went on Crush's roller coaster.  Sydney kept debating, but she decided to give it a go, especially since her little sister was more than willing to go.  Aaron even wanted to go, but he has a little more growing to go on that one.  It received so so reviews because it was also a spinning roller coaster, but I think they will go on a different one next time that doesn't spin.  Here are some pictures from Disney studio as well as a video clip from one of the rides.

Randy and the younger 2 on Cars ride.  Sydney and I sat out since it was a spinning ride and we get motion sickness.

Ready for the slinky dog ride.

We all went on the Army Parachute drop ride.  Sydney was a bit nervous, the other two were ready for the drop!!  Below is the video I took from my where Hailey and I were sitting.

We spent some time in Disney Village that night and ended up staying so late Randy and the girls decided to see the parade at night followed by fireworks.  Before heading back to Disney Park, Hailey joined a group of kids grooving to some music.  I have included one of the videos Randy took, I think we are going to be in trouble when this girl gets bigger.  The parade was similar to the Holidazzle parade in Mpls with all the floats and people lit up with lights.  When the parade was done there was a huge fireworks show. These were Sydney's words since I was back in the hotel with Aaron.

Hailey fell asleep on the train ride back to Paris.  Randy and the girls stayed up Saturday night to watch the fireworks, so everyone was very tired on the way home.

We made it back to Paris and were now in search of our train to Lausanne.  Randy was off with the girls in search of a bathroom.  Aaron took a couple steps back in his potty training since there aren't bathroom available like back in the states.  We are spending this week getting refocused in preparation for school, which starts on Wednesday.  Randy and the girls had to go outside of the train station since the restroom in the train station was closed.  This might explain what we encountered upon arrival, warning, this part is disgusting!!  We were at the top of the escalator and Hailey said something stinks.  I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I told her to be quiet, thinking it may have been body odor.  Well, behind her someone decided to relieve themselves in the middle of the floor and we are talking about #2.  It was absolutely disgusting and we quickly made are way to a different part of the train station while we waited for our train!

Sydney has returned to figure skating this week with the start of the skating season.  She has been in camp every morning this week and will test on Saturday so she can compete this season.  I feel like I was just getting US figure skating figured out and now I need to start over in Switzerland.  She seems to be enjoying herself and it is nice to see her smiling and eager to skate again.  She doesn't seem to be too bothered by everyone talking French and not understanding.  Maybe it is because she knows she will start learning shortly when school starts.

Good luck to everyone starting school back in the states!!

Caves of Vallorbe

On Monday we headed to the caves of Vallorbe about an hour away.  We went with Rachel and her girls and it was my turn to drive.  We had lunch at our place and headed out to go exploring.  They were discovered in 1961 and were hollowed out by the Orbe river for centuries.  We saw all different kinds of limestone as well stalactites and even one that looked like a hairy bison.  It was absolutely amazing.  In sections were the water was calm it was hard to tell it was even there because it was so clear.

Beautiful walk up to the cave.

Kids at the entrance - Macy, Aaron, Sydney, Payton, and Hailey

Inside the cave - looking down into a water hole.

Inside looking at stalagtites (points hanging from top) and a couple stalagmites. (bottom points).

Another picture of a stalagtite formation.

Huge stalagtites.  The skinny one in the middle was called the "broken straw".

Picture with the water rushing through.

Picture on the bridge outside the cave.

One last picture before heading home.

We have been home for the last two days since Aaron has been running a fever.  That has given me time to get packed since we are heading to Paris tomorrow until Sunday.  We will stop to see some of the sites in Paris but will be spending most of this trip at Disney Paris.  We figure we will go back another time and focus on Paris and make sure we plan far enough in advance so we can buy tickets to go up the Eiffel tower.

Today we had someone come to install a wall in the bathroom upstairs so we can use it as a shower too.  Here we go again, he doesn't know English and my French is not there yet.  Although, in 2 weeks I will be in French immersion from 9:30-3:30 M-F while the kids are in school.  We can all do homework together!!  Renting over here is very different than in the states.  I was basically picking out what I wanted to install as well as what kind of materials such as glass or plastic, whereas in the states we had to live with what was installed.  It was a little weird to be deciding what to get knowing there is a cost that I will not be paying.  I called Rachel a couple times to translate since I couldn't understand anything.  I also used Google translate and managed to get through, but at the end he was telling me something and had not clue.  He said something about 3 and I was thinking 3 weeks, but then someone was thinking what if that means 3:00.  Well, it is a little past 3 and he isn't here so I am going with 3 weeks and we will see what ends up getting installed.

This will be my last post for this week.  We board the train at 9am tomorrow and don't get back until late Sunday.  Will post again sometime next week, which is our last full week of summer!!