Spring activities with spring weather

The second week of Easter break I played taxi to the kids activities.  Sydney skated, Hailey did circus camp, and Aaron was at football camp.  We also celebrated Randy's birthday by going out for a family dinner in Montreux.  Hailey had a circus show with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Hailey on the trapeze during the show.

We all went out together to celebrate Randy's birthday.  There is a nice little restaurant in Montreux that Randy and I really like and that is where he wanted to go for his birthday.  We decided to give it a go as a family since we typically don't go out and if we do it is to a pizzeria.  Fortunately they had pizza for the kids so we at least had options for them.

Randy's birthday cake.

We headed to Morges, which is about 15 minutes from us to see their tulips.  It wasn't Amsterdam but it was still pretty impressive even if it was a little early and everything wasn't in full bloom.

Hailey and Aaron with the tulips in Morge.

The girls and Randy signed up for the Lausanne 20k.  The girls ran in the 2k and Randy signed up for the full 20k through Lausanne.  The 20k is a difficult course as it starts at the lake and makes its way through city center and for those of you that have been here know that it is not just a little hill.  He finished in the ran and we cheered him on from a couple spots before heading home to warm ourselves up.

Hailey heading towards the finish line.

Randy and the girls with their medals.

Sydney started playing Netball for their school Champittet.  It is a British game that is similar to basketball for girls.  You can't dribble the ball and there is no backboard on the hoop.  Randy has been wanting Sydney to try a team sport so we were very happy when she expressed interest in Netball.  It helped that all her friends were playing too : )  They had a tournament at ISL and even though it started in the rain it ended up being a decent day.

Sydney doing her happy dance.

Sydney and the netball team.

Hard to believe that takes us into May and nearing the end of our second year.

Thailand - part 2

The one time we left the resort as a family was to go on an Elephant ride and see a temple.  We were picked up at the hotel early in the morning and loaded into the back of a pick up truck with benches along the side.  There was no gate in the back, no seat belts, but it was covered so you were protected from the sun.

Looking out the back of our ride.

Electrical wiring running through Phuket, Thailand.

Kids enjoying the ride.

Our first stop was to an area where they had a variety of animals and a bit of a tourist trap.  We took a short ride on trailer pulled by two oxen.

Kids in front of our second mode of transportation.

Girls enjoying the ride.

Picture of the surroundings.

Hailey on an oxe, I think, or maybe some sort of cow.

Aaron's turn...

There was a short monkey show.  This monkey was a little temperamental.  You can see the rope a person, I don't know if I would go as far as trainer, was holding when the monkey would get upset.  It would put its hand in your hand but if you put your thumb over his hand he would get made and bite himself.  Not exactly comforting when it is your child up there!

Sydney and the not so nice monkey.

Before we went on the elephants you could buy bananas to feed to the elephants.  They elephants loved them and if they knew you had some there trunks would be right up next to you looking for them.

Do you have a banana for me?

They also put on a little show and finished by giving everyone who wanted one a massage.  I kindly volunteered Randy for an extra special massage.  His massage included a "trainer" putting a banana up each of his short legs for the elephant to get with his trunk.  We all got a kick out of it and had a good chuckle.  Randy still gets squirmy when he thinks about the hairy trunk getting the banana!

Hailey getting her massage.

Aaron getting his massage and a kiss at the end.

Randy getting his "special" massage.

Last stop before heading back to the hotel was a temple.

Temple in Phuket.

Entrance to the temple.

Kids in the bell outside the temple.

Randy took Aaron golfing on the golf course at the resort.  He loves to golf and hasn't had many chances since we moved to Switzerland.  It was a great Daddy and Aaron outing!

Aaron on the 2nd tee.

Sydney ready to head out for her first open water dive.

Here is the video montage I put together of the kid's show and our elephant ride.

It was a great vacation and the kids did great on the 12+ hour plane ride.  The kids keep wanting to go back and Aaron even asks if we can move there.  We are very fortunate and blessed to be able to travel and expose the kids to so many different cultures.  It has opened their eyes to the world and it will be interesting to see what impact this has on them as they grow up.

Thailand - part 1

We are allowed to take one "home leave" every year, but do not necessarily have to go home.  This year we decided to head to Phuket, Thailand and stay at a Club Med.  This was a true vacation consisting of scuba diving, pool time, massages, and only one trip for sight seeing.  This was our first time at a Club Med and we decided to stay there so the kids had a place to hang out and have their own fun while we went scuba diving.  We arrived at the resort mid morning and after getting checked in and introduced to all they had to offer, we were off to get some lunch before we headed to the pool.  After some fun at the pool we headed to the restaurant to get a snack where Aaron proceeded to fall asleep after our 12 hour flight.  I guess the fact he only slept for a couple hours caught up with him.  We met one of the GO's that worked in the Kids Club for dinner where Aaron briefly woke up to pick out what he wanted for dinner only to fall back to sleep.  This was the only night all 5 of us would end up eating dinner together, if you can call it that with Aaron sleeping.

Aaron and his dinner that was never touched.

Hailey fell asleep after the kids show and we decided to call it a night after 2 kids were out for the count.

Our first full day was Easter Sunday where the kids painted eggs before they were off with the kids club all day.  Randy and I hung at the pool and then thoroughly enjoyed a very relaxing couples massage in the afternoon.  It was so relaxing we wanted to try and schedule another one before we left.  The kids had a blast all day and finished with a small water slide filled with soap suds.

Aaron having fun in the suds!

The second day we were up early to go scuba diving.  We arranged for a sitter since the Kids Club wasn't open when we needed to leave.  It was a beautiful day and we had 3 dives planned.  As we made it out further after the first dive I was starting to feel a little sea sick and just wanting to jump in to stop the motion.  I made it through the next two dives and was very happy when we made it to land.

Looking back at Phuket and a buddha on the top of the mountain.

One of our dive sites was along this wall.

I decided to stay on land while Randy went out the next day for 2 more dives.  I wanted to go, but feared it wouldn't be good as the waters looked more rough than the previous day.  I enjoyed time at the pool, water aerobics, and a peaceful lunch by myself.  Randy said it was good I didn't go as he was even feeling a little sick.

Aaron enjoying their kiddy drinks!

View from Phuket.

Randy and I heading into a small cave

Our first wreck dive, anyone need to use the bathroom...

Randy ready to head out for our first day of scuba diving.

Sydney and Hailey were even able to try scuba diving in the pool.  Sydney was old enough to head out for a real dive with an instructor and Randy.  She thought it was really cool and a great introduction for her!

Club Med is a great family place and every night the kids perform a show and then it is followed by a show for the entire family to enjoys.  The girls made some great friends and were at the Kids Club whenever it was open.  Here are some pictures from the kid's shows.

Aaron and his girlfriend in the fashion show. 

The kids on talent show night.

Aaron showing his kickboxing talent.

 I will post a video montage as well as our day out in the next blog post.

Schneyer's visit

Some very dear friends of ours, the Schneyer's, decided to spend their spring break in Switzerland with us.  They had a fantastic deal flying from Chicago to Paris and took the train into Lausanne.  They arrived late at night and I headed down to the train station to pick them up.  It was off to bed to start of our first day of exploring where else but the Callier chocolate factory.  That is one place the kids don't mind going over and over again.

Kids minus Aaron who was home with Randy, waiting for the tour to start.

Group shot after indulging in a ton of chocolate.

Afterwards we headed to Gruyere and took a quick trip before heading home.  This was the first time I had actually been up to Gruyere as I have only been to the cheese factory.  It is a cute little town where cars are not allowed.  The kids enjoyed running around and exploring.

The girls and Dane on the outside wall.

Kids in Gruyere center.

It was Kari's birthday while they were traveling so we celebrated with cake after dinner on their first day.  As you can see the kids were having a great time and Aaron was thrilled to have some boys to play with.

Kari and the kids getting ready to blow out the candles.

On Sunday it was Randy's turn to play tour guide while I stayed home with Sydney.  We only have one car and it is a 7 seater , which isn't quite big enough for a party of 9.  With Sydney's bad knee, sledding isn't the best activity for her to do just after getting off crutches.  The run they were going on was 7km and would take roughly 45 minutes to go down.  They had a beautiful day and it wasn't too wet since it was the end of the season.

Schneyer's with the sledge and ready for the chair lift.

Kari is a little scared of heights so the chair lift was a little nerve racking, but the kids helped calming the nerves and she made it to the top.

Matt taking a picture of Randy, who had Aaron with him, and Reid.

Lunch time was a good ole picnic with baguettes, meat, cheese, and other tasty stuff.  This was the second day for a picnic and wouldn't be our last.  By the last day Dane wondered if we picnicked from the back of the car everyday for lunch.

Kids enjoying their delicious lunch.

Aaron and Dane with their fuzzy hats to keep them warm.

Reid and Aaron taking a pit stop for a picture.

Aaron and his favorite salami stick.

On Monday we roamed around Lausanne as I had to take Sydney to the Dr for a knee follow up.  In the morning we went down by Ouchy to take in the sights before they headed into town while I took Sydney to the doctor where she got a thumbs up for her knee.  They went to the Cathedral and stopped at a cafe that serves fabulous hot chocolate drinks.  They serve it with a spoon since it is almost the consistency of pudding.

Reid (right) and Dane (left) along Lake Geneva.

The boys and their hot chocolate - Dane couldn't wait he was diving right in.

After grabbing lunch we headed to Chillon castle.  I loaded the iPods with the walking tour and they were off while I caught up on my to do list.

They got a kick out of the toilets that fed into the lake.

One night we made a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette.  It is boiled potatoes and then you melt cheese and can cook meat to eat as a meal.  We usually put our meat and cheese on our potatoes, but Hailey likes her cheese with pickles.  Pickled tiny onions and pickles are a common side dish when serving raclette.

Kids took their turn first with Raclette.

It was a fantastic long weekend with The Schneyer's and the adults enjoyed many bottles of wine while playing euchre into the early morning.  It was boys vs girls and we played to the best of five.  The girls had a excellent lead, but in the end the boys came from behind and won the 5th game.  Kari also learned that Swiss wine doesn't give her headaches!  They headed to Paris on Wednesday for a few days before heading home on Saturday.