London sans enfants

Randy was back in the UK for work and was going to head to London for one night to meet up with his friend Tony, who was in London on business.  He threw out the idea of me joining him for the weekend and I most certainly couldn't pass up that opportunity assuming I could find someone to watch the kids!!  The kids were off for an extended sleepover with some friends and they were probably more excited for us to leave then we were.  I had a nice leisure train ride to the airport and before I knew it Randy and I were heading to our hotel in London.  The Paralympics were still going on while we were there so there was still a lot of activity and we were able to see many of the Olympic venues around our hotel.

London eye

Area outside our hotel, which was right next to the M&M store.

It just so happened that some friends of ours from Switzerland were in London without kids as well and we met up with them at a Thai restaurant at Churchill Arms.  The food and atmosphere was great and then we were off to Waxy O'Connors for a few drinks before a night cap at The W bar where we were staying.

We spent our full day shopping and riding the double decker hop on hop off bus taking in the sights of London.  It was a beautiful day and we finished it by heading to the play Billy Elliot.  It was a fantastic play with many characters being played by children, such amazing talent!!

Loved the red telephone booths everywhere!

London Bridge open for a boat going through.

Square outside our hotel that had Swiss decorations on the pole holding the clock.

Parliament and Big Ben

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

Front of Buckingham Palace

Getting a US favorite at Chipotle - we would have gone back if we had more time : )

It was a short trip, but much needed and we truly enjoyed getting away and not having to worry about speaking a different language!!  We will definitely be getting back with the kids since Hailey has a couple friends from the UK.  Not too mention, we would like to actually take in the sights, such as the Big Eye, London bridge, and London Tower, rather than admire from the distance.

Dragonboat

The first weekend in September was spent in the same area of Switzerland as Sydney skating camp this past summer.  I had signed up for Dragonboat raises to raise funds for cancer prevention.  I had gone once before school was out last June to learn the basics, but fortunately we had a practice run on Saturday the day before the official race.  It was chilly and rainy on Saturday and while it was fun, it was very wet and cold.  We all hoped the weather would improve for the races on Sunday.  Sydney signed up for a mini-dragon boat with a team of 6.  It ended up being Sydney and the boys, which reminded me of my college days when it was usually Nic, Randy, and the guys.  It even ended up happening when we went to Australia.  The married couple Nic and Randy with 6-7 of his single friends.  I don't remember exactly how many, but let's just say it was rather entertaining!

Sydney was in the first heat and they would only continue if they won.  We figured it was a win-win.  If they win they get to move on, but if they lose they get to go home to be in a warm house.  The weather was better, but still chilly and wet at times.  Well, they "won" and were able to hang out, have some fun while cheering on the mom's before heading home to a warm and dry house.  Their boat was a row boat with a stuffed dragon attached to the front.

Sydney and her team paddling back to shore.

Our team the DiVine Paddlers started with a group that walk the vineyards every Monday and Wednesday.  This was the second year for this team and a majority of us had never paddled on a Dragon boat before.  We were just excited to get out for a day even if the weather wasn't the best and who would have ever guessed we would make it to the finals.  I rowed for our first race and it was exhausting and I used muscles I don't used much.  I am going to pay for this later.  After the first race, we worked through the logistics of who was going to sit where, who was going to be the drummer, and who do you watch to make sure you are in rhythm.  I did something I normally would not do and volunteered myself to be the drummer.  Time to stop taking a back seat in my comfort zone and dust off the cob webs from my loud softball voice when I was in high school.  I may not have a voice when all is said and done, but at least my body wouldn't ache!  In the below picture I am in the front sitting with a drum between my legs and two sticks to drum to the beat of our rows.

Heading back after our second race and our best time.

To our amazement we had a excellent second run and qualified for the final heat.  We ended up in 4th place and were very proud of what we had accomplished given how new our team was.  A few weeks later we all gathered for drinks and dinner.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to join since we had company.  I hope to participate next year as it was a great event and a great cause.  If the weather were better, Randy and the kids would have stayed since it was a very family friendly event, hopefully next year!

Casey and I before our first race.

Circus camp and first day of school

The last full week of summer was spent getting Sydney to skating camp and Hailey to circus camp.  Not sure what I am going to do when Aaron starts having activities, it is hard enough coordinating two schedules let alone adding a third!  Both activities were in the afternoon so it was nice to have a relaxing morning.  At the end of Hailey's camp they put on a little performance of everything they learned.  I will wait to post Sydney's skating until her first competition.  It hasn't worked out for me to watch and she ended up changing her routine, so it will be a surprise for both of us.  In the video Hailey is in all black and in the second half she has a bright pink shirt on.  After they built a pyramid Hailey can be found in the back corner with the fabric ropes flying like a bird.

Here are some pictures as well.  She had a great week and is interested in going again!

Hailey is on the right holding the girl that is standing on her knees.

Transitioning on the fabric ropes.

Walking on the tight rope with a partner helping her balance.

Balancing and taking small steps on the ball.

One of a few poses on the trapeze.

The following week was the official end of summer with school starting on Thursday.  We spent Wednesday getting checked in at school at getting any additional uniforms we needed.  This year was off to a much better start.  The kids knew where to go, Aaron didn't walk off campus this year, and we had a lot more French under our belt.  Oh how far we have come!  Randy was wondering when the kids would take the bus and I had no idea at that time.  He was surprised I was so calm considering it was two days before school started.  I wasn't going to worry unless I didn't hear from someone the day before school started and I did in fact hear from the bus driver the day before school started : )  Here are first day of school pictures.

The girls heading down for their bus at 7:00am.

Aaron was very excited for his first day of school!

It seems we have only been in school a couple weeks and they only have two more weeks before they have fall break for two weeks.

Family Hike and Annecy

Shelby had a couple full days with us so we explored Lausanne and took her to Parc Adventure where she faced her fear of heights.  It was so cute to see the girls encourage and coach her through the course.  She made it through a couple courses and I think she enjoyed herself!!

Getting ready for the next obstacle.

The rest of the week we relaxed after our almost month long vacation with visitors and family vacation.  That weekend we went on a family hike just east of here above Vevey.  It was around 1 hour and we tried to keep the kids going to talk of ice cream and the top.  Not sure what we were thinking, but we were off to a good start with the hike starting at a playground only to learn it was completely up hill to the point we wanted to hike to.  It wasn't too bad until we were less than 500 meters and realize the incline had increased dramatically and the talk of ice cream wasn't always enough!  We eventually made it and enjoyed some delicious ice cream before heading back down.

Sydney at the playground.

Hailey's turn!

Randy and the kids heading down the mountain.

Pretty flower boxes with Swiss flags.

The following weekend started a heat wave after what seemed to be a very cool and rainy summer.  We decided to head to Annecy, Francy for a little back to school shopping and to take a boat out on the lake to keep cool.  It was an absolutely beautiful day and after finding the girls backpacks it was time for some fun on the lake.  We ended up with a motor boat which was a pleasant surprise since we weren't sure what we were getting because of the language barrier.  At least the guy that explained how to run the boat spoke english : )

Randy and Aaron relaxing on the boat.

Beautiful scenery with the lake and mountains.

The heat continued into our last full week of summer before school started.  Stay tuned for pictures from Hailey's circus camp and first day of school!

Costa del Sol, Spain

It was now time for our family vacation in Spain where we would meet up with our niece Shelby who just finished her studies in Spain.  It was a short non-stop flight to Malaga, where we would load up the rental car and hopefully also have room for Shelby and her luggage.  Everything is much more compact, so it was definitely going to be a tight squeeze.  Our stuff was loaded up and it was time to get Shelby.  I had looked online to get a feel for where the train station was so we were off to the city to get Shelby.  I called Shelby to let her know we were on our way and if she could give us a landmark to find her.  Well, she mentioned she was next to the airport and Randy and I just looked at each other and headed back to the airport only to find out we were originally heading in the right direction.  So we finally headed back towards the train station and weaved our way through the streets and found the train station and fortunately Shelby and her 2 big bags!  Ugh, where is a big US car when we need one.  We do a little more rearranging and we manage to squeeze in like sardines.  I have the golf travel bag at my feet, the kids have Randy's golf clubs at their feet, and Shelby it holding a bag for the 1hour plus drive to our condo.

Everyone is buckled and all luggage has found a home in the car for the short ride to the condo.

We stayed at a condo on the beach that was about an hour south of Malaga and only 35 minutes from Gibraltar.  It was very quiet there with 4 pools and access to the beach on the Mediterranean Sea.  If the sky would have been clear we could have seen Africa and the rock of Gibraltar.  We got unpacked and Randy was off to the grocery store so we could do some of own cooking.  I wasn't feeling the best, but was hoping it was because of our very busy schedule with our visitors and traveling.  That wouldn't hold true and I spent the first two days in bed with a fever.  Randy and Shelby took the kids to the pool on the first day where they met some other kids from Norway.  That was the start of many conversations regarding our ancestors and where they originated.  On Tuesday they all went to a watermark while I stayed back since I was still sick.  They had a great time and were exhausted when they got back.  Randy also took Aaron golfing that night as Aaron kept asking when they were going to go.  He was very excited to go golfing with real golf clubs on a real golf course with Dad!

Girls playing in the balls at the water park.

Kids jumping in - Hailey going "euro".

I finally made it out of the house and took the kids to the pool where Hailey decided to embrace Europe and swim without a top.  It was a little weird for me at first as I had to stop myself from telling her to put on her top.  Later that day we met another family from Scotland where they had fun playing with their girls one of which asked if Hailey lost her top.  Sydney joined her sister the next time they went swimming.  The next day we were of to the UK or Gibraltar.  We parked in Spain and walked across the border including a runway, which Aaron got a kick out of.  The views were amazing and to just look over and see Africa was amazing.  The kids got a kick out of the apes, which were everywhere and for the most part were friendly eventhough they were wild.

Across the border and walking across the runway to get up close with Gibraltar.

Kids and I with Africa in the background.

Randy and the kids

1 of the 20-30 ice creams the apes eat per day.  No wonder they are all diabetic.

Sydney holding the ape.

Hailey's turn to hold the ape.

Aaron couldn't hold one, but was able to feed one of them.

Shelby, the kids, and I taking a picture on top of the rock.

Ape hanging out in the tree with Gibraltar port in the background.

The next day Randy and I went golfing while Shelby stayed back with the kids at the pool.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the course and we had a wonderful lunch on the way back.  I had a traditional meal called, paella with all sorts of seafood.  Randy was brave enough to order it with me since it was for a minimum of 2 people.  Our last day Randy and I took the kids to Marbella for some jet skiing on the Mediterranean Sea.  I stayed back and relaxed on the beach taking in the sights.  I went into the water briefly, but quickly headed back after seeing numerous jelly fish hanging out.  I could tell that the people that worked with the water sports were stung a couple times and I didn't want to risk it myself.

Randy and the girls heading out on a boat to go jet skiing, just in front of the rather large yacht!

It was finally time to pack up and head back home so Shelby could explore a little more of Switzerland before heading back to Minnesota.  We had a little extra time so we stopped in Marbella so the kids could play at the playground along the beach before heading to the airport.

Hailey and Aaron riding on monster truck.

It was a great family vacation with more down time and swimming for the kids and minimal sight seeing, but all in all I think everyone had a great time, even if I did spend two days in bed!  As you have figured out, I am a little behind on the blog and hope to have it caught up before we go to Munich for October break!

Haars visit from US - 2 of 2

Randy and Chris were kind enough to take all the kids to Parc Adventure so Melissa and I could get repacked for our trip to Paris.  Here are a few pictures from Parc Adventure, which is a favorite of the kids!

Kids and Chris ready to have fun in the trees.

Lizzy taking the lead with Annie and Chris to follow.

Sydney and Lizzy at one platform.

Annie putting her gymnastics to use on the wire.

We were up early Monday morning heading down to catch our train to Paris.  It was a relaxing 4 hour train ride without any changes!  We purchased metro passes and headed towards our hotel to drop things off and head out for some lunch and exploring.  At lunch we decided that it was time for the older girls to try wine while we were in Paris.  Fortunately they didn't like it which is obvious from the picture, but provided everyone with a good laugh.

Cheers - Sydney isn't so sure about this!

And the verdict....

Arc de Triomphe - 1 day after 2012 Tour de France finish.

Me and the kids outside the Louvre.

Aaron would catch a ride any chance he could.

Kids enjoying some ice cream and shade.

The first day we spent walking around and taking in the sights.  The next day we purchased a 2 day boat pass and started our 2 day museum pass which allowed us to skip the lines!  In the morning we went to Notre Dame, but skipped the climb to the top because the line was too long and Haars had tickets to go up the Eiffel tower at 1pm.

Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame and the Rose window.

The kids and I hung out by the Eiffel tower while the Haars went up to the top.  We will do that another time since it is best to purchase tickets in advance and I wasn't going to climb the stairs with a 4 year old.  The kids didn't mind and had fun riding the carts and playing in the playground.

The girls wearing Hailey's purchase!  The lighting wasn't the best, but love the pic anyway.

Sydney and Aaron making there way around the track.

Aaron and Hailey are neck and neck...

After we met up with Haars it was off to Musee d'Orsay for a quick tour so Melissa and Chris could see some of there favorites.  I ended up taking the kids out as they quickly lost interest and it was the end of the day so they were also tired.  The next day we packed up and headed off to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa.  This time we purchased kids books in advance that included a scavenger hunt as they guided us through the museum.  It worked for awhile, but after we saw Mona Lisa, they had enough and just wanted to get the train and go home.

Kids in the Louvre with their guide books.

Mona Lisa

It was a great couple of weeks, but it was time for them to head back home and we needed to get packed for our trip to Costa del Sol, Spain.  We were leaving at roughly the same time as them, so there was much to be done!  Chris and Melissa were very kind to take the kids out and about so I could get stuff done around the house and get packed at the same time.  We all managed to get packed and we were all off to the airport.  Stay tuned for a posting on our trip to Spain!