Bern, Switzerland

We started our Spring Break (Yes, we are still wearing coats in the "spring.") in Bern, Switzerland. 

This was stop number one.  Switzerland was beautiful!  It was really nice to wander around the main square and see the Bern Bears.  All of the buildings in Bern are a greenish-gray limestone.  Bern burned once upon a time and then they made an ordinance that all buildings had to be made of this limestone.  So, everything is the same color.

 

Anya finally taking a nap.  I've carried this girl all over Europe.

Boys and Anya with uncle Drew.

My grandma!  We walked her skinny little legs off.

Noah in front of a cellar.  Half of all the shops are actually in a basement cellar type place.

Bern Bears

My dad

BEAUTIFUL

There are 11 fountains through out the city square.  The boys were trying to find all of them.

In front of Einstein's house.  He spent 2-3 years living here.

Our visitors

I loved this clock.

Switzerland is expensive.
 The temple has a family hostel that is much more reasonable.  We coordinated our trip to Switzerland with a trip to the temple.  It was the first European temple.  The hostel is actually a bunch of metal bunk beds and a cafeteria so that you can prepare your food.  It isn't a bad way to see the country.

Easter 2013

Easter was great.  The family showed up the Friday before so I was able to have my grandma's potato salad for Easter dinner.  It is all about grandma's potato salad.

We went to a castle in the morning and then hid all of our eggs in the area around our local church.  It was a fun little egg hunt.  4 neighbors brought over huge Ostern gifts for the kinder.  If I'd have known, we'd have just sat around and waited for the German "Easter Bunny" to knock on the door and skip all the rest.  We really have the best neighbors around.  They are so accepting and loving to us.  I love that they have fully embraced an American family with a herd of kids.

Climbing around and on Kusel castle

Packages from our sweet neighbors

 

More packages from neighbors.  We love our neighbors.

Extreme Egg Hunting

Hid the eggs, but forgot the baskets.

My Easter boys. 
Anya was asleep and it was better that she sleep than get in the picture with her boys.

She looks like spring, but it was freezing cold (snowing) and actually wore a sweater.

 

Coconut Lime Cheesecake, recipe from Our Best Bites, was AWESOME! 
I've made it twice in April just because.
 

Boy's Eye View: Noah's German Playdate

Noah has 2 little boys that are his buddies at school.  He's been to their houses and they've come to ours.  This last time I tried to video some of the interactions.  Noah doesn't really speak his German at home.  It just isn't the right situation, unless he has his friend over.  I know that his brothers were surprised to really hear him interact.  This is just a little video I took while Marlon was over.  It isn't the best show of their interactions, but I didn't want to be more obvious.  Can you imagine him going home and telling his mom about the American who video taped him playing...didn't want to be creepy.

The video is quiet and once Noah realizes what I am doing he stops playing, but it is kind of a glance into Noah's German experience.

A Second Cooking Lesson:Apfelpfannkuchen





Erica, a neighbor and cook at the kindergarten, was telling me that Noah likes Apfelpfannkuchen.  She makes it for the kids at school and they all love it.  When I was picking Noah up from school she gave me the leftover batter and told me to add apples and make it at home.  She'd shown me how to cook them briefly and so I said "Danke" and was on my way.  I would have loved to make the pfannkuchen, but it was a super busy day for me.  I was having the RS birthday dinner at my house, so I was busy making dinner, eclairs, and cleaning before everyone came over at 630.  I had to make a quick run to pick up Davis from a band field trip at the school (it always takes 1 1/2 hours to run down, pick up, and get back home)...never quick. 

As I was running into the house at 515 with Davis, my sweet neighbor came to chat.  We were talking about the Apfelpfannkuchen that I was supposed to have made.  Instead the batter and her bowl were sitting in my kitchen next to the unfinished dinner.  I told her that I would make it later, for dinner even.  She continued on and I tried to patiently concentrate on the conversation so that I could at least get the gest of what she was saying.  I got stuck.  I didn't know what she was saying anymore and my list of things to still get done was racing through my mind.  I called Davis over, he is in German 2, to tell me what she was saying.  With a couple of "ja" "Ok, ja" "gut"  we were into the house and all was well.  Davis said that Erica was going to be dropping something by soon.   He wasn't really too sure on what, but something.  Hurray for German 2.

As I race around the house trying to finish my dinner, the doorbell rings, 5:40.  Standing on my porch is Erica.  Not with something to drop off, but rather with half of her kitchen.  In she steps and my Apfelpfannkuchen lesson starts.  I smile, welcome her in, and then whisper with a panic, "this is what you said yes to!"

I couldn't even think about not cooking with her.  She is so sweet and helpful.  I would have LOVED a cooking lesson from her, but the timing couldn't have been worse.  As she repeatedly made trips back and forth to her house to pick up a better pan or a missing item, I buzzed around throwing a RS party together.  Davis was so very, very helpful!  I think he knew he was kind of at fault for my panic.  A friend came to help set up and fortunately it was when Erica was at her house.  I quickly explained and she went to my upstairs kitchen and family room area and set things up. 

Erica not only made and taught Apfelfpannkuchen but noodle soup as well.  She wanted to help me set my table.  I didn't have soup plates only regular bowls so she went to her house and came back with her mother's china to let me borrow. 

She left my house at 620, my dinner was on the table and upstairs the party was set up.  My eclairs weren't perfectly frosted, but my cooking lesson was pretty awesome.  I don't think that she had any idea that I was about to have a party at the house. 

*The next day when I went to return her china she took me on a tour of her house.  She showed me her great grandmothers bible from 1850 and table cloths that her mother had sewn.  She then gave me her mothers china (9 soup plates for my family and oma/opa), a bowl, and a table cloth.  I tried to give them back, but she said that she had kept enough, and that her mother had a 40 piece setting.  She'd shared with her daughter already.  They are made in Germany and they were a gift.  My Anya will get these dishes one day as well.  Living here is a wonderful experience.  I couldn't have asked for better neighbors.

 

Hurray! Springtime in Germany

 

 

March 12, 2013

It snowed the entire day and we ended up getting about 10-12 inches.  The high temp today was 9 F.  I just want to cry!

 

I shoveled my way to and from the kindergarten 4 times.  There was a lot of snow and it just wouldn't stop.  I am so stiff that I can hardly brush my hair.  The little Germans around the kindergarten think that I am crazy with my snow shovel.  I like to see them watching me, and I wonder what they are saying.  The mom of one of Noah's friends asked me if I had shoveled at the kindergarten and sidewalks, then said that her mother was watching me?  Then she raised both hands and laughed while saying "Toll."  (Super)  I have no idea how the grandmother of one of the kids figured out that it was me.  I'm glad that I give them something to laugh about.  If they knew that I was the one that had painted the bus stop then they'd really start talking. 

 

The schools had early release and the base shut down.  Since everyone was home in the middle of the day, we went sledding on our neighbors back hill.  This is not what I like to do in the springtime, but the kids had a great time.

 

 

She wouldn't keep her gloves out of her mouth.  The snow was just too yummy to stop eating it.



 

Noah isn't in the pictures because he was fearless and kept racing down the hill bowling over all the brothers that got in his way.  He finally crashed hard into the orchard gate and had to retire the sled.  Not that he was hurt, but rather we can't risk damaging our neighbors fence...oh, and he might get hurt next time.

 

For a snowy March day, it was as good as it could get.  I'm starting to believe that it will never get warm.  I'm in need of an Italy trip because I want to remember what the sun feels like.  Guess I'll go in 3 weeks...for a real Spring Break.

I Might be a Little bit Spoiled

I was able to go to Paris again.  Just for the day.  Without the kids, but with friends.  This time was to attend cooking school.  Eclairs!  I've made eclairs before, but now I know how to make Parisian eclairs just like my cute French chef.  Actually, it is all about being able to say just that!

 

We took the ICE train.  It got us to Paris in an hour and 45 minutes.  We were traveling over 310km/hr.  This is the view from my seat.  Yep, that is the driver.  I kept watching and I think he may have been nodding off on the straight parts.  Being that we were in the very front it wasn't really a smooth ride.  Kind of reminded me of that old school yard game, Crack the Whip, I felt like we were catching a bit of air and it was way too bumpy to read.

 

 

Before cooking school we toured the Paris Opera house.  It was the theater that the Phantom of the Opera was about.  I don't know if Phantom ever played here, but the theater was awesome.

Every thing imaginable was in this place.  Statues, gold mosaics, columns, fancy carvings, painted ceilings.

The ladies that I went with.

We stopped at this neat church as we were waiting.  I don't know the name, but it just goes to show that there are amazing churches on every corner in Europe.  This one had some great stained glass.

The stained glass on top was original, but the stuff on the bottom was the repairs that came after the church was damaged in war.

This is payment for all the meals that I cook!  This was one of those bucket list things.  I was so excited.

Me and my partner

Just out of the oven

 

The recipe

We had a great time cooking and then jumped back on the train to go home.  Paris for the day, that is pretty spoiled.  I had the same seat for the ride back, but this time I was riding backwards and in the last car of the train.  It was even more bumpy than the way there. I was really glad that it was dark so that I didn't get too sick.  I am so glad that Darin kept the house running smoothly and insisted that I go. 

 

Now to make them at home!

Chouquettes
Little empty cream puff things with sugar on the top that kind of melts and sweetens the whole thing.  I like them.  Darin thought they tasted like eggs.  I think they'd be great with some of the eclair filling.  Everything is better with filling anyway.

These were yummy and reminded me of Paris.  Oh, how I enjoy eclairs and Paris.

Noah is 6!

It is so hard for me to watch this little guy grow up.  

He insisted on having all things Ninja for his birthday.  Since Fasching earlier in February he has been all about ninja.  He has 2 little friends from the Kindergarten that are all about ninja as well.  I decided that this year I just didn't have the time or desire to host parties for the boys, but promised that we would have a family party to include games, prizes, gifts, and cake.  Ninja Noah was more OK with it than a few of the other boys are. 

 

He loves to pose! 

and pose!

and pose. 

 

I made marshmallow fondant for the first time in order for us to get the "draping" that we wanted on the ninja mask.  I'm not sure if it looks like a ninja, but Noah loved it and really it doesn't matter when we cut it into pieces.

 

 

"Sing to me while I enoy this moment."

How we love our little Noah!  He is loving and fiesty.  He is doing so well with his German.  He loves to torture Jag by having German day when he will only speak German.  It drives Jag CRAZY!  He is a willing learner.  He loves to hold my hand.  He is always warm.  He is lazy and fakes sleep when he doesn't want to do something.  He is helpful and loves to help Anya.  He is a collector of garbage and junk.  It isn't trash it is a treasure.  He is a picky eater and would eat yogurt for every meal of the day.  He is growing up too quickly.   He is an awesome 6 year old!

 

 

Why isn't it my birthday?!  She has started asking for May everyday.  She has quite of list of things that she wants.  A pink dog and a brown dog.  Purple balloons and presents.  Cupcakes.  Oh it is hard to be 2.  Poor girl.