We Are...

 I simply adore this photo of Robert and Tessa!

 

We Are…

All a bit under the weather at the moment.

Grateful for dear friends who love travel as much as we do!  Thank you Stef!

Still recovering from the BCT party!

Happy to be reading Daring Greatly by Brené Brown.

Gearing up for more travel.

Watching the rainfall.

Looking forward to a gorgeous fall hike this Saturday.

Blessed to be right here at this very moment.

Looking forward to slowing down this winter.

Sipping lots of tea.

Catching up with old friends.

Learning to let go as each day passes.

Wishing my wonderful sister in-law a very happy birthday!

Listening to Ben Howard and unable to get enough of that incredible voice!

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!

Looking forward to Herbstmesse!

 Oma and Opa's visit.

 It took awhile, but we finally uploaded photos from our camera.

 Oma reading to Noah before bed.

 Tessa all ready to go with her hair all in place!

 Ready for music class with Mrs. Susan!

 Noah finding chestnuts

 Robert and Noah taking a little snooze in the park!

 I love this shot of Noah, quietly sneaking up on the birds!

 Little walk in Rheinfelden!

 Potato stamps anyone?

 Rainy days = creating master pieces!

Because art is fun!

Grateful....

 Today I ran into a couple of friends - friends who are both experiencing very difficult times in their lives. 

Hearing their stories made me think.

We often rush around from day - to -day consumed in our daily tasks, our families and the issues we might face, but somewhere out there a heart is breaking, a family member is ill, a bill may not get paid due to lack of funds, and people are suffering.

So, today I take a moment to breathe in the health of my family - the closeness that we feel and all of the blessings that surround us.

May I want to be grateful for everything that comes my way and I send a silent prayer to my friends wishing them love, peace and easier roads ahead.

I Want...

  I thought today long and hard about the kind of parent I want to be.  

 The kind of parent I strive to be, but know that parenting is a process- one that grows and changes with time - much like our children. 

 

 

I want to always be there for them. 

I want to say, “Yes” as often as possible.

I want my word to mean something and if I make a promise, may I always come through.

I want to hug them tightly each and every day allowing my arms to fully wrap around them.

I want to smile with them and laugh with delight at their jokes, their games and their silliness.

I want to be generous both with my time and my money, but always with my love.

I don’t want to give a concern myself with what what others think.  I want my children to know that there is something so much larger and greater out there. 

  I want to make my children feel as special as I think they truly are.

I want to whisper in their ears so often that they know what I am about to say before the words roll off my tongue, “I love you.  I always wanted you and I loved you before you were born.  Thank you for being my son/daughter. Thank you for choosing us.”

I want them to know how grateful I am to be their mother.

I want to abandon my shouts and speak in gentle tones.

I don’t want to compare them with each other or others for that matter, as each of my children are individuals and I want to respect their individuality.

  I want to preserve and harvest their childhood- for this time is so magical not only to them, but to me as well.

I want to show them that love wins – that love always wins.

I want to tell them the story of how I met their father and my life partner.  How we fell in love and fell apart and how after spending time away from one another we realized that we were the only people we never wanted to live without.  That we chose love and each other and that choice has made all the difference.

I want to teach them to speak – up for themselves or each other knowing that it is OK to forgo manners and feelings when and if others are unkind or take advantage of them.

I want to greet them with open arms at an airport should they ever travel far from home and return to visit.

I want to help them build their lives, but know that their lives are distinctly their own.  Free of my wishes and demands, their lives are meant to be lived by them.

I want them to know that mistakes in life will happen and it is not the mistake that matters, but what they choose to do with the knowledge they gain from the mishap.

I want them to learn to fight.  Fight for what they believe in, fight for what is right, fight for love and fight for family.  There are very few things in this world worth fighting for…those are a few.

 

I want to remember their births – their first minutes in my arms and in this world.  How truly blessed I felt to hold them, love them and welcome them so deeply into my heart.  I want them to know that December 12, 2008 and August 3, 2011 were two of the best days of my entire life.  That the gift of their presence was and is one of the greatest gifts that has ever and will ever be bestowed upon me.

 

I want to teach them to run through the rain, climb tall mountains, float in wild rivers, build sandcastles and ride the waves.

I want them to witness the miracle of a sunrise and a sunset and realize that the greatest things in life are almost always free.

I want them to value money, but never to place much emphasize on it.

 

I want to help them in ways that only family can help.  To witness the birth of their first child, to cook meals for them when they are weary from the newness of parenthood, to offer support and love.  To watch my grandchildren when I can tell they need time alone with their partner.  To love them and their children unconditionally.

 

I want them to observe their parents and say to themselves, “I want a love like that.”

I want to give my children one of the greatest gifts my parents ever gave me and that was the gift of a strong, healthy, loving marriage.  A marriage that endured hard times, pain, anguish, love, loss, compassion, joy and tolerance, yet with stood the test of time.

  I want my children to know that their love is one that will forever be etched on my heart.

 I want their lives to be riddled with incredible experiences and rich with moments that take their breath away.

 I want to teach them to respect each other and show great respect for this earth.

 I want them to value sunrises and sunsets.

 I want them to lean on one another and rely on each other throughout their lives.

 I want them to know that our love for them will be the one constant in their lives.  

No matter their place in this world our love will always travel with them.

We Are...

 

We Are…

 Ever so grateful Robert is home safe and sound.

Enjoying two weeks away from school.

Looking forward to Herbstmesse.

Making transitions to big boy beds!

Enjoying the start of fall.
Smiling each time Tessa says, "Whatwhere?"  One word meaning so much!

Soaking up my favorite time of the year.

Hoping to make some pumpkin soup this weekend.
In love with the age 2 and wishing I could freeze our little gal!
Smiling as Noah embraces German, new friends and creative projects!

Still listening to Ben Howard.
Happy to be slowing down as the seasons begin to change and grateful we live in a location that truly has seasons!

Wishing my mom a smooth few months ahead.  Sorry the road has been so rough!

Looking forward to Stef’s visit!

Missing our camera :(

Happy that the weekend is upon us!

Enjoying baby chicks at the Botanical Gardens!

While You Were Away...

  Tessa was bit by a swan.  Poor thing was so brave!

Noah helped celebrate his friend’s 6^th birthday.

I finished my third half marathon. 

We missed you!

We baked cupcakes and oatmeal raisin cookies.

We went to a cupcake festival and decorated cupcakes.  Did I forget to mention we ate one or two along the way?

  We played at parks.

We missed you!

We visited the zoo a couple of times.

Tessa joined a new playgroup.

We enjoyed playgroups on Friday afternoons.

We wrapped up in cozy fleece to embrace the colder temperatures.

  We missed you!

We officially welcomed the fall.

We listened to Ben Howard and fell in love with his music. I haven't stopped listening since.

Also enjoyed the song Better Than Love by Griffin House and dedicated that song silently to you.

We fell into a rhythm. 

  We thought of you more than you may know.

My admiration for single parents grew immensely.

We read books and watched movies.

We snuggled.

We cried.

  We blew noses and nursed colds.

We danced in the living room.

We made messes and cleaned them up.

We did loud really well.

We took a day away from school.

We made new friends.

We counted down on daisy chains and charts the day you would return.

We visited train stores.

Tessa took a nasty fall and has the scraps on her sweet face to prove it.

We read new books.

We mostly missed you.

Showing Up for 13.1

"If you really want to do something you will find a way.

If you don't, you'll find an excuse."

Jim Rohn

Photo of me at the race in 2010

It was an emotional run for me.   

 Robert's absence stung in ways I didn’t prepare myself for and not seeing my children at the finish line was a true heart breaker.  

But I carried them with me throughout those 13.1 miles.

As I started the race, I became almost overwhelmed with emotion.   

The streets, the beautiful buildings, the fog lifting slowly off of the Rhine and the lack of my family all made me choke up.

The city seemed to shine that morning - the very city I have come to love and now call home, welcomed me mile after mile as I passed her historic streets.  

 As I eased into my pace, and settled in for the miles ahead, I felt overwhelmed with joy.

I didn’t have to do this race.   

Yeah, I already registered and paid the fee, but I could have easily slid under the radar into a quite oblivion. 

No one would have known...except for me.

I had every excuse in the book not to race. 

I had come back from a couple of painful injuries. 

I seriously neglected to train for the run and more importantly, my partner was away on business.   

But I recall with fond recollection a professor once saying, “Most of life is simply showing up.”   

So, on that chilly morning, I woke before the sun, packed my bags, readied the house and the children, kissed them a sweet good-bye and made my way, alone to the start line.

If you aren’t an athlete you may not understand the need to race and so this post might just be lost on you.   

But for those of you who are athletes at heart, there is something so incredible about participating in an event that requires you to dig deep and teaches you what it means to truly persevere.   

There is a comradery that is shared between fellow athletes that is inspiring and the sheer fact that my body is capable of going the distance is nothing short of a miracle!

So, when asked why, the answer is almost always, "Because I can!"

And when you are in the mist of a race, something magical happens.

 You transcend to that place where your body flows freely, and your mind forgets to process all the bullshit that typically floods in on a daily basis. 

It is flippin’ euphoric - downright incredible to feel that way.

No chemically induced high could ever feel so good! 

Finishing the race in 2010

The middle of my run was just that  - heavenly!   

With the Lumineers playing Hey Ho on my iThing, I was elated with my decision to suck it up and run.   

Though I hit the wall hard when my music machine died – nope it didn’t run out of juice or battery, just straight up kicked the old bucket 4K’s before the finish.   

Now, do you want to talk about having to dig deeper than deep?   

My body ached, I missed my family and I didn’t even have songs of inspiration to carry me home.  Oh, but there was some kind of cosmic lesson to be gained from all this…right?! 

With nothing left to do but soak up the scenery and hum a little tune to myself, I crossed that finish line!

 

So, here’s to showing up, for going the distance and for reaching outside your comfort zone. 

Here is to saying "Yes I Can!" and "Yes I Will!"

Here is to moving your body the way your body was intended to move and here is to another race that was finished in honor of my father because he used to love all of my sporting events.

From tennis, to swimming, to tri's, to runs, he and my mother showed up, participated, cheered and made me feel that anything was possible!

With a humble heart and sore legs, I thank you!

We Are...

 

Ever so grateful to Heather for babysitting on Friday so that we could enjoy a long overdue date night.  

Blessed to have awesome friends.

Closing up another edition of Parenting Pages and thinking a lot about our topic this month...money!

Thrilled to be feeling better. 

Enjoying homemade banana nut muffins for breakfast.

Listening to Alicia Keys and loving No One.

Preparing for Japan.

Enjoyed the well-filmed coming of age movie entitled, The King’s of Summer.

Watching the rainfall.

Celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the Badischer Banhof in Basel with the children on Sunday.

Working on cool projects…

Wishing my best friend of almost 30 years a very happy birthday!

Still in disbelief that we live in Switzerland and feeling ever so fortunate for the opportunity!

Looking forward to a wonderful, but wet week!

 Old photos from Tessa's 2nd Birthday!

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."  Dr. Seuss

 Noah at the Tinguely Museum

 Noah making paper at the Paper Museum

 Noah's First Day of School!

 Noah at swimming lessons

 Tessa at the transportation museum in Luzern

 Enjoying a little time by the lake...

 Hiking in the woods

Hiking to the vineyards