Fast Forward to Fall!

WOW, has it really been three months since the last post?  In that case, this is a super quick catch up!

We stayed close to home this summer, after returning from the US.  We enjoyed all sorts of fun, local activities, such as the Fete de Geneve, an agricultural art installation, an old boat festival in Morges.  We hit some great parks nearby, which had amazing views and fun parks.  We did have to say farewell to some friends too, like Hayden's friend Braxton (and our friends Terricka and Eric) but we know we'll see them back state-side in the not-too-distant future.

End of Summer came.  Hayden started school and we made the great parenting decision to pull him out on his 2nd day to take a trip to London!  Actually, it wasn't really planned this way, but Marty had a business trip and we made the quick decision to go, before realizing Hayden was back in school.  So I had to go pick him up on his first day, race to the airport, and endure two high energy boys for the flight there, where we met Marty.

We saw all the major sights, rode on a double decker bus and the Tube.  We arrived Thursday night and left Sunday afternoon.  So it was really only 1 1/2 days but we saw quite a lot!  

 

Marty and I also went away for a long weekend in Sicily.  Our hotel was perfectly situated by the water and the warm weather was a welcome change from a very unseasonably cold and wet summer in Geneva.

  

 When Fall starts, we now have a tradition of going apple picking and the Desalpes (first time it didn't rain!!)  It's amazing to think we are starting annual traditions here!

School's Out For SUMMER!

July marks the beginning of summer!  We're all a bit more relaxed now that we don't have the morning rush of getting Hayden up, dressed, fed and out the door before 7:30 every morning.  His summer actually started two weeks early, when we flew to the US for our annual trek back.  We enjoyed the time with family and friends, but there was a bit too much work to keep us busy & we experienced the two WORST flights ever!  I could write an entire blog about how awful it was.

On the way there, spills, accidents, two cancelled flights, 1 delayed flight, flying standby, driving in the rain for 3 hrs, lost luggage, wearing the same clothes for 2 days, kids awake for 24 hours...!

On the overnight flight back, we had a hungry baby and a really insensitive crew who told us "sorry, no milk on this flight, you should have brought your own," followed by two hours of crying and really upset passengers trying to sleep...only to discover after some desperation at 1 AM, that they HAD milk!  They just chose not to give us any because it's supposed to be for coffee.  Then telling me to sit back down so they could eat dinner, even though they had turned down the lights and I still hadn't gotten Beckham settled enough to take his bottle.  :(

But on the bright side, we enjoyed some quality time with family and friends and the boys made some great memories.  We celebrated first with the Vanderstelt clan for John & Sharon's 50th wedding anniversary.  It was a family reunion in Holland, Michigan and a bit of a surprise for them - something we hadn't done since Hayden was 18 months old.

Then we went to Cincinnati for a week to visit family and enjoy our (new) annual tradition of meeting at a nearby park.  It's fun to see how much the kids grew since last year...

After one week back home, Marty started his global travels again - Istanbul last week and Warsaw this week.  In between, we took the weekend to go 4 hours south to Avignon, France.  What a beautiful old town!  We passed fields and fields of sunflowers along the way.  The lavender was in bloom.

 The weather is starting to warm up in Geneva and we are looking forward to a quiet summer here...perhaps a few little day trips in between. :)

Italian Escape (sort of...)

Posts are few and far between these days as life (really, work) keeps us occupied.  Still, we managed a little getaway for one week, of Hayden's two-week Easter break from school.  We flew to Naples, Italy and then hopped in a car to the Amalfi coast.

A bunch of small towns set along the hillside.  Home of single lane windy roads, trying to be two lane roads. Limoncello and lemons the size of your head.  And let's not forget the gelato. :)

Italy is known to be family friendly and we definitely noticed the difference.  People in restaurants and at the hotel didn't cringe when we walked in with two young children, and instead went out of their way to play with them.  It's the only time being called "mama" by a server sounds endearing.

It was not the most relaxing of vacations.  Being cliffside, walking along cobblestone roads (no sidewalks) and with hotels right along the road, kept us on guard.  Early bedtimes kept us in the hotel room and work kept me busy in the evenings.

Still, we had a great experience with the boys.  We walked amazing gardens.  We toured some amazing historical sites like Pompeii and underground tunnels/former bomb shelters.

There is endless history and beauty to experience.  Our list just keeps getting longer as we try to find ways to experience as much as possible while we are here!