The kids were putting on a show.  This went on for several minutes and did not get any softer!  They were having a blast.  OH - yes that is Elizabeth's pink "hat" on Zach.  He had to wear it and would NOT take it off much to his fathers dismay!

Love, Nikki

Winter Gear

We now have a "mudroom" where the kids have baskets of shoes, gloves, hats and scarfs are neatly stacked in a cabinet within the kids reach.  So when I asked Elizabeth to go get ready this is what I found.....Zach even put his own hat on as well.   Fashionista!

Love, Nikki

Rearranging Elizabeth's Room...AGAIN

Okay, so my wonderful, fabulous friend Maggie, spent lots of time with the plans of our new house and where furniture should be placed.  It all worked AMAZING and looks great.  However we threw in a curve ball when Elizabeth got a desk for her room.  SO we have rearranged her room several times and I think we finally figured it out or at least Nathan and Zach are done helping me change it! 

Love, Nikki

Father Christmas

We arrived just in time for Nathan's company's kids Christmas party.  It was very nice.  They had lunch, balloons, a coloring station and really just time to get to know the other families with children.  Father Christmas, otherwise known as Santa Claus, even came for a visit.  Here is Elizabeth waiting for her turn to tell him what she wants.  She was so sweet, before she told him that she wanted a watch, she told him that her brother wanted more trucks. 

Here is our attempt at a picture with Father Christmas.  We have a picture every year hung on the tree since Elizabeth first Christmas.  Usually we would just go to Town Center and wait in line to get our expensive pictures but this year is a little different and we missed that in the states.  SO this will have to do.

 Elizabeth loved it all!

Love, Nikki

Unpacking Christmas

Nathan and I had decided that when the movers asked us where to put the Christmas boxes, we would just put them in the room where we would put up our tree.  We were so glad we did.  We had both had enough moving boxes up and down stairs.  It was nice that all we had to do was open the boxes up and "put up Christmas."  We even just stashed the boxes behind the couch because right now there is NO room in the cellar!!!  Merry Christmas to you all!  Hope you enjoyed putting up your tree as well!

Love, Nikki

MORE SNOW!

SO.....the kids have figured out (or their daddy showed them) that snow was really YUMMY to eat.  Don't worry, we discussed brown and yellow snow.  ONLY white snow is okay and good to eat.  That is all they did when we went out to play! OH and we did make a "snow girl" for Elizabeth.  She found the hat and beads, I got to try to improvise the other...I think it worked out okay!

Love, Nikki

Snow, snow and more snow!

It started snowing on Friday night....

 Snowed all day Saturday.....

 Then it started again on Tuesday morning and snowed until VERY early Thursday morning. 

 The kids loved it.....we went outside almost every day!  There was so much snow the kids and I let Nathan drive himself to work (yes we only have one car....a loaner) on Wednesday so we were literally "stuck" at home!  It was beautiful to watch!

There ended up being 13 inches of snow.   We have been told that it was the most the Swiss have seen at this low attitude in decades - I guess we came at the right time???  We had a great time!

Love from my two snow angels! 

Love, Nikki

Firsts....

Firsts.....if you think you need more of those MOVE to a new country!  This is our first night eating dinner at our new table, in our new house, in a new country.  YES, this means that we had already been to the grocery store, figured out how to get the shopping carts (more on that later), put things in the cart that looked like the kids would eat and paid.   It was GREAT to get to eat at our table all together.  More firsts to come....

Love, Nikki

Thanksgiving

Apparently this is the only picture I took over the two days the movers were here. We were a little busy. The movers were great. They emptied boxes (sometimes too fast), put together furniture and even moved furniture twice when it did not fit or the rug needed changed. Here are the kids eating lunch on their train/lego table. They were so excited to have their things and new things too!!!! This is in the "play" room on the first floor. This was Thanksgiving day.....the movers left about 4:30 and we went to another Americans house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was wonderful and nice to be with other Americans.

Our first night in Switzerland

When Nathan and I came to look at houses here in August there was this great restaurant right by the lake that had fairly fast service and good pizza. When trying to come up with somewhere to eat when you have hungry, tired, picky eaters.....pizza is good. So we took the metro down to the lake and started walking......all we got were these pictures. Apparently the restaurant is seasonal and most people here eat late so when it is 5:30 not many places want you and two tired kids to come in. After two attempts we found a pizza place and ordered, ate and paid as fast as we could! Then headed back to the hotel to SLEEP! The kids were exhausted, however we did not plan for them to wake up at 1 in the morning (hungry, thirsty and ready to play). We got them the food that I brought in the carry ons, water to drink and put them in the middle of our bed with Curious George on the computer - we were all back to sleep around 3:30. Then up and ready to go to meet the movers at 8:30!

The plane ride

Many hours, lots of luggage......the kids are shouting for joy that all of it made it into a suitcase. Nathan and I are hoping, praying that all 12 bags, two car seats and a pack n' play can be checked as well as 5 carry on bags, a stroller and two kids will make it to Switzerland!

We were at the airport 2 1/2 hours early and thank goodness there was NO line. People watched us, laughed at us, while we tried to get all of the luggage from the middle of the road (where the very helpful hotel bus driver dropped us off with two kids and all the LUGGAGE) into the terminal. A very nice man did come to help us in! Bags checked, breakfast eaten, last minute food in backpacks, through security and off to D.C. Delayed in D.C., we were not sure if we were going to get to go. There were only 70 people checked in and the plane held 144 - after two hours and a gate change we were on our way. It worked out wonderfully.....Zach was asleep before we even took off! Really both kids slept most of the way. We arrived around 9 in the morning and managed to get everything to the where we were going to get the rental car. THEN.....we got to wait for 1 1/2 hours for two cars that were automatic and big enough to hold all of our bags - I really should have learned how to drive a stick!!!!

Here are the kids (they are hugging) with all the bags while we wait! We finally got the vans and then fit all of the bags in one van! The rest of the day was going to Nathan's office to pick up the keys to the house, going to the house to drop off most of the bags, and then finding the hotel. It was a long day!

Our LONG journey to Switzerland

This whole adventure actually started over a year ago. Nathan came home from work last November and told me about an opportunity that could come up and would relocate us to Switzerland. We briefly discussed it and we agreed that it was something he should pursue. It was not posted until late January, Nathan applied and after a few interviews and a month later - the job was his!!!! So yes, it has been a year in the making. After that things changed quickly, Nathan started working in Illinois, I started working full time, (thank goodness we have wonderful parents who came and helped get us through!), then a garage sale, a bat, lots of shots for the kids, a baby shower in Washington D.C., getting the house ready to sell, trips to Bartlesville, Switzerland, Bismarck, Atlanta, knee surgery for Nathan, and moving into an apartment when the movers came and leaving the country a month later than we thought! WOW - it is great to all be in the same house with our things - I really cannot say that enough! We feel very blessed to be in such a beautiful house in a beautiful place all together. The journey was long, frustrating at times but very worth it!

FINALLY CONNECTED!

We are finally connected to the outside world! It has been a process and we learned some new things, it only took two weeks and one french speaking technician to get the house up and running. But now looking back, it is probably good that we had to wait....I am not sure we would have gotten as much done. It is amazing what you get done when you have no internet, TV or phone. Here is a picture of the kids playing on their computers, they don't know what they are missing.

Things are going well. The house is coming along. We had 13 inches of snow the first week we were here. The kids LOVED it and we spent lots of time sledding (on boxes) and shoveling! I have cooked almost every meal except the few (and I mean only 4) times we have gone to "Donalds" because of being out! Nathan just started his third week of work. We have been to church the last two weeks, a work Christmas party for the kids and to IKEA at least 5 times. We are learning new things each day and enjoying our new house. I promise to post more tonight with pictures but I have to go empty the last three boxes so the movers can come pick them up in a few hours. Love to everyone and we miss you!