Männlichen, not really.

Last Saturday we went to Grindelwald.  I was hoping to finally get to First, but it was under a cloud.  So instead we went towards Männlichen.

Tree on a roof.

My family is so so so so cute!

When we made Ethne carry the backback and pull Orrin up the trail.

Where we stopped and  ate our snacks and waved at the people in the little mountain train going by.

Just another idyllic day in Switzerland right?  Actually it started out super lame because Brett and I had a difference of opinion about how much to spend on cablecars to go up to certain places (such as Männlichen or Kleine Scheidegg).  Brett's opinion was none.   My opinion was, 'who cares-this is probably our last Saturday in the Swiss Alps ever!'  But Brett just started going (it was a bit of a miscommunication) so I had little choice but to go with him, and it happened to be a really lame SUPER-steep hill for the first while and I was so mad.  We got snarky, we got to a cross-roads type place and Brett said, 'fine we'll do whatever you say' and I was like, 'no you won't, why do you always have to put me in this position, blah blah blah.'  Not exactly quality time.  But we did finally manage to pull it together and we did truly have a good time after a bit.  It was a gorgeous day, and if I had just left you with the pictures you would have thought everything was peaceful, charming, and beauteous.  And it was.  Mostly.  :)

Good night.

Last Sunday (I think) we drove to a field and laid on a blanket and watched the air show.

 

This is my boyfriend running to give me a kiss!  Isn't he the cutest puckery-lipped boy in the universe?!!?!?!

Ewww, I stuck my finger in mud and now it's all muddy!

Orrin's poor scraped-up back.

 

Ethne went to a birthday party where they got to go to a bakery and braid some bread.  That's the awesomest idea!

 

Facebook Status backlog:

So Hazel just came out of her room sleepy and squinty-eyed to go to the bathroom, and she muttered to me, "i muss au wc" (or however it is you spell that in Swiss-German). I was like, "What?" and she said it again, and then I started laughing because apparently she sleeps in Schwizerdütsch. 

Tip of the day: Don't eat tons and tons of chips and guacamole right before going through your closet to decide what to bring with you on your move and what to throw out, or you might find yourself a little perturbed that the ONLY shirt that actually 'fits' is a stray maternity one that happens to still be in your closet.
That or do some sit-ups occasionally.

p.s. Homemade guacamole is worth it though.

Jethro came home with his first English test--guess his grade? a B!!! Man oh man we laughed at him.
However, we looked at the things that were marked wrong, and at LEAST one of them wasn't actually wrong (Bilingual people-- 'Wir sind erfreut, hier zu sein.' and he put 'We're happy to be here.' And another one we're not sure on, 'Er ist an einem Studentenaustausch.' he put 'He's in a student exchange.' and the teacher said it should be ON instead of IN, which I think is less correct.)
Anyway, the things he really got wrong were an apostrophe in the wrong place and capitalizing a noun that wasn't proper. I said that he and Hazel are going to have a hard time with that when they get back to the States (because in German you capitalize every noun instead of only proper nouns). But Brett said, "No they won't--they just have to say they're only going to capitalize proper nouns and then do it. It's what I have to do when I'm writing in German--I remember to capitalize every noun." And I said, "One hundred percent of the time? You NEVER forget?" and he said, "No. Because a little red line comes under the word on my screen and reminds me." HA haa!! Hilarious.

Found inside a notebook entitled 'Ethne Bell's Storiebook' (although written by Hazel):
Once upon a time there was a boy who was wittling a stick. Even though his hands were occupied his lips were itching for a kiss.

Due to the public's clamor, Segment 2 of Hazel's story:
Then he saw a frog and he dropped his stick and started walking to the frog but stopped. 'Kissing frogs is for girls' he thought, and chucked a rock at it instead. Since he had lost his stick he stood on his head. While he stood on his head he forged a plan. When he finished he fell on his head laughing--he had a brilliant plan!

   

This morning I told my kids about lucid dreaming- which is when you figure out that you're dreaming while you're dreaming, and can then (hopefully) control things or intentionally do different things in your dream. Without being asked or prompted Jethro yells, "I'd fly an F-18!" And Hazel yells, "Then I could go to Hogwarts!"
So there you have it, Jethro and Hazel's deepest desires. All I wanted to do was fly. Not an F-18, just like a bird (which I already do in my dreams fairly frequently, but I'd like to do it all the time).

Hazel, on the subject of the regular lice-checks they have at school:
"The first time they had those when I was in Kindergarten and couldn't understand German very well, I thought I was getting a shot.
(Poor thing, I can just picture her cowering in fear, waiting for the shot, wondering when it will come...)
I had weirder ideas too, like they were scanning my head."

Orrin comes up to me and says in his cute little three-year-old voice, "Whadup dog? Jethro told me to say that. It means hi."

Today I asked Orrin how old he is and he said, "Seben I can fight!"

Talking to my sister about renewing vows, and how it's not super common among our set, and sister says that it IS customary, however, to have big 50th wedding parties. And I was like, yeah, but you're like 75 years old by then, and she's like, "Except you-- you'll be about 40." And I kind of love that I'll be about 40 at my 50th wedding anniversary.