Halloween

We got home from Switzerland and jumped right into Halloween festivities. The first day we were back we went to our ward Trunk-or-Treat. The boys had so much fun. James very quickly caught on to the idea and shyly held out his little bag every time we got to a new car. Thatcher decided he wanted to be Buzz and he wanted James to be Woody. They were the cutest duo and I am the worst mom because I didn't take any pictures. They were hilarious all night during dinner and the other activities. It was good for us to be back and the boys were happy too.

The next night we had an adult Halloween party with all our friends. We didn't have time to put together a fabulous costume so we went as a cowgirl and cowboy, but our friends definitely went all out and there were some pretty fabulous costumes. We had a great time even though we came home early because I was falling asleep mid-conversation.

On Sunday afternoon we went to a friends house for a great Halloween dinner with pumpkin casserole baked in a pumpkin and other tasty foods.

Then on Monday, Halloween, we went downtown to the Flagstaff Halloween carnival. The boys went trick-or-treating at different stores aorund downtown and got to do some fun carnival games and win prizes. That night Thatcher had decided that Woody was a much cooler costume than Buzz and so both boys went as Woody (James was a little less convincing because he wouldn't leave his hat on).

It was a fun Halloween, but exhausting considering our jet lag and just getting home from our trip!

Switzerland: all the rest

The last two weeks in Switzerland involved a lot of the same (ie. eating, cooking, grocery shopping, more eating and cooking, etc.), but they were great and we still made a lot of memories:

- I got to go to the Bern temple with my mom and her friend. It cost over $15.00 to rent temple clothes, crazy, huh? I was able to listen to the session in French and the veil workers only spoke French which made it fun too. An Italian temple worker stopped a lady who spoke French and had her tell me in French that he thought my eyes were beautiful. I love how nice members of the church are

- Kelly and I went shopping downtown and had lunch. Mom gave us some money to spend and we had a nice time.

- Playing outside whenever it was nice enough, playing in the sandbox, and going on walks.

-Dinner at Mongolian BBQ: I ate more than any human should eat at one sitting, but it was so good and so worth it.

-Thatcher: “Don’t say no to James mom”

-James and his obsession with wearing his blanket over his head

-The boys jumping off the couch onto the mattress…ALL DAY

-James and his crazy vocabulary. He is talking so much.

-How much the boys love to ride on buses, trams, trains, and boats. They talk about it all the time and love it. It is the first thing James talks about when he wakes up and all he wants to do.

-Trying Raclette (a traditional Swiss dinner of potatoes and cheese) at a ward dinner.

-Spending the day with my mom (and no boys) shopping and hanging out around Bern.

-Trying lots of new recipes and trying to help mom navigate the grocery stores (my French helped a lot, but it is still impossible to find a lot of things). I shared a bunch of my favorite recipes with my mom, but I think I am also coming home with at least five new ones that we tried and loved (thank you Pinterest).

-All the hot chocolate, bread, and cheese we have eaten. It brought me back to my mission days (and confirmed why I gained so much weight).

-We have had lots of snuggle time since we have been here. I love having down time with my boys.

-Bath time has become a favorite. The boys have always loved it, but now James will instigate it sometimes multiple times a day. He will tell me he wants to take a bath and then start undressing himself.

-Thatcher has been really homesick and talks a lot about his yellow house and his toys. I am surprised he has missed it as much as he has and it has been kind of sad. He has still been happy though and we will be home soon!

-Thatcher being a baby dinosaur. He will come out of the baby dinosaur’s stomach (the inside of a big toy they have on the family trains) and then crawl around telling us that he was born.

-Seeing Thatcher make friends with kids that don’t speak his language. It is so funny to see how he still communicates and plays with them. What a great skill.

Switzerland: Lake Thun

October 12

This was my last day to use my Swiss pass which was such a great thing…so use it we did. We took a train to Thun then hopped on a boat to Spiez. The boat ride was incredible with views of amazing buildings along the lakefront, snow-covered alps in the distance, and green hills everywhere else. It was so incredible we decided to take the boat back to Thun instead of getting a train right in Spiez. While in Spiez we got a great lunch right on lake where there was a playground for the kids to play on. James and Thatcher make friends wherever they are and this day was no exception. After making two little friends while eating ice cream Thatcher came up to me and said, “I only speak English”…I thought that was pretty cute. It was really a perfect and relaxing outing. We got back before too late and then Kelly watched the boys while Keith, mom and I went out to dinner. It was a great day.

Switzerland: Geneva

Tuesday, October 18

This was a very memorable day for me. I woke up early and caught a tram at 6:30, then a train at 7:00. By 9:00 I was in Geneva meeting Soeur Hlimi (now Rebecca Paya) at the Geneva airport where she had just flown in. We eventually figured out the bus situation and made our way into the Old Town and walked around for a while. We saw some of the sights there to see like St. Peter’s Cathedral and some other significant buildings, then we had some fabulous chocolate banana tarts that Rebecca said she craved the entire time she was on her mission. We walked down by the waterfront and the jet d’eau and then found a cool place to have lunch. We stayed in the restaurant for the longest time just talking. Then we walked around some more and got hot chocolate and treats at a Starbucks (my first time in a Starbucks and it was in Switzerland). We saw some cool things (including the United Nations buildings), ate way too much food, and spent a really great day just catching up on life and reminiscing about our missions (all in French, which was really fun for me). It was so good for me to be with her. She had such a huge influence on my mission and on my French. She was a huge answer to prayers after a rough start and we shared a lot of amazing as well as a lot of fun experiences together.

She is an incredible person and I left that day feeling like she had really helped put life back into perspective for me. She serves so selflessly in the church. She has sacrificed so much to be a good wife to her husband. She has put her life in the Lord's hands and knows that he will provide. I don't have the faith that she does (especially when I am facing trials), but being with her helped me remember what is most important. It is all about people and relationships, about trusting in the Lord and his timing, and about serving (and being prepared to serve) in his Church. She is an amazing friend and one I am blessed to have in my life. I hope I get to see her again before I have grandkids!