June - July 2007 - Our Trip to the U.S.

Just one day after Rob's parents left, I hopped on an airplane to take the girls to the U.S. to see my family in Utah. It was not easy traveling alone with two young kids, I must say. The worst part was trips to the tiny airplane bathroom. All three of us would squish in there while I changed diapers! Our flight from Geneva was late, so we missed our connecting flight in New York, which left me dragging the girls and my luggage around JFK to find another flight. I get to do the same thing in August when we return for my brother Johnny's wedding. Yippee!

WITH THE FAMILY. . .

Anna Claire had the time of her life with her cousins Peter and Gretel (Margaret's kids). Here they are hanging out on the balcony of my parents' cabin.

Gretel was so nice to take Anna Claire around. They became great pals.

Margaret and I wore these exact pioneer costumes when we were girls -- except I had the puke green and turquoise one and Margaret got the purple and pink one. (Such was the story of my childhood -- always getting dressed in browns and greens, which I didn't enjoy. But now I realize that I look best in those colors!) We have a picture of Margaret and me sitting in these costumes in front of our house, just like this!

Let's dance a jig!

A rare photo of Anna Claire actually sitting still enough to smile!

Anna is fascinated by all the scooters and motorcycles in Europe and I had been promising her that Grandpa would take her for a ride when she got to "America". But once she was on, all she could say was "I don't like it, Grandpa". She did it anyway. What a trooper!

KERI'S WEDDING

Our trip coincided perfectly with my friend (of 22 years) Keri Wilcox's wedding. Here's a shot of her and our good friend Sarah Cannon Weaver. The same old teenage cuties . . . well, almost!

Clinton (Sarah's husband), the beautiful bride, Keri, her handsome new husband, Brent, and me.

LAKE POWELL

My entire family gathered for a mini-reunion at Lake Powell this year. With grandkids galore, the houseboat was a bit crowded, but the kids absolutely LOVED it. Anna Claire (our little instigator) kept Gretel and Peter up each night by running and hiding in the closet, then popping out to entertain them.

Riding on the boat with Grandpa Ken.

Row, row, row your boat with Uncle Franz and Peter. (Franz is actually a former crew competitor so he can really row.)

Okay, this swimming thing is not as fun as I thought it would be . . . too deep. "I don't like it!"

Back on the houseboat searching for fish.
Gretel and Mariah. (You might notice the helmet on Mariah's head. She has to wear this to correct her flat head. It doesn't bother her, but she sweats buckets in it -- especially in the searing heat of Lake Powell)

Hey guys, check me out -- I can sit now! The waves on this boat don't affect my superior balance.

Oh yeah! Mommy can still waterski after missing too many seasons being pregnant and/or with newborn child (or simply without access to a boat)!

My sisters Jane and CK. CK always looks like the Unibomber when we go out waterskiing and Jane follows suit. I guess it's paid off -- they both have porcelain, wrinkle-free skin!

The rest of us prefer to bake in the sun. From left: Margaret, Brendon (Rachel's husband), Johnny and Ashley (Johnny's fiancee -- a great new addition to the family!)

Chillin' with Aunt CK.

June 2007 - Rob's Parents' Visit

In mid-June, Rob's parents arrived and generously watched the girls for a few days while Rob and I took an anniversary trip (see below). Afterwards, we actually got to spend a few days seeing Switzerland with them. The girls absolutely loved having Grandma and Grandpa there. They generously watched the girls (again) while I went to present a paper at a conference in St. Petersburg. Apparently they had a fabulous time touring around Interlocken, but I have no pictures because they forgot to take the camera. (I'll have to get some photos Grandma and Grandpa took with their camera.

The girls had a ball with Grandma Judie and Grandpa Steve. They got spoiled with attention!

Anna Claire had lots of tea parties!

Mariah loved all the attention she got!

She had a special bond with Grandpa, who spoiled her with her favorite food -- milk!

Here we are in front of Chateau Chillon -- the romantic 12th century castle on Lake Geneva near Montreux.

Anna and Daddy hanging out by the window in Chateau Chillon.

We took a really fun boat ride with Grandma and Grandpa across Lake Geneva to Yvoire, France, a little medieval town with a tiny castle. We had to stop for crepes -- after all, it was France.

If you look carefully below, you can see our little town of Morges in the background.

This is great -- I get to hang out with Grandpa!

Strolling around the medieval town of Yvoire.

Oh "les jolie papillons" -- Oh the pretty butterflies!

The Garden of Five Senses in Yvoire (a medieval period garden). It was great, the "smell" section had leaves that smelled like chocolate and cinnamon!

Whew, all this fun is exhausting!

I couldn't help but add this picture. My darling Mariah in her fishie towel. She's getting so big!

June 2007 - Our Anniversary Trip to Provence

Rob's parents came out to visit in mid-June and kindly watched our girls while Rob and I headed to Provence for three days of sunshine, touring, biking and child-free bliss! Rob researched the whole thing and found a combination of romantic hotels in great biking areas. (Of course!)

Crillon Le Brave and Mt. Ventoux

First we headed to the tiny village of Crillon le Brave, where we stayed in converted rooms right next to the town church. (The church bells were right outside our window.) As the pictures show, Provence is just as golden as you can imagine. Sunshine just envelops the miles of verdant fields!

Of course, the first thing Rob wanted to do when we arrived is to climb Mt. Ventoux, a famous route in the Tour de France.

Unlike Alpe d'Huez, which was "epic", Rob described this Mt. Ventoux as "relentless". The vertical climb never let up, but I can tell you that Rob never let up either.This photo is deceptive. It looks like I biked the mountain too. I had planned to park at the top, bike down a bit, then back up, but I chickened out when I saw that the whole mountainside was steep shale starting about 8 km from the top. No thanks!Our little village of Crillon le Brave. Classic Provence!Check out the sunset view!

Orange, Gordes and Avignon

Next we headed to our next hotel, just outside of Gordes. On the way to Gordes we stopped in Orange (fitting name for the sun-baked region) and toured the Theatre Antique, the largest standing Roman Theater in Europe. It was fascinating to learn of the progression from high culture plays (Greek-type tragedies, etc.) to low culture plays (porn), which correlated with the downfall of Rome. In Gordes, we did a few picturesque bike rides. Yellow and white flowers were in bloom everywhere and the famed lavender fields, while not yet in full bloom, perfurmed the air. (Definitely motivation for me to bike up the hills.) This is a shot of Gordes.Here we are in front of the Abbaye de Senanque, which is surrounded by a sea of lavendar. The Abbaye from above.Here we are biking through the town of Gordes (obviously a self-timed photo). I must note that after all that biking, Rob took me out to a delectable million-course French dinner where we munched on escargots and too many cheeses to name. (By the way, we also spent a fabulous afternoon in Avignon where we toured the Papal Palace -- talk about EXCESS -- and danced on the Bridge of Avignon. But we left our camera so we've got no shots.)

Late May - Early June 2007

GRANDPA KEN'S VISIT

At the end of May my dad took a break from the MaxJet roadshow to come visit us at the end of May. The weather wasn't great, but we managed to do a fun bike ride around Lac de Joux. And Dad squeezed in an impromptu lecture on the airline business at IMD (a top business school located here). Everyone was impressed. Anna and Mariah had a ball with Grandpa Ken. This is the first time my dad had seen Mariah.

Biking around Lac de Joux.Note that Anna has her DVD player and Mariah has her binky -- two essentials for long bike trips.Hanging out with Grandpa Ken. . .They say I look like my grandpa. What do you think? We did a little geneology with a day-trip to Thun. This is Thun Castle, where our ancestor, a Mennonite preacher, was imprisoned before he subsequently was exiled to Germany. Dad and I took a photo with prisoners chains in one of the towers (I'll have to get that from him).Hangin' out in Thun. Mariah, the little bug, can't keep her hands still.The views around Interlocken -- gorgeous!Toodling around Morges with Grandpa. That's Morges Castle in the background. Okay Anna, if you won't ride your bike, Daddy is always up for a bike ride. I know you love Grandpa, Anna, but relax the hold a little!The main street of Morges on a Sunday afternoon. We love the Swiss way of keeping the Sabbath!Whew, I'm tired. Too much walking today!And Baby Mariah. . .hi guys, I can fly! Let's make cookies, measure and pour, let's stir and stir and make some more. . .Wake up sleepy heads!I'm awake, I don't know why you two aren't!Anna Claire with her new penguin backpack (a perfect birthday gift from Grandma Judie and Grandpa Steve).Mommy's glasses are so much cooler than mine!