Daddy's Birthday

Today we celebrated Rob's birthday. We now have 3 winter birthdays in our family. It's great because they provide a nice distraction from those cold, dreary months. I made Rob a "Velodrome cake". For all you non-cycling enthusiasts, a velodrome is an indoor biking center where cyclist ride around an oval bowl-shaped track. You can't see from this picture, but I purposefully "sank" this cake so that it took on the shape of a velodrome. I then used licorice to make the bike body, smarties and British smarties for the bike parts and a piece of cinnamon gum for the seat. The wafers are supposed to represent bleachers. Anyhow, the cake looked a little crazy, but tasted great. It was chocolate with carmelized butter icing -- great combination. Unfortunately, I didn't get great pics of the birthday night because I lost my camera. These are from Anna's camera.

The velodrome cake masterpiece.

Mariah helped Daddy blow out the candles. She and Anna are both very excited by birthdays and insist on helping with all aspects -- cake decorating (and snitching), crown-making, balloon-blowing, etc.

Tyler mostly slept through the whole celebration. But he looked really cute in his little "Swiss cow" outfit. The girls gave him a stuffed cow when he was born, and Mariah makes sure he takes it with him everywhere.

A Frosty Trip to Appenzell

The Appenzeller region of Switzerland is not just known for it's cheese -- but also because it's the heart of "cow" Switzerland -- the part full of rolling hills and cows on cowbells, made famous by the book "Heidi". We thought we'd explore the region a bit while Grandma Judie was here. Unfortunately, the day we went, it was FREEZING cold. We made it to the town of Appenzell, but all we wanted to do was stay inside the shops. The Folk museum there was quite interesting and had really elaborate costumes from the region. I really wanted to buy a darling fondue pot from one of the touristy stores, but I controlled myself for now. I definitely have to buy a real Swiss pot sometime before we leave.

Here we are, freezing to death. Notice, poor Tyler is in a pinkish-mauve snowsuit. I didn't want to waste money on a a new boy snowsuit that would only be used a couple months -- so the poor booy has to wear mauve. (Fortunately, after this, a friend of mine lent me a tan and blue one.)

Christina's Birthday Party

Anna's and Mariah's neighbor friend, Christina, had a birthday party at Planeta Magic, a favorite play place for the girls. Not only did they get to romp around in balls, they also got to eat junkfood and cake! I got to go too and enjoy myself while Rob's mom watched Tyler. What a treat!

All the fatty hotdogs and crisps you can eat!

Here is the Birthday Queen for a Day!

Daytrip to Luzern

Luzern, one of the most visited towns in Switzerland is just 35 minutes from our place. We finally decided to check it out. Of course, we had to get Tyler all bundled up for his first extended adventure into the cold Swiss winter.

Luzern is picturesque -- even in the cold, gray winter. It sits right on a lake and is full of old Swiss buildings.

Grandma and Mariah enjoyed walking along the Luzern lakefront.

Anna Claire got a bit tired of the cold and jumped into the stroller under a blanket to warm up. They are standing in one of Luzern's famous wooden bridges. They are full of beautiful paintings from the 1700's. Unfortunately, the bridge caught fire a few years ago, which scorched many of the original pantings. You can see where parts have been replaced with new wood.

Mariah enjoyed all the love and attention from Grandma as well.

A few days later, while Anna Claire was in pre-school, Grandma, Mariah, Tyler and I made a little trip to Rapperswil, a cute little cobble-stoned town across Lake Zurich.

Hanging out with Grandma Judie

Grandma Judie came to relieve me for a couple weeks after my mom left. She was such a great help! She absolutely adores newborns and has become an expert on anything concerning newborns -- feeding, burping, swaddling, etc. She is actually known in the family as the burp-nazi -- she is so insistent on getting babies to burp so their tummies don't hurt later--very helpful. Tyler felt right at home with her.

Of course, Anna and Mariah adored having Grandma Judie around too. She brought Valentines and cupcake decorations from the U.S. and the girls had a Valentines party. Mmmmm, mmmmm good!

Grandma Tia is Here!

My mom could not stay for long this time -- she's busy getting ready for a 3-year mission in Russia. However, she was still a trooper to fly all the way out here and deal with jetlag just to return a week later. Sadly, I was in the hospital most of the time she was here, so I only had 2 days with her. But Anna and Mariah loved having her around. She brought them new books and they made her read them all every night.

Books to Anna's heart's desire!

Did Frog and Toad really do that? . . . Let me see. . . No, let me see!

Tyler is kicking back with Daddy on the couch. See how nicely he takes that pacifier? Good boy!

Welcome to the World Baby Tyler!

Introducing Tyler Madden Woolley, our newest addition to the family.

He was born Saturday morning, January 17, at the healthy weight of 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Tyler has a legacy name. It is the name of Rob's grandfather, who passed away this year, and also Rob's middle name and his father's middle name. Madden is Rob's other grandfather's family name. This baby has a lot to live up to. We are absolutely thrilled he is here!

Here are a few pictures, not really great but something.

Hello World!
I was actually due on January 15 and I had terrible sciatica, so I begged my doctor to induce me. He agreed and I started with prostoglandin on Friday morning. Unfortunately, this didn't go so smoothly and the whole ordeal took 16 hours -- quite exhausting. But we are so glad to have him here healthy and sound.

Tired but Proud Parents. . .
The girls came to visit later in the morning. They brought their baby dolls so that they could show Baby Tyler their babies too. When they realized that Tyler wasn't as interactive as they expected, they lost interest and just ran around the room. Anna also asked me "Why is your tummy still big?"

A first visit from two happy big sisters.

You will note that Tyler is not wearing the typical blue-and-white-striped swaddling blanket that is worn by most babies born in U.S. hospitals. (Who controls that blanket monopoly anyway?) Oh no, the Swiss do it their own way. No swaddling or hard beds. Instead, the baby wears cute little pajama clothes, sleeps on a soft mattress and is surrounded by puffy comforters. They don't seem to get smothered as they warn you in the U.S. However, things did get a little funny when they brought him to me Saturday morning all dressed in pink with a little pink cap. (I guess pink is okay for European guys, right?) I sent him back, requesting blue or yellow.

Baby Tyler snuggling all comfy in his soft bed.

Daddy bonding time with his new son.

My mom has been a lifesaver, as usual. She flew out Thursday evening, which worked out perfectly for us. She's been taking care of the girls non-stop ever since, despite her jetlag.

Yeah, Grandma's here.
Did I mention that I'm hanging out in luxury? I'm in a private Swiss clinic that is more like a hotel than hospital. Every meal is gourmet and delicious and I get to stay here 5 days while nurses care for my baby (if I want it). I'm getting a little restless, but I'm going to take advantage of this break as much as I can before I'm home alone with 3 kids!

We're waiting, baby, we're waiting. . .

Here I am, 50 pounds overweight and ready to pop. . .This baby needs to come soon.

I Wish My Freezer Were Bigger Than a Shoebox

Okay, so I admit it, I'm nesting. I'm 2 days away from my actual due date and I'm dying to get this baby out. I've already cleaned and organized things several times over. I keep buying loads of groceries, thinking that I need to stock up in case I have to go to the hospital. The only problem is, this has been happening for 3 weeks. That means I have to keep cleaning and organizing and restocking food. I love the fact that all the food in Switzerland is fresh, fresh, fresh. But this freshness creates a problem -- perishable goods last 3-4 days max. Well than, just freeze it, you say. This is a problem too. Most freezers here are just about the size of a shoebox. Why? I have no idea.

Quote of the Day

Daddy: Anna, are you going to go to Harvard Business School or Stanford Business School?
Anna Claire: Silly Daddy, I'm going to go to kindergarten.

Happy Birthday Mariah!

We celebrated Mariah's 2nd birthday today. Partly because of Anna's enthusiasm, Mariah has been looking forward to this day for awhile. She told everyone at church today "I 2-years-old." I sent some cupcakes (sans frosting) to her nursery class so that they could all celebrate with her. We are so glad to have Mariah bring sparkle to our lives. At dinner, we went around the table talking about all the things we like about Mariah. Daddy said he liked her enthusiasm, her willingness to snuggle, her infectious laugh and her independence ("No, I do it!" "No, I sing it."). I said that I liked that she was such a healthy eater (As I said this, she stole my green beans--she can't get enough of them.), that she was truly sensitive to others' feelings (she brings Anna her blanket when she gets hurt), and that I love her hippety-hop skip. Anna Claire said that she liked that Mariah played with her and did lots of fun things with her. We truly love you Mariah!

Here is the birthday girl blowing out the candles!

I made Mariah a white kitty cat cake with pink strawberry flavoring inside. She loves kitties right now and crawls around the house saying "meow, meow". It is always tricky making cakes here because the ingredients are different. I wanted sugared coconut, but they only have dry, unsweetened coconut here so I ended up adding a touch of milk to make the powdered sugar stick, then toasting it. It wasn't quite the same as the American kind, but it worked.

Here is little Mariah showing the train wreck in her mouth.

"Hey, Mariah, I can do that too."

Opening gifts -- the first one was a kitty cat, of course. But her big gift was a backpack for school. Mariah begins her first day of pre-school tomorrow.

Once There Was a Snowman. . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

We rang in the New Year last night with a family pajama party. After eating dinner at our local American diner -- Cindy's -- we headed home to eat banana splits and popcorn while watching "Dumbo". All of us were tuckered out by about 8:00pm. I crashed before midnight -- but was quickly awoken by all the fireworks and churchbells ringing around our neighborhood. Normally, the Swiss are extremely protective of the peace -- but apparently not when ringing in the New Year.

This morning, Rob made us a delicious pancake breakfast, complete with Mickey Mouse pancakes for the girls. I didn't know he was so talented at tossing flapjacks. Then he took the girls outside to build a snowman in the fresh snow.

Sledding -- The Real Deal

For a little New Years Eve fun, we went sledding with friends in a place called Filisur, not far from Davos. This is not the hike-up-the-hill-and-sled-down kind of stuff that I did growing up. No, we rented special toboggans and took a 25-minute train ride to get to the top of the sled run. Then, the sled run itself was several kilometers. For a thrill-seeker like me, it was heaven (especially given that I haven't skiied this year and won't until the baby comes). I loved it! Of course, I'm so huge right now (at 8 1/2 mos) that I could barely fit into my ski pants -- and I couldn't zip them up at all, not even a centimeter. We did the run twice. The girls loved the first run, but, by the second time, Mariah was exhausted. She cried the entire way down, so Rob cruised down at lightening speeds to try to get her back to the car. As luck would have it, she crashed spread-eagle on the sled while Rob was pulling her on the flat part at the end of the run.
Exhilarating but exhausting!

The Princesses

It felt like Christmas again today when we received a package from Ken and Joy and family. It was full of fun toys and princess dresses! The girls were ecstatic. Anna donned a blue princess dress and decided to play Sleeping Beauty. I was the handsome prince who rescued her from her eternal sleep with true love's kiss.
Then Sleeping Beauty had to dance to the song "I Know You, I Danced With You Once Upon a Dream".

Mariah chose to kick back in her purple princess dress and read a book.

Playtime!

Today we took the girls to a playcenter not far from our house. There were balls everywhere -- a kids dream. There were hardly any kids around, due to the holidays, so we basically had the place to ourselves.

Anna snuggling with the balls.

Mariah wanted to do it too!

Daddy completely covered himself in balls. I didn't try this -- I don't think any amount of balls could possibly cover my belly.

Come on, Mariah, let's go down!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Because we aren't with family this year, we thought this Christmas would be relaxing. Not so. After presents in the morning, we had the missionaries over for brunch. Then we spent the whole afternoon and evening skyping with family. It was almost as good as being there! However, I'm beginning to realize that I'll never have a relaxing Christmas until my kids grow up. Anna and Mariah awoke early, ready to see what this Christmas brought. Anna is really starting to get the whole concept of gifts. This year, we tried to put a lot more focus on Christ and her gift to Jesus. (She says her gift to Jesus this year is to share her toys with Mariah.) But still, every kid loves Christmas gifts!

Here Mariah, I'll open your stocking for you. Ooooh, lots of chocolate!

Opening presents by the tree. Ooooh, look at these new games and books!

One thing that Anna asked for was a princess crown for Mariah so that they could both have crowns. But then she also wanted pink Sleeping Beauty princess shoes herself. They both ended up with matching pink and blue princess shoe, crown and purse sets.

The big gift this year was a little wooden kitchenette set. Rob and I had quite the time putting it together. It came in one of those flat pack IKEA-type boxes, with just boards. Plus, we discovered we were missing a piece. Fortunately, I purchased it at a wooden toy factory outlet. All I had to do was go back to the factory, where they had loads of extra pieces. Fortuitously, the girls' cousins, the Allens, gave the girls aprons for Christmas, which fit perfectly with our little set. Here the girls are getting their first cooking lesson from Daddy, which included teaching them how to CLEAN UP.

Mariah with her new baby doll --- naptime after a busy Christmas morning.

It's Sledding Time. . .

Because I am so pregnant, we are staying in Zurich for Christmas this year. But there are loads of fun things to do around here. For Christmas Eve, we went sledding with some American friends of ours who live just 10 minutes from a ski resort. It was a bit icy, so our sleds just flew down the hill. Rob did some pretty crazy runs! I was a little more cautious out of fear of falling on my enormous belly. Both Anna and Mariah were fearless!!!

Our photos are not so great because my camera was running out of juice and I couldn't get a good action shot. But here are Daddy and Anna cruising down the hill.

They were followed by our friend Erin and her fearless daughter Rachel.

Cooperation works best: Anna and her friend Danny dragging the sled back up the hill.