Jucker Farm

On a Saturday afternoon we headed over to Jucker Farm. We made it just in time to watch the pumpkin races, but not soon enough to actually get a good enough seat. They carve enormous pumpkins out and then row them along a course in the lake. The roarers are dressed up in silly costumes. We saw Santa, a piece of cheese, a flower, a witch, etc. All the announcing was done in German, but it must have been funny because the crowd was laughing:) So I laughed along too.

They take pumpkins a make them into things. This is a Swiss cow.

Don't forget the guy blowing the horn thing. We also saw a house, Matterhorn, a Swiss army knife, & a few others I can't recall.

This wasn't Clara's best outing, so thank goodness for Ice cream. Some days it's the only thing that can make her happy.

The kids each picked out a small pumpkin to take home.

It had been a long afternoon...for all of us.

All Alex wants is...

his two front teeth. It sure makes eating a lot messier. He usually has whatever he is eating from ear to ear!

Luzern-Cheese Festival

Back in September we decided to take a short train ride to Luzern and explore the city. I loved it! It started off great with a short (40 minutes) train ride where we could all hang out together without worrying about where to park or who is bothering who. Then in the train station there was a fun band playing to help get us all pumped up for what lay ahead.

Our first stop was the old town bridge. Parts had been burned down and rebuilt, but you could see a lot of the original bridge and art work that was made hundreds of year ago. The bad part about it was George stepping in fresh dog poop and rolling the stroller in it...we just couldn't get rid of that smell.

We walked though the street market and then headed to "old town". It was a steep climb up.

In "old town" we ate pizza (a bit of a mess) by the fountain and explored the paintings done on the buildings to make them look ornate.

After lunch it was hiking up to the old town wall. Where we climbed and climbed and climbed to get to the top and look out. They were pretty steep at points and I thought for sure one of us was going to trip and tumble all the way down.

At the top you would walk along the wall like they did long ago.

It was amazing to see how thick those walls were.

After another short walk and bathroom in a construction port-a-potty by the kids we went up yet another tower on the wall. This one was Sammy's favorite.

Alex climbed the little tower on top (which was full of bees) just so he could get a little higher.

Overlooking the city. George could't believe I let him sit up there like that. That little bar behind him would hold him right?:)

I had never seen a cow like this before...I am sure he is warm in the winter.

I asked Clara to pose with Mr. cow and she almost crossed the fence. I don't think they cow would have liked that much.

George did a lot of this during the day. Luzern is lovely, but not completely stroller friendly.

A sweet picture of the kids. I just love watching to swans too!

They all couldn't resist a chance to sit on the sheep...I think they were tired from all the walking.

We happened to visit Luzern during the Cheese Festival. George and Samantha took advantage of the event and went around tasting cheeses. I quickly took the other 3 away. Alex can't stand the smell of the cheeses and has been known to start gagging. :)

All three kids got a chance to try to milk a "cow". I helped Clara and it is much harder than it looks. They were impressed that Grandma Hobbs had milked a real cow before!



One last photo before we headed home on the train. It was a wonderful time (minus some Clara tantrums) and I can't wait to return and explore Luzern some more!

Allison Grace Update

So with this whole moving to another country thing poor Allison has been put on the back burner. But she has been such a sweet girl. She is 9 months and full of life. About a month ago she refused to take a binky. This has made bed time and teething tricky, but hopefully will be good in the end. Like most my kids, she hates to miss a party and will fight sleep until exhaustion! She is crawling all over and follows you if you leave the room. Her smile makes us all smile. She is adored by her brother and sisters. She says "bye-bye" and waves. We just love her!

Allison's first taste of baby food...rice cereal. I couldn't get it in there fast enough:)

Her first 4th of July and her last for 3 years!

Allison and Clara...Clara asks to hold her as soon as she wakes up.

Allison started rolling around and pushing herself backwards. She hated the hardwood floor while we had temp. furniture and was so grateful for rugs!

She spends so much time in this stroller...luckily she likes it for the most part. I guess as long as it's moving.

Alex was sick one Sunday, so Allison and I took him home. I used it as a chance to take her picture all dressed up. I just love her smile!

Clara & Allison are my little buddies and we go every where together. Her we are eating at Burger King. Allison has the bluest eyes out of the family.