SummitOnTheSummit.com Climb Tracker

As some of you already know, Jacob is going to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in February. He is not going with the famous people on the Summit on the Summit climb, but it was cool to see that they are hiking "Kili" as well. He donated some money on the 19,042 foot, on summitonthesummit.com to help give kids in Africa clean drinking water. You can see it on the website by clicking the banner. Too bad donating won't get him to the top...just keep on training honey. :-)

We have a climber!

I don't think any parent is ever ready for this. . . I sure wasn't. We have a climber and she isn't quite 15 months old yet. She really thinks that she is invincible. I mentioned it in my last blog post, thinking that we could make a positive out of it, but yesterday at about 4pm, I heard a cry and scream from the family room and she had slightly twisted her foot it seemed like. She limped around for the rest of the evening and some of this morning, but sure enough this afternoon she was back at it and requesting help to go over the couch cushion like her brother likes to do. In this picture, she got there all by herself. She has figured out how to stand on the horse rail and then climb up to the ottoman. I don't know why I didn't think of this before this moment, but I probably just need to rearrange some furniture so that she can't climb up that high. A few other climbs (in the bathroom and in the kitchen) were discovered during the day as well. I am going to have to start closing doors to rooms so that I can have a better eye on what she is doing all of the time. . . which usually tends to be her climbing on top of something!

Jacob's iPhone Pictures and updates

I love some of the pictures that Jacob has taken with his iPhone.

Chloé at 1 year and 1 month. Jacob took her hiking up the mountain near where we live. I think that it is sweet that he got this shot when it was just the two of them. I never seem to have as good of luck catching such a sweet still picture. Abram went hiking with Jacob this past weekend. They found a hiking stick, but it bent too much in the middle, so then they found this straighter one. They left the hiking stick at the end of their hike so that someone else might be able to use it when they hike.The boys at the beginning of their hike last weekend. Abram got to ride in the pack for a lot of it.
Of me on our most recent trip to the Bern Switzerland Temple. It was Saturday, September 12th. My dear friend, Christina Clayton, watched our kids starting at 6am in the morning so we could go and get back before 12noon!
A few random updates on our children:

1) Chloé started saying her own name yesterday. It sounds like "Go-gee" when she says it. For the last week and a half now, Chloé has become quite the little parrot - repeating whatever words you say. Some of her recent words that heavily come from her brother's interests are "domino" and "bumblebee".

2) She also has started climbing to new heights. This morning she climbed up to stand on Abram's tall bathroom stool which even makes her tall enough to fill a cup with a little water to drink. I am sure that this will only be helpful with brushing teeth time. She is so proud of herself when she figures out that she can do something that her big brother can do. (Chloé has just tapered down to taking only one nap a day. . . I am not quite sure how it happens that my three year old has three hour naps still and she is just taking 1-1.5 hour naps. Isn't she younger and the one who should be sleeping more? That is not how it is going around here though.)

3) Abram stopped calling us "mama" and "daddy". We are afraid that a recently viewed t.v. show that is since banned from our house, helped him make the switch to "mom" and "dad". Jacob has been especially sad about this change and he continues to work on getting our three year old back to calling us "mama" and "daddy".

4) I made the tough decision to discontinue Abram's French preschool attendance (starting in January). There are a few rowdy boys in his class (and I am sure he is one of them), but I think it is hard for the two teachers of 15 children to redirect these boys as much as they might need it. It has seemed like Abram has been torn between joining in with them and trying to stay away from them as well. While he is still just three, I will step up as his mom and try to guide his behavior and learning more for the rest of the school year. He is a great kid, but as he is only three, I see where my role as his mom means helping him be his best.

5) I am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas time coming up. It is time to start preparing for all of the festivities!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Geneva Ward Halloween Party 2009! We had fun! Abram inspired our family's ensemble. Super Daddy, Super Mommy, Super Abram and Super Chloé.

We had a distinguished guest who flew into Geneva for the occasion - secret serviceman Greg Christensen

Super Abram and Wyatt from Super Why (Ansel)
Trick-or-treating upstairs. Jacob in his Super Daddy cape and can you see Cinderella giving out candy (my good friend Shirlee Keddington)?
Abram with Kado, the Transformer. . . Optimus Prime. His mommy, Harmony, made his costume - we loved it!
Chloé being greeted by Wonder Woman - Elsa
My good friend, Alma, the zebra
Abram with Dr. Caine (Sam's grandpa really is a doctor at the University of Utah hospital)
Super hero buddies - Super Abram and Spiderman Jake

For the children's activities, I helped with a reading room where the little ones could come and read Halloween books and lounge on fun Halloween pillows that I had made. I just sewed up 1/2 yard fabric pieces that were Halloween themed into pillowcases and stuffed a few pillows in each - sorry forgot to take a picture of that.

Fall Zurich Day Trip

We haven't visited a pumpkin patch in the fall since we moved to Switzerland. Our plans to do so have been thwarted the past two years at least. So when last Saturday looked like it would be a beautiful fall day and we had no other plans, we packed in the car to Zurich for a day trip and to fulfill Jessi's request to visit a pumpkin farm this year!!! Our first stop was to the pumpkin farm, Jucker Farm. They had a Noah's ark theme display this year.

So much for photogenic. Only those with small children know just how difficult it is to get a good shot! I thought this one was comical - Abram acting like a penguin perhaps, and Chloé needing a nap!This one's a little better. That is a Swiss Gourd Cow behind us. Animal's head cut off in the picture - better though.
A Swiss pumpkin cow - the children with Daddy.
Jucker Farm had goats too!

Chloé reached up and picked out her very own pumpkin.
Playing chase around and through Daddy's legs.

A pretty scene outside their store/restaurant.

We went to downtown Zurich at lunch time, had bratwurst, and fed the ducks/swans.

Abram throwing the bread; Chloé eating the bread.

They were having the annual Zurich church area Halloween Carnival that afternoon. Here are the children debuting their Halloween costumes this year: ballerina (who "dances" on request) and Superhero Abram (super power: super fast). I made Abram's trick-or-treat bag.

Abram got to play Roman soldiers and superheroes with his buddy, Joseph, who moves back to his homeland of Sweden later this month.Abram playing missionary bowling - the booth put on by the missionaries.

Happy Halloween this week!!!