Thanksgiving, December and Christmas!

Merry Christmas from us!  Here is our most recent family picture taken in November.

Attempts at posing the children.  I love how Hans is trying to squint his eyes like his brother and sister always seem to do :)

Hans, almost holding still.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends on Thursday, actual Thanksgiving Day, at the Jeppson Home.  Although it is not a holiday that Jacob gets off here in Switzerland, he was able to get work off a little early so that we could enjoy it with the Jeppson and Gourley families.  It was really nice to celebrate Thanksgiving on ACTUAL Thanksgiving Day this year.  

We also had a Thanksgiving feast on Sunday evening and invited the Nordlin Family, two single girls who were studying in Zurich for a semester, and the Missionaries in our ward.

Daddy and Daughter on Thanksgiving "Sunday".

The Twilight moving "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" premiered here in Switzerland a week later than it did in the U.S.  The Monday following Thanksgiving, I went with several girlfriends to see it.  It was so fun to see it with girlfriends!

Abram's Kindergarten picture that we just got.  

Jacob couldn't believe we now have a school-aged little boy!

I went running along the lake a few weeks ago (yes, I really should make more of a habit of it!).  Before I turned for home, I snapped a shot on my phone.  I heart Zurich.

The beginning of December brought Swiss Christmas traditions and lots of Grittibanz!  They even have a special counter in the grocery store here in Switzerland for the purchase of these sweet bread men during the first week of December.  I love my dimpled 5 year old boy with his Grittibanz he made at Kindergarten.

For the first time since we have been here in Switzerland, we went as a family to the forest to see Samichlaus.  We took the bus and the tram from our house, through the city, and then into a forest.  Notice the sign that tells us which way to Samichlaus.

Our 25 minute walk through the forest.

Once we arrived at Samichlaus' hut, 

Abram climbed the ladder to peak in at Samichlaus' sleeping quarters.

Samichlaus' invites his guests in to his hut/cottage/husli.  We listened to him tell a story about "yesterday when he was very hungry and he ate some star cookies".  Abram understood more than Jacob and I did, but hopefully we understand even more of his story next year :)

Sure enough, as we headed home, there were more Samichlauses along the Bahnhofstrasse.  Here is my personal favorite, the Lindt & Sprungli Samichlaus.  Hans meeting and greeting Samichlaus.

For the month of December, we continued our visits to our village farm. Every time we went, there was an advent door to open, telling what the Zwergs (elves???) had been up to.  On this day, Abram translated for us that the Zwerg had been cutting out so many stars that his hand began to hurt.

Hans making a mad dash to visit his farm animal friends.

The goat that Hans likes to kiss :)

Since the end of August, I had been enrolled in a German class that was offered by the local city/community government.  My teacher, Marianne Gerber, was fantastic.  I must also mention the fantastic babysitting service that class offered that Chloe and Hans learned to love.  Since completing the class in mid December, I have found that Hans is a great block stacker and that both Hans and Chloe can sit and play with a small set of toys for a very long time.  Here is Chloe and Hans with one of the two wonderful babysitters that loved and cared for them 4 hours each week over the last four months.

Ward Nativity reenactment.  Abram loved being a sheep/horse/goat.

We went to Trampolino for the first time for a friend's birthday party.  Lots of indoor fun.

We visited the "Zurich America Center" - American Consolate here in Zurich.  Abram needed to get his passport renewed.  His passport expires next month - which means that we have almost lived in Switzerland for 5 years.

Hans officially joined the Nursery at church.  And Chloe had her last time in Nursery.  It was sweet that they got to enjoy Nursery together for at least a few times.  I can't believe Chloe won't be playing dollies and jumping in the balls at church anymore.

Already posted to my Facebook, but here is Hans, our tortilla monster.  He growled and everything.

And Hans, finding those glass balls on the tree to be too irresistible.  I think the final shatter count was 5.  He learned to leave them alone :)

Trying rag curls in Chloe's hair for the first time.  Ever since she was very small, she has been very patient and still to wait for me to finish her hair.

We DID get some snow just 4 days before Christmas.  Abram and his friend Charlie got right out in it to sled and build a snowman.  Just three days before Christmas, the rain fell and fell and fell though, so we had a green Christmas this year in Zurich.

Just a few days before Christmas, we walked over to the Lindt Sprungli Chocolate Factory to one of their open house chocolate sampling and demonstrations.  It was beautiful and delicious!

 Chloe eyeing the truffles.

 Abram admiring the milk and dark chocolate in his sample.

 A beautiful sink, hand washing station outside of the demonstration room.

 A chocolatier tapping the chocolate out of the bear chocolate mold.

 Chloe and Abram and Bear at the Christmas Market this year.

 What I ended up gifting family friends for Christmas this year.  

What I ended up gifting teachers this year.  I stitched up these owls and then stuffed them.  

Christmas even morning.  Decorating the windows at home.

What we are always sad to miss back in Utah.

But our Christmas Eve was still wonderful.  We were invited to share Christmas Eve dinner with the Jeppson Family and their family that was visiting from the U.S.  We had a wonderful ham dinner and then chocolate fondue.  Here are our three as they prepared for the Christmas Nativity reenactment.  We appreciate the Jeppsons for hanging in there with our active little ones during the reenactment!

 Christmas morning.  Abram made a clock at school and we opened it on Christmas morning.

 Chloe trying on her new princess outfit from her cousin, Bekah.

 Hans checking out his new swiss wooden car from Daddy

 Our three little ones on Christmas morning.

 Hans, captivated by his new Transformer from Grandpa and Grandma Berg

 Chloe's new IKEA kitchen.

 Abram's new sled with a steering wheel.

 Hans' new IKEA slide.

 Abram and Chloe in their new presents from their Berg cousins, Ray and Bekah.

 Kids playing Hullaballoo - a gift from Frank and Emily.  The kids loved it!  Also, notice our Christ picture finally hanging above the piano again!

 And here was a gift for Jacob (and all of us).  Finally. . . pictures of all of our family up on our family room wall!  I had to improvise a bit because I couldn't find foam board for sale here in Switzerland.  I ended up using a large flat piece of styrofoam, slicing it, and hot glue gunning everything together.  They were super light weight which was great, so that we could hang them from some artificial flowers.

So relieved to finally have a new post up!  Now on to a Happy New Year!