December Getaway

December is nearly over and I am ready for a nap...a big one. With the new baby, Afton's b-day, and the craziness associated with Christmas- this month was exhausting. There were parties, concerts, Clara's baby blessing, and a 3 day stretch where Andrew was away. I'd like to say that I handled everything like a pro, but that would be a lie. Things got a little stressful and mommy got a little crazy, but we survived!

One non-stress thing we did was take a 3 day trip to the Alps. It was extremely relaxing, and for a woman with a newborn baby who barely left the house during the last 6 six weeks, it was perfect.

We went to Hasliburg, Switzerland and stayed in a chalet owned by the Swiss National Bank. The place was awesome- there was an indoor pool, a restaurant, a playroom, TV room, and mounds and mounds of snow right outside our door. It was lovely, and now that we are the proud owners of some snow chains, we just might need to go back.

Below is the cute little market where we walked to get our groceries (we stayed in an apartment with a kitchen).

3 little thugs in the "taxi" to take us to another town. We likely would have died if we tried to drive ourselves- those mountain roads were crazy.

Clara was the warmest of us all. She wore 3 bunting outfits and just like Ralph from a Christmas Story, her arms wouldn't go down.

I'd say that Andrew was the least warm.

We stopped at a few little towns on the way home-

-and we were reminded once again of just how beautiful Switzerland is.

Baby Blessing

On December 18th Andrew gave Clara her baby blessing at our church. Without any immediate family present we were fortunate enough to have Andrew's good friend Bryan come and join us. Bryan and Andrew were best buds in high school, and Bryan moved to Heidelburg, Germany the same time we moved here. Andrew of course gave Clara a beautiful blessing and it was a lovely weekend- even with Andrew and Bryan sometimes reverting to their high school selves.

I'm submitting this gem below to awkwardfamilyphotos.com



Clara in her blessing dress- the same one Afton wore. Thank you Aunt Coco!

And a couple more pictures of Clarabelle. That's right, the inevitable nickname "Clarabelle" is already being used. That, as well as "Clarinet" (thanks Abby!) and "Clara Platz" (a place in Basel).

The Big 0-3

Afton, oh, Afton.

I love this child fiercely, but man, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her 2nd year of life was relatively easy, but the third year is proving to be a bit more difficult. The term "tiny tyrant" seems to sum her up nicely these days. Some things she does are laughable- like telling the boys to close their eyes during a prayer ("Close your eyes Sam!"). Other things...not so much.

But I digress. This is her birthday post, and a *positive* birthday post she shall get. She is still pretty awesome and these are some of the things I love about her-

• She sleeps with a dino. Need I say more?

• She is an amazing hiker. Homegirl can out-hike her brothers any day of the week. It cracks me up seeing her march up a hill without stopping once.

• She is tone deaf. Andrew insists that she is too young for me to make such statements, but there is no getting around this. It's pretty funny to hear Afton sing her little heart out off key.

• She has been playing with the same figurines-nonstop- since August. My mom gave Afton princess figurines over the summer, and they keep that child occupied for hours upon hours every single day.

• She will watch period pieces with me. Afton has no problem watching Downton Abby, or Pride and Prejudice. The picture below was taken while she was watching a dance scene from BBC's Emma. She was in raptures over it.

• She lives to be funny. Afton loves to make us laugh and after doing or saying something she frequently asks, "Was that funny?" She also loves to join in laughing with the boys... even when she has no idea what they are laughing about.

• She loves her family. She loves us, and we love her. Happy Birthday baby girl!

The original Janette

All of my children have middle names chosen after family members. Clara shares the same name as my mother- Janette.

My mother is one of a kind. She is an endless source of energy who loves everything that is good in life. She constantly gives 100% and is nearly impossible to stop once she gets an idea in her head. Her mind is always going, which makes it essential for her to always have a notepad and pen on hand. When it comes to service, she is one of the most generous people I know. She loves the simple things in life and is very easy to please. She is deeply devoted to her faith and after years of observation I can say that my mother is one of the people I admire most.

Now a HUGE thanks to my mom for staying with us for 3 weeks after Clara was born. Aside from taking care of all of the domestic responsibilities around here, she made those first 3 weeks post birth so much fun. She went on adventures with the boys, continuously read and danced with Afton, constantly held Clara, and even made it possible for me to get a haircut and go out on a date with Andrew. Spoiled doesn't even begin to describe what she did for us! THANK YOU MOM!