Man vs. Wild

He's back and he survived!  Jackson was able to go on a 3 day class trip to Torgon, Switzerland where he learned how to rock climb, build shelters, start fires from some kind of moss, and navigate through unknown territories with a map.  He also shared with the others in his group a critical survival skill- how to make a s'more.  What can I say?  He is a ranger.

He came home, hit the bathroom, the pantry, and the bed.  The wilderness was apparently exhausting.

Torgon, Switzerland

Princess Kate turns 11!

Cruising down the Thames River

And where should the millienieum princess begin her birthday celebration? But in London, of course!  We bought a tiara in the gift shop across from the "crown jewels" and my girl proudly paraded all over London with it perched atop her golden hair.  Saturday evening Geof surprised Jack, Kate, Josh and me with tickets to "Wicked" and she was able to continue her crown-wearing as we watched (and loved!) the play.

On her actually birthday Kami and I took a cake into her classroom and we got to hear her classmates sing happy birthday to her in several languages.  Finally, we ended her royal celebration last night with a quiet family dinner at home and the rest of her birthday cake.  It was a great way to celebrate what a lovely young lady she is becoming and show her how special she is to us.  You will always be our princess, Kathryn and we love very much! Happy Birthday!

Kathryn with her teacher, Mrs. Darbyshire

Follow this link to hear "Happy Birthday" from her classmates.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/E0WqDQCEz80?hl=en&fs=1

Spit Spot Children! We are going on an outing!

To London!

The kids and I decided to meet up with Geof in London as he had to work over the weekend in the UK. Here are some pictures of our whirlwind tour of this fun city.



Jack driving?



Kami and Josh coloring at the restuarant we ate at Friday night.

My dinner!  Delightful.



Having fun with the street vendors



on the double decker

Downtown London

Trafalgar Square

River Cruise on the Thames

Kami's favorite place, she was looking for some new tricks to play on Josh

Josh's lunch

Security for the crown jewels...they heard we were coming.

Tower of London Courtyard

Olympic Countdown

View of the Tower Bridge



London Eye



of course...

Memorial site where Anne Boleyn and many others died.  Thankfully, none of us lost our heads during our visit!

Blessings Abound

 

Full moon rising over the mountains

Sunset reflecting on Mt Blanc

Full rainbow, right over our house

And then a double, just for fun.  Abundantly more than I could I ask or imagine...Thank You Jesus.

Spoiled Rotten

We just finished up a great visit with our friends Bob and Chris Bishop.  We had the pleasure of taking them around Geneva and in return, they cooked and clean up after us constantly!  They were great guests to have (obviously) but I felt so guilty every time I opened the dishwasher and it had been emptied, again.  I promise- we didn't ask them to slave away, but it sure was nice to feel so loved by such a great couple.  We miss them already! And not just because I had to do my own dishes this morning.

On the day we took them through Old Town, Kami stopped to listen to a street performer.  Then she decided to put on her own show and dance along with the music.  Unfortunately, no one threw her any money.

Be Careful Daddy!

Today, it's off to preschool; tomorrow, it's off to college.

Back to School!

Being the new kid in school can be a little intimidating; add being in a foreign country-and it becomes more like horrifying. Yet this past week, Jackson, Kathryn, Joshua, and Kamryn all marched their backpack-carrying selves right into College du Leman International School without one whimper.  They are all excited to be back in school and loving meeting new friends.  Kate and Josh's teachers are from England so I expect they will have snappy British accents by the end of the year. Josh has a new friend, Tolga, and he can't remember if he is from the country Ham or Turkey. Kami's teachers are from France and Greece and only speak French in the classroom.  Their english is limited, so I don't think they got it when Kami walked in and said "Bon Jour Y'all!"  Jack changes classes and is busy making friends from all over the world.  There certainly seem to be some challenges on the horizon for all of them, but they are doing an amazing job trying to figure it all out and keeping a smile on their face all the while.  In case it isn't obvious, I am in awe of their positive attitudes and courage and so proud of all of them.  As my grandmother would say, "I'm drinking from my saucer because my cup has runneth so over!"



Homemade chocolate chip cookies were a big hit when they all came off the bus for the first time.



Back to Geneva!

We're back!  We arrived in Switzerland at the end of August, just in time to recover from some wicked jet lag and get ready for school and more visitors.  Grandma Carol, Aunt Karen, Carla and her friend, Sandy all came for a "tour d'europe" as they split their time between Geneva with us and Germany with Jay, Joyce, and Jake.  Jack was their personal tour guide through Old Towne and he and Grandma Carol were able to debate The Reformation and its effects on the universal church.  Unfortunately, I had to miss that delightful event as I had to get Kate, Josh, and Kami off to their first day of school (Jack started a day later).  We also spent a day making a beautiful trip up to Champossen where Aunt Karen has a time share and skis with her family in the winter.  They were great guests to have because they were constantly cleaning my house, doing laundry, making dinner and helping kids with homework.  I told them any of them could come and stay as long as they wanted-I need all the help I can get!

Aunt Karen taught the kids to play "competitive hopscotch"

The cafe where I was treated to lunch in France