She's Growing! Lexie's first 6 months

"Look at the past only with fondness, look at the future only with hope, enjoy the present for it is only a moment."
 Author: unknown

Birth

2 Weeks

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

Sechseläuten 2011

Getting a late start this year we didn't find the best spot for viewing the 2011 Sechselauten parade but at least we could sit a bit and still see well.  We went with the Backofen's-Cassandra, Cedric and their Mom Jessica. We thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream on such a scorching hot day in April along with a Ferris Wheel ride to look over the city and all the crowds.

Following the parade is the burning of the snow man which ushers in Spring.  We've never fought the crowds to get this close to see the snow man but this person did and the person with the moles on their arm.  Hurrah for Spring!!!

Along the Rhein

One afternoon in the beginning of April we headed to our favorite playground at Stein am Rhein.  We made sea creatures in the sand and pic-nicked along the river, perfectly relaxing.

Girls Club Husky Camp

In March I helped plan the Girls Club mega activity, an overnighter at Erlebnis Welt (a Husky Dog camp).  We had a great turn out, 11 girls ages 5-12, all bilingual English and German speaking along with many of their parents.  Our main leader of Girls Club, Nilsa Stettler, was unfortunately not able to attend, leaving me with the majority of putting this camp together.  It worked out fine though.  Shortly after arrival we learned all about the Husky dogs before taking/ being taken for a walk by them.  We learned Husky dogs pull naturally, they aren't taught this skill.  Their is an alpha male in the pack, who isn't nesecarily the oldest or smartest but actually the most competitive.  They are natural hunters and should a dog ever escape the confinements of the camp all farmers in the area must be phoned and notified because they could wipe out a herd very quickly.  They can also run for incredibly long distances before needing a break.  The fun came when eveyone put on their collars.  One adult paired with one kid was matched with a Husky dog.  Everyone had to wear a "collar" around their waist that was attached to the leash and the dog, this to prevent shoulder damage and any chance of the dog getting free.  It was amazing how strong these dogs are!  Everyone was very glad their was only a little patch of snow left from winter because we needed all the traction we could get.  Unfortunatley, Kaitlan biffed it on the ice but once we rounded the bend we were among the green rolling hills of a Swiss countryside.

Following the activity with the dogs we learned how our girls could be a better "pack" by working together.  I lead them in this "human bench" along with making a "human knot" that they had to twist and duck their way out of.  After that came the blind folded obstacle coarse then dinner and singing around the camp fire.  I taught the girls a few of my favorite camp songs like "Let me see your funky chicken!" and "Princes Pat".  Unfortunately, Kaitlan came down with the flu so Ted and I took her home but the rest of the crew stayed overnight in the cabins and the following day went on a Geo Cashing adventure.

Italy trip-Pompei

As a school child I remember learning about Pompeii, the ancient Italian city with it inhabitants buried alive from the near by volcano, Mnt. Vesuvius.  It captures the attention and imagination of most people that hear about it.  Seeing it first hand, I regret that I didn't remember or know more about it.  We should have figured out how to do a tour, I think I might have cared more.  As it was, we wondered around these ancient ruins of this enormous city (this was no little village like I guess I was expecting) for a very long time in the extremely cold and biting wind.  It really was winter and my dream beach vacation came quickly to a halt the day we toured this ancient city whose own demise was met nearly 2,000 years prior in 79 AD.  The city of Pompeii itself is said to be as old as 8-6 centuries BC.

After getting over the shock as to how large and never ending this city seemded to be, a few fascinating facts were brought to my attention.  In the picture below you can see rocks set into the street to allow people to cross safely during a flood or when they didn't want to step in horse poop.  More fascinating though is the worn down rocks that show the wear and tear from the chariots passing so frequently.  I wonder if there were ever traffic jams along this street.

There were lots of very large buildings in addition to all the smaller divided homes.  Temples, 2 amphitheaters, city open areas for play and exercise, agriculture land, restaurants and brothels can all be seen as you tour the city.

This was a fast food restaurant with the pots of food being built into the counter.

The thing that I was most interested in was the people!  I remember clearly the pictures of these people turned to ash and frozen in time during their dying moment.  I was quite disappointed at how unimportant these body casts seemed to be to those in charge of the exhibit.  They were tucked into some far away corner, no signs (that I noticed) leading the way either.  I'm glad we found them though thanks once again to Ted's navigation skills.  I think this display should be changed.  This is really what people remember when they visit.  These plaster casts of the victims who failed to escape, in their last moment of life, with the expression of terror on their face really make history come alive.

  I've learned that many of the people of Pompeii had all ready left the city before the eruption.  17 years prior there was a huge earthquake that caused a lot of destruction to all the buildings.  Fire spread and the survivors had to deal with anarchy, theft and famine. On top of that the frequency of smaller earthquakes were increasing leading up to the eruption.      No one knew that Mnt. Vesuvius was a volcano, there wasn't even a word for volcano in Latin.  So when the wells like this one suddenly dried up the remaining citizens didn't understand what that meant. Scientist now believe it was heat that killed the inhabitants first not suffocation from ash.

The eruption of AD 79 was very unusual, without lava or other characteristics normally associated with volcanoes. It was a Plinian eruption – the most dangerous and feared kind of all – involving super-heated gas, magma and ash that form a giant towering column that builds up into the sky. The magma cools and falls to the earth as pumice. Vesuvius erupts in this way once in every 2,000 years. Which means it is long due to erupt again, any day now!

Italy trip- the Amalfi Coast

I've seen travel shows on touring the Amalfi coast but never imagined myself being there.  It was awesome!  There was over a solid hour of extreme switch backs as we worked our way around the mountains bordering the Italy's Mediterranean coastline. Our destination: Villa Penelope in Praino.  Thanks to SummerinItaly.com I was able to find a fabulous home to stay in as we explored the Amalfi region.  This was the view from our window.  I can't believe people live like this!  I'm sure I would be as laid back as the Italians if this is what I woke up to every single day.  Praino had a beautiful church that made the vista's landscape even that much more compelling.  We spent one afternoon enjoying the sound of the waves and exploring the coast.  Aubrie and Kaitlan made a terrific "museum tour" for us to see all the cool "artifacts" that they had found.  It was highly entertaining to see their imaginations at work and marvel at how excited they could get over snail shells and old water bottles.  Even though it was the middle of February it felt fantastic to be outside and enjoying the rays at the beach.  I could have taken a whole month of doing nothing but watch and listen the waves crash against the boulders surrounding us and observing the occasional boat glide across the blue horizon.