On Friday night Seth and I hosted a dinner party…a fondue party at that. I shouldn’t even call it a party because it was super low key. Just low lighting, 2 pots of cheese, lots of dippers and good company. With the craziness of last week Seth decided to come home a bit early on Friday which allowed me to sneak out on a “date” with Jackson to the grocery store for our dipping bread. Jackson had been in a funk all day so I thought it might be good for him to get out. When he zipped his coat he said “mom, I think I am wearing the same shirt I slept in last night”. Poor kid. We had had a home day with lots of cleaning and prepping for our visitor so I had let him stay in his sweats. He was a little self conscious but I reassured him that no one would know he had slept in his baseball shirt. Bad mom, I know.

Before we left home Jackson caught on to the fun of the fondue party plans and actually started to cry that he wasn’t invited. This wasn’t like him to be so disappointed. I remembered that the store sells little individual tubs of fondue and I asked if he wanted to have his very own fondue pot for dinner. He was thrilled. So, we got him his own little “Gerber” pot of fondue. He proudly dipped and enjoyed. He’s such a character.

When the fondue pots were scraped clean and the house got quiet we started hearing Jackson coughing. Poor kid hadn’t been able to sleep well and was wide awake and coughing up a lung. Seth had to go out to a friend’s in the middle of the night to get medicine because there wasn’t a 24 hour (or even after 8pm) place near our home. Don’t get me started….I get grumpy when I get talking about conveniences that they just don’t get here. I was happy to have a friend we could call! Anyhow, seems the crying for a pot of fondue may have been linked to being sick which we only learned later! My mom used to make us chicken rice soup or poached eggs on toast when we were feeling sick…much more sensible than a tub of cheese!! But he loved it!

Now I must admit that I am quite fond of hypotheticals, not fond per say but I guess but just comfortable with them. I think they help me think things through and anticipate possible things in the future and maybe keep my cool if they arise. This isn’t the time to chime in on not worrying about the future. I know, I know.

As you regular readers know Nana is scheduled to arrive today. I heard this morning that her flight was significantly delayed leaving Bangkok which would get her in to Moscow as her connecting flight was meant to leave Moscow. So my aunt and I both spent time on the line with the airline to try to find out what would happen if she didn’t make the connecting flight. I checked the website and the only update I could get was that the plane left Bangkok, nothing about when or if it was delayed. What’s the point of a status update?! Moving on.

So I finally got through to someone in Customer Service. She looked on the computer and said it was on time. Okay, great, but that’s confusing since we know it didn’t leave on time. Can a plane make up 3 hours in the air? Hmmm. I sure hope so.  So I asked her what the next flight was if Nana were to miss the flight. She said “ma’am, I can’t give out any private customer information”. “Okay, I am not asking for any information. I know who she is and I know she’s on the flight. can you tell me when the next flight out is to Zurich?”  She then went on to ask for Nana’s information. Turns out the next flight isn’t until tomorrow at noon.

Nana doesn’t have a Russian visa which means she will be sitting in the Moscow airport over night….IF she misses the flight. But get this, each time I asked what assistance she could get or if there was a hotel in the airport that she could use without a visa the lady would say “mam, the flight is on time so we don’t have to talk about if she misses her connecting flights.” Maybe it’s not Russian culture, but for goodness sake, I needed to know what circumstance my “assistance needing grandmother” would be in if she HYPOTHETICALLY speaking would need to wait for another flight.

Knowing Nana she is kicking back and getting loads of attention from some kind passenger on her flight. If she arrives in Moscow to learn she is waiting over night she will befriend a desperate family who is looking for someone to adopt their sweet children and Nana will show up tomorrow on my doorstep with a family of Russian orphans,  extra peanuts from her emergency stash and showing no wear from this ghastly journey.

Praying she makes her connection and we can get her home safe and sound!        

Yesterday I sat down to what was going to be a super healthy diet lunch of a big salad and two bites in a scary spider walked out from under a lettuce awning and walked across my plate. I managed to stay calm. Jackson sat quietly watching and said “mom, I have heard some people in Asia might eat spiders but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you”. Um, yea. I didn’t have the energy to make a new lunch and for sure didn’t have the appetite to attempt any more so we moved on. I thought my spider incident was pretty major in my day, until I checked email.

This blog is all about the seasons in our lives and we are about to enjoy a very unexpected season. Many of you know that the flood waters in and around Bangkok are rising. Some of you also know that my mom’s mom, aka Nana has been living there with my Aunt and Uncle for a couple of years now. Yesterday after my spider drama I sat down to check email and saw a message from my Aunt Carol. She was requesting that she maybe send Nana to us since the trip to the US would be so difficult for her. I quickly called Seth, wrote my aunt back and within the hour her ticket was purchased. She arrives tomorrow!! Whew. Here’s hoping her blood pressure stays regulated and her box of winter clothes makes it quickly in the mail!

Now luckily we are having a casual fondue party tonight because that meant I had already been keeping the house in somewhat order.   The boys and I have been bustling today getting the guestroom and bath room ready and I have been strategizing on how to manage all of the needs of the new family group! Our ages will soon range from 23 months to 90 yrs old!!  For a month!!

I am so excited to have the opportunity to spend time with Nana. Seth and I were thinking back and we think the last time we were with her was when Jackson was 9 months old and we were home for MD Anderson. It’s been a long time! And it will be so fun to get her out to see some of the sights of Switzerland. Although I know her well enough to know that she probably comes with the most excitement about the chocolates and pastries. I am running to the store this afternoon to be sure we are equipped for daily tea time.

I am excited for Nana to experience the tail end of Fall and to hopefully be here for the first fresh snow! Coming from Thailand I am worried she will be chilled to the bone the entire month but hopefully we can keep her warm enough. She will love the busy holiday season of baking, decorating, etc!

Buckle up Nana, it’s going to be an adventure. Oh yea, and we have spiders at our house!!!

Hi folks, sorry I seem to be quite quiet around here lately. Maybe it’s the 4 halloween parties I had to dress my kids for, or my husband not sleeping well as he waits for his next job to be determined, or maybe it’s that I am trying to maintain my house while trying to be crafty…all while being patient with my kids.  Anyhow, sorry for the random in’s and out’s!  Since it’s now November 1 my prediction is that things will settle down…um, January 8th or so when we are back from the US! Kidding, I hope things settle down before then!

Jackson was originally a Jack in the box but last week we went into a kid’s thrift store (while our snow tires were being put on, booooo!) and Seth bought him a superman costume. Seth couldn’t resist it and had been feeling like no one here would even know what he was as Jack in the box. And if it seems confusing that Owen is two different costumes, we had 4 parties this yr (preschool, playgroup, trick-or-treating with friends, and the Embassy shindig) and I knew the puppy would keep him warmer when we were outside. Next year Halloween will be much less complicated I imagine.  At least Owen has Jackson’s old costumes to fall back on!

there was no denying that the superman costume suited him!

Sunday evening we went trick-or-treating with some Swiss and German friends. Most were expats who have lived in the US or Canada and are trying to start more of a tradition here. The kids knocked on a few doors and got the experience, although many of the neighbors had no idea what was going on!

Owen and his buddy Mica.  They do swimming lessons together.

Next up was the Embassy party. The kids love going to Seth’s work and being there with him!

Superman was fading fast!

Superhero friends.

so ready for bed!!!

My tiredness now feels justified after reviewing our last week! Sneaking off to make a cup of tea because it seems that so much craziness is even enough to make Superman tired enough for a weekday day! Hallelujah!!!