Yesterday we joined friends in celebrating their daughter Anna’s first birthday!  They decided it might be fun to hike to the glassbrunnen which is just on the other side of Bern. It is a spring that runs through the woods and according to our Swiss expert there is no known source for this particular spring.  Turns out I got 90% people pictures and not one of the fresh spring.

We met late morning and walked through the woods to the spring. When we arrived we found a spot to begin collecting wood and building a fire for a bbq. We have to remember to do things like this is VA because it’s so easy to overlook what’s in your own backyard!

Owen wasn’t quite himself yesterday…turns out he woke up this morning with another stinky cold…or rather he was up throughout the night unable to breath and coughing.

stick bread!

the birthday girl!

every trip to the woods requires at least one child to have a potty emergency, right?!

we felt like we were in an episode of Pioneer Woman! I just watched her make banana boats on her show a few weeks ago!  turns out they do them here too! yum!

Happy Birthday, Anna! Congrats to Daniela and Miguel for surviving your first year as parents! Thanks for including us in your birthday adventure!

You haven’t heard from me lately…sorry, the weather has us a bit distracted. It is still chilly this week but it is super sunny and we have been outside as much as possible. Yesterday we took a long walk with a friend along some fields where a shepherd was grazing his sheep. The boys love nothing more than getting muddy and sweaty so it was right up their alley. We came home and I immediately begged Seth to start dinner so I could shower off the smells of the fields. We have busted out the big bucket of toys for the atrium and the boys have reclaimed their little boy kingdom out there. I will give them a few weeks to play “Lord of the flies” before I reclaim it for pretty potted plants!

For about an hour this morning I got a burst of energy and cleaned out a couple more closets.  I was in such a great mood thinking it was FRIDAY. Turns out it’s only Thursday. But the sun is shining and a couple more closets are sorted as a result of my day of the week confusion.

Here are a few pictures from our week…

it was new crayon and marker day in our house today…tossed all the old crusty markers and brought out the new packs I was saving for such a time as this. This is big stuff folks!

and someone (who shall remain nameless) COULD NOT resist the urge to feel off all of the papers of our fresh, new, pretty crayons. It is kind of one of those letting them mix the playdough colors moments of motherhood.

my new thyme plant is climbing towards the window!  she can’t wait to live in the atrium!

this is blurry but I have to include it because it is a miracle in our house…Owen is smiling between bites of Barefoot Contessa’s lentil soup!  I have to share the recipe because everyone in the house enjoyed it and Owen requested it today for lunch!!! Here ya go…Lentil Sausage Soup . It has some kick so if your family doesn’t love a little kick just reduce the pepper. Honestly, Owen is FUSSY about food and I assumed a lentil soup, green lentils at that would scare him away. Nope! Try it!

and while we are talking food I should tell you that Seth brought back some of these goodies from Trader Joe’s. So yum. Thanks, Seth.

So, I have inspired you with not so much and told you nothing exciting today.  I guess I shared a recipe! That’s something. Hope you are all well and enjoying Spring wherever you may be!

…every single pair of Jackson’s jeans have a hole worn in them…it’s time for shorts

…i replaced the dried up winter greens in the house with forsythia and pussy willows!

…we burned the last of our hot chocolate candle today..it’s time for something fresh and new!

…we are antsier than ever for the weather to warm up so we can officially tuck the coats, gloves and hats away!

…the atrium is begging for some pots spilling over with flowers. (you mean you didn’t know an atrium can talk?! ours can…unfortunately I am the only one that hears it begging for pots of flowers)

…it’s still light when Seth comes home! Bring on the evening walks!

This new season brings us closer to our upcoming move which means I need to get in gear with sorting through and getting rid of things we don’t need. We will be downsizing on space and I want to take only the necessities!  We are getting into that funny time when everyone knows we are leaving soon and that is all they want to talk about. Most people assume we are already on our way out and our friends back home know we are coming back. It is hard feeling some days like we are neither here nor there. Fortunately we have some time left here to enjoy the friendships we have here and to Swiss spring and part of the summer before we have to brace for going back to fix up our home!

You may have seen my little bit on Spring over at World Moms Blog earlier this week. We are ready for it!

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow” -Proverb

Happy Friday, y’all! Only 11 hours until date night here in Switzerland!! We can make it!

Week before last was Fastnacht in Bern. It is Carnaval season all over Europe right now. Everyone is dressing up, throwing confetti and hoping that winter will move on out and bring in Spring. the boys and I went downtown with our friends for an afternoon of confetti, music, crowds of people and warm, welcoming sunshine at the children’s parade. Jackson wanted nothing else than to be superman and Owen was just happy to be along for the ride, refusing any fuss of a hat or bells!

Turns out the festivities did little to scare away winter. We had a beautiful week last week but we are back to snow and rain today! No fun! Out comes the hot chocolate again as we hunker down and wait for the beautiful weather to return.