:: il neige! ::

One week until we leave and the snow decided that it needed to show itself before we go!

Here are photos as of the last hour. It's been snowing on and off all morning... 

:: vanilla rice pudding, cabins, fairylights & firesides ::

...because on such a crazy-wintery-weather sort of day these things seemed fitting...as well as clean, warm, sweet-smelling, hair-tamed babies...

It's been a full and varied week here. The weather has been the main factor in keeping it varied - from sunshine, to wind, to rain, snow, rainbows and back to sunshine and then even a thunderstorm tonight. Back and forth. It's been a prolonged jump back into winter temperatures. I heard yesterday that it will be getting warmer by the end of next week...

Last weekend we had a friend from NZ staying, and visits from Eti's travelling brother and sister-in-law. It was great to catch up with Anna after not seeing her for 10 years (wow, it's been that long since study days!), and to share Luc & Priscille's excitement for their next voyage - a four month trip down through Southern Europe to Greece, then back up through Eastern Europe to the north of Scandinavia for this summer. We love hearing peoples' stories from work to travel and hearing what they would like to do, or their adventures to find that. It makes the world seem bigger and smaller at the same time, and richer when seeing it through the eyes of others.

We were thankful for a reprieve from the rain last Monday so that we could show Anna at least a little of our surroundings! And, despite the return of the wintery weather, Spring has established its presence in the beautiful flowers down in Nyon, where it is a little warmer than up here...

I got a little carried away photographing these beautiful blossoms! 

And then the die-hards who have endured through snowfalls and frosts up here around our home...

There were a few attempts at baking this week. Some had better results than others, like my first attempt at a charlotte...a cake quite similar to a tiramisu, using the same sponge finger biscuits with a combination of peaches and fromage blanc/vanilla sugar. Despite the mould that I bought off a trademe-type website being much smaller than I had envisioned, it still worked and was a yummy treat to celebrate our third wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

The final version of our Swiss tresse bread wasn't worthy of a photo, though it did taste good...

 

Needless to say it was very much an inside type of week here. The girls kept themselves well occupied climbing and discovering new places, like the couch and windowsill, which gave them a good view of the snowflakes, that fell on several occasions, as well as the birds making a nest just above the window, the neighbours' cats and their very first rainbow...

We're in the middle of an anniversary/birthday period for our little family. Three of the four of us have birthdays within two weeks. It's hard to believe that the girls are almost two. It's a milestone we've looked towards for a long time...and they're very nearly there. Our babies have all but disappeared, replaced by two very cute, active, fearless (well, at least one!) little girls who are adding new words to their growing vocabularly every week. They never fail to amaze me with their comprehension and I am often whispering to Eti to come quickly and watch them doing something cute. 

On the other hand, behind every scene of cute, happy looking babies, the flipside is also very much present! Like taking "No" as an opportunity to repeat the related action over and over (or in the case of twins, the other sees a new idea worth trying!), or eating crayons (which currently spend more time tucked away as a result of multiple attempts to chew on them...colourful teeth look funny I admit!), drawing on the walls, the floor, the heater, the bookshelf (I think this one is heriditary...), throwing oneself off the top of the couch, pulling hair and pinching, among other things... I have to remind myself, while setting boundaries, that in most cases they don't know better and it looks like a great, fun thing to do, but...consequences abound :o)


But for all the testing of limits and exhausting of mummy, one thing I did notice with gratitude today...

...this was my meager harvest to collect off the floor after lunchtime today :o)


Asides from the realities of life that include, apart from the day-to-day bringing up of little people, mountains of unfolded washing, stains on new clothes, floors that seemingly multiply crumbs and dust at an exponential rate, breathing issues from the stress or situation of having premature babies, and so on...there are always more moments that are priceless...an upturned little face waiting for a kiss, little arms around my neck, watching a rainbow together that ends just metres away, tickles, giggles, friends, beautiful, touching testimonies in the midst of sudden terminal illnesses, news of new lives, new relationships, celebrations, little fingers touching paint for the first time, new words...there is so much life around us. 


Hope you're having a great weekend out there!

I'm linking this post in to Simone's 'Best in Blog - Monday'...which is where we can link in our favourite posts from the last week and check out what other mums and families have been up to. I love Simone's blog Greatfun4kids...there you'll find endless ideas for fun and creativity with kids, great mummy wisdom all combined with real life honest up and down moments. I recommend you check it out. I just have to warn you...you could be there for hours :o) 

:: thankful weekend moments ::

It was a great week here, leading into a wonderful weekend. A combination of beautiful weather, good friends and meeting lovely strangers has made the thankful list rather large!

It started with three visits, three days in a row to this place...

A stunning view of the Alps, warmth of the coming Spring, a car-free lane for the girls to explore along, and lovely strangers...

:: A mum walking her 7-week-old twins each day. After 10 years of trying and hoping to have children, she's been blessed with two who are healthy and beautiful. And she's so thankful!

:: A lovely grandmother who lost her husband not too long ago. She lives at the beginning of the lane and takes regular walks as well. She stopped to talk after seeing the girls pushing their babies in their pushchairs. We were soon joined by the mum with the twin babies. The older lady couldn't get over the 4 miracles she was meeting. Two born very early and two born after years of waiting. By the time Eti joined us after his work had finished, we had been talking for about 30 minutes, sharing stories and experiences and agreeing with thankfulness for the blessings we enjoy. (The following day we saw her again, this time with her lovely grand-daughter who had spent some time in New Zealand learning english a couple of years ago!)

I left feeling uplifted. They were some days I had needed, after beginning to feel the length of winter, the isolation from friends and missing striking up conversations with strangers along paths. It felt a little a lot like walking along the beach path near my parents' in New Zealand.

I didn't mention that daddy arrived to meet us wearing his rollerskates. The girls, who love their dad's adventurous, fun spirit were more than willing to go for a ride with him... (Mummy being less fun and too sensible could be heard saying "Be careful!" "Not too fast!")

...or to try and catch up with their own sets of wheels

Sometimes carrying is just that little bit faster!

On Friday we were very excited to find a parcel all the way from Sophie (Little Gumnut) in Australia, with some beautiful handmade items that I won in her giveaway. She had also, very generously, added in extra hairclips and a purse for me! The girls' hairbands match their hair colour perfectly. Thanks Sophie! 
(p.s. If you're interested in some of Sophie's items for yourself or for gifts, have a look at her etsy shop.)

Saturday morning found me rushing around organising bits and pieces to go out for the afternoon with friends to the Les Bains de la Gruyère (hot pools) and helping get things ready for the sleepover we were having that night at other friends'. In the meantime the girls enjoyed a moment of colouring...

I don't have any photos from the pools, but it was a beautiful, clear day with views right across to the snow-capped mountains. It was really lovely to be away and to enjoy some time with my friends. Most of us met back together that evening at our other friends' and were treated with an incredible 4-course meal. Wow. After an afternoon in the pools and hamam, then joining back up with Eti and the girls and enjoying an evening full of great food and company, sleep came very quickly! 


We enjoyed freshly-made tresse bread the following morning (which came all too soon...the moment of needing to drag myself out of bed, that is!) and then packed our things to return up the mountain and prepare for the visit of our dear friend Evelyne. 


Before Evelyne arrived the girls had a walk outside with daddy, accompanied with a little snow-eating...

I had showed Amélie that she could eat the snow. I didn't think that, several days later, the almost-melted snow becomes quite dirty...oops!

Elise insisted on pushing her car back up the driveway only if the Pooh theme music was playing

Evelyne arrived, and the girls, being true girls, were captivated by her pearl necklace...

It was almost as captivating watching her put it back on!

After a meal enjoyed while the girls caught up on lost sleep, we headed off down the hill to a little lake nearby, which brings us back to the adventure of lost and found keys that I wrote about yesterday!

We were quite exhausted when we fell into bed last night, but we did so happily, knowing that our weekend had been full and well spent!


Linking up with PaisleyJade's 'Things I'm Loving'

 

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life,

there is always something you can be thankful for...

no matter how simple it is. 

Love this quote by PaisleyJade!