I love being 40!

What a great age ~ it's been 20 years since I was 20, and I'm halfway to 80! That's just crazy. I've been celebrating ever since Christmas, when my family surprised me with those 40 gifts... and this week the fun has continued.  Good times picking out new furniture with Daron for the house (closing in 1 week - yahoo!!); a fun lunch at Hido's; singing with my siblings at church; playing homemade games with the kids... my favorites was the camel-shaped paper pinata! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people, to have my health, my testimony, stability, family happiness, and a very fulfilling life. I couldn't ask for anything more.  Well, I have dreamed for years about hiking Machu Picchu on my 40th, but it's OK.  We're here, getting into a new house and new lives after traveling the world for over a year. So maybe we'll hike it next year for Daron's 40th... 8-)

Kenny's heart-shaped fruit-roll up for me

See the camel-shaped head? So cute...

And Inger's the woman who REALLY deserves the praise and celebration today, since she's the one who HAD me 40 years ago! I'm so grateful to her! And she had to go through some emotional trauma... since she already had Jen and Kas, she and dad were kind of excited at the possibility of getting a boy, so when I was born, the nurse said - 'Oh, it's a boy!' Then a few moments later, she said 'just kidding, it's a girl.' I mean - how obnoxious! She could've sued for emotional distress. 8-) I'm just glad I was a girl. And they were too, since they got Sterl after me. And then Mom named me Shannon... and changed it later, realizing I needed to be a Melanie! Crazy. I can't imagine me being a Shannon.



I love few things more in life than singing with my siblings. What a privilege. The best birthday gift!

Cute Joy and Bill gave me a money tree!!

And Geneve enjoyed meeting the Soper's dog Roxy... poor Roxy didn't enjoy meeting Geneve too much though, since Geneve kept trying to bite her fluffy tail. 8-) 

One month post-Switzerland!

Well, time surely does fly when you're having fun! What a whirlwind of adventures this last month has been... we miss our dear Switzerland, but we are so happy that the Lord has blessed everything surrounding our move here. The kids have adjusted back to Texan life, and all has gone smoothly in every way.  Probably the kids' favorite among all the changes we've had, including new schools, new home, new glasses and contacts, new friends, and new ward, is our new puppy! Geneve, only 4 pounds, is our sweet little 2-month old Ori-Pei baby. Half Sharpei, half Pug, she is beautiful, potty-training well, and loves to sleep and play all day. Pretty much exactly what the kids have been waiting for. 8-)

Daron has definitely missed his doggie playtime. Geneve acts just like Mushu did as a puppy.

The kids miss taking their Swiss Handball class together, but they're trying out lots of new activities. Here they are doing tae-kwondo.  Hilarious! The teacher kept asking Kenny why he was 'dancing' because he kept hopping all over!

We love the back view of our new home the most! It's in Glenn Haven, a great neighborhood we've always loved, near HP.  The pool is an added bonus we weren't looking for, but we're so excited now that we have it! Counting the days til move-in time in 2 weeks...

A big landmark event in the family was Stephen turning 12. Now he's a deacon and can go to priesthood meetings with Daron! He's loving the Young Men's youth program.

And after a short hiatus from school while we were getting settled, the kids are finally back in school for the last 2 months of the year! We LOVE Theiss Elementary ~ the staff is outstanding, so friendly and welcoming, and the kids can't wait to get up and go everyday. They brought their teachers and fellow classmates Swiss chocolate, which seemed to go over well. 8-)  This will be the only time they are all three at the same school! What a treat -- they look for each other in the hallways and say hello. I loved when Kassie and I were at Haskell Middle school together -- she was an 8th grade cheerleader and I remember her coming into my 6th grade class to sell spirit ribbons and I just loved seeing her. And when Sterling and I were both at Rice when he was a freshman and I was a senior, we had the greatest times! I think a favorite memory for us both was the gorgeous Patrick's Day we spontaneously took off from studying in the RMC to drive down to Galveston and throw the football on the beach together. Well that, and taking Dr. Davidson's Texas Politics class together. I hope the kids remember this wonderful, unique time of being together too.

Texas... Home sweet home

What fun to be back home in Texas!! Grandparents and cousins, buying 2 new cars (both for the price of our 1 Swiss Mitzubishi ~ amazing) and looking for a house... so exciting!

a big washer again!

Playing with cousins in Aunt Kassie's new pool!

We love Aunt Breanna's kids, Michael, James and Andrew!

While we're waiting to find a house and school district, we're starting some group homeschooling... here are the kids doing their first online typing class!

The last day

What an amazing last day in Switzerland. Lots of tears... overwhelmed by everyone's kindness... lending us a car, hosting and feeding us, coming to clean our place. Then on top of it, the pretty snow-topped Alps just sitting there. Just looking at us, as if to say, nanny-nanny-boo-boo, we're staying here and you're not. We're already missing the 4 Swiss C's: Castles, Cows, Chocolate, and Cheese. Just missing it all. We didn't really have time to think about it during the final prep days --  awake til 3am scrubbing floors and packing suitcases: 25 total came home, in 2 separate groups (half with Sterling and Kas, and half with us). Pretty unreal.  Here's Kenny saying goodbye to our mailbox.

Our cute street: Chemin du Boiron 2, 1263 Crassier

As we were driving away from our beloved little neighborhood, Kenny's class was out for recess, so we stopped and he went over to the fence, as all his cute little friends starting call out "Kenny! Kenny!" to him... it was pretty touching to see him standing there amidst all of them saying goodbye, chitter-chattering in French.  I'll miss all their cute French-speaking Swiss friends so much.

Last pizza meal at the Croix Verte in Nyon

Adorable Susan and Laura Johnson hosted us on our last night ~ they tried to get Kenny

to sleep in the basket, but he just wouldn't. 8-)

Bidding au revoir to Crystal and Kris at the airport -- we miss you all!

Cleaning up the "Schmutz"

My maiden name, Schmutz, in German means "dirt, mud, filth, grime, squalor." Isn't that just awesome?? So when I went to buy 20 of these "Mr. Magic Cleaner" scrubbies, (for the low low price of $100), I felt like I was supporting my family legacy ~ they're called "Schmutzradierer", or "Eraser." Ahhh, the pride. 8-)

Here's the stack, halfway used up, by 5am -- I woke up at 3:30 this morning and couldn't sleep, so I got going! These scrubbies are the only thing that get the dirt marks off the white walls without removing the paint, but because the cement walls are so textured, they get used up fast.

Thanks to my cute friend Abir and her generous 2 hours of work, all our windows are sparkly shiney! (Hello to my hair - WINGS, step aside!)

Kenny's enjoying being an only child this week...

The sun'll come out... tomorrow ~

Actually, the sun's totally out today, but that seemed like a fitting way to describe how we're all feeling around here... happy to be going home to Texas, but sad that we're having to say goodbye to all our cute friends and lovely Crassier. The apartment is empty now -- just white walls, suitcases, and mattresses... it's more of a house, not a home anymore.  We sold our car today, and tonight Crystal and Kris came over with yummy treats and hauled away our bunkbeds.

Kenny enjoyed his playtime in the empty house...he loved helping Daron take apart the bunkbeds.  Thank heavens for the $2 Salvation Army jumprope ~ all the rest of his toys are packed!

And one of our last few meals here turned out great for having an empty kitchen ~ yummy grilled chicken salad!

Dachau WW2 Concentration Camp

One of the most sobering, memorable, life-changing experiences of our lives ~ visiting the Dachau memorial site.  In this camp, which served as a model for all other concentration camps, over 43,000 prisoners died.  The pictures, videos, and just sheer presence -- being there where they were just 65 years ago -- left us all speechless.  We walked through the gas chambers - the mass burial sites - the roll call area; no words can describe how it feels to read about the atrocities that humans did to other humans. We talked with our children about the importance of experiencing this, because it helps us commit to always standing up for others, defending right. To never stand by and allow something like to this to happen again.

"Arbeit macht frei" is a German phrase, literally "work makes (one) free," meaning "work sets you free" or "work liberates". The slogan is known for having been placed over the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, including most infamously Auschwitz I, where it was made by prisoners with metalwork skills and erected by order of the Nazis in June 1940.

This amazing statue of broken bodies...

The open gravel area where prisoners had morning roll call ~

"Grave of thousands unknown" - where they put the cremated ashes.

  

And on a happier note, our visit to "Tristan" - one of the most famous chocolate boutiques in Swizterland... up in the rolling hills of Rolle ~ great yummy sampling too!

Grocery run for breakfast... it's important to sample all the ice-cream flavors ~

Our 3rd trip to Daron's favorite castle: Neuschwanstein in Bavaria! So fun with Kas and Sterl.

Morning of departure... the cute Stewarts came to bring breakfast and play with the kids and help drive us to the airport with our 13 suitcases!