Locketts

A Whole Hand!

2012-01-24T20:03:00.001-06:00

After my last post where Ava and I had our back to school shots, I had to include this one of our favorite HLS on his very LAST first day of school. (Yes. The very last one. I had him sign a notarized paper promising that this is, indeed, the end of his student days. Well, not really, but now that I've typed that it sounds pretty good.)

After a busy week with family trickling in starting Tuesday and a mid-week trip to Tulsa to see The Civil Wars in concert (eek! amazing), we were ready to get Ava's birthday party started by the time Saturday rolled around. Pops and Ava played a few rounds of Hangman while the decorating began. (If you have kiddos you absolutely must buy this version of Hangman by Melissa & Doug. Aunt Jaryn bought it for Ava for Christmas and we have played it constantly. I love it because all of the pieces are attached with stretchy cords so you can't lose them. Ideal for the car, restaurant, or anywhere really.)

Everyone pitched in to help decorate

Hooray for removable 3M hooks. No mess, no remnant, but still super sturdy.

Balloons and a new front-door banner let our guests know that it was time to party.

Inside Mimi and Baba, along with Coach and Pops of course, worked their magic. There is no way this party would have happened or been nearly as cute without their help. This mommy is still trying to figure out how to get regular chores done between 5:00 and bedtime - a party was really pushing things.

Thanks to MLML and PLPL for this sweet Paris picture - perfect in her room and to decorate for the party.

This precious decoration was made by Mimi for my hospital door when Ava was born. It has all of her stats written on the ribbons, and inside the cone is a nest and a single pink egg. Ava means little bird. We've always hung this on Ava's bedroom door, but moved it down to decorate for the party.

Our family's favorite cupcake

The birthday girl!

We had a few scheduled activities during the party, but mostly we gave the girls time to play. I think next time we'll just dedicate the entire party time to playing - it's what they really want to do anyway.

Since Ava requested a chef party at home I limited her invitees to seven. Many of her friends were out of town this weekend, but it ended up being the perfect size. I think adults outnumbered the kiddos at least three to one. I like those numbers.

Dipping pretzel sticks in chocolate and adding sprinkles

Making their own pizzas

Little chefs enjoying their pizza

Happy birthday to you,

happy birthday dear Ava,

happy birthday to you.

Again, they really just wanted to play.

Thanks to all of our sweet friends who came and made Ava's birthday so special!

Ava actually turned five on Sunday. She was so excited to be 'a whole hand'. After church she chose to eat sushi, shocker, and then wanted to play at nearby park. Some silliness ensued while we all changed into comfy clothes.

Despite the crazy wind that came 'sweeping down the plain', we all enjoyed some fun at the park.

Later Ava requested to watch The Music Man, a favorite for the past few months. She serenaded us with her own renditions of 76 Trombones and Goodnight My Someone.

Baba and Stacy helped me prepare Ava's birthday snack for school on Monday.

We filled snack-sized bags with colorful snack foods, then twisted them in the middle and clipped them with a clothespin.

Baba hot-glued the googley eyes and pipe cleaner antenna onto them.

Voila, butterfly snacks

So fun

As a final birthday treat we prepared Ava's favorite Swiss dinner: Alpen Macaronen, Bratwurst, and Broccoli.

What a lovely weekend spent with friends and family to celebrate our precious girl.

We are so thankful for her life and the light she constantly brings to our lives. Happy fifth birthday Ava James!

A Very Good Place to Start

2012-01-15T14:52:00.000-06:00

The classic backpack school shot. Here was our big girl on her first morning of preschool. Ava is going to Pumpkin Shell and is loving it. She's made some sweet friends, been asked to participate in an advanced pull-out reading and math class, and managed to remember every sweet snack they've enjoyed - you know, the important stuff. We eventually had to ask for a lunch menu because the only thing we were hearing that she ate was cereal and smores. Silly girl. I'm shocked at how well she's adjusted to her time at school. She's happy to go each morning and even seemed a little let down on Saturday when it wasn't a school day.

Josh captured this shot of the two of us on our way to our first days last Tuesday (January 3). Ava's level of happy has made my new job even better. I was nervous about the Mom Guilt I was sure would creep in, but it's actually been okay. It's hard to feel guilty about something that makes your child so happy. Also, my job is just pure magic. It's like someone sat down and said, "Hey, let's specifically tailor a position that includes everything that makes Autumn Lockett Sparkle." Seriously y'all, it's such an amazing fit. I'm humbled and thankful and so energized every day. Yay!

Another amazing aspect of this new chapter in our lives is this guy. Josh has been so supportive of Ava and me as we head out to our new places. He's been unpacking (still, yes - Christmas + over 3 months of European travel is a beast to unpack), organizing, and preparing delicious meals. Love him.

We are definitely having to learn how to manage our time from 5:00 to bedtime. It's been cooperation at its best. One night last week Josh prepped all the veggies and laid out the ingredients for us to make Texas Quiche. Baba and Pops bought Ava some kid-sized baking pans and we were eager to try them out. (Please notice Josh serenading us with The Civil Wars on his guitar in the background of this series.)

No Easy Bake Oven for Ava James. She used my favorite Pampered Chef mat and her mini Silpin to roll out her crust.

Checking the thickness

Rolling the crust onto her rolling pin like a pro

Then unrolling the crust onto her pan

Shaping the edges

Almost ready to bake the crust

Can't forget the pie weights!

After the crusts pre-baked it was time for us to fill the quiche.

A layer of Hatch geen chiles

Then some freshly-grated Monterrey Jack

Next comes the chicken, carrot, mushroom mixture

Finally, the egg and spices are poured over the top.

All ready to bake

Watching for a golden top

Shocked by her delicious finished product

She had so much fun preparing her mini quiche alongside my big one. I can't believe how grown up she is.

With all of our new changes this month I haven't taken as many pictures as I usually do. I've included a few iPhone shots to finish off this post.

Here I am, so excited to have my first-ever business card.

I'm hoping to dedicate an entire post to my new office, but for now here's a sneak peek with my favorite visitor so far.

Christmas and New Sassy Hair

2012-01-05T21:17:00.002-06:00

Over Christmas break we were so thankful to see friends and family. I'm always amazed at how many precious faces we manage to cram into our short time in Texas. Of course there are always folks we miss, sad.

You'll be pleased to see that James Lockett (Ava's Elf on the Shelf) also "madithomsaf". He had a blast hiding in mischievous places with Mimi's old elves.

We loved our time with the Broaddus family, Ninfa's for lunch and Spice for shopping with the perfect company - life just doesn't get much better. We can't get over how big Ethan is. What a sweet little guy.

Stacy and Rich came to see us and helped Ava build a gingerbread house.

Carefully assembling

The darling finished product

Silly James made block words with Mimi's two elves.

Poor Beene Beene broker her femur right before we returned from Switzerland. Ava was disappointed to miss out on her usual trips to Beene Beene's palace at Josh's parents house.

We made sure to visit the hospital several times over our time in Texas so these two could catch up. While we were in Switzerland Beene Beene sent Ava the sweetest letters telling the stories of animal characters they've created. In this picture Beene Beene is reading her the latest news from their imaginary friends.

Making sugar cookies for Santa

All iced and ready

Leaving Santa's cookies on the hearth

Making sure Santa isn't already in the chimney

When we woke up on Christmas morning the cookies and James Lockett were gone. He left a special goodbye message for Ava in the blocks.

Santa left her a rocking horse and TV for her dollhouse, just like she asked.

Mimi and Coach gave Ava a kid-sized piano and some beginning piano books. I'm going to cover the basics with her and we hope to start piano lessons once she's mastered these books.

At Baba and Pops house Nolan and Ava were very happy to see each other.

I think Baba was pretty thrilled to have them back in her arms too.

Watching Aristocats in their sleeping bag/chair

Ava read Nolan a book about trains while he signed along.

Ready to bake gingerbread cookies in her souvenir Luzern shirt.

An Ava and Baba Christmas tradition

I'm sure Nolee's smiling face will be included in this shot next year.

The mild-weathered Christmas allowed for lots of outside play time resulting in two very dirty grandkids.

Nolan helped Ava rinse her hair.

Beautiful weather and fun in the December sun

Pops knows how to push Ava perfectly.

One of my new favorite shots of Ava

Little Mommy trying to prevent Nolan from chomping rocks she collected

So happy together

A neighbor. Yes, really. While she's not great for lending a cup of sugar, this little donkey provides entertainment for the grandkids.

Kicking the ball with Nolan

Uncle Nate gets a taste of what Sarah and I mean when we say we have our hands full. Can anyone see the grandma spotting him?

On a nature walk

Something she learned in the Alps: always carry a walking stick.

Big news: Ms. Well has a big sister! Baba and Pops gave Ava this real big American Girl. Ava promptly named her Arabelle, which rhymes nicely with Ms. Well. I think her name may have had something to do with a wonderful Christmas visit with the Farmers. (Robyn, how do we have no pictures from our time together? Oh yeah, we were talking 100mph the whole time. I'd say it was a fair trade. We have to take some pictures next time though.)

We had a special Christmas celebration with Beene Beene in the hospital.

Presents and puzzles and lots of love were shared.

On the night of Halloween 2010 Ava announced that she was planning to grow her hair out to be Rapunzel for Halloween 2011.

As soon as we were finished trick-or-treating in Switzerland she was ready to have her hair cut short. Between the expensive prices of haircuts (and everything else) and a major language barrier I wasn't brave enough to have her hair cut while we were abroad. I promised her that as soon as we returned to Oklahoma we'd go to her favorite salon and she could do whatever she wanted with her hair. On Saturday I made good on my promise.

She loves this place because they let her pick what fruit scent she'd like her shampoo and conditioner to be.

Everything is kid-sized, bright and fun.

Talking over her decision to donate her hair to Locks of Love

Determining if she has enough

Yay for a 10 inch donation!

Snipping it

All gone

Shaping up the rest

A quick blowdry and a few strokes with a round brush later

and her hair is cute as can be. No more tangles, no more marathon blowdry sessions, no more gobs of shampoo and conditioner. Also, Daddy can fix it on mornings he takes her to school. She loves it and so do we we. More about school and our first week of work soon. Hope everyone had a lovely week!

WeMADiTHoMSAF

2011-12-18T09:15:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's almost been a month since my last post. We've returned home to the most wonderful cast of family, friends, and food. There has been no time for blogging! I have another post (Christmas) that will come in the next 24 hours and then I'll be caught up.

We spent our last few days in Luzern packing and trying to soak up as much of the gorgeous surroundings as possible.

Beautiful snow-capped Alps across Lake Luzern

The Advent calendar building

Signs of Christmas everywhere

This photo was snapped on our very last walk around town. Sadly, the clouds were covering Mount Pilatus. Within an hour after this picture was taken we made our way with over 400 pounds of luggage from our flat to the train station. I'm still not sure how we did it. Ava would wheel her small suitcase along with Cole and I each pulling trunks and a large suitcase while Josh stood with another load of trunks and two large suitcases. I would leave my bags at a spot slightly up the sidewalk where Cole and Ava would stand with luggage while I went back to help Josh bring the rest of the load to them. Then the whole process would begin again. It was just a little over a quarter mile but it seemed like thousands. Teamwork prevailed though, and we made it to our train on time.

The train we took from Luzern to Zurich was so fun for Ava. It was a two-level train and one car had room for bicycles (or 3-months of luggage) on the lower level and a playground on the upper level.

After a long time with no kiddos her age to play with Ava was in heaven!

With the help of TWO taxis we made it from the Zurich train station to our hotel. The next morning we were thrilled to find a Starbucks right next door.

We finally saw our first snow in Switzerland. According to the locals this was the latest snow in over 100 years. Call it Texan luck I guess. Never quite enough snow to suit us.

We spent a few days in Zurich. One of our favorite stops was a huge Christmas market.

This entire tree was draped in Swarovski crystal.

Hot spiced wine kept us warm all day.

Ava enjoyed a hot orange punch.

Talk about Sparkle

For months Ava had been begging to make a snow angel.

Her wish finally came true.

She even rounded up enough snow

to harass Daddy and Cole.

Tongue wagging and booty shaking? Maybe Daddy was asking for a snowball fight.

Merry Swissmas?

We had to have a picture of HLS in front of this cleverly named bakery, though I'm not so sure about his plea myself.

In downtown Zurich the boys drug us into an Apple store.

On a bridge to old town Zurich

Another snowball fight broke out in front of the opera house. Yeah, we're classy like that.

The largest clock face in Europe

Josh took this next series of pictures. I included them on the blog because they're lovely.

At a toy store that I can only imagine is Zurich's answer to FAO Schwarz we found a 2-story slide and the perfect toy for little Nolan.

Soon it was time to head to the airport. Thankfully a wonderful airport shuttle made this task way less drama than we anticipated. An extra-large cart made our airport time even more pleasant.

Ava and I had to have one last heavenly chocolate-filled croissant before we left Switzerland.

With all of the snow falling in Zurich we were worried that our airplane might have trouble departing. The snow was falling in large chunks, not flakes. If we'd only known that snow was just the beginning of our adventure.

10:25 am - we board our plane

10:45 - the captain comes on and says we are waiting on catering services and will be a few more minutes before leaving the gate

11:00 - he announces that we will have to de-ice the plane before takeoff and informs us that the line to de-ice is backed up and that takeoff is still about an hour away

11:02 - we all talk and agree that our 4-hour layover in Philadelphia will allow us plenty of time to go through customs and grab Chick-Fil-A before our last flight to Dallas (I call this period of time "We Are Stupid")

11:45 - a flight attendant comes over the speaker and asks if there's a doctor on board

12:00 - a woman in our area is rumored to be having seizures and the doctor on board recommends we take her back to the gate so she can seek further medical attention

12:01 - the captain announces that we are getting out of line to de-ice and returning to the gate

1:00 - the captain announces we will have to refuel and get back in line to de-ice

1:45 pm - we finally take off

11:30 pm Swiss time (5:30 pm Eastern) - we arrive in Philadelphia (our flight leaves for Dallas in a little over an hour)
12:30 am Swiss time (6:30 pm Eastern) - customs thinks my bag of Swiss chocolate is dynamite. Yes, really. Needless to say we did not make our connection to Dallas.

12:45 am Swiss time (6:45 pm Eastern) - we (thanks to a pilot friend at church and Cole's parents) find a flight leaving for Charlotte, NC that will connect us to a flight to Dallas

1:15 am Swiss time (7:15 pm Eastern) - we take off for Charlotte. None of us has eaten in over eight hours and we had no time to grab even a bottle of water between our flights. Ava and Cole were such troopers as we ran and scrambled to avoid spending the night in Philadelphia.

2:30 am Swiss time (8:30 pm Eastern) - we land in Charlotte

4:00 am Swiss time (10:00 pm Eastern) - we take off for Dallas
6:00 am Swiss time (1:00 am CST) - we land in Dallas!

Our journey began almost exactly 24 hours before when we woke up at our hotel in Zurich. Despite the crazy travel experience the only thing that really matter is that:

Italy & An Update

2011-12-07T12:46:00.001-06:00

***Make sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post for BIG news. No, I'm not pregnant. Seriously people. No babies here.***

This past weekend we traveled to Vicenza, Italy to stay with my college roommate and her husband. They visited us in Switzerland earlier this semester, and we were eager to spend more time with them. We had an amazing time! In addition to late-night card game marathons and a trip to Venice, we got to shop at an American grocery store on the Army base.

When did we turn into "those tourists"? You know, the tourists who go to New York City and eat at Red Lobster; the tourists who go abroad and eat at Hard Rock Cafe. Normally I quietly shake my head in pity at these folks. They miss out on the culture and local cuisine of the places they're visiting, choosing instead to stick to the familiar things they could have back home. Usually we try to eat local, stay away from chain restaurants, and check out the 'holes in the wall'. However, when it's been almost three months since you had American fast food, namely TexMex, and you see a Taco Bell even the most adventurous foodies will get goosebumps.

I'm not sure my face looked this excited when I saw the Eiffel Tower. Go ahead, judge me. I would do the same if you wrote this on your blog.

Only in Italy can you find a wine store where you bring your own container and fill it up for about a Euro, way less than the cost of water.

Vats of wine filled the store.

We were given tiny cups and allowed to sample until we found exactly what we liked.

A very sweet Lindsey saved her Christmas tree decorating until we arrived.

Untangling lights

Such a helper

Showing Taylor where she hung his ornaments.

Cole and his very good friend YouTube solved a Rubiks Cube.

Fancy arches in Vicenza

Traveling up to the top of a hill to overlook the city seemed to be quite a trek. Josh came up with this genius way to help Ava scooter upstairs.

A foggy overlook

Rambling through the Italian countryside

Posing on our walk

Turns out we needed some scooter intervention on our way down the hill as well.

Josh's scarf worked perfectly.

Sampling some Italian goodies in the town square.

One thing she sampled, loved, and begged her Daddy until he bought a jar: Goose Liver Pate. Oh my fancy girl.

She also loved the wild game salami.

No, we didn't go to London. There was a red double-decker bus in the streets so we had to pose in front of it.

A perfect frame

Lindsey and Ava whipped up some surprise brownies for us.

We were so happy with our decision to put off our trip to Venice until the next day. So far we have had the best luck with weather. It was about time for the rain to catch up with us.

Lindsey and Taylor just moved into their new home, so they're still figuring out the Italian electrical system. Every time the boys would plug in the big screen to try and watch college football all the power would go out. Lindsey and I ended up washing dishes by headlamp.

On Sunday we headed to Venice! This city far surpassed my expectations.

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting,

but the canal was blue and gorgeous.

The buildings were stunningly antiquated.

We saw charming gondolas and listened to accordions and Italian serenades.

The city's beautiful buildings seemed to rise, floating up from the sea and fog.

Lindsey (and Uncle Rick) were our fearless tour guides.

Riding the water taxi through the city

Look at that beautiful water! I was expecting stinky canals, but we didn't experience anything like that.

On a small bridge over the canal

Chasing pigeons in Saint Marks Square

In the millennium-old square, trying to decide where to go next.

On the Rialto Bridge

So thankful for my sweet potluck roommate

Three Locketts on the Rialto Brige

Enjoying delicious crispy pizza

Cole had his first calzone.

Cheers!

Later the kids enjoyed some gelato.

Venice is famous for their masks. We found this one for the Bave (rhymes with Dave - it was recently pointed out to me that I often call Ava 'the Bave' or 'Bava', rhymes with Ava, and some people don't know how to pronounce it).

Looking through some art at Saint Mark's Basilica.

This characters in this nativity had the cutest puckered lips and squinted eyes. Ava decided to mimic them. The result was just hilarious.

Josh read about a unique bookstore in Venice and we finally found it.

The bookstore is called Acqua Alta, High Water. All of the books are stored in boats, gondolas, and bathtubs.

I wasn't sure if I was in heaven or needed to call the show Hoarders.

Gotta' love this emergency exit onto the canal.

Tuckered out after a long day of Venetian travel.

Before we trained back to Luzern on Monday Lindsey and I visited an olive oil mill. Our guide showed us how they comb the olive trees by hand.

Most of their olive trees are up in the hills, but a few were planted near the factory so we could see the local varieties.

Vats of unfiltered olive oil

All olive oil brands mark their bottles with the required date of bottling, but Bonamini also puts the harvest date - so you're sure to be buying fresh oil.

Their most award-winning olive oil

The discarded olive leaves

And since we've already established that we are "those tourists" I see no reason why my baby girl can't enjoy a box of bunny pasta from the commissary once we return home.

***Big News***

Since Josh began law school I have enjoyed communicating with potential and incoming students about OU Law. We've had meals with students and their families, written emails back and forth, had them over for dinner, and even hosted a dinner for incoming law families. Recently a job opened up in the admissions and recruiting office and I applied for it. This isn't anything we've really planned on, but it seemed like a good fit. I contacted Wonder Woman (aka JJ) and asked her to look into a couple of preschools for us. One of the only two I'd consider putting Ava in had an opening in January. After lots of international Skyping, applying, and interviews I was offered the job last night! I start on January 3 AND I don't have to wear suits - my one big fear with working in the legal world. The job consists of a lot of travel in the fall to recruit, and I'm super excited about that aspect of it. I know I have a lot to learn about my new career, but I'm ready. Ava is THRILLED to start school. She's already picked out a backpack and is convinced that she will ride a yellow school bus. (Who wants to tell her that's not going to happen just yet? Not it.) Josh has encouraged me through this entire process, and is exactly the support I need as I start this new chapter. Our parents and siblings have stepped up to say they'll help with Ava when I need to travel. Friends far and near have also sent prayers and well-wishes as we've shared the news. Isn't it funny how things pop up that just make total sense for your life? Things you never would have dreamed of, but are of course exactly as they should be. I am so thankful and humbled by this opportunity and what it means for our little family.

Time with Nate & Hannah

2011-12-01T03:45:00.001-06:00

When Hannah and Nate arrived in Switzerland, they brought gifts from Baba and Pops! We have been reading Ava's new Christmas books on repeat since she opened them. Thanks Baba and Pops.

On our way to show Hannah and Nate the Lion Monument we saw that the Old Swiss House had transformed. I think I know two grandmas who will be asking a Coach and a Pops to construct gingerbread shutters with red hot decorations. So adorable. (Sorry to the grandpas.)

With the peaceful, pensive lion

Ava loves to 'surf' on this moving ramp at the grocery store. She taught Nate and Hannah how to hang ten grocery-style.

Our Elf on the Shelf, James Lockett, made his appearance the day after Thanksgiving. He brought Ava a can of snow from the North Pole.

Playing in the snow with the cast of Tangled and Uncle Nate.

The next morning we found a mess in the kitchen,

and James Lockett taking a snow bath on top of our refrigerator. I'm posting all of his adventures on Facebook each morning - stay tuned.

Me and my 'little' brother

We live in heaven.

Luzern is just as Christmas crazy as we are. As we were walking home we noticed that projectors had been set up along the river. They were casting Christmas scenes onto the surrounding buildings - magical.

A wood-carved nativity in town

We love taking walks to look at Christmas lights at night.

This building is lit up like an Advent calendar.

Another beautiful shot of the Reuss River at Christmas.

On Sunday we walked around the lake to visit the Transportation Museum.

Trains, cars, boats, airplanes, scooters, bikes, and construction vehicles - this place had it all.

Peering through the front window

Driving

Checking under the train

Two train lovers watching the model trains go

The most beautiful train car I've ever seen and it's advertising chocolate.

Your colors Mimi; I think you need this one framed.

Whee!

Magnetized toy train fun

Oh look, Mommy was there too.

A train puzzle

This sweet gentlemen took us into a roped-off section to illustrate how this train is fueled by coal and steam.

He told Ava to pull the cord for the whistle, and then made a very authentic train whistle sound with his hands.

Toot toot

A miniature passenger train

Learning about Morse Code

A Swiss rescue helicopter

With lots of model planes

What my kitchen would look like in outer space

In the shuttle kitchen

Who needs to go to space when Daddy can make you fly?

The planetarium is one of Ava's favorite things. This show was the nativity story. We listened to the story in English with headsets. Hannah and Josh fell asleep, but the rest of us loved it. That's right sleepyheads, I outed you.

A rowing competition, Nate won.

Scootering with Daddy

A bicycle built for two

Nate and Josh decided to try some synchronized scootering. It was elegant, let me tell you.

Digging in the gravel pit

Construction consultation

Shoveling

I feel like she should have been wearing this hat when she was born. See the word written on it? It would have been a nice warning about what we could expect from her.

Driving on the course

On our walk back to our flat we came across many photo ops. I love love love this shot of us with Mount Pilatus, Lake Luzern, and a ship flying the Swiss flag in the background.

I also love this guy. Do you know we will celebrate our seventh anniversary on January 1? Crazy how time flies.

Cutest kids ever

I was bummed when Nate and Hannah had to leave, and only grew more sad when everyone on Facebook started posting pictures of their gorgeously decorated Christmas trees. It doesn't make financial sense to buy a tree and decorate it here. Seeing my gloom, these three started taping Josh's old class notes together.

Josh drew a huge Christmas tree and Ava brought out her crayons.

We all added our own flare to the tree.

Ava borrowed some glitter eye makeup and made the tree Sparkle.

And now we have the most precious tree ever!

I may have to roll it up and bring it home with us.

Today we leave for Vicenza, Italy to visit Lindsey and Taylor. Vicenza sits 30 minutes from Venice and 30 minutes from Verona. We plan to visit both. We are so excited to enjoy our last big trip before we head back home on December 20. Hope everyone is having a marvelous Christmas season!

To see all of our pictures from the past few weeks click here:

Time with Nate & Hannah

Paris 1

Paris 2

Paris 3

Thanksgiving, Not Just for Americans Anymore

2011-11-30T11:47:00.001-06:00

My brother, Nathan, and his girlfriend, Hannah, flew to Switzerland to see us over Thanksgiving. We also celebrated the holiday with:

our fellow law school travelers, the Bunsons;

our sweet neighbor, Esther;

Jennifer, one of the wonderful Zellwegers;

Hannah E., our favorite little Tasmanian law student

and Cole of course.

In case you lost count, that's 12!

Two pumpkin pies, not beautiful but tasty anyway.

The hot kitchen was not our friend as we tried to whip cream to top the pies.

The feast:

stuffed turkey breasts, ciabatta hazelnut dressing, green been casserole, turkey gravy, broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberries, citrus pound cake, and delicious bread

Still whipping

Suzan and I split the cooking and cleaning duties between our two tiny kitchens, four floors apart. I don't know how we pulled it off, but somehow dinner was served and people were happy.

We had lots of Thanksgiving food items sent from the US. My mom even thought to send Thanksgiving napkins.

Our whole crew

All in all it was very happy Swiss Thanksgiving!

Disneyland Paris! Chapter 2

2011-11-28T06:21:00.001-06:00

Back to our favorite ride

We heard a rumor that someone special had a workshop close by.

Waiting in line in Disney's version of the North Pole.

In front of the cutest train

Waiting in the workshop

Cole chose to redeem a nearby Fastpass instead of sitting in Santa's lap. I sure hope Tanner is willing to share his Christmas gifts this year.

Brainstorming

about what to ask for from Santa this year.

Her Christmas list for Santa this year:

a TV for her dollhouse and a rocking horse
(Coach, do you think you can dig out the rocking horse that we've stored at your house? Evidently she's forgotten all about it and it would sure help out Santa. Thanks!)

Santa was waiflike, evidently not as big a fan of the French crepes as we are.

She kindly thanked him for the bike he brought her last year.

Putting in her request and wishing Santa a merry Christmas.

Dashing through the snow

Rafiki and Timon from The Lion King

We were thrilled to see Winnie the Pooh. Even with all the princesses, Ava was the most excited to see Pooh. I love that she's still a baby girl at heart.

Blowing kisses to Pooh Bear as we stood in line to meet him.

(When I say 'stood in line' I really mean fought to stay in line. Evidently schools here do not teach line etiquette. We were cut so many times over the course of our time at Disneyland that I was afraid we'd need stitches. Our saving grace was Tim. Curiously enough, no one had the gall to cut in front of him.)

Ava's open armed run up the steps to meet Pooh caused a resounding 'awww' from the Cutter-Cutter-Peanut-Butters in line.

This series of pictures was too precious not to include.

Pooh's sweet gesture, rubbing Ava's forehead, meant so much to her. She has talked about it endlessly.

Kinda' makes your teeth hurt from the sweet, huh?

Christmas Goofy and Ava James

Ava in front of the famous Walt Disney and Mickey statue.

Sleepy Mommy and Daddy in front of the statue. Y'all, Paris + Disneyland Paris all rolled into five jam-packed days caused a level of tired we haven't felt since a few days after Ava was born. We've been home a week and I am just now starting to feel normal again.

Waiting in line to ride SlinkyDog from Toy Story.

Yay for being tall enough to ride a real roller coaster! She was also tall enough to ride the Tower of Terror. She loved it and wanted to ride again as soon as it was over.

We all loved Crush's Coaster from Finding Nemo.

Such a fun ride. We loved this one.

Later that night we went back to the hotel to got ready for the Princess Dinner.

A very fancy maître d' ushered Ava to our table.

Our first table visitors were Ariel and Eric from The Little Mermaid.

Fancy juice

Smiling with Belle

Waiting on our food

Loving the fancy kid appetizer

The adult fancy appetizer

Ava told passing princesses, "That's Cole, he's such a prince."

Ava and Suzy, did you know the mice from Cinderella had names?

Delicious salmon entre

Cheers

Ava/Rapunzel dancing with Gabby/Tiana

With Aurora, Sleeping Beauty

With my favorite princess, discussing books - what else?

Loving Cinderella, she made sure to tell her that Baba loved her best

Another of Cinderella's mice, Pearla

Curtsying next to Daddy

Elegant whispers

Precious setting for our dinner

Delicious dessert

An encore picture with Aurora and Belle

With Cinderella's carriage

Early the next morning we met a smiling Minnie Mouse on our way to breakfast.

When I tried to take this picture with my camera I discovered that my battery needed to be charged. Cole saved the day by letting us use his fancy new iPhone camera for the next few pictures.

Ava had seen many kids with the cutest face paint. On Sunday morning we finally took a few minutes to let her have her face painted.

Waiting patiently

Sitting so still

The beautiful Blue Fairy

With Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc.

While we waited in line to meet Rapunzel a very handsome Flynn Rider (Eugene) came to greet us. Ava wanted NOTHING to do with him, shyly cowering behind me. "He's not a prince, he's a thief," she kept insisting before he reached us. He tried so hard to coax her out for a picture, even discussing her face paint and light-up shoes. She smiled and politely conversed with him but did not move from behind my legs. After he signed her autograph book as Flynn Rider and walked away Ava put her hands on her hips and said, "See? He's tricky. We know his real name is Eugene, not Flynn Rider." Then she made a very exasperated sigh. How I survived this without dying laughing at her I will never know. Major Mom points were s

Finally meeting Rapunzel

Back to the Buzz Lightyear ride

We ran into another friend from The Hundred Acre Wood.

Another Goofy visit

Twirling our way across the castle bridge

Waving goodbye to the Light Parade

With Friar Tuck from Robin Hood

So excited to drive Daddy around Autopia

Loving the Snow White ride

Three chilly Locketts

Cole and Mickey at breakfast the next morning

Another Pluto hug

With Gepetto from Pinocchio

Loving Mickey

Pleasezoom in and look at my raised eyebrows in this picture. The reason? I'm in the middle of giving Captain Hook the business. Oh my goodness washe smarmy. He just finished throwing Gabby's autograph book on the floorwhile a terrified Ava trembled in my lap. He was rude and big andbrandished his hook at the kids. I understand villain, but really? I think he was hungover from too much rum with Mr. Smee the night before, and Iwas not putting up with it. I informed him that, after signing Ava'sbook, he would politely hand it to her or else risk being hogtied by aTexan. Yes, really. I also told him that he was going to nicelyhand Gabby her book from the floor. Guess what?

I taught thatpirate a lesson because he did exactly what I told him to do. Look atAva's face in this shot. She keeps telling people that, "CaptainHook is afraid of my mommy." Well, duh, who isn't?

Our last entrance to Main Street Disney

In line to ride our very last roller coaster - Big Thunder Mountain

As we started to leave the park Mickey arranged for one last surprise for us

Disney Snow!

Cole in the winter wonderland

Catching the soap bubbly snow flakes

Waiting outside our hotel to catch a bus to our train

Much like Buddy the Elf, Ava James loves revolving doors.

On our ride home we lucked into a private compartment with the Bunsons. The girls played princesses the whole way home.

Suzan and I worked on our computers on the other side while the boys vegged out somewhere in the middle.

It was a relaxing ride home after a very busy, fun-filled trip!

Disneyland Paris! Chapter 1

2011-11-28T04:17:00.001-06:00

If you've been following along with my blog over the past couple of months you know that Ava is a trooper. Sure, she's getting to experience Europe at age 4. But when you're 4 I'm sure it feels a little like you're being drug through a bunch of dusty castles and pulled along some very gnarled cobblestone streets. Soon after we arrived in Switzerland we started planning a trip to Disneyland Paris with the Bunsons. None of the Locketts had ever been to a Disney park before and this one was too close and affordable (due to us being able to travel when the park is between peak seasons) not to visit. The night before we left for Paris this is how we found Ava:

In her almost too-small Rapunzel dress watching Mary Poppins. A prime candidate for a Disney trip if I ever saw one.

We left early Thursday morning and arrived at the main train station in Paris right around noon.

We quickly hopped on the RER (metro train system) and headed along the 30 minute ride to Disneyland Paris.

The guys stood with our bulky luggage while we kept the girls entertained. The train announcer kept mentioning our ultimate destination and so I faked some coughing fits to cover.

Our final stop

The girls still had no clue as we walked toward the escalators.

Standing in half shock/ half trying to guess where we were.

A playground?
A zoo?
Six flags?

Nope.

Disneyland!

Gabby, who has been to Disney many times and knew exactly the fun that was coming her way, started running laps around all of us in excitement.
Ava, happy but no idea how happy she should be, hugged us both.

Cole was also thrilled, though he knew about the surprise. He had trouble sleeping the night before because he was so excited.

A little window shopping at the hotel gift shop while the daddies checked us in.

Minnie Mouse ear muffs

How magical that our first Disney character to get an autograph from and pictures with was Mickey himself?

While Josh was busy checking us in Mickey came up behind him and tickled his ribs. Josh's response was to elbow him. Whoops. His excuse? "Sorry Mickey, I thought you were my wife." Yep. Josh admitted to Mickey that he beats me. Lovely.

We had a few hours in the park after check-in and lunch.

All four of us were ready to go.

At the front of Main Street Disney with Sleeping Beauty's castle in the background.

Our first ride, quintessential Dumbo of course.

I think we all felt 4-years-old for our entire stay at Disneyland.

Cheesing it up

The Aristocats window, probably Ava's most-requested movie choice

Under the big Christmas tree

After we missed getting to see Snow White the girls were a little disappointed. We decided that it was a good time tell them about the Princess Dinner we had scheduled for Saturday night.

"Second star to the right and straight on to morning!" We all adored the Flight of Peter Pan ride. I think we ended up riding it about five times during our stay.

As the sun set the park really came alive with lights.

Josh and Cole were noticeably excited to ride the Teacups.

"Fabulous", in the words of Josh.

Carousel ride

Yes, we all had to buckle ourselves onto the horses. The buckle checks took longer than the ride. Is this something new? I've never heard of buckling onto a carousel.

Our first princess signature and photo, Jasmine and Aladdin.

The Buzz Lightyear Ride was a ton of fun.

We caught part of the light parade on our way back to the hotel.

Sweets with the sweets

Disney magic + Christmas magic = Ridiculous amounts of magic

We left the park on Thursday night and spent all day Friday in the city of Paris. We did catch Pluto on our way out for the day.

Walking through Disney Village on our way to the train

The three kiddos and the giant tree just behind our hotel

On Saturday morning we woke up ready to play all day.

"Come on Mom, quit with the pictures."

Riding the space ride with Daddy

Daddy and Prince Phillip

The boys with The Sword in the Stone

Inside Sleeping Beauty's castle we walked through the story of Aurora.

The story was written in French, so Daddy and Suzan told the story in their own words.

Blogger is not loving my super-long posts and it keeps losing my pictures and text when I add more. I'll post another chapter of Disneyland Paris in a separate post.

Paris!

2011-11-25T04:29:00.001-06:00

We actually began our time in Paris at Disneyland, but in order to avoid a post of over 300 pictures I've opted to separate our time at the park into its own post.

Our lovely guides, Suzan and Josh checked and double checked the train routes from our hotel at Disneyland into the city.

For two little girls being ripped away from Mickey, Ava and Gabby were wonderful. They cheerfully read the paper on our ride to the Eiffel Tower.

I still can't believe we actually went. Our time in Paris was surreal and magical. People were kind, landmarks sat exactly where the maps led us, and we were wearing just the right amount of clothes to be warm in the crisp November weather.

Ava and the Eiffel Tower

Cole and the Eiffel Tower

Josh and I had a little scuffle about where he should keep his wallet during our time in the city. Here we were reenacting the disagreement.

We worked it out thanks to a passing cloud of Parisian love.

By the way, no matter what they say on Friends, Tulsa is not "the Paris of Oklahoma". It's just not.

The tower did not disappoint. It was larger than I imagined, and so majestic.

Crossing a bridge over the Seine River

A shot through some fall trees

Some sculptures in a garden just across the river

Check off another country Ava has scootered through: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France (coming soon Italy and then the good old USA!).

The four Swiss Locketts

Josh's view through the lens

My favorite of the whole day

We took a couple of pictures here. Paris was such a dream-come-true for us. I didn't want to risk blurry pictures or squinty eyes. We took every possible shot multiple times to ensure at least one good one.

Wearing her very appropriate Eiffel Tower shirt, thanks Mimi!

Is it weird that I feel like I cheated on NYC? I've always wanted to go to New York City, but made it to Paris first. Not that I'm complaining!

Taking a little break to wait on Tim, who believe it or not takes more pictures than I do.

Ava and Gabby walking down by the Seine searching for Remy from Ratatouille.

This one is just for you Adriane.

A scenic walk

We stopped at this little cafe for lunch

Our table

Our view

Cole ordered lasagna

Ava enjoyed an omelet

Josh ate beef burgundy

And I had to try French Onion Soup. It was delicious. Please forgive my sleepy eyes.

Revived from lunch, it was time to see more of Paris.

Agorgeous tree on a gorgeous corner

Theweather was cool but beautifully sunny.

Loving the trees

Little markets everywhere

The museum that holds Napoleon's tomb

A princess I love

Taking a scooter break. See the tower in the background?

The Arc de Triomphe

Another landmark that did not disappoint. I could not get over the size of the arc.

Someday we'll go back and have more time to spend. No time to stop and go up in the arc today.

Walking from the arc toward the Louvre

Thewhole time we were walking around Paris I kept running lines from the Madelinebooks in my head,

“In an old house inParis that was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines
In two straight lines they broke their bread
And brushed their teeth and went to bed.
They left the house at half past nine
In two straight lines in rain or shine-
The smallest one was Madeline.”

Hooray for Christmas!

A Christmas market ran along the street

One booth caught our attention with two words:
Nutella
Crepes

So thin and rich

Sugar highs are fun

Grand Palais de Champs-Elysees

Y'allthis is our crew. Not staged, just us. I'll break it down for youfrom left to right:

Ava- scootering and saying "Daddy" over and over

Tim- taking a picture and holding lots of things

Gabby- waiting for Suzan while gently tapping her over and over
Suzan - checking the map to chart our course
Josh - double-checking the map and holding lots of things
Cole - well, just being Cole...maybe with a slight Jack Sparrow-esque quality

Me- also taking a picture and laughing hysterically at us all

More scenic streets

Ihave to give a big SHOUT OUT to Tim now. When I found out we would havesome time in Paris the Louvre was not on my list of things to do. I'm notthe most cultured person, not an art lover, and usually bored by museums thataren't sciency. Tim kept insisting that we had to go to the Louvre. He, like Uncle Rick, hasn't led us wrong yet so we gave in. Best decisionof our trip so far.

From the moment you walk in the doors this museum soaks into your pores in such a way that you know it'll always be a part of you.

Ava in front of a model of what the Louvre once looked like.

Pictures can't do it justice, but we tried.

View through the pyramid onto another section of the museum

The entire art museum is arranged inside an outrageously oversized fortress built in the 12th century. I would have been happy to walk through the old palace without the famous artwork inside. It is a masterpiece in its own right.

The Great Sphinx of Tanis

Remnants of the original fortress walls

Walking where a moat once was

Wepaid a couple of Euros to have the guided audio tour to help us appreciate whatwe were seeing. I highly recommend this if you ever visit. Theyeven have a children's version of the tour.

An Aphrodite

Inthe Greek statue area I had the following conversation with Ava,

Me: Can you believe all of these fancy statues?

Ava: Mommy, they're not fancy. I can see their hineys!

TheVenus de Milo, "hiney" covered thank you very much. We allthree liked this statue, and it was a close second place to our favorite. The Louvre describes this piece,

"This gracefulstatue of a goddess has intrigued and fascinated since its discovery on theisland of Melos in 1820. Is it Aphrodite, who was often portrayed half-naked,or the sea goddess Amphitrite, who was venerated on Milo? The statue reflectssculptural research during the late Hellenistic Period: classical in essence,with innovatory features such as the spiral composition, the positioning inspace, and the fall of the drapery over the hips.
The Venus de Milo was discovered in 1820 on the island of Melos (Milo in modernGreek) in the south-western Cyclades. The Marquis de Rivière presented it toLouis XVIII, who donated it to the Louvre the following year. The statue woninstant and lasting fame. Essentially two blocks of marble, it is comprised ofseveral parts which were sculpted separately (bust, legs, left arm and foot)then fixed with vertical pegs, a technique which was fairly common in the Greekworld (especially in the Cyclades, where this work was produced around 100 BC).The goddess originally wore metal jewelry — bracelet, earrings, and headband —of which only the fixation holes remain. The marble may have been embellishedwith (now faded) polychromy. The arms were never found."

Again, the setting is as stunning as the art.

One of the many gilded ceilings

TheWinged Victory of Samothrace,

theunanimous Louvre favorite among all three Locketts. It was funny becausewe let Ava answer before Josh and I told her our favorites, and out ofeverything we saw she liked this the best.

Accordingto the Louvre description of the piece it is,

"An originalGreek statue probably destroyed by an earthquake, this work was found incountless pieces in 1863 on the island of Samothrace, in the northeast Aegean.The right wing is a plaster copy of the left wing, the only one to havesurvived. The cement base beneath its feet is also modern; the statue initiallystood on the sculpted prow of the ship. It loomed out of a hilltop sanctuary atan angle, which explains why less attention was paid to carving the right-handside.
The Victory — “Nike” in Greek — is shown as if she were just alighting on theprow of the ship to which she is bringing divine favor. Discovered in 1950, herright hand enabled her original gesture to be restored: with her raised hand,she announces the coming event. Staged in spectacular fashion very much inkeeping with Hellenistic taste, she could be seen from afar by shipsapproaching the island. The proportions, the rendering of the bodily forms, themanner in which the drapery flapping in the wind is handled, and theexpansiveness of the highly theatrical gesture all bear witness to the searchfor realism in sculpture dating from this period.
After examining certain stylistic details, scholars believe that this monumentmight be a votive offering from the Rhodians to thank the gods for a navalvictory around 190 BC, but André Malraux was delighted with the accidentalmutilation of this statue, which turned it into a timeless icon of Western art— “a masterpiece of destiny.”

The Victory's hand

View onto the courtyard

Look at these hallways

I really loved this piece

One of the many Italian primitive paintings

Josh and the famous Mona Lisa

The Wedding Feast at Cana, took three years to complete

A Greek funerary monument

Through the pyramid at night

Taking a much-needed after Louvre Starbucks break

Scootering around while Daddy found a WC

These kiddos were rockstars, such a long day

OnHannah'srecommendation we went back to the Eiffel at night to see it sparkle.

Then we waited in line to go up to the "tippy tippy top," as Ava put it.

The kids played opossum,

but were so excited to see Paris from the top of the tower.

The City of Light indeed

Wetried to walk onto the outdoor observation deck, but were blown back inside bythe most blustery wind you can imagine. Josh braved the cold to snap afew pictures while we stayed inside to peer through the windows.

At the top!

The distance to DC and NYC from Paris

Taking a rest near the massive beams

The Arc de Triomphe

Part of the pulley system used to operate the elevators up and down the tower

On a lower observation deck, so we could take some shots outside

Ava crashed as we waited for the train back to Disneyland.

Weenjoyed our time in Paris, and hope to go back one day and see everything wemissed. It is a magical place that really lives up to the hype. I'll say'au revoir' for now, but watch for our Disneyland post soon.

***Also,Josh and I are perfecting a bit called, The Rednecks Visit the Louvre (whichwe pronounce 'Louv-rie'). We ramble on about how "them statues ain'teven finished, arms and heads all gone a missin', " and how "there'snot a one taxidermy animal in the whole dern place, and they call it a classyestablishment." Hopefully we'll have it all worked out byChristmas. You're welcome family and friends, you're welcome.***

Bad, Wildbad K?

2011-11-15T01:58:00.001-06:00

We had a free weekend and all of Europe too close to be ignored, so we decided to make a whirlwind, last-minute trip to Germany. We'd already traveled through Germany on our way to Salzburg, Austria, but I don't think that counts as actually 'being in Germany'. We decided to head to Rothenburg because of Uncle Rick's glowing reviews of the "cute medieval city".

You cannot imagine our delight when we found out that our seat reservations on one of the trains was a private compartment!

We felt like we were in Harry Potter - minus those creepy Dementors.

My favorite part of the private compartment was the lack of train smells.

{Side note: If you're going to backpack across Europe, commit to doing just that and hoof it. If, along your hiking days, you decide to get on a train where non-crunchy people are traveling please at least step into the WC and take a sink shower. Just because you're okay with smelling like stale Cheetos and bowling alley shoes doesn't mean I'm okay with it. Also, I think there are living dead traveling among us. I can't tell you how many times I smell formaldehyde, or something like it. Seriously, it's like dissection day in Biology all over again. Maybe I read too much Dracula in October, but my sniffer doesn't lie. Are there really nosferatu roaming about Europe on trains with us?}

Josh did his very best to keep us from arriving in Rothenburg. Train travel can be tricky, especially when you don't speak the language. The Swiss train system does an excellent job of announcing in several languages, and I think we're all a bit spoiled by this. Also, the Swiss trains are very punctual. If you do miss the name of the stop, you can look at your watch and see what time your tickets say you'll be arriving and know if the stop is yours.

As we were traveling along to Germany we saw a sign for a stop called, "Bad Wildbad K". Josh pointed it out and we all had a laugh because it sounded silly. Like Bond, James Bond-ish. Anyway, fast forward a few hours and Josh looks at his watch and then at our tickets and deems the next stop to be ours. We bundle up, gather our bags and rush out the door and Josh reminds us to be looking for Platform 5. As the train speeds away we notice that this isn't a train station. It's a single stop. There is no Platform 5; there's barely a Platform 1. Turns out our train was running behind schedule (no Swiss precision in Germany) and instead of stepping off at Steinach we were at Bad Wildbad K. All around us were dense German woods, and spooky howling pierced our tired ears as the sun sank behind the dark trees. No, I'm not being dramatic. That happened. Josh and Cole found an old man wandering around and he helped us read the posted train schedule. There wouldn't be another train stopping there for over an hour! It was freezing cold and we were so tired and hungry after hours of traveling.

I thought about strangling Josh and throwing him to the wolves,

but decided I might need him to keep warm.

I debated whether or not I should put this video on here. If you're going to watch it you have to know a few things: 1) Josh and I give each other hell about stupid mistakes. It's who we are. I think it was maybe in our marriage vows. Any of you who have spent time with us know how we are and that we love just as fiercely as we tease. In this video I am dishing it out, but later in our trip he did plenty of his own dishing when I told the waitress "auf wiedersehen" when I meant to say thank you. 2) If you're offended by someone calling a spade a spade (or a dumbass a dumbass) just keep scrolling and don't watch.

Eventually our train came and we made it to Rothenburg unscathed.

The next morning we enjoyed a wonderful Nutella-filled breakfast.

Rothenburg is just gorgeous.

We saw evidence of Uncle Rick everywhere.

An ancient Rothenburg flag

We toured through the old city vaults

and dungeon.

This dungeon was also used as a bomb shelter during World War 2.

I was really hoping to capture some ghosts in my pictures but it didn't happen.

*Update*

Many thanks to Cody Jones (a sweet fellow 3L back at OU) for tweaking this picture to include a ghost. Can you see it? Thanks so much Cody!

We toured a gorgeous Lutheran church.

The woodwork, carvings, and stained glass were breathtaking.

This piece was upstairs in the back of the main church area.

Josh found a friend near the church steps.

Town hall

More pictures of the square

Our teeth chattered during our entire stay in Germany. We saw this apple cider cart and were intrigued and eager to warm up a little.

The cider was warm, tart, and delicious.

Cheers!

Next it was on to the Christmas Store and Museum!

Ava found a friend near the entrance.

Just inside the door of the store/museum there is an entire town with stuffed animals who move around and perform the cutest tasks. I think Ava would have stayed here for the whole weekend, though Cole said it would have been too creepy at night. Pictures weren't allowed beyond this point, but we have many souvenirs to cherish and share.

I was determined to have a traditional German meal: beer, bratwurst, and sauerkraut. We decided to have lunch at the next place with kraut on the menu and found this place in about two steps.

I normally don't drink beer, but in combination with this plate of German goodness I couldn't resist. The food was unbelievably good.

Ava ordered her new favorite since Austria, wienerschnitzel; Cole ordered wienerschnitzel with mushroom sauce.

Josh had a German meatloaf. We all sampled each others food and left with jolly bellies.

Next on our agenda was to try the famous dessert: Schneeballen.

Schneeballen are layers of shortbread strips formed into a ball. They are dipped in chocolate or white chocolate, or dusted with sugar.

They were not too sweet, and melted in your mouth. So yummy!

We all had half a Schneeballen for dessert again later, since they were too big to eat in one sitting.

Josh and Cole went to the Crime Museum while Ava and I went to happier places filled with Christmas goodness.

My cuckoo in front of a giant cuckoo clock

Ava loves gummy candies, so she was in Haribo heaven.

Silly girl

Another friend

Trip-trapping across a bridge in the most wonderful toy store I've ever seen. The toys were displayed in large, warmly-lit toadstools. The ceiling was a canopy of twinkle lights and leafy tree branches. Ava and I pretended to be fairies as we explored all the nooks and crannies.

Later we returned to the hotel and layered on as many clothes as we could. Some of us wore pajamas under our jeans. One of us counted up 11 articles of clothing worn. Then we headed out into the frigid night.

Ava and Josh hunted for pinecones beneath the giant Christmas tree.

A kind man from Philadelphia snapped a picture for us and then told us he could tell we were from Texas because of our accents. Really? Us with accents? You don't say.

Soon a dark figure with lantern in hand loomed up the cobblestone street.

It was time for the Rothenburg Night Watchman Tour!

The clock struck 8:00 and we were off.

Rothenburg had Night Watchmen on duty until 1920. This watchman has been guiding a nightly tour for the past 20 years. He showed us how they used a horn to alert sleeping town people of fire.

The tour was one of the highlights of our time in Rothenburg. To read more about the history of the ancient city and learn more about the tour click here.

The next morning Ava slept as we packed up our suitcases.

We took one last chilly walk around the city before our train ride home.

A memorial to the Rothenburg Jews who lost their lives in World War 2.

I loved this vine

A cold Cole in front of the big tree

In a few days Rothenburg will really go Christmas crazy as the Christmas Market opens. I'd love to come back someday and see the city in full holiday swing.

Such a great little traveler!

We all wanted to take one more gander through the Christmas store.

Guess where Ava spent most of her time?

The same family has owned this house for more than 300 years. Cole considered ringing their very vintage doorbells.

Walking in step, my inner band nerd was crying happy tears.

"Look Mommy, an Ava-sized door!"

Checking the map

According the the Night Watchman, this tiny door was used by people who missed curfew. Instead of opening the huge door, and risking enemy attack, the late comer would pay a hefty fine and climb through the small opening.

Through the old walls

Another tower shot

Even though it was almost noon, frost still covered every surface.

City walls overlooking a cliff. This part was cut out with a hole where the townspeople could pour tar onto would-be attackers. I mentioned this and Ava said, "They would pour cars on people?" Silly girl.

Ava thought this looked like the entrance to The Secret Garden.

A very famous shot of Rothenburg, seen in almost every postcard, print, and even our new Advent calendar

Gorgeous buildings on our walk back to the hotel

Cutest Night Watchman ever!

In front of our lovely hotel

*Confession Time*

Our hotel offered free breakfast. They had large trays of cold cuts, cheeses, and fresh-baked bread. We knew our train trip home would be long, maybe even longer than we anticipated with Josh in the lead, right? So we did what any good American would do. We went to breakfast on Monday morning armed with Ziplocks. While we enjoyed our Nutella toast, eggs, and fruit with yogurt we each made and packed a sandwich to have for lunch later.

Dishonest? Maybe.

Delicious? Most definitely.

I'm happy to report that we made it home without any detours, though Josh did try to make us exit the train at the wrong Basel station. We stayed up late washing all our clothes and hanging them in the attic. We're hoping they dry before Wednesday evening - when we have to pack up again for PARIS. The girls have no idea, but we'll be spending four nights/five days in a hotel at Disneyland Paris! The park is a 30-minute train ride from the city; we'll split our time between the city and the park. I can't wait for Ava to hop off the train expecting another dusty old city and instead see Cinderella's castle! We'll have our cameras ready to capture her face. Until then enjoy these pictures from our past week. Lots of love to all our loyal readers.

Lindsey's Weekend Update

2011-11-08T05:13:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my college roommate and her husband came to visit us from Italy. We had a marvelous time, and I already posted on this blog with my pictures and stories about the weekend together. Click on over to Lindsey's blog to see her pictures and videos from the weekend. The picture below is one of my favorites of Lindsey. It was taken at my wedding, just before I walked down the aisle. Love you Linds!

Tuppence a Bag

2011-11-07T05:28:00.001-06:00

That's right. You've been warned. After washing the sheets, pillow cases, and duvet covers I put the guys in charge of putting them back on the beds. This is how I found them:

At first I thought they were just horsing around. Then I realized the gears were really turning.

Stifling a giggle, I snapped away.

See what they're doing?

It's working.

Almost done

Teamwork at its best

Do you think this is how Martha Stewart puts on her duvet covers?

Here's another person cracking me up these days:

We've had a lazy week and weekend. Lots of time logged at the park and in the kitchen.

The leaves are turning and falling, just beautiful.

This is the view on our walk to the grocery store. See the mountains in the background?

*This is your cue to start singing "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins.*

We crumbled bread into tiny pieces and kept our hands very still.

Soon the little birds were hopping over to us.

Look at Ava's face. She's not too sure about those pointy beaks.

She ended up loving it and didn't want to leave.

More mountains on our way home from the park

We recycle cartons, plastic bottles and other non glass and aluminum items at the back of the grocery store.

After a windy night, most of the leaves on the park trees were blanketing the grass.

Oh sassy girl

On a walk around the lake, barely able to see the mountains through the lake fog.

Two sassy scooter girls

This tree is just outside our apartment.

On Sunday afternoon (early morning for the Texans) Baba and Pops Skyped with us and read a book to Ava.

Later, Ava passed along the favor and read princess stories to Josh.

After all the traveling and sight-seeing it was so nice to spend some time at home. We have some BIG plans coming soon that will certainly make for more exciting blog posts!

'Fall'ing into Halloween

2011-11-01T07:34:00.001-05:00

On the train ride home from Salzburg we met a real live Heidi! She and her husband, Eckhart, were so sweet, and gave us a list of family-friendly things to do around Luzern. They have grandkids Ava's age, and were just precious with her. We talked so much that the two of them missed their train stop. I will always remember the hour spent with this kind couple.

I was so smitten with the city of Salzburg that Ava and Josh decided to build a Lego version of it for me.

Cole and Josh worked on separating our cardboard and paper for recycling. Have you ever wondered why it sometimes takes boys ten times longer to get through a task? Please notice Josh playing a game on his phone in this shot,

and Cole reading the sales papers. Oh boys.

Ava and Ms. Well caught up on their Disney channel shows.

This weekend my old college roommate and her husband came to visit us from Vicenza, Italy. They arrived late Friday night, and we left for Bern on Saturday morning.

Lindsey is proof that potluck dorm roommates can end up in lifelong friendships. I LOVE this girl!

Bern is the capitol of Switzerland, and absolutely gorgeous this time of year.

Sights we saw as we walked around town

One of my kiddos in the leaf pile,

and my other kiddo in the leaf pile.

We used the Rick Steves Switzerland guide to take our own walking tour of the city.

Still loving these mountain-cold water fountains

Taylor, Josh, and Ava walked way up into the bell tower of the Bern Cathedral.

They captured some gorgeous views of the city and surrounding mountains.

Look who climbed all the way up.

Spiral the whole way

The original Lindt chocolate factory, my favorite!

Home of the Bern Bears.

The bears really put on a show for us. These two were play fighting over a pelt of fur. One would snatch it from the other and start shaking it back and forth like a dog, then the other bear would bite his ear and snarl and 'bear hug' until he retrieved the pelt. It was so fun to watch.

Ava giggled at the silly bears and did not want to leave.

Posing with a less feisty bear in Bern

Lindsey and Ava made brownies for us, yum.

On Sunday we showed them around Luzern.

First stop: feeding the swans our old bread.

I cannot get over these trees. I didn't take many pictures on Saturday or Sunday. We were just enjoying the time with our friends. Hopefully Lindsey will share the photos of all of us that she took.

On Monday we found a store celebrating Halloween. We had to stop and get a picture.

The weather on Halloween was gloomy and cold. Look at this spooky cemetery shot.

On Monday evening we headed to Rapperswil. The amazing Zellwegers found some trick-or-treat friendly houses for the girls to visit. We were also eager to return to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch near their house.

Don't call CPS on us, but we took off her heavy coat to get some Halloween pictures. I also stripped of my heavy coat, as an act of solidarity. I snapped the pictures as quickly as I could and then snuggled her back into her coat.

Playing on the riding toys

A little tractor riding through the patch

Her shirt says "Cutest pumpkin in the patch"

With the bunnies

Noah's ark made from gourds and pumpkins

Checking out the pumpkin selection

Helping Daddy choose our pumpkin

Found it.

As we sat down to dinner last Halloween Ava announced that she wanted to be Rapunzel for the next one. All year we have grown out her hair and she received the dress for her birthday last January.

All along she's insisted that Rapunzel would trick-or-treat barefoot. However, when we woke up Halloween morning to a chilly fog and no warm sun shining through she changed her tune. She chose to wear her pink cowgirl boots, and I talked her into wearing purple tights and a cardigan. Isn't the frying pan awesome?

Cole agreed to play Flynn Rider to Ava's Rapunzel.

It took us so long to convince Ava to pose for this picture. She was so concerned that people would think she actually hit Cole with the frying pan (like Rapunzel does in the movie Tangled). We eventually talked her into it. So here Ava, just for you: No Flynns were injured in the making of this picture.

This sassy stance appeared over the past week or so. I have no idea where it came from, other than we've been catching up on a lot of Project Runway lately. (By the way, Ava chose Anya as her favorite from the first episode. She was thrilled when Anya won!)

Love it!

Freezing with Daddy

We have all tasted the blue Smurf Village kool-aid. Josh was planting vegetables on the game while we were picking out real ones.

Soon the Bunsons arrived and it was time to trick-or-treat.

Dina and Suzan helped me make a couple of costume adjustments so Ava could be warm without covering up her Rapunzel dress.

Ready to go

In Switzerland you are supposed to say, "Süßes oder Saures!” to get your candy.

It turned out to be quite the tongue twister, so we settled on plain old "Trick or treat!" to begin the candy transaction, and "Dankeschön" to say thank you at the end.

The girls came home with quite a load of candy.

We returned to a warm and wonderful dinner.

Carrot soup and homemade pizza, delicious.

Cole was in charge of handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters who came to the door.

The first leg of our train ride home was peaceful.

After a burst of mountain air when we changed trains, and the sugar high from "just one more" candy snack,

the second part of our train journey was not so quiet.

Silly kiddos

How do you not just love these two?

We hope you all had a magical Halloween! Thank you so much to Mimi & Coach, the Randall family, MLML & PLPL, Nana & Pappy, the Broaddus family, and Beene Been for sending cards and packages this week. You delighted us with love from home. We are so thankful for our friends and family! Click here to see all of our pictures from this week.