WOW! What a week!

As expected, we had a great visit with my parents this weekend. It was very fast and we tried to get a lot in, but I think we all had a great time. Here are some of the highlights:


There were a "few" items that we had left in Tulsa that we have decided we want. Please don't let eight suitcases for a weekend trip scare you off from visiting us! I promise most of it was scrapbooking stuff and we won't ask you to bring anything but peanut butter!


The boys are learning how to cook with me. My parents said that I remind me of my grandparents. So, there's the answer to my cooking question. If you have any recipes from your grandparents (the time before microwaves, mixers, and anything in a box), PLEASE pass them my way! I'm so sick of the 15 meals that I know how to cook. This is Ezekiel stirring the flour into the bread.


At our supermarket, and Ezekiel with his hard crust bread. You can get a "normal" shopping cart outside with a euro, but I didn't need too many things, so they have these instead of just baskets that you have to carry.


This is Xavier's classroom and his Monday/Tuesday teacher. Xavier's in the red t-shirt getting ready to build something. He was super excited for Grandma and Grandpa to take him to school.


This is a shot of the farmer's market that we go to every Saturday morning. The produce is fresh and the prices are cheaper than at the grocery store!


Ulysses was too slow getting outside to get a picture of Grandma, but this is the boys teaching her how to play bus. Grandma stands behind Xavier until her stop, then waits at the side until Ezekiel tells her to get on his bus. She then stands behind Ezekiel until her stop on that bus, then waits at the side until Xavier tells her to get on his bus. Repeat until Grandma gets cold.


The boys talked Grandpa into riding on the merry-go-round with them. He agreed to spin them, but I think he forgot how fast these things can go. Everyone had lots of fun and no one got sick.


I think Grandma has our library books from the week memorized. The boys can't get enough of being read to.


I kept Xavier out of school on Friday so that my parents could see the CERN playgroup, eat at the cafeteria, and see the sights at CERN. The boys had fun playing in the exibition at CERN.


I don't think the boys enjoyed the day near as much as Grandma and Grandpa did. They enjoyed seeing the latest and greatest particle accelerator (at least the public parts) even if there's been a few "issues" with its startup.

Just Checking In...

We really haven't had a lot going on this week. It might be as close to a "normal" week as we've had to awhile. We've been getting ready for my parents to come visit us today. We're really excited! The boys had a very hard time going to sleep last night and Xavier did not want to go to school this morning for fear of missing out on picking them up from the airport. I'll post pictures of our adventures with our first visitors next week. I'm very excited to hear their opinions and perceptions on our new life. I'm also excited to show off my new domestic skills. We're having homemade enchiladas tonight. I started with flour and dried beans. I'm still looking for more recipes if you've got some. Especially ones with minimal ingredients that are universal world wide. My neighbor has kindly given me a few recipes and some websites so I'm looking forward to going through those too. I hope you all have a great weekend!

We didn't print pictures before we left, and haven't printed pictures for 3 years. So, I went through all of our old files and my parents are bringing over 1500 pictures! Here are a few of my old favorites that I found!

Xavier at 3 months


Ezekiel at 3 months with Great Grandma and Grandpa


I love this picture!!!


These were their "bunk-beds" when we were living at FermiLab. We had no idea they'd get real ones when we moved to CERN!


I can't believe how little they were! I can't wait to get scrapbooking!

Sorry!

So, I was lovingly reminded the other day that it's been a while since I've updated the blog. I'm sorry. I'm realizing that I am not very good at keeping in touch with people. I kinda knew it when I moved to Illinois, but now it's been hit home. So, to all of you have written me, I promise I have read all my emails and enjoyed hearing from you. I'm sorry that I have not written back. I really am going to try to improve on this, but don't expect miracles.

School is going pretty well. Xavier started going back in the afternoons last week and it actually seems to have improved things. Ulysses said he wonders if it's like only hearing half of a conversation. In the mornings they discuss things that happened or are going to happen in the afternoon, but Xavier doesn't have a clue. Plus, they seem to do art (Xavier's favorite activity) in the afternoon. So, other than completely messing up Ezekiel's and my nap schedule, life if going pretty well.

There's been a lego expo at the mall in Geneva. I just found out where the mall is and that it's not that difficult to get to, so we spent a Saturday afternoon there. Our camera seems to be behaving much better lately. :-) I don't have dates on the pictures anymore which could become a big problem, but at least I have pictures!

The break-down train ("just like grandma gave us!") was Xavier's favorite


Ezekiel wouldn't look away from the train for a picture. He was pretty impressed and excited.

There were little tables for them to build structures of their own. Daddy helped the boys build a house.

We've still been having our weekly adventures with Ruth and Wednesday has officially become Ruthday in our house. Last week we went to the botanical gardens to see deer and ducks and today we went to the natural history museum to see dinosaurs.

The ferris wheel of sorts that the kids rode on at the botanical gardens. There really wasn't a lot of garden, but we had a good morning anyway.

Watching the deer eat "Go Bucks" (buckeyes) and tomatoes at the botanical gardens

There's a two-headed turtle at the museum.

Finally, we went to a party! I don't know how to explain the status of CERN right now, but the experiment that Ulysses is working on had a big start-up event. We were gone from our house for about 12 hours (including 4 buses each way), but it was a lot of fun.

The boys got hard hats so they can go into the tunnel, just like Daddy!

The signature drink of the night, The Big Bang Cocktail (Ulysses and I decided it looked, smelled, and tasted too much like listerine to actually drink, but it was pretty!)

The dancing fools!

The detector, I think...