Frische Milch

It doesn't get any fresher than this. Meet my new milk vendor:

Bessie lives just up the hill from our town, about a 2 minute drive away. This nearby dairy farm has about 40 or so cows whose milk is vat pasteurized right in the barn and dispensed through a vending machine for about 80 Euro cent a liter. Three reusable bottles suit me and the kids for about 24 hours before we're out. It's whole milk, full fat, cream on top after it sits a while. Must drink within 3 days. And the taste? Actually it tastes a lot like earth and grass. But in a yummy way (?) They also make and sell yogurt and butter.

Interestingly, in most states in the US it is illegal for farmers to sell milk in this fashion. And in some states it is actually illegal to drink the milk from your own cow. It seems that the dairy industry has quite a lobby. There are pockets of effort to change the legislation so that farmers can sell directly and dairy can stay more local, but so far this type of fresh food is unavailable in the US.

Meanwhile, at least while we're here, the carbon footprint of our food is getting smaller and smaller.

Soccer Season

Evelyn is on the Yellow Socks. (I call them the Yellow Soccers and she gets annoyed;) She's #2.

Here with coach Ric.


And Ethan's on the Aliens.

Lost Teeth Everywhere!

Lost from HIM:

And lost from HAM:





And guess who had the nerve to ask the Tooth Fairy for a necklace instead of cash? Well, Charity, our resident Tooth Fairy was able to oblige.

Start of School, Little Girl

My little girl. So ready for school! She started Kindergarten today, not even looking back. She wanted to ride the bus, pack her lunch, pick out her clothes, and carry the heavy backpack laden with school supplies.


I told her I'd come pick her up at lunch to she could come home with me and keep me company. She gave me the stiff-arm. This little one was super-excited to join her brothers and was not looking back on the lazy days she spent with me last year and all the years before.

I look around and wonder where my babies went??! They were all right here just a minute ago and now they're gone! All big kids, all independent, all healthily detaching. My hip feels suddenly bare where they once all sat like monkeys all day every day. My legs surprisingly unbound where they used to crawl up and hang on to be picked up. There are no more child-proof anythings here in my house. No piles of diapers, baby wipes, no potty chairs. Gone are the baby swing, booster seats, sippy cups and bibs. All that remains is one lone stool in the bathroom so the littlest can reach to wash her face at night. There are practically no remnants of their babyhood. It seemed we were all in the thick of it and then, it was gone.

The house is quiet, the car is quiet, the hours stretch out long before they'll come home. But then they'll come off the bus, talking a mile a minute, walking home with the details of the day, rushing into the house needing a snack, a drink, help with homework, "read this book to me Mommy," "can I help you cook, Mommy?" And I will savor this time that they are really still little, but growing fast. Eager, curious, questioning, loving, hurting, still sometimes struggling.

You are all still little. You will always be my little ones, even when you're big.

Weekend in CH

Labor Day weekend we spent in beautiful, expensive, neutral Switzerland. Which, by the way, is more typically known as CH. (?) Confederation of Helvetica. Who knew? They still use the Swiss Franc and are not part of the EU... strong into independence they are. The Swiss Franc has a closer exchange rate to the dollar, almost 1:1, but it is SUPER expensive here. Camping was the way to go to offset the $5 coffee (in a teeny tiny cup) and $12 personal pizza.

The people mainly speak Swiss German, which though closely related is not the same as German. I cannot understand any of it. But many also speak "high" German and English as well.

We camped at Lake Lucerne, about a 3 hour drive from Stuttgart and almost another land entirely. Blue skies, chilly mornings, but warm sunny afternoons. And awesome views of Pilatus Mountain overhead.

The campground had resident turtles which came out each morning to chomp on the clover. Good pets. No real risk of them running away.


On the "porch" attached to our Wohnwagen (camper), Dad and the kids played Indian poker. The kids have a little to learn about keeping a poker face and bluffing. "Alex, you should totally go out, your card is awful. I MEAN it!"


Sleeping in the Wohnwagon. Actually there was room for each of the kids to have their own bed - bunks were at the other end. Here is the "kitchen" table folded out for a bed. The "master" is just beyond. We were happy to have shelter. Nights were frigid. The first night I had to get up and put all my clothes back on, plus a couple extra layers just to stop shivering. But once the sun came up in the afternoon, it soon warmed up.

The first day, Evelyn and I rode this Alpine slide, the longest in Switzerland. Next to it, cows grazed for a few hours and then were driven down the mountain by a Swiss Mountain dog (very similar to the Bernese Mt. dog, Sandy).


While Evelyn and I slid, the boys and Dad spent 3 hours trying their hand at this very cool ropes course halfway up Mt. Pilatus. They had a TON of fun and I was so jealous to miss out. We have to come back in a couple years when Evelyn is old enough to go too.




The second day we spent in Lucerne (Luzern) walking the city.




This hall of mirrors was hysterical. It was actually very hard to tell which was a reflection and which was the real kid!

First Second Day of School

Today was the second day of school.

Last Sunday at breakfast when I announced that there was only one week left of summer, Evelyn and Ethan smiled broadly; Alex burst into tears. I'd completely ruined the great pancakes he was enjoying and pretty much the rest of his day. So Alex was the most reluctant to wind up the free, unstructured days of summer. And he promptly came down with a fever this Sunday night, the night before school was to start. So he got his wish, he had an extra day of summer.

And today the boys together walked (with me and Dog too) up to the bus stop. We have new American neighbors around the corner, also with 2 boys and a girl, also from Colorado Springs, and all three kids have great teachers this year. There's a lot to be excited about. And when Alex came home from school, he said that there was "a little bit good" about the day. So all is not lost yet.

Evelyn, however will start with the rest of the Kindergarten next week. So there'll be another First Day next week too. She is beside herself with excitement. I keep asking her if she wants to just stay home with me. "No." Will she miss me when she's at school? "No." Will she come home in the middle of the day to have lunch with me? "No." Does she want to just go to the German school up the street? (they go half days) "No." I'm pretty sure that after her first couple weeks in Kindergarten she'll be looking for her own apartment and a roommate to share the rent.