For all you Calvin fans

Throughout Geneva there were posters posted celebrating the 500 year anniversary of John Calvin. We walked past the International Museum of the Reformation, and saw 2 churches where John Calvin preached. We even happened upon the Auditorium of Calvin where we overheard ENGLISH speakers from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan....so we got a little theology in on this trip as well!

And we even took a stroll down Rue Jean Calvin....

Driving to Geneva

On our way to Geneva we stopped off in Evian les Bains (on the France side of the lake) which is the spa town famous for Evian water....I was really hoping to see a great big Evian Bottle and get a picture - but I guess not all places have tacky tourist attractions. We stopped at a park along the waterfront to let the kids play - and to sit and relax. Down by the waterfront their was this neat driftwood creation - a lobster.

And now on to Geneva....

Along the waterfront in Geneva is this fountain called the Jet d'Eau which spouts water 400 meters into the air. Shane thought he'd try and get a drink!

The waterfront is also lined with tons of bank buildings...and we stopped to window shop at a few watch shops as well. Navigating our stroller in the old town was a bit tricky at times....Silas enjoyed the bumpy ride down the stairs!

Another note on Geneva....we collect Starbucks City Mugs from different cities that we have visited in Germany and throughout Europe. We had forgot to look online before we left to see if Geneva even had a Starbucks. So we called up another friend (thanks Shannon) and asked her if she could check for us. She informed us there were 5 locations in Geneva. We wrote down the addresses as best we could (since this is the French speaking part of Switzerland all the addresses are in French - so a bit tricky if you ask me). Anyway, as we headed into Geneva we had some destination plugged into our nav and as we were going around a round-a-bout we saw a Starbucks. There were no parking options available - so Jer had me jump out of the car, run into Starbucks and pick up a mug while he drove around, and around, and around the round-a-bout. I had to wait in line and so it took a bit longer then he expected. So he kept going around and around and around. Finally I came out and hopped back into the van. He was like - "what took so long??? Did you stop for coffee and a bathroom break too??" (like we usually do). Nope - not this time, just standing in line - but what we won't do for a City Mug. I think him and the kids were a bit dizzy....ha!

Lake Geneva, Switzerland

This past weekend was a holiday weekend in Germany. The holiday was on Monday, June 1st. Therefore we decided to take a little weekend trip to Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st. Then we'd have Monday (the actual holiday) to relax at home. We headed to Lake Geneva. Another beautiful place. Our first stop was Chateau de Chillon, a castle right on the lake with gorgeous views.

Silas even found a few pigeons to chase - he gets soooo excited! It was fun watching him. Can you even find the pigeon in the picture? It blends in well with the gray bricks.

Don't worry - I have a ton more pictures of our weekend - and plan to post more - but thought I'd at least get these up tonight....stay tuned for more over this week when I find the time. Shaylee is off of school this whole week - so I'll be staying busy with her during the day....so not sure when I'll find the time...probably late at night, like I am now!

Sydney's Got Talent!

We have this little restaurant in town that we go to frequently. The kids love to use the coasters there to try and make triangle pyramids. Well one night the owner gave the kids a big stack of coasters to take home. The other day Sydney and Shane decided to pull the coasters out and try building bigger pyramids. Here are Syd's creations! I'd say she's got talent!!!!

Another post on Spain....

I know that some of you might be a bit tired of seeing more pictures of our Spain vacation....but this blog is a scrapbook of sorts for me and I have it printed every-so-often into a book...so I wanted to include these photos as well....it has just taken me over a week to get them posted!

On Friday, May 22, 2009 we once again headed down to the beach - however it was a bit windy and therefore a bit cold. We decided to head back to the house where there was less wind and let the kids swim in the pool. We spent the rest of morning hanging out by the pool. It was nice and relaxing. I also spent some time packing up our stuff - as this evening we were heading back home. In the afternoon we decided to drive around a bit and explore a few more places. We found a secluded little beach called Platja Fonda. It was rocky vs sandy...but the kids enjoyed climbing on the rocks and we got a few more neat pictures.

Silas showing us a rock he found....notice the different colors in the rocks....too neat.

Pictures of the kids...

I love these next pictures....we had taken SOOOO many pictures on this vacation...and in the first picture Jeremy is messing around acting like a professional photographer as we are getting ready to take a picture of the Dickson family. They were laughing - and it was great to see the uncut version....and then the family pose... Thanks so much Mark and Lisa and family - for a wonderful vacation together! We've made a ton of great memories!

Medieval Pals

On Wednesday morning (May 20, 2009) we also went to the medieval town of Pals. This town has all the quaint character of an old city with its narrow streets and stone walls. We enjoyed our little stroll through the old town center. We stopped off at a few touristy shops (had to pick up some postcards for the kids and a sun hat for Kimber). We also got ICECREAM! It was fun to do a little bit of sight-seeing - but now we are ready to head back to the beach!

Pictures from around town...

Just having fun...

I like this picture of Mark and Jeremy - they are looking into a building where some men were laying down new tile. I think Mark is scratching his head in wonder - as to why they do things the way they do here??

And of course - the Icecream stop!

Look closely at the picture above Silas - it is of three little kids about his age eating icecream cones and the icecream is dripping everywhere - that is exactly what was happening to Silas as he was cramming the last bit of cone into his mouth...too funny!