EASTER SUNDAY

A successful Easter Bunny hunt. We had a great day... but don't be fooled by these happy little faces. Today came with its fair share of digging in mud, refusing to cooperate, throwing hissy fits, sticky fingers and chocolate moustashes.
 
And... before you judge me on over indulging my toddlers with chocolate, they got to find it... and then they get to share it. With me. And I suppose if they see any friends this week, we'll share with them too! We are working hard on the art of sharing.
 


SIX WEEKS :: UPDATE

Blogging failure at your service!

Where have I been for the past few {um, six!} weeks. Let me tell you. So six weeks ago was Shrove Tuesday, the beginning of Lent. I don't do Lent. I never do. I'd fail... forbid me from something, anything at all and I'll want it, crave it until I break. I'm useless. Oh, I could've told you that I gave up blogging for Lent. That would fit but alas, it would be a lie.

1. A week in Belfast to start. I got to see my grandparents most days. You know those two... my very own Lily and Mitch. A precious pair. They really enjoyed seeing Joseph and Carys but we kept the visits short and sweet. Joseph and Carys loved seeing their cousins and got utterly spoilt by Nana and Papa. I went to my old (she's not that old!) hairdresser which was totally delightful. I haven't found a hairdresser that I've been happy with since I left Belfast and Louise gets it right every time. It was great to catch up with her after so long. Thanks Louise for a lovely morning! We had a very noisy and chaotic family meal at Frankie and Benny's for my nephews fifth birthday. A trip to Mookie World made five little people very happy. Try making Carys stay in the baby section and you've got a fight on your hands. That girl is not to be stopped!
Joseph on the Gator at Nana & Papa's :: Me gettin' ma hur did :: Alex & Carys. She pretty much wore those bunny ears all week :: And ate a lot of ice cream!

Alex and I even got to squeeze in lunch for two in Made in Belfast. A rare treat for us and it didn't disappoint. Seriously good food. Alex, ever the worker, sat a couple of exams while we were there. The online type so instant results confirmed he passed. No better reason to celebrate. Apart from that, we did a little bit of shopping and just enjoyed being back with family.
Lunch {those chips!} at Made In Belfast

2. The week between trips. Back in Gilly, we had a quiet week back in Switzerland. A couple of play dates at ours gave Joseph and Carys some fun without me having to go out in the freezing cold. The snow was mostly melted when we got back from Belfast but we had the remains of a snowman to smash up and two little people up for the challenge. I'd wrap them up and pack them out into the garden, turn my armchair to face the window to keep an eye on them and get a good chapter or two of Sense and Sensibility covered. Such a good read. There was also a bit of fireman and fairy action for good measure. He's a thoughtful looking fire fighter, don't you think?

I had a glucose test {gag!} that made me feel full on nasty grim for the rest of the day. The bonus to that day, and something much more pleasant to note, was immediately after the gagfest experience I had a lovely baby check up with a successful 3D scan. The first attempt a few weeks before was less of a success. T3 was not cooperating.

Now, let me tell you, these pictures aren't my favourite. Yes, they are incredible and yes, isn't technology amazing but lets face it, they aren't very pretty. Being a typical 'blinded by love' mummy, I can see a very cute little face in there but don't worry, I don't expect you to see it!


3. DisneyLand Paris. This really deserves a post all of its own but will you please just look at this! {Hard not to look given I've set it to X-Large!} I do solemnly swear that I will do a Disney post all of its own but for now... look. at. this.




My very most favourite picture of the trip!

4. And on to Kent.
Another home from home. Another great trip seeing Alex's family and a glimpse into the new life we are planning. We have decided to say au revoir to Switzerland {hurray!} at the end of the summer. Kent will be home. That's a whole other story too. Back to this trip for now. I just take such delight in seeing my children with our family. They play so well with their cousins. Just the right amount of not sharing and squabbling vs hugging, kissing and playing happily together! Perfect. We took ourselves for a day out to Drusilla's with Tim, Kate, Theo and Cosmo. What a great place but I was totally won over by the gorgeous fresh 'too hot to touch' doughnuts. Uh-mazin! Seriously if you ever go there, visit The Station Buffet and grab yourself a treat.

Alex and I took full advantage of Grandma and had a full day shopping in Bluewater. We had such a great day. The children's summer wardrobes are well and truly sorted. Shopping for Carys is easy, too easy. Only problem with girls clothes is the desire to have matching this and matching that to finish off an outfit. Girls are expensive but I was sensible and kept it simple. She got a great pair of silver sandals that will go with everything. Now boys clothes are a different story. Easier in that most shirts will go with most shorts but so much harder to find clothes free of printed nonsense! Joseph is a collar kid. He really suits shirts and polo shirts. I'll see the perfect polo then when I pick it up... MY EYES! Why oh why do they have to put a Tigger or 'Mummy's Little Man' {puke!} on the back of a perfectly gorgeous top!? Anyways, I have pulled together a wardrobe free of Tigger et al and am pretty pleased with his summer lot. It wasn't just the Trott Tots who got treats. Alex and I treated ourselves too. My limit was shoes, I don't need more maternity clothes and couldn't justify buying regular clothes. Believe me, I did try to justify it... especially standing surrounded by dreamy gorgeousness in Ted Baker. I sort of wish I had been a bit foolish and got a treat in there too! Alex is not normally a happy shopper but even he enjoyed our day out. It was almost like being a couple again, no buggy's to push and not a baby wipe in sight. We held hands until the shopping bags wouldn't allow it. So lovely.

Apart from shopping, we had a couple of meals out... I am still dreaming of the pork belly crackling I had in The Chaser Inn on a night out with friends Woody and Hannah! Seriously, too good to be true. We had a big family Mother's Day lunch in The Carpenters Arms. I was seriously impressed the the little Trott cousins sat for over three hours. Granted they needed a bit of entertaining but that's a long haul for littles. I bought some Easter crafts the day before in the Early Learning Centre so they did the job. Those and chocolate. Of course. Always chocolate.

5. We're ba-aack!
The drive back to Switzerland went well. Well, apart from the crazy rain on the motorways and snow storm on the Jura mountains. Our Trott Tot's do so well on those long journeys. The whole way home Joseph was chiming in the back 'let's go this way, let's go back to Grandma's' while pointing to the back of the car. Bless him. We were just back a couple of days when Alex's cousin Jennie came to visit. We had a great time with her. Joseph and Carys were quickly obsessed with our guest. Carys called her 'Ma Chennie'. It was really nice having her around while Alex was at work. We walked about the village and had lunch in the Auberge. I don't like walking around the village on my own with Joseph and Carys. There are no pavements and they aren't fond of holding hands so it's always a bit stressful. What else did we do? We weren't the greatest tour guides now that I think of it. We did go up to Geneva to see the Jet d'Eau and feed the ducks on the lake. Oh yeah, Jennie and I went out for a delish dinner at Restaurant du Chasseur. Another one of those meals you want to last forever! I'm just realising how much I've talked about food in this post. Since Jennie's departure, we've been catching up with friends in the village and I have spent almost every free moment looking at houses in Kent on Right Move.

All in all, being back in Belfast and in Kent confirmed to us that we are ready to move home. We love it. We just love it. We know the weather is a rubbish, we know the government needs a shake, we know the economy has seen better days, we know all the downsides but it's home and it's where we want to be.

So. We've got six months left in Switzerland. They'll be a good six months. We're coming into the spring. We're having our third baby in June. It'll be a busy summer adjusting to life with three Trott Tots. We'll spend it in our garden enjoying the guaranteed sunshine Switzerland offers. I will absorb all the good things about life here and try to ignore all the things that bother me. Trust me, there's a long list. You know I love a list. But the thing is those things don't need to bother me anymore. We're leaving. I can laugh in their face because I know that in six months those things will not pertain to me. In six months I'll be thinking about only the positive things about Switzerland and shedding a tear as we bid life here farewell. I'm a fickle being, I know.