Switzerland - Our Motherland

Both mine and Josh's ancestors are from Switzerland. (In fact, one of our great, great, great, great grandpas is the same guy - Johannes Reber. I know. Gross.) So for our first weekend, I got to see that beautiful country for the first time.

Maddie en route to Switzerland with her new Swiss doll. Oh, how I love iPads and iPods. Traveling without them with a child would have been a LOT harder! In fact, it turns out that Maddie is by far a better, more pleasant traveller than me. :o)

Maddie was greeted at the train station by a goat who was in love with her.

One of my memories of Switzerland is that it is a country of trains. We took trains, trains, and more trains everywhere we went.

Here we are at the very highest point of the Alps and Europe. Maddie loved all the snow.

And she loved the "ice palace" which was a huge house made out of ice. She made us call her the "ice princess" and kept saying, "I wish we could live here." I, on the other hand, was freezing cold and couldn't wait to get outta there.

We got to walk through little Swiss towns that epitomize the word "quaint."

We got to ride these ski-lift-type-things to the tops of the alps....

....and hike around. Josh was terrified when he took this picture, but neither Maddie or I are afraid of heights. We were loving it.

Here was our beautiful hotel. Fourth floor, no elevator. There are no elevators anywhere in Europe. I've now got buns of steel. :o)

A Day in the Life of living in Salzburg

The beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria.

Maddie came to visit me at my classroom.

Maddie exploring the town.

Daddy daughter date to the underground salt mines & alpine slide.

Playing horseshoes.

Eating spaghetti at our favorite restaurant.

Having fun at a park.

And another park.

Hellbrunn Palace has a garden of "trick fountains" that squirt you unexpectedly. It was Maddie's favorite place in all of Europe.

We had to play an insane amount of "thumb war" games with Maddie to keep her entertained on trains, planes, and at laundromats. She has become really good and has a freakishly strong little thumb.

Maddie became an expert of Salzburg quickly, and knew exactly how to get everywhere we needed to go. And the people at the restaurants and shops that we frequented knew her and asked about her and loved her. How could they not? She is cute.

This is the ugly fake dog we bought the day before we left for Austria, and she insisted that it come with us.....everywhere. She drug this thing through airports and city streets and insisted that it is real and named "Isabella" or "Izzy" for short. It is annoying when you are trying to pack lightly....

Getting to Salzburg

Maddie thought it was so cool that we got to sleep overnight and eat meals on a plane. When we finally arrived at the airport, we brushed our teeth and tried to figure out the train situation, which is all in German. Soon enough we became pros at the train system because that is how you get around everywhere.

Here is Maddie watching the Sound of Music (which she was obsessed with because the story and movie happens in Salzburg). She kept saying that she wanted to go to the Von Tropps house and see Maria, and I had to tell her that they were very busy with their singing so I don't think we are invited. :o)

Austria is a 9 hour difference, so here is Maddie coloring in her color book until 7:00 am.

Then she finally passed out just in time for breakfast and slept until dinner time.

Then she spent the next day throwing up because her poor little body was probably thinking, "What the crap?" (That is what my body is thinking, hence the blog postings at 4:00am.)

Yes, I am still in law school.

I don't know where or how to start blogging our last month. For the month of July, I was in Salzburg, Austria for a law school study abroad program studying International Fundamental Human Rights taught by United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. I realize that not everybody is a nerd, so let me just say that he is a big honcho.

I really, really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, and Josh, the wonderful man that he is, helped me realize my dream. He took off the whole month of work and came to be a stay at home dad while I did my law class. Thank you to my Josh Bop Lover Buns for that. And Maddie left her friends and social life to come support her mama. Thank you to my Madster Princess Pants for that. I will always be grateful for their sacrifice and support to me.

Now let the pictures begin....

Toddler Beds

My brother, Kyle, is making his way through law school right now, so he is building and selling these adorable toddler beds for $150 to help pay his way. If you are interested, please email him at kylestucki@gmail.com. He lives in San Diego, so he will deliver the beds for cheap in S. California, but if you are in Vegas you'll need a group of people buying to make the trip worth it, so talk to your friends who have little ones.

Fits a crib mattress
28.5" x 60"

19" headboard

10.4" footboard

Absolutely NO visible screws

Solid white pine, paintable/stainable (Kyle will paint, just ask)

Much more durable than store bought

Very low to the ground - no worrying about your little one getting hurt rolling off the bed!

I am still in my 20s. For now.

I celebrated my birthday for an entire week this time just to take advantage of my last year of being in my twenties. First, I invited myself along on Josh's lawyer convention in Santa Barbara. Wouldn't you? I mean, if it was in Barstow it would be a different story. But Santa Barbara is a beautiful beach city (where I will own a beach house someday) and I have never been there. And of course while I was there I had to try to stalk Oprah, who was in town while on hiatus. I drove past her house 4 times. Then finally got out and walked around, trying to glimpse something or someone. Then I realized that I might be the ONLY Oprah fan who has ever done that. I mean....how many suburban mommies do this sort of thing? (Stalking Bono's house in Ireland seems much more acceptable.) I was a little emberassed, but not enough to leave before taking a picture of her gate. :o)

Then last night, Maddie and I got "fancy like Fancy Nancy" for a very special, and very fancy, dinner at the Melting Pot.

Where Maddie was NOT impressed with the food. We realized that a Fancy McDonalds family dinner will be better for the big 3-0.

And then my most extravagant costume jewelry and fabulous headband finally got to show their faces in public at the one place where I actually would look quite tame in comparison. Josh surprised me with second row tickets to the Cher show (after a year of us arguing that I wanted to see her show and Josh wouldn't be caught dead there). Here is a picture of us.....and the random gay sailor from Austria that I sat next to who has "been a fan since 1998." He and I were standing up and dancing to "Believe," which, whether you want to admit to it or not, you like. It was an AWESOME day to turn 29.

(P.S. That boa was the photographers.)

Trying to stay cool while doing....

....Yoga during the Padres game.

....Watching the Shamu show.

....Playing with cousins on the beach.

....Riding the bike around the harbor. And I mean RIDE. Josh pedaled. :o)

...."Exploring" the kid's museum. As if it hasn't been the same for the last 15 years.

....Feeding the fish at Lake Mead.

....Starting up swim class again.

....Attending another of Dad Josh's concerts WAY past bedtime. She only made it through the second song this time, before passing out on the bench. Our cousin got to come along as well, and even though he also plugged his ears, he was secretly tapping his foot under the table.

....Feeding slimy fish to the seals at Sea World.

The Beatles Reunite

Maddie's preschool had their end of the year performance where every class performed Beatles songs. They keep the costumes as a surprise, so when the class went out on stage, I have to admit it took me a few minutes to find Maddie.

The MUCH cuter Ringo Starr:

The videos of the performances (Look for Maddie's little solo part!):