All Moved In

We just moved back to Switzerland this last week! The boxes are becoming less and less as is the snow. It snowed 3 times last week while we were unloading. Looks like we'll be having a green christmas. Just got the tree up last night and I still need to wrap presents. I just heard James explain to George that we are really Santa....another one gone. Here is our new address if you are a friend of ours (ha ha):
Stationstr. 26
8907 Wettswil
The kids are starting school back in Adliswil in January. They are nervous and nervous. German is scary!

Monica is 12 now and a new young woman at church. She is playing the piano and guitar. She loves to dress up, put on makeup and curl her hair. Such a girly girl (its nice to have one).

James loves to construct and build things. He helped me assemble some furniture with this move and also made my computer work??? He might end up a computer nerd??? He is playing the piano, recorder, and drums. I think he'll just keep up with the piano now that we've moved. He is looking forward to ice skating and skiing!

George was on his sled the whole first week we were here. He loves to sled! He doesn't remember German but thinks he can do anything. His teacher seems really nice and I think he'll learn quick.

Tim and Ben stick together most of everyday playing in their little world. They love cars, trains, planes and chocolate. They are happy little boys that bring a smile to our faces!

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Thanks for your friendship! We hope you all have a Wonderful 2009!
Love,
The Ramsays
PS I will post pictures of the house....eventually (when I find, charge and empty my camera).

tea party

George walked in from school, I offered him a snack. After a little contemplation he invited me to have a tea party with him! I agreed but insisted on washing the toy plates and cups quickly first. Then he arranged the table, dragged over the play kitchen and we sat down to a nice cup of water and a custard cream biscuit. It was lovely!

family pics

Got some new family pics taken. See the rest on our website www.ramsay.ch

Monica

Monica celebrated her 12th birthday party by taking her school class to the pool. They had a fun time! She also got to go to High School Musical 3 with her friends and loved it!

Boating

James was able to go on a sailing course during the week of half term with a friend. (It snowed that week) but James loved it and went every day to the course and was outside for much of the day! He even got a prize for being the fastest one dressed after changing from wetsuits back into normal clothes.

Halloween

Here are some halloween pics. The three little ones were clones, Monica was a red haired witch and yes James was death (with glow in the dark face paint). I let them choose for themselves... We trick or treated on our street and then ran over to the church for our spook party. It was super fun!

pumpkin carving

Carved some Pumpkins!

bedtime routine

What is that? Get to BED! Now!!! I wish I was better at reading to the children and slowing the bedtime routine down but I can't lately. I'm going crazy. So everyone went to bed quickly except my little Tim. Colin put them to bed and he came creaping out because he smelled cookies...well rightly so. So I gave him one and told him to go cuddle in my bed with me so he wouldn't disturb his brother. As I laid by him he looked at me with his big eyes and said...I'm thirsty. So I said...go get a drink out of the toilet (didn't really mean it but he understood me). He ran to the bathroom and looked at me and said...its dark. So I got up and helped him drink from the sink (too lazy to get a sippy cup), then we cuddled back in bed and he looked at me and said...I have to go to the toilet! (Its all mind games) so we rushed back to the bathroom, stripped off his clothes (he was doing a dance), and stripped off his diaper and sat him down...nothing came so I turned on the faucet to give him a clue what he should do and finally a little came. After redressing we laid back down cuddling and exhausted...he looked at me and said, I'm thirsty! So I ran down took more cookies out of the oven and filled up a sippy cup with water and brought it up to him. He looked at it and said this is a little cup (I think the translation would be that this is a yellow winnie the pooh cup and I'm too old for this) I glared and fell asleep next to him. Then I woke up as it was 8:30 and now I'm awake! Off to surf...

psche

You were all right...they are just messing with my mind. We can't keep enough clean underwear in the house. Today as proof they smeared themselves up while they were trying to change their own diapers. They are waaaaay to helpful. I give up with potty training! Colin's turn!

crazy

I am going crazy these days with the eminent moving coming... I'd decided to put off potty training until after the move, I've been christmas shopping like a maniac (I purchased 14 pairs of pajamas this morning...thinking it would be a fabulous gift for cousins) and I've been making ceramic nativity scenes out of plaster of paris for the relief society women. I've also been organizing my house in preparation for my last dejunk before the move. List after list...replacing anything broken, checking what goes where.
We flew to Switzerland on Friday for 2 nights. The little boys kept asking when we could go back home. The last thing on my mind was potty training but on Sunday we went to Colin's nephew's baby blessing and my twins wouldn't stop using the toilet...at the church, at the luncheon, airport, airplane. They loved every toilet! So know I'm not sure. I thought to myself...they'll forget and we can get back to normal. This morning they awoke with a dry diaper and ran to the toilet. After nursery school...dry diaper. Are they playing mind games with me??? I've just put underwear on them but I'm not expecting anything. Could it be this easy??? I'll blog later with the results!

Toilet Treasures

When will the horribleness of toilet training be over???? Yes they can do it but will they do it? No. The last couple of days someone (s) has been putting things into my toilet. Because I don't want to clog the toilet I have to dig these things out....car keys, paper, and lots and lots of tampons. Its such a fun game! Maybe I should try it.

trip to cali

Here are a couple of pictures of my girls trip to California with the Smith ladies. I got to see my folks for a couple of days in Utah and then we flew to New Port Beach for 4 days of relaxtion, shopping and sun. I had so much fun!!! The picture with the trolley is after a day of shopping madness! The other was in the airport. Thanks guys!!!

What?

I said to the twins over lunch, "we're moving to switzerland."
Ben said, "I'm eating lunch."
I said, "we're moving to switzerland" (still in a daze).
Tim said, "we're going to Legoland?"
We're moving.....I Hate Moving!!!

George aka the Boss

The kids are still off school, my house is a mess but George has inspired me to blog about him. He is 5, our third child, our LOUD child. He has a lot of personality...in a good way but at times difficult... Here are a couple stories about him and how he makes me smile:
I had some friends over and George was desperate to watch television. I gave in because I always do just so they will leave me alone. He wanted to watch Tom and Jerry cartoons (its the only thing he's interested in). So I looked at my watch and told him his show would be on in 4 minutes to just watch these commercials until the show came on. He then whispered in my ear..."Does your watch answer all your questions?" I smiled.
Just now he called for me and begged me to come upstairs. I was making (burning) a grilled cheese sandwich so I couldn't run up at that second. I kept talking to him though and tried to get him to explain why I needed to come. He wanted me to look at something that he thought was a bug. He said it was orange with spots (I imagined lady bug)? He said he killed it and it popped. Ewww Gross. I said then its dead and I will come and look in a minute. After lunch was served I ran up with George. He kicked open his door and pointed to the area in which the thing was located. I cautiously walked over and asked him to come and point closer to where it was. In front of me was an old mandarin orange that was so old it was shriveled and it indeed had spots on it. The skin would crackle and pop if stepped on. I asked him if he thought it was a bug. He said yes. I said its an old orange and threw it in the trash. Now you understand how disgusting my house truly is!

peanuts

Here is a difference I've experienced with raising boys instead of being around my zillion sisters growing up...
George taught the twins that their wee wee (we are potty training) is also called peanuts. I haven't corrected him because they all have lisps and it sounds really cute and I don't want to hear the real word over and over again because these twins and George say the word peanuts easily 500 times a day...well starting today at least. Its their favorite new word of the day!
Ow...you hurt my peanuts...
don't sit on my peanuts...
I've got to go wee wee...oh look here's my peanuts
You get the idea...over and over again. I've chuckled all day. Tomorrow I will ask them to stop and maybe correct George. Maybe tomorrow they will have forgotten!

bike

George learned to ride his bike today. We've tried before but he wasn't interested before. He was interested a few days ago but I wasn't. So today James' took the training wheels off (in seconds) and he ran along side George in the backyard. Then we all headed down to the park where the flat surfaces were longer. He caught on quickly and a half an hour later he was an old pro.
I remember the neighbor boy teaching me to ride a bike in his backyard. Apparently none of my older brother or sisters or parents were interested in teaching me. No bitterness...at least I learned how!

As we were walking inside George told me that he taught himself and none of us helped him in the slightest...so I'm writing about it now as proof that I was there and ran beside him a little but James did most of the work!

Addictions?

I've tried to stay away from most things that would make me addicted to them... I never knew what my genetic predispositions would be so I stayed clear of everything! There is one weakness I have had and which I force on my children...The pacifier. I still remember my own mother taking mine away and putting it in a drawer. You couldn't even count how many times I went to look in that drawer (mother...where did it disappear to)?!? So from that day on I became a thumbsucker. (Not anymore silly). So today is the momentous day that I too will take away my twins binkies and say no more.

They don't even seem to mind...no one has even asked where the hundred dee dees are (what is the matter with them?). I hope that they won't be tramatized...they are pretty old though (3.5 years old). My mother in law tied her son's nuki to a helium balloon and he let it go. My friend let her kid buy a bike in exchange for their dummy. With my oldest we tried cutting the tips off of the binkies (she started sucking her thumb). We're just going to go cold turkey!

Have I mentioned that they don't speak very well (from always having the thing in their mouth and their teeth are misshappen (which I find cute). They can't bite down on food from the front because their teeth don't close (the dentist said it would grow together as soon as they stopped using a binkie). What is the matter with me? Old addictions are hard to give up?!!

Do my children have superpowers?

I'm thinking of getting my children tested for super human power in destruction. Granted I haven't been "watching" my children during the summer because I have been engrossed in the twilight series (which I loved) and other books. A mother of eight once told me that children played better together without any adult interfering so I've taken this idea to the max. Anyway about the kids getting tested....they have been on a rampage lately. The twins have ripped a curtain rod out of the wall, Monica and james broke a door handle (not a knob but an L shaped door handle) in half...and it was metal, and they've been wresting with me to try and rip my books away from me and I really have to fight back hard to keep my books from getting hidden. I will keep my eyes open for more super human examples...how long til school starts again???? Oh a month from today!

More pictures from the island Mainau. We went with Elsbeth and met Colin's counsin's family there. It was a gorgeous day!!! lovely gardens and a little exhausting.

Here are some pictures of my kids and the Aeschbachers at the Verkehrs (transportation) museum in Luzern. They had a blast!






These two pictures are of the kids at a city park about an hour away. We always love coming here!


Here are the kids with their second cousins at the Island Mainau in Germany.

Today was our last day of school! Yeah! Finally!!! We gave the teachers' their presents this morning and school was out by noon. Then I took the kids out to a chinese restaurant for lunch with a friend and her kids. Afterwards I ran to give blood because I'm crazy. Then George had an afterschool party, then swimming lessons and then I ran Monica and James to their afterschool party (hosted at the school by the school). We will zoom down to Switzerland for a few weeks on Friday. Very excited to have nice, hot weather! Pool here we come!

Other news: Colin was ordained a high priest and called as second councillor in the Bishopbric at our church! I'm not being released as RS president so we will just juggle the kids. I will sit next to helpful people during sacrament meeting!! ha ha. We are very excited for this new experience for Colin!

Fun in the Sun

What a beautiful day to go to the beach! Here is my sister Mindy with the twins at Hayling Island by Portsbouth.
My husband told me recently that I could go to the beach with the 5 children every day in the summer....yeah right. I love the beach but I don't want to watch and rescue 5 children. I want to read and float on a tube. Also I hate the sandy mess. Its an hour and a half drive each way as well. So we may go once a week (if that) but this won't be a daily occurance. The twins loved getting soaked!
When we got home Tim ran out back and pooped in the garden. I hate potty training!!! Sorry no picture of that!

Stonehenge versus Avebury
Stonehenge gets a lot of hype but I prefer the small town of Avebury because: you don't have to pay to get in (except parking), you can get up close and personal with the rocks, the stones at Avebury are older (like 1000 years) and you can see interesting people worshipping the stones at Avebury. The gift shop is reasonably priced, there is an old creepy church there as well, a huge man made mound across the street at a white horse on the mountain! Totally better than stonehenge but advertising is everything I guess!
We went to both places today and here is stonehenge outside of the fence and my sister Mindy with the twins. (You aren't really supposed to climb on the rocks...) There are a lot less tourists there!

We've had quite a few "episodes" happen this weekend. My husband has been in charge and now he can't mock me for "not" watching the kids (the twins imparticuarly). I took all the boys to the barber on Tuesday so they can look "Smart" when school starts back up next week. On Saturday while Mindy and I were in London they found the scissors. They now have BUZZ cuts as that was the best the Barber could do to rectify the situation. It'll grow. Now its a bit easier to tell the twins apart! Tim is bald and Ben has a big bald spot in the middle of his head (barber salvaged more of his hair). Tim was a lost cause apparently. At least they are boys and they can wear hats!!! (Other episodes that happened mostly have to do with toilet training and I won't bore you with the gory details). (We will have to replace all the carpet when we leave)!

How many ramsays can you stuff in a phone booth?

My sister Mindy stuffed us all in a phone booth outside of Hampton Court Palace. The kids loved it! We're cheap entertainment!

My sister Mindy is here visiting so we took her to Windsor Castle for the afternoon. We met some guards that we posed with. It was a fun day and it didn't rain the whole day!

Here is the beautiful coast of wales. No good camping pictures...sorry!

Here is James aka Bud






















George aka The Boss















Here is Thing One and Thing Two aka Tim and Ben


and at least we had one beautiful girl...
Monica aka sissy

Ramsay Family Blog!

Hello World! The Ramsays have finally entered the blogging world. Don't really know much about blogs but I do enjoy reading them! I'll try to keep you entertained with our hilarious life! Potty training is top of my to do list. ARGH!!! We've already been through a bunch of Thomas the Train underpants today and I still have a few spots to carpet spray (that is why I am here avoiding it). We're back in diapers now until tomorrow....
We went camping in Wales over the weekend and wow was it beautiful! Welsh is everywhere! I thought it was a dying language but it was alive and well over there! Its a crazy language and I couldn't understand it one bit. Such interesting cultures everywhere. Well it was a bit early to go camping and it was cold and rainy so after the three older kids fell into the lake and then after going to the beach we didn't have any dry clothes left that we came home a day early. I will post a picture if I find a good one. Most of the pictures I'm screaming I think!