Category Archives: We’re Alive!

Yays and Nays. . .

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. . . about living in Switzerland these last 10 months.

I really like….

  • That almost all stores are closed on Sundays
  • That spices cost a lot less than in the U.S.
  • Our good ward
  • Being able to walk to the grocery store, several parks, the doctor, Annika’s school, Jonathan’s work, and the train station all within 15 minutes with the kids

  • That people ride their bikes and walk no matter what the weather
  • Delicious gelato
  • The mountains and lakes

  • The many, many, many tunnels (so glad I don’t have to go around the mountains!)
  • That the stores close earlier in the week and on Saturdays, which means people spend time with family and outside instead of shopping
  • Christmas markets

  • Really good chocolate
  • Masche (a type of lettuce)
  • Learning about a new culture

  • Airtight windows that open two ways (top and side)
  • More secure bank accounts
  • Paying bills using EFT
  • Living in history- it has really opened my eyes to how big the world is

  • Being a two-hour drive from France, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, and Italy (ready to come visit us???)
  • Seeing progress that I am actually learning some German
  • Zopf and Tessiner Brot (two kinds of delicious bread)

  • A bigger car that seats seven but isn’t a mini-van
  • Sewing on my Bernina (that I found for a steal)
  • Living in an apartment (never thought I’d say that).  No yard to mow and we have a playground in our complex and a granite patio for the kids to ride bikes on
  • Cows in the field with giant bells around their necks

  • Discovering online audio books I can listen to while doing other things
  • Snagging an amazing find like this hand-painted, 150-year-old cupboard
  • Being able to take the train or bus to get most anywhere if I want
  • Annika going to Kindergarten in the fall

  • Annika’s amazing teacher in Sunbeams
  • Six weeks of vacation and 13 holidays for Jonathan (wahoo!)
  • Great visiting teachers who show me love and work with my poor German.  Between my German and their English, we make it work and actually understand each other in one language or the other
  • Bike paths all over

I miss….

  • Cheap everything (except spices), even things I thought were expensive back home
  • Canned black beans
  • Target
  • Costco
  • Speaking English

  • Big freezers
  • Goodwill
  • Cute fabric
  • My friends
  • My extended family

  • Screen doors
  • Window screens
  • Sliced whole wheat bread
  • Pureed pumpkin
  • Cumin
  • Speaking English

  • Air conditioning in public buildings
  • Public drinking fountains, especially at church
  • Smaller church congregation boundaries – everyone lives so spread out here!
  • Buying flour and sugar in a package larger than 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
  • Oregon berry season (especially Hood strawberries right now – yum!)
  • Speaking English

  • Amazon.com with free shipping in the U.S.
  • Recycling pickup (you have to take it to the collection place yourself)
  • Babysitters (read:  going on dates)
  • My German class in Oregon where they can explain things in English if you need it

Three Kids Two and Under: A Year in Review in Numbers

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Those who know me well, are very aware that I’m a numbers nerd.  What better way to sum up the one-year birthday of Clara and Nicolyn than with a few solid numbers for posterity.  Next post:  a year in review in pictures (probably a little more interesting for the rest of you, but I had a great time putting this together).

Weight of twins at birth: 14 lbs. 7 oz. ( 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 7 lbs. 3 oz.)

Length of twins at birth:  42.25 inches (21.25 inches and 21 inches)

Weeks gestation at twins’ birth:  38 weeks

Number of months Jenelle was on nausea medication:  8.5 (including two weeks post-delivery)

Days of live-in help after twins were born:  40 (Jonathan’s mom, my mom, and my sister – I know blessings will be showered on you dear souls)

Number of days Jonathan worked from home for only four hours a day (to help transition me to full-time):  1 month

Contributions to landfills.  Diapers purchased and used in 12 months for three children:  approximately 5,438

Number of Costco formula cans used in 12 months:  approximately  116  (about 1 can every 3 days; not including all the free sample cans people gave us or two months of pumping)

Number of bottles washed on average per day before the babies were 6 months old:  17

Number of bottles washed on average per day after the twins were 6 months old:  11

Number of Rick Steves travel videos watched while feeding twins:  80+

Number of DiGiorno’s pizzas eaten (Vance family equivalent of fast food):  36

Number of DiGiorno’s pizzas left in freezer yet to be eaten:  9

Age difference between Clara and Nicolyn:  18 minutes (Clara is older)

Age difference between Annika and twins:  22 months, 1 day

Number of months our family had three children ages 1 and younger:  2

Average number of hours of sleep Jenelle got during night hours the first couple of weeks:  1

Average number of hours of sleep Jenelle got after waking both babies up at the same time during the night:  4

Number of days twins slept in parents’ room:  0

Age Nicolyn and Clara moved to separate cribs:  4 months

Age Clara and Nicolyn crawled:  7.5 months

Age Clara and Nicolyn walked:  10.5 months

Number of car seats that fit in a Toyota Corolla:  3

Number of times Jenelle has gone out with all three kids by herself (you know something is an event if you can list numbers like this)–

Park:  5

Joann’s:  3

Costco:  1

Grocery store:  0

Doctor:  4

Library:  3

Number of times Jonathan has taken all three kids out by himself:  1

Number of times Jonathan watched all three kids by himself:  many, many (ie.  all the German classes, gym workouts, breakdown-need-time-to-myself evenings, etc.)  I don’t want you to think there hasn’t been some equally yoked-ness going on around here.

Number of plane rides Jenelle, Annika, Clara, and Nicolyn have traveled on during the last 12 months:  4

Number of plane rides Jonathan has traveled on during the last 12 months:  17

Number of days Jonathan traveled away from home during last 12 months:  28

Number of doctor visits during last 12 months:  63

Number of adult evening German language classes Jenelle has attended:  23

Number of times Jenelle has said “Isn’t (insert cute kid action)  so cute?”:  Who knows?  A lot.  Then times that by three very cute kids.

Number of breakdowns Jenelle has had:  Not as many as the “cute” number.  But a fair number.

Amount spent on chocolate “therapy”:  classified

Number of attempted sewing machine repairs (for sewing therapy):  5

Happy birthday Nicolyn and Clara!  It has been a whirlwind of a year, but we hope that somewhere in there you’ve felt often how much we love you and are so happy you are part of our family!

On the Runway at Age One

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Clara and Nicolyn celebrated their first birthday in late April.  The entire family is very relived to have reached this milestone with everyone’s sanity more-or-less intact.  Among some very exciting birthday presents from Nana and Grandpa Dell was a large selection of dress-up clothes that any little girl would be excited to have (including a magic wand from Aunt Autumn).  The girls quickly realized how to make the most of these.