Happy New Year 2014- Part 3 Uncle Mike and Aunt Marisa

One of the best parts of our holiday was that Marisa, Mike, Pooh Bah and Buddy were all here to celebrate. Marisa and Mike came on Christmas day which was the best Christmas gift ever. Marisa and Mike stayed with us a little over a week until they headed off to visit their old homeland of Hungary for a couple of days.  

While they were here, we did quite a lot- tromped around Bern, took a gondola up to a quaint old Swiss mountain town on a cliff (called Murren), took a trip to Luzern to eat some great Thai food, see the covered bridges and peruse some Picaso's. After a fun night at home on new years eve, we rang in the new year with a day trip to charming Fribourg, which is the little town Nat's office resides in. We loved exploring the ancient cobblestone walkways and buildings built on the cliffs of Fribourg, and ended the afternoon by enjoying a nice couple of beers on a deck in the middle of old town. It was a wonderful new year day, I hope it was an indication of a great year ahead. 

Marisa has always, and probably will always (unless I train Cora very,very well) be my best travel buddy in the world. I already miss tromping around with her so much but I'm already looking forward to our next adventure together!

Bern!

Our newest travel buddy!

Murren

Top of the Gurten (in Bern, by our house)

Train to Luzern

We saw a rainbow on New Years Day! 

Fribourg!

Aardvarks.

Cora's first Picaso's!

New Year's Morning. 

Black Eyed Peas!!

Happy New Year 2014! Part 2 - Christmas!

Mike and Marisa came to visit this Christmas day! It was truly wonderful, need I say more? We had the best time ever and were so, so happy they made it out :) When they arrived we opened gifts then played a bit before we had a fondue feast. What a wonderful day.

Happy New Year 2014! Part 1- Recovery.

Although 2013 was a wonderful year in so many ways while we got to know our new family member and enjoy a last hurrah living in our beautiful house and indulging in our amazing life in Idaho, it was also an incredibly difficult and hard, hard, hard year and I'm very much looking forward to this new year. I hope it involves a bit more sleep, calm joyful days (and nights) and a steady, content year with no breast pumping, surgeries, house sales, different jobs, international moves, letting go of a favorite pet, etc. We just want some peace and down time to enjoy our little family as much as possible :) 

The last few weeks have been busy - between helping Cora recover (which involved many round the clock feedings and rocking and cuddling sessions until her mouth felt better to eat enough to sleep most of the night), visiting with the fabulous Mike and Marisa, and spending a lot of time with Buddy and Pooh Bah, time has just seemed to zoom by. 

There is so much to write about from the last few weeks so I will need to break them up a bit. First off, the surgery recovery was tough. Cora was in pain and I felt like I had a new born all over again. We were up at least twice a night with a sad, crying Cora. She couldn't take a bottle that soon because it hurt so we had to eat bananas and yogurt in the middle of the night (in between taking lots of different medicines) to fill her starving little belly. She was definitely not as crazy and hilarious as usual, but after  only about a week she really started to shine again and recover. It was truly amazing. I just pray her 6 week follow-up appointment fairs well.