Joyeux Nöel et Bonne Année!

Holiday greetings from Switzerland! We hope you enjoyed our holiday card - and welcome to our blog! If this is your first visit - we're excited to share a few pictures of our Swiss adventure in 2008. If this is a return visit - click to the right to follow along in 2009! Since the pics on our card were a bit small - here they are again with a bit more explanation. We've enjoyed some amazing scenery via our European travels - enjoy the sights with us and we hope to see you over the holidays. We'll enjoy a holiday trip to the U.S. from Dec 18th til Jan 4th - our first since moving in January. We're excited to spend time with family and see friends in Iowa and the Pacific Northwest. Again - wishing you a joyous season and happy and healthy 2009!

The Swiss Lary's

First day of school! Kellen and Devan are now enjoying their international friends at College du Leman - just down the street from our home in Versoix.

The family accompanied Daddy to London in late October - the boys enjoyed Big Ben (pictured here), the London Aquarium, a taxi-ride, seeing the Buckingham Palace guards - and a whole lot more!

Walking the red carpet in Cannes! Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a star-studded long weekend at the famous Cannes Film Festival in May. Two red-carpet evenings included movie premiers and rubbing elbows with Penn, DeNiro, Portman and more!

The Lary's and Mejia's enjoyed an unforgettable trip to Grindelwald in September - at the base of the Eiger's north face (13,026 ft), a village in the Bernese Oberland near Interlaken. The highlight was an afternoon "on top of Europe" at the Jungfraujoch. This high-Alpine wonderland of eternal ice and snow sits at 11,333 feet. Europe's highest-altitude railway station ends after this amazing 1.5 hour train ride through the Alps (literally). The sights were amazing!

The Lary parents visited the month of May. We enjoyed an incredible train journey all through Switzerland for six days. We enjoyed amazing rides through the countryside and Alps of Switzerland stopping for a day or two in Zermatt, St. Moritz, Luzerne and Interlaken. We experienced some incredible scenery and equally sunny weather. The trains were wonderful, especially the panoramic trains of the Glacier Express and Golden Pass.

Halloween and Sledding in the Alps!

A busy weekend sans Mommy! Friday began with Halloween fun, then it was an afternoon of sledding in the French Alps. We joined friends in Grand Massif, which lies between Geneva and Mont Blanc. Grand Massif, France’s biggest ski area was perfect for an early winter day in the snow and sun! But first... Halloween night! The pirate pair...

... with their friends - Michael and sis

Gathering the goodies at school...

Hmmm... that looks good!

Kellen and Michael

The after-party...

... and the day after Halloween, we ventured to the French Alps about an hour from home. We were prepared for frigid temps, but it actually got warmer as we headed in to the mountains! No hats needed, Mommy!

Kellen prepares for his first trip down the hill...

So are you really ready?!

Off they go!

... and "off" they go! Yes - that's Kellen on the bottom!

Devan and Daddy's turn...

... and the walk back up.

Not a bad view...

Taking a break

The whole gang!

School Pictures!

School pictures for Kellen and Devan - College Du Leman, Ecole Internationale!

London and Moscow - October 08

All the Lary's tagged along as Daddy Dave had business to tend to in London. First off, it was refreshing to be in a place where everyone spoke English - made it tons easier to get around, ask questions, get details on things to do/see, etc. We've gotten used to practicing our French often so it was a nice break to "think English" for a few days. We did some kid-friendly sightseeing (some things only from afar) - Big Ben, Parliment, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, London Eye (didn't ride this time), London Aquarium, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Princess Di memorial fountain and children's playground, and even had a chance to visit some friends who live in the city. All in all it was a great mini-vacation and we enjoyed the lively city! After London, Dave headed off "in style" to some meetings in Moscow which he commented was an amazing city. We are feeling quite priveleged to have such wonderful opportunities to see and do so much while living here in Europe.

Our Fall break is coming to an end and the boys will get back to school next week.

Now, to plan our next adventure ...

Various pics of the family with Big Ben/Parliment in the background.

The "plush" hotel!

The BIG dinosaur in the Central Hall of the Natural History Museum - amazing building!

On the red double decker bus ...

London Aquarium - the stingrays

The Science Museum - so much for the kids to explore!

Kellen ready for his first 3-D movie at the IMAX.

Traveling via Underground (not sure what Devan is looking at ...)

And we reached the Tower Bridge ... gorgeous sunshine too!

Riding in the funky British taxi cabs.

And taking one for a test drive ...

Kellen and his new pal, Chloe - two peas in a pod!

Traveling via corporate jet ...

And Red Square ...