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Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

by | Nov 3, 2024 | Blog

We have had another round of the dreaded head cold here this week. It’s one of the few anti-perks of hanging out with toddlers.

We enjoyed seeing Teddy participate in the Primary program last Sunday. He said his part beautifully. Arthur was blessed by his daddy in Sacrament meeting today. We’ve enjoyed playing with the Mueller boys, walking in St. Louis’s lovely parks, and eating some really good Italian food (in the Hill neighborhood) and tacos (on the Delmar Loop). We’ve also been trying to plan for the coming year and catching up on personal projects.

Anyway, since we are under the weather, I thought I would keep this extremely brief and wish you a happy November. Enjoy the photos of our grandkids with jack o’lanterns and dressed in their Halloween costumes. Ciao!

To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.

Two + Choo Choo

Two + Choo Choo

by | Oct 27, 2024 | Blog

We had a great week! We made it back to St. Louis to celebrate Peter’s 2nd birthday, then we moved into our own place, and we had some fun outings!

Our drive back to St. Louis from West Virginia was blissfully uneventful. We made it back in time to go get some birthday pizza with our newest 2-year-old, Peter. He’s such a jolly little guy. He loves to play with Duplo blocks and his trains. He calls them “rains” and always says it with an exclamation point at the end. We gave him a big new bucket of Duplo and he also got to pick out a couple new engines (Percy and Toby) and new track for the train collection. 

We packed up most of our stuff and moved to an AirBnB. It’s nice to still be close to Alex’s family, but good for all of us to be settled into a more regular routine. Our place is about a 15-minute drive from the city center in a neighborhood that was built in the 1930’s and 40’s. The area is close to businesses and parks, but is also surprisingly quiet. We are enjoying it a lot. We walked up to Tower Grove Park for the Farmer’s Market and reveled in the perfect autumn day.

We also got to take the boys on a special outing on Friday. We took them to get a bite of dinner, then we had tickets to the train store’s special play night. They each got to choose a new engine or car for their train set and then they played upstairs in the birthday party area for almost 2 solid hours. They had so much fun and they were so good about sharing the space with other kids and taking turns. It was really cute to watch them play and build.

We also took a drive just south of the city to Jefferson Barracks park for another autumn walk. There is also an Italian-American neighborhood called The Hill that we visited for an outstanding dinner one night. That’s about it for now. Hope you have a fantastic week!

 

To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.

WV

WV

by | Oct 20, 2024 | Blog

We had a great week visiting with Lauren’s family in West Virginia. The weather was virtually perfect, we got to play a lot with the kiddos, and we enjoyed good food and good conversations.

Apart from the regular visits to their house to play in the woods and build with legos, we did a couple of outings. One day, we went to the library in Parkersburg to play with their fun toys and to check out a pile of books. The kids enjoyed the marble run, fish tank, and legos. Then we went to lunch at a great local place, Der Dog Haus. Another day, Lauren had some business to take care of in Columbus, so we rode along. In addition to the errands, we took time for the Legoland Discovery Center and the kids loved playing and building. Huck liked climbing in the play area and riding the amusement ride. Piper did not like the person dressed as a Lego minifigure.

We took a scenic drive on a Scenic Byway through the beautiful autumn colors and saw some covered bridges. Then, we were lucky to be around for the ward’s Fall Festival. The Primary Presidency was in charge, which is pretty much a pack of Bauserman ladies, so it was fun to help them get set up and then watch the fun commence. They had a bounce house, pony rides, and games for the kids. Everyone enjoyed hot dogs and the like for lunch. It was a real treat to visit the site of our niece Sarah’s future house, since they hosted the party in the field there.

Today also happened to be the final practice for the Primary children before their Sacrament Meeting Program next week, so we got the sneak preview. Huck knows pretty much all the words and did a great job on his part. There was a great little string ensemble consisting of kiddos (2 violins and 5 cellos) accompanying a song, so that was fun. Piper even got to sing for that one, too. So cute! Lauren and Bo cooked up a feast of bbq ribs for Sunday dinner and it was delish.

Now it’s back to St. Louis for a few weeks. We have our own place booked for a bit so that we are close to Alex’s family without being too disruptive to their regular groove. We are looking forward to seeing them! Have a great week!

To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven

by | Oct 13, 2024 | Blog

We started the week in Utah, spent a few days regrouping in Missouri, and now we’re in West Virginia.

After an eventful two weeks in Utah with family, it was time to move on. It takes us two days to travel from Centerville to St. Louis. We have it down to a pretty good routine these days: tacos for lunch in Cheyenne, overnight in York, Nebraska, bbq for lunch in Kansas City. It works well for us. We listen to a lot of podcasts, music, and audiobooks. We started David McCullough massive biography of Truman, since we visited the Presidential library recently.

It was good to get back to Alex’s house and to see Hanna and the two little boys again, since they didn’t get to come for the funeral. Things are back to the new normal there, since mom is back in charge. That meant Nathan and I had more time to take care of our own projects. We were also able to start some planning for the rest of the season. Although we are missing him, Max’s death has taken some of the guesswork out of the coming months. We continue to take advantage of our “homeless” state, seeking out unique experiences, new adventures, and precious time with family.

One fun thing that we got to do this week (besides just hanging out with the boys) was that we went to the Ulysses S. Grant Historical Farm. There is a big commercial part run by the Busch Family, since they bought the farm and operated it for decades. They have different animals that you can see from a tram ride (Peter’s favorite part, since he’s a choo-choo guy). Then you can walk around and see other animals, including the Clydesdales, feed goats, etc. But then there is the actual museum and historical site for Grant. It was beautiful and peaceful, since everyone else was over at the other side getting their free beer samples :). 

We feel lucky to be able to visit the grandkids more often now. The weather is finally turning toward Autumn and cooler days are certainly welcome. We are spending the week with Lauren’s family in West Virginia, soaking up time with Huck and Piper and Hugh.

 

To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.

Mueller Family Recipes

Mueller Family Recipes

by | Oct 2, 2024 | Blog

We had a wonderful, if difficult, couple of weeks planning and holding the funeral for Nathan’s dad, Max. It was a precious time with our family and we feel so blessed to have been in Utah with so many dear ones.

For the family luncheon after the funeral, I made three different family favorite treats. I have linked the recipes below and I’ve also shared some photos of Max in the kitchen. Food was a prominent way for him to share the Swiss culture with those he loved. He absolutely loved good food and was delighted to share it. For these recipes, procuring some of the ingredients is the trickiest part of the endeavor. Once you have things gathered, the actual mixing and baking process is pretty straightforward if you have a bit of baking experience. Enjoy!

Click Here for Swiss Carrot Cake
Click Here for Chocolate Chippers
Click Here for Basler Läckerli
To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.

Sad News

Sad News

by | Sep 21, 2024 | Blog

This will be a short post this week. I am sad to report that Nathan’s dad, Max, passed away last night. We are going to miss his zest for life and his forceful personality. He has been in cognitive decline for a couple of years and having him fade away has been really hard on everyone, especially him. This last year has been especially hard on his sweet wife, Margaret, and the rest of the family as it became more difficult to care for him. It is a great relief that he is out of pain and misery.

We will be traveling back to Utah this week and the funeral will most likely be on Monday, September 30. As such, I will probably not be posting on the blog for a while until we are back into a more regular rhythm (whatever that is!).

We love you, Max!

To the North!

To the North!

by | May 16, 2025 |

Here are some highlights from the first half of our Scandinavian cruise. We sailed from Southampton and had stops in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. We also had an unexpected change of plans.

To Madrid

To Madrid

by | May 11, 2025 |

This week we finished off our Spanish tour in Madrid, then set out for the north.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

by | May 4, 2025 |

We’ve had an exciting week driving and walking around in Spain. We started off with a few days of hiking in the Pyrenees, then we spent time in Basque country and Galicia. We’ve had lots of adventures, so this is a longer post.