FAST AND FURIOUS

An exciting month is ahead, and it's all starting tomorrow. André will start his four-week summer course in the nursery school La Souris Vert. In the meantime, a funny day he had some additional fun yesterday that were the celebrations for the neighborhood.  Before the small parade, I took some pics of him playing around in the block whit his red scooter.

PLAY TIME

This is the playroom I want to make one day for my children's room. It's made completely in wood, have a second level for the bedroom, with even a slide to go down to the play area.  This one in the pictures is located in my doctor's cabinet and André has a lot of fun each month that we have to go there.

OH LA LA!

Another day in paradise for André. He had wonderful Sarah's birthday party with a princess theme. There were loads of little girls looking for the charming prince, and here there goes André  ;)  For us it was as well a weekend full of exciting activities and time to catch up with friends.

LOOKING COOL

I've being lately absolutely, utterly, crazy in love with white orchids. I felt so touched when my hubby brought me to the hospital a gorgeous arrangement after the birth of Adrien. It's now in our dining room. Then, we decided to make an artificial arrangement for the entrance of Daniel's cabinet which is too dark to have natural ones. So, I took the children, during a summer hot day, for a tour to all the flower shops in Geneva and surroundings. My favorite flower shop is Schilliger.

Here is an overload of picture of André in La Praille mall and others shops. He helped me to baby sit Adrien  :)

MINI ME

For Father's Day, we had a BBQ with my in-laws and we got nice pictures of Adrien with his paternal family, even his great-grandfather Otti, who has 96 years old.  Adrien looks so cute with this knitted jumper that we bought for a this special moment.

Everybody agrees that Adrien is a "mini" version of his dad. I clarify that he's indeed an enhanced one.  ;)

BOYS TOYS

Some days ago, my hubby had a Vernissage to display the pictures of his humanitarian mision in Africa. All the family went to support him, of course. André was the youngest guest, but not the less elegant.  Before leaving, I took some pics of his formal outfit with my hubby's Corvette.  André, as all men in the world -I guess- loves this sports car!

It's not a joke! Actually, scientist have found proof that sports car make men feel more macho.  What I found hilarious was the comparison of men with peacocks fanning their tail to grab women's attention. They said that "men use their cars to advertise their wealth".  It seems that men believe that this kind of cars give them "a powerful sexual charm that renders them irresistible to women"... who knew?  ;)

CAN'T GET ENOUGH

Mais oui, blue again!  You can't go wrong with blue looks for boys.  This week we had the visit of my father-in-law, and I have been kind of busy. André is ready for a casual lunch with the new guest.

PINCO PALLINO

My children's favorite brand is I Pinco Pallino so far, an Italian brand with luxury quality for children. I discovered it in Wafi Mall in Dubai when I was living there, 4 years ago.  I was looking for the best quality baby knitted quilt when I was pregnant of André. And I fell in love with their clothes and shoes. 

For girls the clothes are so romantic, with a vintage touch... absolutely gorgeous! thank God I don't have a girl or I could get mad with everything they have.  For boys, they have a gentleman-like style, kind of classic with modern fabrics.  That's my style for children as well. I don't like when small children are dressed like they are rappers or fakes Britney Spears. They will have plenty of time to dress with that bad taste when they will become teenagers  ;)

ADRIEN LE LAPIN

Yesterday I had André putting puzzles together and "reading" books in the kitchen while his little brother was taking a nap and I was cooking. And guess what?... we found out that one of André's books, which he got for his 3th birthday, was "Adrien Le Lapin" (Adrien The Rabbit). André read it to his brother of course  ;)  ... and voilà! the weekend starts here!! (thanks God!)

A SHORTS STORY

André was accepted in the maternal school "Bois Chatton"!! woohoooo.  He's going to start in September, but next week he'll have a day of adaptation.  I didn't have the time to take pictures of André inside the école because we were too busy and I had my hands full with the baby, but I took some ones outside.

FETE DE MERES

La Fête des Mères or Mother's Day in the French region is in a different day that the rest of the world. This year was on Sunday, May 29th.  I received these two gifts pictured above: a Net-a-Porter black box and a beautiful baby  ;)  Which one do you like the most? hehe

ON THE ROAD

I took these pics on our way to the mamam-du-jour (nanny), who lives just one block behind our place.  André's look today is quite simple, warm and comfortable-perfect for a playful afternoon with the nanny. It's not an ensemble, the brown/cyan pullover was a gift and I bought these cyan track pants in H&M, and match them with an old cyan t-shirt he already had.

André's third birthday: ANDRE CIRCUS

A few months ago we celebrated André's third birthday party with a Circus theme. Do you remember his first birthday was with an Under-the-water theme? This time we had a smaller party in our house in Geneva. The invitations were made in layers of foamy with embossed stickers and a cover of a foamy circus tent. Instead of an envelope, I used a hand-made red box with confetti, an elephant cookie and bracelets to coloring.

BLOWING IN THE WIND

What a windy day! The weather in Geneva has changed abruptly and the sun hid in Adrien's first outing.  Never mind, we went out for lunch with my in-laws to Lacustre Restaurant in Bellevue, beside the lake and just a couple of blocks from home. We were celebrating Adrien's first week!

André's outfit reflects the ambiance; gray as the sky.

JUMP IT UP!

I can't believe we're already June. Time truly flies when you're having fun with a new born and an active 3-year-old boy. Now that time is limited, I need to keep André busy at home with some activities that don't involve to go out often and clothes that, while not-so glamourous, let him to have fun and spend all his energy. Yesterday evening, I had André frantically dancing with a video in my iPad. He really made me laugh out loud  :D  If only everyday could be a bit more like this!

WHITE OUT

I can't even begin to tell how blessed I feel for my new baby boy Adrien. His older brother André loves him so much as well. Now with a new born at home I don't have the time, neither the energy, to go out often though.  So André just needs relax and comfy outfits to play at home with organic clothes.

Organic clothes are so good for children... and they feel good. It's totally worth it!

BUNDLE OF JOY

All this time we were wondering and wondering... who is this person coming/growing/turning/floating/swimming deep, deep inside. I felt like everything was growing rounder and wider and weider, and I was in the middle of it all wondering who in the world he will turn out to be. And now the secret is out! 

Welcome Adrien Daniel!

Here there are some pictures of his first week of life. André has turned out to be the sweetest big brother ever. He loves his little bro and is not at all jealous of him... what a blessing!

GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY

Today is the birthday of my dad, Hugo, who is turning 71 years old. Unfortunately, I can't see him as he lives in Ecuador, so I'm uploading some pictures of him with my son André to celebrate his anniversary.  These pictures are from two years ago when we went last time to Ecuador.  I miss my dad, family, friends and country so much...

In the picture above, André wears Baby Dior light blue t-shirt and shorts.

ME VOILA!!

Une petite bouille ronde, une peau douce, des petites menottes toutes dodues, des petits pieds à croquer... notre petite boule de bonheur est arrivé parmi nous et porte le doux prénom de Adrien.

PLAID FAIR

Well, it seems that the time for the arrival of the baby has come. Getting ready to enter to the Maternity I took some pics of André with a duo of vivid colors.  We picked the right shades to suit André's excited mood.  André is so eager to meet his little brother... so now we're ready to go and meet Adrien  :)

GO GREEN OR GO HOME

"We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children". 

Native American Proverb.

Switzerland is indeed one of the countries where we've lived that care more about the environment. The results are visible: green everywhere. Then, what a better look to play at the entrance of our house in Geneva that wear green to blend with the surroundings?

TOUS BEAR

Probably you have seen in most of the pictures of my son André that he's wearing his Tous gold necklace. Tous is my favorite brand for children's jewelry for his cute teddy bear, the brand emblem.  My older daughter Aimée has a steel & gold bracelet and some leather/silver necklaces of this brand, and my son André has a set of gold necklace and bracelet baby set with the bear in little diamonds.

BLUE ATTITUDE

Again blue? Well, nothing beats the summer season as a nautical style.  Also, blue is sooo boyish!  We went for a check-up to the hospital and André spent a couple of hours into the daycare of the hospital. Then, we went to do several courses and, finally, we visited my husband's grandfather.  What a busy day for my huge belly!

STRIPE! STRIKE!

When a mom has a busy schedule needs to dress her children in a confortable way to tote them around town.  My choice for one of those busy days?... stripes. Now, let's go to the infinite and beyond!  ;)

This week there was the 7th Geneva Marathon.  This day the city stops to watch thousands of people running this marathon.  The Geneva Marathon has a new car-free course through 10 communes (kind of neighborhoods), which ends at  the famous Jardin Anglais, one of the main touristic points of the city, and the heart of the bay.  This course has a unique landscape, between the Jura mountains and the high Alpine peaks.
In addition to the healthy and fitness reasons to go for a run, you'd support a good cause: the Geneva Marathon supports UNICEF, who get 5% of the registration fees.  The donations to Unicef will pay, among other things, for water pumps in developing countries, giving thousands of people access to clean water.
There are several categories, going from professional, children, elderly, handicapped, etc. Unfortunately, they don't have a categorie for pregnant women yet, so let's do it next year!  ;)

COLOR-POP

How to electrify a Spring day? Slip into some hot-hued clothes! High-voltage shades make more active and attractive the day. The weather has been kind of cold in Geneva, and I didn't want that André gets a cold again. Usually colds are worst to survive for moms than for children.

André's best moments: 2-3 years (4th -and last- part)

knight costume during l'Escalade, a local swiss celebration

This is the last part of this edition about my favorite moments when my son André was younger, from 2 - 3 years old... not far behind. He's now 3 1/2. All this retrospective brought to me great souvenirs. Children do grow up so fast, don't they?

André's best moments: first year (3rd part)

Burberry white t-shirt. Australian leather hat (borrowed from dad).

This is the third delivery of the section I called André's best moments (tomorrow is the last one, I promise!).  In this post, I want to review the second part of his first year of life, from 7 months until 12.  Thanks God for all that year full of joy and blessings in our lives.

André's best moments: first months (2nd part)

I think this review of André's best moments will take a couple of posts more.  Yesterday I uploaded pictures of his first month and today I'm gonna upload some pics from his first months of life (2 till 6 months).

In some of the pictures André is with his sister Aimée, who is more than 13 years older than him.  To see my two children together made me warm all over the heart  :')

André's best moments: new born (1st part)... BORN THIS WAY

Burberry baby sleeping bag

Today I wanted to make a review of all my favorite souvenirs of my son André when he was a little new born baby in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  It's so sweet to remember those precious moments  :)

DIAPER CAKE

I'm sure you all have heard about Diaper-cakes... the new trend in new-born gifts or decoration for baby showers.  Well, I decided to make one by myself for my new baby Adrien.  As you can see, it's beige & white with details in light blue. It has 3 floors of diapers and is decorated with ribbons and stuffed animals of a Belgian brand called Noukies.  In the center of each floor of diaper there are blocks or styrofoam to help to give the shape of a cake and keep the diapers well groomed.

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE

I found these camouflage shorts that André received long time ago and I made this mix for a safari style. He liked the idea of course! boys are always ready for fun  :)

The pictures were taken in our home's garden, in our Pakistani tea "chai" garden set while he was playing around.

YVOIRE IN B&W

We went during the weekend to the charming French city of Yvore with some great friends. There was a get together of my hubby's best childhood friends. They came with their wives all the way from Canada and the German side of Switzerland. We chose Yvoire for this meeting.

Yvoire is a 700 years old medieval town that can be visited from Geneva by boat or by car. It has beautiful flower covered buildings, this is why it's called the "French flower town".  It's so beautiful that it's officially known as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. You can find more information in its website.

SWISS VINEYARDS

After a stressful week, we went on Fridays to spend a relax day with some good friends at the vineyards area of Chebres.  Then we spent the evening chilling out at The Desk, a posh bar with a breathtaking view to the lake and the Alpes mountains. Finally went to eat a long, long dinner at Le Relais de la Poste with a nice view too, a great food and a good service  :)

ROMANTIC RAIN

Coming back home from our last holidays in la Côte d'Azur, we found Geneva raining and a little chilly.  So, André spent all the journey at home. Most of the pics are in our living room.

REMEMBERING ANDRE'S SECOND BIRTHDAY

My plan is to organize a formal birthday party every two years.  Some time ago, I uploaded a post about the nice André's first birthday party with an under the water theme.  For his second birthday, we just went to the Museum of Natural History of Geneva, wich have incredible settings of all kind of animals... even camels! André was born in Dubai, where he had at that time lots of stuffed camels, so he loves them!  :)

ST TROPEZ

In our stay in St Tropez, I bought some clothes for my two children.  One of these options was a matching striped set (they even have embroidered the name of St Tropez and Côte d'Azur) for my 3-year-old son André and my new baby-to-be soon Adrien, who will be born any time from now.  I just can't wait to see them both with their matching clothes! In the meantime, I couldn't stop myself to take pictures of André with his marine outfit to play all day long... as always.  

We went to some games, then to the flower shop and pets shop. What a fun day!

CANNES

What a better way to dress at the Côte d'Azur than blue that means Mediterranean glamour?  We had a family lunch for our anniversary in a nice restaurant with a great view to the sea. I love restaurants with good view.

NICE

It's official the sunny season and we had another nice day while sightseeing the beautiful city of Nice. We went to the yacht port to watch some of the most gorgeous yachts in the world. André even got on one of them. Then we took a tourism bus around the city, went to Mc Donalds and to the games. I finished exhausted.

I bought André's beachwear ensemble in Madrid last year... and I love it because it came with a matching beach towel!  :)

MONACO: 2nd day

In our second day of our holidays in Monaco we went to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and then took a train-tour for Montecarlo. André loved both of them, but he forgot his "doudou" in the Museum... poor... I hope he can find a good new family :(

MONACO: LE FEU FAIT LE FOU

Finally we had some free days and went to Monaco and Nice.  And we were lucky, we got such some sunny days, so André and me spent most of the days sightseeing and the nights eating out.  I'd say this is the right mix for a perfect holiday.

Our first day, we went to the beach and took some pics at the Monaco's boardwalk, where there was loads of children.  I think that the André's outfit for this day was kind of uptown chic  ;)

André's first birthday: UNDER THE WATER THEME

Today I wanted to remember my son André's first birthday.  We decided to make it in Ecuador, my home country, and I chose an Under-the-water theme.  Before to share some pics I want to thank to all the friends and relatives that came over to make it a special day.

The picture above shows the invitations, which were like a message in a bottle with the theme of the party engraved in laser.  Inside the bottle there were some seaweed and small marine animals.

A FIREMAN UNDER THE RAIN

Bonjour!

I was looking for a rain outfit for my 3-year-old son André, but -as always- I just found nice options for girls and nothing cute for boys.  Finally, I found a great rain-outfit in Italy. It's a Kidorable red fireman raincoat with boots matching.

I made this collage of my little fireman under the rain with pictures in our way to his Swiss crèche. Every single person that we passed could not help smiling   :)