Christmas was a drawn out event this year. With Isabel and Ben in the hospital on Christmas Eve we decided to shift the traditional Ammon family Christmas Eve dinner one day. Aliya had so many presents that we spread the present opening over three days so she could enjoy it all without a "system overload" :-) The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Our second child, Ben Jayden Roberts, was born on the 23rd of December. The birth went smoothly for both Isabel and Ben and Isabel was quickly back on her feet. Ben is a strong little guy measuring 3380g and 51cm at birth. Mommy, daddy and sister are very happy to have him join the family! His first photos can be found on my smugmug page.
We finally got a day of wind and Aliya was able to fly her kite. She had a great time and says "thank you" to Uncle Ernst and Rosemarie for giving her the money to buy it! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Daddy showed Aliya how to carve a Halloween pumpkin. Aliya wanted a scary pumpkin... The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
The Ammon family officially has a new member! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
On the 2nd of October we enjoyed a beautiful fall day up at the Oeschinen lake. Aliya didn't seem to be bothered by the ice cold water, daddy, however, kept his boots on! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Isa, Aliya and I spent 3 fantastic weeks exploring the towns and beachs of Sardinia. We had a great time and were really impressed with the white sand and clear blue water. Aliya wanted to swim everyday and she almost always got her wish :-D I can highly recommend Sardinia to anyone who is a fan of playing on the beach. The photos can be found on my smugmug page. There is a password on the gallery, if you don't know it contact me.
Ringgis in Emmental is a "top tip" for a great place to enjoy a steak and a beer. The view is fantastic! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Isabel and group of her friends did the famous Muggestutz, Hasliberg childrens hike with their kids. Everyone had a great time and the photos can be found on my smugmug page.
The Shreckhorn was definitely the hardest route I've done. From the hut it was a 1750m climb with a 3200m descent and 20km hike to get back to Grindelwald. All together it took Andrew and I over 17 hours to complete. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya, Isa, the Swiss grandparents and I went for a hike up the Gurten hill. On the top there is nice playground and a small electric train which Aliya enjoyed. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya, Isa, the Richard family and I spent a day wandering though the Ballenberg Swiss open air museum. Lots there to keep the kids and the adults busy :-) The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya, Isa and I went for a hike at Lombachalp with Jessica, the daughter our "Interlaken" friends. The hike was only 5km, but Aliya impressively walked about 70% of it. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
It's becoming a tradition for us to camp in Lausanne for a week every summer. The camping ground is only 4km from my office, so I normally don't take the week off, but enjoy having a short commute by bike. Aliya and Isabel, on the other hand, enjoy a nice weeks holiday at Lake of Geneva. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya, Isa and I made a hike from Chuderhüsli to Rinngis and back, a short hike for us, but long for Aliya. Walking trails in the Emmental is always fun :-) The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
We spent a four day weekend camping with friends by the lake of Murten. The first day was a little cold, but from then on it was almost perfect camping weather. Our friends also have kids around Aliya's age so she had a blast with playmates around all day. The photos can be found on my smugmug page. I've added a password to this gallery, send me an email at austin_roberts99@hotmail.com if you need it.
Continuing the theme of this summer... we spent another afternoon cooking cervelas and picnicking. This time by the Kander river. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
For Mother's day we (Isabel, Aliya, me and Aliya's Grandma and Grandpa) took a boat from Interlaken to Ringgenberg and from there walked along the lake to Niederried. At Niederried we BBQ'd some Cervelas and had a nice lunch by the lake. After lunch we headed back to Interlaken for some ice cream :-p The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya turned 2 on the 5th of May. It's really hard to believe how much she has changed in the last year... She was still a baby when she turned 1, but she is definitely a little girl now! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Aliya, Isa and I enjoyed some beautiful Spring weather playing in the water, picnicking and doing a little rock climbing at the Schwarzwasserbrucke (Black Water bridge). The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Over Easter weekend I was able to make a big ski tour with a friend from work. On day 1 we skied from Jungfraujoch to the Finsteraarhorn hut, where we stayed the night. On day 2 we climbed the Gross Wannenhorn and then made our way out to Fiesch. Unfortunately, visibility was very poor on the second day so we had to go for our "plan B" return route, which meant a very long 12 hour trip! Better weather would have been nice, but at least we got to practice our navigation skills in 5 meter visibility! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
As is tradition for us, the last day of the ski season (at least for us) was spent enjoying the snow and sun up at Engstligenalp. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
We visited the Papiliorama (Butterfly center) in Kerzers and Aliya was very impressed by the Butterflys and all the other animals housed in the impressive complex. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
A bit tired of the winter and in need of a vacation, we decided to head to the Canary Islands for week of sun and sand. We stayed at a "family friendly" hotel complex and had an apartment 20 meters from the beach. We really enjoyed ourselfs and Aliya loved playing in the water and sand. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Spent the day with Aliya, Isabel and Aliya's Swiss grandparents playing in the snow at Lombachalp. I'll let the pictures do the talking. The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
Finally had a chance to get a day free to do the first ski tour of the year. Chris and I climbed the Seehore and returned via the Stand (Diemtigtal). It was a great day with good snow. On top of the good snow, we made the first tracks since the last storm, that's a first for me! The photos can be found on my smugmug page.
