York

Dave and I love an excuse to visit York. It is such a great city, one that we have come to love already. So we spent the day their when my family was here. Hilde was at school and we dropped Enoch off at daycare so we could do as much walking as we wanted and spend more time doing things that little kids don't really have the attention span for. The first step is always York Minster.



Mom and I had fun looking at everything and catching up. And on that note - HAPPY BIRTHDAY mom!! I hope that you have a fabulous day and a Happy New Year. The kids miss you already and keep asking when we are going to go play in Grandma Margo's hot tub. I think Hilde did that once in her whole life, but that is what she wants to do now! And who can blame her, it is very cold and windy here these days.
It took a while to get Isaac to a point where he wasn't bored, but here he was enthralled as they were lowering these huge candelabras from the very high ceilings and the priest was talking to a bunch of school children from the school across the street.

After the Minster we all walked over to Clifford's Tower. It is all that is left of what used to be York Castle - built by William the Conqueror. It was very small, but you could walk up to the top and get an awesome view of York. And, there is a lot of history tied to it. In 1190 Jewish citizens took refuge in the tower. Many committed mass suicide and those who attempted to leave were massacred. All of them died.

Are you my mother?

My little girl is growing up. Tonight she read me all 63 pages of Are You My Mother? with almost entirely no help. It helps that I have read it to her several times, but still, she is adorable. What more could I ask for?

Thanksgiving Dinner

We went back and forth about whether to do a Turkey or goose this year. After all, we are in England and we wanted to spice things up a little bit. However, I hate fat and grease, and goose is loaded with both, so we eventually ruled it out. Maybe next year though. Of course the Brits don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so in the morning I dropped Hilde off at school. We cooked and spent time together until it was time to pick her up from school. Then we ate Thanksgiving dinner at around 4:00. We had Turkey, cranberry sauce, fresh bread we picked up that morning (none of the stores are closed of course - that part was nice), mashed potatoes, an amazing fruit salad that included cactus fruit, bananas, strawberries, apples, and many others, and stuffing. For dessert we had apple pie and banana cream pie. Or if you are Hilde, you just had whipped cream. Here are some pictures of the festivities.
Isaac tried really hard to avoid pictures, but we did catch him a few times.
Once Enoch crawled out from under the table we snapped a quick pic.
What a cute couple. And my dad is actually smiling...I think.
Dave expertly carves the Turkey.
Hilde counts down the seconds....

Thanksgiving 2008

Time to start the installments to catch up on our recent exploits with our visitors, my mom and dad, brother Matt and his son Isaac. After flights from Seattle to LA to London, my parents arrived at Heathrow airport. Matt and Isaac met up with them there, they were on separate flights. Then they took an eventful train ride up to our house. The train got stuck several times due to downed trees and other unforeseen circumstances, it was crazy. But finally, they made it to visit us. Our first trip was Knaresborough, site of this summer's bed races. This time it was cold and chilly, and we went to see the ruins of the town's castle.
Here is my family checking out the ruins. Notice how cold my mom looks? It was really nippy out there. Enoch is wearing my gloves for this outing since he refused to bring his and then once we got there immediately realized the mistake he made.
Beautiful Knaresborough. I still sometimes can't believe that we live here. But we do, and have for almost 9 months now!
Enoch loved spending time with Grandpa Ron.

Oh Christmas Tree - Lessons Learned

Lessons learned from our Christmas tree adventure a couple of weekends ago:

1) Don't expect to see your Christmas tree until it is in your house. All of the trees at the Christmas tree place we went to were already wrapped in plastic. The "helpful" lady told us that people always pick their trees out by picking out which top they like....
2) Don't expect a variety of tree types. There is only one. Dave would have to tell you what type ours is.
3) Don't have HIGH hopes. The tallest tree they were selling was 7 feet.
4) Don't forget to bring rope. When Dave asked them if they could tie the tree to the top of the car, they looked at him like he had three heads. Apparently nobody does that around here. We looked around us and saw that every other customer was shoving their trees inside their trunks or inside their cars. No more need for the evergreen car freshener, just use nature!
5) Don't expect them to carry a proper tree stand. Bucket anyone? Only one left and it is ours.
6) When you finally get home, and unwrap your tree, and hold it up to put it in the bucket, don't expect that the tree farm cut the base in a way that will actually make the tree fit into the bucket holder you bought from them.
7) Make sure you have a hand saw, you will have to go buy one after a frustrating morning if you don't. And while you are at the hardware store, pick up some rocks to fill up the bucket.
8) THIS ONE IS VERY IMPORTANT- When you get home and cut the tree, and secure the tree in the bucket, and fill the bucket up with rocks, and then add water, DO NOT EXPECT THAT THE BUCKET WILL NOT LEAK. Have your husband lift up the tree, stand and all while you mop up and put down a plastic bag.
9) When you pull out the IKEA ornaments to decorate the tree, don't expect that they will have hangers. In fact, they will have little tiny pieces of fishing wire )that are impossible to tie so they don't slip right off), waiting in a packet for you to attach, and re-attach, and re-attach until you want to cry.
10) Two days after the tree is decorated and the trauma is behind you, expect that you will find that the tree leaking solution has failed and you have to move the tree to prevent mold. While your husband lifts up the tree yet again, expect the bucket to fall off, rocks and water to go everywhere, and you have to start the whole process over again.

This is when your husband asks if it is OK if we don't have a tree this year and you wholeheartedly support tossing it out. I mean really, who NEEDS a tree, not us, we can do without. You can't avoid the looks on the kids faces though, and you end up moving, re-potting and redecorating the tree. And even after all of this, you say to yourselves that you are never getting a fake tree. So, you write down the lessons learned and make a gameplan for success next year.

Commercial Madness

Since we moved here and started watching British TV, we are constantly surprised at who we see in commercials here. For some reason there is a stigma of being in commercials in the US, but overseas is fair game. Just the last couple of nights I have seen the following people featured in commercials: Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaghey, Anne Hathaway, Andie Macdowell, Penelope Cruz, Reese Witherspoon and countless others. Almost all of them are advertising perfumes. So my question is, are any of these commercials airing in the States? And, who knew there were so many types of perfumes around??

On my sister's advice, I just finished reading All Creatures Great and Small. It was written by a Veterinarian that practiced in North Yorkshire, which is where we live. I loved it. There was a lot of gory vet stuff, but the people, places, and animals were all what we have come to see and expect here. Highly recommended for light reading. Short, easy chapters for those of us who can only string together a few minutes of reading at a time!

Finally an Answer

First - apologize for the complete silence around here. With my family in town for a couple of weeks and the Holidays approaching there was/is a lot going on. So slowly but surely I will catch up. Things may not come in a coherent order, but that is part of my life right now and I kind of like it - even if you guys don't!

Anyway, over a year ago we took Enoch to the eye doctor in the States because his left eye was rolling around and it was freaking us out. They told us he would grow out of it. Lots of outdoor time practicing on focusing on things close and far away. A year later, he is still doing it and now it is something he can do upon request. So I took him to the local equivalent to Lenscrafters here - SpecSavers. The nice lady there somehow didn't see his eye in action, although I was watching him do it at the same time she was supposedly NOT seeing him do it. But she said that she would refer me to the Opthalmologist at the hospital if I wanted for further tests. I responded - please do. A month later, yesterday, Enoch and I headed into Harrogate District Hospital for some eye tests.

I gotta say, they were fabulous. They had all of these great tests for kids Enoch's age and had him diagnosed in a few minutes. They ran more tests and continually confirmed the diagnosis. He has a birth defect, called Duane's syndrome. It is where the nerves in your eyes are miswired. Enoch's left eye is perfectly normal, but his right eye doesn't move much at all. So when he tracks things with his left eye, his right eye stays staring straight ahead. I was so concerned about the red herring of his left eye, I never noticed the right eye's lack of movement. Anyway, his vision is completely unaffected, in fact, he has better vision than most kids his age. The only thing is that in order to see things out of the periphery of his right eye, he has to turn his head. It isn't something you can correct, and actually there is no real need to correct it. The optometrist said that it will be his party trick for life, and you know, he had a lot of fun showing her his trick. So, score one for socialized medicine!

Nightmares

Our little girl is suffering from nightmares almost nightly. The poor kid comes running to our bed, sometimes in tears, sometimes very quiet. I just want to crawl inside her brain and rip out all the scary thoughts (mostly about Ursula from Little Mermaid - she only saw the movie once or twice for that very reason). I remember when my brother Matt had nightmares about alligators and my parents bought him a stuffed alligator toy to sleep with that would protect him from any bad alligator. So far we haven't been able to find a suitable solution for Hilde. I sing her I am A Child of God while she snuggles down for the night and we take turns listing things that make us happy, or things that we love. So far, not much success. Any advice?

War and Peace

I have finally won the war. Despite having to renew the book twice, and then letting the overdue fines stack up as a weird way of "forcing" myself into finishing it, I have read War and Peace.

Dave found me asleep too many times to count with the book next to me on the bed or couch. He bought the mini-series in response to a request from his cousin Aaron's wife Katy, and it has been sitting on the mantle taunting me. But after many weeks, the saga is over. I now know that this is a Classic book. It masterfully weaves together so many characters that it would have been helpful to have a bookmark with short synopses of each character. Especially since everyone seems to have the title of Prince and be known by at least 4 names, mostly unrelated to each other. The version I read was 1135 pages, you read that correctly, I didn't type any additional numbers. Dave bought me my own copy about 300 pages in, but it was a different translation and when we compared them, the library version (translated by Constance Garnett) was far superior.

I like complex stories, I like historically based fiction and non-fiction. I learned a great deal about the wars between Russia and France from around 1806 through 1813. I realized early on that I didn't know Russian history or culture at all, so this was a great read for me. (I read Crime and Punishment in college, but that is about the extent of my Russian reading). What I didn't like was the last grueling 100 pages where Tolstoy goes on and on and on and on and on and on about his feelings on Napoleon (hates him - surprised?) and Emperor Alexander. He gives metaphor after metaphor to dispell any theory that may have been presented by a historian, a class of people he completely detests. I just wanted to sit Tolstoy down and say, you tell great stories, and you teach people a lot about historical events, so sit down and shut up. Keep your crazy rants to yourself! Since I can't say that to him, I'll just say to you, that it was a great book, but it could have been a few hundred pages shorter and I would have liked it even more!

Remembrance Day

Today our church service was Remembrance Sunday. I didn't know what a big deal Remembrance Day is, but I was duly impressed. There have been people wearing the Poppy symbol all around, and many people wore them at church today. Additionally, there are activities planned everywhere. Parades, moments of silence, etc. So here is what our church service consisted of today:

Opening Hymn: Battle Hymn of the Republic
Opening Prayer
Sacrament Hymn: In Remembrance of they Suffering
Sacrament
1st Speaker: An excellent talk given by a British woman on remembering Christ in our life
Intermediate Hymn: I Vow to Thee, My Country, here are the words as they were handed out to all of us (there wasn't any music so we followed as best we could, it was quite lovely):

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that lover her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.

Final Speaker - Our Bishop. He spoke about the famous November 11th, 1918, where the armistice was signed to end WWI, which is what Remembrance Day commemorates (and the other wars as well). It made me feel really grateful for all of the brave, stalwart, immovable Brits who took some amazing stands during the two great wars, and for all of the sacrifices they, as a country, have made throughout history.

Oath of Remembrance - read by one of or military officers in uniform, the whole congregation stood and remained standing until the closing hymn:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Followed by 2 Minutes of Silence.

Closing Hymn: The Lord is my Shepherd
Closing Prayer

It was a very moving service, and I was glad to have been there for it.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day

Enoch met me at daycare yesterday, very excited to tell me what he had learned.

E: "Mommy, mommy, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Pawliaments. He got a lot of gunpowder to blow up the Houses of Pawliaments."

Me: "Really, what happened?"

E: "He was caught. The police came and took him away to jail."

If you want to know more, click here. We didn't celebrate this year, but I assure you the rest of England did. Imagine 4th of July Fireworks mixed with summer bonfires in the middle of winter. And "remember, remember the 5th of November....."

Love Story

With Dave gone, it was time for me to catch up on a classic Love Story, literally. I have seen a lot of other "romance" movies where they make references to this one, so I thought it was probably worth the watch. It was rated PG, but that was back in 1971, so there was some non-PG content, noticeably language and "love". I can check this movie off of my "to see at some point" list, but you don't need to rush off and add it to yours. The soundtrack was a little over the top and the line that has become quoted often is "love means never having to say you're sorry." I guess this would be a great line for many out there, but to me, it is ridiculous. If you don't say that you are sorry to those you love, why would you apologize to those you don't? But the bigger question is, what part of my female psyche makes me want to watch shows like this when 9 times out of 10 I don't even like them? I guess it is the 10th one that makes all the difference.... So for the girls (and maybe even the boys) out there - what Love Stories are worth the watch to you?

ER Trip #1

My first trip to an Emergency Room in the UK was almost exactly the same as one in the US except for the ER is called E&A for Emergencies & Accidents, and the people spoke with British accents.

While making Sugar cookies, Enoch was allowed to sprinkle whatever toppings he wanted on to his. He decided he wanted mini white chocolate chips from our multi-sprinkle container. Apparently they were a little stuck because he decided to put his finger in it to get them. Unfortunately he wedged his finger in so tight that it was impossible to get it back out again. I tried pulling, twisting, and cutting it off using Pam cooking spray, olive oil, a hot bath, ice cubes, scissors and a knife. Enoch wanted to wait for daddy to come home on Tuesday to take it off, but I could see that wasn't a good idea. Finally I went to the E&A where they were better equipped and they had it off within moments (after only a 45 minute wait).

The skin had been pinched so tight that his finger was getting quite purple and a thick layer of skin peeled away the minute they took off the plastic. So when we got home I put on a spiderman bandaid to make it all better. Enoch did say that he'll never do that again!

Trick or Treat?

Halloween this year was a little crazier than in the past. First of all, I had three munchkins with me. Second of all, Dave was gone to the States for Jeff's wedding (which I hear was fabulous). Thirdly, it was on base - with about a zillion other kids and parents. Halloween has never been this big for us. Before I even got involved, all three kids had Halloween parties at their daycare programs. So, the night with me went like this:

Part I: Head to the Club for dinner, a bouncy castle (moon bounce for you Americans), and a Magic show.

Part II: Head to the gym for a carnival including games; crafts and our favorite - face painting.

Part III: Trick or treat around base housing. They had opened it up for the Brits as well, and it was a mad house. I heard today that a lot of people got separated from their kids in the madness and there was a lot of tears of little kids who were lost. Luckily we stuck together. Most times they were in a line 20 deep to get to the front door, but they had a blast. Enoch would weave up to the front instead of standing in line, that kid can really get whatever he wants, whenever he wants....

Quidditch Anyone?

My sister-in-law posted this blog about the World Championship Quidditch tournament held at Middlebury College in Vermont, where her husband teaches. Check it out.

Sense and Sensibility

At Darley Primary School, all of the children are part of different teams named after colors. The teams are across ages and you can earn points for your team through good behavior, etc. A little Harry Potteresque. Hilde came home last Thursday super excited for winning a point for her team, the Yellow Team. We asked her what she did to earn it and she responded "I had good behavior and sat sensibly during assembly". And really, what more could you ask than that? See how sensibly she is sitting in this pic?

Barenaked Ladies Anyone?

Most of my family are fans of the Barenaked Ladies (although after the whole drug scandal etc., I don't hold them up quite so high). Anyway, I guess they have been doing a cruise with their fans annually and each year they do a contest to win tickets on the cruise. This years theme was to create a 90 second video with the theme "High 5 on the High Seas". So my sister Christina said that since we are THE HIGH FAMILY for goodness sake, we are a shoe-in to win. Below is the link to the video my sisters submitted. Check it out if you want and if you do check it out, please vote for us. Voting starts Thursday 16 October. They only give out two tickets, but since I just found out that they are bringing a bunch of Kids in the Hall guys with them (Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, etc.) I think Dave may want me to fight a little harder for the tickets if we win! Or maybe I might just accidentally buy a pair when looking at their site sometime....

The video.

Raincoats Required?

Finally a halfway decent picture of me that I don't mind posting. This is from our trip yesterday to Pateley Bridge, a hamlet about 30 minutes from our place. We made the kids wear their Wellies (rainboots) and raincoats because it threatened to rain the whole time. But the rain never came and the sun did. We had a great time eating at a tiny little restaurant called Lemon Meringue and letting the kids play in the town's large playground. Dave and I took turns exploring the main street of shops. There was something for everyone.

A minute in our lives....

Actual phone call from today.

Me: Hello
British male voice: Good morning madame, I was just calling from SpecSavers.
Me: Oh yes.
British male voice: We wanted to check and make sure that Master Enoch would be able to make his site test on Monday morning.
Me: Why yes, he will be there. Thank you.

Master Enoch - how cool is that???

Ode to Hot Chocolate

This is for my best friend Gabers, who sent me my favorite thing in just about the whole world, dark hot chocolate, and who has regaled her blog with some pretty great odes (one in particular to Dr. Pepper).

O My Archer Farms Dark Hot Chocolate
How you warm my heart
You are yummy
In my tummy
I love you both day and night

Up, Up and Away

Our new favorite park is just at the end of our street. It has some slides, swings, teeter totters, and this climbing "mountain". Hilde has mastered the climb, and this time Enoch tried it too. He had some spotting from mom and dad, but got all the way to the top and back down again mostly by himself. He was so proud of himself and we were too. Here's our boy: