Happy Birthday from all of us. This year I decide to have the kids write this post, this picture was taken this morning with the kids saying, Happy Birthday Daddy. So here you go:

From Hilde:
I love my dad, he is so cute. I love taking pictures with him and going to the park with him. I love to play hide and seek with him and I love to make things with him.

From Enoch:
I learned about going wee with daddy. (I don't know where that part came from....) I love daddy so much. I love him to carry me. I like to do puzzles with daddy and play with him.

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE!

The Chain Gang

On Sunday we made a chain with each link representing a day until Isabel's mom comes home. Hilde and Isabel drew pictures on pieces of paper that I then cut into strips and taped into a chain. The girls were super excited and now in the mornings Isabel tears off a link after she gets up. Doesn't she look excited?

Holy Pizza Batman

Enoch went to his friend's birthday party at the bowling alley, dressed as Batman. I don't think there was ever a more excited three year old on the face of the earth.

Swimming Lessons

After a 4 month waiting list, and a couple of failed sign-up attempts in the States, my kids are in their first swimming class. They are in the red group at the Hydro, which has a pretty rigorous swimming scheme. Our kids are just in the beginners of course, and mostly use a water noodle to hold on to while practicing kicks, strokes, and even some breathing. They love it. The Hydro is a camera free zone, so these pics are contraband I took in the locker room. You just have to imagine Hilde grinning widely anytime she completes a task and Enoch drifting off into his own world and section of the pool, whenever the teacher turns her back. TOO CUTE.
Enoch is pre-swim, Hilde is post-swim (she had already ripped her swim cap off).

To Infibidy and Beyond

Tonight as I was getting Enoch dressed in his PJs, he told me his first real joke. Here it is, in his own words:

Enoch: Mommy, how does a chicken cross the park?
Me: Enoch, I don't know.
Enoch: To get to the other slide. HA HA HA HA HA

Repeat joke several times for effect.

Our little boy is really growing up. He loves to pretend he is Buzz Lightyear and fly around the room yelling To Infibidy and Beyond. He will challenge anyone to a sword fight, and he loves to climb and jump and run. What a cutie.

Plus One

Yesterday our family grew, we added Isabel, a 5 year old girl and Hilde's best friend here in England. Izzie's mom will be in training for the Air Force for the next 6 weeks in the States, and rather than pull her out of school and send her back to the States to live with other family members, we offered to take her here. It keeps Isabel in school, and with all of her routine and friends here. Hilde and Enoch are thrilled to have another person to play with and we are happy to help out.

It will be interesting to see how everyone gets along. Dave has been doing a lot of thinking on family units on his blog. I think this experience will help our whole family learn to be more loving, caring, and thoughtful of others. In between all of the fights of course. Anyway, look for pics later and updates in the next few weeks.

Photo Fun

Some pictures of our recent adventures:

Ice Cream Party:
Our crusader:
Richmond Castle where we found no dragons or princesses much to the kids dismay:

Visiting the Lake District - Best of Friends:
Our little bear:
Our Jane swinging down the zip line:
My boys at Lake Windemere:

First Day at School

Last Tuesday Hilde returned to Darley Primary School for Year 1 (equivalent to 1st grade in the States). She was very excited to have Mrs. Norman (nee Miss Umpleby) this year, she feels so grown up now that she isn't the youngest grade in school. And I am so excited that we are back to wearing school uniforms. Not only is she adorable in them, but no more arguments about what she can and cannot wear, hooray! Here were some pics from the big day.

Labor Day Weekend Fun

We had originally planned to go to London for Labor Day, but had the pleasure of going a weekend earlier and spend it with my sis and br0-in-law. That left us without any plans, which is exactly the type of weekend that appeals to Dave. He got full rights to the weekend. We could stay at home and do nothing, or do whatever he wanted to do. It ended up being absolutely perfect for all of us, and even the weather cooperated.

Saturday's Agenda: Sleep in, eat breakfast, shower, head out for a day trip to Wensleydale and Richmond Castle full of sightseeing, food and fun. Come home, go to bed.

Wensleydale Dairy in Hawes is touted in ads with their connection to the Wallace and Gromit claymation characters that our kids love, so it has been on our list of "places to go" since we got here. It was a total disappointment, especially since we went to Tillamook Cheese Factory last summer which was probably 1,000 times better. But at least the drive was pretty, the company was well behaved most of the time, and we now know we won't have to go back there again. The ice cream wasn't bad either. We did take obligatory pictures with the kids and bought a very
small stuffed Gromit keychain, there were no Wallace's to be found anywhere.

Sunday Agenda: Church, take it easy

Monday Agenda: Drive up to the Lake District and visit Lake Windemere. We ate lunch at the Lighthouse restaurant, which was very nice. Then we drove down to Fell Point Park and played in the sun at the kids park. They also had a place for kids to swim, a boat rental place and an ice cream shop. The other thing we will do next time is visit the place where Beatrix Potter lived.

I'll post more pics later after my connection is better!