The Piano

After talking it over, Dan and I decided to encourage Caleb to continue playing the piano and purchased him a baby grand. It is a beautiful walnut color with a millennium 2 touch keyboard. It is a beautiful sounding piano and compliments his classical playing style. Hopefully he will continue for many years. I guess he should consider this his graduation gift? Can I keep it though when he moves out then? Probably not. Better have him make his list for graduation gifts from mom and dad. :) lol

Dawn's Cabin

As many of you know, my sister Dawn, who stayed with Ben while we lived in England, is building her first home, a log cabin. We have started helping her clear the land by chain sawing and hauling wood for her. I have to say we only did one day so far and she of course is continually going out to finish up. She is hoping to bring in the digger guy the first of May or so, and then her basement foundation will be poured. Her logs will be delivered sometime the middle to end of May. There is a lot of work involved for her and her General Contractor who is her best friends husband. The rest of us are there for support. :) She has 6 acres on a ridge that overlooks the river. It is in Hopedale. Here is to her ground breaking April 8.

Easter 2010

Easter has come and gone. We had a great time over the weekend because we had our friend, Eassa, visit us from Philly. He is our Egyptian friend that we met when we visited Egypt two years ago. We have continued our friendship via the telephone, e-mail, facebook and now, face to face. It was sooooo wonderful finally seeing him visit us in our home in America. We attended a Good Friday church service at Northwoods, had Easter dinner and an egg hunt on Saturday and attended Easter service on Sunday at Dan and I's church. He is a Coptic Christian which is christianity that has been around since Moses walked. His whole family are christians. We had a great time rejoicing the Lord's rising on that day! One of the best things he told me: "I always have said I would marry a Christian Egyptian Woman and now I know I can also marry a Christian Peoria Illinois woman"! LOL He was really impressed with how many people attended church in this area, but it was also his first time getting out of Philly into the "country" you could say. Overall, our weekend was fantastic and we look forward to many more celebrations with Eassa!

Rocco

Our new dog continues to delight us with his weird "Elvis" lip smile, running like a mad dog through the house when excited and snuggling up on the couch with anyone. He is quite the character. It was a good decision for us to get a dog that was 3, potty trained and well behaved. I don't think I could have dealt with anything else at this point in our lives.

SPEECH MEET AND SICK KIDS

March 5 found me at a School Speech meet with Bella. She was chosen as one of 6 kids out of 75 to represent her school for the second grade. After much trepidation, she stood, recited her speech, talked loud, smiled to the audience and completed her turn. Everyone received a colored ribbon at the end of the day. Belle received a blue ribbon which is the highest color earned. She received 48 points out of 50. Great job Belle! It is not a competition, so there are no first, second and so forth places. She did really well and it was a good learning experience for her.

Over the weekend, Caleb was diagnosed with strep throat. When I picked him up from school, his throat hurt so bad, that I immediately took him to a quick care for a strep test. After taking antibiotics, he was better by Monday and thanks to mom's quick thinking, did not miss school. (much to Caleb's dismay) :) By Monday, Belle did not feel well and stayed home. By Tuesday she was running a 102 temperature. She continued to run the temp on Wednesday also, with no other symptoms. Since children can have strep and not have all the symptoms (sore throat) he started her on an antibiotic. She is doing better today, although she did miss all 5 days of school! We are making up homework over the weekend and into next week which is her and Caleb's spring break. Dan left for Japan this morning, so we have nothing but time on our hands next week. God is good!

Belle running back in joy with her ribbon! They are so easy to please at this age. She did a great job!

I tried to get her to wear white hose and shoes, but she wanted black knit pants and Hannah Montana boots! You just can't tell a seven year old anything. I have learned over the years to pick my battles. This was not one! Black it was.....

Back at last!

Hello Everyone! Long time, no see! I can't believe it has been almost 9 months since I posted last. As most of you know, we found out last August that we were coming back to the US 6-7 months earlier than expected. We literally accepted a job, flew back to the UK on August 24, got the house packed, closed accounts and flew back to the US on September 29. I can't believe how fast it went! Our time in England was fabulous and we miss it very much. The countryside there is so beautiful and you don't have to drive far or fly far to enjoy a nice weekend. We are missing our "English" friends and our ISE friends. Life goes on and of course, ours is going on and so is yours. I am just now feeling like we are moved in. We remodeled the kitchen and the main bath. The main bath is a "mini" remodel and the big "gut out" will be next January. I was sick of having the house torn up. I still haven't had my first day to take the kids to school, come home, pick up, look around and think "I have nothing to do today". I am waiting for that day. When everything is caught up. So I have uploaded some photos to catch you up to our everyday life and hope that the posts will not be so far apart. We are looking forward to Eassa coming for Easter weekend and I hope to post pictures of that also. So, hello again to my friends out there!

Anne Konig (Vicor Peter's wife) at our going away party at the Bishop's house.

Before we left, Belle got involved in Vaulting. Sabina is a wonderful teacher and taught Belle as much as she could in our last week in England. We miss riding. I have not found anywhere to sign her up yet and we have been waiting until spring to get involved in stuff again.

Tom and Wendy at Bishop John's.

Bishop John and Arabella. They gave us a wonderful send off, with prayer and singing. We lit four candles and Bishop John read from the bible. Very memorable.

Back in the states. In school for two weeks and we had to celebrate Grandparents Day. This is Belle with her "new" classmates. She went from 17 to 75 kids.

Belle clowning around in the car.

New carpet was installed at the end of October. The carpet before this was a dark Russet Brown/orange color. Love the new stuff!

Belle's room before new carpet. She won't let me change this yet. Something to do with the transition and not wanting anymore change.

October bonfire out at the lake. This is Ben! I can't believe how much like a man he is. My kids are growing up! He is at the University of Illinois and doing well! Still planning on attending Seminary later. He is an intern for his church in Champaign right now working with the Youth Pastor as an assistant. He will also be interning at our church this summer and will be following the Pastor in his duties. He will even be giving some sermons! Can't wait to hear him speak finally.

Caleb and my Dad at the Bonfire

My Dad and I. He has just recently moved up here from Tennessee. We have not lived near our Dad since I was 15!!! What a treat this is. We are looking forward to spending more time with him!

Belle was Cleopatra for Halloween.

Caleb decided that this was his last year and wanted to go as a clown.

Winter is upon us and this is Belle and Joanna. She lives about 5 minutes from us and they have known each other since birth.

Our first big snowfall

Christmas at the house!

Ben and Belle enjoying presents!

Ben and a group of his long time friends celebrate St. Huxley's Day each year. This is a made up holiday that happens after Christmas sometime. There are only 8 of them, and this is just the desserts! They all bring food and cook a ham! It is hilarious. They even dress up. I wonder if they are practicing for adulthood?

St. Huxley's table set for dinner.

At the end of January we got a new dog. ROCCO . He is a three year old Puggle, my brothers dog. He is already potty trained and is a great dog to have around. I think he likes being the center of attention. In his old home, he had to share it with an American Bulldog.

Rocco

We received this plate in January. What a surprise. It was commissioned by our church in Nassington from a potter in Woodnewton. He did a great job and since the church was a large part of our lives there, it was very fitting! Thank you to our Church family in Nassington!

Belle is forever snapping self portraits of herself! Just thought I would include one.

Last week found us in Missouri. It was our first trip since returning home. I guess we did go to Kalahari at Christmas, but this was the 7 hour trip. My grandparents are failing, but my mom looks great! We had a great time visiting with family and friends.

Well, I guess that wraps everything up. Caleb is thinking of baseball this spring and soccer in the fall. They also have bass fishing in high school as a sport and he is looking forward to that. Belle will begin riding somewhere as soon as the weather breaks. She is going to be getting some counseling concerning an anxiety thing that has developed since moving back. Fear of school, getting sick and pretty much anything that is change. She is experiencing belly aches and just doesn't want to go to school. She is an A-B student and is well liked there. It is the getting there that puts her in turmoil. Something to do with the transition from school in England to here. I really like her counselor and she is going to teach her some coping strategies to help herself.

Dan loves his job but is not a workaholic. He never has been, so I shouldn't be surprised. He seems to have just jumped back in and is not having any issues with work here versus there, but again, he does not over work himself. He is headed to Japan in a week or so. Pray for safe travels. :) I guess that is it for now! I am going to go enjoy some American Idol! Stay safe everyone and hugs and kisses!

Wales Weekend Trip

Wales Trip

We took a weekend trip over to Wales last weekend.  It only took about 4 hours to drive to Llandudno, Wales up by Conwy.  The ocean is on both sides of this little seaside resort town.  The Great Orme and Little Orme are also here.  The longest pier is in Llandudno (pronounced "Klandendo")  We took a Cable Car up to the Great Orme, which was a blast!  They have a big bus tour that was nice also.  Conwy Castle was one of the largest castle "ruins" that we have seen to date.  Many towers and rooms to explore.  They have an old Victorian bridge that was built after a ferry sunk and killed 14 people.  The village of Conwy is quaint, and is enclosed by the castle walls.  Lots of fun places to eat and shop at.  They also have Britains Smallest House down by the marina.  We drove up and over the mountains to Snowdonia National Park.  WOW!  A must for all you Englanders.  They have a steam train that will take you up to the top of Snowdonia.  It is a 50 minute ride up, a half hour stay and 5o minute ride down.  You need to book in advance.  We didn't, but plan to head back this fall to take the train up.  The National Park has places to eat and they also have a "lake" train that takes a tour also.  The driving was harry, as you are dealing with 1 1/2 lane roads and people parking along the edges.  After running into long lines of cars, we realized they were out hiking OR as we found out, they are climbing the rock face!  We didn't see the men going up, but coming back down we realized the movement on the rock were people!!!  Yeah, so not for me.  Most had ropes thankfully.  I can't believe that I came all the way to England to see mountains!  Never have in the states, but that is something I will change now.  Colorado, here we come!  Blessings to all for a great summer.  Will check back in after we are in the states!   

Leeds and Dover

I have gotten behind in blogging since my company arrived.  I am going to try to catch up quickly before we head home to the states tomorrow for our summer break.  We went to Dover and Leeds a couple of weekends ago.  The white cliffs of Dover were wonderful, the ocean the prettiest blue green color and the town was wonderful.  This was Emily's first time seeing an ocean and I am glad we got to experience the awesome majesty of it with her.  The drive down was uneventful being it was the first time I have driven anywhere in England that was longer than a 45 minutes for me.  I have a husband who loves to drive and I love to read, so a "match made in heaven", as they say.   We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Dover and headed to Leeds Castle the next day.  It is a wonderful castle extending out from two islands in the middle of a Lake.  The castle grounds are quite beautiful and it would be easy to spend a day there.  They have a large maze with a grotto at the centre, a large children's play area, a toddlers play area, an Aviary, a Falconry show, Go Ape in the Woods, the only Dog Collar Museum in Britain and you can sign up to go for hot air balloon rides!  Absolutely wonderful. 

Try it and see!

Leeds Castle

The Black Swan - Lady Baillie brought the Black Swan over from Australia and they have become the symbol for Leeds Castle

In the Grotto at the center of Leeds Maze

The pond at Leeds Gardens

Caleb, Emily and Bella 

Caleb and Belle at Leeds

Belle and Caleb at Dover Castle in a moment of sibling love.

The only picture I took down in the war time tunnels at Dover Castle.  The first tunnels under Dover Castle was constructed in the Middle Ages to provide a place for the soldiers to gather before leaving for war and to provide communication that was protected for the soldiers manning the northern outworks.   Later they were used for the famous "Operation Dynamo", the evacuation of the British force and French troops from Dunkirk's beaches.  The tunnels were also equipped as a hospital and a place where families took cover during bombings.  The tunnels also house the only "underground" barracks ever built in Britain.

The great Dover Castle

  Dan and Ben above with the castle in the background on the Dover cliffs.

Belle showing off her piece of chalk.  

The Dover Port.  There is a ferry here that transports cars and trucks across to France.  

Caleb's head cracks like an Egg!

While home, we opened our pool.  The kids decided they had to swim and the pool was still a beautiful green!  Another friend jumped in on Caleb while playing on a fun island, and his teeth went into Caleb's head all the way down to the bone.  Thankfully, Dan's best friend is a doctor, and we met him at his office on Saturday afternoon for stitches.  Five on the inside by the bone, and 5 on the outside.  By Wednesday, they were red and swollen and involved Caleb's eye and nose area.  The UK nurse started an antibiotic and since then we have seen 3 nurses and 2 doctors, all from the same office, with different opinions.   The  latest diagnosis, "scar tissue", about had me screaming the door down!  In the last 2 days he has started leaking pus and blood again.  Yeah, liquid scar tissue!  The doc at home would like it opened back up and cleaned out and put on strong antibiotics.  The UK doc says no opening up, and no more antibiotic until they can test the pus to see what kind of infection it is.  We go back to the states on Saturday.  How long does it take to culture something???  UK doc comment:  "It will either get worse or get better, let's wait and see".   What are the odds that they will even have the right antibiotic that he needs?  Needless to say, I am waiting this one out, and plan to have the right antibiotic waiting on Saturday in the states, and will beg the doc to wait until after our Missouri tubing and fishing vacation to open anything up!    Pray that a good antibiotic will clear this up without a little surgery!  

Home in May for Graduation !

As most of you know, when we moved to England a little over two years ago, we had to leave our sixteen year old son at home in the states to finish out high school.  His choice, not ours.   It was time for graduation

 and we went home for his ceremony and to host a party for family and friends.  My sister, Dawn, has been living with Ben and attending all his school functions.  She is glad that she will not be known as the "single mother" of a high school student anymore.  Yes, Ben's absentee parents were in the house that evening!  We really enjoyed seeing everyone, young and old alike, friends and family.  We were finally able to see Ben give one of his "famous" speeches that we have only heard about or watched on You Tube.  What a wonderful one week turnaround trip.  Ben will continue on to the University of Illinois (Dad's college) and study Communications and go on to Seminary from there.  

Go Ben!  We love you!

Blue Man Group

If you haven't been, you need to go!  I can't believe we waited so long to see them in concert!  My mom looked at me and made the comment that she hadn't been to a ROCK concert in all her adult life!  I realized, she was right.  It was a rock concert!  Very interactive Rock concert.  We had a blast.  Belle and Caleb loved seeing them perform.  Go if you haven't seen them yet!  

Nassington School May fayre Celebration

Every year Bella's school has a May Day celebration.  They have crafts for sale, tombola's, cake treats to sale and May Day Dancing.  We also have parade through town while a truck pulls the May Queen and her Jack's of the Green up to the school.  This is a big day for "dress" up.  Belle went as a Cat this year.  Mom was here to celebrate with us and took home some baubles also.  Good time had by all!