Happy 3rd Birthday Jude!!

I can hardly believe Jude is actually 3. It seems like he's been three for ages now and it's been hard to remember that he is still 2. His language has just exploded in the last 6 months and he's saying things and I swear James and John didn't say/ask until they were much older. I guess this comes from being the third child with two much older brothers. Potty training is going as well as can be expected. Some days are great, others not so great. He's still not pooping in the potty which is becoming frustrating. He's done it a handful of times but he's not consistent and I can never tell when he's going to go. He is very ready for school and thanks to CBeebies (Like PBS and Disney Junior) is learning his numbers and letters. He's already mastered colors and is pretty close to mastering shapes.

As I said in my previous post, we spent most of Jude's actual birthday in Oxford but when we got home, we spent some time celebrating. We ate some brownies I had made the day before and then opened presents. Jude received the plane from the movie Cars 2, his own Hot Wheels monster truck (he loves the one James has) and his very own three wheeled scooter. All the little British kids here seem to have scooters and he was always pointing to them while we were out shopping. He even asked us to look for them in the Argos catalog. Jude was super excited and wanted me to put it together right away. He's been zooming around the house and patio ever since.

Jude is such a great little boy and definitely my little buddy. He's always trying to help me no matter what I'm doing. He's very sweet to Jonah for the most part and loves to give him hugs and kisses. They definitely need to work on the sharing but they play well together most of the time. Jonah and I will definitely miss him when he goes to school next year but I know he'll have fun and will enjoy making new friends.

First Road Trip, Destination: York

We took our first road trip over the first weekend of May. The destination - York. The first Monday in May is a bank holiday so the boys were off school and Brian was off work. We decided to take advantage of the long weekend to take a trip up to York. We had planned to leave Friday straight from school but had to make a stop back at home and then decided to pick up McDonald's for dinner on our way out. It was about a 4.5 hour drive up to our little holiday cottage so we arrived in the dark. We got the car unloaded and let the boys burn off some energy before putting them down for the night.

The next morning we got up, ate breakfast and then headed into York. We parked just outside the old city walls and then walked into town. We were a bit early so we stopped at the York Minster and took a quick walk around the inside of the beautiful church. Then we made our way to the JORVIK Viking museum. I wasn't sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised when we took a cool ride through a viking village. We learned all about the different things the vikings made and how they lived during those times. Then after the ride was over, we walked through a small traditional museum before exiting back onto the main road. After that, we walked back over to the Shambles (an old medieval street where all the buildings are leading in) to do some shopping. We also went to Clifford's Tower which is the last remaining park of York Castle. James, John and Jude went up the stairs and walked around the very top of the tower while Jonah and I walked around the courtyard. After that, we got some lunch and headed to the DIG. The boys had an absolute blast there. They learned all about archaeology and even got to play in the dig pits they had set up. They each got their own trowel and got to uncover sections of ancient walls, bones, pottery, etc. Then after that, they got to spend some time sorting out artifacts and learning about the ancient civilizations that were in the area. After a very busy day, we headed back to the cottage for a late nap and then dinner in the nearby village.

Sunday morning was far more laid back. We got up, dressed and fed but not in any great hurry. It being Sunday, things open later in the morning. We decided to drive up north through the Yorkshire Moors and to the seaside town of Whitby. It was still quite chilly but we were blessed with lots of sunshine. We walked around the port and down to the beach. The boys had a great time running in the sand but we not happy when we wouldn't let them near the water. We kept trying to explain that the water was freezing and that they didn't want to get in. Next we had some lunch (hot dogs for the boys and fish and chips for Brian and I) and did a bit of window shopping. After that, we loaded back up in the car and drove out to the ruins of the Whitby Abbey. It's up on the top of this great hill with loads of grasslands around. The boys had an ABSOLUTE blast rolling down the grassy hills and running around like crazy. Brian and I took turns watching the boys and walking around the Abbey. After the boys burned off a bunch of energy, we loaded back in the car and drove down to Scarborough. We attempted to see the castle but the Sat Nav and road signs took us down to the water instead of up to the castle. It was getting late in the afternoon so we gave up and decided to head back to the cottage. We didn't really feel like eating out again so we hit the local Tesco (grocery store) and picked up some items for dinner that night.

Monday morning it was time to head home. We got all packed up and cleaned up the cottage before heading out. With the sun coming up so early, we were actually on the road pretty early and made it home in time for lunch. It was a really nice get away from it all and see a whole new area of this great island.

Oxford and Christ Church Collage

Our Saturday was filled with birthday parties so we had to wait until Sunday to hit the road and venture out again. It also happened to be Jude's birthday. Thankfully he's three and willing to spend his birthday exploring instead of insisting on a party, presents and cake. We did do all of those things (minus the party) after getting home and in pajamas.

Being Sunday, most places open later than normal and only stay open for a few hours. We had a quick visit at home from Brian's co-worker, Cam, and his wife Jackie before grabbing lunch at the Carvery. Then we hit the road again, with Jackie along for the ride (Cam had to work and Jackie was eager to get out and about). The drive up wasn't too bad, maybe an hour or so. Finding parking in a new city is tough, even with a Sat Nav. Garages are randomly closed or the directions provided don't actually get you to the garage entrance.

Once we got the car parked, we were off to find the university and more specifically Christ Church Collage. This is were several scenes from the first Harry Potter movie were filmed as well as inspiration for the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Walking around the collage, I definitely felt as though we were in certain parts of Hogwarts and couldn't wait to get home to watch the movie again hoping to identity some of the places we had been that day.

After leaving the collage, we hopped on a bus tour of Oxford which took us all around the town and included several interesting facts about the history of the university. One interesting thing I learned was that Oxford is made up of several collages and that you have to apply not only to the university but also a specific collage. I thought the collages were organized by field of study as they are at home but the collage is actually like a dorm. It's the place a student lives while attending the university.

Once we finished the bus tour, it was getting close to dinner time so we found one of the few places the boys are guaranteed to eat - Pizza Hut. They actually have decent priced kids meals which include unlimited salad bar (which ironically has tortilla chips), an entree (pizza or pasta) and a drink. Then for a small charge, they can get a dessert. The boys really enjoy it and we can't complain. They have good pizza. Once we finished eating, we did a small bit of shopping and then headed back to the car for the drive home.

All in all, it was a very good outing!

Back Online...FINALLY

I had no idea why it took so long but on the 30th of April we FINALLY got a home phone and internet. The installation took almost the whole morning and some help from our landlord. I had only ever seen one phone socket in the house but for some reason that one wasn't working. Thankfully our landlord was at home that morning and helped the technician find the working outlet as well as the wiring in the attic/garage. By mid day we had a working phone line. Then later that afternoon the mailman brought us our broadband modem/router. While I had made it through the last three and a half weeks with no internet, I was definitely glad to be back online. Alas, it didn't last long. After a few hours, the internet and phone both stopped working. BT had stated everything would be working by midnight the following day so we decided to give it some time to come back online. Finally Wednesday morning I called in a outage and received a text that it could be up to two weeks for it to be resolved. ACK!!! Another two weeks without internet did not sound fun but I decided to be patient. Luck was on our side and the following day a technician came and fixed the phone and internet and we were back up and running again!! Then the next day, another technician came and though the issue had been resolved, he ran some more tests just to make sure. Thankfully we haven't been without internet or phone again since then. Once it was up and running, it was time to get all the computers, TV and Wii's all connected to the network so we could start streaming Netflix again. Jude was definitely happy to have Barney back again and I was happy to be able to watch my TV shows online again.

Our First Visitor(s)

During the second week of school, we had our first visitor(s). Brian texted me Tuesday afternoon the Darren's flight was delayed and that he would be stuck in London for the night. Brian would pick him up from the airport afterwork and then he would be spending the night with us. I would give him a ride to the airport in the morning for his flight to Houston. This was just the thing I needed to get the guest room in order. It was the one room I hadn't unpacked and was still full of boxes and random stuff. I got everything cleaned out, the bed made, and bathroom ready before they got home in the evening. We had a nice time catching up and then headed off to bed. In the morning, Darren came with me to drop the boys off at school and then we went back home to relax a bit before heading to the airport. Thanks to my trusty Tom Tom we made it there in one piece and right on time. I got out of the car to say good-bye to Darren and when I went back around to the driver's side of the car, there was my best friend, Kristen!!! I was in complete shock. I had no idea she was coming! It was the BEST SURPRISE EVER!!! Darren put his suitcase back in the trunk along with Kristen's luggage. They were staying with us the whole weekend!!!

We headed back to our neck of the woods stopping for lunch at the Toby Carvery near the Asda. It was the first time I had ever been. It was like Thanksgiving dinner. There were four different types of meats and then a bunch of different sides and gravies. We then headed home to relax before going to pick up the boys from school. Both James and John were excited to see Aunt Kristen!! It was a surprise for them as well. They had really enjoyed seeing Darren the night before and were so happy to see Kristen as well.

Thursday morning we got up and went to a coffee morning at the home of one of John's classmates. It was so nice to meet some of the mothers and chat for longer than the brief hello during drop off and pick up. After that, we made the hour drive out to Stonehenge. It was crazy windy and super cold that morning. We didn't spend much time out at the monument because of the weather. We stopped in one of the little towns on our way home for lunch. Then it was home for late afternoon naps.

Brian took off work Friday so we could spend the day all together. After dropping the big boys off at school, we loaded up in the van and headed to Windsor castle. Again, it was cold, windy and rainy but we enjoyed a nice walk through the castle and lunch at a pub across the street. Thankfully it stopped raining just after lunch so we had a pleasant walk back to the parking garage. We headed home to rest up for our big London outing the next day.

Saturday morning we were up and out the door bright and early. We made the 30 minute drive down to the train station in Farnborough to catch our train into London. The boys had a great time on the 30 minute train ride into London. Again, it was cold and rainy and for some reason, incredibly crowded. The lines to get into places were crazy long. Instead we kind of did a walking tour of some of the major sights. We first walked to Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. Right next to that is Westminster Abby. Then we were off to Buckingham Palace. We arrive just before the changing of the guard which explained the huge crowds. We got some great photos and then started walking to Trafalgar Square. There was some sort of big bicycle ride going on so they had a lot of the square closed off to traffic. This allowed us to let Jonah down to run around for a bit. We boosted the boys up onto the monument and took photos with the lions. Then we walked just down the street to The Texas Embassy for dinner. This was the first place we ate in London when we took our backpacking trip to Europe back in 2001. The food was fairly good but a bit overpriced. It was quite nice to get out of the rain for a bit and rest our feet. After lunch we did a bit of shopping and then began our walk back to the train station. It was a bit far for our tired boys so we hopped on the Tube (underground subway) which made the trip back to Victoria station a lot faster. We arrived back home mid-afternoon and everyone took a nice long nap.

Early Sunday morning we said good-bye to our friends (thankfully there were no tears this time) and Brian drove them to the airport for their flight home. It was so wonderful to see them and I can't wait to see them again when their baby is born later this year.  

Let the Clubs Begin!

The second week of school brought the beginning of after school clubs. This term James is giving Judo a try and John is doing Performing Arts. Judo is on Monday afternoon from 5-6. He goes to creche (after school care) from 3:45 to 5 and then on to Judo. Brian picks him up from school on his way home from work. John goes to Performing Arts on Thursday afternoons right after school from 3:45 to 4:45. In order to not do two pick ups one hour apart, James goes to creche for an hour and I pick them both up at 4:45. There was a bit of a mix up the first week of clubs. John was on the list for Cricket and went there instead. Thankfully we got it resolved and he started Performing Arts the next week. Thursdays are extra busy as the boys do Beavers and Cubs (scouts) just after dinner. I pick up the boys and we head straight to the scout house in Crowthorne. Brian brings us dinner from Subway and we eat in the car before Beavers starts at 5:45. After dinner, Brian takes the older boys on to scouts and the little boys and I head home for baths and bedtime. So far the boys are enjoying their after school activities. James just got his Judo uniform and white belt. I'm hoping he will stick with it over the terms and graduate to the other belts.  John is enjoying the acting and singing they do in Performing Arts. He's also started to go to Choir during the school day with some of the kids in his class. John loves to sing so I'm not surprised he wanted to join in. The boys were recently invested into their scout groups so I've gotten to break out the sewing kit again and get all of their patches sewn onto their new uniforms (sweatshirts). Both boys have camp outs and overnights coming up in the next few weeks. I know Brian can't wait to get the camping gear out again.

Our First Few Weeks in Our New Home

Our first few weeks were very busy ones. We made many, many trips to the store in order to stock our pantry and fridge as well as outfit our house with everything from trashcans to a vacuum cleaner. Poor James and John haven't run errands like that since starting school and were both worn out by all the running around. I also spent a lot of time getting boxes unpacks, clothes put away and everyone's rooms and beds ready.

Besides getting the house up and running, we also had to get the older boys ready for school. Thankfully Brian and I had gone to Jackson's while I was here looking at houses. We did well with the shorts and shirts but missed the mark on the sweaters and blazers. The sizes we chose for John fit James and thus had to make a trip to Jackson's over the weekend for some exchanges. Our last fews days before school started were spent getting school shoes and hemming up the boys' blazers and boiler suits.

The boys started Summer Term at St. Neot's Preparatory School on Wednesday, April 18th. Thankfully they were all up early so we had lots of time to eat breakfast and get dressed. I didn't know how long it would take us to get to school so we left really early and had to sit in the parking lot a while before school started. We first walked James to his class and got all of his things put away. Once he was settled in his room with his teacher, we took John to his classroom. Again, we got everything put away and him settled in with his teacher before heading back home. The first week flew by and it was the weekend again before we knew it.