Again, I don't have too much to blog about, so I'm just going to write. Patrick is still away and will be home within two weeks. We are all really ready for him to be home.
I was most ready for him to be home when I came downstairs one morning last week. I always come down early to have a little 'Mommy' time before the kids get up. I make my coffee, set the table for breakfast, and prepare for the day. This particular day, I was busy setting the table when what did I see on the floor, spread eagle and stiff as a board, but yet another frog. This was the third frog this summer, and the second one in two weeks.
I almost threw up. It was totally dead - there were no guts or anything, but it was definitely lying there in an un-frog-like state and not moving. Daisy was happily sitting, licking herself, looking very pleased with herself.
I recalled how the day before she had seemed to be on the hunt in the house. I assumed she was hunting a spider, at the worst. But I have a theory now, that she is bringing the frogs in the house to play with. I don't know how else they could get in. I don't think they are happily hopping into our house on the sly when the door is briefly open.
So, again, missing Patrick because who else was going to take care of the dead frog? I thought about waiting for Joshua to get up and have him take care of it. But I really couldn't stand the thought of just KNOWING that frog was there, lying there, dead, near my kitchen table. So I did it. I grabbed a wad of paper towels and a grocery bag and picked it up and threw it out in the garbage. It still grosses me out to think about it. And I'm keeping a close eye on Daisy every time she comes in the house.
Otherwise, not too much else is going on in our lives right now. The children are all enjoying school. They are busy with piano lessons, swimming lessons, guitar and violin lessons, ballet and tap for Gillian, and cross-country for both of the older ones.
I was thinking about how Caitlin posted that she felt like she didn't have a summer this year, and I thought how true that is in England. It never gets HOT here. You never wake up and say, Oh it's a shorts and tank-top day! And then I thought about the sun-screen (sun-cream if you're English) that I bought at the beginning of the summer and have never even used. How sad is that? It's still sitting in the kitchen with the plastic cellophane wrapped around the lids.
It's already getting darker earlier and staying darker later in the mornings. Which I struggled with last year. So this year we're planning better. In December, Portugal, here we come!
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Stuff
I don't have too much to blog about lately because Patrick is out of town. My days are totally full of kid stuff. From sun-up to sun-down. I am pooped. And it leaves little time for any blogging!
So I thought I'd share a few of my little weird tidbits.
The Frogs:
Frogs keep getting in my house. I don't know how this is happening. And maybe they're actually toads. I don't know the difference between a toad and a frog. Anyway, when Caitlin was staying with us in July, one day we were all in the kitchen. Aidan said, "What's dat?" And he pointed to a blob on the floor. And I didn't really look closely because I assumed it was a toy or something someone had left on the floor. But then it moved. And Daisy was watching it and then she was batting it with her paw! And then I saw - it was a frog!!!! Scream, scream! The girls screamed. And Joshua screamed, too. He wouldn't pick it up. Caitlin ended up putting a cup over it and scooching it onto a piece of paper and tossing it outside.
The other night I went into the kitchen to make some sweet 'n buttery microwave popcorn. And my eyes were drawn down - how does this happen? When you just kind of notice something is there but you're not sure what it is and the last thing you expect is a frog. And yet, there is was. Another frog. And I was all by myself and the kids were all in bed. I did not scream. I freaked a little - on the inside. But I knew with Patrick gone and Caitlin not here that I was on the hook. So I did the cup trick again and tossed it outside.
But here's my question: How do frogs keep getting in my house? And why do they want to come in my house? The kids have all kinds of theories, none of which is viable. Maybe some day we will solve this mystery. For now, I am keeping a close watch on the kitchen floor.
Horsie Music:
Caitlin and Artur have let us borrow a cd that I LOVE. It's entitled Come Weary Saints by Sovereign Grace. We have it in the car and we play it all the time right now. I have all the songs memorized already. Track number 4 is Deep, Deep Love of Jesus - I don't know if that's the title of the song, but that is part of the chorus. It's a lovely song. I mean, really beautiful.
Whenever that song comes on, Aidan says, 'This is the horsie music!' And he insists on my playing it over and over. He sings along with it, he knows all the words. None of the words have the word 'horsie' in it. But it is the horsie song.
Jinx:
Our neighbor's cat is named Jinx. He is a cute, friendly little cat. He is Daisy's playmate. They run around the neighborhood together - like two pals, playing chase ... or tag. He sits at our back door, and sometimes our front door, waiting for Daisy to come out and play in the morning. She tolerates him.
I think Jinx has feelings for Daisy that she doesn't reciprocate. But he tries too hard. It's just embarrassing. He comes in our cat door. He eats her food. He lounges on my bed while I'm out. She ignores him. Jinx has his own house with his own cat door. But he prefers our house - I think just because his love, Daisy, is here. It's so sad. When I lock our cat door he still tries to get in. Truly, he has a good home. He may be a little obsessed. And who can blame him? Daisy IS a fantastic catch. Heh, heh.
Addition to post: I was watching the cats outside this afternoon. It is a lovely day and they were both lounging in the backyard. Or, in the garden, I should say. I caught some really funny photos of them playing.
So I thought I'd share a few of my little weird tidbits.
The Frogs:
Frogs keep getting in my house. I don't know how this is happening. And maybe they're actually toads. I don't know the difference between a toad and a frog. Anyway, when Caitlin was staying with us in July, one day we were all in the kitchen. Aidan said, "What's dat?" And he pointed to a blob on the floor. And I didn't really look closely because I assumed it was a toy or something someone had left on the floor. But then it moved. And Daisy was watching it and then she was batting it with her paw! And then I saw - it was a frog!!!! Scream, scream! The girls screamed. And Joshua screamed, too. He wouldn't pick it up. Caitlin ended up putting a cup over it and scooching it onto a piece of paper and tossing it outside.
The other night I went into the kitchen to make some sweet 'n buttery microwave popcorn. And my eyes were drawn down - how does this happen? When you just kind of notice something is there but you're not sure what it is and the last thing you expect is a frog. And yet, there is was. Another frog. And I was all by myself and the kids were all in bed. I did not scream. I freaked a little - on the inside. But I knew with Patrick gone and Caitlin not here that I was on the hook. So I did the cup trick again and tossed it outside.
But here's my question: How do frogs keep getting in my house? And why do they want to come in my house? The kids have all kinds of theories, none of which is viable. Maybe some day we will solve this mystery. For now, I am keeping a close watch on the kitchen floor.
Horsie Music:
Caitlin and Artur have let us borrow a cd that I LOVE. It's entitled Come Weary Saints by Sovereign Grace. We have it in the car and we play it all the time right now. I have all the songs memorized already. Track number 4 is Deep, Deep Love of Jesus - I don't know if that's the title of the song, but that is part of the chorus. It's a lovely song. I mean, really beautiful.
Whenever that song comes on, Aidan says, 'This is the horsie music!' And he insists on my playing it over and over. He sings along with it, he knows all the words. None of the words have the word 'horsie' in it. But it is the horsie song.
Jinx:
Our neighbor's cat is named Jinx. He is a cute, friendly little cat. He is Daisy's playmate. They run around the neighborhood together - like two pals, playing chase ... or tag. He sits at our back door, and sometimes our front door, waiting for Daisy to come out and play in the morning. She tolerates him.
I think Jinx has feelings for Daisy that she doesn't reciprocate. But he tries too hard. It's just embarrassing. He comes in our cat door. He eats her food. He lounges on my bed while I'm out. She ignores him. Jinx has his own house with his own cat door. But he prefers our house - I think just because his love, Daisy, is here. It's so sad. When I lock our cat door he still tries to get in. Truly, he has a good home. He may be a little obsessed. And who can blame him? Daisy IS a fantastic catch. Heh, heh.
Addition to post: I was watching the cats outside this afternoon. It is a lovely day and they were both lounging in the backyard. Or, in the garden, I should say. I caught some really funny photos of them playing.
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Introducing ....
The newest member of our family has arrived! And boy did she make an entrance! Our family and many friends spent days in prayer after little Bella Joy suffered a collapsed lung and low oxygen levels. I am joyful to report that Bella Joy is now home with her family, doing very well.
Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to meet her in person and kiss those cheeks!
Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to meet her in person and kiss those cheeks!
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Finishing up the Vacation
I realize I've been remiss in finishing up the vacation blogging, so here goes.
On Wednesday we took a train (underground - through a tunnel) to the top of the tallest mountain in Germany. The Zugspitze. The original plan was to hike part way up - about three hours and then catch the train the rest of the way up. However, Aidan is not as much a fan of hiking as his sister was at that age. So we decided to bite the bullet and take the train all the way up.
It was amazing. Truly breath-taking at the top. The train dumps you out close to the top of the mountain, but to reach the very tippy-top you have to get on a giant cable-run people mover. I don't know what else to call it. But it was skeeery. I didn't really want to do it. But Patrick made me. And I'm glad he did. There is actually a restaurant at the tippy-top, and we ate a good German meal there. As a side-note, my brother-in-law, Artur, has climbed to the top of this mountain at least 13 times - maybe more, as he has lost count. YeahUH.
There is the mountain off in the distance. It only takes about 45 minutes by train to make it to the top.
We made it to the first stopping point.
Here we are at the very top, enjoying the view and a filling German meal.
We took the train back down and got off at Eibsee where there is a beautiful lake and hiking path. We decided to fulfill our hiking desires (okay, mine and Patrick's hiking desires - only Gillian loves to hike as much as we do - the boys, not so much) and hike around the lake. It's a 7 kilometer walk, and it was breathtaking, as well. We stopped to cool our tootsies in the water. The water was so clean and clear, but a little rocky to walk around in. 
Enjoying Lake Eibsee, Germany
We are really working on the potty training during this trip, and I am happy to announce, as only a mother can, that Aidan is completely and totally potty-trained now. He has even been dry the last three nights. Time to celebrate! Woohooo!
Thursday was somewhat of a bust. We drove to Innsbruck with no real plan. But I knew the Swarovski Crystal factory was near there and had heard there was a tour. I assumed the tour would be about making the crystals, but alas, it was not. It was kind of a creepy art/museum tour. We did it, and we can say we've been there, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. And then, on the way home, there was a horrible accident on the autobahn, so it took us about four hours to get back - normally a one hour drive. That cramped our style, but we sang lots of songs in the car and had lots of discussion about how no matter what happens, at least we're together as a family!
Beautiful gardens in Innsbruck
Innsbruck has lots of parks, and we stopped at one for the kids to play a bit. We took pictures of this red-headed baby because we thought he looked like Lael's long-lost brother. He even made the same squishy faces she does! And he was so happy. And we were surreptitious in our picture-taking so the mom wasn't creeped out, I hope.
This is the creepy entrance to the creepy Swarovski museum/tour.
Crystal horse
I liked this piece. It is called, The Giant's Ring. They also had the giant's glove and walking stick. Weird.
Friday was perhaps the family's favorite day. We rented bikes and went on a fantastic bike ride. May I just say that my husband is a super stud for pulling both Gillian and Aidan in the trailer? Unfortunately, there were no bikes small enough for Gillian to ride even though she is an accomplished rider at this point. We rode our bikes to this lake and had lunch. We watched the ducks and fish as we ate our lunch. Then we rode for another hour or so. The afternoon saw us at the lodge pool for several hours. It was a nice, relaxing end to our week.
Aidan is packed and ready to get home!
Thanks for going on our little virtual journey with us. The pictures don't do the true scenery justice, but I hope you can get a taste of what we have been blessed to enjoy here. On to the next trip! Paris, here we come!
On Wednesday we took a train (underground - through a tunnel) to the top of the tallest mountain in Germany. The Zugspitze. The original plan was to hike part way up - about three hours and then catch the train the rest of the way up. However, Aidan is not as much a fan of hiking as his sister was at that age. So we decided to bite the bullet and take the train all the way up.
It was amazing. Truly breath-taking at the top. The train dumps you out close to the top of the mountain, but to reach the very tippy-top you have to get on a giant cable-run people mover. I don't know what else to call it. But it was skeeery. I didn't really want to do it. But Patrick made me. And I'm glad he did. There is actually a restaurant at the tippy-top, and we ate a good German meal there. As a side-note, my brother-in-law, Artur, has climbed to the top of this mountain at least 13 times - maybe more, as he has lost count. YeahUH.
There is the mountain off in the distance. It only takes about 45 minutes by train to make it to the top.
We made it to the first stopping point. 
Here we are at the very top, enjoying the view and a filling German meal.
We took the train back down and got off at Eibsee where there is a beautiful lake and hiking path. We decided to fulfill our hiking desires (okay, mine and Patrick's hiking desires - only Gillian loves to hike as much as we do - the boys, not so much) and hike around the lake. It's a 7 kilometer walk, and it was breathtaking, as well. We stopped to cool our tootsies in the water. The water was so clean and clear, but a little rocky to walk around in. 
Enjoying Lake Eibsee, Germany
We are really working on the potty training during this trip, and I am happy to announce, as only a mother can, that Aidan is completely and totally potty-trained now. He has even been dry the last three nights. Time to celebrate! Woohooo!Thursday was somewhat of a bust. We drove to Innsbruck with no real plan. But I knew the Swarovski Crystal factory was near there and had heard there was a tour. I assumed the tour would be about making the crystals, but alas, it was not. It was kind of a creepy art/museum tour. We did it, and we can say we've been there, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. And then, on the way home, there was a horrible accident on the autobahn, so it took us about four hours to get back - normally a one hour drive. That cramped our style, but we sang lots of songs in the car and had lots of discussion about how no matter what happens, at least we're together as a family!
Beautiful gardens in Innsbruck
Innsbruck has lots of parks, and we stopped at one for the kids to play a bit. We took pictures of this red-headed baby because we thought he looked like Lael's long-lost brother. He even made the same squishy faces she does! And he was so happy. And we were surreptitious in our picture-taking so the mom wasn't creeped out, I hope.
This is the creepy entrance to the creepy Swarovski museum/tour.
Crystal horse
I liked this piece. It is called, The Giant's Ring. They also had the giant's glove and walking stick. Weird.Friday was perhaps the family's favorite day. We rented bikes and went on a fantastic bike ride. May I just say that my husband is a super stud for pulling both Gillian and Aidan in the trailer? Unfortunately, there were no bikes small enough for Gillian to ride even though she is an accomplished rider at this point. We rode our bikes to this lake and had lunch. We watched the ducks and fish as we ate our lunch. Then we rode for another hour or so. The afternoon saw us at the lodge pool for several hours. It was a nice, relaxing end to our week.
Aidan is packed and ready to get home!Thanks for going on our little virtual journey with us. The pictures don't do the true scenery justice, but I hope you can get a taste of what we have been blessed to enjoy here. On to the next trip! Paris, here we come!
Friday, 5 September 2008
If You Can't Beat Em, Join Em
Many of you are aware of our fiasco with the kids' school regarding our decision to home school them this fall. In a nutshell, because we didn't let the school know we were withdrawing them a full term in advance, they levied a full term's fee for each child on us. Rather than pay the fees and not have them go to school, we are sending them back to St. Edward's for one term and letting the US Government pay the tuition, which is one of the perks of our coming overseas.
Not knowing this was going to happen until two days before the first day of school, I ran around all day the day before school buying new shoes, bits and pieces of uniforms I didn't have, and getting school supplies together. Many thanks and overwhelming gratitude to my friend, Elizabeth, who had a bag full of items we are borrowing for one term rather than buying new. She saved us a bundle of money. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
So, even though the kids had already had a 'first-day-of-school' with me, home schooling, I took a set of photos for the St. Edward's first-day-of-school. Which worked out well since I didn't even think of taking pictures on our first day of home schooling!
They were excited and have had a great two days of school so far!
Not knowing this was going to happen until two days before the first day of school, I ran around all day the day before school buying new shoes, bits and pieces of uniforms I didn't have, and getting school supplies together. Many thanks and overwhelming gratitude to my friend, Elizabeth, who had a bag full of items we are borrowing for one term rather than buying new. She saved us a bundle of money. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
So, even though the kids had already had a 'first-day-of-school' with me, home schooling, I took a set of photos for the St. Edward's first-day-of-school. Which worked out well since I didn't even think of taking pictures on our first day of home schooling!
They were excited and have had a great two days of school so far!
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Holiday, cont.
I'm already depressed. We've been back for three days and today's high was 54 and it poured rain much of the day. Faker sunshine here and there, too. So must look back on last week's photos and remind myself of how wonderful it can be! Actually, on this second day of our trip it was a little dreary (making for another bad hair day)but the sun shined through by the end of the day!
We drove to Austria this day to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. This was one of three residences built by crazy King Ludwig the II (he died before it was completed) and was also the inspiration for Cinderella's castle at Walt Disney World.
What a great daddy! Aidan was really only happy hiking when he was on Patrick's shoulders.
We made it to the top! We celebrated by eating a hot pretzel.
The view from inside the castle looking out on Bavaria
The street market in Bolzano, Italy
We visited the Otzi museum in Bolzano, Italy, on the third day of our trip. He is a 5000 year old frozen man found in the Alps several years ago. The kids had fun dressing up like Otzi in the kids' play area.
See all the vineyards in the Italian landscape
Vipiteno, Italy
We drove to Austria this day to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. This was one of three residences built by crazy King Ludwig the II (he died before it was completed) and was also the inspiration for Cinderella's castle at Walt Disney World. 
What a great daddy! Aidan was really only happy hiking when he was on Patrick's shoulders.
We made it to the top! We celebrated by eating a hot pretzel.
The view from inside the castle looking out on Bavaria
The street market in Bolzano, Italy
We visited the Otzi museum in Bolzano, Italy, on the third day of our trip. He is a 5000 year old frozen man found in the Alps several years ago. The kids had fun dressing up like Otzi in the kids' play area.
See all the vineyards in the Italian landscape
Vipiteno, Italy
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