Father's Day Recap

Every year, Ryan gets a new book for Father's Day with he and the kids in mind.  Not too long and I won't be picking out the books anymore.

After church, we went out for lunch at a well-known pub in a neighboring village.  We arrived before it opened and were told that they were fully booked for the afternoon.  But then got notice that a table of four had canceled and we could have their spot - perfect!  They had a beautiful garden in the back where we killed time and had a photo shoot while waiting to eat. 

 

I never leave home without at least four cars.  She's getting good at her sound effects!

The man of the day!  We love you!

A Night Away

My mom and dad recently gave Ryan and I the pleasure of having a night away just the two of us!  What a treat!  THANK YOU!  The kids had a great time with KayeK and Big Daddy and we thoroughly enjoyed a little getaway to see more of England.  

We headed south after dropping the kids off in London and stopped in Canterbury for lunch and some sight-seeing.  And maybe some treat-tasting:

The Canterbury Cathedral was magnificent and we loved getting to take in all the sights and read about all the history without munchkin-sized distractions.

I love the ceilings

We happened to be there at a time when the Archbishop was to perform a wedding ceremony and was waiting for the bride to arrive.  I wouldn't have recognized him, but my smart husband pointed him out

I thought it would be fun to get a copy of Canterbury Tales from The Chaucer Bookshop in Canterbury. Once I picked up a copy and realized how long it is, I decided that in another life I might be able to read the entire book of poems and picked up a copy of the cliff-notes instead!

After Canterbury, we headed south to Dover where we had a room in a great little B&B booked for the night.  The view of Dover Castle from the town center. 

The next day was spent at Dover Castle.  We started in the underground tunnels tour, which was fascinating, and then enjoyed walking around the grounds. 

Looking across the water to France in the distance:

A real Roman lighthouse.  Roman.

Lunch at a quaint indoor farmers market in Canterbury on our way home

Our snack from a roadside stand for the drive back.  

Happy Father's Day!

This is the first father's day we have celebrated with Ryan when he wasn't a full-time student!  He gets to come home from work and just be with us!  No studying, no interviews, no Bar exams . . .  we all are loving the family time and have spent today celebrating the love that our Heavenly Father has shown in giving Rooke and Gretchen such a wonderful daddy!  I did a little interview with Rooke about his daddy:

What does Daddy like?

He likes his son.  He likes his daughter.

Why do you like Daddy?

Because he's great!

What is Daddy good at doing?

Playing chase

What does Daddy like about Mommy?

He likes to cuddle with her and sleep in bed with her =)

What does Daddy like to eat?

beans, carrots, and the biggest bread

And that about sums it up!  I will add to the list that Rooke and Gretchen really like their daddy these days because . . . he always has a treat for them when we stop by his office, he has a great Sir Topham Hat voice, he knows how to set up really cool train tracks, he can throw them high in the air, his ability to play chase surpasses Mom's by a million, and likes to walk to the corner store and share an ice cream treat.

Milestone

Rooke started preschool this past week!  Whoa.  This was a big milestone for us.  The British government will pay for children over the age of 3 to go to preschool for 15 hours a week.  There is a great little preschool on the campus of the primary school in our neighborhood just a five minute walk away.  I decided Rooke (and I) could handle two mornings a week to start with and we'll just take it from there.  I took these shots on the first morning before walking to school (my mom always took our first day of school pictures in front of the door - anyone else?!).  Everyone was happy and excited at that point.  But you'll notice these are the only shots I got.  There were lots of tears (maybe from more than one person) and a bit of screaming until Mom left.  I was the problem.  I stood outside the door for all of 30 seconds to hear him completely calm down after I was out of the picture.  And that was it.  We've had no tears and just fun since that short-lived initial meltdown.  I'm still not sure how I feel about Rooke earning his big-boy-preschool-badge.  Has it really been 3 1/2 years?

Plus Three Boys

The kids and I made an overnight trip to London to spend some time with our friends, the Hamiltons, before they moved back to the states.  Alora and I worked together back in the day and I've been grateful for our continued friendship over the years as kids have entered the picture.  They have three boys who were so much fun to be with (and will all be big brothers to another baby on the way!). 

The boys were standing next to a life-size model of a blue whale.  It's incredible!  I was too focused on the boys to think about getting the whole what in the picture, but you get the idea . . .

She gets the award for "Best stroller baby" of the day!

We met at a community center drop-in play space.  Not one of London's greatest sights, but perfect for the kids to play and give Alora and I a chance to talk with a little less interruption.  Rooke was in heaven:

Rooke had a great time running around with Hudson (5) and Elliot (4).

Such funny little characters!

Spicy Salsa

She comes by this honestly.  I just didn't think it would reveal itself so soon!  You see, the idea that chips are simply the means by which to eat salsa goes back to my Nana.  I blame this all on her.  She started it, my mom kept it going, and I gave in to my inner latina when Ryan pointed out that I use chips like a spoon to eat salsa.  It's true.  And since she doesn't really look like me, here is my current proof that she's my daughter.  She kept asking for more salsa so I finally put a little in a bowl for her to have on her tray.  That's how it starts, people.  At eighteen months she is already to the point of needing her own bowl!  Now we just need to work on table manners . . .

Swords

I should have purchased thirty of these nerf swords from Target's dollar bin.  These are on their last life, but that hasn't stopped Rooke from charging his Dad with the confidence of a true knight.

Preparing for an ambush

He's a sensitive knight and the fights always end in hugs

Outnumbered

I'm feeling very outnumbered these days.  I mean, I've been outnumbered since December 22, 2009, but I'm becoming very aware that no matter how many more kids we have or don't have, I am permanently outnumbered.  I knew this day was coming.  I felt it.  They were both supposed to be napping (they sleep in different rooms), but he realized he could keep both of them up, laughing, until Mom stopped the fun (which I actually didn't do right away.  I enjoyed watching them laugh together!).  She's saying, "Brother!", which kept bringing him back for more:

Post-Nap Popsicles

The kids enjoyed some homemade yogurt pops after naps today.  Rooke was super happy when he woke up and seemed more interested in smiling for the camera than he did eating his popsicle. 

She devoured hers!