Jeb the Shepherd

Jeb also had his program last week. Very laid back, thank goodness. Jeb sat with me until it the point in the nativity when the shepherds entered. It all went well - the minute that he was up. BTW, the tea towel is meant to be the shepherds hat. Oh, and most shepherds aren't seen with Lightning McQueen - consider yourself lucky. This is a once in a lifetime sighting...until next year.

Adding a little video of Jeb. Ignore the craziness within the video - there is a lot of it, but the main point is Jeb's name for Jacob...

Sparkle Christmas Production!

Last week was the big Christmas production at school. With Jacob and Aiden both in it, you'd think I would have had a clue as to what it would be. Nope, they never sang a song at home and barely practiced lines/dances. I was worried. The morning of the first production, I set some ground rules for Aiden. 1. If you smile and do your dance, I'll pay you £1 at the end. 2. Don't pick your nose. You can itch it, but please don't shove your finger up there! You'll see that both boys were smilely (money works every time!). The nose thing, well that obviously didn't hit home for Aiden. Luckily his gal pal, Ruby, finally held his arm down to stop him. Thank goodness for that.

Jacob performed great. I didn't include his other line, but let's just say that many people commented to me that Jacob has totally lost his American accent. Amazing what peer pressure will do - he sounds so American to me, but when his friends are around, it's British all the way!

So, here is a glimpse of Sparkle. A story about a star who just wouldn't sparkle. The moral of the story is that God gave a gift to everyone - the sun, the moon (with it's moonbeams - Aiden), and to stars. Sparkle became the Star of Bethlehem.

Beaconsfield Festival of Lights

The official start of Christmas here in Beaconsfield. The boys have been talking about it ever since they put the lights up two weeks ago. So, of course, we had to go! We headed out with our friends the Rowlands. Two mums and six boys. It was great and at the end of the night we purchased cheap light sabers (which weren't so cheap). And, yes, one broke on the way home and one the next morning. They stick work quite well when hitting your brother...

Official Beaver

Jacob went through the Scout ceremony last week and became an official "Beaver." He is so incredibly proud, as you can see. And check out the sewing craftsmanship on those badges! Well done Mum!! (I'll admit it - I had to do one badge 2 times and it's still crooked!)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This is our third Thanksgiving here in England and even though the Brits don't celebrate, we insisted that they do! Tom was traveling to Germany so we celebrated a day early, starting with the children's "tea." We had our best friends over: Fraser, Rory, Heath and baby Gregor, along with their mummy Sarah. All the boys are the same age as our boys, except baby Gregor, so it was bound to be fun.

Sarah brought the boys here after school and the turkey crafts started soon after. The boys glued on feathers and wrote what they were thankful for. Then we sat for dinner. The toughest part - making them sit while I explained what Thanksgiving was (I left out the part of the Pilgrims leaving England b/c of the tyrant King!). Then we went around the room to say what we are thankful for. The Clark boys - God and Jesus (they aren't Christians, so I was a bit blown away!). Jacob: his feathers were filled, but some of the best were: Mummy, Daddy, friends, Jeb, Aiden, beds, snow, and popcorn. Aiden: homework, brothers, school. Jeb: Cars. It was all very sweet.

Pumpkin pie - not eaten in England. So, the day before, I took all the boys to swim and there was a big discussion on eating pumpkin pie. Even my boys weren't too keen on eating it, so I gave them a back-up plan of apple pie. But when the pie was brought out, they ate it up - in fact I had to tell them to hold back so Tom could have some!

It was such a nice evening and even better when Tom and I sat down to have our dinner together. We do have so much to be thankful for.

Below is the English version of Thanksgiving - the Harvest Festival. We celebrated about a month ago. The kids bring in food to school and have a little play. This year Jacob was the star - Oliver. Very proud of him! Oh, Aiden was there too, but chose to not participate. Just depends on the day for Aiden...oh well, maybe the Christmas production!

Winter Wonderland

We started the Christmas season a bit early this year, but I guess we just needed to beat the crowds! Off we went to Hyde Park in London to "Winter Wonderland." This is London's version of the German Markets, which seemed to be few and far between this year. This year it was a bit more like a fair, with all kinds of carnival rides and greasy food. The kids were in heaven. The highlight, and reason for the visit, was seeing Father Christmas. Aiden was so shy last year, but a lot can change. He knew exactly what he wanted to say when he sat down - "A light saber, please." Jacob wants too many things, so he agreed with Aiden and added in Star Wars Lego. Jeb, who I was worried would cry, offered his usual plea - "Cars." Complete with his little British accent. A trip to Harrods followed, but was short lived when the crowds were too large to even see the candy in the huge candystore. Thank goodness for the toystore!

So, let the Christmas season begin! Well, let's give it a week.

Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night

We celebrated Guy Fawkes Day on Saturday night. Ever heard of it? Neither had we until we moved here. Guy Fawkes was a man that tried to blow up Parliment years and years ago and got caught. He was hung, drawn and quartered...look that up, it's quite interesting! Anyway, from that time on, the Brits have celebrated Guy being caught - through a bonfire with a strawman being hung and burned above it.

Times have changed, no more strawman. At least not in Beaconsfield, but they have replaced it with fireworks. It's kind of nice to have the kids see the fireworks in the pitchblack darkeness of 8:00, rather than waiting until 10:30 in the summer on the fourth. The kids loved it with Jeb laughing the whole time! But, I'll still take the fourth of July. Can't give up my favorite holiday!

Crazy kids and the bonfire

Jeb loving the fireworks

On the way home with Alfie

Edinburgh, Scotland

Last weekend we took a trip up to Scotland, stopping first in York to break up the drive. We found that York was a nice little town, with a ton of history, dating back to Roman times. We headed into Yorkminster and both Tom and I agreed that we have seen one too many churches in the past two years. But, not wanting to miss anything, we decided to head into the crypt this time. We saw the first layer - Roman built in the 6th century. That was torn down and a Norman church built on that, and then Yorkminster, which took 250 years to build!! A trip through the park for the boys to run about and then lunch. It was a great morning.

On to Edinburgh! 3 hour drive and we were in this lovely city. Although the arrival wasn't so pleasant since we discovered a chocolate candy that we didn't bring with us. Aiden literally sat on that little secret ever since the stop at the gas station 2 hours earlier! We are hoping he learned his lesson!

Edinburgh is a great town and easy to get around in. We headed up to Edinburgh Castle first. A medieval castle built on an extinct volcano, with tons of treasures within to explore. Our favorite was the crown jewels of Scotland - which were hidden from the English for over a hundred years! At lunch we were highly entertained by some Japanese tourists who were in awe of the boys. As usual, they took pictures. As usual, Aiden ignored them, but Jeb ate it up.

On to walk the Royal Mile, a street filled with old Georgian buildings and loads of souvenir shops. At the bottom end, we hit the Queen's current Palace of Scotland and Scottish Parliament. We took the bus over to Princes Street Gardens and climbed 250 spiral stairs to gorgeous views of the city. It was the highlight of the day for the boys! My highlight was getting a bit of peace and quiet when Tom took them back to the apartment and I shopped and took it all in.

The following day we headed to the other extinct volcano in Edinburgh - King Arthur's seat. At the bottom we debated on which path to take. We took the one with more people, only to find out that we climbed up and back down the wrong mountain and now we were at the bottom of the right one. The kids were doing great, so we hiked up to find some stunning views as well as a gentle slope on the other side leading to a parking lot. Our hour hike could have been 15 minutes with a stoller! Oh well, it's the experience that matters.

A quick and expensive stop at a very boring aquarium followed by the beach, which the kids had wanted in the first place. Why don't we listen to them?! Rocks, shells, sand, and water - all a boy needs to be happy.

An 8 hour drive back. I won't lie. It was hard. The van was trashed. Take a look. Good times.

Halloween

Halloween - not sure I can even say that we celebrated this year. Third year in a row of not trick or treating thanks to being gone. The boys had a week off, so when that happens, we hit the road!

We did, however, do a bit of celebrating. Jacob is now in Beavers - the first stage of cub scouts and they had to dress up. So, we went out and got a Batman costume. Here is the funny thing about Halloween here - it's not about just dressing up. It's about dressing up as something scary. So, when J announced that he was going to be Batman, the usual response was: "That's not very Halloweeny." Good thing my boy is sure of himself because he stuck to it. I now know why churches here are so against Halloween - I think that I like the way we celebrate in the US!

We did carve our pumpkins. With a kit this year! Wow, makes a difference! We had two pumpkins and I got another small one with the kit - good thing because we didn't think Jeb would get into it. He did. It would have been a nightmare had he not gotten to help carve one for himself. I did Aiden's and am quite proud of my skeleton (his choice to choose the hardest one!) and Jacob designed his himself. Not bad boys, not bad.

Did I hear that right?!

This one I just need to write out so I don't forget...not that I ever will. My mouth is still hanging open.

Last Saturday, Jacob and I walked to town to grab a few items at the grocery store. We were walking back and I asked Jacob to switch sides with me on the sidewalk. My words exactly: "Jacob, you need to walk close to the hedge so that if something happens, the car will hit me and not you." (Sounds pretty morbid now that I'm writing it!) His response: "Oh no! If a car hits you we won't have any milk!" Ummm...ok. So much for mom.

Raspberries vs. LegoLand

Last weekend we decided to take a trip to the local farm, since they had advertised a pumpkin grotto. We were a bit leery considering they don't do much for pumpkins in England, but it was a beautiful day, so off we went. When we got to the farm we realized we could pick raspberries and apples - the kids were so excited! We then went to the "grotto" and they picked out their pumpkins. We drove home with such happy boys. Jacob and Aiden kept thanking us for such a great time. So, I asked them if they liked it better than going to Disney or Legoland. The answer - "About the same." Hmmm, a £20 trip to the farm vs. Disney...obviously we've been spending our money in the wrong place!!!

So, this Friday we decided to test the theory and we went to Legoland. We had an inset day at school, so we figured no one would be there. It was packed - we went on 5 rides the whole day plus I ran into at least 5 people I knew! Tom and I were a bit miserable, but the boys loved it. Of course a trip to Legoland always ends in the shop. It's more Tom's desire than the boys, but you don't often get to Legoland I guess. Funny, not as much thankfulness on the way home as the pumpkin grotto!

But, Tom and I did get our reward the next morning at 6:20 am. Both boys at our bed with Jacob announcing that Aiden had a lego stuck up his nose. You'd think he would have learned from the last time he shoved a lego up there, but I guess there was the curiousity of seeing if this one would go up further. 6:23 -Tom is up with his huge Maglite and the sharpest tweezers in the house, not to mention he is on a really short fuse. It scared me a bit, so I can only imagine the horror that Aiden was feeling. Tom would say to blow out and Aiden would suck in. 6:28 - lego still stuck. Tom, so frustrated, has walked out of the room. I'm imagining the laughter of the staff at the ER when I bring Aiden in and tell them what happened. I can't do it. 6:29 I hold one nostril and tell him to blow it out. 6:30 - Lego out after a few good blows. I don't think we'll be visiting Legoland anytime soon.

Jacob at the Lego Driving School

Jeb picking apples (he ate quite a few too!)

Girlfriends, Already?

The last person that I expect to be talking about a girlfriend is Aiden, but two weeks ago, the truth came out. I was at coffee with a friend whose little girl is in Aiden's class and she said that Ruby told her Aiden was her boyfriend. Shocked, I hurried home and told Aiden that I heard that he had a girlfriend. He turned red and wouldn't look at me. Then, I heard a quiet whisper..."Ruby." Wow. The boy who can't remember anyone's name has a girlfriend.

Fast forward to Friday of last week. Aiden gets in the car. "Can we pleeeaaase have Ruby over?" So, plans were made and it all happened today. Pick up was easy. Ruby followed us with her mum home. On the way, Tracy and I both learned of the kiss that happened at school. I'm hoping this was as innocent as I am imagining it! But the real news was in watching them. Ruby took Aiden's hand and pulled him where ever she wanted him to go! My stubborn, independent boy was being led like a dog! Hmmm... Cute today, but I'm not so sure that it will be cute in 10 years.

I'll be thinking this one over for awhile. I'm just not ready for the girl thing. Maybe girls will soon return to being stinking. I can only hope!

A Day Away Without the Kiddos!

"Two ships passing in the night." Seems that has been the story for Tom and I lately. We both needed a day to catch up and relax. And if you are a parent, you know that this cannot be done with children tagging along. So, today we got our babysitter to come early and we headed out to London for the day.

Yes, I was feeling guilty as we headed into the Tower of London. "Jacob would love to see the Crown Jewels, " I thought to myself. Really? Does a 6 year old yearn to see some stones on a crown? Nope, it's simply a mother's guilt. The guilt faded fast as we walked the cobblestone roads and through the jewels, the bloody tower, prison, etc. We would have never been able to stay as long as we did with kids. Tom got to read everything there was to read so he was happy (oh, was I bored! Seriously - he reads everything!!). And we even had time to go to Covent Garden for a wander around and a leisurely pub lunch.

It was a great day out. Now we need to work out the next one...we will be able to sustain a monthly date day? I hope so!

First Day of School for Jeb!

Last week was the first day of "school" for Jeb. He is attending Squirrels Nursery School one morning a week. I, of course, have been a bit nervous sending him, while all my other Beaconsfield friends think I'm a bit crazy only sending him one morning a week. He's my baby!

So, the big day arrived and he was so excited to wear his Thomas the Tank Engine backpack. He slipped it on and fell over. Guess there were one too many diapers in there! We walked into Squirrels and he saw his key worker, whom had come over for a home visit the week before. She took him over to the train table and I was forgotten. I got in the very empty car and felt a bit weepy, but then I remembered it's only 3 hours. Thus begins my three hours of freedom per week! We're all lovin' it!

Jeb turns TWO!

Hard to believe that our baby is now two! I know, it sounds cliche, but it goes way too fast - especially when it's your last!

His birthday was a bit uneventful thanks to busy schedules of everyone in the house, but the following day is when the fun began! We had our usual playgroup over to our house for a little cake and a lot of fun. I think we had 10 two year olds running around, eating food, throwing balloons into the rose bushes and spilling bubbles everywhere. Sounds a bit chaotic, but it was great weather, so we hardly noticed since we were outside (Thank goodness!!). Jeb did a great job of blowing the candles out on his cupcake and proceeded to eat the frosting off two cupcakes, leaving the cake for the bin. I can't tell you how much these 10 kiddos and their moms mean to us - they are our family here in England!

Daddy came home early and the festivities began here. Jeb had his fair share of presents to open both from the morning's party and some that showed up through the post over the week. We learned something - Jeb loves to open one gift and then play with it for a bit before proceeding to another. This was killing Jacob and Aiden. They tormented Jeb, trying to convince him to forget the new toy and open another present. I hope the boys had a good time because Tom and I were exhausted by the last present from the constant reminding patience!
Jeb begins the opening

Who's present is this???

Jeb, of course, loved the gifts and the evening was quiet as all the boys played. Pizza and cake followed. Two years old...should be an interesting year. Jeb is still a sweetie, but I'm beginning to see a naughty gleam in his eyes. Stay tuned. Happy birthday baby.

Jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 ft

Yes, that is what I did on Friday. Some of you will remember that I had participated in an office fund raiser last year - skydiving for charity. Well due to our UK Visa issues and our unplanned trip back to the States last September I missed the jump. However, the charity I raised the money for was kind enough to reserve a spot for me in this year's charity jump.

So at 8:15 am Friday morning I took an extra long time saying goodbye to Joy and the boys telling each of them that loved them very much and that I'd see them after I'd jumped out of an airplane.

During the ride to the airfield I was seriously thinking if this was really a smart thing to do and maybe I should play it safe and let the charity retain my jump fees. I decided against bailing out as my pride was at stake and if one were to skydive you couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to do so in England.

I arrived at Hinton Airfield near Oxford with 7 other PwC colleagues and we proceeded to take the initial skydiving beginners course. We were all briefed on the do's and don'ts and the correct positions during the jump and we were all told the repercussions if we did do the don'ts - broken bones and possibly worse. We were all going be performing tandem jumps with veteran skydivers and we'd each have our separate videographers to record our jump - great at least if anything goes wrong on the airfield's part there will be a record of it.

It was time for the jump - we all loaded on the airplane and proceeded to fly to 13,000 feet. Our jump partners told each of us to put on our helmets and goggles and all of a sudden the side door of the plane opened and people started jumping out - I'm nuts! What was I thinking! I screamed to myself. My turn - since I was attached to the front of my jump partner I was hanging out the side of the airplane until it was clear to jump 3 2 1 .........

Words can't describe the feeling free falling at 130 mph from 13,000ft to 5,000ft in matter of 30 seconds - at first it was complete terror, then exhilaration and a surreal feeling that you've lost all perspective of what's around you. In those 30 seconds I've never felt more alive - it was truly unbelievable!

Would I do it again? Probably not but I'm glad I did it and it probably will be the biggest adrenaline rush that I'll ever experience.

A New Definition, by Aiden

Aiden is the commentator of our house. I honestly don't think that Jacob did this, but if he did, he didn't do it quite like Aiden. No matter where you are in the house, you know what Aiden is doing because he is talking about it. In fact, no one needs to be around and he is commentating on what he is doing. The other day, it sent both Tom and I into fits of laughter.

Aiden had to use the toilet (again, he told us this as he entered the bathroom) and as usual he left the door wide open. This time, instead of seeing his little butt cheeks, I got a nice view of him on the pot. Except he wouldn't let me just walk by. "Mommy," he said. "You know that I'm going number 3." I was a little confused, thinking there was only number 1 and 2. So, I asked him what he meant. "Well, this one is really, really stinky, so it's a number 3."

So, if you start to hear children mentioning #3 when they need to use the bathroom, remember that it all started here!

School Days!

It's been a week since starting school and I think that this week is feeling a little long for everyone involved! Very tired boys and an even more tired mummy! I'll take you back to the beginning...

Last Thursday Jacob started school - we were all so excited! He got to see his friends and begin Year 2. This Monday Aiden started. Tom got him dressed and I couldn't believe what I saw when he walked out. A little blond boy in a much too mature uniform. I can't believe it still. Being a bit more shy, I wondered if he would enjoy it. He walked straight in like he'd been doing it for ages. His teacher is a friend of mine, so I think that may have helped.

So, here we are at the end of a long week waiting for Friday. I'm also wondering how our summer went so fast! Such good times with my boys. Waterparks (in the rain), boatrides (in the drizzle), and a trip into London (in the sun!). Weather just doesn't matter - we are all best friends. I'll miss them during the day. Well...a break is nice every once in awhile.

To the Devon Coast!

It was a holiday weekend last week, so we took advantage and went to the seaside. After the long four hour drive (thanks for the screaming, Jeb!) we were at the coast and surprisingly, the sun was out!

The weekend was filled with exploring different areas of the Devon coast. Funny enough, the beaches are completely different even though they were only miles apart. Long sandy beaches, followed by slate beaches, and then rocky beaches. The rocky and slate were the favorite of the boys. Lots of rock pools to explore in when the tide was out, never finding the sought after crabs, but we did luck out with some minnows. It was such a great time racing the waves and most of the time they won. Aiden even had the pleasure of tripping as the wave rushed around him and flipped him over - fully clothed. A good lesson on the power of the ocean. Sandy beaches were the best for this, but Aiden just couldn't seem to keep the sand out of his eyes, causing some pretty massive screaming - at one point I wondered if the entire beach could here. The verdict - rocky beaches are the best for young kids - less to clean for tired moms too!

The weekend also brought around Tom's birthday. A somewhat big one this year, so I wanted to do something memorable. So, we drove out to the airfield and Tom got to experience a glider ride. He said it was pretty amazing being up there with no engines, but also a little nerve-wracking since he had to do a lot with the instructor to stay afloat! The boys had a blast watching (minus a sleeping Jeb), so it was a fun afternoon for all!

Despite the typical English weather -sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy, it was a really good trip. A last chance before school starts to spend some quality time together and relax. It makes you realize that it's the little things that matter. Collecting rocks, running from the waves, and tide pools... If only these moments lasted forever.

Happy Birthday Tom!!

Last Day was cold - out came the wet suits!

A Three Hour Tour...A Three Hour Tour...

Cruisin'. Many think this is something reserved for when they get old. Ok, we thought that too, but we decided to take a risk and take three little boys for 7 nights. Would we love it at the end or would we need another vacation? The verdict: we loved it. Having said that, there were a few things worth noting...

1. Prior to boarding, I pulled Aiden (our shy one) aside and explained that a lot of people would be wanting to talk to him. All he had to do was smile and say hi. He looked at me with his big blue eyes and said, "I'll try, but sometimes my heart says I just can't do it." By the end of the trip he was actually telling people his name - huge for him!

2. "Three Boys?" We heard this so much. The kids got a lot of attention - especially Jeb. Every Grandma that was missing her grandkids wanted to hold him. And he ate it up! The waiters were the same. As a result, Jeb went from laidback boy to cheeky monkey in less than a week.

3. Kids club! The best invention ever! There were a few other families on board and they all seemed to have boys. When I dropped the boys off they were so excited. Then, the hosts told me that you have to be 5 to stay. I've begged like I've never begged before! And, they accepted Aiden.

4. Average Age. This was probably about 70. But, we loved these people! Tom went out one night and shared some scotch with a few. The disco ball lit up at midnight, the canes and walkers were thrown aside and the dancefloor was packed. Good to know that you can have fun when you are old! I sat with a woman one night who told me about raising her three boys (now in their 50s). Her eyes filled with tears as she told me to cherish every moment. Great advice.

5. Sickness. I was a bit nervous about being on the ship with swine flu going around so much here. But, before we got on the ship we were given antibacterial gel and there were bottles everywhere on the ship. Impossible to get sick right? Well, not for us. I took Jacob to lunch one day and he sat down and said, "I need the toilet!" We ran from the restaurant outside to the rubbish bins. Then I saw that they opened from the side not the top! For a split second I thought about shoving J's head through the opening, but it was too late. 24 hour bug. Poor guy.

6. Small space. The room was sufficient, but not huge. One bathroom, 5 people. The boys figured out how to make that work better. Yep, we caught Aiden going #2, while Jacob went #1 between A's legs. Only our boys. Urgh!

Many more things happened, but overall, it was the perfect way to see what we saw. I was so proud of the boys when people would stop us to tell us how well behaved they were. (good thing they didn't see them when they got home!) But the best part was...I didn't cook or clean!!

Top Bunk watching a movie

Aiden showing off the boat (nevermind his face!)

British night (I know, we are traitors! But he was so cute!)

Country Night

Jeb's favorite night spot - the piano bar. Dancing to a song dedicated to him