Daddy's Day

We welcomed Tom home from the states this past weekend and even with him being a bit jet-lagged we were able to have a nice father's day.

Tom received his annual breakfast in bed followed by peace and quiet (well, kind of) for a bit more sleeping in. The special day was coupled with Jacob's school summer fair. Not our first choice for father's day fun, but at least it was nice weather! So, we went, we spent and came home tired. Jacob made a nice tie for Tom, which is pictured below. We did have a chuckle at that one. I guess you always love your dad, but you don't always have to like him. So, we'll take that as a compliment!

The day was lovely, but not as lovely as our everyday life with our very special daddy!

Breakfast in Bed. Tom sitting with 'mini-me'

Jacob's homemade tie. Take note: no more 'daddy' and love is now like. He made it with a friend...can you tell?

Boys, Not Another One of THESE Questions!

I hesitated to write about this one, but it's too funny and I don't want to forget it. I'm sure the boys will be highly embarrassed by it at some point, or think it's funny. Anyway, please excuse the subject of this one...

Tom is in the States this weekend and next week, so I thought we'd do some fun stuff while he is gone. So, we went to the farm park today - one of the boys favorite things to do.

We arrived and started to walk in when Jacob noticed they had changed the goats around and that the "mommy" pen was now the "daddy" pen. This led to the question: "What is THAT big thing?" when we saw the goats back side. (Why do these questions always come up when Tom is gone??) I thought very hard before answering and decided to keep it simple. Here is the conversation (sorry for the words!):

Me: Well, you know how you have those little balls by your willy? That is what the goat has too.

J: Are mine going to get THAT big?

Me: Umm, probably not that big, but they will grow.

Aiden: I've got two balls too. But Jeb doesn't have any.

J: No, you only have one ball, Jeb has none and I have two.

This leads to an argument over the number of "balls" each one has. No one was in hearing distance, thank goodness!

Me: You all have two balls each, even Jeb. They are just different sizes. When you grow up they will all be big, just not as big as the goats. Hey, there are the cows.

And, because they are men, they were easily distracted and the conversation ended. But I'm still laughing.

Mom and Dad in England

It's been a few days since my mom and dad went home. Last time they had come for a visit was in December/January 2008. That is just not a very nice time of year to come - cold, rainy, rainy, and cold. So, this time I was excited for them to see the pretty side of England. They arrived a few days before we left for Italy and the weather was, well, like January!

The plus side to the cold, rainy weather was that the flowers were already in full bloom - rhododendroms, irises, and roses, just to name a few. It was also a week after U.S. mothers day, so I treated my mom to high tea - something she always has talked about. We went to Cliveden, an old manor that is one of our favorite places to go to. We sat for 3 hours and caught up while the boys walked around with Tom and my dad. It was unforgettable!

When we returned from Italy, the weather was unusually warm. So, we got to go to Odds Farm, Marlow on the River Thames, and ate outside (highly unusual!!).

It was hard to say goodbye. The kids had attention 100% of the time whether it was playing cars, legos or jumping on the trampoline. I was able to relax because I am lucky to have a mom who loves to help around the house - the kitchen was always clean for the school run and my laundry never sat in the basket for long. I won't even mention Tom's ironed shirts! But, it was much more than the cleaning, it was the quality time spent together. It's hard to be an ocean apart and have to wait a year to see loved ones. Being an ex-pat comes with the guilt of knowing that there are four people in the states who long to see their grandboys. Thank goodness those four people love us enough to understand why we are doing what we are doing. And hopefully they know the door is always open...

Thanks for the great time mom and dad!

High Tea

Bikers

Odds Farm Goats

Eating at the oldest pub in England - Royal Standard

Italy From the Eyes of Jacob

Jacob's homework for the half term break was to journal each day on what he has done. He wasn't always too happy to have to sit down and write, but I think it's a treasured keepsake. Here are his entries:

May 23. On my holiday I went to Italy. First we flew to Rome. Then we drove to a villa.

May 24. Today I went on a fossil hunt. First we walk to the sand cliff and found shells. After that I went swimming. After that I had dinner.

May 26. I caught a lizard. I got bit by a lizard.

May 27. Today I went to the pool. First I swam with Grandma. Then I swam by myself.

May 28. I went out for pizza. There was a big fireplace. When we got back it was dark, so we caught fireflies.

May 29. It is my last day at the villa. So, I swam and then I played Uno. I had fun on my holiday in Italy.

If only you could see his handwriting - priceless! He missed a few days, but I'm so glad that we made him sit for a bit to write.