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!