Last Day of School / Pool Party

It was the last day of school. My little kindergartener is officially done and onto her first "summer break". We started it off in style...with a pool party at Lindy's friend's house. Natalie's mom, Emily, is pretty much the kind of mom I wish I were. You know...the kind of relaxed mother who lets her kids have friends over to play in the pool. Oh, and has treats! Yeah...she's awesome.

The girls had a BLAST splashing around as their little brother and dad took a nap at home. (If I weren't hanging out with awesome Emily, I'd be jealous. Just a little.)

Side note: I took a picture of Lindy and her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Kendall. But (because sometimes I don't pay attention) the picture didn't turn out. At all. She was wonderful and we wish her the best with her new little baby!

Kelsey

Kelsey was the very first babysitter I ever called on...back when I was terrified of leaving my baby with another person. She was such a blessing that first night that she quickly earned a special place in my heart. The Jones family adores Kelsey. Big time.

So when Holly C. and I were asked to do a "photo shoot" with Kelsey for her Senior Pictures I was thrilled. This evening we had a blast and were able to get several great pictures. Of course, it helps when you're amazingly photogenic!

Congratulations on graduating, Kelsey. You're such a wonderful girl. We'll miss you but hope you have fun at school (but not too much fun, okay?).

Don't You Hate It...

...when you catch a typo in an older post?

I do.

Because I'm a little bit of a crazy-person when it comes to typos. Especially my own typos. 

I might not sleep very well tonight. Sigh.

May Giveaway

It took me a little longer than I thought it would to pull this months' giveaway together. But without further ado:

Up for grabs this month is a fun table-runner. It measures approximately 14" x 36".

To enter, simply post a comment with your name. Comments will be accepted through Sunday May 31st. The winner will be announced Monday morning.

Good luck!

The Banishment of Sharpies

Remember this? For those who don't...Lindy decided one day that it would be fun to draw on her sister while mom was in the shower. She was, of course, reprimanded and told to never draw with markers again.

Fast forward two years. Once again the urge to create art with a permanent marker outweighed her good sense. She tried to defend herself quite passionately by explaining, "I didn't mean to draw on his head...I was just trying to color his hair black!"

Again we've had to discuss the cons of Sharpies. So, if you happen to see any of my children brandishing a marker in any manner, please feel free to step in and carry out the edict of "NO MARKERS!"

Thanks, in advance.

The Experiment

On the way home from our DAY OF FUN Lindy announces:

"That was fun, but now I'm going to go home, lay on the couch, and watch TV and find out which is funner."

Which she did.

And luckily decided: "Bike riding is more funner...because you do more things." Whew.

The Jones' Family DAY OF FUN!

I'm pooped. My old age is beginning to catch up with me in a not-so-friendly manner. 

First thing this morning we made our way over to the school to enthusiastically cheer for all the students participating in the Dance Festival. The administration strategically schedules the kindergarten students last...so we ended up watching all grades perform. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I did NOT plan on such a hot morning and I did NOT apply sunscreen. Lindy did a wonderful job in her superhero dance. She was far away in the back, but I managed to catch a couple so-so shots.

Curtis did not enjoy the program as much as his mom and dad.

Since Ian had the day off we decided to make the most of it. After picking Lindy up from school we drove up the canyon for a family picnic/bike ride. Both of the girls did amazingly well. They really pushed themselves and rode their little hearts out. 

They also enjoyed some time with their fun dad.

Here's a shot BEFORE they were all completely exhausted and whining.

What a fun-filled day. We're all going to bed early.

May Giveaway Sneak Peek

The month of May has nearly come and gone...but lest you think I've forgotten that I committed myself to a giveaway each month, here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on for this month's drawing:

I'm almost finished. Just a few finishing touches and I'll be posting it in it's entirety.  A huge thanks to Holly C. for teaching me some new quilting techniques. I'm excited to do some more (and hopefully improve). 

Lamby

When Grandma and Grandpa came to visit/babysit they brought a little lamb for Curtis. As you can tell, he LOVES it. 

Thanks G-ma and G-pa. You guys ROCK!

Ellie Bean

My little Ellie and I tend to spend a lot of mornings together. While Lindy revels in the joys of Kindergarten and Curtis offers time to napping my second-born is typically bored out of her mind and looking to me to produce entertainment. I hate to admit it, but most of the time I'm "busy" and shoo her away to find her own way through the boredom. 

Today, however, I decided that it was a great day to be the mom I really want to be. So, we spent a little time reading books, pretending to be ponies, coloring, making shapes, and eating Laffy Taffy. Since it was an overcast day (my new favorite) I was also able to convince Ellie to let me take some pictures of her. I love that smile.

Thank you for spending the morning with me, Ellie. I love you to pieces!

Gifts and Eyewear

I spent quite a bit of thought on what type of gift we would bring back from England for our kids. After a little bit of work we found some adorable stuffed animals (our kids are suckers for all things fluffy). Lindy was grateful...and excited at first. Her enthusiasm for the cute and cuddly little giraffe was soon replaced, however, with a more dramatic adoration of the sleep-mask provided with our first class airline seat. She's been wearing it around almost non-stop since we got home. 

The other day I came downstairs after putting Junior down for a nap and found her twirling herself around the family room with said mask over her eyes. When I asked her what she was doing I found out that she was "playing pin the bird on the hippo."

What a funny girl.

The End

We woke up this morning at 1:00am Salt Lake time, had a lovely English breakfast and bid farewell to driving on the opposite side of the road, people blowing smoke in our faces, the best bacon I've ever had, and the beauty of Great Britain. I was suddenly VERY anxious to see my little ones. Unfortunately, we had a 10 hour flight into Denver and another 2 hour flight to Salt Lake to get through.

It was a long day. Sleeping on the airplane was made almost impossible by a 5 year old, binky-sucking, spoiled brat of a boy who apparently decided it was his sole mission to disrupt a cabin of sleeping adults. I glared and "tsk"-ed like I've never done before. About 9 hours into the flight he finally fell asleep. I resisted the temptation to "accidently" bump into his peacefully sleeping form and wake the little snot up. Grrr.

We finally made it home and into the welcoming arms of our dear children who, after a perfunctory hug, asked about the location of the promised presents. Welcome home. Lindy had a couple of Mother's Day gifts she'd worked on at school. Not to be outdone, Ellie proceeded to give me a bottle of baby lotion. Thanks. They all seem to have grown in just 7 short days. I am so grateful that I don't have to be away from them for long...and get to experience all their growing up in person. (Someone may have to remind me of that in a few days.)

There's no place like home.

Day Five

After saying goodbye to Steve, we packed up our little car and headed back into London. We dropped off the rental at the airport and took the tube into the city. I was quickly homesick for the quiet little villages we had recently left behind. I'm not a huge fan of big cities and found nothing in London to compare to the picturesque views of the countryside. Sigh.

We checked into our hotel. This was quite a different experience from my last visit 11 years ago. Ian's brother, Rich, hooked us up with a deal at the Hilton Metropale. It was clean. There was a bed with real blankets. There was a TV, a phone, and a mirror. There was also a bathroom! All of this a considerable step up from our stay at O'Callaghan's in '98.

And see...I actually did go to England, Marci. Here I am in our executive suite.

 We had a couple hours to spare in the afternoon. We decided to drop in on our dear friend, Her Majesty, the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

We took a stroll through Hyde Park. We found a bunch of French teenagers showing disrespect for the Canadian monument (notice the sign). I couldn't remember enough of my french to come up with something witty to say to them...so I just snapped an ironic picture.

And found a statue that bore a eerie resemblance to my brother.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat we finally reached our Monday night destination: WICKED.

It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The theatre was fabulous and the music was phenomenal. Worth every penny. Or, in this case, pence. What a great day.

Addendum

For the record:

Let it be known that I do, in fact, really really like Indian Food. Could it be that I've been wrong all this time?

Of course not. There has to be another explanation.

Either way...I'm going to have to re-order whatever it is that Steve picked out. YUMMY!

Day Four

Today was a rather odd Sunday for us. It was strange waking up, getting ready and heading off to Church without all the normal fuss and angst from our three children. Sacrament meeting was a joy! We sat and actually LISTENED to the talks. Amazing! At the same time, I admit, I chuckled a little to myself knowing that in seven short hours Grandpa and Grandma were going to get a full dose of what Sacrament meeting is usually like for the Jones family. Nerve-wracking. With no end in sight. Sorry Mom & Dad. (Oh...and I just realized that I didn't get a sub for my primary class which is, at this very moment, probably wondering where I am. Oops.)

In other news...after enjoying our quiet morning we drove up to nearby Lincoln Castle. A 10th-century Norman establishment which has been kept in amazing repair. Here's a look at the southern wall with the typical "motte" (a mound) and it's "keep" on top. You can see the castle walls extending from the keep.

Inside the keep were several graves of men and women hanged within the castle walls after being sentenced to death through the Lincoln Crown Courts.

We managed to visit Lincoln Castle on the perfect day. There was a group of volunteers in almost every area of the Castle dressed in authentic 12th-century clothing and talking to us about day-to-day life as it would have been. There was a brilliant gentleman who spent quite a lot of time talking with Ian and I about the various weaponry and armor used at the time. It was all hands-on. And, while I think Ian looks great in the medieval helmet, I'm sure he's glad he doesn't have to haul that extra 10 pounds around on a daily basis.

I had to snap this picture of little Poppy. A five-month old little girl participating in the "re-enactment" all dolled up in authentic clothing as well. She was the best behaved little baby I've ever seen! Not a peep out of the sweetheart all afternoon. Amazing.

From inside one of the tower walls you have a fantastic view of the ginormous Lincoln Cathedral which stands across the street. We spent a couple minutes in there but didn't want to get in the way of their Sunday worship so we didn't get many pictures.

One of my favorite things about England (apart from the bacon...I can't even begin to describe it to you):

Instead of calling a tow truck, or writing a nasty note, the owner of the house we shouldn't have parked in front of gave us a "polite notice" without even one exclamation point. Thank you again, anonymous stranger. It would have been awful to return to our car to find it missing.

We are going to end our day with Indian Food. Yes, my friends, yours truly is going to step way, way, WAY, outside of my comfort zone and attempt an unprecedented cultural experience. Wish me luck.

Missing My Babies

Day Three

I love being on vacation! We slept in until almost 11am. Fabulous! Steve rounded up some food for a wonderful brunch and then Ian and I set of for York. We spent several hours touring the city.

First we visited York Minster. A medieval cathedral built on the ruins of a Norman church which was built on the ruins of a Roman basilica. Underneath the current cathedral floor you can see remains of the roman and norman buildings as well as the current crypt. Fascinating.

We climbed 275 stairs to arrive atop the Minster tower. I'd like to add that I found the English method of organizing tours up these tiny little stairs quite a breath of fresh air! You didn't find people going up at the same time others were going down these narrow steps..unlike some French cathedrals I've known. I do love organization.

Next we walked along the old Norman city walls that extend a couple miles around the interior of York. There were some remains of the moat that also kept intruders away from the castle (since destroyed) and its' citizens. Here's Ian peaking out from the top of one of the watch towers.

One of the most interesting things we saw today was a street known as The Shambles. It's a narrow street of shops where the buildings are literally leaning out into the street. Every building was crooked and sloped...I have no idea how the people live inside.

As we left the city to drive back to Navenby we came across the ruins of St. Mary's Abby...an old Norman abby destroyed during the reformation. It was in the middle of a beautiful park. As you walked along paths you could see random ruins, structures, and even stone coffins along the wayside.

Tomorrow is our last day in the country before we head for the wilds of London. We are going to try to make it to a Sacrament meeting in Lincoln before meeting up with a friend who will be giving us a guided tour of Lincoln Castle. Ian is already snoring away and I'm exhausted from a long day of sight-seeing.

Day Two

Still suffering from the effects of an overnight flight and the loss of 7 hours, we took it rather easy today. This morning we slept in until 10ish--possibly the longest nights sleep since having kids six+ years ago.

We joined Steve at the Cranwell military base and had lunch in the officers mess. It was slightly intimidating looking around the dining room at a bunch of Royal Air Force officers. We got some helpful information regarding the base from Steve's friend Malcolm and then spent a little time looking around. Even without any background knowledge of military operations in WWII or a love of planes I found it quite interesting.

The College at Cranwell

We then spent a little time walking around the village of Navenby. It is a tiny place but just full of amazing little houses. Instead of addresses they all have names. Maidenwell Cottage, Frogmore, and such.

There was an old church with a graveyard just a short walk from Steve's house. Most of the tombstones were unreadable and covered with ivy and moss.

This evening we went to an old 1930's theatre and watched the new Star Trek movie. I tend to be slightly anti-Star Trek but I'll tell you...if they'd done all the movies like this one I'd be hooked. The theatre was such fun...even if they don't sell popcorn. Someone needs to talk the british into freshly popped greasy popcorn. Yummy.

Day One

Twenty-four hours ago we left our children in the loving care of grandma and grandpa and boarded a plane. And now...twenty-four hours later we are still in the same clothes we left in and feeling a bit worse for wear but excited to be in the U.K.

We arrived at Heathrow airport around midday and picked up our little rental car to drive to the village of Navenby. Let me tell you...it's pretty crazy driving on the left side of the road. Thank heavens Ian was up for the challenge. (This picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea.)

We left the chaos of London and headed for the English countryside. We passed through several quaint little villages and I was in awe of how breathtakingly beautiful it is!

After a short detour (we got lost) we made it to Steve's house. He has a lovely house and set us up with our own bedroom/bathroom. How lucky are we? Tomorrow we'll do some real sight-seeing and try and get the most out of our few days here.

So far so good. We are exhausted but happy to be here.