Some New Feathered Friends

As I was unpacking and organizing in the kitchen yesterday afternoon, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I looked out of our front kitchen window, and there were three ducks waddling across our front yard. I called to Maddie and the two of us threw on some shoes and ran outside with the end of a loaf of bread.

Tim came and joined us, and the three of us stood there in our front yard, feeding the ducks. It was a lot of fun, and also a little weird seeing as how we were tossing the bread crumbs onto pavement instead of into a lake or something.

When we ran out of bread, we said "good-bye" to the ducks, and headed back inside. Well, the ducks didn't budge. They got quite comfortable laying in our grass and waiting for more. They were still there about an hour later when we had to leave in the car.

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but we have a stream that runs about 50 yards beyond our back yard. I suspect that these ducks were making their way to the river. I also suspect that this won't be the last we've seen of them!

A Day in the Life of Maddie

I blogged about Tim and his school last week, so now it's Maddie's turn!

Maddie turned 4 two weeks ago, and really seems to be maturing. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones speaking, but she just seems like such a big girl to me. Don't get me wrong, we still have our times of tantrums and foot-stomping, but overall, she seems to be becoming more independent, which is nice. I think the arrival of our belongings (and specifically, her dolls and toys) has helped with this. She loves to play "family" or "school" with her stuffed animals and dolls.

During the last week of February, we were able to get Maddie started in a pre-school on the base. She goes MWF mornings, which is just one morning more per week than what she was doing in the States. The pre-school is no Noah's Ark (her school back in MD), but as with Tim's school, it is very child-centered. Her favorite part about arriving at school is that they have a child-sized door as well as a door for the grown-ups. She's very proud to walk through her own door. The class is small... only 7 children, and there's one teacher, Miss Hannah, and an assistant.

Maddie just loves it. She's always excited to go, and always has a lot to tell me when I pick her up. Her favorite thing to do is go to the gross-motor room, which I guess is an indoor playground, with a curly slide and everything. She eats lunch there, and always brushes her teeth afterwards. It's so nice for her to have this time, and I am delighted to have some free time as well to go to the gym, go food shopping, etc.

We celebrated Maddie's birthday a couple of weekends ago at a place called the Wacky Warehouse. We've been in England for less than 2 months, but we've already been to the Wacky Warehouse 3 times! It's basically a big ball pit with climbing things, slides, etc. Maddie loves going, and hates leaving (this is when we see her lovely tantrums).

We invited our sponsor's two daughters, whom Maddie just loves to be with. It was a fun birthday for her!



Maddie's bedroom was the first one in the house to be unpacked. I was even able to find the wall stickers I bought at Lowe's before I left, to put up on her wall (we won't be painting at all while we're here, so I thought wall appliqués would be a nice alternative). Here are a few pictures of Maddie's room.

A Day of Antiuqing

A few Saturdays ago, our sponsor Mary invited me to join her and a group of people from base for an antiquing day. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get out of the house and meet some people. I also thought that I might look for a desk, as we left our secretary desk in storage back in the states.

The group met early that Saturday morning, as we had to travel almost 2 hours to the antique warehouse near the western coast of England. It was a nice drive overall, and I was glad to spend some time getting to know the other 3 women in the car.

The warehouse was incredible! It was wall-to-wall antiques. There were rows and rows of wardrobes, as well as dining sets, bedroom sets, desks, etc. I don't know how else to describe the furniture except that it was GRAND. Everything seemed to big and there were many pieces that were so ornate. There were also some really fun finds like this basket-woven motorcycle (this picture is for you, dadd), and a complete bar!

There were plenty of desks to choose from. I told myself that I wanted something that was functional and not too expensive. There were plenty of pieces that I couldn't open the drawers to, and so I didn't even consider them.

I found this desk, and just fell in love with it. All of the drawers opened, and it had a lot of slots for paperwork, bills, etc. There are no price tags on anything in the entire warehouse, so you have to get a quote from one of the two brothers who are running the business. I asked the first brother how much it was, and he said it was 185 pounds. I told him I'd think about it, as it was a little pricey. Well, a little while later I told the other brother that I'd like the desk. He told me it would be 285 pounds, not knowing what the first brother had quoted me. So, I was able to get the 185 price, and went away feeling like I got a good deal.

Now, we're just waiting for them to deliver it.


I hope to go back sometime before I leave to buy a hall tree. A hall tree is a stand that has hooks to hold coats and hats, and a shelf with a well to hold umbrellas, etc. There were a lot of them there, and they were really neat. We don't need one for our house here, but hopefully I can get one to bring back to use in the States.

Bishop Thornton Church of England Primary School

I've been meaning to blog for a while now about Timothy's experience at school. Sorry for the delay. Anyway, here you can see Tim all dressed up in his school uniform. All of the public school children wear uniforms, and from what I've seen, most are similar to this.... trousers (pants), polo shirt, and school jumper (sweatshirt). I think the girls have the option of wearing a skirt, too.

Anyway, we are thrilled with the school that we chose. Bishop Thornton is a small village just up the hill, and it's only about a 5 minute drive from our house. Tim gets to school around 8:55am, and I pick him up at 3:15. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, this school is VERY small.... only 22 students total, broken into 2 classrooms. Tim is in Class One, which includes children from Reception (pre-school) through Year 2 (first grade). There are only 8 students in this class, and Tim is the only Year 1 student (Kindergardener). Class One has a main teacher and two teacher assistants... not a bad teacher-to-student ratio! From what I understand, the main subjects like literacy and numeracy are taught in the morning, and the afternoon usually includes project work, outside time, etc.

Tim just loves school. When I picked him up the first day, he said, "I had a great day, Mom!" He often tells me how much fun he had at school, which is wonderful to hear. He has made friends with the other boys in his class, although he really misses his friend, Justin, back in Joppatowne.

Overall, I feel like his school experience isn't as structured as it was in the states. This school seems to be very open and flexible, which of course wouldn't be possible with a larger group of students. I'm really pleased with the individualized education he is getting. He is working with the older students in math and even some reading, which is great. But mostly, I'm so glad that school is fun for him. There's no doubt that this school is child-centered. The classroom itself is kid-heaven! The room is broken into centers: reading center, computer center (including a smart board that the students are allowed to play with), building center (with blocks, puzzles, and unusual building toys), etc. When Maddie and I went to visit one afternoon, there was a kiddie pool filled with bubbly water and lot of toys to play with. The class also has a playground right outside that is an extension of the classroom, where there are more things to learn from/play with out there. It's just great.

After the first week, Tim received an award for "Settling into School Well." And he has... He's even starting to develop a British accent already. Actually, it's not so much an accent as it is his intonation when asking a question. My plan is working.... :)

5 Smiley Faces

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed in some of my friends back home. I sent off a mass-email to all of you the other day, and signed off with 5 smiley faces. I thought I'd get all of these emails back from you nosy women (you know who you are) asking if I was pregnant. I didn't get one response... not one.

Anyway, if you didn't figure out my BIG clue, or if you haven't spoken with my mother recently, the big news is that we're expecting!

We found out that we were pregnant just one week before we flew to England. I went to see Dr. Lenowitz in mid-January, not to see if I was pregnant, but to see why I wasn't getting pregnant. He sent me to get blood work to make sure that I was ovulating, and he also "snuck in" a pregnany test without me knowing. Surprise!!!

The first month here was very difficult. I felt sick as a dog. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that it was due to the apartment we were staying in... being in a cramped space, and not getting much fresh air. Also, we were eating out all the time, which would normally be wonderful, but it was hard to find food that was really familiar. Even the soda is different here. They make it with sugar instead of corn syrup, which leaves an unfamiliar after-taste in your mouth. Ick! What I would do for a caffeine-free Pepsi right now!!!!

Since moving into our house, I've been feeling a lot better. The house is very spacious, and it's good to be preparing our own meals again.

So, I'm anywhere between 10-12 weeks along right now, and am due sometime towards the end of September/beginning of October. I already have a baby-belly, and have been wearing nothing but sweats for weeks now. (By the way, if there are any friends out there who have more up-to-date maternity clothes, and would be willing to ship them to me, I would gladly pay for your shipping, and return them when I'm done.)

We are all very excited, and are constantly reminded of how good God is. We were hoping that a third child would be part of His plan for us to be here, as I won't have to work during these three years. God is good.

I saw a doctor just yesterday for the first time. She used the time to inform me of some of the differences that there are to prenatal care here in England. The biggest difference so far seems to be that I will be cared for by a mid-wife for the duration of my pregnancy. I will have my first appointment with Isabel (my mid-wife) next week. I'll be sure to keep all of you not-as-nosy-as-I-thought friends informed.

A Frosty-Fog

The day that we moved into our house, there was a very dense fog everywhere. The fog apparently stayed over night, and by the next morning, everything was covered in frost. It looked completely magical... so difficult to capture on film.

Here, you can see the view of the field across the street from our house. I also took an up-close picture to show you that it indeed is frost, and not snow. Cool, huh?

Back in the 21st Century

Oh, it's good to be back.

Sorry for the complete lack of blogs for the past 2 and a half weeks. I'd like to say that things have been crazy, but actually, it's been the opposite.

We moved in on the 19th of February to one big, and very empty house. Later that day, we received a delivery of beds, sheets, army blankets, and pillows from the base, along with a kitchen table and chairs and a small sofa set. We were also able to borrow some kitchen items like plates, cups, utensils, microwave, etc. from the Family Support Center on base. The only thing we really lacked was towels... not one in the house. Thankfully, my friend Kelly came to the rescue, and lent us towels and some real blankets.

Tim started school that same day. He's doing great so far, and his teachers say he's "brilliant!" Maddie also started pre-school last week. I'll blog more about their schools another time.

Upon moving in, we quickly discovered that our new "mobile" gets no reception in our house. We literally had to drive down the street to make a call or check messages. We had to wait a week for our phone land-line. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that first dial tone.

In this area, you have to wait to get your land-line before you can order cable or internet. We ordered it the next day, of course. We were told that someone would be here on Monday the 3rd to set up the cable. So on Monday, even though I spoke to three different people telling them that I had to pick up my daughter around noon, I received a call from the installers at 12:06 saying that I wasn't here when they came, and to call to reschedule (You see?...some things are the same as in the States!). I was literally crying on the phone to the cable-lady. She didn't know what to do with me.

Anyway, they rescheduled for Thursday the 6th, and we now have cable!!! The children were so happy to see some of their favorite shows, like Backyardigans and Max & Ruby. The funny thing is, all the characters have British accents!! :)

Ethan was away all week at a conference in a city called Cheltenham (about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here). His week went great, and he was able to see co-workers from the states, which was really nice for him.

The kids and I had a nice week together. We celebrated Maddie's 4th birthday on Tuesday with a cake and presents from family. (We will have a small party for her tomorrow with a few friends, too!)

Ethan came home early from his conference to be here yesterday (Friday) because our stuff from the states was being delivered! They were here with their 40 foot truck at 8:15 am, and they were gone before noon. What bliss it was seeing box after box being brought into the house. The kids were so excited to see their toys that they have been without for nearly two months! We barely made a dent unpacking yesterday.... I have a feeling this will take weeks, if not months!! Oh, but it was so nice going to sleep last night in our own bed, with our own sheets, and my own pillow!!!!

As far as we can tell, everything is accounted for. We only had a few casualties... a leg broke off of Tim's dresser, the bottom of our computer desk got damaged, and a leg broke off of one of our dining chairs. Not bad for such a long journey.

And, because everything happens at once, we also got hooked up to the internet yesterday. It's official.... we are back into the 21st century... and it feels great!