The Godard Family

Dear snow, why do you hate me?

2012-01-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

I've said it once, and I'll say it again.

Snow and I, we don't get along. In fact, I'd say we are enemies.

Blame it on my Floridian upbringing or dead inner child...who knows.

All I know is, snow has it out for me
and has been stalking me with a vengence the last 3 years.

This year's proof...

It followed me to Washington!

I was told it didn't snow much here....psshhh.

We apparently got the worst snow storm WA has had in like 30 years.

What the heck?!

When we lived in Maryland, there was "Snowmageddon"
...the worst snow they had in years.

Then it followed me to England.

England, people!

That first winter we were in the UK, they had record snow and ice.

Why does Mother Nature hate me?

Nerd Fest

2012-01-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

The boys decided to have themselves a little nerd fest
the other night with Ben's Santa gift.

It is basically the "big boy" version of Legos.

...Except you can build robots and stuff with the pieces.

Like I said,

Nerd. Fest.

We start the geek training young at our house.

The finished product.

This time they made a car.

And here are the boys reaping the rewards of their hard work...

watching it drive around on the floor!

Welcome to Seattle!

2012-01-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to update, but life has been getting in the way...

Anywho, we made over from England to Washington in one piece!

So far, we are really enjoying it here (now that we don't have jet lag).

Until we find a house, we are living near Ben's work, about 20 min. from Seattle.

The boys are trying to grasp that we are in a different continent now.

Nate is adjusting to not having school (at the moment), and so am I to be honest.

Spencer has been having some personal "adjusting moments" of his own...
in the form of tantrums.

Ben is looooving his new job though, so it is all worth it.

When we first move to a new place, we always try to get out and explore.

The first places we visited were the Museum of Flight
and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle!

Sorry for the blurriness....my camera died, so I had to use my camera phone.

I apparently have not mastered the art of picture-taking on it yet.

Now on to the Pacific Science Center...

This is what happens when you try to take a photo of a child with an attitude and agenda all his own.

I like to call them "Jesus Dinosaurs"....since they can apparently walk on water.

The museum is right next to the Seattle Space Needle.

Fun times at the water tables.

One of the "other" dinos that can't walk on water.

They've apparently also captured the guy from that 80's movie, "The Fly" for the kids to point at and mock.
(yes, Spencer points with his middle finger)

Spence taking on a giant mantis!

If you are squeamish, look away....

...these were giant cockroaches. Yummy.

Nate held one for a second,
then decided he'd been grossed out enough for one day.

More fun boy toys.

The one part I actually really enjoyed was the butterfly sanctuary.

They fly all over the place and some even land on you.

I kept waiting and waiting for one, but wasn't so lucky.

Guess I need to work on smelling more like rotten fruit?

And then we had some lunch before heading home...

Delicious, no?...Ok ok just kidding...

This isn't from the museum cafe.
Just a little display of some insect dishes from around the world.

So far...we are fans of Seattle!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

We kept Christmas pretty simple this year because of the move,

but we made sure to do the "essentials" for the boys

while in temporary housing...

Guess who ate our cookies and milk?!

(no...it wasn't housekeeping)

We have a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve (for the kids),

and these awesome slippers were this year's.

A touching moment shared between Storm Troopers on Christmas day.

And the only video we took of Christmas morning!

What!?

Santa brought a Pirate Ship and a Giant Bumblebee Transformer.

(note to self: talk to Santa about re-thinking these transformers

since mommy is the one actually having to "transform" them 24/7...

and doesn't know what she is doing).

All Aboard!

2011-12-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

The last thing we did before we moved from England

was to take the boys on the steam-powered "Santa" Train.

I must admit that we weren't feeling all that Christmasy this year without being

able to decorate with anything but boxes,

so this was our last attempt to get into the spirit of things...

Santa and his elves visited each box car and gave each child their own gift.

The boys LOVED it!

We love "Santa's" steam train!

Belated Greetings

2011-12-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

We are alive!

We have in fact made it back to America in one piece...

but with all the craziness of the move,

we did not get out a Christmas card this year.

So here is the best we could do for the moment.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
We look forward to hearing from you!

life lately

2011-12-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

London Town

2011-12-01T00:23:00.001-08:00

During the 3 day weekend for Thanksgiving, we decided to take one last trip down to London before we make the big move across the pond in a week!

1.waiting for the train to London, 2.giant Lego Christmas tree at King’s Cross station, 3.Harry Potter platform, 4.outside our hotel next to the London Eye, 5.Harrod’s, 6.another Lego masterpiece at Harrod’s, 7.Big Ben and little Ben, 8.Parliament at night!

Buckingham Palace

We went to see the famous “Changing of the Guard,”

but unfortunately they weren’t doing it because of some issue…grrr!

1.Palace guard in his winter uniform, 2.Palace gates, 3.how we got around, 4.the guy who invented Wellies?, 5-6.Sherlock Holmes Museum, 7.Santa, 8.carnival ride

We happened upon the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland…

it was a German-run carnival in the middle of the park.

Once the boys saw it, there was no turning back!

Here we are getting them their first cotton candy.

Can you see the enjoyment on their faces?

Don’t think they’ll be having the ‘candy floss’ again any time soon!

Last sunset by the London Eye before we head home to our hotel for the night and back to Yorkshire the next morning.

Bye for a while London! Thanks for showing us a good time.

We will be back again some day…

Birthday Boy

2011-11-29T02:38:00.000-08:00

We started the day off with donuts (at Spencer’s request)…
(these are extra special ones from Krispy Kreme.
England doesn't really do donuts well, but at least they have these imports!)

Mmmm…nom nom nom.Then we opened gifts that same morning. I was going to have him wait until later, but Ben being the softy that he is, let Spence open them first thing so he could play with them the whole day! What a guy.

Then after the birthday extravaganza and much later after the turkey dinner….

we had cake and ice cream!

Ok, so Spence requested a Lego cake this year. (ahem...those are supposed to be giant Legos). For some reason the frosting decided to be lame, which resulted in a cake FAIL. So Ben had a great idea to plop some real Legos in the middle to “distract” from the umm…awesomeness of the cake. I think it worked because Spencer didn’t cry when he saw it.

Lighting of the candles and singing of Birthday song…

and may I just note...that no,

we don’t wear pajamas ALL day (contrary to what these images suggest).

Here is Spencer mocking my cake decorating skills. Just kidding.

I tried putting a bib on Spence to “limit” the amount of destruction and mayhem, but he wasn’t having it.

He is a big 3 year-old now, after all.

…And this is how we roll at the Godard house.

Who needs forks when you can use your fists!

Lovely.

2011-11-23T03:11:00.001-08:00

Happy ~~Turkey~~ Birth Day!

Guess who’s Birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year?!

More pics of the festivities to come…

The invasion

2011-11-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd let Will Ferrell (a.k.a. Neil Diamond)

update anyone who doesn't know of our recent invasion plans....

That's right!

The Godards will be back in the Motherland for good this December!

Be afraid...be very afraid.

(and there are more of us this time....muwahaha)

Guy Fawkes Night

2011-11-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Guy Fawkes Night here in England!

We didn't make it to the Stray to see the giant bonfire and fireworks last year,

but we figured we should this time...

since it will probably be our last chance before we move home.

So we donned our wellies and headed out into the cold to check it all out.

The boys really enjoyed it...until they got cold and wanted to go home.

Bonfire...ehhh, fireworks..they've seen better,

glowsticks...highlight of the evening!

And here we are at the end of an eventful

and Fawkesy evening.

Halloween and stuff

2011-10-27T06:04:00.001-07:00

They wanted to be skeletons this year.

Well, I guess I should say that Nate did,

and of course Spencer wanted to be his carbon copy....

so I obliged.

Little oinkers.

Have a Happy Halloween!

life lately

2011-10-18T03:13:00.000-07:00

And since several of you have asked how the boys have taken our recent news,

here is how they have been coping...

..You might notice that Spencer has been depicted in a larger number of photos.

That might just be because he has had a little harder time

with the news than Nate.

But overall, they are excited and happy!

Version 3.0

2011-10-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Harvest Festival

2011-10-03T02:51:00.000-07:00

This week is Harvest Festival in England!

It is very similar to Thanksgiving in the U.S.,
except there is no giant meal that you pig out on.

You basically give thanks for the crops that have been harvested that year

and give to the poor in your community.

Nate had a little assembly at the village church this morning for Harvest Festival.

(unfortunately no pictures of him or video due to poor planning on my part)

The children sang songs about the Harvest and gave thanks to God.

They even said a prayer...yes, in school!

The children also showed what they had harvested themselves that year

(a result of being a tiny country school, they grow their own vegetables!)

So Happy Pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Festival to you all back home!

Long time no post

2011-09-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

What we've been up to...

- Nate is back in school (hallelujah)!

- Spence is enjoying much more Mommy time and "Timmy Time"

(British kid shows are the best).

- Grandma and Grandpa Godard came to visit all the way from America!

- Nate got his first bee sting (at school) and was a rockstar about it,

according to his teacher.

- Playing outisde whenever the sun appears.

- And acquiring mud stains from said playing outside,

causing pantless pirates to appear in the house.

First day of school! First day of school!

2011-09-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

Nate was so excited to start school again this year!

(very different story from the start of last year)

He will be in Year 1 this time around.

Which I guess it's equivalent to the U.S. 1st grade.

Now, if we could just work on "natural" smiles this year...

♪♫ Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...♫♪

This one's for you Dad...

2011-09-05T03:23:00.000-07:00

well, sort of.

We recently helped host a friend's little boy's birthday party
(lots of possessive apostrophe dropping here),

and I got to make my very first ever

piñata!

And since the theme was a "Lil' Man Mustache Bash,"

the only appropriate object was, well, a giant mustache!

So thanks Dad,

for staying up late after long days at work,

year after year,

pain-stakingly making us piñatas for our birthdays!

I loved watching you do it and thanks to you,

now I'm crazy enough to attempt making one of my own!

A little bit of cardboard, some paper mache...

and tons and tons of yellow crepe paper
(plus hours of cutting till your fingers are crippled into a claw),

and you've got yourself a mustache!

And just in case you aren't as enamored of the piñata as me,

here are some more images from the day...

{image has been censored for delicate viewers who are not partial to statue bums.}

You. are. welcome.

The gang.

Dade, the birthday boy!

And then the beating of my poor little mustache commenced...

Who would think that such small people, could create so much carnage...

The aftermath and demise of the mustache.

And the collecting of said mustache contents.

Animals, I tell you.

Animals.

Beamish

2011-08-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Some friends of ours suggested Beamish Living Museum this weekend,

so we went out for an adventure...

It is in the Durham area, which used to be a coal mining town...

Here is Ben and friends checking out one of the coal factories.

ice cream. enough said.

Tea anyone?

Lovely lady making scones for the tea spread...

gardens...

It's true. I bet you didn't know.

Ready for school! (I wish)

It totally reminded me of something from Anne of Green Gables.

Except I'm bummed I didn't get to act out any slate breaking scenes
over Ben's head while I was there.

(go here at minute 1:49).

Maybe next time.

Waiting in the queue...

for this old bloke.

Nate was excited to be 'a top the double decker tram...

as was Spence.

See....I AM in pictures some times!

Mmmmm, candy.

Here is a nice shopkeeper explaining about how they played football
back in the day, and how the football cleats worked.

She said because the balls were made of thin leather,

if it rained (which in England it inevitably does),

you could break your foot kicking the ball when it was waterlogged.

Awesome.

Come again? Could someone explain "medical gymnastics" to me?
It sounds amazing.

This one's for you dental Dan!

Old dentist tools and chair.

I think I'd rather have my teeth rot out, thank you.

No foot powered drills for me.

Yes, those are teeth.

Some Victorian era rooms...

That steam train left a nice cloud of smoke for those people on the bridge.

I bet they loved it.

Ummm yeah, we caved and let the boys take a spin
on the carousel before we left.

...and yes, I am sooo mature that I went on it with them.

Good times.

p.s.- check out Spencer's awesome face.

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Holy Shmokes! My sister had a baby yesterday!
I was going to wait to post pics until Audrey and Dan did,

but this one is already out there, so I guess it is ok?

(plus I am bad at waiting)

Congratulations!

Two lovely ladies!

Snapshots of Summatime

2011-08-17T00:31:00.001-07:00

Dennis the Menace

2011-08-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

I went to pull out Spencer's hand-me-down overalls to wear the other morning,

and sadly realized that this is probably the last time he will ever wear them.

He's had a little growth spurt recently, and now they are too short for him.

The nostalgic mom in me decided to snap a few pics.

R.I.P. little boy overalls.

You were well-loved and worn to prove it.

When he wears these, he totally reminds me of

Dennis the Menace...

He's got the blond hair and mischievous grin (and brain) to prove it.

Here is a little clip from the movie, that I love.

Best. movie. ever.

Don't judge.

this week…

2011-08-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

lots of movie watching going on…

apparently the summer is prime for “Despicable Me” marathons.

HELP. ME.

Fruitarians

2011-07-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

We done gone berry pickin'!

And after 3 buckets full of
strawberries and raspberries....

we've also become Fruitarians
(except for Ben who is anti-fruit.)

We also had a little session of
Berry Picking 101
(little person edition)

step 1: Do not squish berries between fingers
or throw them on ground and smash them
(no matter how cool it feels)
Step 2: Do not throw berries at brother
(or rocks for pete's sake!)

Step 3: Red = deliciousity, white = gag reflex

Step 4: Fight urge to collect rocks, instead of berries
(that kid seriously has an obsession)
aaannnndd drum roll.......
Course completed!
You have just survived your first ever berry picking!

We found some unusually territorial ducks on our way out...

and here is Spencer getting ready to do a football tackle into the ducks...no lie.
I had to put down the camera and run after him.

Some random fields near the berry patch.

And the loot we brought home.

So, what does one do with so much fruit you ask?

Whelp,
(first hide it from Ben before he faints...hehe)...

then after "carefully" preparing the berries,

you make strawberry freezer jam...

and...

a ginormous raspberry cobbler!

Then eat and enjoy!

(And invite a "royal" house guest to the meal as Nate has done.)

life lately

2011-07-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

1. Harrogate 2. Smart Car 3-4. Pannal 5-6. York 7-10. National Train Museum 11-12. Back garden

It is just barely the start of the summer holiday for us here,

as Nate's last day of school was Friday!

We decided to celebrate a little by taking the train down to York this weekend.

We went with the intention of seeing Barley Hall's display,

Hamlet to Hollywood: Fashion from Film.

(They have the costumes worn in Pride & Prejudice, Downton Abbey,

Larkrise to Candelford, and more.)

But sadly, they were not open...lesson learned.

So, we made the most of it and took the boys to the

National Train Museum instead.

Au Revoir France

2011-07-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Le Mont St.-Michel

My crazy possessed children, right where they belong.

view from the back.

Nate wanted to take Mont Michel home.

Maybe next time, buddy.

The last place we visited in France was the American WW II Memorial
at Omaha Beach in Normandy.

It was America's Independence Day that weekend,

so it was a perfect spot to end our trip.

It was such a beautiful place.

Not only physically, but because of the sacrifices made there.

Words can't express what it means that these individuals were willing to give up their bright futures,

dying so young,

so that people like me and my children

could have a future where freedom and liberty were valued above all else.

I truly loved France and I will miss it.

It has a rustic beauty and charm that I will always love.

It now holds a special little spot in my heart next to England.

♥

Almost Adieu

2011-07-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to just get it over with,

and finish the last few pictures from France

(and I use "few" lightly).

We stayed at an Abbey called the "Hotel Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud."

{pictured in the back left}

here is our balcony...

...and the view below.

We ate breakfast at those little tables down there the last morning.

My children woke up the entire Abbey, no doubt.

Then we walked around the Abbey the next day and stopped by the Cathedral.

Here is gramps.

(apparently we are related to King Richard's son, John)

This one's for you, Linda...

The BIGGEST thistles I've ever seen!

They were easily over my head.

I pretty much felt a compulsive need to photograph every French vineyard I saw.

So, enjoy the next few shots...

French countryside = vineyards and sunflowers.

If we didn't see a vineyard,

we were sure to see a field of sunflowers.

Chinon.

{A Joan of Arc tourist spot}

...with amazing views!

And in case you were wondering what a photo with a scowling Ben would look like,

here you go!

{p.s.- I'll do my last France post tomorrow...promise}

A break from France

2011-07-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

You are probably tired of hearing about France,

so here is something to break up the posting.

Nate just got his first ever Report from school!

I realize that this probably won't interest anyone other than me and Ben,

but I am posting this to at least document it for myself and Nate.

Here are his marks (or check marks I guess).

He did a great job!

He only scored below in writing (so we'll work on that this summer),

and in "Knowledge and Understanding of the World."

???

Guess we need to invest in a globe,

although his teacher said he had great knowledge of his"home country",

whatever that means.

He scored above his age in "Problem Solving, Numeracy & Reasoning."

Hmmm...possible future architect here?

(He just won't know where he is building anything.)

He even got a little note from the Head Teacher!

Way to go Nate...we're so proud of you.

You survived your first year of school!

Chateau Chenonceau

2011-07-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

These kinds of fancy French Chateaus

were part of the reason for the French Resistance...

There were tons of little swallows flying around the Chateau.

See their little mud homes?

And I appropriately (and inadvertently) wore my swallow shirt that day!

Bored boys waiting around for everyone to meet up.

Good thing there are nice views.

One of the many corridors in the Chateau.

I liked this one.

His fancy pants family were one of the many owners of the Chenonceau.

The grounds had a really cool maze that the boys loved running through.

Here is Ben trying to find them.

The Ever After Castle

2011-07-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

{a.k.a. Chateau d'Amboise}

in the Loire Valley.

The "real" Ever After Castle.

It was where Leonardo DaVinci spent the last years of his life,

at the invitation of King of France, Francois I.

The gorgeous grounds...

The start of many vineyards to come...

Part of the amazing view from the castle.

French village below...

(can you spot the nun?)

someone's yard I liked...

The church on the castle grounds where Leonardo DaVinci was buried...

I love the way stained glass reflects light. So beautiful!

Leo's grave.

We headed back to town to get the car and move on to see Leonardo's house...

"Godard" is a French name...and they even spelled it with one 'D'!

Exciting.

We've arrived at Leonardo's home at the last 3 years of his life,

Le Close Luce.

Leonardo and the King Francois I, were close friends.

Francois invited him to live at Close Luce

near his palace to stay and work for him.

This painting hangs next to Leonardo's bed.

Francois and Leonardo had become so close,

it is said that the King held Leonardo's head in his hands as he died.

The museum had a great seek and find game for kids.

(which is what the papers they are holding are)

Nate really got into it.

Leonardo was crazy smart and they displayed life-size recreations of many of his

inventions all over the grounds outside his home.

The boys had a blast...

here they are in Leonardo's version of "the tank."

He was a man truly ahead of his time!

Amboise

2011-07-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Next stop, Amboise

{Loire Valley}

{view from the dining room at the hotel}

The Novotel, Amboise hotel even had an infinity edge pool! Swanky!

Sadly, we did not have time to swim in it.

It looked gorgeous at dusk though....

with the water vanishing into the horizon.

These hot air balloons spontaneously appeared while we were eating dinner.

They must have known I would be there!

Another beautiful view of Amboise from the hotel restaurant.

Some after-dinner entertainment for the little people.

My first glacé (ice cream) in France!

So. delicious.

And here we have my mom, photobombing my shot!

Bienvenue Parc Disneyland Paris

2011-07-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Paris (day 3)

2011-07-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Day 3 was our last day in Paris. Sniff Sniff.

We stopped by to see Napoleon's handiwork...the

Arc de Triomphe!

All of Napoleon's Generals are honored on the Arc.

It was much bigger in person than I was expecting.

(see how tiny the people look next to it?)

Then we did a little shopping on the Champs-Élysées.

I've heard it is beautiful at night when it is all lit up toward the Arc.

Sigh...guess I'll have to make another trip to Paris since I missed it.

It's the only logical solution.

and that is Al Fin for Paris!

Paris (day 2 continued...)

2011-07-12T02:10:00.000-07:00

We started off most of our days

(as any self-respecting chocoholic would)

with Pain au chocolat!

I am drooling just remembering it.

Then we headed over to the metro...

to visit the Louvre!

inside the museum.

Just a shot of us being dorks with the camera.

some of the artwork.

super fancy ceilings...

After the Louvre had enough of us,

we hurried over to Pont Neuf.

Ben had a special "meeting" with Jason Bourne.

and here is Jason, scoping Ben out...

After top secret stuff,

we made a stop by Notre Dame Cathedral.

Quasimodo was not there...sad.

it WAS stunning though!

Paris (day 2)

2011-07-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed the architecture....

as you will see in the RIDONKULOUS amount of photos I took!

A massive gate.

I had too keep pinching myself that I was really...finally...in PARIS!!!

I would look out our balcony from time to time, just to make sure the
Eiffel Tower was still there.

(yep, I'm a nutter).

I just couldn't believe I was here!

When we would walk around the city,

you would just be passing by a random street, and

BAM!

The Eiffel Tower would appear.

It was awesome!

I was like, "Oh, hello old friend!" every time it popped up.

Day 2, after exploring some more of the city,
we had tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the evening.

One little piece of advice from me to you...

DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, no matter how starving and desparate you are...

EVER order a hot dog at the Eiffel Tower!

It will not be a good experience.

No joke.

(not like I did that or anything)

A view from the top!

Paris in all her glory!

Sunset at the Eiffel...

and the version with people.

After our ~~sweaty and somewhat smelly~~ trip to the top of the Tower
(due to others...promise!),

we decided to treat ourselves to some fantastical French dessert...
at a Parisian restaurant.

We sat outside in what I like to call "Stadium seating."

The French like to watch stuff while they eat,

so the seats were all facing out toward the street like....well....stadium seating!

Crème Brûlée

One word to describe it...
scrummy
(and in Amber translation...A combintation of "scrumptious" and "yummy," used to convey that deep, satisfied pleasure that comes after you finish something)

And here is my "deer in the headlights shot" for your viewing pleasure.

You can thank red-eye correction for that my friends!

A night in Paris

2011-07-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

I had to give this one its own separate post because

~~I took a bazillion photos and couldn't fit them all in the same post~~ Paris is so beautiful at night.

At about 11pm every night,

the Eiffel Tower would sparkle for about 5 minutes.

I was just looking out the balcony at the Tower the first night,
and when it happened, it startled me.

I think I let out an audible gasp.

Here is a little video...it is not the best quality,

but it at least gives you an idea of what it was like in person.

Paris (day 1)

2011-07-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

I accidentally posted the wrong day first...so here is my second attempt.

We arrived in Paris soon after getting off the Chunnel

to our new temporary home for the next few days,

at the Hotel Duquesne Eiffel.

We left the kids in the ample care of the Grandparents,

and made a beeline for the door.

No...not really.

But we were happy to have a "kid-free" break for a few days for sure.

It was right in the center of Paris,
just a couple blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.

It. was. amazing.

Here is what our room looked like inside if you are interested...

I loved these vintage photographs taken when the Eiffel Tower was first being built.

View from our hotel room balcony...

A better view from the balcony with the doors open.

Out and about in Paris...day 1.

Castle Combe

2011-07-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

After Bath, we stopped by Castle Combe,

in the Cotswolds area (a.k.a. the "Heart of England").

There were a bunch of old people just chilaxin' at the pub,

watching everyone walk by...

(and me do an illegal 3-point turn when I got to a dead end street,

which happened to be right in front of them...the entertainment for the day I guess!)

I loved these doors.

Another beautiful little village in England...

Bath Time!

2011-07-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Alright kiddies...

are you ready for the longest series of posts ever?!

Here. we. go.

On our little road trip over to France,

we stopped by Bath before jumping on the Chunnel.

This is "The House."

Such an imaginative name, isn't it?

The lady running it actually used to live in Harrogate where we live now,
so she liked us.

Happy face.

They had nice grounds that the boys went crazy on them

since we had been cooped up in a car ALL day.

Nate enjoyed this hammock...

...but had trouble getting out.

And here is the city of Bath itself!

We stopped by the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms,

that Bath is famous for.

They had these little phone guide thingys for kids (and adults).

The boys really enjoyed them...

Listening...

...and more listening.

I tried to get a shot of the steam rising off the baths...can you see it?

I imagine it was the closest thing to a hot tub the Romans could get.

And we end with the Royal Crescent.

Any Jane Austen fans should recognize this....
several film adaptations of her work were filmed in this spot in Bath.

I ♥ Bath!

(I also visited the Jane Austen centre,
but you'll have to visit my other blog for that)

More to come...when I get more time!

Pretty in Pink

2011-06-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the 80's reference. I couldn't help it.

My little sister came to visit us this week

and it just happened to be her birthday!
Did someone say partaaay?

Oooo and why not enjoy some more 80's with this song and video?!
YES, you say?...Ok, ok...calm down. Here it is!

We threw her a little "girly" shindig

(a.k.a. proper English tea party)

Here is a little bit from our day...

Pom Poms are for the cool kids.

And now an artsy Pom Pom close-up.

the spread + Andrea.
(isn't she such a cute little 19 year old?!)

Belgian Triple Chocolate Muffins.
(We don't mess around in my house).

Mini quiche = a must.
(they totally look burnt, but they were not...ahem)

The cake.

Mmmmmm...ruffles.

Happy Birthday Andrea!
Thanks for indulging me..I hope you had a blast!

When Kites Attack

2011-06-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly.

It was a lovely breezy afternoon like any other.

The boys were happily frolicking with their kites.

And then it happened...

Exhibit A:

What caused this unprovoked attack will remain a mystery.

But word to the wise...

watch your back the next time you use a kite!

They can be vicious.

The rock hunt and other adventures...

2011-06-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

One thing you need to know about Spencer is

that he LOVES rocks.

Any time we go out, it turns into a rock hunt...

Umm...those are a bit large for your pockets buddy...

Contemplating and lamenting the loss.

Those would have been an excellent addition to his collection, he thought.

These guys often cruise around the block.

The boys love it when they pass by, so I thought I'd snap a pic.

Sorry, I didn't get the camera out fast enough.

So you get a nice bum shot.

Taking time from rock hunting to smell the roses...or peonies, in this case.

A conquest at last!

In to the pockets they go!

He was quite successful on this outing.

Can you see the concentration in those little fingers?

And now for some random flower photos...

I liked this one because it was just growing out of the rocks.

That is one hard core flower.

I liked this laundry line, that's all.

I'm sure my neighbors would appreciate me taking photos of their clothes,
don't you?

These cool flowers change colors all season long.
I think they are orange since I took the photo.

I want one!

Then later that day,

we went to Valley Gardens.

All the roses were in bloom.

My sweet little man likes to pick flowers for me.

I usually tell him I like the "yellow ones" (a.k.a. dandelions) in our yard.

He doesn't know they are weeds.

Free labor never hurt anyone, right?

This is a very important place.

This is where I get the ice cream.

And we end with a picnic...

before the bananas got all smashed in the blanket.

Ahhh, memories.

Holy Birthday Batman! Nate turned 5!

2011-06-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

We started off the festivities with SPRINKLE pancakes!

The lucky dog got school off for his birthday

since it happened to fall on a term break!
(we are still in school here).

He wanted a
"Superhero Birthday."
So here is what we did...

I went with a vintage comic book theme.
We just did a family party this year, which took a lot of pressure off.
I still decided to do fun decorations and games though
so he would feel extra special.

(But mostly because I am a dork and boy birthdays are SO fun!)

We had a ton of left-over boxes, so we decided to put them to good use...

(besides taking up space in the laundry room corner, that is).

Comic book bunting.

I can't take credit for this idea...

but it was too awesome to pass up!

The beverage of champions...or superheros in this case.

Nate saw these when we were looking for party ideas,

and decided we should make them for the kids in his class at school.

They were a big hit.

This is how Spiderman rolls at our house.

Chillin' in front of the tube.

Present time!

These are genuine smiles people!

Enjoy them while they last...

they are sure to be a rarity in future pictures.

Hamming it up for the camera.

Super Nate can leap over buildings in a single bound!

Here is Spence's effort.

He preferred the HULK method of "Smashing" them instead.

Then we decided to be like Godzilla and knock them all down.

Just.....Lovely.

...And in honor of Nate's birthday,

and for the sweet love of (1960's) Batman,

enjoy this "vintage" montage of Robin's awesomeness!

Holy Happy Birthday

Super Nate!

We sure love you!

Wax was I thinking?

2011-06-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can thank my nerdiness for that post title.

See, we have this little boy who happens to be turning 5 next week...

and I did a genius thing, GENIUS I tell you!

And I made a promise...

I promised him that we would take him to see

the Wax Superheros at Madame Tussaud's in London.

He wanted a Superhero Birthday this year, so it seemed like a great idea.

We were already going down to London town to see my sister
(who is on a study abroad),

so I figured what was the big deal?

And then I found out...

wax people

lots of real smelly people

(packed like sardines)

a less than "super" experience

Don't get me wrong, ALL the boys loved it.

But they made you wait until the end of the whole museum before you could see
the Superheros,

which is a looooong time when that is the only reason you really came

and you literally have to SQUEEZE your way through to get there.

Where were those babies when we needed to get through the crowds?!

Notice how Ben seems to be having just as much fun as Nate...winky wink.

Happy Birthday Super Nate!

And farewell Madame Tussaud's...
get some air fresheners or at least open a window!

p.s.- More from London later and birthday stuff!

Harewood Kite Festival

2011-05-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

We wanted to go back and visit the Harewood House the other weekend

(since we ran out of time last time)...

And to our surprise

(and lack of preparation),

they were holding a Kite Festival!

This was one of my favorites because it was so random.

See the little fish swimming behind him?!

The beautifully manicured grounds of the Harewood.

Here is Nate posing with his greatest accessory....

the cheese grin.

No Nate photo is complete without one!

See....I told you.

View from the balcony. Check out those rolling hills.

I need to pull a Jane Austen and run through them some time.

Pwetty Pwetty flowers.

Inside the Harewood...Nate trying on the "servant" garb.

Look at your own risk.....

Apparently these next couple photos are illegal because after I took them
(yeah, I said AFTER)

the museum staff lady said, "Oh, just so you know, we don't allow photos."

Thanks for telling me! (sarcasm intended)

You scrolled down to see them...you are sooooo naughty!

Don't stare too long...your retinas may burn out!

They had the coolest vintage kitchen...umm...stuff.

Some posh cricket players as we were leaving.

I love that they play in knitted WHITE sweaters.

So very English.

Bubble Toes

2011-05-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Channeling my inner Jack Johnson today....

I just

LOVE

these chubby little

Bubble Toes.

Parlez vous francais?

2011-05-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

We are going on our first "big" trip next month to France.
I'm super excited about it, but also super nervous.
It will be a lot of firsts for me.
First time in a foreign-speaking country for starters!
(p.s.- I don't speak French)
We went out and bought a little Paris Travel guide, a French phrase book, and a language CD.

This is about how my progress is going so far...

After watching the video below, I think I might need a "translator" too...

that,
or a tiny little French person
who sits on my shoulder and tells me what to say.

Oui?!

forgotten videos

2011-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I meant to post these "old" videos a while back, but I guess I forgot....enjoy!

DISCLAIMER:

The following videos may not appeal to individuals

who are not of the grandparent kind.

You have been warned.

(but frankly, my kids are a little nuts...

so there is some form of entertainment here,

if you are brave enough)

No room for sissies with Spence around.

Enter crazy two year-old imagination....Wow.

1940's weekend!

2011-05-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

We got to travel back in time at this awesome 40's Festival.

I love the 1940's, so it was a must!

The whole village (and visitors) dress up. They have re-enactments from WWII,

like a Winston Churchill speech, an evacuation, an RAF Flypast, vintage cars,

dancing and even singers.

Oh yeah, and you can arrive by steam train!

It. was. so. fun.

I took a bazillion pictures and a couple videos, so proceed if you dare.

(I will make as few comments as possible, if you have as short of an attention span like I do)....

Old Train Station in Ingrow.

It still had the vintage posters, old luggage, and even a coal burning fireplace.

Waiting patiently for the train to take us to the Festival!

Ummm yeah, we dressed up.

All aboard!

Inside the dining cabin on the steam train. Notice the spiffy soldiers on the left!

We loved it! I adore little details like this. It made it feel even more real.

Indiana was around in the 40's you know....

(plus it was the only thing Ben was willing to dress up in)

Taking a gander out of the train window....

Here are some of the other passengers near us on the train...

This family was awesome! They had such detailed costumes.

Her sons dressed as vintage boy scouts,

and even had an old tattered vintage teddy bear and a picnic basket to carry around.

Another train station along the way...

Getting off the train...at the Haworth 1940's Festival!

Vintage buses took you to the village from the train station.

Cool vintage carousel.

Soldiers galore!

Hmmm...and a Nazi or two.

(They were re-creating the WWII era after all).

They were so good at small details throughout the village. Try to read the signs if you can.

They even taped up the windows like they did for the air raids!

Indie ♥

Nate with the "gas" man.

We had a blast and will definitely go again next year!

Thanks for lasting through all the pictures!

Hope you enjoyed them!

Come to the Dark side, we have hot dogs...

2011-05-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

{check out Spencer's distrust of Darth Vader}

We were out doing some errands a while back, and Ben ran into some

Storm Troopers buying hot dogs in the parking lot

at Comet (a British version of PC World).

Yes....the Dark Side EATS HOT DOGS!

Darth was waiting inside- light saber ready, and some chick dressed in purple

(sorry Star Wars geeks, I know I have just committed blasphemy).

Amber's Deep thought for the day:

You know that sticker that says, "Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies."?...

Well, based on said evidence, they should now make one that says,

"Come to the Dark Side, we have hot dogs."

Fancy a drive?

2011-05-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

So, I apparently had too much time on my hands.

I made a little video of driving around our new "home."

I just thought it'd be fun to show what driving on

"the other side"

is like!

Ohhh and by the by,

Harrogate and Pannal are posh little places...

So have fun counting how many mini coopers you see!

Now you get a reward for sitting through the whole video.....

Guess who has this song stuck in their head now?

You do!

Just a little gift from me to you.

You're welcome!

♫♪ La la lalalala La La Lala ♪♫

Pod People

2011-05-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

To "Let" a house with a yard: £1900
Fire pit: £99
Logs: £20
Empty box from fire pit: £0
Boys occupying themselves for hours-on-end: Priceless

"Women: the cows of people"

2011-05-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

(5 buckaroos if you know the above quote)

Happy Mother's Day!

(love ya Mom) ♥

I just found the funniest idea for Mother's Day....

check it out {here} for the lo down if you laughed as much as I did.

cherry blossoms

2011-05-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Spence and I decided to play in the cherry

blossom trees while we waited to pick up Nate from school last week...

You can hardly tell from all the blossom petals on the water,

but this is a little creek...

Spence had a blast!

We love Spring time here!

The Royal-est of Weddings!

2011-05-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

We didn't head down to London with all the nutters,

but we did get a front row seat to the Royal Wedding on our own comfy couch!

I have to admit, I don't normally follow all the Wedding Fever crap,

but after living here and seeing all the Brits and how excited they were,

it is hard not to be a little excited....

true story.

Nate had a little Royal Wedding Party at school on Thursday

(since everything was closed on Friday for a Bank Holiday
because of the Royal Wedding).

They were going to have their very own little street party,
but it was a bit too windy...

so they moved it inside.

Union Jack Galore!

(Nate is the kid at the bottom middle in the red hat).

I didn't have a chance to bring my camera,

but I did take a few with my phone
and a little video of the kids singing the National Anthem,

God Save the Queen.

Enjoy!

Easter with Alice

2011-04-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

I heard about a special event over at the Harewood House,

so we went over for a little visit!

It was the "Mad HatTeR's eAstEr WeeKeNd."

This is the main house in all it's glory...

It totally reminded us of the house in

Downton Abbey!

(we will definitely have to take a trip back to explore some more!)

Nate having fun on the grounds...

OooOo boy!...some signs of wOndeRLanD!

Love the bunting in the courtyard...

We treated ourselves to some jelly tarts and

Queen of Hearts biscuits (a.k.a. cookies).

They were so good,

Spencer had to close his eyes to enjoy the yummy goodness.

...And we watched this cute little performance while we ate!

An Alice and White Rabbit sighting!

They actually came up to us and talked to the boys,

but Nate clammed up and was too scared to take a picture with them.

That is sooo not like him.

Maybe it was the White Rabbit's face paint...

it remains a mystery!

Alice's giant potion bottle!

Nate got to make his very own "Drink Me" label and a paper pocket watch.

The White Rabbit pocket watch was an especially big hit throughout the day.

He kept telling us it was 4 o'clock, then 1 o'clock and 10 o'clock.

Ahhh, simple pleasures.

The boys also got to watch the penguins get fed.

(Nate & Spence got to spend the day with a friend too).

Putting a few pence

in the penguin donation thingy...

Then, back at our house,

we donned creepy bunny masks...

we went hunting for Easter eggs...

found some baskets full of loot...

and ate chocolate cars...

(don't worry, I didn't let him eat it all in one sitting...I'm not THAT crazy!)

Then Mom made the boys dress up for church on Easter Sunday.

This is what I get when I ask for nice smiles...

Cutie little men.

They are BIG fans of Easter.....

and Alice.