Hello, its been a while I know! We have been staying at our "real" house since the weekend and we don't have internet access there yet. We are working on it but its taking longer than expected - a bit more involved than a phone call and a visit from the technician... Hopefully soon! We have our computer unpacked and hooked up, so we're ready.
All has been going well. Our stuff is all unpacked and I'm working on getting it put away. Susanna is enjoying school, and Ben and I are keeping busy while she's there. I am still working on pre-school for Ben, but we do have him signed up for football (soccer) classes once a week.
Hopefully I'll get to do another (longer) post soon, but I'm not sure when! Keep checking and once I get my internet access I promise to get back to regular posts! Thanks to everyone for the emails, real mail, etc. Its been nice hearing from everyone.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Full house
Today we got our shipment - our furniture, toys, etc. It had been four weeks and a day since it left Brownstown - not bad at all. Susanna was at school all day, and Ben went off with a friend, so I was able to focus on the task at hand and it went very well.
So now our empty little house is very full of stuff. We tried to bring only what we thought would fit, but of course its hard to judge after a brief look at the house you'll be living in, along with a bunch of others. We have four bedrooms, but the smallest one is our family closet. Then there is a kitchen with dining area, a sitting room, and a playroom/office. When we got packed up in Brownstown, they wrote the name of the room on each box - when the guys here were unloading, they weren't quite sure where to go with things marked "basement" or "dining room." But we managed to get everything into the house and get most of the empty boxes back out (I did have to sort through some boxes of packing paper to find some missing toys.) The kids' bedrooms are packed with beds, dressers, shelves, etc. The playroom/office is full with a desk, kids' table, train table, and shelves. The other rooms are equally full - there won't be much empty wall space or room to run. One thing that is a bit different is the radiators - they take up a small bit of wall space and thus limit options for furniture placement. Once we finalize furniture placement we can really start getting stuff put away, and I think once we do it will feel much less crowded.
We thought we'd stay in our new house/old beds tonight, but after a hard day of work (Brad arrived back from the States around 10 this morning and had to start helping right away), we decided to return to the temp house and have dinner at the pub (The Bounty) across the river. This is our third Friday in a row having dinner there, and each time we've seen the same set of little girls (sisters) having dinner with their parents. The kids love seeing them (especially Ben.) We will certainly miss living in this nice little town on the Thames!
So now our empty little house is very full of stuff. We tried to bring only what we thought would fit, but of course its hard to judge after a brief look at the house you'll be living in, along with a bunch of others. We have four bedrooms, but the smallest one is our family closet. Then there is a kitchen with dining area, a sitting room, and a playroom/office. When we got packed up in Brownstown, they wrote the name of the room on each box - when the guys here were unloading, they weren't quite sure where to go with things marked "basement" or "dining room." But we managed to get everything into the house and get most of the empty boxes back out (I did have to sort through some boxes of packing paper to find some missing toys.) The kids' bedrooms are packed with beds, dressers, shelves, etc. The playroom/office is full with a desk, kids' table, train table, and shelves. The other rooms are equally full - there won't be much empty wall space or room to run. One thing that is a bit different is the radiators - they take up a small bit of wall space and thus limit options for furniture placement. Once we finalize furniture placement we can really start getting stuff put away, and I think once we do it will feel much less crowded.
We thought we'd stay in our new house/old beds tonight, but after a hard day of work (Brad arrived back from the States around 10 this morning and had to start helping right away), we decided to return to the temp house and have dinner at the pub (The Bounty) across the river. This is our third Friday in a row having dinner there, and each time we've seen the same set of little girls (sisters) having dinner with their parents. The kids love seeing them (especially Ben.) We will certainly miss living in this nice little town on the Thames!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Driving school
Today was day three of school. So far it all seems to be going well. Of course, I get very minimal information from my child, but she certainly seems happy. She asked how long she was at school and I told her 6 hours. She said that was a long time. I asked if it was too long, if she ever wondered when it would be over, and she said "yes". Then I asked, "or do you have a lot of fun and it goes really fast?" She answered yes to that question as well. So who knows! She hasn't complained about anything and really I think its fine. She still doesn't know any names really, other than the one other American who she met before she started, but its only been a few days, and there are 30 (or very close to it) kids.
The other big thing going on this week is me driving. I was having a really good week until this evening, when I started to think about how well I was doing, then boom, I hit a curb. Sometimes I just can't shake the feeling that my car is wider than the road. Roads are narrow, and people park right along them, so there is a lot of either squeezing through or waiting and taking turns. It can be a bit challenging to figure out which of those is the better alternative - if the road is a bit wider, two cars can pass, but of course it can be hard to judge. I prefer to wait, but sometimes there are very long lines of cars parked along the sides, and bendy roads so you can't see what's coming, and then you just have to go for it and hope for the best. The other thing I've found is that you can drive for miles and miles and hardly, if ever, stop. Because there are roundabouts, there are far fewer traffic lights, so in these smaller towns, you just drive non-stop. It really seems quite efficient; however, sometimes you need a quick red light. Anyway, right now I'm just hoping I don't find a flat tire in the morning...
The other big thing going on this week is me driving. I was having a really good week until this evening, when I started to think about how well I was doing, then boom, I hit a curb. Sometimes I just can't shake the feeling that my car is wider than the road. Roads are narrow, and people park right along them, so there is a lot of either squeezing through or waiting and taking turns. It can be a bit challenging to figure out which of those is the better alternative - if the road is a bit wider, two cars can pass, but of course it can be hard to judge. I prefer to wait, but sometimes there are very long lines of cars parked along the sides, and bendy roads so you can't see what's coming, and then you just have to go for it and hope for the best. The other thing I've found is that you can drive for miles and miles and hardly, if ever, stop. Because there are roundabouts, there are far fewer traffic lights, so in these smaller towns, you just drive non-stop. It really seems quite efficient; however, sometimes you need a quick red light. Anyway, right now I'm just hoping I don't find a flat tire in the morning...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
First day
Today was Susanna's first day at her new school. She woke up bright and early (thanks to the sun shining in the window at an unreasonably early hour) ready to get dressed and go. I had to slow her down a bit... I wanted to make sure she was done with breakfast before donning her new uniform. We all got ready - Susanna looked great in the uniform - so grown up! We set off for school and made it with plenty of time to spare.
Once at school, I was able to walk Susanna through the gates and right to the classroom door (open to the outside). This is an advantage to being in the youngest class - I think we can walk to the door again next year, but after that, I think students are left at the gates. At any rate, it was nice to be able to go that far and see the other students and moms. When the doors opened, the students all ran in (though a few seemed a bit reluctant). Susanna was ready to go. I think I could have even walked her in, but didn't because I knew I'd have trouble dragging Ben back out. She was fine, of course. She found her coat hook, left her various bags, and found the window where the students wave good bye once they are in the classroom.
Ben and I had a long, relaxing day - laundry, walk to town, lunch... it did start to get a bit long after lunch - six hours is a long time for Susanna to be in school!
A little after three, we went back to the classroom door to wait for her. They finally started letting kids out and Susanna looked as happy as she had been when I left her this morning. Ben was quite happy to see her and greeted her with a hug. I didn't get too much information out of Susanna, other than that she'd found some new friends (but couldn't recall any names!) It sounded as if it was just a regular day of school and she just fit right in.
It was a beautiful afternoon, so after Susanna changed out of her uniform and everyone had a snack, we went out to feed our duck friends and take a short walk (no stroller - can't walk too far or Ben won't walk back!)
So, things continue to go well. I do look forward to moving into our new house for good - all this back-and-forth is getting a bit tiring. I'm constantly looking for clothes and food and whatever else to drag from one place to the other - it will be nice when everything is all in the same place. But until then, we will continue to enjoy the wonderful location of our temp house.
Once at school, I was able to walk Susanna through the gates and right to the classroom door (open to the outside). This is an advantage to being in the youngest class - I think we can walk to the door again next year, but after that, I think students are left at the gates. At any rate, it was nice to be able to go that far and see the other students and moms. When the doors opened, the students all ran in (though a few seemed a bit reluctant). Susanna was ready to go. I think I could have even walked her in, but didn't because I knew I'd have trouble dragging Ben back out. She was fine, of course. She found her coat hook, left her various bags, and found the window where the students wave good bye once they are in the classroom.
Ben and I had a long, relaxing day - laundry, walk to town, lunch... it did start to get a bit long after lunch - six hours is a long time for Susanna to be in school!
A little after three, we went back to the classroom door to wait for her. They finally started letting kids out and Susanna looked as happy as she had been when I left her this morning. Ben was quite happy to see her and greeted her with a hug. I didn't get too much information out of Susanna, other than that she'd found some new friends (but couldn't recall any names!) It sounded as if it was just a regular day of school and she just fit right in.
It was a beautiful afternoon, so after Susanna changed out of her uniform and everyone had a snack, we went out to feed our duck friends and take a short walk (no stroller - can't walk too far or Ben won't walk back!)
So, things continue to go well. I do look forward to moving into our new house for good - all this back-and-forth is getting a bit tiring. I'm constantly looking for clothes and food and whatever else to drag from one place to the other - it will be nice when everything is all in the same place. But until then, we will continue to enjoy the wonderful location of our temp house.
Monday, April 21, 2008
New school
Today we visited Susanna's new school. We had to go hand in our forms, get a quick tour, and purchase the remaining bits of her uniform. We got to see her classroom (and all the kids in it), as well as some other parts of the school that she will use. We bought a cardigan, her P.E. outfit (they change clothes at school), school bags, and a tie. We also bought a school dress which she can wear instead of the uniform in warmer weather. I think she will really like being dressed like everyone else.
After that visit, we popped over to the pre-school next door. It seemed like a nice place, though a bit different than what we're used to. It was just one large room with only one class of 28 kids. There were a few smaller special purpose rooms (kitchen, computer/game/reading room), but most of the kids were in the big room, or outside. They had lots of outside options - climbing equipment, bikes, gardening, and even a big sand pit. Fortunately Ben couldn't see out the windows so we were able to avoid the sand pit today! Unfortunately the school doesn't have any openings at the moment, but we can apply for a place in September. It would certainly be nice to have them right next door to eachother.
So tomorrow is the big first day of school. We'll have to get up early (for me!), make sure Susanna is all dressed (and that her clothes are all labeled with her name), make sure she has a packed lunch, her P.E. bag, and her school bag, and then I'll have to drive to school (the hardest part!) Wish us luck!
After that visit, we popped over to the pre-school next door. It seemed like a nice place, though a bit different than what we're used to. It was just one large room with only one class of 28 kids. There were a few smaller special purpose rooms (kitchen, computer/game/reading room), but most of the kids were in the big room, or outside. They had lots of outside options - climbing equipment, bikes, gardening, and even a big sand pit. Fortunately Ben couldn't see out the windows so we were able to avoid the sand pit today! Unfortunately the school doesn't have any openings at the moment, but we can apply for a place in September. It would certainly be nice to have them right next door to eachother.
So tomorrow is the big first day of school. We'll have to get up early (for me!), make sure Susanna is all dressed (and that her clothes are all labeled with her name), make sure she has a packed lunch, her P.E. bag, and her school bag, and then I'll have to drive to school (the hardest part!) Wish us luck!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A day at the zoo
Today we went to the zoo. We thought of going to London Zoo, but decided instead to go to Whipsnade Zoo, which is an outpost of London Zoo. Its a bit outside the city and is very big, and thus provides more comfortable accomodations for larger animals. We met some friends there - my sister-in-law's niece and nephew, along with her nephew's five-year-old daughter, and also his girlfriend. It was nice to see them - I hadn't seen them in years, and of course the kids were happy to have another kid to play with.
We all had a very nice (though chilly and a bit rainy) day. It really is a big zoo. In fact, they allow cars to enter the park, so you have the option of driving around yourself, stopping wherever you'd like to get a closer look. They also have a double-decker bus that runs through the park, stopping at various spots. We started out with a bus ride, but ended up walking (except Ben, of course!) most of the day. We saw lots of animals - rhinos, giraffes, brown bears, penguins, lemurs, reindeer, chimps, camels, and more.
We stopped for lunch at a little cafe, and when we left, there was a small elephant parade walking by. Seven or eight elephants were walking in a line right on the road, big ones and babies, each holding the tail of the one before. Very neat! There is also a small steam train through some of the animal areas, and of course we couldn't miss that.
On our way out, we asked Ben what his favorite animal was from all that we saw on our visit, and he said, "the ducks." Funny kid.
We ended up being there for six hours - it all went very fast! Unfortunately it was too cold to take many photos (I preferred to keep my hands in my cozy gloves instead!) I do have a few photos to post, however...
We all had a very nice (though chilly and a bit rainy) day. It really is a big zoo. In fact, they allow cars to enter the park, so you have the option of driving around yourself, stopping wherever you'd like to get a closer look. They also have a double-decker bus that runs through the park, stopping at various spots. We started out with a bus ride, but ended up walking (except Ben, of course!) most of the day. We saw lots of animals - rhinos, giraffes, brown bears, penguins, lemurs, reindeer, chimps, camels, and more.
We stopped for lunch at a little cafe, and when we left, there was a small elephant parade walking by. Seven or eight elephants were walking in a line right on the road, big ones and babies, each holding the tail of the one before. Very neat! There is also a small steam train through some of the animal areas, and of course we couldn't miss that.
On our way out, we asked Ben what his favorite animal was from all that we saw on our visit, and he said, "the ducks." Funny kid.
We ended up being there for six hours - it all went very fast! Unfortunately it was too cold to take many photos (I preferred to keep my hands in my cozy gloves instead!) I do have a few photos to post, however...
The kids had some fun chasing a peacock
Our new backyard
Happy Birthday Ben! We had a little birthday celebration after the zoo with this Scooby Doo cake.
I may be taking a little break from this blog next week - Brad will be away and I don't have my computer set up yet. But I promise to post as soon as I can!
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