The REAL reason I haven't been blogging...

I could tell you that we've been busy (we have - three trips to the continent since March).  That the boys are keeping me running (they are - hello, I have a two and four year old!)  Or that I've been cleaning (I have not... my house is a disaster.  I really need the housecleaning fairy to show up.)  

But there is another perfectly good reason why I haven't been blogging.  During the boys' nap times when I can usually get on the computer, I've been sleeping.  And that would be due to the fact that we are expecting another baby in December!  

I do apologize for my extended absence, but I've been exhausted this time around and sleep has taken priority over blogging (or cleaning).  Now that I'm in my second trimester I'm hoping some of the fog will lift and I'll get a little more energy.  In which case I'll try to be better about the blog.  However, I should probably clean my kitchen... or deal with the large piles of laundry in the corner.  Hmmm.

We are really excited, and N is especially fun this time, because he seems to grasp what's going on.  Soon after we told him he said, "The baby is going to need a crib.  We'll have to put E-i's back up.  Where are we going to put it?"  Good question N, good question.  Our house isn't really big enough for a third child, but we'll make it work.  

Anyway, I know you are all either saying, "Again!" or "Finally!"  And all I want to say is, man, did I need those maternity pants sooner the third time around!  

Great-Grandpa's Visit

Last month (yup, a little behind) we had a really special trip with my Grandfather.  He along with the rest of my family came over for spring break, but we didn't see the standard English tourist sights, no we had some very specific plans in mind.

Grandpa flew B-17s over here during WWII, and our goal was to find his old airfield and as much information about the area as we could... and we were quite successful.  Here we all are at the memorial that marks what used to be the main gate.  All the buildings and roads are gone (except for one huge hanger), but a lot of the runway and taxiways are still there, crumbled down concrete with crops growing up in between them.  It's really cool, and you can totally see what the layout of the base was like.  

After visiting the memorial we headed to the local pub for lunch, where we found these these two lovely British women who were teasing my Grandpa.  Too cute.  They said they were looking for good American men because they missed them the first time around!

After we left lunch we started driving around the old airfield it's self.  After a while we noticed a car following us.  We slowed down to let it pass, and it stopped beside us.  It was the guy who takes care of the memorial, we had met him earlier, and he's waaaaay talkative.  Anyway, he and this other guy run a museum for the airfield out on this farm.  And we told them Grandpa served there.  So they tracked us down in the car to bring us to the farm turned museum.  It was a little odd, but pretty cool at the same time.  So we followed them to the farm / WWII museum, barreling down single lane roads at 60 mph.  Ah, British driving.  When we got there, it was actually really impressive.  They had two big buildings filled with memorabilia from the airfield.  They found my Grandpa's name in several places, and we were able to see what missions he flew in, and what position his plane was in.  A ton of history was there.  Here we are outside, just in this guy's yard... turned museum!  (The boys were in the car, they were way over it by this point...)

A few days later we headed to Duxford where we got to climb up and through a B-17.  We felt like VIPs, getting to go behind the ropes and everything!  Here is Grandpa giving his hero shot from his seat.

Here are the two pilots and one wanna-be pilot in the family.  They're all looking pretty sharp in the cock pit, don't you think?

The boys were checking out the gunner's seat.  N thought that was pretty neat, to get to climb all thourgh the plane... the rest of us had to agree!

Here's the whole group of us, outside the plane.  

And here is N and T, both pretty much done with Duxford at this point!  (Although I think T was more done with the airplanes than N... imagine that.)

We did manage to get in a little general sightseeing.  One day we went for a walk in Cambridge.  The flowers were just starting to bloom, so Grandma L got some really good shots of all three boys!

N is sitting up on one of the bridges over the river Cam, watching the punters go by.

And here is Uncle T with the King's College Chapel behind him.  It was amazing.  One of the coolest churches I've seen.  So perpendicular.  

But I think the best part of the trip is that the boys got to spend a lot of time with their Great-Grandpa, which was really special.  Thanks for making the trip Grandpa!

Yes, we are alive

Well, some of you have been gently reminding me that I haven't posted anything for a while.  What can I say, we got busy.  My goal is to try to get pictures and detailed posts up in the next week or so, but in the meantime this is what we've been up to for the past month!

1)  My family came to visit and we visited my Grandpa's old airfield just up the road, and he even got to step inside a B-17 (what he flew) at Duxford.

2)  We took a day trip to Cambridge

3)  We visited a castle

4)  E's mom came to visit for three weeks.

5)  We went to Bruges (without children... yeah Grandma)

6)  We visited another castle

7)  We celebrated N's 4th birthday and went to the zoo

8)  We went to Legoland and met Bob the Builder

9)  We had lots of Easter fun... and way too much chocolate

10)  And oh yeah, we have been dealing with the terrible 2s big time in little e.  Oh the joy.

Like I said, lots to post.  Since this has largely become my travel journal, I really need to get some details written down, for myself at least!  So, yes, I am still alive.  Yes, I am still blogging... slowly!

School update

So it's been a while since I've posted anything about N's school, but we are still loving every minute of it.  N just adores his teachers and still runs right in every time.  Several of you have asked me if he's picked up a British accent at all, and he hasn't really, but he has picked up some of the different terms they use.  We talk a lot about "bits".  "Mama, can I have that bit?"  And we wear "Wellies" not boots.  When he makes cookies at school, he calls them "biscuits" but, at home he still makes "cookies!"  He has actually asked me to make him a "tart" before.... umm, I'm not sure I know how to make a tart!

I've also gotten a chance to volunteer in his classroom a couple of times, and what struck me most was that N doesn't talk!  Like at all!  I think he said like two words the entire time he was in class.  He gets right in and plays with the other kids, joins in all the group activities, and sits down right next to his teacher to read... but seriously, he doesn't talk... at all.  Ummmm, whose kid is this again?  Did I bring the right child home from the hospital... because I don't remember ever not talking in school!

I have noticed that N rarely participates in the craft projects at his class, I have never seen any painting or drawing come home, which doesn't surprise me, because he's not the craftiest kid at home either.  However, he does really seem to like gluing.  So most of his projects involve glue and glitter.  Here is the hat and airplane he created.  

All the other kids in his class made puppets, and when I asked him if he made a puppet too, he responded very emphatically, "No, I made an airplane!"  And he did, we had to take it home that day, he wasn't leaving without it.  His teacher said he was very particular about what pieces to glue on to get it just right.  And that gray bit in the middle, that's him, the pilot.  He drew that himself!  The funniest part is that on the back the teacher wrote "aeroplane" so we would know what it is.  Ah British spellings.

Then last Friday the activity was designed for N.  (They do that, they design activities specific for each student... love it!)  He is totally into cooking right now.  The cooking days at school are by far his favorite, and he loves to sit on the counter and help me cook at home.  So his teacher designed an activity involving cooking and airplanes, just for N.  He was thrilled.  Here is his airplane cookie that he made.  Notice the pilot and the steering wheel.  

I know you're all shocked that he is totally obsessed with airplanes right now.  Apparently one day he corrected his teacher when she called a prop airplane a jet.  Gotta get that right now, come on!

Little e is also going to the same school, just two mornings a week.  At first he hated it, the mere mention of school would send him crying, "No e-i school!"  After about a month of that, he woke up and said, "I no cry at school today."  And he didn't.  And hasn't since.  He still tells me most mornings, "I no cry at school."  He literally runs right in and onto the lap of one of his teacher.  He loves her.  The mere mention of her name brings a huge smile to his face.  When I go to pick him up, he'll run up to me and say, "I had good day mama!"  What a sweetie.  When he started to warm up to his teachers, one of them made a comment that they were surprised how talkative he is.  Yup, I have one that talks nonstop and one that doesn't say anything!

The farm on their school is really coming to life with spring, and on Monday little e saw several chicks hatch from eggs.  His teacher said he was really fascinated with it and watched intently for quite some time.  I saw some hatching too, and I will say, I could have sat there for hours!  I had no idea it took so long for the chicks to crack their way out, and that they were so big!  N is really into the worms.  They have a wormery on the farm, and this is N's most talked about spot out there.  He even wiggles like a worm to show me how they move.  Too cute.

Framlingham Castle

I know, you're kind of tired of reading them, I'm sort of tired of posting them, but it's yet another castle post.  This Saturday we headed a fairly small castle about an hour away.  It was really neat.  

Framlingham was built in the 12th century, and it's claim to fame is that it is where Henry VIII's daughter, Mary, sat to wait and hear if she would be the Queen of England, or if she was going to have to fight for it.  (The problem was she was a girl, and she was Catholic, not a great combo to claim the throne with in those days.)  In the end, she didn't have to put up a fight... and became Queen Mary (Bloody Mary.)  It's interesting, succession to the throne wasn't as straightforward as you might think!  Can you tell I'm working really hard at getting my British history straight?  

Here we are headed into the castle.  (Notice the weather throughout these pictures... welcome to England where a nice day can turn bad in an instant!)

The outside of the castle.  Interestingly, this castle had no keep, just the ring wall, moat and defense towers with a great hall and chapel inside.

Inside the castle walls, playing on the giant chess board in the courtyard.  He's just so cute!  It was fun to let the boys run around on the grass while we learned a little more about the castle.

We walked around the top of the walls and looked down into the court below.  Take a look at all those chimneys sticking up from the top.  Those weren't original, and were added in the Tudor period to give the impression of wealth... lots of fireplaces.  In reality, only about three were attached to working fireplaces, the rest were just for looks!  Tudor faux finishing!

Headed out for some lunch in the village... N is modeling his "I'm too cool for this castle" look.

Quite the little trip!

N's imagination has been in overdrive lately and we have been playing some really fun role play games.  Yesterday he took little e and I on quite the trip!

First we got into the car (the couch) we had to pretend to open the door, climb inside, close the door and then put our seat belts on "click"!  Then we backed out of our parking space, (complete with "beep beep" sounds... I knew the van was big, but did it really warrant reverse beeping?!)  Then drove to, where else, the airport, complete with all three of us steering!  Then N opened the door for us, we all climbed out, closed the door, and then for security, N locked it.  (This cracked me up because he pretended to use the keyless entry to lock it... not the key!  "Beep" and the van was locked!)  We then went into the airport (the stairs) and got onto our airplane (the upstairs hallway.)  N was the pilot so he sat in front and little e and I sat behind him.  Being the thoughtful little guy that he is, even gave little e and I toys to play with on the airplane!

Then we "pushed back" (more beeping) and I asked if we were on the taxiway.  N responded, "No, we're on the ramp!"  Oh, I see.  "Now we're on the taxiway mommy... now we're on the runway, we're taking off!  We're flying!"  (He gets more excited with each step!)

"We're coming in for a landing, we're on the runway, we're on the taxiway, we're in our parking spot!"  Through all of this he has been pretend flying with his hands on the pretend yoke.  I asked him once if his wings were out and he said, "No mommy, I'm not the airplane, I'm the pilot!"  Oh sorry, my mistake!  I also asked him where we were flying too, and he responded "Heathrow to see Mickey Mouse!"  Ah, it's all so clear now.

Once we got to 'Heathrow' we got off the plane and went back downstairs to where Mickey Mouse was hiding out (the playroom.)  After spending a little time with Mickey, who apparently was on one corner, and all his friends, who were in another corner, we reboarded the airplane and flew back home.  Somewhere along the line little e got bored with the game and decided to stay and hang out with Mickey Mouse!  At first N was concerned that we were leaving little brother behind, but he got over that pretty quickly... hmmmm.  It was really fun. 

He played this same game with E this weekend, and tonight he walked around on all fours roaring because he was a dinosaur for the evening.  It's just such a fun new phase, and we all love to join in!

How to get your dad out of bed...

... according to little e!

1)  Open the door to mom and dad's room that neither mom or dad thought you could open.

2)  March right in

3)  Go directly to the bed where dad is hiding from the day

4)  Yell, "Get out of bed dada!"

5)  Run downstairs for breakfast.  

Oh yes.  No communication issues with this one.  He can say pretty much what ever he wants too when he wants too.  Sometimes I refer to him as "stream of consciousness boy."  I've got to start writing more if it down!