Christmas in July???

For the past few months Addison has been obsessed with playing out front of our house in the cul de sac where she picks up rocks out of the driveways and drops them down the street drains. Kevin and I felt that we needed to find other means of entertainment for our little one, so we started researching some outdoor toys for the back garden. We knew she loved slides because that's all she wants to play on when we go to the little park here in Glinton. We checked out the local stores, but we weren't quite sure what she would like. I brought her to Toys R Us to see how she interacted with the toy houses because I thought that every little girl needs a little play house, but with a little boy on the way dad was a little skeptical of a "little house." We decided to compromise and find a jungle gym or "climbing frame" as they are called in the UK. We looked to eBay as we did with our double stroller and found that there were lots of choices. We grew pretty fond of the Little Tykes 8-in-1 and thought it would be great for both kids to grow with. We got to bidding on this one at the same time as we were bidding on our stroller so it was a pretty crazy couple of hours.
Tonight Kevin and I headed down to Milton Keynes to pick it up. We borrowed our friends', Andy and Holli, mini van to go pick it up. The sellers were a little skeptical that it would all fit but I guess we proved them wrong because we got 11 out of the 12 pieces in the back and strapped one piece on top. We set it up right away when we got home and then got Addie from Danny and Min's house so she could check out her new toy. At first she was trying to figure out what it was but then she jumped right in. It felt like Christmas. I got out the camera and the camcorder and she had a ball. It was bedtime though so we had to cut things a little short, but I'm sure if it doesn't rain tomorrow we'll be outside playing all day.

My New Love...Online Grocery Shopping

I have been threatening to start buying my groceries online for the past couple of months now because it is so hard to bring Addie shopping at this age and be as far along pregnant as I am. I have no stomach muscles to push around those four wheel drive trollies. Several people I know have taken advantage of the online shopping services so I've heard wonderful things. Grocery shopping is kind of fun for me (when Addie is behaving) and it has been one of the ways I get out of the house so maybe that's why I've been so resistant so far. I have grown much wiser now and I after my first time I am now hooked...I am going to become an online shopping addict. It was so easy though and amazingly convenient. I heard that Tesco did the best job of picking out produce, so that is why I tried them out first.  Also previous purchases I've made in store were recorded on my "Clubcard" so they already had a list of items that I buy regularly. I first had to make up my regular shopping list to know what I needed, then I hopped on the laptop and started picking out items. I picked out a 2 hour time slot that was convenient for me and clicked ORDER.
On Thursday around 1 PM the Tesco truck pulled up to my house and a very nice gentleman unloaded my groceries for me right into the kitchen. In attempts to stay "green" I opted that they not have to put my groceries in bags, so I just unloaded everything out of the crates onto my kitchen table. The delivery man knew it was my first online order, so he went through the bill with me and let me know if I had any questions or concerns to call the 800 number. I was just in awe as he left... All I paid extra for the online buy was a 4.75 GBP service charge for the specific time slot I selected (it changes depending on the time you want things delivered). What a steal...for someone else to walk through the store to pick out the groceries, check them out, pack them up, drive them to my house and bring them in my kitchen it is totally worth it!!! I love England!!!! Please someone in the States let me know if this is catching on over there because if I get too used to this and can't get it back there I don't know what I'll do.

Four Weeks and Counting...

Well I've finally made it to the 36 week mark, so it's all down hill from here. Just four or less weeks to go!!! I've been trying to get all prepared. I am the queen of list making so last week I wrote down all the things that I wanted to get done before the little guy got here and here are a few of the highlights:

• Finish Addie's baby scrapbook (Yeah right - I'm not yet to her baptism at five weeks old and the book is already 2 inches thick...yikes! I've got a lot of work to do and not much free time to do it.)
• Order boy baby bedding and new crib mattress (The cribs are different sizes here so I had to import these from the States - a new American couple who is moving to our village agreed to pack some things in their sea shipment for me so it will be here at the end of August - Thanks Lana!!!)
• Create a new room for Addison  (We want to create a fun new room for Addie and transition her into it before we move the baby into her old room. We are going to build a toddler bed to fit her American crib mattress and keep using her current bedding and curtains.  We are going to repaint an older dresser that brought along to match the bed and get a mirror to hang over it.  We also want to get a few cute bits from IKEA to set off the rest of the room.  We're still working on this one.)
• Buy all the things the baby and I need for the hospital visit (For those of you who have had babies in the US, you know all those nice little things that they give you for your recovery that pretty much comes standard with your care....yeah, you have to bring all of that yourself - the pads, disposable undies, pain meds, diapers, wipes, baby bathing items (they don't give your baby a bath for you), snacks to eat, a proper night gown to wear during birth, towels for your shower, and more.  I have all my bits and bobs purchased, but I need to pack my bag yet.)
• Clean up and prepare all baby stuff (This was so fun.  I loved going through all the little boy clothes that my friend Stacey left for me (you are a saint girly!!!) and other clothes we got as gifts so far.  Also I went through all of Addie's little baby stuff to see what I could use and I loved going through her little things but was so sad on how much she has grown.  I washed all the clothes, the blankets, the burp rags, the car seat cover and anything else that looked like it needed some TLC.   I even bought a couple packs of newborn diapers...they are soooo tiny! It's all piled in Addie's new room since I don't know where else to put it for now.) 
• Buy a double pram (This is something I dreaded having to do because I already have two strollers - our big American Graco one that holds the car seat and my little compact McLaren which has been wonderful, but neither of them can hold two children under the age of two.  As we go out and about, I watch for people with double strollers and I can't image having a huge side-by-side or a tandem one since spaces are so small here and the boot (trunk) of my car is very small.  Well I discovered a pram made by Phil & Ted that is set up as a single, three wheeled stroller but has a "doubles kit" that allows two children to ride without adding any real size to it.  Also you usually get what they call a "cocoon" for the baby to lay in for the first 6 months before you put them in the second seat.  It's quite a nice set up and after I brought Kevin to Kiddicare on Saturday he was sold on the idea, but not quite the price.  We researched and found that you could get pretty nice used Phil & Ted's on eBay, so we got to bidding on a few and ended up in a heated battle Sunday night for one and won.  Needless to say, I picked up our new double stroller Tuesday afternoon, got it cleaned up a bit and Addison wanted to sit in it all the next morning - glad she likes it!!!)
• Line up baby's passport (For all of you wondering, our little guy will not be able to claim dual citizenship in the UK because they stopped that back in 1983.  We do need to set up an appointment soon after he is born down in London at the US Embassy to get his passport lined up and apply for social security cards and such.  I can't imagine trying to take a passport picture of a 3 week old when in the States I had a heck of a time getting them to take a proper picture of Addison at 5 months old.  Also I'll need to order several copies of his birth certificate because after we move back it won't be as easy as dropping in the local court house to get a copy. )

For now I keep working away at a little bit of my list each day.  I was nervous about having two little ones and when I get in a sticky situation with Addie I start to get worried again, but that quickly gets over shadowed by my excitement for our son to come out into the world to meet us all.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Addie really seems to be at the age where she loves to mimic mom and dad. The other night we had corn on the cob and Addison loves sweetcorn. I headed into the kitchen quick and she swiped up my corn and started eating it just like daddy.
On Sunday I went to a cream tea to benefit the British Heart Foundation and since Addie was pretty tired, I left her home with Dad to take a nap. When I arrived home the two of them were sitting side-by-side on the couch watching the British Open. Addie was drinking a Fruit Shoot juice and both of them were snacking on some Walkers Sweet Thai Chili Crisps (potato chips). What a pair! They were so cute that I had to take a picture of them both.

It's Really Not that Cold..Just for Fun

I have been cleaning up around the house a lot...it's the nesting thing with the pregnancy. But I cleaned out the closet and Addie's winter coat was still in there and of course she wanted to wear it all afternoon. She's really into dress up.











On another day we wanted to head out on a walk and it was a little breezy so we gave Addie her jumper (sweatshirt) to put on and in fine form she put it on backwards. Instead of turning it around, Kevin zipped it up and snapped a few shots. She is so funny!

Birthday Dinner with the Girls

Last night some of my close friends treated me to dinner at Prezzo's in Peterborough for my birthday. It's always nice to be with friends to celebrate and our regular girl's nights are always great to just get out and be girly...not just a mom or a wife, but a girl with your girlfriends. We talk about everything and time flies so fast that it's getting late before you know it. The girls went in together and got me gift vouchers for River Island - a really nice place for me to buy some new clothes after I loose some of that baby weight. Thank you so much ladies!!! These ladies (Jenny, Amy, Holli, and Min) along with some that aren't pictured...Becki, Tina, Tara, Emily and, of course Stacey (who's already back in the States), are some of the great "ISE wives" that have helped make my first year in England such a wonderful one. Also my great neighbor, Sarah, who is teaching how to be English and has been so wonderful.

Yes, we've almost been here a whole year...July 29, 2007 we arrived in the UK to start our adventure and almost a year later I can truly call this place "home". More to come on highlighting our year here.

Dressing For the Occasion

The weather in England is very unpredictable. We can check the forecast but it is often not right, even more so than in the States. Addison has found a way to combat the unpredictable weather - dressing in layers!!! Today it was very warm out - almost 25C so we wore shorts, but she desperately wanted to wear her wellies and she found her winter hat in the closet. She also wouldn't put down her blanket so I wrapped it around her like a cape. She had a great time running around the house like this for a while.

Burghley House Battle Proms

Saturday night we went to the Burghley House Battle Proms which is a huge picnic and outdoor concert with a Nepolianic calvary flare to it. We loaded up our cooler with lots of goodies and met up with a huge group of ISE's to enjoy the evening of food, music, canons, and fireworks. A Napoleonic cavalry and infantry re-enacted a duel and did drills on their horses. They also had a Spitfire airplane do a flying show over head during one of the songs.
Like true Americans we had KFC chicken brought in and everyone brought some great picnic goodies to share with each other. It was kind of funny to see our big layout for everyone and then look at all the "English" set ups which consisted of everyone literally having their own little table set up with white table clothes and bottles of wine, wine glasses and posh little treats to eat. They also had votive candles sitting on the tables and some had little lanterns that hung on decorative sticks that stuck in the ground.
One of the coolest things was when they played Beethoven's 1812 Overture they had real canons going off. By 10:30 is was starting to get dark enough that they started shooting off some of the fireworks as they orchestra played various battle songs.

Last Few Days in Ireland

Today the large group was heading out on coaches to see the Cliffs of Moher via the Burrens. We decided to take our rental car and do things at our own pace especially with having Addie along. Turned out that it was a pretty smart decision because on way back home one of the coaches got sideswiped by a car and got delayed 1 1/2 hours and the other coach waited for them so we would have been in a pretty sticky situation. We did have a wonderful day even though it was pretty rainy and windy. We drove through the Burrens which is a pretty rocky landscape but had some really neat things to be seen along the way.

The Cliffs of Moher are always beautiful even in cruddy weather. Kevin and I were so amazed on how things have changed at the Cliffs since we were there. They moved the car park to the other side of the road and hide all the shops and commercial stuff by building them into the side of hill. I guess they are trying to restore the natural beauty of the site. Also a lot more safety walls were built so someone couldn't out close to the edge like before...a pretty smart move.

That night we attended a farewell banquet with a 5 course meal. Needless to say it was hard to truly enjoy our last night with Kevin's family because they didn't get the dinner started until 8:45 PM and by then a 17 month old is not going to sit still even if you bribe her will all the funding for her college education (this is a tactic that Kevin repetitively tries and fails at every time with Addison). We took turns eating and I think I ate three of my courses in three different parts of the hotel in order to keep Addie at ease.

Monday morning Kevin's folks headed out with Mike's sisters who were at the reunion to find the "family farm" in Tipperary and we headed to Bunratty to check out the Blarney Woolen Mills and to eat lunch at Durty Nelly's like we had years before. I keep saying it but things have changed so much in just 6 years. Ireland as a country is much more modern...the roads and the houses and the businesses have all been upgraded and the quaint, old country that I fell in love with is now modern and I feel that England is actually older feeling now. What really topped it off was that there was a little store next to Durty Nelly's called Avoca that Kevin and I took our picture in front of because there was a town close to where he grew up in Iowa called Avoca. That building is now half burnt down...so sad.

O'Dea Reunion and Dysert O'Dea Castle

Over 150 people gathered together from all over the world to celebrate being descendants of the O'Dea clan most being from the States and Australia. The first day we got an official welcome from the City of Ennis and a nice dinner where the family archeologist shared a story about the history of women in Ireland.
On Saturday we took a trip out to the O'Dea Castle. The castle was actually discovered by John O'Day from Wisconsin by accident as they were on their way to the Shannon airport. His family bought the castle back in the 1970's and restored it. They did a great job and even over the past 6 years since Kevin and I were there they have invested a lot more money in making it more accessible and lots more visible with signage. It was really neat getting to see huge group of people who all gathered at a place that their ancestors once lived and thrived so many years ago. Made me pretty curious if there are any Schafbuch or Roux relics in Germany or France respectively for my side of the family. It will be great to share these pictures with our children when they are older and be able to tell them about their family history and maybe even use some of the pictures we've taken in a school report....we all had to do them so I'm hoping to give them a leg up on this one!!!

Adventures in Ireland

We had a pretty aggressive itinerary for Ireland because we had a lot we wanted to see and to find. The big part of this trip was really to search for the Dea family roots. On Monday we headed to a very small village called Graiguenamanough which I affectionally call "Grandma Town" because I don't know how to pronounce the name and it is the supposed birth place of Kevin's great, great, great grandmother Mary Barron. We did some checking into records at the local church, the cemeteries, the local historical center and even a store that bared the Barron name. Not much luck on finding too much more than we already knew but it was pretty neat to try.
Next we headed down to Waterford and did the factory tour. It was as cool as I remembered it to be. Kevin and I found this amazing water pitcher and water goblets that we wanted and I felt it was destiny for us to have them since we both came to each other at the same time and said, hey look at that. We didn't end up getting them because we were already at our weight limit on luggage and we didn't want to tote them around...we are both kicking ourselves though because they were 20% off for the 4th of July weekend!!!
Wednesday morning we woke up to rain and had planned to visit Blarney castle. So we decided to work with the weather instead of letting it get us down. We headed back to Midleton and did the tour of the Jameson Distillary. The boys really liked this place. Mike even took part in the whiskey comparison tasting at the end and found out why the triple distillation of Irish Whiskey makes it the best. The weather did clear up by the afternoon so we headed back to Blarney to give the castle another try. I had already gotten my gift to gab 6 years ago when I kissed the stone so I let Kevin take his mom and dad to the top of the castle. Sally is terrified of heights but at one point I heard a high squeel and then I looked up and thought I saw her kissing the stone...five stories up. Way to go Sally!

Thursday we woke up to a beautiful view of Lough Leane Lake in Killarney National Park. The boys would have liked to have gone fishing all day but we headed out to explore the Gap of Dunloe which we happened upon purely out of luck because it was mentioned on our directions to the B&B. It's mentioned briefly in the tour books as a route for horse riding and hiking. It turns out to be a single lane of paved road with the most beautiful views that connects Killarney to Kenmare. It happened to rain the whole night before so the lakes and streams were being filled by the waterfalls and springs coming out of the mountains. We continued the day by driving around the Ring of Kerry. Kevin and I did this route in the opposite direction before with rain misting down the whole time so it was nice to actually see stuff this time. We stopped at Ballycarbery Castle in Caherciveen to check out this ivy covered castle ruins. It was a good excuse to stop and stretch our legs and Addie had a blast checking out things with Daddy and Grandpa.

Thursday we headed to Tipperary in search of the birthplace of Kevin's great, great, great grandfather John Dea. He is the one who brought Kevin's branch of the Dea family to western Iowa. We tried checking into the B&B a little early because we were going to use their "laundry facilities." Turns out that all they had was a washing machine and when the guys walked in to check out the place all they saw were empty whiskey bottles on the table the the guy was a mess and seemed annoyed that we were here. Needless to say we headed straight to the tourist office in order to find a different place to stay. We did find an awesome place that actually ended up being my favorite place that we stayed all week. When Kevin called to let the other B&B know we weren't coming, the lady thanked Kevin for calling and told him that they planned on us not showing back up. That afternoon consisted of us searching the countryside for the family farm - we didn't know exactly where it was. Mike had a map with three big circles on it and some pieced together directions that didn't match up with the roads we had to follow and even if we found the site weren't sure it what were going to see was really much at all. Needless to say the curvy and bumpy roads along with the constant turning around caused this preggie woman to loose her lunch by that evening. I don't blame Kevin now, but I sure did while we were in the heat of the pursuit. We did end up taking some pictures of the land around the area that we thought could have been the farm. (The day after we left Ireland Mike and Sally went back to Tipperary and found the farm with some other relatatives....so it really does exist!!!) 

Friday morning we got up and went to St. Patrick's Rock of Cashel which was a new site for all of us. The three monistic structures were really neat to see. Also the it is surrounded by an active cemetery. There are two more people who are still eligible to be buried there who haven't died yet. Addie and I are standing next to a huge chunk of one of the towers that fell off the building. That afternoon we headed up to Ennis to get registered for the 7th International O'Dea Clan Reunion.