Making Cookies with Min

This morning the kids and I went over to Min's to help bake sugar cookies for the Year 1 Wedding to be on Thursday.  It was a special event for us all since Min's daughter, Yi Xuen, was to be the bride.  So apparently the mother of the bride is in charge of cookies for the reception.

Addison jumped right in to help us and I think got more flour on the floor than on the counter for the cookies.   Min is so wonderful with Addison and so patient, so much more than I tend to be and that's probably why she likes going to "Auntie" Min's house more than being at home.  (Plus I think Min slips sweeties to her a little more often than I do to).

We all had such a wonderful time and it ended up taking us about 4 hours to make 70+ cookies from start to finish.  We are trying to get in as many of these special moments with Min before she leaves.  We have taught each other so much about life, our different cultures, motherhood, cooking, dealing with husbands who work for CAT, and much more.  I will miss her soooooooooooooooo much!!!!!

Future Quarterback

I can hear the announcer now... "And here comes our star quarterbacker... let's give a big Cyclone cheer for Harrison Michael Dea!!!!"

Making Daddy Some Banana Bread

I've been trying to make a conscious effort to do some "life skills" with Addison throughout the week whether it be cooking, baking, playing with playdough, painting, etc. Cooking definitely seems to be one that we both like a lot and do a lot.  She wanted to bake some cookies one morning, then it switched to pancakes, then it was muffins.  We got out her little cookware set that she got for her birthday and found a little recipe for banana bread.  She was pretty excited about that and insisted that we make it for Daddy.

First she mixed up the flour and other dry ingredients.

Then she cracked her egg in  a different bowl and whisked them up (this is one of her most favorite things to do and she does it pretty well).

Next she mixed all the batter together and we put it in the little bread pan but soon noticed that not all the dough would fit in the bread pan so I got out the muffin tin and we loaded that full as well.

She gets very impatient during to cooking/baking process because she thinks that as soon as you start cooking it should be done and ready to eat.  Well, the muffins were done first so I let her have one of those and she proceeded to eat all of the muffins (there were only 6 little mini-muffins).  I reminded her that the loaf was for her and Daddy to share and I had to physically hide it on her.

The next morning we cut up the loaf and Addison and her daddy got to eat the banana bread she had made for him

Building Sandcastles

Sometimes when Harrison is napping, Addison and I get some mommy/Addie time and today since it was so nice out we decided to make sand castles.  We started out not being able to make a proper sand castle because our sand was too dry, so we loaded up the water cans and made ourselves some good building sand.  Every time I got a good pile of sand up dear Addie would knock it down, but we did have lots of fun playing together.  We talk about castles a lot since we go to see one almost 1 a month it seems so she's going to wonder where all the castles have gone when we move back home some day.  

Boys go to Airsoft

Since the girls got to go to London for a day the boys went and played Airsoft.  I guess you could compare Airsoft to paint balling but without paint and using more realistic looking guns with little pellets that you shoot at each other.

This morning as Kevin was getting ready we couldn't find much of his camo because it is all sitting in a tub at my mom and dad's house in the States.  

They all look like a bunch of commandos!!!  In the back from left to right we've got Joe (Sarah's son), Danny Wong, Kevin, Simon Clayton and down front on the left is Mike Beales and then two other friends of Joe's and Simons went with them.

After the guys got back we did a BBQ at Simon and Sarah's.  

I tried out a new/old recipe of mine.  Sarah taught me how to make Eton Mess (a very traditional English pudding).  It consists of sweet whipped cream, strawberries and broken up meringue nests.  This past Wednesday I went to a Jamie Oliver At Home party and learned how to kick up this simple favorite by adding basalmic vinegar to some crushed up strawberries, adding vanilla bean seeds to the whipped cream, and topping the whole thing with toasted almonds.  It was so pretty after I put it together that I had to have Sarah take a picture of it.

Captured by Laurie

A good friend of mine is starting to turn a hobby into a prospective new business.  Laurie is an up and coming new photographer who is amazing and so creative.  She took some pictures of our family, the Gorman/Claytons, and the Wong's check them out here.

http://www.capturedbylaurie.blogspot.com/

Girls Day in London and Dirty Dancing

Today Min, Sarah and I got away to London for the day for some shopping and a West End show.  We had so much fun taking the train down and just chit-chatting away.  We planned on visiting a few shops before our show, but we ended up spending 3 hours in Primark.  I've never been there before and my babysitter Emily told me that it was "mad" in there and I didn't understand until now.  I've never seen anything like this place in the States.  The clothes are really cheap so the quality is not the best but I did find a few things that were pretty nice.  Actually I filled up my shopping bag with probably 25+ items to try on but found out quickly why I saw people trying clothes on top of their clothes in front of the mirrors scattered all over the place.  There were only 2 dressing room areas and queue for the one in the women's department would have taken you seriously 2 hours to wait in.  So we all moved to one corner of the store I started trying skirts, dresses and tops on over my clothes and running off to see how it looked.  The things that were pretty difficult other than actually trying on the clothes properly were that I'm not totally sure what UK size I am, but even knowing that they skimp on the sizes so you really need to add on 1 or 2 more sizes to what you think you are.  We split up to pay for our stuff and I waited over 1/2 hour in line to check out and ended up with one shopping bag where as Sarah had 2 and Min had 3 bags!!!

We grabbed a quick bite at a cafe and then made our way to the Alnwych Theatre to watch Dirty Dancing.  It was amazing.  Almost exactly like the movie and I think I had almost every line memorized and when the in famous songs would come on everyone would start screaming.   There were 3-4 "hen parties" (bachelorette parties) there and they were very cheeky.  Everytime "Johnny" had his shirt off they were cheering and when he put on his jeans back on after only having on a pair of boxers they all boo-ed.  

The actors looked just like the ones in the movie and when the last dance number came on to "Time of your Life" the place went crazy.  The actress who plays "Penny" was so beautiful and she had legs that went all the way up and you could hear all the women gasp when she came out the first time and started dancing around.

After the show we headed towards Covent Garden where we heard a load of people singing "Rock Star" by Pink.  I made mention that it reminded me of those T-mobile commercials where they are dancing all around at the train station and stuff.  It so happens that as we were walking away someone put a microphone in our faces and asked us to join along.  I asked what was going on and she said they were taping some footage for a new T-mobile video to be posted on You Tube...lucky guess huh?

We made our way back home and had a wonderful BBQ waiting for us at the Beales'.  Kevin had spent the entire day alone with the kids for the first time and they had a wonderful time.  I do have to admit that I was horribly nervous to leave but we had a marvelous day!!!

Danny (Wing) Wong's Birthday

Birthday's have been pretty fun to celebrate over here amongst our group of friends because we try to have a lot of fun with them.  Danny's birthday is today and Min surprised him by having all of us meet for dinner at the Royal China restaurant that we have frequented with them several times.  We essentially had the whole place to ourselves so the kids were able to run around and have fun as the grown ups got to visit.

It was a complete surprise to Danny and you could tell that he was genuinely really happy to see all of his friends there. Min said the only time he got a little suspicious was when the only cars in the parking lot were all of us from Glinton.

We went in on a gift for Danny which was an England rugby shirt with "Wing Wong" on the back.  Danny has been tagged this nickname from Simon during a football match on the green, when Simon saw Danny out on the wing and yelled for him to get open for the ball by yelling, "Wing, Wong, Wing!" 

What's done in London, Stays in London...

This morning the boys and I ventured down to London.  They had found a youth hostel just a half block off Piccadilly Circus to stay at so we got them checked in and some lunch in our bellies from TGI Fridays (that was more a treat for me than them because I don't get to eat there much).  Next we headed out to Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Parliament Square, and  Westminster Abbey.

Like always it's hard to give everyone who comes a full appreciation for the city of London because we've lived here for almost two years and we haven't seen everything there is to see and we head down at least every other month.  I did give them a little taste of things and for something new to me we actually got to go inside the little chapel next to Westminster and we did a nice walk down the opposite side of the river from the Eye which I quite liked as well.

I thought this T-shirt was super cool, but the shop owner didn't think it was super cool to be touching his stuff and taking pictures if we weren't going to buy it.

The boys gave the Eye a standing "O."  I only stayed with them for about 4 hours in London, enough time to get them oriented with the center of things and how to navigate on the Tube.  It was really weird standing there at Leicester Square station saying goodbye to my brother and just leaving him in London.  He and Sawyer were big boys now and I need now worry, plus it would 4 short weeks and we'd get to see them again when we head back to the States.   

I'm really not sure what they ended up doing for the rest of the time in London, but they did make it to the airport okay because I got a call from Casey that night saying they were in Chicago.

So glad to have you both come and visit and we hope you can do it again some time!

Re-Discovering Warwick Castle

Sunday morning we got up bright and early and the boys got a taste of an English B&B "continental" breakfast.  I got Sawyer to try out a crumpet loaded with peanut butter, honey and a bit of Nutella.  He really liked it, as I do...yes, it does taste good like that.

We drove through a beautiful area known as the Cotswolds which is just a region in England that was once known for it's sheep raising and because they were so wealthy they have these amazing honey colored stuccoed homes and beautiful churches.  It's just one small beautiful village after another in a hilly, winding road area.

We made our way to Warwick Castle where we ended up having to park a mile away from the castle gates in a field that they use for overflow parking.  There were probably over 1000 people at the castle and this was the first time we had been there "in-season" so they had all the jousting, bowmen, bird's of prey shows and more going on.  

We went to the jousting match first and then while the guys walked around the castle walls we watched the flame blower.  Addison met a few little friends that she got to run around with which made it very enjoyable for her and us.

We were able to following the guys around the castle and waved at them when they reached the tallest tower.

We parked our stroller in the "pram parking lot" outside the main house of the castle so we could walk around inside to see all the wax figurines and such.  

They have changed a lot of things at the castle like the layout of the walk through and they have also made the castle dungeon a much bigger thing.  You know have to pay extra to go in it, which we've never had to do before so the boys didn't get to see the claw marks on the wall and the torture devices.

Since Casey, Sawyer and Kevin are active hunters and bowmen they found the medieval bowman to be quite fascinating.  He talked about the various types of arrows used by soldiers and stories of how this particular gentleman had been able to shot all types of arrows from almost every place on and around the castle.  What a sweet job they all thought this guy had.

At the end of the day we made our way to the hillside along the river in order to watch the trebuchet fire.  This also the coolest firing of the trebuchet that Kevin and I have seen as well, because they must have added weight to it because it moved through the sky slower and left a really cool fire trail behind it.  Everyone had a great day!

Stonehedge and Bath

This morning we headed out on the 3 hour journey to Stonehedge.  Kevin and I visited Stonehedge when we came over a few years ago, but never went inside the gates.  This time we were getting in free with our English Heritage membership which was awesome.  We also got the boys in with us because you can have up to 5 people under the age of 19 and Sawyer technically is of the age, but we snuck Casey across because he still looks pretty young.  

After Stonehedge our plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon and overnight in Bath.  Well, most accommodations for Bath and this area were require two nights stay a few weeks ago when we were calling around, which we just weren't going to do.  So one gentleman hinted to us that if you call a day or two before we were planning on being there, some people might give up on getting two nights and go ahead and book you.  So we took the chance and after calling about 3-4 places on our drive down I found one for us to stay and at a quite a good price.

Stonehedge was quite nice and bit neater to at least me this time around than the first time I had seen it.  It's kind of one of those things that get hyped up so much and when you really get to see it that you get a little disappointed.  I think what made the difference was getting go in the gates and walk around and listen to the commentary to give it a little more personality.  I think it helped enhance Casey and Addison's visits as well...hee hee.

They do have the area roped off and you are not allowed to go up to the stones anymore because people were actually chipping away at the stones to take away souvenirs.  Addison doesn't quite understand the meaning of things being roped off, so at one point she took off on a mad dash towards the stones and Kevin had to hop the rope fence and grab her back.  It kind of looked like a escaping convict and of course everyone sees her do it and is pointing at the little girl in pink trying to defy the law and get up close and personal with the rocks.

After getting our fill of Stonehedge we started to head out when tragedy struck...Jane blew up!!! Yes, Kevin plugged the SatNav it to get us on the go and it popped and started to smoke.  We were at a loss for words because, we totally rely on this thing.  I mentioned before leaving the house that I should run in and get my GB map, but Kev said "Naw, we don't need that."  The only map I had was a not very detailed one that was included with our English Heritage book.  So needless to say we had to go back to the old school means of navigation with maps and signs.  I did ring up the B&B to get directions from them but I tell you, I really think the inventor of the SatNav should get a humanitarian award for keeping marriages together.  Life is so much easier traveling with your spouse and/or family when you don't have to stare at a map and look for signs and playing the blame game when someone turns the wrong way or takes the wrong exit.

We finally managed to find our B&B and they gave us some instructions to a scenic overview of the city so we walked through a bunch of residential areas and then up through a school yard over a grass track to a park that have a beautiful overlook of Bath.

Kevin and I also visited Bath before and really enjoyed it so we were excited to bring some other people to see it.  From the top of this hill with our telephoto lens I could take pictures of the hotel we stayed at before, the abbey, the Circus, the Royal Cressent and I could even catch a shot of guys playing cricket in the fields below.

Next to actually get down into town we had to take a pretty steep walk down a course of trails with wood and stone steps.  Kevin and Casey carried down Harrison in the pushchair while I carried Addison down most of the way.  The only thought running through my mind was that somewhere else we were going to have to climb a steep hill back up to our B&B...yikes!

We did a nice little walking tour around town and after catching Casey and Sawyer staring aimlessly around I had to ask if they were okay.  Casey replied that they were just trying to take it all in.  Now that I've been here for two year, the atmosphere of a true city centre has become so normal to me and it's quite fascinating to others...it's one of the things I remember enjoying so much about going to different towns around the country.  We stopped for ice cream and into a few shops before we made our way to the Circus.  The name comes from the Latin 'circus' meaning oval or circle. 

 It is an architectural phenomenon that was inspired by the Roman Colosseum but rather than being admired from the outside like the Colosseum it's beauty comes from standing inside and viewing all the beautiful town homes lined around the circle.  The Circus has three streets that radiate from it and as you come into it you face a beautiful building vs another street.  I particularly like the small grove of very old Plane trees growing in the center.  It was a great place to sit and rest in the shade and people watch.

We did walk up around to the Royal Cressent which is another architectural classic.  It is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in England.  It is just down the street from the Circus so from an arial view they represent the sun and the moon.

After our walk we decide to take the boys to another of our most favorite restaurants in England - none other than Pizza Express.  The staff was super nice to the kids as they usually are, but this time they both got chef's hats.  After dinner most of the city centre was dead because all the shops had closed around 5:30 or 6, which really threw the guys for a loop thinking that things should be hoppin' in the evening time in a downtown...again a big difference in our American to English cultures.  

We did end up having to struggle our way back up a pretty steep hill on the way back but we did put some miles on today.  The kids did great and while I got them settled, Kevin and they boys got to hand out together at the pub next door.

Burghley House and Pub Grub

Last night Kevin decided to actually take the day off on Friday to spend with us all.  Right away in the morning we left the kids with the boys so I could bring Kevin to his theory driving exam and to pick up the minivan we rented for the weekend.  Of course he manages to pass with only missing a couple of questions and he studied only 1/3 the amount of time that I did.  

I was pretty proud of myself with the rental van because I called around to a ton of places and got all different kinds of quotes but somehow I managed to get the Hertz people to drop their price from 365 GBP to 150 GBP, and then while we were in there Kevin somehow got them down to 140GBP.  So I've learned a valuable lesson in bargining...if I actually try it, I might get something to come out of it.

For lunch we packed up a picnic and brought the boys out to Burghely House.  Of course the house happened to be closed that day and the water gardens were jam packed with small children because school was out and it was hot outside. So we just enjoyed our picnic, flying Addison's kite and walking the grounds.

That night we treated to boys to some English pub grub and brought them to one of my favorite places to eat in Peterborough - The Cuckoo.  The weather was beautiful so we thought we'd sit outside, but then as most hot English days do, it got really chilly as the sun went down so we moved inside.

Casey enjoyed his first ever duck dish and all of us enjoyed the sampler platter of fine English starters like battered mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise, marinated prawns (shrimp), chicken and chorizo skeweres, garlic ciabatta, pigs in blankets served with onion chutney and smoked paprika mayonnaise...yummy!!!

Harry and Addison enjoyed their meals very much, but enjoyed hugging on each other after dinner.

My Brother and Cousin Come to Visit

The day after we got back from Paris I was pleased to drive down to Heathrow and pick up my brother Casey and our cousin Sawyer.  They both have been so excited to come visit us and finally found the best time to make the trip.  They both weren't sure what they wanted to see while they were here so being the crazy sister that I am, I set up pretty aggressive site-seeing tour.  I know people come over to "just see us" but they are making the trip all they way to England so I want them to make the most of the long trip.

On Thursday we headed to Castle Rising so they could see their first castle.  The kids and I have been there a few times now, but we always see something new.  

They really got into taking pictures.  I actually caught more pictures of them taking pictures of each other.

Addison showed them the really deep well in the basement of the castle.

Addison was so excited to have her Uncle Casey (Tasey - as she pronounces it) come to visit her.  It is all she talked about for weeks and she followed him all over like a little puppy, but I don't think Casey minded.

We had ourselves a little picnic at the castle then we drove on to Old Hunstanton where we found the nice sandy beach I had always heard about.  Casey had never seen the sea/ocean anywhere before so we thought this would be fun.  It's amazing how far out the tide was.  I sat up on the beach with Harrison while Casey brought Addison out to the water.

While the boys did some exploring, Addison and Harrison had fun playing in the sand.  It was a really nice day with hints of sun, but going to an English beach is so funny.  Most of the people we saw were wearing long pants and covered up in blankets. It seemed to be a typical English summer day though, high of 70+ and it was just warm enough to put your toes in the super cold water.

Harry's first time to the beach.  He tried eating the sand but I worked hard to divert his attention by digging his feet in the sand.   

It was a beach of a day!!!