Graham's ribs are very visible when he flips upside-down over the back of the sofa, so I observed, "You are long and skinny."

He responded, "You are tall and fat."

Thanks, kid.

Gracie's Boyfriend

Gracie is small & cute, so people are drawn to her. At church there is always somebody ready to hold her if I need my hands free for something. But she isn't quite so ready to let just anyone hold her. Except for this guy...

Cartwheels

Grace at Waddesdon

A bunch of us from Leeds went to Buckinghamshire for a couple of days. Mostly to see this place. It's called Waddesdon Manor & was built for a branch of the Rothschild family, which explains why it looks like a French fairy tale castle. Very impressive interior, but as with most "great houses," I liked the outside better. I suppose that's a very good thing, because photos are not allowed of the rooms.



When we get asked why we moved to England, I often admit that I was jealous of my friends who had been abroad as children. The munchkins are getting experiences beyond my childhood fantasies.

Rocket's Birthday

See how Rosie is skipping? When you turn four, you need to do something exciting. And if that something is hopping from light to light in front of Waddesdon Manor, you do it.



When the sky turns dark and sleet starts to fall, you eat the yummy ice cubes that fall from the sky.
(And you unknowingly have an older gentleman ask your mom if he can take photos of the cute little girls catching -- permission which was gladly given.)

Night time comes and then you blow out your multitude of candles with multiple breaths.
Celebrating just the way she wanted. Her only birthday requests were "Cake with candles on it" and "ice cream on a stick."

Yay for Gracie

I was just watching a movie clip of a couple dancing the tango, with Gracie sitting on my lap. When the audience in the movie applauded the dancers, Gracie did too.

Spring Break at Golden Acre

Easter half-term (aka spring break) always requires a trip to the park. As we were getting ready to leave, one of Graham's classmates ran up to say "hi." It made me happy.

An Easter "Bonnet"

I came home from my trip to Missouri & learned that Graham wanted to wear a decorated hat to school on the day the Easter bunny would visit. Jason, being the awesome dad he is, had already got the stuff to meet Graham's requirements: "springs," pompoms, & googly-eyes. My guys put this together in about 10 minutes -- pretty cool stuff.

Rosie at Studley Royal

Rosie tilts her head, puts her shoulders up, and gives this quirky smile. It's her very own cheesy "Cheese!" photo pose. Coupled with the authentic Eighteenth Century pool (which looks like a circa-1980s-got-my-photo-taken-at-Kmart background), it should be in a retro exhibit.


We fed the birds that happy day.

Christel

Guess who liked giggling with her aunt?

Cousin-Twins part 2

See how Gracie's face is clean?

See how things are going in her mouth?

See how her face isn't clean anymore? (Yes, she was eating rocks.)

Cousin-Twins

My cousin James & his wife Julie have a little girl named Anna. She's very blond, very cute, & very fun. She's also only twelve hours older than Gracie. So, when I flew to States, it was imperative that we get the twins together.








Gracie may someday be jealous of her cousin-twin being the dominant subject of these photos, but I'll just have to remind her that Anna photographs really well.