Visiting the castle

I haven't forgotten. I've just been busy. But now it's time to share some more pictures of my parents' visit. Specifically, I wanted to put up more awesome picts of A Castle. We took an overnight trip to see it, down on the South coast, near Brighton. It was gorgeous!

Be prepared; I'm going to show LOTS of picts of this one, just because we got some great shots, and because it is probably the best (i.e. most impressive) castle I've visited...

The inner court yard, below...


Sammie and my dad, in the castle keep...

Also in the keep... (btw, I'm adding lots of picture of "the keep" for my mom, who opted not to climb the 50+ circular stone steps to get up there. I told her I'd show her the picts, and here they are.)

Views from the keep, looking out to sea...
And looking to the surrounding countryside...


This castle has special significance because my ancestors lived in it way back when. No joke! My brother, Trent, was doing some geneology and discovered that on the maturnal side of the Hone family line, the Babcocks lived in A. Castle in England. So, of course we HAD to look it up and go for a visit.



Sammie's cubby in the keep... She got up there by herself, and stuck as much of her face out the "window" as she possibly could, for as long as she could.
Shh! No pictures allowed inside the castle. But one unnamed rule-breaker in our party (it wasn't me, this time) HAD to take a picture of the fabulous library. It really was gorgeous, and was all decked out in the same furnishings that they ordered custom built when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert came for a 3-day visit in the late 1800s. What opulence! (This shot is only about 1/4 of the full library, and is a bit blurry because Brian didn't use the flash, so he wouldn't get caught, naughty boy)...



A. Castle is a "working castle," meaning, some rich family still owns it, maintains it, and lives in it. They have guests stay in many of the rooms on the weekends, and they have a society set up to let people tour the most spectacular parts, thank goodness. It really was a gorgeous building, one of my favorites of all the ones we've visited.

More gorgeous shots outside...





One token shot of Spencer, below, as we headed to the car (castle is hiding behind the trees) -- just to prove he was there with us. Btw, see how dark the sky is? It was so sunny, warm and bright the whole time we were there. Then, less than 5 minutes after we got in the car, it poured, and I do mean POURED down on us. Very fortunate that we were all finished by then!

Little Miss Mischief

We've known from pretty early on that we have a very active little Samantha girl. Well, it continues! She is quite "spirited" -- to borrow a word from Brian's cousin. With the arrival of Spencer, Sammie has really started to test her limits and get even more adventurous and mischievious in her little routines.

Examples:

This morning, Sam got into several different items that she knows NOT to get into, including: the fabric softener drawer on the washer (smearing residue all over her hands and arms, the television set, and the living room window); the Johnson's baby shampoo (pretending to "wash" her face and hands with it); the cereal (which she spread over the counter and floor as she got herself a handful); Spencer's special baby shampoo (which she tried to EAT). Those were all between 10a.m and noon, and YES I was trying my best to watch her, amid putting away groceries, blogging, feeding Spencer and doing laundry.

Yesterday it was white-out and vasoline... In a matter of ten minutes while I was on the couch feeding Spencer, she had gone into Daddy's office and painted her eyelids and eyelashes with white-out, along with a nice white mustache and white toes. She also went into our bedroom, got a chair and climbed up to the chest of drawers to get the vasoline, which she smeared all over her cheeks, hands, arms and hair. Then she proudly came out to show me the handful of vasoline she was using to "wash a hands" with "mommy cream."

There's plenty more from last week... the sponge from the mop that she tore into itty bitty pieces all over her bedroom floor (a big mess now that our vacuum is broken, not to mention DISGUSTING!), the little pebbles that are outside our front door that she brings in by the handful to roll down the stairs into the hallway (ouch! they really hurt to step on!), the red marker on the couch cushions (again, YES, I was trying my hardest to watch her closely while letting her play with markers at the kitchen table). The list goes on.

Whew! I don't have pictures of these incidents because I'm really, really trying not to encourage her. When she had the white-out everywhere, I stood her on our bed to look in the big mirror at how awful it looked. She saw herself and immediately started laughing, "Sammie look funny!!" I had a hard time keeping a straight face, telling her this is NOT funny at ALL. But I admit, it was pretty funny. She still has remnants of it in her lashes, two days later, poor thing.

Anyway, I know we're supposed to cherish these days when they're so little, because they grow up so fast. I do try to laugh when I can. But I'm also hoping the "into everything" phase is on its way out??

two kids? impossible?

So, I confess, life with two kids has been quite an adjustment for me so far. I know I was spoiled to have so many people to help for the first month and a half. But I'm concluding that I probably NEEDED that extra help, just to survive! :)

Our current schedule (for journal purposes) goes something like this... Spencer wakes up between 6 and 7 a.m. for that first meal of the day. I cuddle him in bed but don't really go back to sleep very good. Then between 7:30 and 8, Sammie comes a knockin' and crawls into bed with us for about two minutes before insisting that we all get up. Spencer stays asleep until 9 or 10, while Sammie and I get Brian off to work, eat breakfast, read books, and sometimes get dressed. When Spencer wakes up, he eats, then looks around for an hour before getting really cranky and eventually going back to sleep. Once he's back asleep, Sammie and I get lunch and I get her to lay down for a nap by 2ish. Then Spencer's up again and he eats, looks around for a bit, and heads back to sleep by 3:30 or so. If I'm lucky (and showered, and don't have other stuff that MUST get done while both children are alseep), I go to sleep with Spencer for an hour until Samantha is up at 4:30 or 5pm.

The day dwindles quickly from there. Samantha and I read more books, play together a bit, and then get dinner going. As soon as I start dinner -- no matter what time or how simple -- Spencer must smell it coming, and wakes up to eat. I stop making dinner, feed him, then he fusses while I continue making dinner. He usually escalates to a nice friendly wail just as I sit at the table. This means I either hold him while I eat (and he gets quiet); or we all eat in a frantic state (while listening to the screaming); or I feed him some more while Brian (if he's home) and Sammie eat; or Brian (if he's home) holds him and he squirms and squawks (but not as loudly) while I wolf down a few bites, then feed him again. I usually choose the last option, if possible. Although, I'm finding the more we adjust, the more we're getting immune to the fussing and it's easier to just leave him in the swing and let him cry while we eat. (Is that bad?)

After dinner, Sammie gets ready for bed and goes down between 8 and 8:30. Then we start our unpredictable evening with Spencer. Sometimes it's 9:30 or 10pm, sometimes it's more like 12:30 or 1a.m. The feeding has gotten a little more regulated, but still he wants more than I can give by nighttime and ends up getting a bottle somewhere in there. This doesn't help with a little constipation problem he's had the last three weeks (too much info?). Anyway, if Spencer drops off early, Brian and I seem to stay up to get things done. If Spencer doesn't drop off early, well, I cuddle and hold and feed him, and work with him until he gets too fed up and finally sleeps. He sometimes gets really worked up, and we haven't figured out the "cry it out" method or anything that really works, other than me holding him. hmm... So, basically, I get to bed around midnight or 1a.m. (Brian usually a bit later). Then Spencer wakes up once in the night before we start over at 6 or 7a.m.

At least there's a more predictable pattern these days??

The tricky part is if I decide it's necessary to leave the house. Getting ready to go ANYWHERE takes at LEAST an hour and a half, usually more like TWO hours. Even just going donw the street to visit a friend or see the doctor, I have to start the process of leaving WAY in advance. Take yesterday for example... Spencer had his immunizations at the doctor down the street, appt time 12:20pm. I decided we could see Joyce and her Sammy for a bit before the appointment, since she lives right by the doctor's office. Well, I started getting us ready to go out the door, aiming to leave by 11 a.m., have a leisurely walk to Joyce's, stopping to get a few things at Boots Pharmacy on the way. What actually happened: at 12:15 Spencer finished eating one more time, then I frantically threw the kids in the car (shhh, don't tell Brian), drove to Joyce's, parked in her drive way and left Sammie with her while Spencer and I went to the doctor.

That kind of routine is typical these days. I have to face the fact that my punctuality is no longer of any importance, even if people raise their eyebrows when I'm late to church and supposed to be playing the organ. It DOESN'T matter! I have TWO KIDS! Other mothers of more than one are generally sympathetic. And the rest will just have to try to put up with things as they are, I guess?

I write all this as an explanation of why I have not been blogging recently. Instead of blogging, we're just continuing to adjust around here. Not too bad, actually. Every day gets a little easier, I hope!

Spencer's photo shoot, and Sammie the princess

I took a bunch of pictures of Spencer sitting on the couch this weekend, just wanted to share. I just think he looks so cute, and so awake, and so much older than other pictures we've taken. Where does the time go!? Enjoy!






Not to be outdone by Spencer, Sammie is our little princess girl. She wore her new princess dress that Bamma Karen sent ALL DAY LONG the day it arrived. Here she was going "a hospital" in our backyard, backpack ,velcro shoes and all. (Excuse the messy hair... some days it just doesn't get done, poor child of mine.)

Nothin' like Dad and Mom

So... I took a long absence from blogging, you may have noticed. That's because my parents came to visit us for the last couple weeks. Yay!! For those of you who live away, you know what I'm talking about when I say there's nothing like a visit from Dad and Mom. It was just great to have them come to our house, see where we live, do what we do every day. Now, when I talk to my mom on the phone, she can picture our living room, our neighborhood, our little grocery store, our life here. We really had a nice time and were so grateful they came to visit and meet Baby Spencer.
Some highlights of their visit, from my perspective:

-- Riding the bus downtown to visit the National Gallery (no photos allowed in the museum). I ended up feeding Spencer most of the time while they looked at paintings and Sammie ran circles around Bamma Karen (my mom's new name!) with her monkey leash. I just loved the fact that we got out together -- it can be done, even with two kids. :)

-- Watching Sammie pester Bamma Karen and Bampa Dennis to read her one story after another.

-- Seeing Spencer curled up on my dad's chest or in my mom's arms, fast asleep. It was not only sweet to see, but VERY helpful, to have extra hands to hold and cuddle our boy!

-- Taking an overnight trip to visit Arundel Castle on the Southern Coast - probably the BEST castle we've seen, and we're pretty particular nowadays. :) (I have TONS of gorgeous pictures that deserve a post of their own, so get excited for MORE.)

-- Walking on the Heath the night before they left, just watching Sammie roam, wheeling Spencer in the stroller, and enjoying being together.

-- Looking at the gorgeous bouquet of roses they bought for us the night before they left. What a nice parting gift! I think of my parents every time I see the roses on our kitchen table. I'm sure they'd mention other highlights, as they took some time to go see some of the London sites, while the kids and I were lounging and napping at home. I'm glad they were able to go see and do, but mainly, I'm just so happy they came to see us and spend time with us. Thanks, Mom and Dad!!

Hever Castle

The last day of Brian's paternity leave, we decided to get out of the house and do something memorable. We went to see Hever Castle -- where Anne Bolelyn grew up. What an impressive place!! We couldn't take pictures of the inside, but here are some great shots of the gardens and grounds -- some of the best we've seen over here...

Samantha took her sweet time crossing the drawbridge over the moat. There were slats in between the planks, and she could see the water below (see second picture of my foot for an illustration of the width of the slats). She carefully stepped from board to board, without letting her foot go over the area where there was water. It took us about 3-4 minutes to cross, holding hands together.

Brian had the camera, so most of these pictures are of me and Sam, rather than him and Spencer.

I love this one below, where Sam is saying "cheese" and smiling for all she's worth, looking way off instead of facing the camera. We get that a lot these days.



They have a gorgeous lake with canoes for rent, and a really pretty island you can paddle to... we opted not to, but just think how romantic that could be, just you and your honey. sigh.

As most of you know, Brian got four weeks off work for paternity leave after Spencer was born. What a luxury, and also what a blessing for us! It was soooo wonderful to have him at home with Sammie while Spencer and I were in the hospital those first few days. Then, it was soooo nice to have him at home when I got home with a NEWBORN. And then, it was great that he had time off to spend with his parents while they were here. And most important, I'm SOOO glad he was at home with us when I had that unexpected hospital stay and long recovery. (Still not 100% yet, but getting close now -- a month later.) So, happy celebration of his paternity leave!! yay!

What? No peeps??

I have been meaning to put up a post about Easter for ages now. I saw everyone else's blog with their kids in darling easter dresses, gathering eggs and showing off baskets full of candy. It all looked like so much Easter-y fun! Well, we had our own kind of Easter-y fun over here. First order of the day... SNOW!! All of you in the US may not find that very interesting, as you've been buried since last October or so. But for us Londoners, snow on Easter was our FIRST this winter! We woke up in shock to find an inch actually sticking to our back patio. Sammie was especially excited, so we had to go out and check it out.
We tried to make a fun day of Easter, but I confess, we ended up doing a lot of improvising, as there just isn't the same selection of Easter "wares" over here. Some of the things we couldn't find here for our Easter celebration...
-- white eggs (a few days after, our friend Debbie told us about a "secret" Polish shop where she was able to get some... ours here are all brown)
-- egg coloring dye (Debbie also had some dye kits, but those were mailed to her from the US)
-- plastic eggs (one friend looked in 6 different shops to find them for primary, but was told she'd have to buy online or from a catalog. It turns out Woolworths does carry them, but you have to get them pretty far in advance.)
-- robin's eggs, (you know, the malted chocolate kind like whoppers with cool colors that you can make your own funky lipstick as you eat them?)
-- Easter baskets -- we ended up using ONE basket for the whole family, and it was one that originally came with flowers in it; Brian's mom transplanted the flowers, then I cut out the plant lining and cut tissue paper to line it, as there was also no Easter grass, of course.
-- jelly beans. Well, they did have some jelly bellies in the store we were in, but they always have those, so they don't count. They didn't have "Easter" jelly beans, ya know.
-- no peeps. Can you BELIEVE!? NO PEEPS!! Is there really an Easter bunny that doesn't bring peeps?!?
-- little girl Easter dresses. I wanted to get Sammie something new and springy, but there really was nothing at the stores. I even went to MotherCare -- which usually has the best selection for frilly things like that. There was only one "springy" dress, but it just had spaghetti straps and was over 20 pounds; not the best option for this Easter. Sam wore her pink plaid jumper with a long sleeved shirt under, and we didn't even get a picture of her, too bad.

Well, we made due for our Easter basket with M&Ms, gummy bears, gum drops and other little fruity candies. Sammie was thrilled to get a necklace and bracelet, as well as some fun barretts and hair clips. Spencer got a bottle, lucky boy. And I got some very nice bath bubbles. Brian got... um, M&Ms.

We also made a fun Easter Bunny cake that night... yummy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Sammie helped decorate.


Easter Sunday was just a week and a half after my surgery, so I wasn't the most "perky" person that weekend. We did go to church, but only stayed for an hour and then I came home with Spencer to rest. It was definitely a different Easter Sunday than others I've had. Memorable, yet quiet and a bit underdone. Oh well.

yummy close-ups of our boy

Spencer had his six-weeks check up this week. He's a growing boy... weighed in at 11 pounds 8 ounces. No wonder I feel like he's eating around the clock. That's because he IS!! He started in the 50th percentile, weight and height. He's pushed himself into the 75th percentile for both now. Good eater, good sleeper... just a night owl, like his mama and daddy. We love him to pieces.

President Monster

During the last session of our church's General Conference last weekend, we were watching via internet at our home with my parents. Samantha was really keyed in when the choir would sing, and would occasionally stop to watch the computer when she could hear the music. She was paused for a few minutes, watching, when President Monson came to the pulpit to announce the next speaker.

I decided to make a teaching moment, and said to her, "Sammie, do you know who that is? That's the prophet, President Monson."

"Oooh" she said, in her cute, I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about-but-it-sounds-fascinating tone of voice.

"Can you say President Monson?" (How very cool if our two-year-old could recognize and name the new president of our church, right?)

She looked at me and said, proudly, "President Monster."

We laughed, so she said it again, pointing at the screen, "President Monster."

Cute, very cute. Personally, I don't think he would mind. I loved listening to this conference, especially President Monson's closing remarks.

I have much much more to blog about, but for now, must be off. Cheerio!!