A kiddie update

Well, thanks for all those who commented to share in our excitement about the house and the move. Yes, we're VERY excited!! It's been a little hectic these past few weeks, just getting things organized. It seems like it's only when I move I realize just how much STUFF I collect! I'm not a packrat, but I also don't relish the process of cleaning out and throwing away. Today Brian took 5 bags of my clothes to a charity shop. I told my friend Debbie how good it felt to get rid of the excess. She replied, "I don't know if I even have five bags of clothes!" Wow! I guess maybe I AM a packrat after all, because I know I could put another 5 bags together right now and not really miss it. ha!

Anyway, I just have a bunch of random pictures and thoughts about the kids to share today, now that our internet connection seems to be a bit better. (Not entirely fixed yet, but not quite so terrible now.) So, here goes....

First, Spencer. He's such a doll these days. I love, love, love that he sleeps through the night! It makes our days much nicer, especially now that Samantha is dropping her nap. I love this "pensive" look...

He is quite smiley and chatty when he's awake, and likes kicking the toys under his little gym mat. But what he seems to like best is the sleeping part. He's a tummy sleeper, and he loves to find his little fingers and suck them, so cute! (No binky for this guy, except in the car -- and then only if I hold it in.)
I'm setting up the crib today. Here he is in the little Moses basket, filling every last inch. I was hoping we'd be able to just keep him in it until we moved, but there's no WAY he's going to last another six weeks in it. But it's been nice, at least for the first three months. (Thanks, J&C!)
One more cute one, just because I like the sweet look in his eyes. This was from a day trip we took last weekend. He got really tired, but was a trooper! Next, Samantha. Where to start? She is a full-fledged two-year-old, complete with great conversations, darling moments, and terrible tantrums. We're trying to take the bad with the good. (or is it the good with the bad? I can't remember which way is the positive way of saying that, but I mean it positively. I think.)
Sam changes clothes every two minutes. I've heard this is normal for some, not necessary for others. Lately, she's added my drawers to her choice of attire. (I won't mention all the "unmentionables" she has strewn about the house on occasion.) Here she models my maternity swimsuit -- backwards. She's got the bottoms up over her shoulders, not sure how she managed that!
She also loves to be all dressed up, looking "coot." We got a new dress for her a couple of weeks ago. She wears it as often as she can find it. We curled her hair last week for church, and WOW! she knew she was adorable! If you can, zoom in on this one to see the pleased look on her face...
She even let me take a picture of the back of her hair, to show off the curls (thanks Bamma Karen, for the rollers!)
Samantha likes to be my little helper. Whenever I get out the broom, she gets out the mop. When I wash off the counters, she gets a wipe to wash off the floors and table. One of her favorite times to help (and one of my most stressful times when she does help) is Spencer's bath. She LOVES to "help" wash him, soap him, clean him... and get water ALL over the place! It's cute, but hard when I'm the mom!

She also cannot stop herself from getting into EVERYTHING. And I do mean EVERYTHING! I mentioned she tore all the baby clothes out of their bags in the closet during her nap time, "encouraging me" to clean and sort the whole room full of clothes. Here she sits, guilty girl...
I told her that was a wrong thing to do, and I did NOT like her getting into all those clothes. Then I told her she was supposed to be sleeping! Before I got TOO upset with her, I decided to leave the room and call Brian to vent. I came back 5 minutes later and found her fast asleep in the midst of the mess. Naturally, I couldn't stay upset with such a little sweetheart...
Samantha LOVES her little friends here. She talks about them ALL day long... Abby, Noah, Ian, Lizzie, Jamie, etc. She's still not great at being a nice girl when her friends are around (she has a fixation with the word "MINE" when her friends are over), but she does really enjoy them. Here she is with cute Lizzie and Jamie. (She LOVED that she got to sit on the counter, something we don't really allow, for good reasons.)
Here she is at our Memorial Day breakfast at the church. She and Abby and Sophie are all "kickin' back" waiting for pancakes to be served.
A couple of cute videos of Sammie, if I can get them to load...

Last, I have to share a cute conversation from yesterday... I read an article about helping your toddler develop her imagination, and decided to try some of their ideas. So, we built a little blanket tent in the living room, next to our window.

Kam (with lots of enthusiasm as we got into the tent together): Let's pretend we're camping somewhere far, far away!"

Sam (looking confused): No Mama, we're just here.

Kam (pointing out the window): Okay, well, let's pretend that's a beautiful forest out there.

Sam (more confused): That's the garden.

Kam: Okay, then let's pretend we are beautiful princesses and this is our pretty little room.

Sam: No. Mama not a princess. Just a Mama.

Kam: Well, then just YOU can be the beautiful princess girl!

Sam: No, my not have princess dress on.

Kam: Okay, well then let's just pretend our tent is a great big castle.

Sam (getting a little frustrated): Not a castle.

Kam (amused and teasing): Then maybe it's a cave?

Sam (very serious): No. not a cave. This is a tent!

Kam (after bringing a bowl full of apples in the tent to share): Okay, well maybe we can pretend this is delicious chocolate cake we're eating.

Sam (looking at me like I have lost it): No, Mama! This NOT chocolate cake. This APPLES. JUST APPLES!

So much for encouraging her imagination... I guess my girl's a realist.

Announcing the MOVE!!

Selling furniture + one-way tickets + giving notice + buying a house = WE'RE MOVING TO IDAHO.

That's right, folks. The Bishop family is on the move. I know it's probably old news to many of you. But I have been sooooo excited to make this announcement. I had to wait and wait until it was "safe" to spread the news. Finally, today is our day! We're saying goodbye to London and moving to Caldwell, Idaho -- just outside of Boise.

We closed on our house today, our very first house! And this is what it looks like...

We're very, very excited to be moving home, putting out roots, getting closer to family, reconnecting with our Idaho heritage, etc. Yay! Buying a house via internet is quite an experience -- can hardly wait to see what it really looks like. Who would have thought the BIGGEST purchase of our life would be sight-unseen?! (Thankfully, Brian's family has done the "walk-through" for us several times over!)

As you can imagine, we've been quite busy here with all the "final" details as we get ready for our move. Our departure date is July 14 -- less than six weeks left now. We're starting the cleaning and packing process, selling off whatever we can, and trying to squeeze in all our "lasts" in England. I'm sure it will be one big whirlwind, gone before we know it. So, wish us luck and feel free to come visit us in Caldwell (maybe not so exotic as London, but we promise the Bishop's B&B will still offer great hospitality and good company)!

Quick, it's working!

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging lately. Or maybe you've given up on me altogether? I wouldn't blame you, as I've just about given up myself. It's this darned internet connection. I called again today to get more help. First they told me to do the same we tried earlier this week. No dice, again. Then the guy tried to transfer me and hung up on me instead. Second call, the guy told me our account is registered to the company that was bought out by the new company (over 6 months ago) so he couldn't help me but he'd get someone to call me back this afternoon. Of course, no one called me back so I called again tonight. Guy #3 looked up my information and said, "I'm sorry, your account has been closed." WHAT?!!? Since when? And then how is it your dumb internet company is charging us 28 pounds per month for a junky service that DOESN'T EVEN WORK!??!?!

That's my story, folks. I turn on the internet, 30 seconds later it's gone. I reset it, 1 minute later it's gone. It magically works for Brian sometimes, but usually only late at night and even then it's "spotty" -- as Brian likes to say. (I think PATHETIC is more accurate.)

Anyway, no picts with this one, because I don't know how long I'll be connected. But I just wanted to send a frustrated shout out to the blogging world and let you know I still care about blogging! I've got stuff to write about, even some exciting, important stuff. It will have to come later.

The quick update:
- We're having another primary party this Saturday, big on my priority list, though I've not done much about it yet.

- We sold our dining room table and we now have a yucky outdoor patio table that is warped. It's throwing off my groove. As much as I clean our house, it just doesn't look clean with the patio table and camp chairs in here.

- Samantha encouraged me to clean out her closet today. Or in other words, she tore into all the baby clothes while it was nap time -- spreading them in all directions all over her room. When I found her, she was wearing two dresses (size 18 months and 24 months, a 12 month hat, and a pair of 6-12 month shorts). She thought she'd found an amazing treasure and could not understand why I was not impressed.

- Spencer pooped today, first time in 10 days. (I know it is not appropriate to talk about poop on my blog, but c'mon -- TEN DAYS?!?!!?) Poor little guy. I was really proud of him. He was one smelly guy at church on Sunday, kind of embarrassing to have such a gassy baby.

- Brian has been home early a lot lately. I love it. On Monday night, he came home and put the kids to bed so I could have a "girls night" going to a play downtown. It was so nice to be out, and fun to be with some great friends. But I was also somewhat wishing I was out with Brian... a great play that I'm sure he'd enjoy.

- Spencer is sleeping through the night (knock on wood for me, please). For the past few weeks, he's been having his last meal about 9 pm, then he doesn't wake until 7 or 8 a.m. Wow! Sometimes I even have to wake him, just so we stick to a good schedule. He sleeps A LOT still, like a newborn (is only awake about 6 hrs all day), but when he's awake he's really smiley and alert. I think he is just one of those babies who likes his sleep. I am not complaining. I like my sleep too!

- My back is in bad form, has been for the last few weeks. I feel like it's on the verge of going out on me, but I don't know exactly what to do about it. My chiropractic visit last week didn't seem to help much, and my exercises seem to make it worse right now. It's not fun, and not easy to deal with Sam's on-the-floor tantrums. (Come to think of it, maybe that's part of the reason it's going out?)

- I'm on a smoothie kick these days... frozen fruit, apple juice, milk and yogurt. Yum! I just bought more yogurt and more berries to freeze. I feel so healthy when I choose a smoothie. (Although, yesterday I felt good about the chocolate cake I made, until I ate too much and felt like the glutton that I was being.)

- England is rainy. Every day I think it will not be as rainy as yesterday. It starts out somewhat sunny. But then it gradually gets rainy by the afternoon. I don't mind, but I am also hoping we get some brighter days here soon.

- It's 12:30 a.m. here, and I really do need to get to bed. Why am I always up sooooo late?! It just happens.

- While I've been writing this, Brian has had to reset the internet connection FIVE times.

You'll hear more from me when our service is better. Bye for now!

Can they get any cuter?!

Two favorite pictures from last weekend, and probably soon to be all-time favorites.

Mary had a little Sammie Lamb

First, thanks to all of you who offered your sympathy, empathy and support for my "bad day" post. You have to admit, it made for some good reading, didn't it?

Well, today I want to tell about last weekend. We went up to Huddersfield (by Manchester, sort of) for the weekend to see my mission companion, Mary Walker. Mary and I served together in Texas over a decade ago. Mary was 61, I was 22. We've been able to keep in touch through the years, and even have managed a few visits while we've lived here in London.
We wanted Mary to meet Spencer, and get to know Samantha a little better, so we made another trip to see her. It was such a nice little getaway. Sammie and Mary fell in love with each other within 5 minutes. Although she has no children of her own, Mary is AMAZING with little ones! It was so fun to watch her get down and play with Sammie.
Samantha spent the entire weekend following Mary around, telling her all kinds of fun details, "helping" her with dishes and meals, etc. Mary got a kick out of Samantha constantly singing "Mary had a little Lamb" every two or three minutes. She also sang "Give Said" (the little stream), and "Twinkle" since she had such a willing audience.
If you ever want some GREAT English hospitality, Mary's place is THE place to stay! She's always hosting people in her little bungalow -- even up to 8 or 9 guests at once. She put us up in her own bedroom, and she slept on the futon in the conservatory. How nice!! She made us delicious English breakfast each morning -- eggs, ham, tomatoes, toast, porridge, etc., -- and yummy Yorkshire pudding (little bread cups filled with gravy, onions, and meat) for Sunday lunch. And she took us out on the most beautiful drive in the country all day on Saturday. I do believe I've found another favorite spot in England -- Yorkshire...
We drove across the lonely moors -- sooo beautiful. I can hardly imagine what it must be like in August when the heather is in bloom.
We also went to this great little castle that has been turned into a kind of children's museum and mini zoo. Sam loved looking at the animals and running in the garden best.


Of course, it was hard to say goodbye when we left. Mary just made us feel so welcome -- hard to leave her. Samantha talked about her all week long. We hope she'll make it to our place for a visit sometime soon, either here or in the US.

Gadfield Elm

It doesn't really matter that this outing was three weeks ago. It was just the most AMAZING place to go! Gadfield Elm chapel is one of the lesser known site of church history for our church. But it should be more well publicized in my opinion. This cute little chapel was the very first LDS chapel -- as in, the first real chapel that the church actually owned. It was built by a religious group called the United Brethren. Then most of the members heard the gospel and were baptized, and eventually gave the chapel to the church. Brigham Young even preached at Gadfield Elm, at least once.
The building was sold in the late 1840s to help finance all the saints who were emigrating to the US. It was privately owned for 150 years, and eventually fell into disrepair. Some members of the church bought it back in 1994 and started restoring it. It was dedicated as a chapel by Elder Jeffrey R Holland in 2000. That's a short church history lesson for those of you who were interested. (There's a whole site about it, if you want to google it... I'm terrible at adding links, sorry.)
We had a nice drive in the country getting there, eating a picnic lunch in the car on the way. We stopped to give Spencer some "lunch" and let Sammie talk to some sheep, up close and personal. The weather was perfectly gorgeous, which made for a great outing.
One interesting thing about the chapel is the lock on the outside. It's a combination lock, with a laminated sheet in the window giving "clues" for opening it. If you're a well-versed member of the church, you shouldn't have any problem figuring out the combination... things like "at what age can children be baptized into the church?" and "how many chapters in the book of Jacob," etc. So, we were able to have a little self-guided tour of the chapel while we were there. Very peaceful and quaint. We even signed the guest book and looked back through it to find Tim and Becky's names (yay!), from when they visited us (and Gadfield Elm) over two years ago. (Hard to believe it was that long ago!)

Artsy shot by Brian...
After our tour, we hung out on the grounds, giving Spencer a chance to stretch out on a blanket, and Samantha a chance to run around.


In the back of the chapel, there's collection of white rocks, along with markers for children to decorate them and a sign telling people to "help yourself!" So, Brian and Sam decorated a cute rock, which Sam has deemed a treasure that she likes to carry around the house.

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving back through our favorite little villages in the Cotswolds. Soooo gorgeous. I don't think I could ever get enough of the Cotswolds, the perfection of English countryside. It really was just so lovely!

The only downside to this outing was the car seat. Spencer hates his car seat. I repeat, Spencer HATES his car seat. We thought he was hungry first, so we fed him. Then we thought he must need a change. Nope. Maybe he's hot? Nope. Cold? Nope. Just hoppin' MAD every time we put him in the car seat. The drive home was about 3 hours. Spencer screamed for more than two of those three hours, only stopping for a brief 20-minute nap in the middle. That made it not quite so pleasant to be driving along this dreamy countryside with a child wailing at the top of his lungs the entire time. The worst was the 45-minute stretch at the very end. He really didn't stop AT ALL, and our only option was to get him home and out of the seat as soon as possible. Not fun. But I guess there are thorns on every rosy day, eh? We had fun! Too bad we didn't go to Gadfield Elm earlier, and we would have definitely recommended it to our many visitors! A great day trip.

Not tough enough

The score for the day has been tallied. London officially stomped me today. Ballots say I am NOT tough enough to do London with two children. Full story below...

So, it all started this morning at 6:42 a.m. when I woke up to feed Spencer who was crying frantically in his little bed in the office. I opened our bedroom door to get him and a little voice greeted me from the couch, "Hi Mama!" Yes, Sammie was already awake, sitting on the couch with her blanket, reading books to herself. This may not seem like a leary start for some of you who are up at such hours. But you may not realize or remember that we London Bishops are 8 a.m. people (and also midnight or 1 a.m. people), NOT 6:42 a.m. people. So, it was an unexpected early start to our day, followed by a series of tiring tantrums and "into everything" occasions until nap time.

There was some peace in the middle of the day, and a lady came to buy our coffee table set and ended up committing to buy some other stuff as well. All this was positive, and I am grateful that I had that little midday respite.

The main event I have to share was our outing this afternoon, after naps, after furniture dealings. I decided to be brave and go to Home Base (like Home Depot) to get the varnish we need to touch up our dining room table. Leaving the house is still no small feat for me: Feed Spencer, change Spencer, get his blanket and binky, then put him in the swing so I can carry him out the door at the very last moment, listen to him cry until we leave. After Spencer, I work on Sammie... do her hair, get her socks and shoes on, get her sippy, get her snacks, get her back pack and jacket, no she can't take all those toys with us, get her up the stairs to the door. All set? Oh, wait -- get Spencer, lock the house, unlock the house, grab the back pack and my money, relock the house, unlock it again and grab my oyster card for the bus (all the while hauling Spencer up and down the stairs with me), relock the house once more, go to the car, unlock the car, put Spencer on the front seat, pop the trunk, get out the stroller, tell Sammie to stay right by me and not go near the road, set up and recline the stroller, strap Spencer in, and we're off. Does anyone have a funny feeling I forgot something?

Yep. The backpack is sitting on the sidewalk by the trunk, right next to the VERY busy street we live on. But of course I don't realize this until we've made the 7-minute walk to our first stop at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription (yes, the one I've been meaning to get filled for 2 weeks now, sorry Brian). Just as she's about to ring up my prescription, I remember the backpack. I also remember the other backpack I left in that same spot back at Christmas time -- it got nabbed, wihch was not a huge deal as it only cost $2 and only had wipes and diapers and Ritz crackers in it. Nabbing today's pack would be more of a find for Mister Nabber, as I had cleverly put the keys to the house and the car in the front pocket! All these thoughts put me in a panic, of course.

So I abandon the prescription, grab Sammie and start walking VERY quickly back to the house, pulling Sam by the hand. Of course she does not like being pulled by the hand, and eventually completely rebels. Dragging her jello body on the pavement looks abusive, I realize. So I hoist the screamer up over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and continue briskly walking, pushing the stroller, trying to act unphased as people watch me. From her vantage point on my shoulder, Sam sees her favorite Italian restaurant that gives out free suckers, and her cries immediately escalate as she become verbal, screaming very loudly, "I WANT A LOLLY!! I WANT A LOLLY!"

Yes, in retrospect, I recognize this is quite comical. But as it's happening, do you think I was laughing along with all the spectators? No, I was not. I was still walking as fast as I could push the stroller and lug my Sammie Potato back to the car, praying the backpack would still be there. Yes, it was, thank goodness. And the keys were still in it, even more of a thank goodness, of course.

After such an episode, is it wise to try to venture out again for the varnish? I can tell you now it was NOT wise. But we did it anyway, just because I am not always wise.

The bus ride down is no problem. The short walk to Home Base is no problem. Even getting the varnish isn't much of a problem, other than the twenty times I have to tell Samantha to put back the paint, the tape, the varnish, the stain, the furniture polish, the little fan, etc. Then we walk back to Sainsbury's to pick up a few things for the weekend. (We're having friends over for lunch tomorrow, before our dining table disappears.)

The "put it back on the shelf" conversation with Sammie continues in the grocery store. (She REALLY wanted a pineapple and could not understand why I wouldn't let her put it in our basket.) We also have several "hold Mommy's hand, please" and "stay with me, please" conversations, before another on-the-floor tantrum erupts. This time I opt for the under-arm football hold, which is effective unless someone tries to pass us on the side where she happens to be kicking frantically, which of course they do quite often in a crowded supermarket. I apologize frequently, let her walk occasionally, and we make it to the check-out stand eventually. Thankfully there's one of those big toy buses (the kind you can put money in and it plays music and moves back and forth, I presume) and it's right in front of our check-out, so Sammie can play while I bag our groceries and pack them on the stroller. Spencer's still okay? Yep, still asleep, thank goodness.

We start up the escalator to the bus stop. Just our luck, it's broken. And the lift seems to be broken as well, a pregnant lady tells me as Sammie is repeatedly pushing the buttom, yelling "ELEVATOR!!" (which is foreign in this country, by the way-- it's alway a lift, not an elevator). To avoid climbing the stairs, we exit by the back door and start up a long hill on the side of the store to where we can go around front to the bus stop. For some unknown reason, Samantha decides she doesn't want to go up the hill with me. She is NOT holding my hand, not being dragged, not even being lugged over my shoulder or under my arm. All the wriggling, wiggling, flailing and screaming is too much to handle while trying to push the grocery-laden stroller up the hill. I leave her crying on the pavement, walk to the top and wait for her to eventually mope her way up the hill by herself. We finally reach the top and I see the #82 bus is just arriving. I grab Sammie's hand, she resists. I football-hold her, while she screams and we run to the bus. Spencer finally wakes up to join the commotion with his own screams. We board the bus, swipe my oyster card, and the bus driver shakes his head at me. I look down to see my card doesn't have enough money on it to pay for the fare!

That's the climax right there, folks. Me, standing on the bus with NO cash; a screaming two-year-old under one arm, a screaming three-month-old and 5 bags of groceries in/on/and under the stroller; an obviously annoyed bus driver shaking his head at me; three people behind me wondering "what's the hold up?"; and several people on the bus staring at the commotion.

Goodbye, #82 bus. I stand on the sidewalk and watch it drive away as the tears start. Yes, by this time I'm crying as pathetically as my two kids. Back down the hill (with a very subdued Samantha who is quite unnerved to see me crying), back to the ATM to get money, back to the store to get the money in exact change for bus fare, back up the hill -- this time holding hands nicely most of the way, back on another bus which is very crowded this time. Spencer really picks up with the crying thing on the way home, and people look at me like I should do something for him. I pull out the bottle and pretend to try comforting him, even though I know he won't take a cold bottle in a crowded bus.

We get off the bus in front of the Italian place and I cave. Samantha gets her lolly after all, and I get my favorite rigotoni amartriciana for take-out dinner. Spencer gets food as soon as we get home, and now they are both fast asleep -- little angels. And Brian gets to hear me whine about my day on the phone, while he's still working late into the night, then he'll probably read this later?

Well, as I was saying, London beat me to a bloody pulp today. I am NOT venturing out on my own again tomorrow or Sunday. I'll have to think carefully about my plans for next week. Maybe my friends will have pity on me and come see me, so I can hole up here and find my "happy place"!

ps. Sorry for the long blogging absence. Stupid spotty internet connection, it's been a pain for the last couple weeks, and continues at present. I do have more to write, more pictures to put up from our last outings. But this episode took presidence today.

Sickie Spencer Boy

It's been an eventful week for us, and our internet has been spotty so it's been nearly impossible to blog. If you're actually reading this post that means a modern-technology miracle has occured and our internet is working for more than 5 minutes at a shot!So, this entry is about our little Spencer baby. He's been sick this week. Actually, it started last weekend, when he kept running a slight fever. So that you don't have to go through all the suspense we did, I'll tell you right now that Spencer is fine. But the story is journal-worthy, so I'll share...

Last Friday Spencer was just fussy and unsettled all day -- short naps, lots of groaning and stirring, etc. Then on Saturday he was inconsolable while we had a little outing to the country all day (the grand finale was when he cried for over 2 hours on the way home, only breaking for a 20 minute nap). Sunday, he slept and slept, and was rather warmer than normal. On Monday, he was fussy again, and still warm. I gave him some tylenol-type stuff several times, to keep the fever down. But it seemed to creep back up after the medicine wore off.

On Tuesday morning, his temp was at 101F -- not extremely high, but also not exactly low. I called the doctor and got worked in for a visit before 9 a.m. I had just given Spencer some more medicine, so by the time I got to the doctor, the fever wasn't as high. But it was still there, and the doctor was concerned. He asked me all kinds of questions -- does Spencer have allergies? has he been sniffly? does Sammie have a cold? has he showed any other symptoms of anything? No, no, no and no. Nothing other than temperamental and feverish, and a slight loss in appetite.

The puzzled doctor sat down at his computer while I sat in silence waiting for some response. He printed something, put it in an envelope and handed it to me, telling me to take Spencer and the envelope straight to the A&E (emergency room), paediatric ward. What?! He explained that with no symptoms other than a persistent fever, we should treat this seriously and get some blood work done at the hospital.

Brian came with me and Spencer to the hospital while Joyce and Debbie took turns watching Samantha (what wonderful friends!! I owe them, for sure). At the hospital, they took several blood samples from Spencer (he wailed, I cried, Brian bravely held him), and put an IV in his little hand. Then they admitted Spencer for the night, ran some chest X-rays, and did a lumbar tap (where they stuck a needle in his back to remove spinal fluid to test for meningitis). Again, he wailed, I cried, and Brian bravely held my hand.

Then we waited. I stayed at the hospital with Spencer, and Brian stayed at home with Sam. They monitored Spencer's temp and heart rate all through the night. Everything was normal. They got some preliminary test results showing that he indeed had an infection, but there was nothing to indicate what or where the infection could be. They put him on antibiotics, just to be safe, but had no way to tell what they were treating. By Wednesday morning, Spencer was acting a lot better than he had been all week. When the doctor came to see him, Spencer cooed and smiled and put on a good show. Was he really even sick? It really hardly seemed like it, to me!

We got to go home by 1p.m. Wednesday, and they left the IV in for more antibiotics. A nurse came by the house to check on him and give him the last dose before she removed it yesterday (Thursday) evening. By today (Friday), Spencer seems to be one happy boy, just smiling and cooing and eating like normal. The doctors said it must have just been a virus, and is probably on its way out. I'm just so glad to know he's feeling better.

Some pictures of Spencer after we got home (No, I did not take the camera to the hospital... I try to keep my blogging addiction under control). Here is Spencer in his pajamas, modeling the little splint and IV, along with the hole I cut out by his foot, so they could monitor his heart rate with a little electrical band around his big toe. A close up of Spence with his Calpol and his splint. (And yes, his hair does look red a lot of the time nowadays)...
He's not THAT sick, as you can see...
Big smiles from our little man...

Two cuties

Just a few quick pictures of my cuties...

Here's our little chubby cheekers boy after church Sunday...

Sammie got a package today from Gramma Karen. Sponge rollers!! She had them unwrapped ready to put in her hair in less than thirty seconds. The new do turned out great, but I forgot to get picts of it. Rats! Here she is modeling the curlers...
And, refusing to pose...

We went to the park yesterday for our "bank holiday" (supposed to be a 3-day weekend, but Brian had to work the entire time, poor guy). We played at the park, ran through the fountains, and got ice cream at McDonalds. A fun day...

Spencer was exhausted by the end, as you can imagine...
One cute story, before I close... Last night before Samantha went to bed, we painted her fingernails as a special treat. She also wanted her toes painted but I told her maybe another day. So, tonight after three songs, a roll-around-on-the-bed prayer, kisses and hugs, a drink, a new CD of bedtime hits, I hit the light switch and started to close the door.

"Mamma!" she called out frantically.

"What is it, Sammie?" I answered, waiting for yet one more request.

"Ummm... Paint Sammie's toes??"

Can you believe, she was in complete shock that I denied her on that one! Tears and sobs for another 5 minutes after I shut the door, poor deprived little angel girl. Oh well.

Princess Party

Monday was our friend Abby's fourth birthday. We got invited to her garden tea party, which was so much fun. All the little girls came in their best princess attire, complete with princess shoes, necklaces, rings, crowns, etc. It was soooo cute to see so many little princeses running around. Abby had a brand new Cinderella dress that looks JUST like the Cinderella from the Disney movie, so adorable! And our Sammie was wearing a Sleeping Beauty costume with another one under it... so pretty!
We left our camera home, so all my picts are from afterward. But Joyce has some great pictures and a nice narrative of the party details on her blog. She shows pictures of all the kids hitting a little mermaid pinata. It was pretty funny because she forgot to fill it with candy, but none of the kids really knew too much about pinatas anyway, so they were happy just to be hitting it. ha!

One thing Joyce doesn't mention on her blog is the pouty little princess Sammie Bishop. Not sure what it was, but our Sam just was NOT a very happy girl at the party. She did several little things that required scolding (taking toys from other party-goers, not sharing, not staying at the table to eat, ect.). Whenever I tried to gently reprimand, she just kept breaking down into tears, running from the room dramatically, and refusing to be consoled. Here's a sample party face (from after, but you get the idea)...
The grand finale was when Sammie totally lost it for the last 15-20 minutes of the party. It was a proper meltdown, with snotty sobs and those horrid snuffles -- you know, the kind where they just can't seem to draw enough breath to continue crying properly. Oh boy! She didn't settle down AT ALL until I put her in the car, poor Sam girl.

When we got home, she was all smiles and pretty princess again... at least long enough for me to get some cute pictures of her. I love this one where she really is striking a princess pose...

Then I told her it was nap time, and pouty princess returned until she was hauled off to her royal bed chamber for a good long sleep!

But for the record, it was a really fun, cute party. And I think all the kids enjoyed it... even grumpy girl Sammie.