Regent's Park Picnic

One of our favorite parks in London is Regents Park, near the hospital where both our babies were born. We've been looking forward to the time when the rose gardens in Regents are in bloom, and finally, it's here!

We took a little picnic dinner down to Regents last week one night when Brian got home earlier than usual. It was so fun to see the 50+ varieties of roses, all planted in a huge circular garden and labeled by name. I wanted to smell each kind and find out which is most fragrant. I think I got sensory overload, because after awhile they all smelled equally rosy.
I also got a little camera happy, because I have a photo collage idea I'd like to try. So, here's a small range of some of the flower shots I took...






Artsy, accidental shot of two black swans. I just thought it looked kind of interesting...
Samantha liked the "water" part of the park best (don't all kids?) She would not pose on the bridge or in front of the waterfall, but I got a cute one of her rummaging through the picnic basket...


Spencer wasn't really keen on the whole idea, since it was past his bed time. But he obliged us for awhile before getting a bit cranky. Some picts of him and us...


Brian's favorite little sculpted garden...
Oh, I will miss the green, gorgeousness of England. The parks, the Heath, the country walks.... sigh.

ps. Regents Park was first set aside as a public hunting ground way back in the 15th century by King Henry VIII. Wow! Old park.

"Firsts" for Sammie and Spencer

Both Samantha and Spencer have exciting "firsts" to share from this weekend. And, amazingly, we actually caught them on video! Yay!

Samantha learned to blow bubbles last Friday. She got her own bottle of bubbles at her friend Noah's birthday party. Within 15 minutes of practicing with me at home, she had it all figured out by herself!

Unfortunately, she spilled her entire bottle just after this little video. But lucky for us, we got a "bubbles" recipe off the internet and made some more for her. (Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with her outfit, it was entirely her own creation.)

Spencer had a monumental "first" this weekend. Just last night he laughed for the very first time. He's quite a serious little guy a lot of the time, so we were thrilled to catch some of those first little giggles on video. He's been laughing for us again today, which is so fun to hear and see.

Another "first" for Spencer -- he started rolling from his stomach to his back a week ago. Three nights in a row, he woke up crying at 5 a.m. When I went in to see about him, he was on his back, and NOT happy. First night, I fed him then put him back to sleep. Then I decided he doesn't need to get used to a 5 a.m. feed now that he's sleeping through. So, the next two nights I just rolled him back over and he went back to sleep.
He REALLY does not appreciate trying to sleep on his back, poor little guy. But we're proud of him for learning to roll so quickly. Interestingly, he has only done it those few days, and hasn't continued through the week. I guess he learned quickly that if he wants to keep sleeping he shouldn't roll?

Finally, Camber!

Sorry for the long blogging pauses. More internet difficulties not worth sharing. Sooooo.... FINALLY we made it down to the coast between Brighton and Dover to visit a very small, little-known town called..... Camber! Complete with its own castle -- Camber Castle!
Any of you who have been lurking for as long as we've been blogging may remember one our very first posts was about Camber; I had big plans of going there to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, back in 2006. Well, it didn't happen then, and we've tried two other times to make it down there without success. I was insistent enough that we MUST visit Camber before we leave here. So, we took a day trip down there last weekend. Turns out the main attraction is the beach -- Camber Sands...
It wasn't really warm, but Sam loved the water and dived in before we could get her clothes off her. Cutie. (Hard to get a good picture of her these days. She is just WAY too busy to pose and smile!)
This is how she made it back to the car after her beach time... kicking and screaming the whole way. But we're glad she came home with us, rather than staying there!
Since I already mentioned the main attraction was the beach, I hope you were able to deduce that the castle was NOT the main attraction. In fact, Camber Castle was very difficult to find, because it is situated right in the middle of a big cow field! No joke. (This picture was a zoomed in pict) We were driving around looking for the castle, no signs, no ramparts peeking through the trees, nothing. But it was on my map, and I was determined that we would find it! We pulled up by a caravan/trailer park and there was a brickish looking water tank. Brian said, "maybe that's the Castle?" Samantha was quick to tell him, "No Daddy. That NOT a castle." :) She repeated it the whole time we sat in the car park there, trying to figure out where we went wrong. She was right, that was NOT Camber Castle. We finally asked directions and were informed it was about a mile walk from the road.
We parked and set out walking -- Brian carrying Spencer and me working with Samantha. After a few minutes, we realized a mile-long walk through cow fields (with ditches, barbed wire, and lots of stinging nettle) was probably not a really good idea with our two kidders in tow.

So, we took our pictures and said our goodbyes to the dream of Camber Castle. (Another zoomed-in shot...)
We got some great pictures of this little sheepie guy. He seemed to want to pose for us (Sam could learn a thing or two, eh?)
The closest REAL town to Camber is called Rye, and it's DARLING. We spent an hour or so walking around Rye, looking in the cute shops and admiring the charming little cobbled streets. A few pictures of Rye for you...
If you can't read the signs above these doors, zoom in and have a read. We thought this was pretty clever, written on a B&B we saw...
I'm standing in the one-and-only parking spot on this whole street!
Sammie, posing, finally. She's wearing the new shirt we got for her at Camber Sands beach, when she soaked hers. It's now her FAVORITE shirt, even though it's a size too big. She wants to wear it all the time, has it on as I write, etc....
One of Spence, even though I included this shot in an earlier post. It's the only good shot of him we got that day, so I have to add it in case he wonders where HE was when we did all these fun trips!
Anyway, it was a nice little day-trip for us. A big bonus was that Spencer and Sammie both slept on the way home. We really appreciated that, Spencer. Thank you! We'll post more soon, I hope.

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!