The O'Dowd Clan in California.

A new pet.

2012-01-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. After a lot of begging from the kids we finally gave in. For the last 6 months we've spent many weekends visiting shelters, adoptions and doing internet searches. Despite Devin's love for bigger dogs (labs in particular) we knew in our current home a large dog just wasn't a good idea so we had been looking for something in more of a medium size. We had also preferred an older dog in hope of being housetrained and less hyper but were worried how a young to middle aged dog would be able to deal with our kids. You know the phrase "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? When considering getting one from a shelter we don't really know their behavior or their past. It could be hard to retrain over any aggressive behavior.We would have hated to pick something and have to return it to a shelter. So we decided puppy or very young dog was the best way to go. Last week I found an ad on Craigslist for the most adorable Mini Australian Shepherd. Based on it's size and knowledge that this breed is supposed to be good with kids, it didn't take much convincing to get Devin to drive the family up to Malibu to meet him. He was a Christmas gift to someone who was not going to be home enough to take care of him and so decided to sell him. So on January 2nd we became the new owners of this little guy we now call "Brumby". If you've seen the movie "Man from Snowy River" you've heard the term brumby which refers to the wild horses. We thought it fitting in reference to his breed and also that he can get a bit hyper. The kids just love him to pieces. We all do, though there are times I think I should never have given in.

Christmas 2011!

2012-01-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late getting this post up but finally here are the pictures from Christmas! We had a great holiday season with fun activities, vacation from work and school and fantastic weather. It felt a little odd for someone from Colorado. Like we were celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer!

Our Tree!

Our house with lights!

Teagan made a gingerbread train.

Austin made a gingerbread sleigh with reindeer.

I actually made some Christmas cards this year!

We went to Disneyland to see the Christmas decorations! Here's the princess and her castle. :)

Small World ride all lit up!

Santa definitely made a stop at our house!

New Pajamas!

Teagan was very happy with his new Thomas movie!

Star Wars!

She loves Tinkerbell and Minnie Mouse!

Dollhouse and furniture from the grandparents!

TEN ON....THURSDAY

2011-12-28T14:37:00.001-08:00

December 29, 2001

Today marks our 10th wedding anniversary and with that I thought I would try to list what we've done or where we've been for each of them! A lot has happened in 10 years so some anniversaries are a bit fuzzy and we can't quite remember them.

#1. Devin surprised me with an overnight trip to Cincinnati and a fancy dinner on a riverboat. 2002

#2. I was pregnant with Austin and we spent Christmas in Albuquerque with family and probably went out to dinner somewhere. 2003

#3. Don't really remember this one. :( 2004

#4. I was pregnant with Teagan at the time and we left Austin with my parents.We spent a night at the Hotel Monaco in Denver where we each got massages and went to a nice dinner at Willie G's Seafood. 2005

#5. We left the boys with my parents and went to downtown Colorado Springs and did one of those spa packages that included dinner and champagne, massages and pedicures. 2006

#6. Our little family of 4 spent a few days over our anniversary at in indoor waterpark in England and then visited Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon (the home of Shakespeare). 2007

#7. I was pregnant with Bailey and after Christmas our family drove to the Isle of Wight for our anniversary/New Year's. We spent a few nights at a holiday resort in a cabin where we could cook our own meals. We played games and went for walks. This one was very memorable because I had a terrible sinus infection and I discovered Austin had gotten headlice and we couldn't find a drugstore on the island that was open for the whole week. 2008

#8. This one is fuzzy too. But it's likely we had a babysitter and went to dinner. 2009

#9. Our first anniversary apart. Devin was finishing his thesis in England while we in the States with family for the holidays. 2010

#10. Our good friends/neighbors are babysitting all the kids so we can have a date night! 2011

2011-12-19T10:39:00.001-08:00

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Tae Kwon Do

2011-12-09T13:02:00.001-08:00

The boys had their first Taekwondo test this week. They passed (with some help) and will be getting their yellow belts next week. They are loving it but the 40 min drive each way twice a week is wearing on me. Wish it was closer. Oh the things we do for our kids!

2011-11-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

The month of October was super busy for us. Not only are we back full swing into school, we have also added regularly scheduled activities for the boys.

Austin has started cub scouts and has already earned several achievements and went on his first camping trip with his pack. Austin is enjoying getting to know some other boys his age and some of the silly things they do in pack meetings. Teagan gets to tag along to the meetings and field trips, which is helping him learn some of this to be ready to start cub scouts next year.

The boys are attending a weekly Bible study with memory verses, games, and crafts at our church. Another way for them to get to know other kids their age as well as the outside help of Bible teaching and memorizing verses!

The boys have also been going to TaeKwonDo classes which they are really excited about it even though they are quiet, unfocused and lack the strength and flexibility for those kicks and stretches. My boys are not big team sports enthusiasts so I'm thinking this will be good for building their confidence without the competitiveness and also for learning respect and discipline. We are currently working on using "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" more at home since it is emphatically encouraged/demanded of them in class. I hope to get some good pictures of them in class soon!

Now just to find something for Bailey. I was thinking tumbling or martial arts along with her brothers but she has expressed a desire for dancing classes. She likes to spin in circles and say she is dancing. She also periodically asks Devin or myself to dance with her. She may be tough and fiesty but she is definitely a girly girl.

We finally fulfilled our promise to the boys to go to Legoland which is something they have been asking for daily since moving to California 9 months ago. They had to complete the school year and wait until summer was over before we could go. We spent 2 days there and had a blast. Definitely a good place if you have a younger kids. No super scary fast thrill rides which are not a particular favorite of my boys yet and Bailey was too small for only a handful of rides.

We enjoyed a short visit with my parents and saw Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, and went to a pumpkin patch. It was too short but we were glad they could take the time to come for a visit.

The kids got to dress up this year for halloween and go door to door in our neighborhood. Austin wanted to be a transformer and chose Iron Hide and Teagan wanted to be a ninja. Bailey of course chose Tinkerbell her favorite!

The weather here is getting cooler and we now have more clear crisp days where we can see for miles across the ocean and enjoy beautiful sunsets.

HAWAI'I

2011-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Much to my surprise back in August my husband got the notion to use up some of his vacation days by flying the family to Hawaii. While I'm never one to turn down a vacation to a tropical paradise, the fact that MY husband was suggesting this was so out of the ordinary. So with a little planning and calling to figure out flights we headed up the coast, taking the scenic route to San Francisco. I'm completely in love with the West Coast-line. Beautiful sandy beaches, steep rock cliffs, sunsets and even the fog rolling in. I admire it so much that I'm trying to instill some of that in my children and teach them to appreciate God's creation.
We made stops along the way in Solvang, (a little German village) and at Hearst castle, which after living in England my kids didn't understand why they would call it a castle. We drove along the PCH up through Monterey and then on to the airport. Flying a military flight requires flexibility and patience since you can't really plan on an irregular flight. You show up and wait and it's nothing like going to a normal airport. But now my kids can say they've flown on a C-5 (a very large cargo plane). What an experience! Our seats were in the top of the plane and we could look down over the cargo area.
We spent one lovely week in paradise. Our hotel had direct beach access and a pool so we spent lots of time in the water. We also drove around the island, visited Peral Harbor and climbed Diamond Head. No visit there is complete without some fresh Dole Whip from the Dole plantation, which we did...twice. We returned home exhausted but had a fabulous time. I'm trying to convince Devin to put Hawaii on his wishlist for his next assignment. We'll see! :)

Beach Baby

Our Hotel

At the Luau

Before the hike

At the pool

Austin took this picture

Waimea Falls

On a Submarine

School's In

2011-09-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

Let's see...August went by in a blur. Not much to report except that it was a great month in terms of weather. We finally got some days in the high 80s and it felt so nice. Now I'm sorry summer is over.
The middle of the month, Devin was away for two weeks for some training and I took the opportunity to get the kids started back into school. August 15th was our official start date and yes that is early for some here but I knew we would be taking some vacation in September so I wanted us to get a good head start. The kids did pretty well getting back to the routine of things although it was hard to get them to accept there would be no more morning tv watching.
Austin so far is doing well in 2nd grade. He's not really learning any new concepts yet so he's finding it all pretty easy except for the reading part. He lacks desire and motivation, so we've strayed from our school reading books and are just picking kids story books around the house. I've since purchased the Happy Phonics set and have started that with the boys and they are enjoying the games.
Teagan is breezing through Kindergarten. We actually started him back in March with it and he's already read through all the books and finds math very easy. When it comes to writing letters though he puts up a fight and doesn't understand the need to write them over and over.
Bailey is doing well and keeping occupied with movies or her toys while I teach the boys. Sometimes she sits with us and colors in her coloring books. So much better than last year when she wanted me to hold her constantly.
Despite my impatience and frustrations in teaching my kids at home I'm actually enjoying this year better than past years. I think since we are nearly over the hurdle of teaching them to read, it's opened up a whole new world and level of learning for them which makes things a little more exciting and easier for me. I know it will be difficult as we move up in grades and I have to teach harder concepts and subjects but for now I'm feeling pretty good with the fact that my hard work is sinking in and they are actually learning!

Now we've got 3 weeks of school done before Labor Day and we plan to take a much needed family vacation and use up some of Devin's vacation days before the end of September. We've been talking for a while about getting out to Hawaii while we are here and being military there are a "few" perks. So we plan to drive up the coast of California and hopefully catch a free flight to Hawaii. Devin and I did this over 9 years ago when we first got married and now want to try it again and bring the kids. They are so excited! We plan to make a stop in San Francisco. For some reason my kids have been fascinated by the Golden Gate Bridge and have seen it in pictures or movies so they are excited to know we'll be seeing it in real life.

And the best news to come out of August was that Devin's scheduled deployment was cancelled. Many of you prayed this would happen and God certainly answered those prayers! I'm relieved he won't be gone for six months and that we can spend Christmas together this year.

Sorry no pictures in this post. I meant to get first day of school pictures of the boys but never got around to it. I'll post some soon!

Stars, sunsets, fun and bugs

2011-09-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we spent the day in Hollywood and met a few stars. :)

Then we enjoyed some neighborhood fun and sunsets.

And we've had to deal with some pests in and around the house.

This I just had to post. Anyone know what it is?

Summer!

2011-07-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Since my last post we've been in full fledge summer mode! Great weather, friends and family, days at the beach, lazy days at home and even camping. The only problem I'm finding with our current living situation is that I feel as though I'm permanently on vacation. Who wants to do housework when the first thing you see in the morning is clear blue sky and the ocean? It will be so hard to get back into the swing of school in another month. However another bonus to this paradise location comes the family and friends that actually want to make the trek out here to visit! I'm looking forward to BOTH my sister's visits over the next couple of weeks! Hey, so any friends or family reading this you've got a free place to stay if you're wanting to visit sunny California!

July 4th was a fabulous afternoon with our close friends from the valley that came down for the day. It was a great time to visit and watch the fireworks.

The nearest swimming beach to us is part of San Pedro harbor and doesn't have the big waves like the other beaches. The kids just love splashing around in the water there even though it's really cold.

Last weekend we went camping with our new church family. This was first time we've gone since Bailey was born. It was hot but lots of fun. The kids got to try their hand at canoeing. It was a fun experience and they all want to do it again. Maybe my kids are growing to like water and boating like me. Next time they want to try kayaking and maybe tubing on the lake.

So we have one more month before school starts! It will fly by so we are trying to make the most of it. Devin has meetings next week up at a former assignment so we plan to drive up and see our first house together and some old friends. Then Devin will be off for a 2 week deployment training and my sister will come for a visit. Maybe we'll get a few more visits to the beach, another camping weekend and a trip to Lego land before the end of summer! Then we'll be trying to spend as much time doing family things (around school) before November when Devin is scheduled to leave for 6 months. It's gonna be a busy few months!

10 Years!

2011-06-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

I just had to post today to mark our tenth anniversary! Of our engagement that is. I can't believe it has been ten years since Devin proposed to me, sitting on a the side of a mountain, overlooking Colorado Springs. It still seems like it was only yesterday and I can still remember that day vividly. We've come a long way since then and experienced so much in only 10 years! I'm glad I said yes and I'm looking forward to celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in a few months! I Love you Devin!

May

2011-06-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wow is it June already? The month of May was pretty busy with school, baseball games and practice. It was pretty cold and rainy. April and May seemed to get mixed up on which one has the rain and which one gets the flowers. Here's hoping for a warmer, sunnier June!

The highlight of the month was a quick visit to Colorado over Memorial Day weekend. We got to spend time with my parents, see friends, attend a beautiful wedding and best of all Devin and I got an overnight date at the base of the mountains. It was a short but sweet visit and nice to get away. Here's a few pictures.

Cave of the Winds

Cool ropes course at Cave of the Winds

View from our hotel room

Pueblo Zoo

Time for a new post

2011-04-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a month since my last post so I figured it was time for a new one. The month of April has flown by. I probably say that in all my posts. April has brought us lots of rain and wind, visits with both sets of grandparents, Easter and baseball.

Having family come for a visit always makes time go faster. There is less to do when I have visitors. Somehow there are less dishes and laundry to clean. The house stays tidier. I stay up a little later and get up a little earlier than usual but don't feel tired. When they go the house feels so empty and quiet. Both my parents and Devin's parents came out over different weekends and we had fun seeing different sights, enjoying time outside and eating out at fun places. So if any of my friends or family want to come out for a vacation, please come stay with us!

Easter was a whirlwind of fun for us. We had 3 different egg hunts. Celebrated with friends and family on 2 different weekends. We barely got one nice family picture and I have a giant bowl of candy in the house that I'm tempted to either throw away or eat it all in one sitting just so it's not in my house anymore.

Last year was soccer and this year the boys are trying baseball. Sadly I am in no way athletic. I never played team sports (except one summer of baseball and that was miserable for me.) I can throw/catch a ball with kids but that 's the extent of my athletic ablility. My husband grew up playing all kinds of sports. He was very athletic but is now too busy to be athletic. I like the idea of team sports and see benefits to having our kids in team sports but getting our kids to be excited about trying any kind of sport just doesn't happen in our house. Needless to say our weekends are busy until the end of june with baseball games. Hopefully some good comes out of this and it can be another thing to cross off the list of something we've tried. I will post some pictures of the boys' games soon.

I haven't mentioned school and work. Devin is still trying to get up to speed on all things military after 3 years on the outside and learning a job he knows very little about. We are hoping very much that things slow down for him allowing more time for family. As for school with the boys, I've figured we will have to work year round just to stay caught up. How can anyone do school in a place like this? Vacation weather nearly everyday and a perfect neighborhood just begs for outside time. All day. How can I squash the kids desire to excercise their bodies and social skills by making them sit at a desk for a few hours? (Just to put some certain readers at ease I'm not saying we don't do any school work at all). We just do a smaller amount each day or only a few days a week since I can't bring myself to get into a strict routine with it. Hence my reason for no official summer break either. We'll be working through the summer to finish up so we can move on to the next grade in the fall.

Fun Filled March!

2011-03-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

We are having a fun filled month this March with having 2 birthdays to celebrate. Last weekend we took the kids whale watching. We got to see sea lions, dolphins and grey whales. It was awesome! (Except for the fact that it was the day after the tsunami so the water was rough, leaving us all a bit queasy).

Looking for whales and dolphins

The back of the boat was more interesting. You really had to be watching hard to see the whales so that was difficult for the kids. The dolphins were having fun racing around the boat jumping high out of the water. Unfortunately hard to capture that all on camera so I have no pictures but the boys thought the dolphins were really cool.

What a cool way to see animals in their natural habitat. I'll admit I'm way more fascinated by this and ocean life than my kids are. I LOVE the ocean and the beach. I don't care about being wet, sticky, covered in sand, the smell of fish. I'm like a little kid running around wanting to explore and I hope to stir some of that excitement in my kids. Unfortunately, they aren't so much the outdoorsy type when it comes to getting dirty or working hard. (Something we are trying to change). Anyway, we are enjoying life here in California despite potential natural or man-made disasters. The kids are outside playing everyday. The nearest playground is 100 feet from our house. The nearest beach is 10 minutes.

Yesterday was Austin's 7th birthday!! It's hard to believe. How could he be 7 already? My oldest baby is growing too fast. In lieu of a party he picked something fun to do and one big gift. He had a transformers theme cake (store bought this year). Mommy is just not on the ball yet with birthdays. Next year maybe he'll get an original creation. We had a family dinner and he opened gifts and cards from relatives. Austin chose Sea World for his fun thing to do so we're headed there this weekend. Austin and Teagan will be getting a trampoline as their one gift from us. The end of the month brings Teagan's 5th birthday and he's chosen Disneyland as his fun thing to do.

And of course, today is St. Patrick's day. Usually a big day at our house but once again with so much unpacking still needing to be done it's a bit low-key this year. We're still having corned beef and potatoes though! Hope you're wearing your green today! Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Almost Paradise

2011-02-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's not exactly ocean front property but it's pretty darn close. We are pinching ourselves each day when we look out the windows. (We do have houses blocking our view somewhat but hey, not bad for military housing). I think this is my favorite assignment yet! (We'll see what Devin's job is like).

The view from Bailey's room (also the guest room, come and stay with us!)

The land in the background is Catalina Island. This is the view from our bedroom.

From our driveway.

From the kitchen window.

Sunset (view from driveway).

I will post more pictures of the inside once I have some rooms organized. Stay tuned!

The Birthday Girl!

2011-02-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Last week my sweet baby girl turned 2. How can she be 2 already I keep asking myself? Unfortunately for her (or maybe more for my sake) her birthday fell during a very chaotic life changing time for our family since we had just arrived in California 2 days before and were staying in temporary housing. So there was no big celebration or party. I didn't make an original homemade cake. I bought a a cake from the store and purchased gifts that did not get wrapped. I'm sorry things were so crazy that mommy couldn't get something more memorable put together in time. In reality, she's 2 so will she really remember? But I can't help but feel bad about it. She did enjoy her gifts and we spent the day doting on her a bit more than usual. My little princess is growing up too quickly.

In her birthday outfit.

The cute Tinkerbell cake we picked and she ended up not liking.

Checking out her new kitchen. (couldn't resist the expression with the nose picking is hilarious)

Balls are still her favorite!

Big girl bike. She can't wait to get out and keep up with her brothers!

Happy birthday princess!

January Happenings

2011-01-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

You probably noticed the new blog makeover. We aren't in California yet but will be by the end of the month and for the next several years. Here's to a new chapter in our lives!

January has been busy for us. I decided to make over my parents' bathroom. Whoever owned the house previously thought it would be nice to spray a THICK stucco like texture on the inside walls. We spent 5 days sanding the walls, repainting, hanging shelves and a new mirror and fixtures. This was a total blast for me as I love home projects!

Before

After

We took a weekend trip to Winter Park and spent days sledding, and swimming. We did ski one day and took the boys for their first time. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had 2 very grumpy and cold boys. They've both announced they will never ski again. Oh well. Maybe when they are a little older and we'll go closer to spring.

I gave Bailey her first "haircut". Really just a trim of her bangs. She wan't very cooperative but I had to document it! Yesterday, I got red streaks put in my hair. (Just something I do for fun once in a while) Today my mom and I are going for massages. I'm going to miss the freedom to leave my kids with my parents so I can have some "me time".

We are in the last week here in Colorado. I'll be spending the week packing and preparing for our long drive across the southwest. We are excited to be reunited as a family when we see Devin next weekend. We are looking forward to this next adventure and living in sunny, warm California!

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

The boys put together a gingerbread train.

Last weekend my sister and her family came for a visit and the cousins made Christmas cookies together. They had a blast playing together.

Yesterday we took the Santa Express train to the North Pole. The kids wore their jammies and enjoyed the train ride and the cookies and getting a bell from Santa.

Photoshoot (121 photos), by Andrea O'Dowd

2010-12-15T18:34:00.001-08:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

We're Home!

2010-11-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

We arrived back in the U.S.A. late Monday night. The long day of travel went much better than I anticipated. We even had very cordial flight attendants who weren't grumpy at us for bringing kids on the flight. Our only hitch was when their flight computers listed us as having one more bag checked than we actually had which of course is a security risk. This resulted in the flight being delayed 30 minutes because I had to go down to the cargo crew and verify which bags were ours. Turns out they mixed up the numbers and there really was no extra bag.

We are currently in New Mexico spending Thanksgiving with Devin's parents and enjoying the blue skies and crisp fall air. We may even get some snow tonight!

Yesterday our new minivan arrived via truck from Arizona. Teagan was quite upset when it arrived to find it was silver and not his requested blue. He quickly recovered when he discovered the van's interior amenities like a dvd player and plenty of cup holders!

We are enjoying our time together and trying not to think about the fact the Devin has to go back to England next week. This is the most relaxed he has been in months and he is dreading the work ahead of him and being away from his family.

So this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving we are thankful to be home with family, enjoying good food and shopping and American football.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

1 More Week!!

2010-11-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

The kids and I have only 7 more days in the U.K. One week from today we will board our overseas flight bound for Los Angeles and must endure an 11.5 hour flight with 3 kids. Oh joy!!
I hope they sleep for most of it! From LA we will catch another flight to Albuquerque where we will spend Thanksgiving with Devin's parents and also pick up our new car! Woohoo! We will be so happy to have a large car again and wider streets to drive it on! After a week there, Devin will return to England and the kids and I will drive to Colorado Springs and stay with my parents for 6 to 8 weeks! It will be nice to spend Christmas with them and enjoy some snow. The kids are hoping for enough to play in and go sledding. It will be sad to be apart from Devin during the holidays and for so long. We haven't been apart more than 2 weeks since he deployed in 2003. It hasn't really sunk in that we are leaving England but I think it's because I haven't really had time to let it. I know if I sat and thought about it I would start to cry. It's always a two-edged sword for us having to move every few years. 3 years is only barely enough time to make good friends but long enough to create memories. I now have to let go of everything here but at least I can take the memories with me. On to the next adventure and new friends! Farewell England. We will miss you!

Moving Day!

2010-11-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a month since my last post, so I thought I better send out an update. Not that anyone really reads this blog but while I'm sitting here watching the moving company pack our belongings I may as well do something. So the last month in a nutshell....not much except organizing and getting ready for the move and discovering this will be our most stressful move yet. Another overseas move, a third child, spending 6-8 weeks in Colorado while Devin stays in England to finish, purchasing a car in the U.S over the phone
are just some of the added stresses we've been facing. Oh and how do you pack for a 10 week vacation covering 2 countries, 3 states, and 3 climates without access to any of our belongings except what we can fit into 10 suitcases? We'll be so glad when it's over. The kids are feeling some of our stress too and acting out of sorts. Patience is not one of their strong suits especially when a young child has no real concept of time. The next 2 days the house will be packed into boxes and slowly emptied and loaded onto crates. We are amazed at how the movers load each crate like putting a puzzle together. The kids think it's fascinating that their toys will be shipped to California on a big boat that will take 6 weeks to get there when we can fly there in only one day.

In other news....Austin lost his first tooth a couple weeks ago and the second one is nearly ready to fall out. Looks like he'll be missing his front teeth for Christmas! I would post a pictures but our home computer is packed up. Austin is very excited at the prospect of making some money off the tooth fairy to put towards something he wants for Christmas.

We also sold our car the very last day of the ad we had placed. The new owners drove 2 hours to see it and took it home that day. Talk about a "God thing". We were worried it would have to sit in a lemon lot somewhere while we fly to the U.S. and Devin would have to sell it when he returned but what a blessing to have it sell so quickly. This of course has left us without a car for a few weeks but the kids have enjoyed taking the bus to Church and into the city for shopping.

So we will be spending the next 2 weeks cleaning the house and hanging out while Devin finishes writing his last few chapters and then we are homeward bound!

It's Happening!

2010-10-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

It's finally happening! We're packing up and pulling roots once again. We now have moving dates and flights back to the good 'ol USA! We pack out in 30 days and fly home 2 weeks after that. We are so excited but at the same time can't believe it. We've been sorting through things, trying to get rid of things and cleaning and painting. We are excited to spend the holidays with each set of parents and for the kids to see their grandparents. We won't actually be settling in to California yet though. Devin won't be finished so will return to defend his Thesis and the kids and I will spend Christmas in Colorado. By the end of January we will be together in California looking for a house and settling in to a new city.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-09-03T23:00:00.095-07:00

Today marks our 3rd year since we stepped off that plane in England as some of its newest residents! We thought we'd be leaving shortly after this day but as usual it's rare that things go according to plan. We may be staying a bit longer than we thought but it's hard to believe in some ways that those 3 years have passed! Austin was 3 1/2, Teagan was 18 months. We had no idea what we were getting into or what our next 3 years was going to be like but were instead excited about the adventure we were embarking upon. Living in a different country, seeing so many historical places, traveling to different countries. We were wide-eyed with excitement.

Well, some months at times seemed to drag on as though our time here would never end and we longed for home and family. Other months have whizzed by and we wonder how it could have passed so quickly.

In the last 3 years we have had some struggles that may or may not be the result of where we live but were more difficult to get through without the familiarity of home and nearby family. The culture here as well as making friends was a big adjustment. Oxford is very transient and a melting pot of international students. We may have met many different people but very few have become our friends.

We struggled through a lot of illness, messy things like lice and bedbugs, terrible things like bike and car accidents and a miscarriage. Living here has definitely been more stressful and trying for us. But we know it is God that has brought us through all of it. If it weren't for our reliance upon him, we would have given up long ago and gone running home.

In the last 3 years we have welcomed our 3rd child to our family (a girl this time!) which has been such a sweet blessing. We found a terrific nanny who has become our closest friend here and a tremendous help to me with 3 kids running around!

We have traveled so many places and countries, and seen so many things that many others don't have the opportunity to. We have been so blessed to have had this opportunity and actually get to see places we read about in our history books in school!

Austin is now 6 1/2 and in 1st grade. We made the decision to teach him at home after issues with the local school and while it often wears on my patience we know it was the right decision for right now. He's doing so well and is reading well! Teagan is now 4 1/2 and we've started teaching him some kindergarten. He listens in when I teach Austin and already knows some addition and subtraction!

Bailey is 18 months already! The time has flown by! She is quite the pistol and thinks she's in charge. She talks a LOT and loves to sing! Her favorite things are princesses and Minnie mouse and playing with her brothers.
So we have 5 more months in this country. (We've been counting down) We are anxious to go home. We are excited to be closer to family. We are excited to live somewhere new. We are looking forward to our future in California and all the opportunities it has to offer. With any move we enjoy the adventure of discovering something/somewhere new or different.

We will miss many things about living in England. The beautiful summers. The history and ease of traveling to Europe. Our favorite pubs, bitters, and Pimms! We'll miss the friends we've made.

The next few months will be busy with school, packing, movers coming and plans for our return to the U.S. The time will go quickly and soon we'll be home!

Another Winter in England!!??

2010-08-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

What?! Do I have to?!
We finally got word that Devin's application for an extension was approved. I knew this would happen but I didn't really think through what that meant for us. So instead of moving to sunny California in October and enjoying American food and shopping and a larger house we have to wait. 3 more months! Devin has until the end of January to finish. Don't get me wrong. I WANT him to finish and to do it before having to work a real job since we see him so little already. He needed this extension. But now I'm left with a dilemma. Do we stay until he's done? That means our 4th gloomy England winter and 4th Christmas in our tiny house with no family around. Another option is to leave earlier and stay with my parents but we all know that's only nice for a little while. :) We'll miss Devin and our things and want to get to our new home and get settled.
So please excuse my little tantrum. I just needed to let off some steam. We'll work it out and eventually get home.

Home Sweet Home (Colorado)

2010-07-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

The end of June the kids and I traveled to my hometown of Colorado Springs. I had not been back since my sister's wedding 2 1/2 years ago. I was excited to see what had changed and for my kids to spend time with their grandparents. The kids were great on the flight. I'm so blessed to have kids that enjoy traveling! When we stepped off the plane in Denver it even smelled like home. I've missed it so much. The mountains, the thunderstorms, the dry air. Most of all it was good to spend time with my parents and my sisters who flew in for a visit too! The kids just loved being at their grandparent's and all the attention as well as the open space and room to run around on their little "ranch". We had tons of fun and the visit was too short. The kids keep asking when we will go back and hopefully we'll be visiting more often when we return to the U.S. for good.

Road Trip! 2010

2010-07-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last blog! As usual the summer months seem to fly by. So a quick recap over the last 2 months. In June we took our last big road trip while living overseas. This time though we didn't leave the country. We drove to Scotland stopping in Sherwood Forest, Newcastle and along Hadrian's Wall. We stayed a week in Glasgow while Devin attended the 2010 Turbo Expo where he had 2 presentations. Then we drove up to Inverness along Loch Lomond, through the Highlands and along Loch Ness. We then drove to St. Andrews golf course and walked on the fairway at the 18th hole. What a thrill! Next stop was Stirling Castle (my great grandmother was born there) then a couple of days in Edinburgh. We finally made our way back to England stopping for a couple of days in the Lake District which was unlike anything I expected. Beautiful mountain passes and lakes almost made me feel like I was back in Colorado! Except for the sheep and very narrow roads! Below are a few pictures from the trip. We had a great time and will miss our "European vacations"!

Spring Time in England

2010-05-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

We've survived our last winter in England! I must say we won't miss the cold, wet, dreary, dark days with about 7 hours of daylight. But after winter comes spring which is a beautiful time of year here. Yes we will miss spring time. The beautiful fields of green and yellow. The crocus, daffodils, tulips and bluebells are abundant. The daffodils literally grow like wildflowers here. They are everywhere! More sunshine and less rain is a comfort as the days get longer. One of our favorite things to see (besides the flowers) are the baby sheep around Easter.

As our time here in England gets shorter I think about some of the things I will miss. It's always hard to pick up and leave a place and move on to something different whether or not you've grown fond of living there. There are still things we liked, memories we've made, challenges we faced, and new friends we will have to say goodbye to. Change (moving) is bittersweet.

HAPPY EASTER!

2010-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Teagan Turns 4!

2010-03-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Teagan's 4th birthday! He's growing up so fast! He had a great day with his Lady train cake and lots of Thomas and Friends presents. He was hilarious to watch opening his gifts expressing such excitement over it all! Can't believe my little boy is 4 already. Love you Teags!

A Different Language - Translation

2010-03-19T05:45:00.005-07:00

I recently posted some British words we hear commonly around here and asked any of you to guess their translations to "American". Well if anyone is interested, here they are.

Slip Road - the exit off a highway
Squiffy - Pear-shaped, strange or funny weird

Loo - Bathroom or toilet

Coach - Bus
Lift - Elevator
Squash - Fruit juice
Footpath - Trail or path
Bap - Bun
Queue - A line, people or cars waiting
Nappy - Diaper
Bonnet - Hood of a car
Windscreen - Windshield
Pudding - Any dessert
Dummy - Pacifier
Close - Cul-de-sac 0r dead-end
Poorly - sick, not feeling well
Verge - Shoulder, on the side of a road
Rubbish - Specifically garbage, also generally for anything bad
Lay By - Pull over spot from highway to rest, use phone, etc.
Torch - Flashlight
Lorry - Semi-truck
Fag - Cigarette
Pavement - Sidewalk
Boot - Trunk of a car
Bitter - Popular type of beer found in pubs
Pub Crawl - Bar hop

Football Pitch - Soccer Field

Pants - Underwear

Petrol - Gasoline
Wellies - Rain boots

There are many more. Check out www.english2american.com for a whole dictionary full of words we use differently.

Austin is 6!

2010-03-17T08:53:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe 6 years ago today a little 5lb.13oz. bubbly, energetic boy was born. We became a family of 3 and our world was about to change in a HUGE way! Happy Birthday Austin!We love you!

A Different Language?

2010-03-08T10:56:00.005-08:00

Just for fun I thought I'd post some British words or terms we hear fairly often that are quite different from the words we use back home. See if you can guess what these mean. :)
Leave a comment if you know any of them. I'll provide answers later if any of you are stumped!

Slip Road
Squiffy
Loo
Coach
Lift
Squash
Footpath
Bap
Queue
Nappy
Bonnet
Windscreen
Pudding
Dummy
Close
Poorly
Verge
Rubbish
Lay By
Torch
Lorry
Fag
Pavement
Boot
Bitter
Pub Crawl
Pudding
Football Pitch
Pants
Petrol
Wellies

Thomas

2010-03-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took the kids to see Thomas the tank as well as other friends from the "Island of Sodor" The boys (Teagan especially) thoroughly enjoyed the train rides, magic show, music, and crafts. The highlight for Teagan besides seeing Thomas was meeting Sir Topham Hatt who signed a certificate for him. We had to practically drag him out of there when it was time to go.

Normandy

2010-02-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Normandy. It was exhausting, amazing, and beautiful all at once. We took the night ferry over and back which allowed for a maximum of 5 hours of sleep and with 3 little kids it made for quite the adventure. We started at Utah beach and watched the sunrise. We made our way down to Omaha beach, stopping at monuments/memorials along the way and ending at the American Cemetery before going to our hotel to get some rest. The next day we drove down to Mont St. Michel which was beautiful but unlike the pictures you see of it surrounded by water there wasn't any when we were there. Then we made our way back to the D-day beaches and drove up the coast until it was time to catch our ferry home. We enjoyed the quaint farming and fishing villages and beautiful scenery. The kids enjoyed hearing the explanation of the history of D-day. We had very nice weather aside from a few rain showers. We did find it odd to see so many American flags flying and still have yet to meet a polite native of the country during our visits to France. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Bailey turns 1

2010-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Bailey's 1st birthday! It's hard to believe a year has gone by already. She enjoyed opening her gifts and eating cake!

Snow!

2010-01-09T02:12:00.002-08:00

This last Tuesday evening it started snowing and by morning left 10 inches! The last time we had snow was last February, just after Bailey was born. The kids were so excited to get out and play in it. We couldn't get out with the car and Devin got to stay home for 2 days. Here are some pictures.

The good the bad and the ugly of 2009. (Christmas Letter)

2009-12-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

As usual, it has been a couple of months since my last blog. Since we are wrapping up the year 2009 I thought I would blog a Christmas letter of sorts to sum up our year. This is the 3rd year in a row I have not sent a mass mailing of Christmas cards and if anyone gets one, it will be late! Christmas seems to come faster every year and I get more behind with cards and gifts. Someday I hope to get back on top of this! :)

Disclaimer: Continue reading at your own risk. You may learn some things you didn't want to know. It's also incredibly LONG (like a book) so grab your coffee if you do wish to continue.

So 2009 is coming to an end. This year was quite a roller coaster ride for us. We rang in the new year with one of my worst fears. I finally learned the true meaning of the phrase "nit-picking". My fear of these things was a HUGE reason I did not want Austin attending school and lo and behold New Year's Eve, Austin comes to me scratching his head like a maniac! After inspections of the entire family, we found he had given "them" to his brother too. This miserable challenge took 3 weeks to get rid of! Problem solved. Just in time to welcome my mother for a visit with the expectant arrival of baby #3. A high point in the year! Or should I say the highest. In February we welcomed our baby girl who has been such a delightful addition to our family. Having a girl is such a different experience. They are so different from boys! In March, Teagan comes to me scratching and covered in red spots. My first reaction...chicken pox. But no, it wasn't. My next worst fear had come true. Another phrase I now know the full meaning of. Any guesses?
"Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the _____ _____ bite." Are you kidding me, I thought? How can this be happening? I now know much more than I ever cared to know about those terrible bugs! Like where else they live (picture frames and wall corners) or that they can live an entire year without feeding. Yuk! And for anyone out there thinking I must never clean my house this has nothing to do with it or those other icky bugs mentioned earlier. And I do keep a very clean house! This problem resulted in having the house fumigated and every article of clothing in the house bagged and washed in hot water! All while in zombie mode with a newborn in the house. Between regular laundry, the extra from a newborn and all the rest it took nearly a month to get everything washed. Ok, what next...
In April, we took Austin out of school for may reasons really. Ultimately differences with the school and the need for more flexibilty brought us to the decision. We then started preparations to homeschool Austin for the rest of our time in England.
The month of May brought on another challenge when some unforseeable moment in my normal routine would render me lying in pain, barely able to to sit up. Taking care of 3 kids was a nearly impossible task considering I spent most of my time lying in bed or crawling on the floor. Thank goodness we had an awesome nanny to help me out! After 4 months of physical therapy and an MRI we found I have a bulging disc pressing on the sciatic nerve causing pain down my right leg. My options were surgery or see how it goes. Thankfully the physical therapy and excercise on my own has brought me eons from the pain that was there. I've even heard it can heal on it's own.
June through October brought warm beautiful England weather and vacation! We flew to Orlando for a conference/family reunion. My family drove to meet us while we were there and we had a great time visiting, going to Disney and the beaches! We also spent some time traveling to nearby England sites and castles and then a European trip to Italy and Greece!
September marked two years since arriving in Oxford and started our countdown for our return to the U.S. I started teaching Austin kindergarten at home. It's going generally well although it hasn't yet sunk in for Austin that we "do school" every day and he still puts up a fight periodically. I'm also not sure I have the patience for this but I'm trying. It's tough trying to teach one while there are 2 others hanging on you for attention. Devin and I started teaching the 3 yr old cubbies at AWANA at our local base and have been blessed to get to know some more people there. Austin and Teagan are enjoying spending the time with other kids and memorizing Bible verses. The boys are growing and learning new things every day. Austin is growing into a big boy and liking things like transformers, secret agents, sword/gun fighting and skateboards. He's an uncontrollable ball of energy at times and I often lack the creativity to channel it into something productive. We want to get him involved in sports but he's not interested in any of them so we're still looking. Teagan is ever more obsessed with Thomas the Tank. His growing love/idolatry could be getting out of control but how do you explain this to a 3 year old? I'm sure he'll grow out of it, right? We've told many times that he is a cartoon and book character and not real. Still he continues to memorize every line in every movie and book. He can name nearly all of the hundreds of characters. He's evenmoved on to memorizing the commercial adds. We're thinking he should be there new spokesperson.
Bailey amazes me every day with how quickly she is progressing. She's bigger than either of her brothers were at 10 months. She has already got crawling down and pulling up to furniture. She'll definitely be walking before her first birthday. She's very intuitive already and is helpful when getting dressed and knows where to put her arms and feet, she has learned to clap, say mama, dada and uh-oh. She's light years ahead of where her brothers were at 10 months! It just goes to show how different raising girls are. She loves her brothers but is already learning to take charge and be bossy. She even likes to attack them if they are on the floor by climbing on them and pulling their hair.
Devin is doing well with his PhD program. Some days he comes home feeling great about it all and others he's overwhelmed and can't see light at the end of the tunnel. This summer their lab location moved to a different building which resulted in disassembling and reassembling his wind tunnel. This of course put a hitch in his testing but it's finally up and running again. Provided all goes well, he'll be ready to write his thesis in April and submit in September.
Me, I struggle at times to keep everything in some sense of order. Often times my "momnesia" takes over and I'm a bit spacey I hate to say. Thus the lack of Christmas card sending among MANY other things! I keep thinking where is the light at the end of this tunnel? When will I get a good night's sleep and my fuzzy head clear? Probably not for another 18 years. Oh well, I just try to remember that this will pass and all too quickly so I better enjoy what is now. Fuzzy head and all.
So as 2010 approaches...wow it's so weird to say that. We have much to look forward to with hopefully a visit to Colorado and New Mexico to see family and friends. We have our last summer in England with more travel and of course our return (permanently)to the U.S. (As I write, Devin is going through the list of possible job assignments). We are incredibly excited to go back. We've enjoyed our time here and all the opportunities living here has provided us but we are ready to go home. So since I've dragged this blog out WAY longer than a blog should ever be, I'll end it here. The "O'Dowd clan in England" has had a very blessed year, up or down, God has brought us through, brought us here and His loves for us never changes. We wish everyone a blessed Christmas season and pray you would know the unfailing and unchanging love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Devin, Andrea, Austin, Teagan and Bailey.

World Travellers

2009-10-27T06:14:00.003-07:00

Wow, how time flies when you're having fun! (Or time just flies) Sorry to those who may actually read this blog (hi mom!) but blogging is often on the back burner. I find myself quite often thinking of something worth blogging about but I'm usually in the middle of something else. Then I forget about it and more time goes by. Anyway, I'm finally updating! Since my last post we had a nice end to summer with beautiful weather, a visit from Devin's parents and a vacation Italian style! The month of August was perfect here in terms of weather. My favorite time of year over here!
In September, Devin's parents came for a visit and we finally toured the city of Cambridge complete with "punting on the cam".
In October we traveled to Italy and spent a few days in Rome and Venice. We LOVED seeing all the places you only dream about when reading your history books in school. From there we took a cruise to Greece, stopping in Rhodes, Athens, Kefalonia and then Croatia. Living in England is all the better when we can be close enough to travel to these places. For that I am very thankful!
I've posted a few pictures from the trip.

Summer Ramblings Part 2

2009-07-21T02:32:00.012-07:00

So in my previous post I suggested that my kids attempt to "kill" each other. I'm sure anyone who has boys knows how rough they can be with each other. Whether it's fists, toys, shoes, balls, even a letter opener, things are always flying with intent to harm each other. At 5 and 3 they have a hard time understanding their own strength let alone the consequences of their actions. Currently my 3 year old likes to hit his little sister in the head with her toys or his feet as he laughs an evil laugh and my 5 year old likes to run up to her screaming just to scare her. While thankfully no real harm has ever come to any of them amidst their fights they do come up with ways to destroy other objects. Take throwing their toys from the second story window for example or using all the postage stamps as stickers. My 3 year old is quite often in destroy mode. He took a hammer to the rear passenger door and when questioned said he was "fixing the car". My days are very busy monitoring and disciplining and it's hard work. I love my kids and would much rather spend time with them than anything else. But some days it feels as though I've spent the whole day getting after them which I'm sure any mother can understand.

On another note:

As for the month of July we enjoyed "hot" weather for England the first week during which all the British complained but we welcomed after coming back from Florida where it was MUCH hotter. No one here has air conditioning and the stores that do must not know how to use it right. 85 degrees in England is very different from 98 in Florida and I will never complain about that week since it is so rare here. It is near the end of July and feels as though summer is over with rain and temps in the 60's.

This month we've also enjoyed the nearby farms with all the fresh produce we can pick. We rarely make it home with any berries as they all get eaten on the way home! One farm has a couple of corn mazes and a bouncy castle and the boys are always asking to go.

July 2nd we walked in our annual parade at the Air Force Base representing Awana and VBS. Then saw a fantastic fireworks show in which the fireworks were timed to different songs.

Bailey turned 5 months this month and started eating solid/baby food. Devin participated in an Air Force promotion ceremony. We went to an amusement park geared to kids under 13 which the boys enjoyed because they could go on nearly every ride.

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We had a recent grad from The Air Force Academy come through town and stay with us for a week and we all took a short trip to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge.

Summer Ramblings Part 1

2009-07-05T06:18:00.006-07:00

Wow! It's been a while since I've blogged about anything. Despite my desires to post pictures, thoughts, events, etc for friends and family to see I find blogging quite time consuming. I have to run by the computer every few minutes to type or add a picture in between tending to household chores and "trying to keep 3 kids alive" as I like to say. My days are very busy feeding, changing, playing and keeping the kids from killing each other as well as laundry, dishes, cooking and cleaning. By the end of the day, not much is accomplished except the kids are still alive!

Since my last post, we were able to take a long vacation (not long enough) back to the U.S. Devin had a conference in Orlando so we took some vacation time around it. We drove out to Key West and then up the coast on the Atlantic side before getting to Orlando. It was very hot but so nice to be near the water and go to beaches and swim. I love the beach and the ocean! My parents, and my sisters and their husbands joined us in Orlando for some fun family time and we even went to Disney World. It was so great to be back in a familiar country with great shopping and restaurants too!

It was sad to leave. Saying goodbye to family and returning to England is hard. It's been my least favorite place to live and I miss being closer to family. The last 2 years have been the toughest I've ever had. But I'm thankful for the times we've been able to go back for visits or our family has come here.

Below are a few pictures from the trip. I'll post more soon.

Glasses

2009-05-26T08:10:00.004-07:00

Austin has inherited his parents bad eyesight much too early! A year ago he started begging me get him glasses. We recently took him for an eye exam and his right eye is weak. He was so excited and all I could think of was how much he was going to hate them after a few days. I hate wearing glasses and hoped so much that Austin would not need them until he was older. The optometrist believes if he wears these enough his eye will improve enough for him not to have to wear them again for a long time. It's been 3 weeks and the excitement has worn off. Austin has conveniently misplaced them! :) Here are some pictures of him and his siblings in their sunglasses, so they wouldn't be left out.

Flying Kites

2009-05-05T05:12:00.004-07:00

We had some great kite flying weather last weekend.

The boys had lots of fun!

Until the kite got away.

Austin is chasing the kite here. See those trees?

Easter 2009

2009-05-05T04:48:00.004-07:00

Here are some pictures from Easter.

The boys are excited to be going on an Easter egg hunt.

Bailey in her first Easter dress!

Teagan Turns 3!!

2009-04-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

Growing too fast!

2009-03-19T08:53:00.005-07:00

I'm amazed at how quickly time flies! Here are some recent photos. It's hard to believe My boys are now 5 and 3 and Bailey is growing so fast too! I am so blessed to have these children!

My 3 handsome boys!

Austin turns 5!!

2009-03-17T05:49:00.002-07:00

Breakfast

2009-03-09T10:59:00.002-07:00

We woke up yesterday morning to our 3 year old trying to make us breakfast. He wanted scrambled eggs. Here are some pictures.

Snow!

2009-02-12T09:08:00.002-08:00

It really does snow here sometimes! Here are some pictures of the boys with the snowmen they made with daddy's help. They had lots of fun!

Tea Time

2009-02-12T08:26:00.004-08:00

Today we all went for tea at a cute little place in Woodstock.

More of Bailey!

2009-02-10T08:27:00.002-08:00

Here are some more pictures taken during Bailey's first week home. Note the pink shirt in the bottom picture. Courtesy of Grandma! :)

She's finally here!

2009-02-06T13:21:00.006-08:00

Bailey Rose was born February 3rd, 2009 at 6:13pm. She was 8lbs. 4.5oz. and 20 inches long. Her brothers are so excited to have a baby sister!

Bailey's Room

2009-01-14T03:01:00.003-08:00

Here are some pictures of Baby Bailey's Room with lots of pinks!

Trip to the Isle of Wight

2009-01-05T05:17:00.006-08:00

Here is probably the last picture you'll see of Devin with a beard.

Below are pictures from our trip to the Isle of Wight over New Years. It was fun to see the water but the weather was freezing cold!

Christmas Festivities

2008-12-19T05:04:00.013-08:00

Yesterday we attended St. John's family Christmas party. The kids enjoyed the food, games and a visit from Santa who brought gifts for all the kids.

My handsome boys and me below. Devin decided to grow a beard for the holidays! I think it looks good but he'll probably never do it again.

The kids and I made Christmas cookies. The really enjoyed decorating them! It was fun but what a mess! :)

Here are some pictures of the decorations and the tree with all the gifts underneath. I prefer to wait to put them all out on Christmas Eve but I have no room in the house to hide them!

Christmas is coming

2008-12-08T06:53:00.003-08:00

The boys had a great time putting ornaments on the tree. They wanted them all in the same spot.

Here's Austin dressed as a shepherd for his school Nativity play.

Recent Pictures

2008-11-23T11:50:00.003-08:00

Here are some recent family photos taken at Blenheim Palace during the Christmas craft fair. It was really cold that day, so we were all bundled up and trying to stay warm!

Here are the boys with their carved pumpkins for Halloween.

Oxford in the Fall

2008-10-13T08:55:00.003-07:00

Sunday after church we took a picnic lunch to University Parks. We had a wonderful day walking around and enjoying the fall weather and the changing leaves.

Berry Picking

2008-10-13T08:44:00.002-07:00

Who knew you could pick strawberries in October?! Saturday, we went to a local farm to find pumpkins and ended up picking strawberries and raspberries too. There were plenty to pick and the boys had a great time finding them and filling their containers to the brim.

Fun in Texas

2008-10-08T05:19:00.004-07:00

The boys and I have returned from a 3 week trip to HOT north Dallas where we visited my sister and her family. While there Grandma and Grandpa and my other sister came for a visit! The boys had a blast playing with their cousins and going to fun places like Chuck E Cheese, The Children's museum and a pumpkin farm just to name a few. As well as some American restaurants like Chick-Fil-A!! Below are a few pictures from the trip including a proud Grandma with her four adorable grandsons!!

Home away from home.

2008-08-26T04:20:00.003-07:00

We've just returned from one of our triannual (sometimes more) trips to RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall. These bases have become our home away from home while living in Oxford. It's about a 3 hour drive but worth it when you consider living on the economy in England can be tough for Americans. This is where being military is a HUGE advantage for us! We can stock up on American grocery items you can't find here like peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips, USDA approved beef! :) etc. and pay U.S. prices. We usually stay overnight and catch a movie or go bowling and take advantage of the fantastic playgrounds we don't seem to have in the Oxford area. A big favorite is the American fast food. Taco Bell and Baskin Robbins especially. Living here without so many of our chain restaurants back home leaves us craving whatever we can get that tastes like it does back in the U.S. It's also hard when we're used to the community life on Air Force base to adjust to living in a different country, culture, and way of life, especially in Oxford. Some would say we should dive in to the culture here and live as the British do and for the most part we do (British home and car and tiny washer and dryer) but it's nice to find what we can here of those familiar comforts of home in the U.S. For anyone who thinks Americans and British aren't too different and speak the same language should check out the website www.english2american.com

My Birthday

2008-08-26T04:04:00.004-07:00

Last week we celebrated my 28th birthday and instead of doing something for me we took the kids to Drayton Manor. An amusement park with an area called Thomas Land with rides made to look like all the characters from the Island of Sodor. A dream come true for my boys! :)

The park was packed and we waited in lines most of the day just to ride about 8 rides. Since I couldn't go on most of the rides, Daddy was feeling a bit queasy by the end of the day! :)

2008-07-12T04:57:00.005-07:00

We had a great time in Ireland last week. We spent a week in Sligo with my parents enjoying the coast and sights and even an O'Dowd castle.

Europe trip - Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Zurich, and Paris

2008-06-19T10:08:00.021-07:00

After 3,000 miles driven and 76 hours spent in the car our whirlwind Europe trip is over. It's good to be home. Where the road signs are in English. People aren't passing us on the Autoban going 100 miles an hour (at least). Having to pay for toll coupons to stick in the window to drive through the country. Oh and the language barrier. What an experience!
We really did have a fantastic time seeing all those places you grow up learning about in history books. We spent a day sightseeing in Berlin.

This is the Brandenburg gate and the Reichstag (Parliament)

Here is what remains of the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie.

We took a quick drive through Prague. We didn't get there until 5pm and it was heavy with traffic so we didn't get any pictures in the city center. We were more worried about getting out of the country to find somewhere to camp back in Germany! We stopped in Salzburg and got some pictures though.

From there we went to Garmisch, Germany right in the heart of the Bavarian Alps. It was beautiful! We stayed in a cabin at the Edelweiss Resort, a military recreation area. We drove through the Alps and into Lietchenstein and then Zurich. This castle is Neuschwanstein which was the inspiration for the Disney castle.

We stayed a night at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and then drove to Paris. We saw the Eiffel Tower that evening. We didn't go up it because of the lines but we waited around until it was all lit up when it got dark.
We didn't realize how much of a tourist trap Versailles is but it was on the top of our list of things to see. We waited in line (outside in sunny 78 degrees) 2 hours and 45 minutes to buy tickets and get in to the palace. It was packed with people but this was fulfilling my childhood dream so we had to see it! This place is huge and very ornate and the gardens are spectacular! Since this was our last day we didn't have time to see any other sites in Paris. We had to get to the ferry.

Road Trip, Europe

2008-06-09T01:49:00.009-07:00

Well, we finally made it to Berlin after 3 days of driving and camping, seeing the sights along the way.

Thursday evening we took a ferry to Calais, France and spent the night in a hotel. What a shock to go from driving on the left side (in England) to immediately driving on the right side in a right hand drive car! We soon got adjusted and were on our way up the coast through Belgium and into Amsterdam. We didn't spend much time there but drove through the city and got out to

let the kids play in a park along the river.

We then headed southeast towards Germany and found a campground in the little town of Kleve. With our German phrase book in hand we were able to reserve a site for the night.

The next day we drove to Koblenz, Germany and traveled the scenic route along the Rhein down to Mainz. The walls or hills of the valley were dotted with castles surrounded by vineyards. We stopped at a park again to let the kids play.

In Mainz we toured the Gutenberg museum and saw the Gutenberg Bibles and the press with a demonstration on how it was used. From Mainz we drove to Eisenach and found another campground where no one spoke any English but again with our little book and a lot of pointing we could set up camp for the night. Located in Eisenach is Wartburg Castle where Martin Luther was exiled. We climbed the vey long steep hill to the castle and took the tour. It was in German but we could pick up a few words and got to see Luther's room and desk where he translated the Bible. From there we drove to Wittenberg to see the famous church doors where Luther posted the 95 Theses. There was a Luther festival going on we didn't know about so there were many booths selling items or food from the medieval era. Many people were in costumes from the time.

We will now be in Berlin for a few days while Devin attends the ASME Turbo Expo. I'll post more when we've done some sightseeing!

White Horse Hill

2008-05-26T05:15:00.009-07:00

Last Saturday we went for a hike on a warm - but incredibly windy - day up White Horse Hill. In the side of the hill is a chalked form of a horse over 374 feet in length. There used to be a castle atop one of these hills. It was a fun hike up these rolling green hills with sheep grazing and horseback riders surrounded by farmland.

Our Neighborhood

2008-05-15T02:23:00.009-07:00

Some of you (my parents really) have asked to see pictures of our walk to school. Austin is attending Elms Road Nursery school which is a 3/4 mile walk from our house. I make this trip twice a day, five days a week totaling 3 miles of walking. It's great when it's not raining and I get in a workout!
Here is the first picture, heading down our street, then through the hedges on the footpath.

Then around the a few corners through the neighborhood. Most of these homes have beautiful flowers year-round. Daffodils and crocus, then tulips and hyacinths. Now lilacs, phlox, daisies, forget-me-nots, roses, magnolias.....just to name a few. My favorite is a house with wisteria overhanging one end. The beautiful purple flowers that look like grape clusters. So pretty!

Around the next corner and past our bus stop we take into the city. I had to take a picture of this cottage. We walk by it each day. You don't see many of these in the city!

Down the busy street, past another bus stop and the Botley shops. Then Elms road on which the school is located.

Here is Austin in front of the school. Of course the day I bring the camera they are busy repairing the shingles or something! Austin loves his new school hat too which he's required to wear on sunny days while at school.

Springtime

2008-05-12T07:44:00.015-07:00

The last 2 weeks have been spectacular here in England with temperatures in the 70s, plenty of sunshine and little or no rain. We've been enjoying time outside, going for walks and the flowers blooming everywhere. I've posted a few pictures from the local areas we've visited.
These were taken at Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Some flowers around the area.

Yesterday, for Mother's day, we went to the park and then for a walk in Stokewood forest where the forest floor is covered with bluebells.

THE LAST 8 MONTHS IN A NUTSHELL

2008-05-07T09:05:00.001-07:00

On September 4th, 2007 we arrived at our new assignment. Oxford, England.
Devin's new job - to be a full-time student earning his PhD in jet turbine engine turbine blades..........?? You may want to ask him.
Within the first 2 weeks we found a house, purchased a car, toured the city, experienced punting and ate at the Eagle and Child where the inklings met (C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien writers group).
What a beautiful city with warm fall weather! We were excited for our new adventures!

In October we took a day trip to Bath, England and drove by Stonehenge.

In December we took a quick trip to Stratford on Avon to Shakespeare's home and then to Warwick Castle.

In January we had the opportunity to tour the home of C.S. Lewis in Oxford.

In March we went to Milton Keynes where the city is somewhat "Americanized" with wider streets and 4-way intersections. They even have a TGI Fridays! We toured Bletchley park which was the former HQ for the U.K.'s version of the N.S.A.

In April we spent a day in London touring the city. We took a ride on The London Eye and a boat tour down the Thames, followed by a tour of the Tower of London.

2008-05-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

We've now been living in England for 8 months and I've just decided I should have been blogging about our adventures here! So I will have to bring everyone up to speed in a quick recap!