Time with friends, friends, and more friends...

Since we don't have any furniture yet, the girls and I haven't really wanted to spend too much time at the house -- so we scheduled lots of playdates with friends we haven't seen in awhile.

On Tuesday morning our doorbell rang and the two little neighbor girls (Kate is in 5th grade and Claire is in 2nd grade with Brett) brought over a few St. Patty's Day bits for Brett to wear to school since they knew we didn't have many things here at the house. It was very thoughtful of them to think of our little man. I had just bought him a shirt at Old Navy with a bit of green on it as he didn't have anything green here at the house so he was able to wear that as well as the shamrock light-up necklace, shamrock scarf, and huge green shamrock hat the girls brought over. He wasn't sure how well the other kids were going to take him wearing all of the St. Patty's Day stuff -- so he opted to just wear the light-up necklace and the scarf and he carried the hat to school to see if anyone else was wearing something similar. I don't believe they were so he ended up just wearing the others for awhile to show his Irish spirit. I decided not to embarrass him too much -- so I opted to just put the photo of him with the necklace and scarf on rather than the one with the hat, too. ;o)


I think he looks like Fred from Scooby Doo because of the ascot. ;o)


The girls wanted to show off the shamrock necklaces and earrings I found at Hobby Lobby for them. (I know, Hobby Lobby?! Quite out of character for me but I was just looking for some house decorations as I'm getting antsy to get things in order here.)

On Wednesday, we went to Morton to visit with Jan (a lady that I used to work with at Cat) and her grandchildren. Jan is retired from Cat and now takes care of her little grandchildren during the day. I hadn't seen Jan in over 2 1/2 years so it was wonderful to be able to catch up and the girls had a fabulous time playing with the kids.


Enjoying a lolly before lunch



Thursday we enjoyed going to Bloomington to visit with Tina & Ian and Stacey, Beckett, & Eden. Both Tina and Stacey lived in England while we were there and have obviously now moved back to the U.S. I am so glad we all lived in England at the same time and am blessed to have them as my close friends now. Stacey, Tina and I enjoyed catching up and the kids enjoyed running around playing all day. The only thing better would have been if Brett, Faith, and Sawyer could have been there to play, too (but unfortuntely they all had school).


Beckett, Eden, Kendall, Kameron and Ian


Stacey, me and Tina

Mike received a call today confirming that our sea shipment had arrived and while they were going to deliver it on Monday, they had a cancellation for Friday and wanted to know if they could bring it then. YAHOO!!! Granted I will probably hate having boxes stacked from floor to ceiling in the house for awhile -- but I am so unbelievably happy that our things are going to arrive before the weekend (and they didn't sink on the ship!). ;o)

This week's activities

We have now been back in the U.S. and are praying for our sea shipment to arrive very soon as we are going crazy not having furniture and actual plates to eat on. Eating out every night is nice -- and I'm sure I will miss it once our things arrive; however I must admit that it is getting old very fast.

On Saturday, we met my Mom at Northwoods Mall and she treated the children to Build-A-Bear. Great store and boy oh boy, do they have a gold mine there! The kids all enjoyed selecting, making, and naming their bears. Brett made a Kung Fu Panda named Bailey; Kendall made a pink fuzzy bear name Jannida; and Kameron made a black furry bear named Sleeping Beauty. ;o)

We have had several doctor appointments this week and my Aunt Colleen has been joining us to keep us company. Thanks, Aunt Leen!

The girls and I were planning to meet our friends that we met in England (Tina & Ian, and Stacey & Eden & Beckett -- Brett, Faith and Sawyer are all in school during the day) this past Thursday; however Stacey's oldest daughter got sick so we rescheduled for this upcoming Thursday. Tina and I decided that we still wanted to get out of the house so we went to Chuck E. Cheese to have lunch and let the kids play. They had a great time!

Brett has finished his first week of school. He says he is enjoying school -- but after pulling lots of information from him over the last few days (which is quite challenging), we have realized that his first week was a bit more difficult than we originally were thinking as the children aren't exactly as welcoming as we would have liked. I'm sure being the new kid on the block can't be easy (but Mike and I didn't ever have to go through it growing up). We realize that we have put him in this position by moving and are saddened that he is going through this. He is being a big trooper and we are praying that this week proves to be better and he can begin to develop a few nice friendships.


The kids enjoying the jacuzzi tub. ;o)


I curled my hair one day and the girls were very intrigued -- so I had to put curls in their hair, too.


Giving baths to their bears at Build-A-Bear


Showing off their bears and their new outfits.


Kendall, Ian, and Kameon at Chuck E. Cheese


Tina and Ian

Settling back

Well, sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog...it has been quite crazy around here lately. I'll apologize now since this will probably be a long blog as I'm going to attempt to update with everything that has been happening to this point.

We left London Heathrow last Sunday, February 22, with 15 check-in bags and 5 carry-on bags -- we were quite the sight. ;o) I was lucky enough (or unlucky enough as Mike would put it) to get us seated in the bulkhead seats. I loved the extra legroom; however Mike hated that so many people wanted to walk in front of us to get from one side of the plane to the other. We arrived back in Peoria safe and sound Sunday night and were greeted by many of our family members. It was a very long day but we were so glad to see so many people at the airport waiting to see us. The kids were running on fumes by the time we arrived so after dinner we went straight to the hotel.

This was 15 out of our 20 bags...not a pretty sight dragging through the airport.


Getting ready to get on the long flight



Monday morning we all woke up VERY early (around 5:30 a.m.) to find Kendall and Brett feeling poorly (throwing up). It ended up that they had the flu so I stayed in the hotel with them while Kami and Mike shopped and took luggage to our house.

Our storage items were delivered on Tuesday and we were very glad to see some of our things. It was kind of like Christmas all over again as we haven't seen these items for over 2 years; however several items we realize that we don't necessarily need so are just waiting to get rid of them. We enjoyed spending the day together as a family on Tuesday; however by Tuesday night, Kami was feeling poorly (again, throwing up just like Brett and Kendall did on Monday).

On Wednesday, all 3 kids and I stayed at the hotel while Mike went to the house to sort more of the storage items out.

Thursday arrived with me feeling poorly (oh how much fun to have 4 out of 5 of us sick the first week we are back!).

Friday morning we checked out of the hotel and headed to the house as our air shipment arrived -- yahoo! I was able to get hooked to the computer again!!! ;o) Since the kids were all feeling better, my Mom kept them at her house throughout the weekend so Mike and I could work around the house. (Thanks, Mom!)

Mike started work on Monday morning and since I don't have a car yet, the kids and I took him to work. That lasted for just a few days as the kids weren't real keen on getting up at the crack of dawn. ;o)

Brett and I took a tour of his new school, Germantown Hills Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon and met his teacher and classmates. For the first time EVER, Brett got on the school bus Thursday morning in front of our house and headed to his first day at the school. Even though he is in 2nd grade, it was still quite emotional for me (go figure!). He has really enjoyed his first two days of school (I sure hope that continues for a very long time).

Eating breakfast right before school (no table but at least we have a few chairs to sit on)




Anxiously waiting for the school bus






The girls couldn't wait for Brett to arrive back home -- so they kept an eye out for the school bus.



We have had several deliveries made and are now just waiting for our sea shipment to arrive so we can actually finish decorating the house (and actually have furniture to sit on). ;o) We miss a few bits about England but are very glad to be back in the U.S.

Here are some additional photos from our last week in England (after my computer was taken away from me for the air shipment).

Lunch and playtime at Angie's house with Tom and Victoria


Watching the Bolt movie at the cinema with Jenny, Max, and Blake


The girls found one of the few hiding spots still left in the house amongst all of the boxes.


Last dinner with Holli and Jenny at The Falcon in Fotheringhay (where Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded).


Sticky toffee pudding -- my new favourite dessert. In the 2+ years we lived in England, I had never tried this ... so 2 weeks before we left, I tried it and found out that I absolutely love it!!!


Our last day at our house, Stonewell Cottage


Thought this was funny -- when it snows, everyone drags out their brolleys just like they would if it were raining. ;o)

The last few weeks in England

Well, the movers started packing our belongings up this past Thursday. It honestly amazes me how fast the time has gone -- and how many things we have! Our house is a disaster right now. My original thought would be that they would focus on one or two rooms at a time...well, they have been packing us up quicker than I ever imagined as our entire house is packed up right now except for our bedroom and the living room (as we begged to keep the telly throughout the weekend). The procrastinator in me just keeps thinking that I have plenty of time to get everything in order for our move back. I've come to realize that that is not a good thing to think, that's for sure!

Over the past few weeks, I've been attempting to spend as much time with my friends here in England as I can. When we moved here I felt like I had plenty of time to spend with them and the two or three years that we would be here would be enough. I didn't realize how fast the time would fly by -- so now I'm trying to truly enjoy as much of their company as I can. E-mail is a definite blessing and I am looking forward to keeping in touch with all of these wonderful people through that avenue. While it will be hard to say to goodbye to everyone, some of them will be more emotional than others. I know we will see our American friends again as most of them will be in the Peoria-area, so the goodbye will be more like an "until next time"; however our English friends will most likely be a different story as we aren't sure when we will be able to see them again. ;o( Brett and I are hoping to make a trip back to England during the summer to see all of our friends and family here so I am hopeful that will help us in easing the goodbyes.

The Caterpillar ISE wives had a going-away "tea" for me and Tina (my close friend that is moving back to the Peoria-area one week before we move) two weeks ago. Since I am on spousal leave from Caterpillar and hope that there will be a job waiting for me upon our return, they gave me a beautiful Radley briefcase (Radley is a brand name of bags, purses, etc. that are made in England), wallet, and brolley (umbrella). Everytime I use the items I will think fondly of all of them and the wonderful times we enjoyed together in England.

ISE Tea held at Holli's house in February


Me and Tina

In addition to the going-away party with my Caterpillar friends, my friends from Elton School held a going-away dinner for me at the Black Horse pub in Elton. To think of them and our family's time in England, they gave me a photograph of the Wansford Bridge (a beautiful bridge in the nearby village) from the early 1900's.

Friends from Elton School


Wansford Bridge photo

Our family members from my dad's side of the family live in the Cambridge-area (about 45 minutes from our house). We met for lunch with one set of family members, Maurice & Sheila, three weeks ago and with another set of family members, Ken & Miriam, two weeks ago. It was great seeing them and I really wish we would have been able to spend more time with them during our time here. Maurice & Sheila provided us with a map of Stibbington (the village we live in) from the early 1900's.

Maurice & Sheila with me and the children


Ken & Miriam with me and the children

Friday, February 13, was a day that I was absolutely dreading. That day was Brett, Kendall & Kameron's last day at Elton School and Warmington Playgroup. It was definitely one of the most emotional days I've had while living in England. The children didn't seem to be too phased by having to say goodbye...but it broke my heart watching them be recognized at their schools and then having to say goodbye to all of their friends and teachers. I'm so very thankful that children bounce back so quickly and adjust to new surroundings so easily.

Kendall & Kameron with their teachers at Warmington Playgroup (Miss Rosie, Miss Amy, Miss Allison, Miss Helen, Miss Julia, Miss Josephine, and Miss Sue)


Kendall & Kameron getting ready for their presentation


Kendall & Kameron showing off their card made by their teachers and classmates




Brett and Mrs. Spicer


Brett and Mrs. McPartlin


Brett receiving his Bronze Certificate for good work at his final Celebration Assembly


Brett during his presentation




Brett showing off his card made by his classmates and his leather bookmark from Elton School

Our time in England really has been spectacular and made so much better by being able to spend it with so many phenomenal people. We love them all as well as the gifts they gave us to remind us of England. The memories we have will be cherished forever.

Here are some pictures from our last few weeks in England. I'll be posting more once I get a chance but I believe the movers will be packing up my computer (yikes!) probably tomorrow morning as it will be going to Peoria on our air shipment. Please stay tuned...

Girls day at the Eden Day Spa (Tina, Laurie, Jenny & me) -- we missed everyone else that couldn't make it!


Chinese New Year celebration at Min's house


Corrina, Harrison, Min and me


Jenny, Tina, Holli and me


Brett with Michael -- first sleepover


Angie and me


Pam and me


Kendall & Kameron with Merrina (friend from Australia)


English tea at Miss Sue's house


Tina, Holli and me (with a very bad hair day -- I just got it cut 30 minutes before the photo)


Tina and me (again, with the bad hair day)


Tina and Holli


Me and Holli (can you tell I'm having a bad hair day?)






New sleeping arrangements as we have boxes stacked everywhere!