LOOK OUT! Bryce has a scalpel!

Monday Sept 29 Bryce errantly cut his finger instead of cardboard for his art project. Jeanne had misplaced her cell phone so when she happened to walk into the school's office she had quite a surprise. We hurried to the emergency room in Stamford (about 20 minutes away). I have to say that as far as minor emergencies like this the U.K. hospital system is quite impressive. Unfortunately, we have visited them all too often in the US so it was a nice surprise to be in and out in 15 minutes...no papers to sign and no long lines.

Bryce cut off the top portion of his finger so if the graft doesn't take then he will have a flat tipped finger. It didn't cut his fingernail. And of course...it just HAD to be his MIDDLE FINGER! On the way to the hospital Bryce and I laughed about a story about him back when he was in 3rd grade. He didn't know what the middle finger meant. He had seen kids on the playground do it to each other so he thought it was a form of greeting. So when walking down the hall he decided to "greet" his teacher (who he really did like). She had a horrified look and Bryce then realized that it wasn't a good greeting...he also realized that he was in trouble.

Hopefully we will be able to raise our children to adulthood...in one piece.

Sigh.

Christina's Birthday

September 24, 2008

We held Christina's birthday party at the Activity World in Peterborough. It is a MASSIVE indoor play center. We rented out the whole facility and invited not only Christina's class from school but also the American families that live over here. Needless to say we had a full house. It was a lot of fun!


Christina's 5th birthday snuck up on us all. So we were lucky to get a reservation on her actual birthday
(even though it was during the work week). Activity World is fun for all ages. Even Bryce and Jordan found the free-fall through the elastic mesh fun (but abrasive). The vertical drop slide is also a bit extreme, but even Christina braved the slide a few times!

The British cake mixes just don't measure up to the American mixes and store-bought cakes are dry with cement hard icing. So Jeanne decided to do a birthday brownie "cake". It was a big hit with everyone. As is the custom over here, the presents are not opened until the child goes home. Also they sing happy birthday but are expected to eat their cake from a napkin after they leave the party. The brownies were a little bit easier to eat from a napkin too.


Happy 5th Birthday Christina!

First Day of School with Jordan

Jordan Demientieff, Jeanne's nephew arrived August 30. He will be with us until December 19 when he will go back home to Fairbanks, Alaska. He adjusted wonderfully to the new time zone and started school September 3.

The kids aren't exactly excited about school again...but they are excited about Jordan being here. Bryce has been looking forward to having a good friend around and the girls are excited about having another "brother".

What is a Dale?

I never knew what a "dale" was. And going to one didn't seem that exciting after all of the places we've been. So when Scott planned this long weekend for us to the Yorkshire Dales none of us were too excited. Bryce and Madison were freshly back from the US and were still tired from traveling three weeks. But it was bank holiday weekend... the last holiday of the year that Scott gets off work. He has a few more vacation days but they have already been planned. So off to the Dales we went!

Scott got home Friday and we drove 3 hours to Grassington to stay at a B&B. The main tourist attraction for the Yorkshire dales are the walking paths. Saturday was a beautiful day and we took advantage of the weather.







It was quite relaxing to walk goregous walking paths along stone walls and streams. Madison and Christina both found out the hard way that wet rocks can be slippery as you can tell from the picture.


After enjoying the outdoors we drove to a very strange place in Leyburn called "the forbidden corner". It was a sort of maze/discovery park. It was full of secret tunnels, doorways, water paths, gardens and just about anything unexpected. If anything would describe it...it would be like being Alice in Wonderland. It is a very popular attraction that has to be booked in advance (for anyone who might plan a trip to the Yorkshire Dales).












And yes, I actually fit through this narrow tunnel!...albeit not gracefully....



Sunday we found another beautiful town called Skipton we took a tour boat along their canal. It was a sleepy morning. We grabbed a quick lunch and then explored Skipton castle- known for being one of the best medieval castles in England.




















Then came the highlight of the whole trip. Scott heard about Howsteen Gorge on the internet. It sounded exciting...and it was. It is a narrow gorge where the rushing waters have carved out fabulous rock formations. The private trail hikes along, over, and through the gorge. Our kids love jumping from rock to rock. At the end of the trail was a really cool tunnel! We climbed through narrow passages with a flashlight they give and then up and out. The kids had so much fun!


On our way home Sunday I took this photo of the hillsides. I think it describes the dale better than words.




Our last day in the dales was marked by a little rain (surprise!). But we found some dry moments to walk down to another river where there was a nice walking path suspension bridge and stone crossing. Madison felt like she was in Peter Pan. As much as they tried they all got their shoes wet...but they had a LOT of fun.





















The town outside Grassington is called Hebden and on bank holiday weekend (August) they hold their sports day. It is where kids can compete in racing games and enjoy old fashioned carnival-like games. Bryce won his race for 14 & 15 year olds (Yea!!!!) and Christina placed third in a race. They both received MONEY! Okay, it ranged from .40p to 1.50 but they enjoyed spending it on the games, bounce house and food.














It was truly a relaxing fun weekend and highly recommended.