A Little Delinquent

What every Santa wants, locally brewed beer, dairy free cookies, and broccoli for the reindeer.

Decorating cookies on Christmas eve.

Tim and Ollie dressed up for the Christmas service.

Eating some rice with chopsticks at Wagamamma.

Like everyone else, December was a very busy month for the Spaulding clan.  Here are some highlights:

We celebrated my 30th birthday in style.  I went out to lunch with some friends on Friday and went to a movie with some of the same friends that night.  Tim graciously stayed home to watch Ollie man.  On my actual birthday, we made a trip into London to spend two nights at the RAF club.  We've visited London so many times, that its nice to go into the city and just enjoy being there.  That's also a plus when a toddler is involved!  We managed to visit some of the museums and walk around Trafalgar square at night.  Amazingly, we also nabbed a lot of sleep as a family.  Ollie was exhausted from a busy day on Friday at nursery, so he and Tim slept in until 9:45!!  That's a record in our house when jet lag isn't a factor.

The cathedral here in Bury has a crib service every year, so we enjoyed taking Ollie to help him understand the real reason that we celebrate.  Its fun to watch all kinds of little kids running around...it makes Ollie look tame!  Our friends Kate and Dave invited us back to their house for some very tasty lasagna.  If Kate ever offers anything she's made...say yes!

Christmas morning was very special this year.  Ollie isn't old enough to wake at the crack of dawn yet, so Tim and I were up making coffee before he made it out of bed.  Opening presents with a toddler is fun, to say the least.  He played with each toy before opening them all.  The joy lasts a little longer.

We spent the next few days organizing and cleaning the house.  I'm happy to say that the crib is out of storage and assembled in the nursery.  We're also down a chair in the living room.  We put one of the comfy chairs in storage to make room for the tree.  The extra stains from the stay in storage were enough incentive to toss the well loved, but old chair in the bin.  Amazingly, our little English living room is much better off with one less piece of furniture.  What a difference some space makes!

The last update is that I've decided to make the blog private.  I'll be able to post more about what's going on in our life without worrying who's reading what.  I'm very happy to add friends and family (and family of friends) to the list.  Just send me an e-mail and I'll make sure that you are allowed access.

Hope all is well!

My Handsome Boy

I haven't posted in a while, but I really should post more often about the cute things that Ollie does.  As I was cleaning and cooking to have some ladies over for a cookie swap, I walked into the living room to find Ollie sitting in a corner eating a candy cane from the Christmas tree!  I had a hard time keeping the smile off of my face as I sent him to time out and then explained why he needed to ask helping himself.  The poor kid is having a hard time waiting to open the presents sitting under the tree, so I've got to cut him a little slack.  I love this little guy...he's such a wonderful blessing in our life!

We also had a teachable moment this afternoon.  Even though I told him (not a second before) that the skillet was hot, he decided to touch it and find out for himself.  Hopefully he believes me next time!!

Until the next cute story, I hope that you are doing well!  Merry Christmas!!

Adventures in Wales

Snowdonia with Trefriw in the foreground
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj

For Thanksgiving this year, the Spaulding trio were invited to join our friends Chris, Jen, and their two month old son Cole in Wales. We had a lovely drive out to Snowdonia, watching the British terrain move from flat forests to hills and small mountains. For an island about the same size as the state of Alabama, the United Kingdom has a very diverse landscape. The other big difference is that signs in Wales have two languages on them. A road sign will say both "Slow" and "Araf." Growing up in the states, I always knew that Ireland and Scotland were fiercely independent. Only after moving to the island did I realize that Wales is just as autonomous.

We spent the first day checking out a local village near the cottage. Its an hiker's dream town, with Mom and Pop shops and more out door clothing stores tan you can shake a stick at. Wales is also dog heaven, since most of the stores in the town let dogs in the door. Risby and Tess (Wee) also devoured some sausage as the rest of us enjoyed warm drinks and a snack at a local tea shop.

The next day was even better. After a grand breakfast we set off to hike to a lake with two dogs, a baby in the Bjorn, and Ollie in a backpack. The dogs had the time of their lives, and the rest of us truly enjoyed all that nature had to offer. Cole was snug as a bug next to Jen's chest and Ollie did well riding up on Tim's back. We didn't quite make it to the lakes, but we had a great time hiking up the mountain. Ollie surprised us by walking down 95% of the mountain.

It was a trip that we'll never forget, made perfect by our friends Chris and Jen. Ever the most gracious hosts, the Spaulding clan loved spending a holiday with the Wees. Thanks again guys!

We're Expecting!

After a visit to the OB this morning and a healthy view of the heartbeat and the baby, we are very pleased to announce that the newest Spaulding is due in early July!  As soon as we get the them scanned, we'll post the pics of the bean.  The doc says that everything looks good and there's only one in there.  It was great to hear the heartbeat and to see a little movement.  We're very excited to add another little one to the family and we'll keep you updated on the progress!