Retiring this Blog

After Five years of Blogging, 1,937 entires, this blog will be retiring!
For the most current updates stay tuned to the Photography Blog,  http://momentsbymurray.blogspot.com/.

Favorite Parts of the House

 If I were to rate our English home, I'd say the best part of it is the location.  It is the best half way point to Casey's work (RAF Molesworth) and RAF Alconbury Elementary, Commissary, BX.  My favorite room is the conservitory, even on a sunless day it feels sunny, warm.  I also love hearing the rain go pitter patter on the roof.  My favorite window is the kitchen window, I love how I can see in the backyard and into the conservitory as well from that window.  It gives me light and makes hand washing dishes go by much faster with flowers looking back at you and hearing the song birds in the garden.

4 and 6!

Baking away!  The girls asked for cupcake pops and ice cream pops, so it felt like I was a dipping machine!  With the extra chocolate we dipped some strawberries for Father's Day (we invited Suzanna's Kindergarten teacher and husband over for dinner).

The girls are both summer babies, with our upcoming family get-away and Casey's deployment, we decided to have a wee celebration Saturday.  It's nice that their actual birthday's are only a 2 weeks apart, we had a small celebration of bracelet making, sand glass pouring and of course a bouncy castle.

Kayla (the big sis and William's special pick), Ella, Suz, Allison, Emma, Laura, Michelle and Emily.  Beings such a small community on Base, everyone seemed to know each other from either the bus, Ballet or Base School.

When we planned the party we originally planned on having a BBQ outside (mind you this was during our drought a month or two ago), luckily we switched it just in time to indoors.....it's been raining buckets all weekend (much needed rain).   
Happy Birthday sweet girls (double scoop ice cream cake pop for you two)!  Suzanna is 6 and Ella 4!!

Field Day, RAF Alconbury

 Field day was a good day for Suzanna!  My friend took these pictures, Suzanna got 3rd place in the sprint (out of both kindergarten classes)!

Of course their kindergarten class looked sharp with their Certified Busy Bee shirts!  It still feels weird that Suzanna's school year has come to an end.  It has been such a good experience for each of us.  It was great getting to know such wonderful classroom mother's volunteering in the classroom and feeling part of the team.

Ready for School

 Suzanna loves riding to school with her best friend, Allison.  It seems as though everyone is excited when they see their van roll into our street.  It has been such a blessing, Melissa is an angel!

An End to the Perfect Kindergarten Year

 When we first moved to England (on a Sunday), we were so jet lag and the girls had been throwing up all week that Suzanna's second 1st day of Kindergarten wasn't until that Thursday.  My dear friend (whom I'd been emailing, her contact info. was given to me from a new friend who recently moved to FL after leaving this Base) drove us all to school to register Suz for kindergarten.  It was a toss up, the secretary said, "Well, I'm not sure where to put her, both classes have an even amount kids, well....let's put her in Mrs. Beltran's class".  From that moment on, we have felt extremely fortunate to be a student of Mrs. B.

This was the End of the Year Celebration, the kids were presented awards, sang songs and of course I cried.  I didn't cry because my big girl was moving onto 1st grade, but I cried with joy knowing my child is now ready to face the real world, she is ready thanks to a loving, kind and full of creative ideas teacher.  Mrs. Beltran is a modern day Mary Poppins!  She knows how to bring out the best in her students, and they are better having had her in their lives.
Here are Suzanna's best friends, Allison and Michelle.

 Singing "Start Spreading the News" that they are leaving Kindergarten and are now 1st graders.

 Another magical thing about Mrs. B.'s class is the unity she helps create.  Each and every child has such a love and respect for one another.  They were so caring with open arms Suzanna's first few days of school, I am so touched that Mrs. B. can teach empathy for one another.  I can say I love each and every one of the kids in her class, she even taught me (the parent) just how important it is to support one another.

Here's is the last glimpse of our little Kindergartner.  Boy was such lucky to have a long year, started early in Florida and ended 2 weeks later with the best teacher in the world!!!

More of Our Fuschia Girl

 I must say this is my most exciting plant of our garden.  We found her in our village's garden center.  Isn't she a beauty??

 All of Miss Fuschia.

My New Favorite Garden Lovely

Some Highlights of our Family:

*Suzanna finished her 2nd grade "Popcorn Book" (250 words at a 2nd grade level).

*William when  he says "I carry you" (he's asking to be carried) and "Hey guys" (to the girls).

*One word to describe Ella:  Peacemaker (she'll give up her things to make someone happy).

*Suz singing the Star Spangled Banner at the End of the Year Kindergarten Party (acapella).

*Will running on his tippy toes like some football player doing sprints.

*Having a husband who meets my needs.

*William crying sounds like a yodeler.

*Suzanna (proudly) has her first loose tooth.

*Being married to my best friend these 8 years.

*I will host my first Violin Recital, so proud of all my students!

*Casey rubbing my feet at the end of a long day.

*The girls are best friends and they adore William (in fact they both say they will marry him).

*Being so fortunate to be living in England.

*Ella has a gift, she can get along with just about anyone, and in return kids love her.

*Ella's long silky "yellow" braids and the way Suzanna's braids curl at the end.

*Researching Casey's family history back to Kent, England.

*Enjoying a good BBC Classic with Casey (Lark Rise to Candleford).

*We are incredibly blessed!

Burghley House, Stamford

On our way back from York we visited Burghley House.  It is a beautifully well kept large manor from the first Elizabethan age.  The house is open for the public, as well as the gardens and a deer park.  The village outside of the manor (Stamford) was quaint and lovely.  We would like to return and spend a day walking in the village.  Oh, I've got a new favorite (car), the MG (the British sports car)! 

 Casey's favorite part  of the garden, the compass.

Jorvik (York)!

We spent the weekend with our dear friends, the Lewis family (who we met in O'Fallon).  We've heard good things about visiting York but weren't true believers until now!   You can see Clifford's Tower from her sunglasses (I love pictures like these)!

 Here is the Medieval Norman Castle (what is left of it), which is called Clifford's Tower.

 We also visited the Viking Museum, you walk downstairs and you can see how much lower the earth was when the Romans and Vikings occupied this city.

After talking with the Jorvik man (in costume), you go on a ride where you can see how they lived 1,000 years ago.

The girls were able to hold their first owl in York.

The food festival was really enticing with all the different countries aromas! 

 What would a trip be without ice cream!  The girls have been choosing mint ice cream....good taste, indeed!

 We also saw the Royal Army recruiting trailer.  "Don't thank me, thank the Queen", was a common phrase when you'd hear soldiers say in the Royal Army (when we met them in the Grafenwohr Field Training, multi-national training in Germany).

 Next we walked down the Shambles.  Many of these old buildings over hang the street by several feet, are timber framed, dating back to the 14th Century.  During that time there were no laws on hygiene or sanitary facilities and the guts and blood were thrown into a runnel down the middle of the street.  This is the origin from which something in disarray or a mess is referred to as "shambles".

 Here was a vendor selling fresh lemonade.  I love the smell of lemon, it brings back memories of my Grandma Murray's kitchen, she would use lemon to clean.

Then it began to pour, and although I wanted a picture of me under my store....I'll have to wait until we go there again, I'm sure Ness won't be going anywhere any time soon.

 Luckily during the down pour we made it right in time to enjoy the Gothic Cathedral of York Minster (which happens to be the largest in Northern Europe.  The title "Minster" is attributed to churches established during the Anglo Saxon time that were missionary teaching churches.

The only reason I post this is to show you the guy taking the picture of our kids (on the steps).  There were a lot of Chinese students visiting and it felt like our children were the subject of a lot of snap shots on the streets.  I don't blame them, I can't stop taking photos of them too! 

 Once we walked back outside the weather was once again forgiving and the bright blue skies with over sized clouds were back in the sky. 

 We went to a park in the city to let the kids just run, it had beautiful ruins and this was a relaxing time for everyone.

 More Medieval Ruins.

 We also walked the city walls, well it stretched much further than some little legs had energy for, but non the less it was amazing.

 We love York!

 Walking the city walls.

Taking a sneak peak at York Minster.