Recycling

Now that we have "Bernie" the Roomba...who needs the old Hoover? No worries. My children can find a use for anything....
Who knew that Superman drove a vacuum? And just as a side note....why won't my boy dress up in "boy" dress up clothes? Not that he doesn't look ravishing in the blue taffeta....
...and no I'm not going to post a picture of him in the blue taffeta...it just isn't that funny anymore...

Like Father Like Son ... Sort of

Well, summer is in the air here and we almost hit 80 degrees yesterday! (Almost) And as we look around we can see how one thing can influence another around here. I mean, I've heard of "Like Father Like Son", but I've never heard of "Like Daughter Like Kitty". Or maybe it's "Like Kitty Like Daughter".

OK - it's no surprise that a very young Circe managed to find her way up there. But I think if Ness ever caught her actually doing it (i.e. how she is accomplishing it) she just might rip the claws out of her paws herself!

Soon afterward, it was apparently Ava's turn to demonstrate her climbing ability. Again, the Father of the Year candidate should have immediately told her to stop climbing the outside of the trampoline, but I had to have a picture first! (I didn't want the award anyway.)

And lastly, an Eli update. Little-man is soooooo wanting to follow Sissy-bugs example and stay awake all day long. And this is how it usually ends. The sad truth however is that all he needs is a 15 minute power nap in the middle of the day and he's up until 9:00. (In bed at 8:00 but, oh joy, up until 9:00 ... or later.) Sigh.

Still here!

First off- yes I know we have been bad bloggers lately. Somehow..."I studied, Ava and Eli played and fought, and Eric made dinner after subbing" just didn't seem bloggworthey.

So for the updates....me- just got my grades for the first quarter (A,A-,A-) Of course I wanted all solid As...but life goes on!
Eric- Still doing the sub thing, but we are tossing around the idea of him working full time next semester.
Ava- Ava got to take a "big girl" field trip to a working farm. Her excerpt of the day was," The Mommy pig was mean and wouldn't let her babies nurse and the chickens clucked at the roosters all day." Sounds like there is trouble down of the farm....
Eli-He is turning into quite the "boy". Yesterday I watched in horror and fascination as he nose tackled another two year old, sat on him, pulled his socks off his feet, and ran away yelling "ha ha ha, you'll never find them now" (If you are avid Dora the Explorer watchers, you are probably wondering just how much TV I let my kids watch!)....Meanwhile this poor little boy was laying on the floor crying that we wanted his socks back. Giving Eli/Swipper his talking to with a straight face was rough!

We Have A Crazy Cat

Well ... life goes on ...Ava is now the proud owner of a new bicycle. And she absolutely loves it! So ... I decided to pull my bike out of storage and fix it up. I even took it out for a good 30 minute ride around Littleport! (Roundabouts are fun.) Someday soon I would like to take Ava out on bike rides, but right now I like the comfort of being on my feet when she goes flying down the road with wild abandon.
You may have to access a previous blog to understand the following:
THIS IS MY HALF!
THIS IS AVA'S HALF! (Exactly as predicted)
And now for the center point of the entry - Circe the Cat. She is continuing to show her dominance over Eli although I believe she has conceded defeat to me, Ness, and Ava. But with Eli she is ruthless - and he keeps coming back for more. One last story:
Here in the UK there are 2 things their houses do not have - screens and air conditioning. So when you add a 12 week kitten to the mix, the windows must all be shut, and it can get rather hot in here! (She's dying to get out!)
Last night, I was outside enjoying the very pleasant evening after the children were asleep. Ness was upstairs studying for finals with the window open. Next thing I know, Circe comes flying out the window and slams onto the concrete patio 5 feet in front of me. And then she runs away into a hiding spot she found the first time we attempted to let her out supervised. It took climbing fences and one flanking maneuver to get her inside - completely unharmed. And all she wants to do today is escape again! Crazy cat.

Surveys show that 2 out of 2 kids prefer amusement parks to castles

Sorry I've been a delinquent blogger...it is finals week though! A few days ago, we took the kids to Windsor castle and Lego land. Enjoy the pictures!
A nice, posed, picture in front of Windsor castle
Changing of the guard...they actually played the James Bond theme music.
This was the chapel at Windsor. You can actually see where Henry the VIII is buried. The kids were not impressed...
We actually went to Legoland the first day because the weather was so spectacular.
Let me see a show of hands of how many people think Ava enjoyed the water ride...anybody? She claims she did...but I think the picture speaks for itself...
My little thrill seekers were actually board with the merry-go-round. "That's baby stuff!"

Eli made it until about 457 in the afternoon before completely passing out. The park closed at 500.

I promise to return in a few days and post a weeks worth of funny kid stories and such...but for now, I have to return to oh-so-fun world of Pharmacology. Joy.
* I would just like to add that I know I used the word "actually" way too may time. I'm. just. too. tired. to. care.

Who Murdered the Leggo Man?

A few days ago, Ness realized one of her goals when coming to England. For those who do not know, she has a slight appreciation for the works of Agatha Christie. (Interpretation = we have almost two whole shelves of Agatha Christie novels) Well, thanks to the niceness of some good friends (thanks Kate/Kenny), we got the opportunity to go to London and see The Mousetrap - a play based on Agatha Christie's novels that has been running continuously for over 50 years. And so we now know that the murderer in the play is ... oh that's right. I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you. But in all seriousness, it was delightful to see a non-stop smile on the face of the girl who has had to be so serious all the time lately.

We are also going tomorrow for a quick 2 day trip to see Windsor Castle and play at Leggo Land. I imagine that Ava and Eli will thoroughly enjoy themselves - even though it is supposed to rain the whole time. And it would be nice to think the kids will tire themselves out a little, but I'm beginning to suspect they have a higher energy level than I do. Here is yet another conversation with the ever-enlightening Ava:

Ava: I'm not going to sleep much tonight.
Ness: Why not?
Ava: I don't like to sleep much.
Eric: Why not?
Ava: It's not how God made me.

A more truthful statement has never been said. Slightly upsetting ... but true.