Texas Trip

Our 10-year high school reunion took us back to Texas and we spent 10 days spending as much time with friends and family as we could. It took us a few days to get used to the 100 degree weather, but it was a nice change from the rain! Ella spent as much time playing in the water as she could.

Our reunion was a great time for all! Since both of our families had moved from Round Rock, we had lost touch with many great people and it was so wonderful to catch up with each of them. Ella had a blast getting to know the other little ones at the family picnic and loved the splashpark!!

We went to Lubbock to see friends that we hadn't seen since moving to England and ate TOO much food! We only put a dent in the list of restaurants that we wanted to hit. :)

To stay out of the heat, we made a trip to the Houston Children's Museum and it was all we could do to drag Ella out when we were done. She wanted to see every exhibit!

The Lake District

We made our first of what I know will be many trips to the Lake District of England, a very popular tourist spot. The area is famous for its lakes and mountains and its associations with the poetry and writings of William Wordsworth and Beatrice Potter. It was a beautiful day and we spent most of the day on a boat (captained by Ella) touring one of the many lakes, Windermere. We ate lots of ice cream and candy and enjoyed the sunshine, since we may not see it again for a few weeks!!

Summer is here!

We had our first warm days and had to take advantage. We aired up Ella's new pool and invited over some friends to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Ella's First Day of School

Well, not really school but we are calling it school. It is a playgroup that I drop her off at once a week for 2 1/2 hours. But she is very excited about being such a big girl and getting to go to school all by herself. No tears on either end! Mommy did make a big mistake by sending her in a white t-shirt, only to see it covered in paint and marker when I picked her up! Oh well, she had a great time and hasn't stopped talking about it. I can't believe she is such a big girl :)

Easter Weekend

Easter was a wonderful time with family this year. Grandma Kathy came from Texas and Uncle Jason, Aunt Andrea and Marie came from Germany to spend Easter in England. Ella and Marie had a great time together, although there were a few times we needed two of everthing!!

I Love Paris in Spring!

Brian signed up for the Paris Marathon only a few days after we moved to England and the planning began soon after! Paris with a 2-year old may not sound like a dream vacation, but we had a wonderful time. The trip began with the usual tourist stops: Notre Dame, The Louvre, a cruise along the Seine, the Eifel Tower, and many, many croissants.

The Paris Marathon was quite an event--all 40,000 participants seemed to be going the same way we were going all day long!! Brian did great, with a time of 3:56. He was pleased given the fact that with the crowds he was standing still in several places during the race. The steps to and from the Metro immediately following the race were not his favorite part of the trip!

The trip could only be complete with a trip to Disneyland Paris--Ella had to meet Mickey Mouse!! We agree that the highlight of her trip, and maybe her life thus far, was the Dumbo ride! She was able to get autographs in her book and even got a kiss from Minnie Mouse. It was a trip we will not forget.

She's a BIG girl now!

Ella is 2!! Ella woke up this morning to find her new pink car waiting for her and dove right into presents, thanking Santa for each one!! We will have to work on that! We had all our great friends join us at Build-A-Bear to celebrate Ella's big day and we all had a wonderful time! Ella made a special pink monkey and we got an autograph bear for all her friends to write on to help us remember this special day. We wish that family could have been here to celebrate with us, but we know they were thinking of us today. Ella loved her Minnie Mouse birthday cake and all the goodies that came with it. She almost fell asleep on daddy's shoulder on the way to the car--it was a big day!

A little scared of the 'stuffing machine'!!

New chef outfit from Grandma Kathy!

Cozy chair from Grandma & Grandpa

Butterfly Fairy