Baseball in the UK

It was a pretty nice day and the kids decided to show the neighbors how to play baseball. Or at least the lawn furniture version. So they set up some bases, used a cone for a T and played. It was really entertaining. Some of the kids actually sat in the chairs, instead of using them as based. A good time was had by all. Tom had to help out to coordinate and ump!

Anastasia is "4"

Anastasia had a fun birthday. We invited over two sets of neighbors for lasagna, cake and ice cream. The kids ran wild and there were many well wishes.

On Ana's actual birthday, she opened gifts, we assembled the princess puzzle, had a tea party on her Curious George tea set, tried out the princess game for the leapster, played the frog game and took it easy. AFN was airing Madagascar which was a fun family movie. Here are a few pics from the big day.

Birthday Cake

In our unpacking, we came across the Cake Mix Magic book. And in it, Anastasia saw a train cake that she had to have for her birthday. So, we set off in making it. We also made cupcakes for her class. Below are the assembly steps. Notice the chocolate on Ana's cheek. That was an essential part of the process. During this process, we also found a use for the left over halloween candy. The recipe was easy and you cut cakes in half and spread jam and filled with whipping cream. Pretty yummy. It was smashing!! :)

Snow days

This week both kids started school. Joe is adjusting, but was hesistant at first. He did well on his first spelling test. Anastasia is enjoying preschool. They even enjoyed the snow and building a snow fort. There is not so much snow now, but it is cold and there is ice!!

Canterbury

We spent another night in the hotel and opened a package of Christmas crackers.

We left the following morning for Canterbury. It is a quaint city that we all enjoyed. The trains were not running, so we were re-routed to the bus, which was another block checked for the kids. We looked around the city, saw Chaucer's inspiration, and visited the cathederal. Much of the wall surrounding still exists.

Dover

We headed to Dover on the southwest coast this past weekend. The kids were excited as we toured Tom's work and headed for the tube (subway). We caught it, made the connection in London and were on our way. Kids did great and it was a relaxing trip. We stayed in a B&B and explored before dark.

The next day we headed to the Dover castle. It was cold, but the sun was shining and it was gorgeous. We spent most of the day there exploring the tunnels and keep. They used these from Napoleon's time throughout the Cold War. There was even a command center and hospital during WWII. It was interesting and the views were amazing. Joe liked the trebuchet. Anastasia liked the hospital and the old Saxon "Pharos" lighthouse near the church. We headed back into town and saw the old church, painted house, and Dover Museum. Therewas a bronze age boat and kids area that we all enjoyed.