The Big day finally arrived and we couldn't wait, or at least I couldn't.  I woke Sophie and Riley up at 5:30 and we sat in Riley's bed counting down the minutes until 6 (the appointed hour to go in and get the presents).

Here we are, still waiting, but Lucy joined in.  Who wants to open a present?

Lucy's first present was this pretty little pony.  She squealed in delight and couldn't take her hands off it, that is, until the next present.

She also got this little scooter.  It plays music while she rolls.  She loves it.

Lucy really got into the present thing.  Here is her new phone.

Oxford/Cambridge Rugby

Here I am in front of the national stadium at Twickenham for the annual Cambridge/Oxford grudge match.  I went with a group from the research lab.  We went early, spent a few hours tailgating in front of the stadium then went in just in time for the start of play.

Me and my good friend Rich right before the game.  Great seats wouldn't you say?

The Oxford Blues gettng warmed up before the start.

The final score.  Oxford pulled it out, but not without a furious charge at the end by Cambridge.  All in all it was a very entertaining game and close enough at the end to keep everyone on edge.

Cinnamon Rolls

Okay, so I borrowed this image from the internet...though they do look mouth watering, don't you think? Mine did not look this good! I don't really have a pan that would accommodate cinnamon rolls, so I tried the roasting pan...you know the one, it's usually stored in the drawer under the oven and hardly ever gets pulled out. It worked pretty well. I also used our muffin tins, so those 12 looked great! We just had to make do with what we've got around here. Turned out to be a fun and tasty Sunday evening treat!

Lucy loves to lick the beaters...especially when they've got sweet stuff on them, like frosting!

walking...British style!

At the trail head...before all the mud!

dressed warm...in layers

This is how far we've come!

Swinging from a rope in the tree that we found. Had to stop and have fun for a while.

Riley's a little scared of heights...but always knows where the camera is!

Michael braved the limbs for Lucy to feel part of the fun!

We met some horse riders that were kind enough to stop and allow the kids to make friends with their horses...This one is William Pinkerton...aka: Willie.

Feeding some grass to the horses.

A break from walking...on a sunny rock.

Investigating the plants nearby.

We set off yesterday morning to go walking in the forrest. There's a park not too far from our house and the car park (parking lot) was very full ...even by the time we got there. Gratefully, the park is large and we didn't see many of the people belonging to those cars!

Pigtails!

Lucy's hair is finally growing enough to stretch it into teeny-tiny pigtails. She looked adorable and acted like she knew it! They only lasted a few hours before she couldn't resist the temptation to tug at them and pull them out.

Christmas Bazaar

Sophie as a dalmation puppy...like she always pretends to be!

Ready...steady...

Our primary school held a Christmas bazaar as a fund raise for school playground upgrades. It was held the last two hours of school and everything was donated to sell. Kids in the upper grades made up carnival-like games to entertain the smaller kids. It was very creative.

The kids got their faces painted, played games, and bought little used toys for really cheap! (Our Christmas shopping is all done! If we have your name, aren't you excited?...carnival toys!) J/K!

I dropped off Lucy to spend the afternoon with Michael at his office so I could keep up with all the action! We all had fun!

One hour in London

Every family needs a pouter...here's ours. But isn't he being cute, "whilst" he sulks? (Looky there, I'm becoming a bit British already!)

Front shot of Her Majesty's Palace. It was really amazing to see.

Sophie at the gate of Buckhingham Palace...requesting a tea party with the queen!

...sorry, too early for tea!

This statue inspired me...a mother with her three little ones around her. Made me want to hug my own little kids.

Bryce was Mr. Popular with my kids. It's probably a good thing he got to sleep the 8 hours from Africa to London...otherwise, my kids' energy could have been, dare I say, annoying?! Maybe so even as it was! What a champ, Bryce!

Resting and smiling on a park bench.

We stopped off at Hyde/Green Park and walked around in the chilly morning air. We were happy that Buckingham Palace wasn't that far of a walk!

We met my brother Bryce and his wife, Krystal at the airport in London at 6:30am. They didn't have to be back for a few hours, so we bought tickets for a ride on the Underground! Wahoo!

AFRICA #4

I love this picture. The rhino has a ton of little blue birds catching a ride on his back, and there's a lone giraffe walking in the background. It almost didn't seem real!

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the few places where you can see both white and black rhinos. Here is a white Rhino. It has a wide nose/mouth. (can't really tell from the picture) Amazing beasts...walking around, grazing on grass, with huge legs and bodies, wow!

A close-up of one of the many baby animals we saw. Zebras are Riley's favorites! We saw lots of Zebras! (pronounced zeh-brah in Kenya...and in England come to think about it! But don't let Riley hear you pronounce it that way! He gets a little defensive. "It's zee-bra", he says!

At Baboon Cliffs overlooking the Lake and the Park.

Another picture of a giraffe. This particular one is a Rothschild giraffe. It doesn't have markings on its lower legs...making it look like it's got socks on!

One of my favorite pictures of Riley...here looking at monkeys. Love his smile!

The famed flamingos at Lake Nakuru National Park.

On an early morning game drive, seeing these giraffes through the misty dew was beautiful! We also saw a lioness "watching" them as well...(she didn't turn out in the picture!) You can tell that the giraffes can sense the lioness is close by. They're all looking in the same direction, and being very cautious. Well, wouldn't you be, too?!

From the veranda of the game lodge, with a masai warrior standing guard, keeping wildlife, esp. baboons, away from the food! What a magnificent view! In the background you can see (left to right) a cape buffalo, impala/gazelle, and baboons.

Riley and Sophie in front of statues in a hallway of the lodge. Cute kids.

Waiting in the van while Grandpa registered us at the Park. Can't tell who's more fascinated, the baboons at the kids, or the kids at the baboons...which tried to climb into the van through the window! That really got a scream from the kids! They loved it!

AFRICA #3

Pajama party and a movie in the hotel.

At the Misikhu Branch building waiting for the baptism meeting to begin. It was a wonderful branch conference and our kids enjoyed Primary and mingling with all the other kids.

Sophie made friends with everyone we met. They loved her blonde hair and that she would tell them all about herself...Sophie's not scared to talk!

We really felt exotic with the mosquito nets hanging around the beds!