Taste of Home

My friend Amy and I took the plunge and drove the distance to our neighborhood Costco...one hour drive. We strolled in with both our little ones strapped into the large double seater trolley and inhaled all of that glorious storehouse goodness. We didn't rush, rather took our sweet time looking at everything there was to see, remembering all that we used to buy back home. It was a fun stroll down memory lane and we came away with some good deals, too!

Lucas and Lucy hanging out together.

City of B A T H

We survived half-term! One of the days we drove 2 hours to the city of Bath. We had a great time and enjoyed getting outside in the "warm" air!

We visited the Roman Baths...established around 70BC. They were remarkable! We got to taste the water in the "Pump Room" which wasn't that great...

But we were all willing to give it a try! Sophie thought it looked dirty!

Hanging out listening to an audio tour... catered to our young crowd!

A little Artsy photo shoot.

The master bathroom...haha.

Previous to our Roman Bath House Tour...we watched this entertaining "busker" (street performer) juggle knives while riding a unicycle...which the kids absolutely loved!

Lovely Ionic columns in the city center.

Lucy and her daddy.

The Pulteney Bridge on the river Avon. There are shops all through the bridge. The water was a cool looking green! (Hard to tell from the picture.)

Walking with Lucy...must be nap time. Check out her huge yawn!

Lucy's leash came in handy in situations like this...she got a kick out of it and giggled all the while she was being reeled back in!

We were happy to see the sun for a brief time! Lucy found some ducks on the river to "talk" to!

Our little English girl...complete with artistic bird in flight!

A cool little museum we saw as we were driving around. We didn't get to see all that we wanted...so we will return on another occassion!

Daddy Dog Pile!

I love this! The kids love this...and jury's out whether or not Michael loves this!

History of Science Museum

Beautiful stained glass window at the Museum of the History of Science. Yeah, I know, you're saying, what an "exciting" museum! It actually was very cool! Here are a few of our faves:

Fracture Brace for a broken elbow...from over one hundred years ago. Michael enjoyed looking at these more than the rest of us...as well as at some of the early amputation knives and other surgical instruments. Go figure.

Einstein gave a lecture at the University of Oxford and they preserved one of the panels of the blackboard that he wrote on...I like this. It was kinda cool!

We climbed the winding staircase at the Sheldonian Theatre to get this great view of our snowy spires!

The Tale of Despereaux

We finished reading our book as a family, one or two chapters each night! We read the book, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. We picked it up at a bookstore during our Christmas holiday and just last night read the very last chapter! It was a fun book to read and Sophie and Riley enjoyed the story. These are their favorite parts:

Sophie: I liked the whole book because it was exciting, especially when Despereaux was born. We found out that he had big ears and was born with his eyes open! And I want to be a princess some day!

Riley: I liked the whole book, except for the part when Despereaux got sent to the dungeon! It was scary and I didn't like him getting pushed down all those stairs. I think Despereaux is a good hero.

Snow(men) days!

Who would've thought we'd get to miss school because of too much snow here in Oxford? It was a phenomenon that hardly ever takes place! The first day when school was cancelled the kids were jumping up and down, very excited to play in the snow. We looked out the front window and already, 9am, the street was filling with kids and grown-ups alike, tossing snow, sliding around, laughing, and gathering materials for a snowman! Probably a first for most of them!

We, of course, needed to build a snowman of our own!

The snow was very dense, wet and super for packing! This happy snow guy fashionably wore black licorice for eyebrows, dried apricots for eyes and buttons, and of course, the traditional carrot nose! Gotta love raiding the cupboard!

Lucy sitting, waiting for rescue.

And how about a few lovely Snow Angels!

Although it was very cold, we had fun for quite some time, thankful for the chance to play in the snow...and miss school!

Our 1st DAINES "Read-In"

Our first ever "Read-In" was so much fun! I can't believe how much the kids really got into it! During lunch, I had told them stories of when I was a kid and how we got to have "read-in's" if we read enough pages to meet our goal...and how much fun they were. We could bring a pillow, snacks, and books, and then we got to read all day at school, even on the floor, or tipping over desks or tables to create a reading space all our own. Of course, Sophie and Riley couldn't wait to try it out themselves, so we made plans to have one of our own that night. After lunch, we made a trip to the Public Library here in Cowley and all chose a few books. Riley had 15, Michael 2, Lucy 2, and Sophie checked-out 6 books. I renewed my book club book, "My Name Is Asher Lev"...I'm still getting through it! We then made our way to the grocery store and all picked out some healthy and some non-healthy treats. The excitement kept building! When we returned home, the kids couldn't wait to start. We all chose our little corner of the living room, made our spots perfect with blankets, pillows, etc., and turned on the fireplace! COZY!

Riley was especially fond of the idea of turning over desks and tables for his perfect reading spot. We brought in the chairs from the dining room. They made a great "wall." Riley liked reading about dinosaurs, farm animals, and other picture books.

Here's Sophie in her little corner, snuggled in with some short chapter books...like Junie B. Jones, Titchy Witch, The Pony Fairy, and A Magic Kitten Book (her favorite!). She is a very good reader!

Lucy was satisfied with watching a Dora DVD in her comfy spot, allowing the rest of us to enjoy our own reading.

Michael, here reading "The Forever War" about the US Marines, got his pick of places and rotated between the couch and the floor...whichever was closest to the snacks! We had a small selection of new yummy cheeses and crackers, grapes, barbeque chicken wings, drinks, and chips. It ended up being a very tasty "meal". Everyone lasted at least an hour before Riley joined Lucy in the DVD corner! We took a break and shared a bit of what we were reading.
We voted to do it again...maybe every month. I loved that my kids enjoyed sitting and reading. Hopefully they will continue loving to read!