Lucy and Greg

Our house is so quite at the moment. Leon took some leave and we had the most wonderful time with Lucy and Greg and the kids. We did lots of eating and the wine was flowing. Nothing better than been with wonderful friends. Thank you so much for coming all the way to see us.



Grand central station





On the ferry to Staten Island. New York in the background




Our shopping trip to Stew Lenoards





Lucy playing soft ball with the kids





Times square.Leon made them stand in the road to try get a better picture.





More eating, more big portions. Oscars for a deli sandwich




US coast guard escorting us to Staten Island. Poor guy in the front holding the gun. It was cold.



Toms delight at the M&M store



Mini golf. Lots of cheating going on.



A real American breakfast at Orems



Special times



Tom on the swing in the garden

Lucy found a shoe shop

Spot the American flag. Greg in the US of A

Is that an ice-cream in beer mugs? Huge as usual.

Playing ball in the garden

Emily and Kara in the M&M store

Our Home

The house is all set and ready for Lucy and Greg to arrive. We are all so excited.

Softball, swimming

We have signed the kids up to play softball this spring. We wanted them to play a team sport and also we are in America, one should play an American sport. So the kids are now kitted out with softball gloves, balls, cleats and helemts are the next purchase. We now have enough helmets to fill our cupboard space with. Bike helmets, ski helmets and now softball helmets. Is there something wrong with this picture? Shortly we will have to wear helmets while driving in a car to school. Business opportunity to develop one helmet for all sports.

Sunday was the first preseason meet for Kara's team, the razors. I was bold over at how much effort everyone had gone to. Balloons all along the field, older kids lining up the younger ones to do warm up exercise, them kids got to meet their coaches and play some games. Then it was pizza on the field with their tem mates. i like team spirit. Kara and victoria make me laugh because they tell me I like everything. positive is good. Kara was so happy. My heart was tickled pink with joy seeing her run and laugh with her fellow team mates. She got her first softball birth mark, which is a grass graze. Looks like she will be getting a few more of those. Kara looked beauiful with rosie cheeks and sparkley eyes. The pictures I have taken are not so good but you will get the idea.

Leon has been fantastic playing with the kids in the garden practicing their catching. So all round good for the family. Leon and I also put on the gloves and play catch in the garden. Good fun.

We are all waiting with great excitemnet for Lucy and Greg to arrive with Emily and Tom tomorrow. Fridge stocked up, car cleaned and ready to party.



Warm up



They organised an Easter egg hunt too



The razors team



Victoria practising catch

The ladies I have been swimming with are off to swim the YMCA master Nationals this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale. I am loving the swimming. So maybe next year will be me off to swim nationals. I know I can do it but less chatting and more swimming. All the ladies in pink are swimming to remember their previous coach who died of cancer.

Stuff, Busy, Fun, Laughs

Firstly Leon is at a New York Yankees baseball game and I am at home with the children. There were some tickets going and Leon was in the right place at the right time. Hope you enjoying Leon.

Victoria lost her second tooth today. 5 years old wow

Every year Saugatuck elementary (the kids school) put on an art exhibition for all the art work they have done over the year. The photos really don't do justice to the art work that the kids have created. The parents committee for the school run a programme called Art Smart. An artist is chosen, for example Jasper Jones and then the kids have to try recreate one of his pieces of art. Kara's class made mobiles using black, red and white paper. Great fun.

I have been working again and it feels fantastic. Most of the swimming teachers are in are high school or college, so I am considered a mature teacher. Take that any way you want, old bag or experienced. Age does have its advantages. I teach the adults as most adults don't really want to be taught by teenagers. Its a huge learning curve as adults want to know why????? I have been reading a lot to try get my knowledge back into the brain. The lessons are not many but that will come with time.

I got an interview with New york sports club gyms in Stamford to teach swimming but they want people for after school so nothing materialised with that. They may need cover one day and I will be able to help, so the interview was not a waste of time.

Kara has a birthday celebration in the classroom which was wonderful to be there. Kara chose the craft project for the class - paper origami and they made a puppy. I was so proud of her conducting the whole class project. Afterwards its a cupcake, juice and chips.

Thanks Melissa for the beautiful dress.


Kara giving the demonstration on how to fold the paper



 

Cupcake girl

Leon was playing on facebook one evening and mentioned Tessa was playing pool. Off course Leon has always been a pool kind of guy. He sure knows how to hold up the pool table in the good old days. So I said why don't you look on Craig's list which is an Internet bargain shop. Our total luck. Pool table and air hockey table and they are in Westport. So for $175.00 we got the whole lot. The couple we bought our toy from are moving back to England. They are on a mission to try get rid of a huge house full of stuff. Lovely couple. We also exchanged our English wii for there American one. So happy household. The basement has now been turned into a fun room. Bed moved upstairs.

Kids playing air hockey. You turn some handles and the whole top flips over and you have a pool table.

Part of changing our English drivers license to an American license is we have to complete an 8 hours drugs and alcohol course. So I spent Saturday and Sunday with a bunch of 16 year old and was feeling very old. The course was a mixture of boning and scary. Scary how things can happen driving drunk. Scary seeing what the kids get up to without the parents knowing. Scary how wealthy some of the parents are. One guy was given a Suburban which is a huge big $40 000.00 4x4. Kate your car. He is 16 years old. Another girl is driving a Honda Pilot. Well I am in my 2004 Ford explorer V8 and broken exhaust. You should hear how the car really growls now.  Its been fixed tomorrow, so no worries Lucy and Greg.

Kara is driving us crazy again with her sleeping. Waking up three times a night. Leon and I are crazy mad with this nonsense. As I type she is reading her book trying to fall asleep. So today I was on a mission to get the kids out and have some fun and get a dose of Vitamin D. The school grounds are open to the public after school hours. So I loaded up the roller skates and scooters for a play around the football field. No one was there, only some crazy man jogging and his beautiful dog. No children. One thing about living in America is you never see anyone. It can be a very lonely place. I felt lonely today. The kids wanted to play with other kids. So if your children are not signed up for every paid activity you never see anyone. We missed England because we could just see all our friends having the time of there lives racing around the field.



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Playing fields and classrooms behind





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