Mother's Day in Holland!

Hello friends:

Spent a wonderful Mother's Day in Holland with my two lovely girls, and a very brave friend Janell and her son, Chase. Driving through three countries in seven plus hours with three kiddos, three and under, is borderline crazy... But we enjoyed every minute of it! Here are a few pics from the famous Keukenhof Gardens.

Easter Weekend in Belgium!

Hello friends! Again, I dragged my feet writing this blog... I do not know why, Belgium was awesome! We had an amazing time, and are learning more and more on each trip (not just about Europe, but how to travel with children)! I spent much of Wednesday packing for our trip, which ended up being pretty easy, since we just got back from Wales and had a pretty good idea what we needed, what worked with the girls, and what we could have used but forgot to bring. Therefore, there was a lot more food packed The Bugaboo stroller proved essential on cobblestone sidewalks, and our kiddo backpack (thus, all children were accounted for at all times). We spent one night in Brugge and two nights in Brussels with our good friend, Tom. We got a wonderful taste for each city, and that meant lots and lots of chocolate! To all you fellow chocoholics out there, you MUST go to Belgium. You may never have American chocolate again after sampling some of the REAL DEAL! We made a train ride to Antwerp to Brussels and checked out the zoo, conveniently located right outside the train station. Here are a few highlights from the trip in photos! In one of the photos, Kelte makes her first discovery of the European delight: a chocolate croissant! Judging by her smile, I think she liked it! Also, please check out the elephant mating exhibit photos. We had a lot of good humor over those photos... Mind you that this exhibit was for young children... disturbing.

Trip to Wales

Hello friends:  

We spent the last three days exploring a different part of the UK... Wales!  What a beautiful country!  Our friends, the Matwicks live in the town of Rhosneigr on the Northwestern coast of Wales (just a ferry ride away from Dublin, to give you an idea of where it is).  Their house is pretty much on the beach, so it was just a beautiful spot to enjoy the sand and surf and play with the kiddos and their dog, Toby (Ellie would have loved it).  We spent some time on Saturday exploring Holyhead with its breathtaking ocean views and Roman ruins.  On Sunday, we took a little detour before we went home to see parts of Snowdonia.  We made a pit-stop in a quaint Welsh town called Betws-y-Coed and had lunch in Conwy.  Although we saw many castles while driving through Wales (said to have the most castles in the world), we actually went inside our first one in Conwy built by King Edward I.  We had a great time climbing up into the towers for some spectacular views.  The kiddos did really well considering it was about a five hour drive from home... I think they were happy to find their own beds again... Rest up... We make the trek across the channel to Brussels in just a couple of days!  Stay tuned!

Saturday in Cambridge/ Sunday in Tuddenham

These are some photos from the weekend.  We drove to the Park 'n Ride on Saturday and took the bus into Cambridge for the day.  We had a ball playing in the park, strolling the markets, shopping at some American stores (loved seeing a Baby Gap), and checking out a Science Festival at Cambridge University (Maggie received a personal demonstration from a scientist on how a mushroom gets its spots... Pretty cool).   We spent Mothering Sunday (the UK's version of Mother's Day) at home, visiting with friends, and playing in the neighborhood.  We've taken full advantage of having a duck pond and a playground just a short walk from our house.  The girls love the chance to wear their rain gear!

Week #8: Newlands

Dear friends,

I apologize for not updating this blog more, but seeing as we just got our Internet connection in the house, I've had a valid excuse for tardiness!  We have been busy to say the least settling into our new home.  It is just now, after three weeks, feeling like home!  Do not look too closely or you will still see boxes stacked in the downstairs study... Our last room to finish!  Needless to say, we've spent the better part of the last couple of weeks cleaning and settling into the house.  Maggie started preschool last week and seems to enjoy it.  She comes home filthy from playing hard, so she must be having fun!  Kelte and I have found a music class at the local library to attend while Maggie is at school, so that gives Kelte something to look forward to as well.  Luke is back to the grind, working a lot, but still managing to find time for his "honey-do" list.  As for me, I am slowly meeting new friends and just began a new Bible study.  I have also joined a Crud team, so I am back to my old tricks from Seymour!

Oxford/Stonehenge Weekend: 19 Feb

We spent the better part of the afternoon at the natural history museum.  We spent the morning though on the Meadow.  We kept saying how much Ellie would love this place.  The girls loved this wide open pasture on the water's edge of the Thames.  We may have to head back to Oxford, what a great college town.   Then we bedded down for the night at RAF Fairford and bowled a few pins (that is all Maggie talked about from the trip of course)!  The next morning we did everything Stonehenge on a pretty but cold day.  We went at a good time with few tourists and the girls did well, allowing Dad and Mum to listen to almost all of the tour.  

Week#4: The highlight reel

Hello friends:

The Teels are still living out of suitcases and boxes mailed from the Port city. We are out of the temporary lodging facility and living at a friend's house in Moreton Hall. I say friend, but we have actually never met... They actually offered their house having never met us before! Pretty awesome people in the UK, huh! We have a move in date to what will be our home for the next few years: 21 February! Yah! We have enjoyed our stay on Knightsbridge Lane in Bury, but it is time to settle into our own home with our own furniture and things. I asked Maggie if she remembered her old bedroom and she looked at me like, "what are you talking about, Mom?" This poor child has slept in so many different beds in the last seven months, I would be amazed if she did remember what it was like to have your own bedroom!

Some highlights from our last two weeks (Sorry, I will try and do better updating this blog):

- We took the girls to the Bury Leisure Center for some swim time. Kelte Bug is a water bug come to find out...She loved when Dad took her under the waterfalls. Maggie took some time, but managed to finish the outing by going down the waterslide all by herself.

- We had dinner in Ely with our dear UK friends, the Crawfords and the Howells. Maggie and her old friend Harry were reacquainted, after a couple of years lost! They didn't know they were once great friends, but got on pretty well none the less.

- We said goodbye to Dad who deployed unexpectedly to Afghanistan for a few days. But as my three year old said: "Dad has to fly faraway in his jet, but he'll be home soon." My little parrot!

- So, mom is on her own in someone else's house, in a foreign country, not having much of a clue how to get anywhere, or knowing anybody....Awesome! The goal while Dad is gone: Survival... And to venture out at least once a day with the girls. Lots of walks to the park, drives to the local British grocery store, drives to the laundromat... I consider myself a reluctant but competent driver...and I am a licensed UK driver! For the record, I scored higher on the driving test than my dear husband...I should add that he helped me study after taking the test himself, so he rocks too!

- Maggie and Mama had some alone time... We spent the morning shopping at this enormous antiques barn in Risby, where Maggie thought everything was "wonderful" and "brilliant." Then, we headed across the street for tea and cake...Our very own tea party! Maggie told the waitress that the cake was delicious!

- Our British babysitter Natalie had her first evening with the girls so Luke and I could go out and have an early V-Day soire! Maggie woke up the next morning and asked me where the funny lady was! Apparently, Natalie was a hit!

- The girls were invited to their first birthday party in the UK. Lily's party at Cheeky Monkeys was a hoot. The girls had a great time!