Ethan's BDay Party

One of my new fun friends, Rachel, had us and many others over to celebrate her son's 2nd birthday. Ethan is a very precious little boy and he has a Magnadoodle that Rebes already covets. Anyway, Rachel got great dinosaur invitations that she sent out weeks ago. Rebekah walked around the house with it in her hand for a long time (she loves getting cards, notes, etc, in the mail, hint hint...). She LOVED seeing the invitation at other people's flats, too, excitedly exclaiming, "Ethan's Birthday Party!" Imagine her delight when we arrived at the party and there were matching flags, plates, and napkins!! She pointed to each dinosaur and said orange dinosaur, then pointed to every other one she could see. I just wrote a high school unit on making connections when you read and all I could think was, "Great job making connections, sweetheart!"

We had a great time at the party- Rachel outdid herself with chips, salsa, yummy guacamole, pasta salad, tons of sandwiches, treats, cupcakes, cake, ice cream, soda, tea, coffee, etc...It felt like being home again! It was also at this party that I looked around and thought, I really do have friends here. :) Rebekah was adorable as she sang happy birthday, too...

(on a side note- Rachel just began a women's Bible study using Beth Moore's study on the fruit of the spirit. I went on Thursday night (the first night) and am glad to have accountability to be in the Word with women experiencing the same feeling of dislocation. It's easy to feel spiritual b/c your hubby is working on a divinity degree, but when you get down to it, you can still feel personally isolated. This community has been very welcoming and I am thankful for it.)

Rachel was also kind enough to share these pics of our family from the day's festivities.

p.s. Thanks for the numerous comments from the last post on how great I am looking! While I am doing better here than in the good ol' US (attribute that to no Sonic, little eating out, etc.), I am not that thin!!! I appreciate the comments, but would hate to disappoint! ;) I think that particular picture made me look smaller than I really am. Still, I feel blessed. :)

Ode to my Uncle James and A Christmas Story

If you're not a McCord, you won't appreciate the ensemble here...when Josh saw how I had dressed Luke for church, he started laughing and commenting, "He looks like Baby Uncle James!" The sweater combo is a classic. :)

This reminded me of A Christmas Story- "I can't put my arms down!"

Look at my big guy sitting!!!! I LOVED watching him play with the calculator...

This is the face Josh and I agree will be difficult to punish...look at those cheeks and dimples...my goodness, we make sweet babies!

Catching up

The fam walking in downtown...and Bekah wearing her Halloween skirt.

Luke eating yogurt...yes, a lot actually did go in his mouth!

This morning, Bekah wanted to play with all the bears in her room. It was essential that she held them all at the same time.

Luke doin' some tummy time at Kate's flat this afternoon....Luke is starting to grab and hold things much better! He actually semi-sits, too...for about 3 seconds....

I felt like I owed you some pics of my cute kids! ;)

I have been compiling a a list of cute things Rebekah has been saying and doing- here goes-

I came back from a run and this is what I got- breathless Rebekah greeted me at the door:
"Mommy, You're back! How as your run? Mickie's got a stethoscope (indeed she did) and we're going to fly to Africa like the man in the yellow hat. You're coming, too! And we get to have snacks on the plane!!" (not a single pause)

My biggest fan:
"Mommy, gooooood job, Mommy! Good job being still, Mommy (pretending to brush my hair and clip my nails). Now you get a popsicle!"

Similarly, she told me this morning, "Be very careful and don't slip, Mommy....(on a very slippery hill where I have actually taken us both down before!)...yea, Mommy! Goooood job not slipping, Mommy!"

"I'm gonna jump on you...and it's gonna be an ouchie!"

Rebes has the intuitive knack of figuring out when I am lost due to the number of reverses I do. One such incident on Sunday resulted in her saying, "Mommy, what's wrong? ....It's okay Mommy. Here, take Bunny. You'll feel better." I did.

I told Rebekah she was about to do room time last week. She said, "I'd like to do pretend room time please."

Speaking of pretend, we are definitely there! She pretends all the time!!! She is so clever, too! Her newest one is putting Daddy down for a nap. She tucks him in, sings to him, gives him a "BB" (a special blankie), and prays with him. As she leaves the room, she solemnly looks back at him and says, "If I have to come back in here, I'm gonna pop your bottom."

Today, Rebekah woke up from her nap and said, "I'm excited for the ASDA delivery man to come. I want my milk!" Unfortunately, we are still without because their truck broke down and they're running late. Poor, neglected girl!

It's a Date!

Josh and I had our first Scottish date last night! We swapped babysitting with a friend and were able to go (without children) to dinner! We looked forward to it forever, it felt like!

Anyway, we deliberated for a while, then decided to go to Rustico, an Italian restaurant we pass on the way to and from parking for church- it always smells delicious and looked to be very charming. Knowing we would not be getting the benefit in the exchange rate, we wanted to know we would love the meal. We arrived and had a little romantic table- complete with red and white checkered table cloth! We got cheesy garlic bread to split and were a little concerned that we were the only ones not drinking wine...so uncultured... anyway, Josh got Rigatoni with Italian sausage in a red sauce (we both love red sauce) and I took a chance on the chef's special- Taggliatele pasta with scallops in Arrabiata (spicy red) sauce. I am always hesitant to do seafood because I only like it if it is well done. We are on the ocean, so it seemed to be a good choice. I took my first bite and must have felt the way the judges do at the finale of Top Chef when the contestants pull out all the stops, have the finest ingredients, and just blow them away. I wanted to pause the moment. Those scallops were the best thing I have EVER eaten. They melted in my mouth.

From my dad's awesome steaks to briefly studying in Spain to our engagement 7-course meal to honeymooning at Lake Chateau in Banff, Canada to cruising Alaska, I have had some great meals. This is up there for me.

Sadly, tho, everything 9even Starbucks) is closed after 5 except restaurants. We did swing by the grocery store to grab a few things, thankful it was still open. So, next time, we will savor the meal a little longer, but if I get my hands on those scallops again, I don't know if I'll be able to slow down. :)

Remembrance Day

Interestingly, Josh and I have noticed that "Veteran's Day" is altogether different here than in the States. It is called Remembrance Day. Here, so close to bombings, is a different feeling of loss. Here in the UK, at the 11th hour of the 11 day of the 11th month, even traffic will stop to honor the dead- not the survivors. For a full week before the day, people wear poppies- the only flower that grew on the battle fields.

To see more, go to this article .

Flashback Monday

In 7 years of marriage, with changing jobs and school aspirations, we have lived in 3 houses, 1 condo, and now 1 flat. This was our 3rd house- my least favorite, to be honest. :) It was in Frisco, north of Dallas, TX by about 20 or 30 minutes. Looking back, tho, it looks really cute! I do miss having my own home, even if we killed most of the yards we had.

Just for fun- not in that house even- just in the same file on my computer. This was 2 years ago for our family Christmas picture.

Sadly, even tho, we have some great family pics for this year, you will have to wait! They are a surprise for the parents- they know they're getting pics, just not what they look like!

Why I love being Luke's mama

I told you it was coming!

I love having a BOY! And you are all boy! You love being thrown, spun, and rough-handled, yet, son, you are a precious, huggable, squeezy little guy and you have been since we had to physically force you out of my tummy! You love being held and almost anything can be solved these days just by picking you up- almost! You have the greatest smile and dimples that fill and light up your whole face- you smiled your first days of life and we knew that you would fill us with joy. You have given us many challenges, but they have made us love you and appreciate having you all the more. I love the way you sleep- all curled up on your left side, with your head thrown back. I also love that you can grin, laugh, sneeze, cough, fuss, and full-out scream- all with your paci in your mouth. I love how you adore your sister and she is pretty fond of you, too! You are pretty mellow most of the time, but you sure can let us know when you're not- and in 3 seconds! On a practical note, you are a stud in the car and so great at just hanging out! You love being at home, tho, and I imagine that you are a calm, soothing personality like your dad. You and your dad balance Bekah and me out! You are just starting to show us some more of your personality- like you cough and pretend cry to get attention and you are starting to show preferences. You LOVE the sound of our voices, like when we're laughing or reading or singing. You have a special place in your heart for your daddy, which I love! You laugh all the time- when tickled, when your sister talks to and play with you, when Daddy spends time with you, when you're being thrown around...and it's a great laugh that warms my heart! You are your own little man and I am excited to see who you become. I pray for your trust in Jesus to develop over time and for you to be a Godly man. It's hard to believe you're going to grow up- especially as you are taking a stance on delaying sitting as long as humanly possible- but I know you will. I eagerly anticipate sharing you with the world, yet I am fearful, too. I am excited to take you places and be with you as you feed the animals at the zoo for the first time, like Curious George (and Curious Rebekah for that matter) or splash in your first puddle. I am excited to know you more and the awesome privilege of being your mom.

I love you, Luke Timothy.