Feliz Dia del Pavo

That means Happy Day of Turkey in Spanish, or in other words, Happy Thanksgiving. We say this as we were lucky enough to go to Spain for this Thanksgiving. (Even though we had paella on Thanksgiving) We took a few extra days off from work and school and found a cheap flight down to Spain. We flew into a city called Malaga with two other families here in England that are great friends. Total people in the trip, 19. Total parents, 6.

We were grossly outnumbered but we searched long and hard on the internet to find somewhere to accomodate the masses. Our spanish hacienda had enough rooms for everyone along with a pool, hot tub and a pool table. The children would have been happy just hanging out at the pool, except it was freezing for the first few days.

We wanted to see a few things in the area. We went to a Moorish castle called Alhambra, which was very large and it was obvious to see the moors impact on castles. Lots of water and fountains, which was important to them because they came from northern Africa where water was highly desired. It had the typical history of most castles where lots of people were killed and there were some good kings and bad kings. Instead of kings, though, we have Sultans, monarchs, and harems.

We also went to a white cliff city called Ronda. You can see why it was called a cliff city. We were way up there. The highlight for me was the bullfighting ring located in Ronda. It was great to get to play on the grounds of a ring that is still used today. It was one of the first, built in 1785. We had a few little bulls hopping around the ring while we were there. You can see them, they were cute. It was interesting to see the swords and the javelins used for the sport. Ronda also had an amazing bridge also built in the 1700's. It is 320 feet tall and it is an amazing sight. During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's, Fascists were thrown from the bridge. It is wonderful to teach the children such uplifting history.

Despite the amazing history that we did see, the children enjoyed the museum of chocolate. As you can see, there is a chocolate statue of the current prince of Spain. Also, is a 1400 kg replica of the city of Bethlehem. (that is over 3000 pounds.) The kids loved that.

The kids loved having the time off but it all came to an end the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We were still able to get lost, even with a satellite navigation system. We were one loud group with 19 in tow and restaurant owners cringed when we walked to the doors. We tipped really well.

He's now a teenager... HELP!!!

No really, he's great. We're very proud of Nick and he is a wonderful boy. He helps around the house, he allows Kris and I to go on dates without hiring a babysitter. He has also taken over lawn mowing and other larger chores. (If you read our blog at all, you know how his very first lawn mowing experience turned out.) But the mere sound of the ward causes parents to shake and have twitching actions. We celebrated Nick's birthday a week early this year because we had a trip planned during Thanksgiving and would be with friends. It would have been very difficult to bring along a cake for everyone.

Nick was very happy to have a birthday party at home with family. He received money for iTunes purchases and bought video games. Our little baby is now thirteen years old and is also two inches taller than his mother. The height comes from his mother's side of the family. He has some great jokes and he has decided to follow in my footsteps and play the trumpet. He decided to depart from my footsteps and actually be good at it.

As a side note, we watched two of the Cranney's kids while they took a business trip. It was a pleasure to watch them and it allowed Kris to take them all out for girl's night. So off they went to Norwich to watch the Nutcracker done by Northern Ballet company. They all had a wonderful night and we boys went out and got lost trying to go over to a friend's house for Guy Fawkes night.

Annual Chili Cookoff

Okay, so it is actually just a code word for Halloween, but I am thankful that we have a chili cook-off associated with it so that adults have something to eat. Every year, our ward does a Trunk-or-Treat activity in our church parking lot. Right before the activity, the adults get to do their own form of treating. That's right... a chili cook-off. All the men in the ward bring their own chili and the women judge which is best. This year, someone else won other than me. That's all I want to say about that.

Each child put plenty of thought into what they wanted to be. What that means is each child thought they wanted to be something and then it changed roughly every 2-3 days. Katy and Evan were the worst. Evan was a vampire with great hair. Katy was a very cute witch, with the required purple motif. Nick, as you can see, was a doctor. (not a lot of imagination this year) Lizzy was a cowgirl and she was pretty consistent with that. We had a hard time trying to find a cowboy outfit in England. It always looked like she was doing traditional English riding in plaid. We finally were able to do it with an Indiana Jones hat and whip set.Our friends, the Cranney's, have an activity every year that consists of making graham cracker houses and wasting all the candy while doing it. Is a lot of fun and cuts way down on Halloween supplies for the kids. Good fun.

Just so you know, I spent about three hours carving pumpkins from a set we bought. You are required to look at and appreciate the hard work that Lizzy and I did. Look at it. And you had better write a comment. And it had better be positive.

Work Time

As you can imagine, there is a lot going on in a family with as many kids as we have. Nick has been working very hard with scouts and was able to get his First Class. He already has enough merit badges for his Star and just has to wait four months. We are excited to watch him progress. Lizzy is doing stock market and discovered that school also comes with homework this year. She has been busy. Ironically, Evan has less homework this year than last year but he also has glasses. We noticed that he couldn't read the hymn numbers at church and anything on the board at school. This completes the circle of poor eyesight started a long time ago by Grandpa. Oh well, at least we all look smart.




And forme, well, work is rough. I had to do a two week trip to Montenegro for the military. I think the hotel was only four stars and the complimentary breakfast didn't have the full array of fruits and cereals but I survived. They gave us a few down days where we went on trips to the coast and also played sports against the Montenegro military members. I think that they stacked the deck as few of the players did not seem to be in the military. Needless to say, they beat us in basketball, soccer, and volleyball. It was fun but we were not prepared for the competition.

It was really nice to get back after a two week vacation, er, I mean, working trip. The family didn't have any of the problems that happen like my last absence. I think that tires on the car popped and Nick got pneumonia. It's just still really busy when I go as the lone remaining parent does all the driving and homework help and still maintains a busy schedule. It can be harder work staying home.

Birthday Time!!!!

The leaves are turning brown and red, school is starting once more, and Evan and Katy are having their birthdays. We cheated once again this year and celebrated the little kids birthdays together. Their official birthday present was going to Paris Disneyland. For a gift, we have Evan and Katy amusement style rides along with candy. What more could a child want. We also asked if they could light a person on fire to make some kind of a symbolic birthday candle for our kids. They politely obliged as you can see. Boy, Disney is a great place.

Actually, we went to a stunt show at Disney Studios. They did a bunch of stunts, including this one. We really did like it. After getting back from France and sending away the family, we had quiet family only birthdays for Evan and then Katy. Each child got money from Grandma and Grandpa. Evan bought Harry Potter Lego Wii game, which he loves. And Katy bought Alice in Wonderland the movie (the old one) along with some coloring books and a googly worm. It's mostly because small kids don't really know what the value of twenty dollars is. We parents do and really appreciate it.

Each child had a really good time and didn't seem to mind having a birthday with family only. We then buckled down and sent our big kids back to school. We had some indecision trying to find the right teacher for Lizzy but seem to have a great match with way more field trips. Evan will get along well with any teacher. But she just happens to be the woman who accidently set off the fire alarm last year so the kids love her. Nick probably doesn't care who his teachers are as long as they don't give him homework. Seventh graders? Who knows. Katy is home with mommy and doing very well.

All the Cassats

Well, almost all of the Cassat's. Uncle Greg spent his summer in Washington State. Yes, it has been a very busy summer. We were lucky enough to have Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mindy, and our cousins Stephen and Emma all come to visit. They arrived late in July and left mid-August. We had a great time.

The journey started with a long plane ride for the visiting relatives followed by a bus ride from Heathrow. After a day's rest, we started on the trips. First was to Dover Castle with a sweet dinner overlooking the cliffs of Dover. The meal was marginal but the view was fabulous. We think we saw France.

After that, we had a nice break at church and started sightseeing again on Monday. Castles, churches... they all look the same after a while but we charged onward. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Mindy went down to London to go see Wicked and then explore London. We took all of the kids down (without serious harm) and met them at the Tower of London. We could have seen the Crown Jewels, but instead did a Beefeater Tour and accosted some poor unsuspecting tourist to take our picture and then gave him three cameras. He does nice work, as you can see.



The first week was just warming up for the big week, a full 5 nights and 6 glorious fun filled days in Disneyland Paris. We hopped on the Eurostar for our First Class journey to Disneyland. The chunnel was dark and about twenty minutes long. It stopped at a train station made just for Disneyland. It might just be the happiest place on earth (maybe slightly less happy than Los Angeles or Orlando with better cheese). It's amazing but Buzz Lightyear can also speak French. So can Mickey and C3PO. I did not know that. We had a lot of fun. The kids liked it because there were great rides and when they were tired, they could actually watch TV channels. There was also a pool and plenty of shopping. A few stomach aches and fevers later, we knew we had done everything that Disney has to offer.

We did do one day in Paris. We thought we would do more days in Paris but it ended up being a logistical nightmare to move 11 people on public transportation. Everyone will tell you that there are buses or subways from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower but our group begs to differ. Thirty minutes of walking later and some sprinting, we made it in time to use our Eiffel Tower reservations. It was still worth it. We also saw the Louvre but the most unique part is the birdman of Notre Dame. There is a gentleman who teaches the kids how to hold ladyfinger cookies so the birds will eat out of your hand. He gives you the cookies for free but our kids had so much fun, he did accept a tip. Cool.

The Summer Has Started

School is officially over for the kids. Nick, Liz, and Evan all did really well during the school year and so we had an after school party. It was freezing, but that didn't stop the kids from having a water fight. Daddy had to pour warm water from the tap into the mini pool so that the girls would stay warm. Unfortunately, we have no pictures of that so use your imagination.
After that Nick and I went on our traditional 50 mile scout hike. All fathers must participate in this youth ritual. We actually did this one pretty smart with a base camp and then driving out to various hikes in Northern Wales. We saw a beautiful castle where Prince Charles was crowned the Prince of Wales and hiked all over the place. We only got lost a few times but we supposedly saw the mythical lake where the Lady of the Lake lives who gave King Arther his sword, Excalibur.

After we safely arrived back from the campout, we have not had much of a break. Katy has started to ride her bike. She wears a helmet that falls over her eyes and makes it so that she rides blind. It is cute and dangerous but Katy really enjoys being one of the big kids.


We also went to the fireworks display on base. We went over with our good friends, the Hoopes, who live on base and got a great view. This was the closest we have ever been and the kids loved it. Being far from the U.S, it is nice to get a taste of home. We were able to also celebrate with our ward who is part american and part british. Instead of the Fourth of July picnic, it was referred to as the "No Hard Feelings" picnic. We still had hamburgers and hot dogs so some things never change.

School let out for Easter holiday, so Kris & kids decided to head to the west coast of England to visit Wales. We knew we'd arrived when we saw signs with the names of towns that are spelled with almost no vowels. Okay, that's not entirely true, but wow, that Welsh language is crazy. There is a station in Wales with this long name:

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch'

It means:-

"St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave.

Whew?! We had fun listening to the Welsh radio stations while we were there. The land is beautiful. We live in a very flat farming area, and Wales is NOT flat. Lots of craggy mountains and lots of sheep. We visited Bodnant Gardens--very beautifully landscaped, terraced gardens with pools and fountains and a river and mill. The kids loved this spot. We ran around the trails, wrestled in the daffodils, and took pictures of every plant we could find. We also drove by Snowdon, the largest mountain in England south of Scotland. We stayed at a very nice Bed & Breakfast that owned two large dogs, and finished off our two day tour with a stop at Conwy Castle in Conwy. We will have to come back to Wales, and see more there with Dad.

The Lawnmower.

This spring Nicholas received a lawnmower. His mother was especially excited for him to start using it. He got it put together, added the oil, then the petrol. He started it all by himself and mowed a swath of lawn about 5 feet in length. At this point, the lawnmower hit a very small pebble in the grass and spun it toward the window of our van. This is a picture of Nick, his lawn mower and the van. AAAAAGGGGHHH....... Yes, he did finish mowing the lawn.

Happy Birthday, Lizzy!

Elizabeth turned 10. Many thanks to her grandparents who have contributed funds to her increasing wardrobe!

Gramma's In Town!

Grandma Jeanne came for a 2 week holiday in February. We hope this was as much fun for Grandma as it was for us. The winter was long and cold, and we needed her! We visited Ely Cathedral, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. We drove through London town and all through the East Anglian countryside. This was a great break from the routine for all of us, and we think our Grandma rocks!