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!