Cornwall 2012... Can we just stay forever??

Well, just when I thought the best vacation of the year would be skiing, along comes our trip to Cornwall. The three kids and I set off with my mom, Grammy Lee, and we had no idea what to expect. I have to admit, the day of arrival was a rocky beginning. The baby didn't want to fall asleep and after a long drive I was tired and hungry. But after we got into a routine it was really smooth sailing. Cornwall was breathtakingly beautiful, even with colder weather than we would have liked. It wasn't great for beach play as the wind was blowing and it was in the mid 50s, but there were lots of other great places to explore. We had so much fun we decided to stay an extra night! It was a perfect family vacation and the Sands Resort outside of Newquay was first rate.

Enjoy the pictures...

Dairyland Playground and Working Dairy Farm

Vertical slides in the indoor play area... pretty wild!

Zip Line!

Porth Beach, just down the road from our Hotel

The view out of our window at the hotel

Lots of fun playing in the hotel room

More views from the cliffside

St Michael's Mount

Trebah Gardens

The Eden Project

This place was AMAZING! I would recommend everyone in London should try to make a trip out to Cornwall to see it. It is a really inspiring facility established ten years ago to promote green living, increased knowledge about nature and responsible use of resources.

Josephine is quite the Rock Climber

That's her on the right!

The velcro bouncy wall! VERY funny!

Pretending to be a Venus Flytrap and a Fly

TATTOOS!!

There were two huge Biomes, one for a Tropical Climate and one for a Mediterranean climate

5 McCrea Lane

Well, as some of you may have heard, we have bought a house back in Darien, CT. Or, I should say, we are BUYING a house, so fingers are still crossed. Closing is set for the middle of May. For those of you interested in a brief tour, here is a video I've put together. We have big plans for painting and adding some rock to the exterior and a new kitchen for me! Then in a few years we might even add a bedroom for Josephine, but we'll have to wait and see how moody her teenage years become! If her recent attitude is any indication, the work will need to be done sooner rather than later! :)

We're hoping to move back in the Summer of 2013, and we are planning to rent the house until then. But we can't wait to come home.

Enjoy...

Ski Pics

Well, here are some highlight pics from our ski trip to the Swiss Alps. It was the best family vacation we've ever had!

What Can I Say?

It's been too long since I posted, but I have to start some where, so 2012, you begin in FEBRUARY!

Our littlest, Miss Madeline, or as the kids often call her, MadMad. She is SUCH a handful, but she's as cute as the day is long!

The view from our room in Tenerife

Our holiday season included a trip for Chris and I ALONE to the Canery Islands, while my parents visited and took care of the kids. Sandy and Jess helped me surprise him for his 40th birthday and it was a great vacation! This was followed by a visit from the Olmsteads for Christmas Day. We rang in the New Year in our traditional manner, by all being asleep before 11pm! Ha! How times have changed since our younger, wilder years.

Maddie's First Birthday!

Seeing the Queen's Horses in St John's Wood for the last time

Darts!

We've been enjoying the new year here in London and it even snowed this past weekend, which was a real treat for the kids. We even managed some sledding in Primrose Hill, with borrowed sleds of course. We are also eagerly preparing for our first real European family vacation, skiing in Switzerland at the end of the month. We're all VERY excited. :)

Maddie after a long walk pushing the basket down the hall.

The picture above was from our movie night on the last night with Grammy Boutwell. She stayed for 2 weeks in January to help me recover from bladder surgery. We had a wonderful visit and the baby was even giving her kisses by the time she left! Very sweet indeed.

On a more personal note, I recently sent an email to a good friend here in London and asked her if she ever feels like she's wasting her life. She responded in the affirmative, which made me think again about this choice I've made. To dedicate my life, well my life right NOW, to my family. Moving abroad while adding a third child to the chaos of our home, trying to help these children grow up to be productive members of our society, or at the very least not HIT each other regularly, trying to remain sane and somewhat healthy and attractive while also devoting an inordinate amount of time to meal preparation and planning, and trying to figure out how to appear productive on pinterest, seemingly with very little success.

Still I'm unable to navigate my daily life without many doubts and fears about my choices. I live vicariously through so many others around me, and wonder when MY time will start again. Funny enough my friend suggested a life coach. I laughed and laughed, asking myself and her, is it ok to make fun of a 'life coach' to their face or only behind their back? And then I thought, hmmm... maybe I should just BECOME a life coach. Wouldn't that solve all my problems at once? Ha! But really, my problems are the best kind to have and I am thankful daily for the blessings and choices that I face and struggle with. I am truly so lucky to live this life of mine. So onwards...