Thursday, July 4, 2013
The Fourth of July
I think that the 4th of July got a little more attention from us this year. For starters, we were prepared with some treats brought to us from the States from Gretchen and Nancy Worth. Lane also decided that she wanted to make red velvet cupcakes to bring to class. And then our all-things-American-loving youth pastor had a Texas BBQ at youth group that night, and invited us along. Although we missed being with our friends and fireworks, we managed to celebrate!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
St. Piran's Triathlon
This weekend, both kids participated in a triathlon at St. Piran's.
For Ryan, it was a very reasonable fun course for the Year 2 kids... a lap around the small parking lot on his scooter, a larger lap (parking lot and some grass area) on his bike and about a 50 meter sprint to the finish line. He's a super star on his bike, so he pulled way ahead midway through the race and came in first place. Super big smile on his face. (Honestly, I think he was shocked.)
Lane had a much more difficult route... close to a standard British triathlon for her age group (for kids who train for such things!)... 60 meters in the pool, followed by two laps around the school on her bike (probably almost a mile bike ride), followed by about a half mile run. Add in the fact that there were some slow and steady hills to tackle on her bike (both on asphalt and grass) - and she does not have the luxury of gears on her bike.
It was really tough going for her. She was in one of the last groups of girls to go into the pool, so she was at the back of the pack from the beginning. Those hills on the bike killed her. Then she got to the run. She was dying... and had a cramp. A kind friend who had already finished, came alongside her to run the last 100 meters with her. She did such a great job finishing the race, almost in tears! We are so, so proud of her for not giving up!
For Ryan, it was a very reasonable fun course for the Year 2 kids... a lap around the small parking lot on his scooter, a larger lap (parking lot and some grass area) on his bike and about a 50 meter sprint to the finish line. He's a super star on his bike, so he pulled way ahead midway through the race and came in first place. Super big smile on his face. (Honestly, I think he was shocked.)
Lane had a much more difficult route... close to a standard British triathlon for her age group (for kids who train for such things!)... 60 meters in the pool, followed by two laps around the school on her bike (probably almost a mile bike ride), followed by about a half mile run. Add in the fact that there were some slow and steady hills to tackle on her bike (both on asphalt and grass) - and she does not have the luxury of gears on her bike.
It was really tough going for her. She was in one of the last groups of girls to go into the pool, so she was at the back of the pack from the beginning. Those hills on the bike killed her. Then she got to the run. She was dying... and had a cramp. A kind friend who had already finished, came alongside her to run the last 100 meters with her. She did such a great job finishing the race, almost in tears! We are so, so proud of her for not giving up!
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| Year 2 - The Starting Line |
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| Pulling ahead on his bike! |
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| So excited! |
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| We were so proud of his great effort! |
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| Getting ready to get in the pool! |
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| Ryan cheering on Lane |
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| Making her way around for her second lap on the bike... |
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| Coming in to the finish line! |
Monday, June 17, 2013
Middle School Sports Day
Saturday was the Middle School Sports Day at St. Piran's. This is an all-day outing with individual athletic events the kids rotate through during the morning followed by clan relays and competitions, lunch and an awards ceremony. The day started out windy, but sunny - yet by midday we were all running for cover in the Sports Hall. Weather aside, Lane had lots of fun, and Ryan enjoyed playing around with his buddies. No awards won, but Lane made a great effort all around!
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| Lane and her friend, Isabel, at the beginning of the day. |
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| Getting ready for the long jump. |
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| 50M hurdles |
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| Girls from all four clans - South, East, West and North |
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| Parents under umbrellas, kids getting wet. |
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| Two slightly soggy girls at the end of the day. |
Sunday, June 9, 2013
9 Days, 6 Countries, 1760 Miles...
Team Ludwig did a MAJOR road trip over the half term. In nine days, we drove through six countries, stopping to rest in six cities over (approximately) 1760 miles.
It's hard to even get my head around it all, but we had a wonderful time as a family. My top 10 highlights (in no particular order)....
1 - Bike riding in Brugge.
2 - Fantastic hotels that all met or exceeded expectations. (Thank you Trip Advisor!)
3 - Belgian waffles, German pretzels and Nutella crepes. (Oh, and salted caramel gelato in Heidelberg of all places!)
4 - Ryan and Lanie doing some "songwriting" while we were walking the streets of Salzburg and during our downtime at the hotel.
5 - An incredible dinner at a funky restaurant in Belgium owned by a couple who were clearly obsessed with clocks and all things American.
6 - The Sound of Music Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Tour.
7 - Kids that were so great during our long drives... enjoying movies, Leapsters, reading, puzzle books - and even some homework.
8 - Hiking out to Mary's Bridge for an incredible view of Neuschwanstein Castle.
9 - Sunshine at Neuschwanstein Castle AND in Salzburg (where it was actually warm enough to sit and enjoy an ice cream cone)!
10 - The Playmobil Fun Park in Zirndorf... not packed with rides, but rather 90,000 square meters of themed adventure playgrounds. The kids LOVED it!
Now, of course a road trip for nine days with two children was not without it's low points, too. The biggest bummer was the weather - which hit a literal low of 41F when we were in Heidelberg (with rain). There was also the occassional "I'm bored." from our children immediately followed by my response: "Do you realize how far we've come to see [fill in the blank with appropriate landmark or castle]?" But it all came to a head in Heidelberg at the Schnitzel Haus...
After starting the trip off with two days of rain and temperatures in the 40's and low 50's (while the UK was finally enjoying some spring sun), we arrived late in the evening in Heidelberg. I wanted to go straight to the Heidelberger Schnitzel Haus (which I had previously researched online), but John wasn't up for it. (Seriously, who doesn't want to go someplace they have over fifty kinds of schnitzel?!) This led to about an hour of wandering, until we all (cold, grouchy and tired) finally ended up at... the Schnitzel Haus. Just minutes after our dinner arrived, as Lane was trying to cut her schnitzel, she managed to tip her entire plate into her lap. What started as laughter quickly changed, for me, into a flood of tears. The stress of the planning the trip and the disappointment with the weather had caught up with me. I was already strategizing in my head how we might cut our 9 days trip short by about 4 days. Ryan, quickly picking up on my rapid change in demeanor, announced that he wanted to go home. Lane, who was taking the whole dinner-in-her-lap incident in stride, tried to explain that he meant he wanted to go back to the hotel, not all the way back to England. (Indeed he, like me, did want to go back to England.)
Truthfully, I think I just needed a good cry. And, honestly, the whole trip was better after the Schnitzel Haus. I'm just glad it happened on Day 2 (not Day 7) of our nine day adventure...
Of course, a few photos...
It's hard to even get my head around it all, but we had a wonderful time as a family. My top 10 highlights (in no particular order)....
1 - Bike riding in Brugge.
2 - Fantastic hotels that all met or exceeded expectations. (Thank you Trip Advisor!)
3 - Belgian waffles, German pretzels and Nutella crepes. (Oh, and salted caramel gelato in Heidelberg of all places!)
4 - Ryan and Lanie doing some "songwriting" while we were walking the streets of Salzburg and during our downtime at the hotel.
5 - An incredible dinner at a funky restaurant in Belgium owned by a couple who were clearly obsessed with clocks and all things American.
6 - The Sound of Music Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Tour.
7 - Kids that were so great during our long drives... enjoying movies, Leapsters, reading, puzzle books - and even some homework.
8 - Hiking out to Mary's Bridge for an incredible view of Neuschwanstein Castle.
9 - Sunshine at Neuschwanstein Castle AND in Salzburg (where it was actually warm enough to sit and enjoy an ice cream cone)!
10 - The Playmobil Fun Park in Zirndorf... not packed with rides, but rather 90,000 square meters of themed adventure playgrounds. The kids LOVED it!
Now, of course a road trip for nine days with two children was not without it's low points, too. The biggest bummer was the weather - which hit a literal low of 41F when we were in Heidelberg (with rain). There was also the occassional "I'm bored." from our children immediately followed by my response: "Do you realize how far we've come to see [fill in the blank with appropriate landmark or castle]?" But it all came to a head in Heidelberg at the Schnitzel Haus...
After starting the trip off with two days of rain and temperatures in the 40's and low 50's (while the UK was finally enjoying some spring sun), we arrived late in the evening in Heidelberg. I wanted to go straight to the Heidelberger Schnitzel Haus (which I had previously researched online), but John wasn't up for it. (Seriously, who doesn't want to go someplace they have over fifty kinds of schnitzel?!) This led to about an hour of wandering, until we all (cold, grouchy and tired) finally ended up at... the Schnitzel Haus. Just minutes after our dinner arrived, as Lane was trying to cut her schnitzel, she managed to tip her entire plate into her lap. What started as laughter quickly changed, for me, into a flood of tears. The stress of the planning the trip and the disappointment with the weather had caught up with me. I was already strategizing in my head how we might cut our 9 days trip short by about 4 days. Ryan, quickly picking up on my rapid change in demeanor, announced that he wanted to go home. Lane, who was taking the whole dinner-in-her-lap incident in stride, tried to explain that he meant he wanted to go back to the hotel, not all the way back to England. (Indeed he, like me, did want to go back to England.)
Truthfully, I think I just needed a good cry. And, honestly, the whole trip was better after the Schnitzel Haus. I'm just glad it happened on Day 2 (not Day 7) of our nine day adventure...
Of course, a few photos...
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| On our way! |
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| Brugge |
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| Brugge |
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| Heidelberg |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
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| Leaving King Ludwig's Castles for Salzburg |
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| Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Tour |
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| PlayMobil Fun Park |
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| Last stop... Mechelen, Belgium |
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Year 2 Swim Gala v. St. George's
Today Ryan had the opportunity to go to swim in gala (meet) against St. George's in Windsor. Just fewer than half of his class were chosen to go. It was a great time - all relays (less pressure) and very evenly matched schools. He was VERY nervous this morning, but seemed to have LOTS of fun!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Lane's Baptism
Lane was baptized this weekend among her friends and family at Jubilee Christian Church. We are so proud of her and excited to see her growing in her faith in Jesus.
A few months ago, she said that she would like to be baptized. At that time, we told her that she could choose whether she'd like to do that here at our church in Maidenhead, or wait until the summer when we could do it with our extended family in California. She chose to go ahead and go for it here. While we were (of course) missing friends and family being present, it was really neat to see her make this decision for herself, and choose to follow when she felt God prompting her to do something!
It was a very special day. After she was dunked, several people at the church shared bible verses and encouragement with her. I wrote a song for all of those being baptized and shared it during the service. Then we all headed over for a picnic across the street from the church - and it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon.
If you'd like to see the whole baptism, it is here.
If you'd like to hear the song I wrote and sang, it is here.
And here's Lane's own summary of the day...
A few months ago, she said that she would like to be baptized. At that time, we told her that she could choose whether she'd like to do that here at our church in Maidenhead, or wait until the summer when we could do it with our extended family in California. She chose to go ahead and go for it here. While we were (of course) missing friends and family being present, it was really neat to see her make this decision for herself, and choose to follow when she felt God prompting her to do something!
It was a very special day. After she was dunked, several people at the church shared bible verses and encouragement with her. I wrote a song for all of those being baptized and shared it during the service. Then we all headed over for a picnic across the street from the church - and it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon.
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| Lane, one other girl and four adults were baptized on Sunday. |
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| Daddy dunked her with our pastor, Stuart. |
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| Several people commented on the JOY they see in Lane! |
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| Three of her friends from school came to see her baptism. |
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| My Sweet Girl |
If you'd like to see the whole baptism, it is here.
If you'd like to hear the song I wrote and sang, it is here.
And here's Lane's own summary of the day...
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Bank Holiday Weekend
Today was a bank holiday (don't ask me why) and we have thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend!
First of all, Daddy came home on Friday. We were ALL very happy to see him after almost two weeks away in the States.
Second, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Almost seventy degrees and SUNSHINE for a good part of the weekend.
We took the kids on our first real family bike ride (7+ miles) as we headed out to Windsor Garden Centre for tea! They both did GREAT and we saw some interesting things along the way...
Today, after a lazy morning, we met up with our life group from church for lunch and a long walk on the best day of the weekend. Woo-hoo! The kids came home good and filthy and tired!
And now... on to a SHORT WEEK!!!
First of all, Daddy came home on Friday. We were ALL very happy to see him after almost two weeks away in the States.
Second, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Almost seventy degrees and SUNSHINE for a good part of the weekend.
We took the kids on our first real family bike ride (7+ miles) as we headed out to Windsor Garden Centre for tea! They both did GREAT and we saw some interesting things along the way...
Today, after a lazy morning, we met up with our life group from church for lunch and a long walk on the best day of the weekend. Woo-hoo! The kids came home good and filthy and tired!
And now... on to a SHORT WEEK!!!
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| Interesting busts of the Queen and Prince Philip |
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| The Pineapple pub and a walk along the Jubilee River |
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The "A" Team
No... I'm not talking about B.A. Baracus and Face... I'm talking about Year 4 Girls' Rounders. Rounders is the girls' sport this term at St. Piran's and Lane was SO EXCITED to make the "A" team! They had a great first game on Friday, taking the win over Bishopsgate with a score of 13 to 6 1/2. (Seriously... don't ask me why they have a game where you can score 1/2 a point!)
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Fifteen Years In...
This weekend, John and I celebrated our fifteen year anniversary. I mean, we REALLY celebrated... without children! Our anniversary was on Thursday, and Friday morning we dropped the kids off at school and headed straight into London where we enjoyed sightseeing sans kids for 39 hours!
Before we departed, though, I gave John a little anniversary gift. I had wanted to write him a song (as I had for our wedding), but nothing had come to me over the last couple of months. Then, while he was out of town the week before our anniversary, the inspiration came. I wrote "Fifteen Years In" to commemorate our special day. Then, with the help the husband of a good friend, I was able to record it and get it onto a CD the night before our anniversary.
So, on Friday morning we departed (knowing that our kids would lovingly be cared for by the Ottos while we were away) and went straight to our fabulous hotel near Buckingham Palace. We were greeted with champagne and a lovely room with a roaring fire. We spent the afternoon shopping and eating (Burger & Lobster... yum!) before heading back to get dressed for our night out - dinner at a Michelin star restaurant and off to the theatre to see War Horse.
On Saturday, we SLEPT IN, as we were in the most amazing, comfortable bed in the world. Then we headed out into the SUNSHINE (yes, it was only a little over 50 degrees, but it was gloriously sunny) and went to take a tour of the House of Parliament. It was a perfect tourist adventure without the kiddos, followed by tea with a view of Big Ben. We strolled through St. James Park in the sun (did I mention that it was sunny?) back to our hotel where we grabbed our bags and changed for dinner out. We stopped at a Sardinian restaurant en route back to Maidenhead, where we arrived to find our children sleeping (ahhh...) peacefully at home. (Thank you to our friend Omo for taking the last shift of watching the kids at our place on Saturday evening!)
The kids had a great time. (This was Ryan's first sleepover at someone's house who was not family!) We had a wonderful time together and were able to recharge our batteries in the sun a bit. (I told you it was sunny, right?) Fifteen years in... we can't believe how quickly the years have flown by... and I can't wait to see what the next 15... 30... 45 years bring!
Before we departed, though, I gave John a little anniversary gift. I had wanted to write him a song (as I had for our wedding), but nothing had come to me over the last couple of months. Then, while he was out of town the week before our anniversary, the inspiration came. I wrote "Fifteen Years In" to commemorate our special day. Then, with the help the husband of a good friend, I was able to record it and get it onto a CD the night before our anniversary.
So, on Friday morning we departed (knowing that our kids would lovingly be cared for by the Ottos while we were away) and went straight to our fabulous hotel near Buckingham Palace. We were greeted with champagne and a lovely room with a roaring fire. We spent the afternoon shopping and eating (Burger & Lobster... yum!) before heading back to get dressed for our night out - dinner at a Michelin star restaurant and off to the theatre to see War Horse.
On Saturday, we SLEPT IN, as we were in the most amazing, comfortable bed in the world. Then we headed out into the SUNSHINE (yes, it was only a little over 50 degrees, but it was gloriously sunny) and went to take a tour of the House of Parliament. It was a perfect tourist adventure without the kiddos, followed by tea with a view of Big Ben. We strolled through St. James Park in the sun (did I mention that it was sunny?) back to our hotel where we grabbed our bags and changed for dinner out. We stopped at a Sardinian restaurant en route back to Maidenhead, where we arrived to find our children sleeping (ahhh...) peacefully at home. (Thank you to our friend Omo for taking the last shift of watching the kids at our place on Saturday evening!)
The kids had a great time. (This was Ryan's first sleepover at someone's house who was not family!) We had a wonderful time together and were able to recharge our batteries in the sun a bit. (I told you it was sunny, right?) Fifteen years in... we can't believe how quickly the years have flown by... and I can't wait to see what the next 15... 30... 45 years bring!
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| In Tom's studio on our anniversary eve... |
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| Hotel "41" |
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| Heading out for dinner & the theatre |
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| New London Theatre |
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| In our room in the evening... |
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| House of Parliament |
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| Sunshine in St. James Park |
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| Is spring finally here?!?! |
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| Here's to 15 more... |
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