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| Walked by The Circus, The Royal Crescent & near the Roman Baths |
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| YUMMY dinner |
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| And a beautiful evening walk back to our B&B |
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| Celebrating 16 Years! |
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| Roman Baths |
Friday, April 18, 2014
16 Years
While Yaya and Papa were here, John and I had the chance to sneak off to Bath for the night for an early anniversary celebration! We stayed at a lovely little B&B (where it felt like Carson from Downton Abbey was at the front desk... he kept referring to John and I as "Your Lordship" and "Your Ladyship"), walked the entire town and toured through the Roman Baths. Found a coffee shop we loved and made at least two (was it three?) trips there in our short visit!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Easter Break
The day before the kids were out of school Yaya & Papa arrived! Lane & Ryan loved having visitors and we had a great time showing them around!
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| First Outing - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard |
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| Mothering Sunday at Ascot |
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| We watched from the premiere seats and from the fence! |
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| A trip into London to see Matilda |
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| Burger & Lobster |
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| A walk by Dorney Lake |
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Ryan turns 8!
Ryan's birthday celebration continued on his big day! After a breakfast burrito (birthday boy's request) and opening gifts, we headed off to church. The whole congregation sang "Happy Birthday" to him - a special treat when your birthday lands on a Sunday. Then we went down for lunch at Pizza Hut (one of the kids' favorite places because of the self-serve ice cream) with the Ottos. He spent the afternoon playing with his toys before a family dinner followed by cupcakes which we made for him to bring into class on Monday - chocolate chocolate chip with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles!
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| Big Birthday Hugs! |
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| What to wish for...? |
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| Lunch with the Ottos |
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| He wanted candles in things all day! |
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| Yummy! |
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| Bear Photo |
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Spy Training School
Ryan's birthday month kicked off on Saturday with a super secret spy party with his buddy Dilsher (who turned 8 earlier this year). It was so much fun!
Jag (Dilsher's mom) and I had a blast planning and prepping over the last couple of weeks and the boys were so great together as they also helped with the set-up on the day! As their friends arrived, they could do "target practice" (essentially, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey) or the laser course that the boys arranged. Throughout the party, they all honed their spy skills through different activities like putting on disguises, taking a quiz, solving a puzzle and going on a scavenger hunt! (Oh, how I love Pinterest!)
Ryan and Dilsher had a great time celebrating together!
Jag (Dilsher's mom) and I had a blast planning and prepping over the last couple of weeks and the boys were so great together as they also helped with the set-up on the day! As their friends arrived, they could do "target practice" (essentially, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey) or the laser course that the boys arranged. Throughout the party, they all honed their spy skills through different activities like putting on disguises, taking a quiz, solving a puzzle and going on a scavenger hunt! (Oh, how I love Pinterest!)
Ryan and Dilsher had a great time celebrating together!
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| Invite |
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| Party Bags |
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| The Birthday Boy |
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| Making the laser course... |
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| Laser Course & Target Practice when the boys arrived... |
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| The boys loved the magnifying glasses! |
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| Mission briefing with Jonny |
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| Master of Disguise Game |
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| Scavenger Hunt |
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| Happy birthday, Dilsher & Ryan! |
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| Party Planners |
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Cape Verde
As I type this, I am sitting at the beach bar at Melia Tortuga Beach Resort sipping a tequila sunrise while the kids play in the sand. So, obviously, there have been some really great things about this getaway... ;)
For starters, our room is amazing. We had booked a two bedroom/two bath room but, upon arrival, were upgraded to a three bedroom/three bath villa! Awesome.... a two-story, stand-alone villa with an extra downstairs bedroom/playroom for the kids... which means a quiet place for them to play in the mornings. Love it.
Lane and Ryan can't wait to go to the Kids Club every day. While John and I feel like we've been to places that have a better kids program (e.g. an evening program which allows the parents to go to dinner solo), the kids have enjoyed the wii, face-painting and meeting other kids. As I type, Ryan is playing spies with a buddy he made and Lane is playing in the sand with another friend sipping a slushie.
Unfortunately, what we have NOT found here is much sun. :( It has been mostly cloudy and very, very windy. We got into the pool on the first day, but haven't been back in since. (It's just too cold!) While I'm enjoying the temps in the 70's, I'm a little disappointed to be sitting at the bar in yoga pants instead of shorts.
Keeping focus on the positives... John and I both feel like we have been able to unplug this week. (Although I'm on the iPad, there is no wifi, so I'm just using Notes to jot down my thoughts.) We've read a lot, slept a lot and eaten a lot. (Okay... eaten too much.) We had fun walking on the beach with kids, playing boules and watching the Olympics. We had an, um, interesting, trip into town (Santa Maria). And, let's face it... it's warmer than England!
For starters, our room is amazing. We had booked a two bedroom/two bath room but, upon arrival, were upgraded to a three bedroom/three bath villa! Awesome.... a two-story, stand-alone villa with an extra downstairs bedroom/playroom for the kids... which means a quiet place for them to play in the mornings. Love it.
Lane and Ryan can't wait to go to the Kids Club every day. While John and I feel like we've been to places that have a better kids program (e.g. an evening program which allows the parents to go to dinner solo), the kids have enjoyed the wii, face-painting and meeting other kids. As I type, Ryan is playing spies with a buddy he made and Lane is playing in the sand with another friend sipping a slushie.
Unfortunately, what we have NOT found here is much sun. :( It has been mostly cloudy and very, very windy. We got into the pool on the first day, but haven't been back in since. (It's just too cold!) While I'm enjoying the temps in the 70's, I'm a little disappointed to be sitting at the bar in yoga pants instead of shorts.
Keeping focus on the positives... John and I both feel like we have been able to unplug this week. (Although I'm on the iPad, there is no wifi, so I'm just using Notes to jot down my thoughts.) We've read a lot, slept a lot and eaten a lot. (Okay... eaten too much.) We had fun walking on the beach with kids, playing boules and watching the Olympics. We had an, um, interesting, trip into town (Santa Maria). And, let's face it... it's warmer than England!
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| Cape Verde |
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| Kids Club |
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| The thriving town of Santa Maria... |
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| WINDY! |
Monday, January 6, 2014
Lane's Glow-in-the-Dark Birthday Sleepover
It is hard to believe that our little girl just turned TEN! (It is almost as difficult to believe that Ryan is now the age that Lane was when we arrived.) To celebrate, Lane made two requests: roller-skating and a sleepover with the same crew as last year (+ one). So, a glow-in-the-dark rollerskating sleepover it was!
The girls arrived just in time to put on a coat of glow-in-the-dark nail polish and glow-in-the-dark tattoos before we headed over to the Magnet Leisure Centre for roller-skating. The girls donned glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces along with laser rings for the roller disco, then we walked over to Pizza Hut for dinner.
After the movie, it was back to the house for an American Girl movie (with popcorn and drinks with glow-in-the-dark straws, of course) and, thankfully, some sleep. (The last ones were asleep well before midnight!)
In the morning, we took the whole crew to church before making the drop-off rounds! Then it was pre-season practice days and back to school as a ten-year-old!
The girls arrived just in time to put on a coat of glow-in-the-dark nail polish and glow-in-the-dark tattoos before we headed over to the Magnet Leisure Centre for roller-skating. The girls donned glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces along with laser rings for the roller disco, then we walked over to Pizza Hut for dinner.
After the movie, it was back to the house for an American Girl movie (with popcorn and drinks with glow-in-the-dark straws, of course) and, thankfully, some sleep. (The last ones were asleep well before midnight!)
In the morning, we took the whole crew to church before making the drop-off rounds! Then it was pre-season practice days and back to school as a ten-year-old!
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| Glow-in-the-Dark Sleepover |
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| Getting ready to GLOW! |
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| Roller-skating at the Magnet |
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| Pizza Hut |
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| Birthday Wishes |
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| Tabby, Izzy, Lane, Avani & Christina |
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| Making the drop-off rounds... |
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| Birthday Bear Photo |
Friday, January 3, 2014
Two Years
January 3 marked two years in the UK for the Ludwigs. Really?! Already?!
Ryan is now Lane's age when we arrived, and is coming home with assignments that look familiar. Both kids have developed their sweet little British accents and, unknowingly, are turning into little British kids... unaffected by the cold (with Ryan in shorts all year!), enjoying their baked beans with breakfast, and looking for sweets after every meal.
People are constantly asking when we will be returning to the States and, honestly, it is hard to say. When John was promoted to Sr. Director in August, he signed on for another year in the UK office (through August 2014). Sometimes (especially in these cold, dark days of winter), I cannot wait to get back to family and friends in sunny Southern California. But when I look out on our lovely green and our big backyard, when I see all of the ways the kids are stretched at St. Piran's in sports and academics (and the ways I, and others in the Thursday morning prayer group, have been allowed to be so involved at the school through the Explorers Club and chapels), when I go to church on Sunday morning and am so enjoying the ways we are part of the family and ministry at Jubilee Church, I know that it will be hard when we leave.
I think that it might be hardest on Ryan. His memories of CA are definitely through rose-tinted glasses. He recalls a house with a big yard (not even a quarter of the size of our garden now) with a huge (2'x2') sandbox and a playhouse. He remembers that school was "easy" (1/2 day kindergarten), but doesn't remember that PE consisted of doing jumping jacks on the blacktop once a week.
When we left, he was young, and he didn't really have any deep friendships. Meanwhile, he has some really good "mates" here. He loves spending time with Charlie and Dilsher. In fact, the weekend of Lane's birthday party, he had his first sleepover at a friend's house when the Bagris took him for the afternoon/night. He has no idea how much he'll miss that kid. Dilsher is a dear sweet friend.
Lane, who had an authentic group of "besties" in CA, will (I think) adjust back more easily. But even she has said that, if we start the school year here in September, she might like to be here for the year to enjoy the Year 6 trip to Paris with her friends! (Honestly, though, I think she'd be happy to head to warmer temps and time with cousins at any time!)
While there are many things John and I both love about being here, including John's job, neither of us love his travel schedule, which has become busier and busier. At the end of the year, he was gone three weeks out of four and he's on a plane, it seems, at least once a week.
And so, we are praying that God will make it clear to us when it is time to move back to CA, just as He made it so clear to come here just over two years ago!
Ryan is now Lane's age when we arrived, and is coming home with assignments that look familiar. Both kids have developed their sweet little British accents and, unknowingly, are turning into little British kids... unaffected by the cold (with Ryan in shorts all year!), enjoying their baked beans with breakfast, and looking for sweets after every meal.
People are constantly asking when we will be returning to the States and, honestly, it is hard to say. When John was promoted to Sr. Director in August, he signed on for another year in the UK office (through August 2014). Sometimes (especially in these cold, dark days of winter), I cannot wait to get back to family and friends in sunny Southern California. But when I look out on our lovely green and our big backyard, when I see all of the ways the kids are stretched at St. Piran's in sports and academics (and the ways I, and others in the Thursday morning prayer group, have been allowed to be so involved at the school through the Explorers Club and chapels), when I go to church on Sunday morning and am so enjoying the ways we are part of the family and ministry at Jubilee Church, I know that it will be hard when we leave.
I think that it might be hardest on Ryan. His memories of CA are definitely through rose-tinted glasses. He recalls a house with a big yard (not even a quarter of the size of our garden now) with a huge (2'x2') sandbox and a playhouse. He remembers that school was "easy" (1/2 day kindergarten), but doesn't remember that PE consisted of doing jumping jacks on the blacktop once a week.
When we left, he was young, and he didn't really have any deep friendships. Meanwhile, he has some really good "mates" here. He loves spending time with Charlie and Dilsher. In fact, the weekend of Lane's birthday party, he had his first sleepover at a friend's house when the Bagris took him for the afternoon/night. He has no idea how much he'll miss that kid. Dilsher is a dear sweet friend.
Lane, who had an authentic group of "besties" in CA, will (I think) adjust back more easily. But even she has said that, if we start the school year here in September, she might like to be here for the year to enjoy the Year 6 trip to Paris with her friends! (Honestly, though, I think she'd be happy to head to warmer temps and time with cousins at any time!)
While there are many things John and I both love about being here, including John's job, neither of us love his travel schedule, which has become busier and busier. At the end of the year, he was gone three weeks out of four and he's on a plane, it seems, at least once a week.
And so, we are praying that God will make it clear to us when it is time to move back to CA, just as He made it so clear to come here just over two years ago!
Christmas Break
This year, the Ludwigs were home for the holidays, and did not have a house full of family to keep us entertained over the three and a half week Christmas break. It was a quieter Christmas than last year, and we did miss seeing everyone, but it was a relaxing time for our family of four.
The first week of break was packed with play dates... Christmas cookie baking, time with friends and a show at Norden Farm (topped off with amazing hot chocolate).
On Christmas Eve, we went to our first Christingle Service with friends at St. Peter's church. The kids were pulled into the Nativity service and we all lit our candles in our oranges. (The oranges are supposed to represent the world, the toothpicks with the sweets are the people, the red ribbon is the blood of Christ and the light is the light of Christ.)
After opening gifts on Christmas morning, we went to the service at Jubilee Church, where it was good to celebrate with our church family. After coming home for some more play time, we headed to the Ottos for Christmas dinner where it truly felt like we were spending time with family.
After spending all of Boxing Day in our PJ's, we packed up to spend a couple of nights down in Bournemouth. It was a fun little getaway between Christmas and the New Year. The wind was whipping and the rain poured down, but the sun broke through long enough for us to meander down to Boscombe Pier and the beach. The kids enjoyed the Funsters (kids' club) at the hotel - and the parents enjoyed a couple of quiet dinners together.
We made it back to Holyport to ring in the New Year (GMT+5 hours with the kids) and spent New Year's Day taking down the tree and preparing to celebrate our little girl turning TEN!
The first week of break was packed with play dates... Christmas cookie baking, time with friends and a show at Norden Farm (topped off with amazing hot chocolate).
On Christmas Eve, we went to our first Christingle Service with friends at St. Peter's church. The kids were pulled into the Nativity service and we all lit our candles in our oranges. (The oranges are supposed to represent the world, the toothpicks with the sweets are the people, the red ribbon is the blood of Christ and the light is the light of Christ.)
After opening gifts on Christmas morning, we went to the service at Jubilee Church, where it was good to celebrate with our church family. After coming home for some more play time, we headed to the Ottos for Christmas dinner where it truly felt like we were spending time with family.
After spending all of Boxing Day in our PJ's, we packed up to spend a couple of nights down in Bournemouth. It was a fun little getaway between Christmas and the New Year. The wind was whipping and the rain poured down, but the sun broke through long enough for us to meander down to Boscombe Pier and the beach. The kids enjoyed the Funsters (kids' club) at the hotel - and the parents enjoyed a couple of quiet dinners together.
We made it back to Holyport to ring in the New Year (GMT+5 hours with the kids) and spent New Year's Day taking down the tree and preparing to celebrate our little girl turning TEN!
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| Christmas Cooking Baking Playdate with Ella & Christina |
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| Show and Hot Cocoa at Norden Farm with Dilsher & Jade |
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| Making Monkey Bread |
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| All Dressed Up on Christmas Eve |
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| Christingle Service at St. Peter's |
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| Christmas Morning |
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| Yes! A toothbrush that plays a One Direction song! |
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| We loved spending Christmas Day with the Ottos |
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| Chine Hotel in Bournemouth |
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| Trying out the new metal detector... |
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| Boscombe Pier |
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| Happy New Year! |
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