Our NINE-Year-Old

Wow... we have a nine-year-old.  It's a little hard to believe.  But I do believe it... I can see her growing up every day. 

This year, she celebrated with a Monster High sleepover with just three friends - sweet girls - and they had a great time.  They played with their dolls, had dinner together, played a couple of fun games (Pin the Lips on Frankie, Guess the Sweets and Pass the Parcel), watched Monster High movies and talked until... well, talked until later than I expected.  (The last one fell at 11pm.)  In the morning, we all went to church together and ended the party with McDonald's Happy Meals. 

MH Swag

Playing with the MH High School

John borrowed these from work and we used them around the house!

"Pin" the Lips on Frankie

The girls were very good about letting Ryan join in!

How many sweets are in the jar???

Birthday Girl!

Very serious about making her birthday wish...

The Morning After

Lane - 9 Years Old

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Wow... What a fun-filled Christmastide we had!  With all of the Ludwigs arriving on Christmas Day, we were all set for a week of adventures!  We explored Salisbury, Windsor Castle and London... taking the kids to monuments and museums, pantos and playgrounds.  Here is a peek at our twelve days of Christmas in pictures...

Day 1 - The cousins arrived on Christmas Day!

Day 2 - We gave everyone a taste of some real British weather when we stopped to see Stonehenge.

Day 3 - We took a tour of the local royal residence in Windsor.

Day 4 - We opted for a quiet day with scones and tea at home.

Day 5 - We all headed into London to see the sights!

Day 6 - The kids treated us to a talent show (then the adults escaped for a dinner out).

Day 7 - The girls all went to tea and a traditional British panto (Peter Pan).

Day 8 - We went walking in Holyport and the kids did a little puddle-jumping along the way.

Day 9 - It was time to say good-bye after a wonderful visit.

Day 10 - We needed to clean the house and prep for Lane's Monster High sleepover!

Day 11 - We took down the tree and decorations.

Day 12 - We enjoyed an adventure  walk in Bracknell before Lane's birthday celebration.

Happy New Year!

Really, is it already 2013?  All of the fun activities of December and having a full house have left me a little behind of blogging about this beautiful season...

As is tradition in our family, Christmas began right after Thanksgiving.  On that Friday, I had the privilege of organizing a special Christmas coffee morning for my friends.  I was able to share some songs and treats and, hopefully, a time to prepare hearts and minds for Christmas.  About 50 ladies showed up in the back room at Jubilee from St. Piran's, my Thursday morning coffee group (Las Chicas del Cafecito) and church.  Despite struggling with my voice for the weeks leading up to the event, God was good and we had a beautiful time together.  

After my birthday in New York (which included a little bit of Christmas fun with a visit to the see the tree at Rockefeller Center) and our family trip to Lapland, we came home to England - which was covered with a beautiful layer of frost.

The kids had lots of fun activities at school in December, including the Christmas Fair (where Ryan was obsessed with the tombola - a sort of raffle for goody bags), a Christmas lunch for Lane (which she claimed was a Thanksgiving meal!) and a field trip to a panto for Ryan.  We enjoyed the kids’ carol service at St. Piran’s, our own carol service at Jubilee and a wonderful evening of Christmas music with our friends at River Church as well.

After our quiet Christmas Eve together eating our traditional homemade pizza and watching It’s a Wonderful Life, the kids went to bed and the parents got to work.  (Little did we know that the instructions for the drum set from Nana would be in German!)  And then, on Christmas Day, our best present arrived… the cousins!  We had a wonderful week together, but I’ll share more about that later… Right now, I have a desk to clean off!

Christmas Coffee Morning

Winter Arriving in Holyport

Christmas Cookie Baking with Lane's friend, Ella

Christmas Eve - Yikes!

Player of the Season

I'm so proud of my girl who was player of the season for her field hockey team this term!  St. Piran's has an A, B and C team in Year 4 and Lane has really enjoyed being a part of her team! 

Forty

I have to say.  It's been pretty good to turn forty.  I kicked of the festivities with a fantastic time with the girls in NYC, and my birthday weekend was pretty spectacular...

On Friday night, we had a lovely dinner with dear friends.  We spent four and a half hours at The White Oak in Cookham.  That's because the food was delicious (and just kept coming!) and the company was even better. 

On Saturday morning, after the kids gave me lots of birthday love, John gave me my birthday gift... a new, beautiful, amazing Gibson guitar.

Then we headed off to London with the kids to see the Christmas markets on the South Bank (something I really wanted to see!) and peek around the Sea Life Aquarium.  We were all wiped out, so we got KFC for the kids at the train station and John and I picked up take-out once we got back to Maidenhead.  So I ended the evening on the couch in my new jammies eating Chinese food and Ben & Jerry's while watching Downton Abbey. 

Really... What more could I possibly ask for?

The White Oak with the Ottos

The Birthday Kids

Happy Birthday to me!

Off to London

South Bank

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." Psalm FORTY

Lapland

Did you know that Father Christmas lives in Lapland?  Well, we had to find out for ourselves, so this month we traveled above the Arctic Circle to Finland to see if we could find him! 

What an amazing experience!  We left the house at 3:30 AM on Sunday to head to Gatwick airport and catch our 6:00 AM flight to Ivalo, Finland.  Once there, we were taken directly to a room full of winter gear where they set us up for our time in the frozen Arctic!  I have said to several friends that this was my FAVORITE part of the trip. The gear they loaned you was amazing - and we never would have enjoyed all of our outdoor activities had we not been so toasty and warm in our oversuits, boots & mittens!

After some time in the snow, we went for dinner, where Ryan promptly fell asleep at the table!  But after a good night's sleep, everyone was ready for the next days adventures... sledding, reindeer sleigh ride, mini skidoos for the kids, ice fishing (one of Ryan's favorite activities!), husky dog sled ride (both John and I got a chance to drive!), ice hockey and, of course, a visit with Santa Claus.  Memories that will not soon be forgotten...

We were greeted by reindeer upon our arrival!

Mini-Skidoos for the Kids

 

Husky Dog Sledding

Lane and Pela

 

Off to search for Santa...

...and he even had their Christmas letters.

Reindeer Sleigh Ride

Last Night - Gala Dinner

Our Little Elf

Family Photo in all of our gear!

NYC

With a BIG birthday this year, John encouraged me to celebrate with the girls in NYC.  What a FANTASTIC idea!  In about 48 short hours, we managed to eat at two fantastic restaurants, see a Broadway show, get a look at the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center, grab coffee at Dean & DeLuca, shop (and shop and shop!), enjoy bagels in Brooklyn (as well as a breakfast that included homemade donuts and grits!), hang out at our apartment and talk over NY pizza and ice cream, and pray together.  And the girls also blessed me with a beautiful souvenir from Tiffany's.  I am truly grateful for these great friends!

Lupa

Times Square

Pies N Thighs

Broadway Show

Tiffany's

Walter Foods

Thankful this Thanksgiving

I was a little worried about Thanksgiving.  It is one of our favorite holidays.  For our family, in particular, it is a holiday steeped in tradition.  Every year it's at Ludwigland in Malibu.  And we all see the same faces... bringing the same side dishes... to the same kiddie table and adult table... set with the same china and crystal.  So, I was a little bit concerned that this year would be a little tough to be away from it all (especially for the kids).

Thanksgiving Day passed on Thursday without much fanfare here (no one in the UK seems to care about the pilgrims), so that softened the blow.  Then we got to really celebrate on Saturday...

We loved having two families (one South African, one British) over to spend their first Thanksgiving with us.  One family has quickly become dear friends since our arrival, the other we have enjoyed getting to know in the last couple of months through our Life Group at church.  Both jumped joyfully into our Thanksgiving celebration.  We had turkey (okay... I had it catered...), sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce in a can.  We had crafts for the kids and a walk in the rain and our traditional Christmas movie (Elf) to end the day.

They said it was the best Thanksgiving they ever had!  And we were reminded that we have much to be thankful for.

The Thanksgiving Table

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow - Look at that turkey!

The Dales, Us, The Ottos

The Kids Table

Pen for Penmanship

Lane was so excited yesterday to get her PEN!  At the beginning of Year 4, all of the students were told that they would have the opportunity to earn their pens this year - awarded when their handwriting has reached a certain standard.  Lane has been working hard - and you can see the incredible improvement in her penmanship this year.  (And keep in mind that she just started writing in cursive when we arrived, whereas the other students have been doing it since reception!)  She proudly brought home her certificate.  (Apparently, the pen stays in her desk.)