First Day of School 2011

Better Late Than Never

This year school is a little different. Alex and Spencer are going to school at Ryde School with Upper Chine. It is on the Isle of Wight just off the coast of Portsmouth. They wear uniforms and ride a hovercraft and walk almost two miles literally up a hill. After school it is down hill. Sarah and Nathan don't have a school. They will be being home schooled once we get a home. The day before school started we had welcome and meet and greet type activity. The weather was a little harsh with high winds and drizzle. The hovercraft was closed and we had to take a foot ferry over to the school. Now we know the procedure for bad weather.

Luckily the first day of school weather was much more delightful. We left the hotel, took a taxi to the hovercraft terminal and as a family took the boys to school. The hovercraft had about 10 students going Ryde. From a not so discreet distance we followed Alex and Spencer up the hill till they arrived at the back gate of the school. They were lucky enough to be friended by another boy Spencer's age who showed them the way.

While the boys were at school Sarah, Nathan, Jay and I toured a part of the Isle of Wight by history telling double decker bus. We also did some shopping and had hot chocolate at the Chocolate Apothecary. After school the boys came down the hill and met us for ice cream. Not your typical 1st day of school, but highly memorable.

Southsea Kite Festival

One more quick fun blog before school begins. The first weekend we were in England, and more specifically in Portsmouth, Southsea, which is the part of Portsmouth we will be living in, had a Kite Festival. We had nothing else to do so we went to the Kite Festival. There were expensive food stands with food that isn't good for you. There were great jewelry, clothing and knickknack stands with things that we can't really afford to spend money on. There was also the carnival section with rides to make children very excited. Unlike Busch Gardens the rides cost money every time you ride one and so we had to limit the children to one ride each.

The Kite Festival was our first real experience with the weather here. It was beautiful, but very windy with occasional showers. When we arrived we were taking our coats off, but about 30 minutes into it the clouds blew in and it rained on us. Then it stayed cloudy and windy for about 30 minutes. Finally the sun came back out. I spent almost as much time looking at the kites as I did studying what people wear. From shoes to coats it is almost an obsession with me to figure out what we are going to buy for this ever changing, yet fairly moderate climate.

The last part of our day, and I really wish I had a picture of this, we had lunch at a deli. Lunch was good, but the Lemon donut pastry was the best, it ruined me for all other pastries. It was AMAZING.

Striping Up on the HMS Victory

Today Jay and I were happy to be invited to attend the Striping Up Ceremony for Jay's sponsor, Joe Bainer. Joe has been a terrific sponsor before we arrived in the UK and since we've been here. The favorite saying our first week here was "Joe Says". The kids even talked about playing Simon Says and changing it to Joe Says.

Joe was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy and chose the HMS (Her Majesty's Ship) Victory as the location for the event. (HMS Victory is perhaps the greatest successful war vessel of all times. It was Admiral Nelson's flag ship for two very decisive Naval battles.) There were officers from the US Navy, Her Majesty's Royal Navy and other NATO militaries all joined together on a beautiful old wooden hull war ship.

During the ceremony they read the Warrant (US Government's official statement of promotion), recited the Oath of Office and then the newly promoted officer changed into his new uniform with the assistance of the Admiral.

We loved being a part of it. Congratulations Joe and thank you for including us.

London Baby

Let me just start this by saying that Jay and I enjoy the TV show Friends. We have watched it before bed for years just so we could have a good laugh before bed. We have been referencing the Friend's trip to London ever since we arrived here and our trip to London was no different. We really wanted to find a pop up map like Joey had so Jay could step inside the map to find his way around, but the one we bought was more useful.

We took the train from Portsmouth to London and I'll tell you I love the train. It is so much fun to travel with the family and no one need to navigate or drive and we can all just hang out together. There was the time that not all of us got thru the doors of the train fast enough, but luckily we were able to get the door back open and everyone in before the train took off. Our hearts got a little workout, but no harm done.

When we arrived in London we thought that we were headed to one of the Navy's offices, but we were off by about 10 miles and 4 underground zones for the metro. No biggie, we just took another trip on the train/metro and found where we needed to be. After all the work was done we got to do our sightseeing.

Right off the metro we saw Big Ben and Parliament, The River Thames and the Farris Wheel.

Westminster Abbey was also on our list.

Not exactly sure what this was, but it was a beautiful view through St. James Park.

Sarah and I were excited to Buckingham Palace and Sarah was sure if she zoomed in far enough she might see something more exciting than just a big palace.

Nathan loved the ducks and wanted more picture of ducks than some big building.

We saw a lot of the highlights of London, but barely brushed the surface of things we want to see. We look forward to returning and digging deeper into all there is to see and do.

Trip to Ryde

On our third full day in the UK we took a little trip from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. Yes, I know, we really didn't need to come all the way to England for a Portsmouth and an Isle of Wight we had those in Virginia. Alexander and Spencer will be going to Ryde School on the Isle of Wight. We traveled over on hovercraft to meet the headmaster and visit the campus.

We had a wonderful meeting with the headmaster and the hover craft was an easy and fun 10 minute ride. The boys are looking forward to a great year and Sarah hopes to join them next year.

England Baby

So I can't quite figure out where to start. I have tried to start writing everyday since we arrived. By the way, we arrived Saturday, August 20, 2011. Mother and Anna helped Jay and I pack the night before we left and believe me it was a big job.

Nathan, who woke up crying because he didn't want to fly in the big airplane, had a wonderful time on the big airplane. He also slept well and wanted to go again. Spencer had a little bit of motion sickness and then slept all the way from DC to London. Everyone else did great. Alex even got to sit by himself.

Once we arrived in London we took the bus from London to Portsmouth. It took a little bit of time to get to Portsmouth, but it was a really nice trip. Jay, Alex, Spencer, Nathan and Sarah all slept on the way to our new home.

Once we arrived in Portsmouth we checked into the Marriott hotel where we are having a lovely stay. The hotel has been really nice. We have adjoining rooms and there is a pool. We are enjoying a hot English breakfast in the mornings. For breakfast we have a choice of eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms, ham, large sausages, bacon, tatter tots and baked beans. There are also choices of fruit and yogurt, pastries, toast and cereal. There is more to report, but I'm trying to keep your attention so I don't want to give you too much at once. Cheers.

I Guess It's Really Going To Happen

I guess the Navy really is going to send us to England. It appears all the Ts are crossed and all the Is are dotted. I have been working my tail off trying to get ready for the packers that come in 5 days, but tonight I am calling it quits for trying to make progress and I am going to work toward updating the blog.

Originally I had thought how wonderful it would be to document each step it takes to prepare for an overseas move with the military. I very quickly realized that at the end of the day there was NO WAY I wanted to relive it. There have been many, many mountains to climb with very few downhills. It feels like the actual moving of our things is the easy part when you look at that next to all the paperwork. We are talking four months of intense paperwork and emailings.

Next week our furniture leaves and we will move in with my parents for the last few weeks we are in Virginia. Our adventure begins and I look forward to sharing it on my blog. That's the update for now.

Hop On the Roller Coaster - We Are Going For a Ride

Hop on, sit down, hold on tight we are starting the ride again. It's a roller coaster ride being a military family. For the last 4 summers we have wondered whether or not to get a pool membership at the neighborhood pool because there is a large stock buy in and we didn't know if we would be here the next year or not. We have been living in Virginia since summer of 2006 and every year there has been a possibility of a move. In 2008 we were headed to Japan to the point of selling a bunch of furniture and giving our dog to another family, just to have the move cancelled less than 48 hours before the movers arrived. This year I told a friend that I was pretty certain that for the first time I could guarantee that we would be staying in Virginia for a few years. Jay will be leaving his ship for in August and returning to a job not based on a ship. We were expecting a job in this general area. He chose several jobs here in Hampton Roads, but kind of as a joke he threw in England because it was more like a dream than anything.

Well England it is. The Navy has told us to prepare to move to Portsmouth, UK in September. The Navy has told us what we need to do, but to be prepared that we still might not move to England because we don't have official orders and we can't expect them until June or July.

Mixed emotions flow in the household. Jay, Spencer and I are excited. Alex is looking on the bright side. Sarah is nervous and not sure if she can be happy about it yet. Nathan wants to ride a train, a double decker bus and see Thomas the Tank Engine, but has no clue, what's happening.

It could all change in an instant, but for now we are preparing to move to England. More to come. . .

Time To Start Anew

Here it goes. . .

It's not New Years, I haven't done any Christmas Cards, I haven't even finished Christmas shopping, but I am going to write a new post for my blog. Clearly there are many other things that need my attentions so I am focusing on something not nearly as urgent. As I write the laundry is screaming at me.

I am hoping to better use my blog in the coming year and thought I should start right now with giving it a cleaned up look. To have a cleaned up look you also have to at least have one new post right?

All I have to say with 3 days left until Christmas is that I HAVE to do better next year. Every year I say I am going to shop early and wrap early and do cards early so that I can enjoy the season. NEVER HAPPENS. My favorite part of our season this year was when we had 2 snow days and just hung out and did nothing. The entire rest of the season we have been rushing around. School gets out tomorrow, we will rush around for 2 more days and then settle down as a family spend time together and do nothing some more.

So here's to Christmas Day when everything is closed and all the days that follow until January 2nd when we will hit it again.

I hope that all of you enjoy your holidays and have time to do nothing with those you love to do nothing with the most.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

As I was reading this book to Nathan one night at bedtime I realized this is my life. It's no wonder Nathan loves the If You Give... books, they are his life as well.

If you give Nathan a bowl of popcorn he is going to want a drink coke to go with it. If you give Nathan a drink coke he is going to want a napkin to go with it and if you give Nathan a napkin then at some point he is going to wander off and leave both the napkin and the popcorn on the floor and you are going to need to vacuum before the morning is over. While you are vacuuming Nathan is going to come up to you and tell you he needs to go potty and while he is going potty he is going to remember that he meant to have you change the TV channel. Once you change the TV channel you will realize that he dumped all the laundry all over the floor and ran his cars through it. You will start to clean up the cars and laundry when he informs you that he was playing with that and you are ruining his life if you pick it up. So you decide to leave the room to put the dishes away and while you are putting the dishes in the dishwasher Nathan remembers he is thirsty and wants drink coke and if he wants drink coke he is going to want some popcorn to go with it.

Gratitude Weekly 5,6,7,8

Okay, so I am not doing well with keeping up with what I am grateful for right now. I will have to do better. I am repenting and moving forward.

Week 5 - Snow -I would have to say I am grateful for snow. Snow dumped down on us here in Virginia for Friday and Saturday. We missed a trip to Raleigh and were snowed in for a couple of days. Jay took the children sledding and they had lots of fun. Although Nathan ran into some bushes and got himself a really manly scrap on his face. School was closed for Tuesday and Wednesday. They already had school closed on Monday for an end of the semester teacher day.

Week 6 - My Mother - I am grateful for my Mother this week. My mother turned 75 on Feb. 11. We celebrated with lots of cake, balloons and dinner at the Olive Garden. In the mother department I am very, very blessed.

Week 7 - Valentines Day - My sweetheart. I am always grateful for him, but it never hurts to say it again. We were actually together for Valentines Day which makes it even better. The Navy doesn't believe in Valentines Day and tries to ruin it as many years as possible.

Week 8 - Youth Temple Trips - Can I be thankful for updating my blog? Just kidding. We went up to Washington DC with the youth from church this past Saturday. I love that almost 20 12-18 year olds will get up on a Saturday morning at 0400, get dressed in Sunday clothes and spend all of their day going to the temple. Alex has been looking forward to going for some time and everyone had a great day. We got home about 5:00pm. It was a long day, but totally worth it for the kids.

On a side note, the three younger ones and I were able to visit Jay's parents who will leave in two weeks to go back to Utah after serving 18 months at the DC Temple. We will miss them. In Nathan's mind he has only known them living in DC and it will be hard for him to adjust.

Gratitude Weekly 4 - Jay's Time Home

With Jay not going to Japan we have been on hold for a while waiting for him to join a ship. He had a few weeks off while they sorted out where to send him. Then they sent him to a shore command for a couple of months. A shore command that consisted of no 24 hour duty and weekends off. This week Jay will report to the USS WASP as the Training Officer. During the past two and a half months we have been totally spoiled having Jay home every night and weekends. I love him so much and he is the greatest father ever. Every day with him is such a gift and I am so thankful for the extra time we have had over the last few months.

Gratitude Weekly 3 - Date Night

When Jay is home we try desperately to go on a date every Friday night. Alex usually babysits, it used to be my parents, but now it is usually Alex. Jay and I have found that if we don't go out together on Friday then on Wednesday we snap at or yell at each other. We are trying to find things to do that don't involve eating, but we are hard pressed to do that since we really love to eat out. Some nights we are so tired that all we want to do it go home, but we don't want to go until the children are in bed so we go to Barnes and Noble and sit in a comfy chair and read books that we don't want to spend money on buying. It doesn't matter what we do, we just need that time as a couple. Last year there were actually many dates where he was stuck working at the ship and I took a book and just went and sat with him in his office and read while he worked, but we were together.

As we are becoming an older married couple (15 years) we find that the number one thing we both want is more time together and that is why every week I look forward to date night so very much.

Gratitude Weekly 2 - My Birthday

My birthday was this past week and I am thankful for it. If I say that enough will you believe me. I am thankful to be alive and healthy, but sometimes it is just so hard to think I am growing older and with that should come some wisdom and maturity. I informed Jay that I was going to be 35 and that was a rough age for me to deal with so I needed lots of presents and to be Queen for the day or possibly week. He didn't go for the lots of presents thing, but he dubbed me Empress for the day because he thought I would enjoy ruling over multiple kingdoms. I did find that I didn't need the presents, spending the whole day with my husband was good enough for me. In 11 years in the Navy Jay has never missed my birthday. There is not another birthday or holiday he can say that about.

Also this week we ran away from home. My parents kept the children and Jay and I ran down to Raleigh for a friend's wedding. We had a wonderful time and are so grateful for our time together.

Gratitude Weekly 1 - New Church Times

Church time changed at the beginning of the year. We used to go from 11-2 which was meant late breakfast or early lunch to make it through followed by large snack or early dinner. Now we are going to church from 1-4. I will admit that it isn't my favorite time to go, but I don't hate it. At least we get lunch (when it is not fast Sunday).

What I am so grateful for is that I don't have a napping child. For years, 13 and 1/2 to be exact, it didn't matter what time church was someone needed to be fed or take a nap. Last time we were at 1-4 church Nathan was a year old and Sooo cranky when he missed nap time. Jay doesn't get it that I am just happy that 1-4 church won't be so hard this time.

He was in Iraq last time and missed the fun.

So while everyone is complaining I am just quietly smiling and remembering that it could be worse. I will keep my eyes out for those moms suffering with the little ones and try to help them out, while being thankful for my bigger ones.

2010 - The Year of the Blog

I am resolved to make 2010 the year I return to blogging. Facebook sucked me in with it's instant gratification and I forgot the importance of writing beyond a status report. It may take some time to remember how to write in complete sentences and dare I say paragraphs, but I am going to make an effort to do that very thing.

2009 Year in Review Highlights

We had lots of Jay's family visit this year thanks to his parents serving a mission at the Washington DC temple and lots of the siblings coming to visit them. Jay did a brief 3 month deployment to South America over the summer. We had Megan (Jay's nephew, James's fiance) come to live with us for the summer. The children, Megan and I went to Nebraska for the Forsgren Family Reunion and lived to tell about it. We found out that we were going to Japan for Jay's next tour of duty. Jay came home from deployment. Sarah was baptized. Jay pinned on Lieutenant Commander. The fall was spent watching high school football games and watching my niece as the drum major for the marching band. Alex won 2nd place in both a writing competition and an poster contest. We prepared with all we were worth to go to Japan and then 36 hours before the movers were to come we found out that we would not be going to Japan. Too many children. The rest of the year was spent putting things back together.

Now we know that Jay will stay in Virginia until at least August of 2011. Jay is temporarily working for SURFLANT (Surface Forces Atlantic). In February he will report to the USS WASP (LHD 1) as the Training Officer. We are very pleased with how everything has worked out.

Our cat died this summer from cancer and our dog went to live with another family because of the Japan move so we got kittens for Christmas and named them Holly and Ivy.

Now we look forward to life being more settled and more time with Jay this coming year. It will be a year with much to be thankful for.

First Day of School 2009

One didn't want to go.

One was nervous.

One was excited.

One didn't have time for pictures until after school.