Brooklyn is 6

Oh were do I begin to write what I feel in my heart for this little girl of ours?
When I got pregnant with her, it felt like it was not the best time to have another baby. We had bills that come with being a grown up, but we had no job, no insurance, Troy decided to go back to school, and we were trying to make our ends meat on student loans.
She was to be our baby #3 and needless to say I was a bit mortified. I have only two hands and two laps. I'm sure I was not the only mother in the world who felt that way. ;)
During that time I needed to go and get my Temple recommend renew. Our stake president was truly an inspiring man and being in tune with the spirit he was able to tune in with my anxiety.
My visit with him that night was one of the nights that I treasure in my heart till this day. After visiting with him, my anxiety was replaced by pure joy, excitement and anticipation for this little child to come into our life. She is six today, and so far everything I've learned of that little child on that night in Stake Presidents office, has been realized.
Brooklyn! Oh, how do we love you! Your contagious laughter. Your big smile, and sparkly eyes. Your desire to chose what is right. Your crazy imagination. I can go on on this one. You take life as it comes at you, always finding a way for it to be fun. You are such a joyous little girl. I pray and hope that you forever remain that way.
Brooklyn turning 6 is bitter sweet for me. Of course I want her to grow up, but I have found myself mentally pulling her back to remain in that 5 year old stage.
We are excited to see what this next year will bring. If I would guess, it will be smiles, laughter, kisses, more laughter. Stories about all the boys in her class with sparkly eyes. And more laughter. I told Troy that I feel every family should have a child like Brooklyn, she truly is a sunshine to us. We are never bored in her company. Happy Birthday to the happiest girl I know!


Apparently cake is not that big of a deal over here. I was shocked to find out how many kids didn't want a cake. Strange.
Just look at this ladies!
Jamie showing off his moves. This little boy always looks after Brooklyn at school and lets me know if there is anything that happen that I should know about. He also asks his mom to wait for me after school, to make sure I come and get her. So sweet.
Boys are crazy about football (succor) over here. It's unfortunate that we were unable to put Drew on succor team due to the commitment to the Sunday games.

Rylee and her friend Tia volunteered to do face paintings. I have to say, girls did great job. Kids loved it.
And this is what happens when two toddlers find themselves alone with paint.
Oh, I love it!

Love is Spoken here

I and other Moms sang "Love is Spoken Here" at church today, and our 7 yr old tender hearted son Andrew got a little choked up. With tears in his eyes Troy heard him whisper to his older sister "Does this song ever make you cry?" To which she proudly replied "Uhhh, NO" Then he wiped his eyes and said "ya, me either."

Thinking out loud

Ever sense we've been forced to leave America, we have been hearing from most people is how "lucky" we are to be in England.
Most people probably don't get why we are "sad", though we have learned to look for happy.
We do feel blessed not lucky, in a way that is different from just "lucky bcs we get to be here" We feel blessed, bcs our family is together at this time, and hopefully forever will be. We feel blessed bcs I can kiss my babies at night and snuggle to my husband. We feel blessed bcs Troy has a job to support us. And we all are healthy and are in a country that is civilized.
All of the above was not a reality to us just a few months ago and thus we are blessed to have it in our life.
I've been having thought for a while now, and feel it is time to post it. The thought is this:

" No matter how good the Paradise is, if forced, it is undesirable"

Perhaps that is why God will force no man to Heaven (hymn)
Based on my experience, you won't like it and will almost resent it. (strange, but I believe it's true)
Just as one would plan, save, and dream of coming to England, once arriving there would love every moment of it. So it is with Heaven, one must believe, practice, and endure to inherit The Kingdom of God. Once intering into it, one will feel worthy and happy to be there. For one was faithful and with the grace of God, is able to be in such a place.
Though it is a blessing to us to be in England, we are by no means lucky in any way. We are here NOT at our own free will, and thus it is a daily finding with us to see our life here as being "lucky"
~~~Just thinking

England is an amazing place, but if it was our choice, we would be on the first flight home!
Choice, is something that was taking away from us. But we are learning to choose how we feel about it. One day at the time.

Rylee is 10

That's right folks, she is in double digits! Rylee has turned 10, which means that more then half of her childhood life is over ;( The time is speadally flying by! This year has been a growing up season for our little girl. She moved across the world, leaving all of her comforts and friends behind. I know, first hand, how hard that is. (I left russia at 18) I have to give this girl hands up, for she has adapted and handled with the changes brilliantly. School was frighting at first, but she made friends and become "popular" girl very fast. ( not that being popular is the key to happiness) They have even voted her to be on school counsel. Which she LOVES being a part of! This girl loves structure, organization, being part of decision making. So, this is so up her alley! England coulture is also very much part of who she is. She is the only one in our household who has perfect table manners (most kids here do. I guess, it's part of being proper) She loves being proper, dress proper, act proper. Honestly, girl should of been born here.
Rylee is a fantastic big sister. From tutoring her little sister with reading and learning words, to entertaining Ryder, and of course dealing with, sometimes, anointing brother (which I don't think is annoying at all. He just wants to play with her and her girlfriends, when they come over) But anyone who had a brother would know how she feels).
We love her so very, very much and are so grateful that she gets to be part of our life. We hope that the upcoming year will bring much joy to her, as we watch her blossom more and more each day! We love you sweetheart! Happy Birthday!

Thoughts

So the other day I was visiting (over the phone) with one of the sisters in our word. Her and her husband are going to the Temple the next day AND they are bringing their small children with them, making it a family outing. They take turns in attending sessions, while other is on the Temple grounds with the children. I have offered her to watch her children, so that she can attend session with her husband. She said, "well, who watches your kids when you go?" Well, back in Ut we either have baby sitter or we go at different time/day. And that's what we do here, go at different time/day. "So, you don't bring children to the Temple at all, when you go?" "No", I said. "Don't you think it would be good for your children to know that Temple is important and they are growing knowing it first hand, by coming to the Temple grounds weekly, as mom and dad attending it?" I was left speechless.
We went on talking more about that and other stuff, and by the end of conversation she excused herself, saying that she's got to go so her and her husband will have time reading scriptures in preparation of the Temple attendance.
I love our word saints in here, they are such an examples to me.

Free will?

It's been almost a year sense we've been in England. We have never went to see a Doctor here (aside from the hospital trip Troy had to take with kidney stones)
In order to be seen by their Dr. you have to meat certain qualifications, like leaving in the same county as a doctor's office. Working (thou, it's appear to be free health care, you are indeed paying for it with your tax money. If you are making over 35K you are taxed 40%) No, the medicine isn't free here, thou it's appear to be, when you don't pay for it upfront, nor do you get medical bill in the mail.
So we had to been seen for a medical check up to be registered in the system. It's amazing to me how upfront they are with what they think you NEED to do about your health. It wasn't a matter of choice at all.
After getting all my medical done, I was told that:
1. I need to get on contraceptive. You have 4 kids. Make an appointment she said.
2. I need to get on medicine for my veins. She was in absolute shack that I was not prescribed anything for it, considering that I get blood clots. Make an appointment she said.
And 3rd......She said I am FAT ! Yap! Those are the words she used. Sweet! She went on telling me all about it and what I MUST do!
Well, for heaven's sake, may be I want to be fat! (I don't think I am fat, btw. But I know I can loose some weight) I was talking with my neighbor about that, who "needs" to loose 14 lbs and she confirmed with me, that her Doctor is very much after her case for this 14 lbs.
I guess, they figured if they are "paying" for your healthcare, they sure can tell you what to do.

Red nose day

English people are really big on raising money for charities. They get really creative with all kinds of ways. At the stores you will find people selling their art projects. Or if you spent over some amount they will give you token to put in the charity box of your choice. Then there are also people who are just standing with a bucket and asks for cash. On top of that they have gazillion charity shops (second hand stores) Each store displaying for what cause they are raising money, so you can choose where you want to shop. Schools have massive activities all the time. From baking cookies, to making crafts, to Olympics . In the end of each term, kids can wear regular clothing to school, but you have to bring a pound for it. Most of the time it is nice, but at times it can get annoying. (is that bad that I am saying it? ) They even have a holiday called "Red nose day" (check out the link) basically you get to dress up funny (most kids like to wear pjs to school) and then you wear this RED nose. In order to dress up silly you pay pound to school for charity. The theme in the country is "do something funny for money" Some people go crazy in their outfits, you feel like a Halloween party is on the streets.
One thing I learn though, is that when it comes to charities, English people seam to be very generous.

Converting into British girl

Here is me taking tea break ;)
I have always loved herbal teas and would look for new and exciting flavors all the time. When we moved to England I have learned very fast and with a great excitement that English sure love, love their tea. (now most of the tea they drink is not the tea I would drink) But still the same, my choices are huge! I have discover that "lemon and ginger" is one of my very favorites.

Aren't they cute

Each year, here at school, kids focus on theme learning. It has been Victorian for Rylee and Greeks for Drew. Then for Christmas party they get to dress up in a costume (they call it fancy dress. So never say you are a fancy dresser, they will think you dress in a costumes all day long) I bought Rylee a poor Victorian girl costume and then she told me she wanted to be a boy. So we ended up with two costumes. As you can tell they came handy ;) Aren't they cute!

St.Patrick's

For some very strange reason St.Patrick Day is not a big deal at all in here. Common we are in UK you guys should go nuts about it! Right? Wrong! I couldn't find ANYTHING St.Patric related in stores. How sad. (And yes, I am way, way behind on my blog updates ;) )
Anyway, we tried to do some green foods and wear green clothes after school.
Pea soup, whole wheat bread and food colored sprite.
BTW, I got this recipe for the soup from a fancy grocery story, called Waitross. They do spotlight on some awesome diners. Put together all the foods you would need to cook it right there but the recipe, so you don't even have to shop for it. Everything we have tried so far from their recommendations we love. You can get the recipe for this soup HERE.

Chartwel, Churchill's house

Went to see another property near us. House of Sir Winston Churchill. He had an amazing property. Gardens, lakes, pounds, darling benches to set and think deep thoughts. Beautiful, beautiful land.
If you don't know who he is, you can read about him here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_ChurchillLink
And here are some pictures of us wondering around.

Welcome to the UK!

Oh, the phobias! I have few.... not bad ones, but the kind that get me just enough to create a little bit of anxiety in my life. (like I don't have enough)
One of those phobias is fear of my kids catching international illnesses. (can you blame me for that one?)
So the other day I have heard our neighbor talking about "slapped cheek decease" What the heck is that? I said. Oh, it is common illness all the kids get it here around springtime. Sweet! I immediately wanted to have my kids stay at home. But they can't. (If your child isn't seek and at home they may send county rep and charge you 100 pounds (about $170) for absence in school. Joy!)

Few days later, Drew comes home with unusually red cheeks. Fiver? Nope, not hot. Were you running? No, he didn't. Hmmmm? The redness staid for 2 days and then it was gone. He had no other symptoms, so I didn't think much about that, anymore. Except a few days later Brooklyn came home with shiny slapped looking cheeks. Honey, did some one hit you? Were you scratching your self? Were you running all day? No, no and nope.
So I got really curious and went to the play ground to talk to some moms at kid's school.
"Did she have a cold a few weeks ago?" asked one mom.
Now that I'm thinking about it, yes, she did.
"Yep", she has slapped cheek.
"What is it?" I asked, "I have never heard of it"
"Oh, really? Well, welcome to the UK! it is very common here.
SWEET! MY KIDS GOT INTERNATIONAL ILLNESS! AAAHHH!

Slapped cheek syndrome is a common childhood viral infection. However, it can affect people of all ages. The most common symptom of slapped cheek syndrome is the appearance of a bright red rash on both cheeks (hence the name). Slapped cheek syndrome is cause by a virus called parvovirus B19.

Slapped cheek syndrome is also sometimes known as:

• fifth disease, and
• erythema infectiosum

Slapped cheek syndrome usually affects children who are between 3-15 years of age. Most cases develop during the late winter months or early spring.

The symptoms are similar to a cold or a flew and you don't even know that you have it till about 2 weeks later when the rash appears. At that moment , there is nothing you can or need to do. Rash is illnesses final symptom. And once you have it you are not infectious.
Adults rarely get it, but if they do it often really bad and it could be fatal for pregnant women or people with weak immune system.

Well, Welcome to the UK indeed!

Knole

We have decided to purchase National Trust pass for family (btw, Hailey, we have put your name on our pass as well, so hopefully you'll be able to come and see some of the beautiful sites of England)
So we have been trying to see something new every Saturday.
A couple of Saturdays ago we went and saw Knole House. Oh, my! It was magical!

Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent (about 15 min drive from our house), surrounded by a 1,000-acre park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards.
It was build between 1456 and 1486. In 1566, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, it came into the possession of her cousin Thomas Sackville.
The many state rooms open to the public contain a superb collection of 17th century royal Stuart furniture, perquisites from the 6th Earl's service as Lord Chamberlain to William III in the royal court, including three state beds, silver furniture (comprising a pair of torches, mirror and dressing table, being rare survivors of this type), outstanding tapestries and textiles and the original of the famous Knole Settee.
The house was amazing, but what made me really giggle of unbelief and pure joy is this.
The 1,000-acre park is the only mid-evil park in Kent county. The trees looked mid-evil for sure, and I felt like if they could talk, boy they can tell a story or two. And then there is deer! Wild, free roaming deer. Everywhere! They weren't afraid to come in contact at all! Wild, right? We were advice not to feed them and not to touch little baby deer. They are wild and they can charge! Here are a few pictures of our day there.

Natural History Musuem

We have decided to have family outing every Saturday (heck, there is so much to do and see, I don't think we will ever run out of things to do.)
Last Saturday we went to Natural History Museum. 4 kids, train run, tube ride, walk in the middle of London....the whole thing. Which if you remember in my earlier posts, would freak me out.
Well, it is still a bit stressful but I believe we are getting much better at it.
{ Ryder freaking out because we forgot his dummy(binky) }
I think now we know what to expect and we are better prepared in how to handle it in less stressful way. Yes, we are adapting! ;) Yea, for us!
{Blowing into Ryder's face to keep him from screaming on the tube ride. He hates crowded places}{This part in the underground gets kind of stressful, usually it is packed with people rushing through, and you hope they just wont' carry one of your children along with them}Here are some pictures from our trip. Once we got inside, our camera batteries run out ;( so we don't have a wh0le lot of pictures inside.

The building itself was once described as a 'true temple of nature', the Natural History Museum is one of the most distinctive buildings in London inside and out.

It looks just like castle and has amazing paintings and architecture of nature that is the very skin of the building.

Les Misérables

I think of being brought up in a culture rich city and country, one of the things I grew up loving is theater. I love pretty much anything that has to do on the big stage. Love it!
When I served my mission, our mission president allowed us to have 2 super activities/mission time. I chose to see Phantom and Les Miserables. I was also lucky enough to have seen it by seating on the 3rd row from the orchestra! It was like being in the middle of a story as an invisible person. You see and hear and mostly FEEL like nothing else. I cried the whole way through the play. I really felt in love with this amazing story and music of Les Miserables.
For a long time I would tell Troy that he HAS to see the play. (it isn't his cup of tea)
Here in London, Les Miserable is playing year round (well, it has been sense June) so for my Valentine gift I bought the tickets. They were the chippest seats in the house, but I figured we have to see it and if Troy will fall in love with it as I did, we can comeback and see it in Ut and get seats near stage, with out paying 70% more for the ticket. At any rate. It was amazing! Just as I knew it would.
Queen's theater is an old theater and it is small and charming.

Troy liked the play as well. He said that it had some powerful lyrics in the songs. Now he will have to see it up close and personal, where you can smell the sweat and see the emotions of the actors. Where you can be swallowed up in the experience of the front row seats.
BTW, London is well alive and beautiful at night.
Dinner before the show.
We were grateful to have this "just the two of us" night out. Thanks Ashley, for watching our little piggies.