We had our first snow of the season! TiAhnna took the boys out before the full 2" had fallen. They made a tiny snowman on the step ladder by the trampoline, and Noah tried to give it a bottom! Tia was shocked but I thought it was rather funny!

After they came in, Noah's nose was red and his cheeks chilled. He cuddled up on the couch under blankies while Tia made him some strawberry tea. Yum! Aiden cuddled up by Christian and watched him play a PSP game.

TiAhnna was supposed to be Stuart Little for a school event but forgot her ears so she decided she looked more like Snow Bell! Cute, huh?!

Christian being all adult and serious.

Noah, Christian and I went to London yesterday with our friend Tom (from Germany) and his coworker. They are here TDY for a week. You all know how much I love London and I had a great time, as usual. Here are 2 pics, both of the boys:

Here is one of Tom with the boys, right outside Buckingham Palace:

Aiden and Noah started in an English school this week. Aiden is full time in the equivalent of our kindergarten (they call it reception) and Noah is half-days in nursery (our preschool). They were very excited to try on their new school uniforms and have their pictures taken together!

So... what do you all think of the new blog design??!! I'm so excited and think it looks great. Isn't my signature just too much??!! LOL!

TiAhnna jumping on the trampoline with Amariah, my friend Javare's daughter. This was yesterday, the day before Tia started 7th grade.

We found 2 used pairs of those little adjustable skates for The Boys. Aiden's a little scared (he's the timid one), but Noah's loving it! He moves his arms back and forth like he's going really fast, though in truth he's pretty much just walking with the skates on!

I'm continuing to drop suggestions into Noah's fertile mind that he should be a doctor. Of course, if he doesn't end up a doctor that's okay with me but he seems like my best chance at a doctor son. Currently, he's planning on being a doctor and a football player when he grows up!

I just watched Christian walk out the door, on his way to the first day of high school. Sure makes me feel old and sad and proud and nostalgic. For the first time, I'm not taking him to school and snapping pictures before we walk in. He wouldn't have it this year; of all the nerve! LOL! So, we took pictures on Saturday.


He had his first JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp) meeting on Saturday. Imagine how I felt to walk up and find my baby in AF formation. (He's the one with the mop hair in the front row. He's had a regulation hair cut since then and looks much nicer.)

Here they are about march away to change into their civilian clothes:

He will be issued Blues and be required to wear them once a week for inspection. Besides PE in school he will have PT (physical training) for JROTC, and they have various other community service projects they are required to participate in. They meet every other school day for classes and they will learn all sorts of things about the history of the military, air travel, etc. When a JROTC student needs tutoring, they get it from upper classmen cadets. It's a rather small group and they seem to take good care of each other. This will also provide Christian with opportunities to apply for college scholarships, possibly even the AF Academy, if he decides to pursue that.

He almost dropped the class when told he'd have to crop his hair off, but I said there was no way I was letting him drop a class over hair. Give me a good, valid reason and we'll consider it, but never hair! He was inundated with compliments at church over his new, shorter hair (our worship leader even gave him his spare can of hair wax!) so I think he's convinced that he looks better now.

His best friend Carlos (our neighbor) decided to add JROTC to his schedule, so not Christian is happy as a clam.

We saw this video at church yesterday. It is so powerful!

EEWWW!!!! I found this in our back "garden" (yard). I've never seen one like it before.

The Abbey Gardens at Bury St Edmunds, about a 15 minute drive from our house. We went after church with our friends Russell and Javare' and their kids.

More pictures with my new camera.

Shells at Hunstanton beach.

The beach at Hunstanton, England.