What Do I Miss?

Jon's been in Chicago this week for some meetings. Before he left he asked me what I would like him to bring back. (Emily asked for eggs and cheese!) Though I did think of things that I haven't been able to find here, I couldn't think of anything that I have felt deprived of. If I'm willing to pay for it I can have all the things we used in Amercia. One website Americans use here sells things like root beer ($26/12 pk.), Hershey's Kisses ($5), graham crackers ($8), applesauce ($7.70), Apple Jacks ($10) and 350 other items not sold here. I've asked American women living here what they pick up when they visit America. Answers included: cosmetics, kitchen garbage bags, quart-size Ziploc bags, cake mixes, chocolate chips, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, clothes and shoes for school year, Hidden Valley ranch mix, Lipton onion soup mix. Because we're here for such a short time I enjoy discovering the British version of some things or just accepting that I won't have it for a year.
What would you miss if you weren't able to have it for a year?

Exercise!

Right before I was discharged from the hospital (here people don't say "the" before hospital) a physiotherapist met with me to go over important exercises I need to do. We went through each one (there are 9 of them) and after each one she would say, "And you need to do this one twice a day for 12 weeks." That's a lot of exercises! But my favorite was when she was going over the pelvic floor exercises and she said to do them 6 times a day! And I asked, "For 12 weeks, right?" And she said, "No, these you need to do for the rest of your life." The rest of my life is a long time! 6 times a day! My doctor has already pretty much sentenced me to a life of not being able to jump rope or jump on a trampoline as a grandma because I have not been doing my Kegels since the birth of Emily. I am sad at that prediction because my dream has always been to be able to jump rope ON a trampoline with all of my grandchildren at once! There goes my life-long dream. My response (though tempted to share my dream with him, I didn't) was that none of my doctors have ever stressed the importance and he was absolutely shocked (as was I!) Are only the British concerned with having strong pelvic floor muscles?

A Foreigner in a Strange Land

Sometimes it is pretty funny being a foreigner! For the past week Lizzie has been a bit congested and has had difficulty breathing at night. My simple idea was to buy a bulb syringe at the store. Well, after 4 stores I discovered they are not common here. I also discovered they are not called bulb syringes. "What does it do?" people would ask me. Now here comes the fun part--How do you say "It sucks snot right out of your nose?" in a proper British way? "It quickly pulls mucous discharge from your nasal cavities?" And of course other people are always around to discover how an American woman is going to pull this off. Well, after several explanations over several days and several nights of listening to poor Lizzie breathe our local pharmacy ordered one at the cost of $7. I was hoping it would come engraved with Lizzie's name and birth stats for that price!

You Happy?

Lizzie is so calm and content and still is sleeping very well. She sleeps in her stroller for hours while we run around farms, the train village, museums, the library and walks through the town. She slept in her bouncy the other day right in the doorway to the kitchen because the girls wanted to look at her while they ate their lunch. Lunch ended and she slept for a few hours through screams, everyone walking by her, bumping her, kissing her. I was amazed.

My little Hannah wants to grow up faster than I am ready. Her favorite question right now is to ask everyone in the family if they are happy. She will ask numerous times until she is content that everyone is truly happy. Of course, the girls know this and like to pretend they are sad. It really upsets her to see anyone upset. My favorite time that she asks is right after I have said her name in a sad or frustrated tone. If I tell her that I am not happy because of something she has done (for instance...color on the carpet with marker that doesn't wash out!!!) then the lips start to quiver.

Fall Break

The girls enjoyed a week off of school for half-term break. We went to Odds Farm and played on their mini-tractors.

Rachel seemed to get the wettest "kisses" from the goats.

Hannah was giddy trying to feed the goats straw. She didn't seem to notice that they weren't interested.

Rachel tried to clean out her pumpkin with tongs--she wasn't too excited about touching the slimy stuff. Hannah took her painting very seriously.

We made a huge mess but had a great time.

Aren't Hannah's and Rachel's pumpkins scary?

Lizzie's and Emily's pumpkins look happy! Lizzie's pumpkin is sucking on a purple binky.

Happy Birthday Ray Ray!

Birthdays seem to last longer than a day around here! Ray wanted to celebrate her birthday with her grandparents before they left. So, a week before her b-day she opened presents and we all enjoyed a yummy cake Grandma made. Then the next Saturday Jon took Ray and Em to see Ratatouille. Hannah, Lizzie and I met up with them afterwards at TGIFridays.

Doesn't Rachel look like a true princess in her b-day crown she decorated at school? Rachel was excited that I got to visit her class on her birthday. Actually, I think she was more excited by what I brought--chocolate chip M&M cookies to share with her class and Lizzie.

More cake and more presents on her real birthday!

We have a tradition of sneaking into the b-day girl's room while she sleeps and decorating her room with notes and balloons. Notes to Rachel this year included words from Mom like: "I love your beautiful smile" and "Your sisters love you so much!" Notes from Dad said things like: "Now that you're 5 can you get a job?" and "Next year you'll be 6!" The girls keep the notes up for months and I love going into their rooms and reading Jon's loving fatherly words.

Update

Wouldn't it be great if every day (ALL day) could be enjoyable? My day was great today...until about 3:50. Em and Ray came home and I was waiting to greet them with loves and kisses. I had the wonderful idea for all of us to go to the library to pick out our movie for Friday night. I loaded the kids in and before I even got in my seat all four were screaming about something. "Oh, well," I thought as I then proceeded to unload the kids from the van and took them into the house. Every evening around 5 I remind myself why Hannah should be taking naps--too many meltdowns! Thankfully, a neighbor with 2 young girls stopped by to see if the girls would like to join them for a walk. I tried to not push Em and Ray out the door too quickly! I was able to tidy up the house (remember those piles I just blogged about?--well my neighbor saw them!) and get dinner on the table with Hannah "helping" and holding a fussy Lizzie. Em and Ray came back and dinner went fine. I had the great idea of us all playing a game together and reading some books. But somehow in getting pajamas on a fight broke out and well, I called it a night. Em, Ray and Hannah were in their rooms ready for bed by 7 and I was trying to calm myself (and Lizzie) down so I could at least say prayers with them.
WHAT HAPPENED??????????
It's nights like these (the fussy baby, the fighting sisters, the whiny 2 year old) that remind me of my weaknesses. I was able to keep a small sense of humor, though, thinking about the last blog, having visions of me 'enjoying' my children but really wanting to escape from them! Maybe tomorrow we'll make it to the library or play some games or read some books???? Next week, the girls are on Fall break--all week! Wish me luck!

Interrupted Priorities

I seem to always forget that having a baby increases daily interruptions. I get things half done all day. Rooms are half cleaned (I'm being very kind to myself by calling them half clean!), laundry is washed and dried (usually) but sits in the baskets (always), dishes multiply like rabbits in the sink after I've loaded the dishwasher, the piles of paper that need my attention continue to grow. But I don't love doing any of those things, though I am continually trying to convince myself I'm 'enjoying' (or is it really just accepting?) that part of my life more. But what I really do enjoy is holding my sweet Lizzie as much as she wants and listening to Hannah talk up a storm and interacting with "Baby" which includes yelling, "She's awake!!" when to me Lizzie is clearly sleeping!. I enjoy reading to my girls and listening to Em and Ray read to me. I enjoy having 'talk time' at night with the girls when they seem to burst with all kinds of stories and questions. I enjoy devouring a book in a day or two (recently finished Julia Quinn's On the Way to the Wedding--reminded me of a Jane Austen story http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/q/julia-quinn/on-way-to-wedding.htm ). I love watching Jon laugh at what he finds funny (his girls and currently "Flight of the Conchords" show/music--see side bar under Favorite YouTube clips 'Funny Show'). I am loving the crisp fall weather here and taking walks through our town. Hannah asks to go to the "Choo Choo Train" daily (see side bar under Favorite Places) and since it's only a 5 minute walk we usually go. I enjoy watching Em and Ray get off the bus with huge smiles on their faces. I enjoy watching them hold and look at Lizzie.
And while I enjoy all of these things my laundry, dishes, paperwork, and other things I don't enjoy pile up waiting for me to make them a priority. So, I am now going to walk past the piles to go play outside with Hannah and hold Lizzie some more!

Warwick Castle and Stonehenge

Lizzie and I bonded at home while the family took an outing to Warwick Castle and Stonehenge. Here is Jon's commentary on the day's adventures:

Warwick Castle was built a long time ago (1068 AD). It was ordered to be built by William the Conquerer, the leader of the Normans, after he defeated the English. Knowing that makes it all more real and meaningful ... somehow.

It is always nice to see the queen. We told her we just had a baby girl and named her Elizabeth. Her expression didn't change much, though. I guess that is one of the traits of a true queen.

When we arrived, the butler gave us a really cold reception. It was really difficult to engage with him ... stiff upper lip and all.

Emily and Rachel look fierce with their helmets. Hannah dreams of a time long long ago when girls lived as royalty, and people catered to her every whim. Wait, that's not a dream ...

Emily and Rachel had to go, but I didn't want to leave the castle to go to the restrooms. I didn't see a problem with using the old castle's toliets ...

And the royal swan followed us everywhere we went. We kept checking, but no golden eggs.

Hannah was still happy after a long day of climbing up stairs and looking out from castle towers.

Emily couldn't help but feed the pigeons ... there are strange, colorful pigeons in England!

As much as people talk about Stonehenge, it truly is impressive when you see it in the flesh ... er, stone.

More Family Pictures!

Here we go again with more family pictures! We should have videoed (is that a word?) the whole process because it would make for great entertainment. How do you get 3 kids (forget about the baby!) to look at the camera and smile all at the same time?????

Pretty in pink and green and blue!

Hannah didn't like being told what she could and couldn't do. This sad picture was taken right after she stepped on Lizzie and then wanted to lift the blanket up. She kept telling us, "Nannah's sad."

But as you can see she snaps out of it quickly with a little loving attention from Mom.

Lizzie was very patient and calm through all of it so we rewarded her by taking more pictures of her! Grandma tried taking the binky out of her mouth, but quickly put it back in for a happier picture.

Cute Girls

Hannah changes her clothes several times a day for various reasons. The other day something spilled on her shirt which required a wardrobe change. She stripped down and disappeared upstairs for a few minutes and came back with this! Can you tell she's very pleased with herself? She then asked if we could go to the swimming pool. Is she cute or what?

Sweet Lizzie! What a great dream!

Attempts at Family Pictures

Merry Christmas in October!

The girls chose coordinating outfits for church last Sunday. So, with 3 out of the 5 females already matching, Lizzie and I followed suit.

Hannah was not amused with adults telling her to smile on demand.

My goal for family portraits is to have at least one person looking in the general direction of the camera. Smiles are a bonus. I find the whole outfit thing rather difficult. The girls made my job of coordinating outfits easy this time. Maybe they can plan future portraits as well!

Not far into the photo session and we're losing them! Hannah was making silly faces which amused everyone.

Happy Holidays everyone! Consider this an early Christmas 'card' from the Hamiltons!

Kevin's Wedding

Kevin and Sarah Cook

St. Louis Temple

September 7

Ashley and flowers always go well together!

Here's my family! Thanks Sarah for sending the pictures so I could enjoy the wedding from far away. I heard it was beautiful and everyone had fun being together. I'll try and make it to the next family wedding!