A year in

So, we have been here a year.  I can't quite believe it.  I have spent most of this week looking through photos for our frames we got for Christmas, and rereading my blog.  Wow, what a lot we have done.

I was going to give a big old speech, but the more i think about it, I would have too much to say.  Instead, I have spent the past couple of nights putting together a little snapshot of out lives in the last 12 months.  I hope y'all enjoy whats below.  There are links below each picture relating to what is in the photo.

I am so proud of what we have achieved here this year.  I don't want to brag, I just want everyone to enjoy what we have done.  I have fun writing this blog, even if it does seem like a chore at times...

Happy reading, and I look forward to you all keeping up with us in our upcoming adventures:

NASCAR race

Trip back to the UK

Many birthdays

France next summer......

And plenty more in between

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A free picture collage by Smilebox

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NOTE ABOUT THE PHOTO COLLAGES

I originally began collaging these photos on my iPad, using my last 1000 photos.  That took me back to Florida (can you believe we have taken 5000+ photos in the last year?  the joys of iPhones).  I used Smilebox to collage them.  When I downloaded the same app to the Mac, it was a pain in the a**e to use, quite a hassle, though the choice is better.  I just hope the slide show thingy-me-bobbies come out ok.

Oh, and I am becoming a bit intrigued as to who actually reads my blog.  When I see my friends and ask them if they have, they normally have not!  I don't mind that.  At the end of the day, I do this for my own sanity as much as anyone else's.  I am just intrigues, thats all.....

So if you are reading this, please comment/message on the source you found it, being Facebook, Twitter, Expat Blogs, BlogExpat,  Pinterest, Google and anywhere else that shares this blog.  Will help me to market it in the future.....

Delightful children

Right now I want to thank my children

It has been 'Fall' here for 3 days.  They have been to school and come home as usual.  But it has not been usual. They have been carriers.

Carriers of the common cold.  Seb started sniveling on Monday.  Paul started Tuesday, and was really not well by last night.  I started today with a bit of a headache.  As the day as gone on, I have been getting a runny nose, sneezing, a sore throat, and the headache has barely abated.  Paul came home from work looking like death.  I am already in my pajamas, feeling very sorry for my self.

Thanks Oliver and Isaac.

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This is a picture Isaac did at school yesterday.

It is a drawing of a house.  He is the happy stick figure in the middle.  There is also a slide.  The stick figure on the left is me.  When I asked him why I was so sad he said

"Because you aren't allowed anymore babies"

I asked where Seb and Oliver and daddy were.  

"I am going to draw Oliver and daddy when I get home.  But not Seb"

Such a lovely big brother......................

Rockie Cows

Hey!

So this week has been spent seeing friends, doing Uni work, and generally just getting on with life.

Oliver had his first baseball game this week.  I bumped into one of our neighbors there.  Their son plays in the same league as Oliver, so they will face each other at some point.  Oliver's team is called the Rockies, after the Colorado Rockies.  I had to go and hunt out some purple socks for him this week.  I eventually found them at Sports Academy.  This also gave me a chance to check out Trader Joes, the shop next door.  This is a supermarket/speciality shop.  Lots of organic and natural products.  This is obviously reflected in the prices.  Except the wine.... Lots of good, cheap wine.  Cheapest bottle I saw was $2.99!  Think I will be back there...

Any who, despite Oliver's team losing all their practice matches, they one their first game by one run.  Thank goodness I was sitting next to someone who was keeping score.  He has 2 games a week, so Paul and I are going to alternate taking him.

Isaac had his good friend Edmund round on Thursday.  His mum, Christy, had baked some pumpkin bread, which she brought with her.  It was delicious.  Isaac and I polished it off!  Of course, I had to get the recipe from her.  I had a go at baking it today, and it came out really well.  So tasty, and a whole lot of it.... I shall enjoy munching my way through it.

Seb had Gymboree again Monday.  He loved it, listened to the story and pointing out everything in the book.  He joined in with the activities, and even tried some of the actions for the songs.  He was the first at the end of the session to get some stamps on him.  I fact he ended up covered.  He did not cry once.  I am so proud of him, he is doing so well, and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.

I had my change of direction confirmed by th OU this week.  I am now working towards an Open degree.  I did a post about this earlier in the week, but did not promote it.  If you want to know about my journey so far, you can find it here.  My next course will begin in February.  It is an intense course, so I plan to relax a bit between now and then.  Still unsure if I am going to sit the exam for this current course, will all depend how my final assessment goes.

Saturday morning we headed to South Greenville Fair which is held each year in Simpsonville.  They had loads of animal competitions, tractors, old bikes etc.  It is a small event with not many people, but a great event all the same.  The boys loved seeing the animals, and sitting on the old tractors.  We even bumped in to some people we knew!  Well worth going along to, if only for an hour.  Thank goodness we went in the morning, as the heavens opened in the afternoon.   

I have spent a lot of my spare time this week reading blogs and watching TV (It is nice to have spare time...).  I have recently found some awesome blogs to follow, some through Circle of Moms, most through Expat Blogs.  My favorites are Ashley Quite Frankly, Reedy Review, Life of a British Expat in America, and of course Femme au Foyer.  A lot of the big TV networks have their big shows beginning at the moment.  Dancing with the Stars is back, first elimination tomorrow night.  Castle, my ultimate favorite is back for a new series tomorrow.  Sleepy Hollow is quite good, clever concept, all about the headless horseman and Ichabald Crane.  Will be interested to see how it develops.  I am looking forward to seeing what else starts this week!

It's a busy week for me this week.  Gymboree Monday, apple picking with a friend Tuesday, friends round Wednesday morning, then looking after Jack in the afternoon.  Possibly more friends round on Thursday and Friday. Not forgetting the 2 baseball games.

  Busy, busy, busy