Thursday, September 25, 2008

Freshers and the Gower





This past week At the University of Bath was "Freshers' Week". It is a week when all of the freshmen are on campus for orientation. No classes. British orientation consists of bands, alcohol, dances, alcohol, parties, and a healthy dose of alcohol. All of this to a backdrop of screaming, yelling, chanting, and singing. The raucous activities usually began around 8pm and ended around 4am.

First, let's take a step back so you have a better image of where we are living. We are in a cute little 2-story complex made up of 2 cottages (we are in one) and 3 apartments. Across the yard is a 4-story complex of dorms that stretches down the road.

So, up until last week, no students have been living in the dorm things have been quiet. Boy were we in for a surprise last Monday night. I guess these soft-spoken, relatively meek, polite English people let their inner demons out in the evenings. Now, Noah and I can sleep through pretty much anything, but we were up at 1, 2, and 3am last Monday night. Several times I was jarred awake by barely human sounds, reverberating off of all of the stone buildings. Tuesday night was slightly better because there was loud music that vibrated our cottage, but at least it was a constant sound, and we could all get a bit more sleep. Wednesday was music again, and I think we are getting used to it because we slept the majority of the night.

Rachelle and I have made three plans if these partying continues past this week. 1) Call security and see if they have an effect on the din. 2) Start looking for rentals in a different part of town. 3) Send the kids out each morning bright and early to play as loud as they like with megaphones and pans and pots.

A little side story before we go into our fun weekend. Our little Renault Clio has been making a knocking noise. So, we took it into the shop to be repaired. When I called the garage later, I was informed that they had received the wrong part, and would loan us a car to use for the next day. I biked over and picked up the loaner, which was a...manual. I have not driven a stick shift since driving Rachelle's little pickup in the pre-Noah days. I know that I have written about the steep hills, narrow streets, steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, cars driving on the wrong side of the road, signs that make no sense, and lack of signs in confusing places, and round-abouts. Well, the stick shift is also on the left. You can imagine the fun we had dropping off and picking up the kids that day. We now have our Clio back and it is smooth little ride.

So, this weekend we joined Janet, Kevin, Kayden, and their 2 dogs on a "camping" trip to the Gower Peninsula. We set out Friday right after school, listened to podcasts of This American Life from NPR on the ipod while sitting in traffic, and got into southern Wales just before dark. We had a little trouble finding our "caravan." The Brits refer to caravan camping as renting a double-wide. We actually loved the double-wide because it was so cute and well appointed. It was like a boat with small doors, small cabinets, small beds, and little shelves and cupboards tucked in here and there. Upon arriving, Rachelle and I realized that neither of us had really packed enough food. We each thought the other one was packing the food (to be honest, I was on food duty, but don't tell Rachelle). Luckily our friends had plenty of grub. I did bring enough beer and wine to share, which was quite nice once the 4 little ones were snoozing in their tiny bearths.

The next morning we woke to incredible scenery and a beautiful, sunny day. A few of us had a quick walk on the beach, which was just down from our camper. The beach was lovely, with dunes and soft sand, but frigid water. We packed up and headed for Worms Head, a small island with an outcropping of large rocks that look like a dragon (look in the distance over Liv's head in the picture). During the couple hours of low tide, you can walk along the half mile or so of rocky, shelly causeway to reach the island, but you had better be on the Worms Head or the peninsula during high tide or you are in some deep and dangerous water. We didn't make it all the way to the dragon, but instead meandered among the rocks and tide pools. It was truly spectacular. See the video of Worms Head. If you look closely, you just might see a little pixie scampering around on the rocks.

We returned to the "camper", headed to the beach near the campground, and the kids frolicked in the sand. We would have loved to stay another night, but Liv had a birthday party to attend. So, we packed up the Clio and headed back to Bath just making it to the party on time. We shook the sand off ourselves and joined the birthday party fun at one of those loud climbing, soft play, sliding, maze places that kids love so much. It was great to see Liv with her little friends.

As I know you are all skimming through these blogs just searching for updates on FC Belvedere, here is the update. Well, we did play today and it was a sorry sight. We had a great first half, going up 3-1. Then, we fell apart, giving up some silly goals, arguing amongst ourselves, and losing the game 7-4. I hope to be telling you soon about how the team came together and dominated the remainder of the season. Stay tuned.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

London Excursion






We just returned from a whirlwind weekend in London. We left Friday, walking the couple of miles down to the train station from our house. We managed to get some seats on the sleek train and set off on our adventure. It was a 90-minute train ride through beautiful countryside into the enormous Paddington station. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks from the station, which was a mixed blessing. It was great to be able to pop over to the Tube (subway) to get around, but it was not so great to hear the rumbling of the trains in the middle of the night.

We found our hotel, Shakespeare hotel, and climbed the narrow stairs to our 3rd floor room. The kids loved that there was a bunk bed, and Rachelle and I were less than pleased that we had to push two twin beds together to be able to snuggle at night. We then called Simon.

Simon is an English mate, who I met through pain conferences over the years. He is a Londoner who currently lives in Toronto. He strikes an imposing figure at 6' 5", tattoos, a nose ring, and at least a half dozen ear piercings in his left ear. That said, he is silly and wonderful with kids, and we have rarely seen Liv warm up to someone as quickly as she did with Simon. Within minutes she was jumping up to rub his head and grab his beard. Simon was visiting friends and family in London, which was the impetus for our jaunt over.

So, we took the Tube to meet Simon Friday night and he took us around the West End. We had a great dinner at a Thai/Japanese noodle place and then meandered around some more. We made our way home around 10:30 and fell fast asleep.

Saturday morning the kids woke early and we headed to Kings Cross station to see platform 9 and 3/4 from Harry Potter. There is a half of a trolley sticking out of the wall and a 9 and 3/4 sign, which was great for a picture or two. We then found Simon, and we all jumped in a cab for Greenwich. The kids enjoyed wrestling with Simon in the parks in front of the Naval Museum as Rachelle and I took in the gorgeous Georgian architecture.

We then took a boat to the O2 Collesium to meet up with Simon's sister (6', 1"), her husband (6', 8"), and their 5-year-old twins (a boy and girl, each almost as tall as Noah). We took a longer boat ride together to the South Bank and walked along the Thames enjoying the street performers, open markets, and other sites. We popped into the Tate Modern briefly and gawked at the Globe Theatre where Shakespeare used to hone his art.

We met up with some other friends of Simon's and stopped for a pint in a square. The kids played and the adults chatted until dinner time. We enjoyed some noodles and soups and then Simon led us to our hotel mainly by foot and we took in Picadilly Cirlce, Lord Nelson Square, Trafalgar Square, and some other wonderful locations. Simon was a wonderful guide and knew stories - historic as well as personal- about most of the areas. Once we all reached our hotel, Rachelle and the kids went to bed, and Simon and I went to a pub for some excellent room-temperature pints.

We all started Sunday off a little slower with a bit of homework before heading off to the Tube (we are Tube experts at this point) back to the South Bank area. We made our way to the London Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/). Rachelle asked that the kids and I distract her and avoid marveling at the 443-foot ferris wheel we were about to board.

So, the huge slow-moving (it is a 40-minute spin) glass pod ride provided a wonderful view over London. Luckily, it was another sunny and clear day and we could see for miles. Well, except for Rachelle, who had her eyes shut and sat on the bench in the center of the pod while the rest of the riders leaned against the rounded glass walls to peer out. Truth be told, Rachelle faced her fears and opened her eyes as we descended, and she even stood two times for pictures before retreating to her safety bench.

Once down on terra firma, we met up with Simon and walked to the Tate Modern. We had not gotten our fill the day before. For me, the highlight of the Tate was watching Liv enter her own world and lose herself in the art. She would have been happy staying there all day. She would stand and look at a sculpture and trace the lines in the air with her fingers.

We had some lunch at the museum and said farewell to Simon who was off to see other friends in Northern London. We then decided to head back to Bath. The Tube to the train to Bath and we arrived by 6:30.

It was a wonderful evening, so we walked up gorgeous Widcombe Hill. Liv and I had the grand idea of leaving the road to follow a foot path through a field. I guess we hadn't had enough adventures in London. Well, the path led into the woods, and the woods had some patches of mud that sucked the shoes right off of Noah's and Liv's feet. We had gone too far to turn back, so we continued on, climbing over ancient stone walls, and working our way through the briars and brambles. Just to be safe, and, well, because we were lost and it was beginning to get dark, we turned on Emily (yes, we had the GPS with us). With Emily's help, we followed a path to a stone wall, climbed over, and voila, we were back on Widcome Hill. We finished the walk on the road, got home, had dinner, and all headed to bed.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Our Routine


As we have had now wild adventures lately, I figured I would update the blog with information about our typical routine. So, grandparents will likely read on and others might surf elsewhere and check back with the Familybath blog after our upcoming weekend in London.

The kids wake up early. I am not sure what time they get up, but they are both awake when I get out of bed around 7. They both have bedside lights and read until I come up to snuggle with them and encourage them to get some breakfast. Liv is reading 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'; she just finished 'Harry Potter 3'; and she also just finished the 'Penderwicks on Gardenstreet'. Noah is reading 'Gregor the Overlander 5'; he just finished 'Skulduggery Pleasant' and 'Skullduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire'. (the kids double-checked my listing of these books).

Both kids have British Frosted Flakes and Cadbury hot cocoa for breakfast. Unfortunately, I fear that Cadbury has ruined them for ever drinking Nestle Quik hot cocoa again.

Rachelle and I chase the kids around encouraging them to get on their uniforms and then stay off the floor and each other so that they can look presentable for at least the first 5 minutes of school.

We then all pile into our cute Clio for the treacherous and exciting drive to school. We first come down from our hill (Claverton Down) taking in the beautiful view of downtown Bath. We are so lucky to live in such a gorgeous setting. One woman described the town with all of the stone buildings as the color of warm buttered toast. We weave through our narrow shortcuts downtown and come up Snow Hill. This is an incredibly steep and narrow road winding up to Fairfield Park and St. Stephens School. Incredibly, it is the widest road up the hill. As you go up the hill you watch up ahead and determine whether the car approaching is going to pull into a driveway or opening so that you can pull up onto the curb and squeeze by them or whether you should pull over and let them pass. This is coordinated by flashing of headlights, waving of hands, and smiles. I actually find it fun and socially-affirming; everyone is in the same situation, we work together, and we wave to say "We did it and cheers!" Rachelle finds it a bit harrowing. The other day a taxi was squeezing by a bit quicker than most cars and just as we passed he reached out, folded in his side mirror so it wouldn't smack mine, and then folded it back out. Smooth. See the picture taken this morning while driving down Snow Hill.

We then squeeze down the skinny street in front of the school and look for a place to park. Let me tell you, parallel parking on the left and sitting on the right side of the car is not natural. All of the little blue and green clad children stand and talk and bustle and wrestle by the 2 iron gates. At 8:30, the gates are open and the kids flood onto the playground to find their buddies. The kids play around and the parents stand, chat, and watch the kids, until 8:40 when a teacher blows the whistle and announces, "Children, line up smartly!" The kids all line up by class and head into their classrooms, waving to their parents, with the older ones (such as Noah) waving much more subtley than the younger ones.

Rachelle and I then drive down to Kevin and Janet's. We pick up Kevin to bring him back with us to the University. Kevin and I head into work, which is just about 50 yards from the Cohen Cottage.

Yes, I do work. I know some of you have wondered if I just travel around and write on the blog, I do have an office with a chair, desk, computer, and shelves. I am sitting in the office now as I write this account. If you are interested, Kevin and I are working on a paper examining parents' report of adjustment and functioning in their adolescents with chronic pain. We also had a Skype meeting with a Georgia State colleague yesterday, Aki Masuda, to discuss the grant application we are preparaing. If the NIH is cooperative, this grant will evaluate the Bath pain service applied to a population of adolescents with sickle cell disease in Atlanta. I am also meeting regularly with my wonderful Georgia State graduate students via Skype and keeping them on track, and vice versa.

While I am at work, Rachelle is engaging in a variety of activities. The combination of active children, frequent rain, a pitiful and slow waching machine, and lack of clothes dryer or dishwasher makes for a messy home. So, unfortunately, Rachelle is doing the bulk of the cleaning. She is also getting to the gym frequently, going for walks, meditating, visiting with Janet, reading, and planning excursions for our family.

Rachelle and I will pick up the kids today, and follow the pack of boys and Noah to Noah's first soccer practice. Liv has her first practice tomorrow. After that, we will head home.

After school, the kids will do their homework, play outside, wrestle, and play legos. Rachelle will make dinner and I will help out with one activity or another. We will eat and the kids will do the dishes. Yes, they are now quite good and rarely break dishes anymore.

After dinner, we will play 4-Square or do more homework before brushing teeth, bathing, and heading to bed.

We still have the bedtime routine with a solid 45 minutes or so of reading followed by the songs and lights out.

That is our typical routine now that we have settled in to our new but temporary home.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Weekend 6 in the UK




The rest of the school week went well. Although there were some mild grumbles about the gradual increase in schoolwork and decrease in fun getting-to-know-each-other activities, the kids still rave about school.

Noah had a great story to pass on to us at dinner on Friday. He was at assembly along with the whole school for announcements, praying, and singing. Noah felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to three giggling girls who asked his name. He whispered Noah and gave them a "be quiet" look. He felt another tap and ignored it as he did not want to be caught whispering during assembly. The taps and giggles continued and turned into pokes in his back. Liv said, "I bet they have a crush on you." Noah mumbled, "yes" and rolled his eyes.

Noah brought home an invitation to a boy-girl "disco" party. He said, "I kind of want to go because his friends will be there, but I kind of don't because girls will be there." He said he would not dance, but later that night he asked me if I could show him how to "disco dance."

On Saturday, we once again hit the road for a tour. Liv, Rachelle, and our friend Jeannie and her son left and headed to Salisbury to see the mighty cathedral. Noah and I waited for Janet and Kaidyn to pick us up and met up with the rest of the group at Stonehenge. For the first time on all of these tours and sightseeing, Noah really seemed to immerse himself. He wore the headset that explained the history and mystery behind Stonehenge and listed to everything about it.

After Stonehenge, we headed caravan-style to Lacock, a quaint English village. The hightlight for the kids was seeing the house, Abbey, and streets that were filmed in several of the Harry Potter movies. There was also a huge tree that Liv enjoyed climbing.

Today, Liv accompanied me to my soccer game. It was a tough match against a young bunch, made even harder because we played one man short (only 10 showed up). I was marking a very fast 17-year-old for most of the game. We lost after 2 hours of playing in the second overtime 6-5. Liv and I still had a good time with the team at the pub after the match, where I had a Shandy (half Sprite, half beer) and Liv had a Shirley Temple (I had to explain how to make this because the bartender had never heard of it). For more updates for all of you Belvedere football fans, see this link: http://www.fcbelvedere.co.uk/

The rest of today was relaxing with a family grocery shopping trip, the kids and me playing 3-square, and each of them doing some homework. Rachelle and I just finished watching the first season of the Tudors, a Showtime series about Henry VIII. We rented it from the library and have loved every minute of it. It is especially fun because we can visit areas that are mentioned in the series.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Rachelle Report


Ok, guys, since I am the least funny Cohen, behind the cat, the dog, and Liv's wiggly tooth, I am feeling a little intimidated by the reference to Cobert in the title of this blog....but, I have had 2 glasses of wine, so here goes. Today's adventures started with a solo driving trip to pick the kids up from school. Those of you who have driven with me know how "old lady" I can be behind the wheel. Well, going up those skinny one lane roads without my trusty Linz by my side was stressful, but it was a no beep trip (amazingly).

I also had a nice evening with our first visitor, a friend and colleague from our days in Morgantown, Jeannie, who came to Bath University for a conference. She and I spent the evening touring Bath, beginning at the Roman Baths and winding all through the city on foot, gaping at the architectural wonders of the Circus and Royal Crescent, to name a few (I purposely dropped these names to spur interest in visits...). We had a great time and it hardly rained!

I wanted to comment on a few things that I have experienced that Linz has not. One such thing is interacting with the National Health System. I have taken the kids in 3 times so far for immunizations. All kids under the age of 18, regardless of nationality, are treated for free and everything is amazingly easy and convenient. The great part is that they call nurses sisters. So far our nurse is Sister Sally. I kinda thought we would have a nun, I had envisioned a Sally Fields-The Flying Nun type, but was slightly disappointed that she had no head gear, said she was married, and did not appear to be a nun. As of yet we don't know what they call male nurses. The clinic has all sorts of public information campaigns so my kids now know what chlamydia is, you all know me, they ask and I tell.

That is all for now.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

School, Day 2

Noah and Liv reported that the second day was even better than the first. Most remarkable - They both reported enjoying the school lunch of lasagna! Other updates: Liv was thrilled to have made 2 new friends - Mia and Opal. Noah and Raffi are requesting a playdate for Friday. Noah wants to join his class on a trip to either Wales or Italy (Noah couldn't remember the exact location of the trip). Both kids brought notes home so that they can sign-up for football (soccer).

As it is now Wednesday afternoon, I can report on the school drop-off this morning. Noah ran off to find his buddies, but managed to give us a quick wave. We saw Noah's teacher, who told us, "He sure has fit in quickly!" Rachelle and I interpreted this to mean that 'Noah is making friends and adjusting well' rather than 'Noah is cutting up and not minding'. He did win the Big Banana award, remember. While we talked to Liv, two girls came up and took her off by the hands and did not drop her hands as they spoke. It was quite heart-warming.

Rachelle and I then headed off to St. Stephen's Church, as the Vicker wanted to meet the new families this morning. We met some other great families, and all of them had heard from their kids about the "new American kids at school." We had fun talking to the parents, having tea, and eating biscuits (cookies). Unfortunately, the Vicker never showed up.

We are off to pick up the kids!

Bad Berries, Take 2

We all went to bed and 3 of us slept well. One of us - yours truly - was up most of the night, again. Fortunately, Rachelle is feeling fine, so I was heartened that it seemed to only be a 16-hour or so bad-berry bug. I lay awake feeling my stomach churning and my yesterday's meals threatening to make a come back. Although I did not throw-up, which was nice, I spent most of the night on the verge of doing so in the bathroom. At some point, around 4am, I started feeling less queasy, and by 7:00am, I felt tired but okay to get up and take the mighty-mights to school. Also on the bright side, during the wee hours of the night as my stomach grumbled, I made up several new verses to the song, "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly".

Monday, September 8, 2008

Bad Berries and Top Bananas



Phew. It has been a long 24 hours. Working with a foggy brain, here is the recap:

Sunday evening: We all went to sleep hoping to wake rested for the first day of school.

Monday early morning: Around 2:30am, Rachelle woke me up with a look of horror on her face and saying something about "very sick!" I shot awake with images of one or both of the kids being in dire straits. Instead, Rachelle is sweating and feeling like she is going to vomit. Not to go into graphic detail, she was very sick for the rest of the morning. In the bathroom, bedroom, hallway. At 7 and seemingly expelled all fluids from her body, she felt like she could sleep.

Monday still early but not as early morning: I helped the kids get into their uniforms and packed up for school. We took off and arrived about 50 minutes early. Oops. So, the kids and I talked in the car and waited for school to start.

Monday more of a decent time of the morning: We went into the school early, and the headteacher (principal) greeted Noah and Liv by name. He said he was very glad that they were early and introduced them to their teachers. Both teachers were extremely welcoming and friendly.

Monday daytime: I dragged myself home and Rachelle was sleeping and feeling better. She guessed that she ate a bad blackberry the night before. In my overly tired state, I made a poor choice to have coffee and head to work. Being sensitive to caffeine, I was fairly productive. Checking email, I discovered that I had been voted by my teammates "man-of-the-match" for our Sunday game. For further details, see the following website: http://www.webteams.co.uk/MatchReport.aspx?team=fcbelvedere&mid=match3.xml . I popped back home to check on Rachelle, and bummer, she was feeling ill still. I made her some tea and headed off to pick up the kiddies.

Monday afternoon: The kids were beaming and talking a mile-a-minute about their first day. Fortunately, they both loved the school. Given my sleep-deprived state, I found it especially difficult to keep up with their simultaneous school stories. Here are some quotes and tidbits:

Noah:
  • When I picked up Noah, he introduced me to a new friend named Raffi who wants to have Noah sleep over soon.
  • Noah was awarded "Top Banana" complete with a trophy. When asked what he did to deserve this honor, he said, "Well...it is really what I didn't do. The other kids were pretty loud and wild...I knew I was going to win it and most of the kids knew it too. One kid leaned over to me and said, 'You are going to win Top Banana.'"
  • It seems that Noah and Liv are especially celebrated because a) they are American, b) they are almost the only new kids in the small school, and c) they have cool accents. Noah said, "This girl kept following me around saying, 'How old are you? Where are you from? You think I am weird, don't you?'" When I asked him about her, Noah said, "Well, two of the girls following me kept saying that, and the other one..." Liv suggested that the girls had crushes on him, and Noah said, "Yes. A boy in my class said that."
  • Noah said he rates his first day on a 0-10 scale as a "9.5. It was awesome."
  • Noah said that when they had school prayer he omitted the parts about "God" because it made him uncomfortable.
Liv:
  • Liv asked me to let the teacher know that Liv prefers to be called "Liv" rather than "Livia".
  • Liv's teacher said she had visited Atlanta when she was a teenager and following the Grateful Dead.
  • Liv said that there are 2 girls who, "followed me around trying to be my friend." Liv said that she was torn because she mostly liked them, but they teased another girls for having braces. Liv said that she wanted to tell them that this was mean, but "they are two and together" (Liv twisted her fingers together to explain). However, Liv did say to them, "Braces aren't bad." They then replied, "Are you mad!" (Liv explained to me that they meant "crazy-mad" not "angry-mad"). Liv said that if they keep teasing, she is going to try to get up the courage to say something to them.
  • Liv said that her class is too easy and the most advanced book is simple. However, the other kids have great handwriting and art skills. One girls "wrote with loops and it was as good as mom's writing."
  • Liv and Noah agreed that the lunch meal was awful and they would prefer we make them bagged lunches. Darn.
  • Liv said it is hard to tell kids apart because they are all wearing the same uniform.
Monday evening:

Rachelle is feeling a bit better, but only eating toast and drinking sprite I picked up for her. She has no fever, so hopefully it was only a brief bug or a bad berry or two. I am feeling a bit icky and hoping that it is only sleep deprivation. The kids are wild and giddy with leftover excitement and restrained energy from the day, and they are running like maniacs around the house. It is now 7:15pm and I hope that we all have a deep sleep tonight and wake rested, healthy, and ready for an uneventful day.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Blackberry Picking, Dogshow, and Football

Liv and I headed off for FC Belvedere's season-opener. The football (soccer) pitch is set atop a hill with a lovely view of Bath. I had a great time playing, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie, which is just okay. Liv and I briefly joined the boys at the Belvedere pub following the game before heading home.

All of then headed off with Kevin, Janet, Kaidyn, and their 2 dogs for blackberry picking. We picked enough for cobbler, which Rachelle made this early evening.

As we pulled into the university campus, we noticed that there were tents up for a dog show. Liv and I headed over and she got her pets in. In the dog shelter area, we met Buster, a springer spaniel who is a spitting image of Sebo. We picked up some forms so that we can return and walk the dogs.

It was a fun day, and the excitement in the home is building as tomorrow is the official first day of school for the kids.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Saturday in Wales




To bridge the last and current updates, here is a brief overview of our last couple of days:

Thursday: We enjoyed the park during the day (see picture) and then rooted for Belvedere in our second pre-season friendly match. The football (soccer) team is coming together nicely, and they are a great group of guys.

Friday: I had several meetings at work and there are some exciting research projects in the works. The kids played together, made chocolate chip cookies, and watched a Harry Potter video. That evening I went to a 15-person work dinner (we couldn't find a babysitter, so Rachelle stayed home with the dynamic duo), which was great fun. I decided to ride my bike out for the evening, as following dinner, I joined my football team at the Belvedere. We had a great time sharing pints, stories, and visions of a glorious season ahead of us. It turned into a late night and a few of us had some take-out Chinese food. I had my Chinese at one of the player's flats and had a fun talk about how he had just moved in with his girlfriend (she was out of town for the weekend). Then, I had an extremely long bike ride home oweing to my getting extremely lost by riding up the wrong long hill. After many miles and minutes, I found my way home and snuck in a few hours of sleep before the dawn and seagulls squaking woke me up.

Saturday in Wales: The four of us piled into the Clio and headed to Wales. Emily guided us flawlessly on our 90-minute trek to Brecons National Park. In Merthyr Tydfil, we jumped on the Brecon Mountain Railway train (http://www.breconmountainrailway.co.uk/). The hour ride through the hills and along the water was beautiful, and we met some lovely tourists and locals (see video). We then headed to a little village called Tallybont-on-usk. The drive was exciting as we had to cross some streams and drive some steep and narrow roads. The town is situated along a cannal, and we had a nice long walk after a late lunch at a pub (see pictures).

We are now at home, and two of the four of us are exhausted from the day. The other two are planning an evening 4-square game after they finish washing the dishes.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

First Day of School!! ... or Not.

We all excitedly woke before our alarms. Noah and Liv dressed in their school uniforms and popped in the car. There was surprisingly little traffic and it only took us 12 minutes from our house to school. Our 2 practice runs, complete with Kevin's shortcuts, driving to and from school yesterday really helped.

We stepped out of the car (20 minutes early) and proud daddy snapped a picture of the kids on the first day of school in England. Then we heard a voice. "Oi. Are you going to St. Stephens? ... There is no school today. It begins on Monday."

Oops.

You could hear the enthusiasm and excitement whoosh out of our deflating bodies. I have to admit, there were some laughs and tears, and not in that order.

In our defense, the school website listed September 3 (it turns out this is the day the teachers show up), my emails to the school bounced back (mailbox full), and our trips to the school resulted in facing a locked door. Also, we ran into a colleague who had his 6-year-old all uniformed up and made the same mistake, and he has lived here for years.

Well, the dress rehearsal first day of school went well, and we are ready for September 8!

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Midge Attack, by Noah Cohen

This is Noah writing now. we were hiking up a mountain that was covered in sheep poop and at the top we were eating lunch and a million billion and five midges attacked us (midges are like ants only they have wings and bite hard and have giant fangs about an inch big, well I might be exagerating about the fangs but they're scary, like the movie birds.
Bye for now, Noah Cohen