Tea time?

This week at school, Justin's class is studying the letter B and having a "Bear Tea Party" - each student is supposed to bring their "best loved bear." His teacher told me about it yesterday when I picked him up from school. On the way home, Justin asked me "we don't drink tea, do we?"

Today each student received a formal invitation to the party and another reminder from his teacher. Again, Justin asked me "we don't drink tea, right mama?" I could tell this was bothering him so I asked if he had told his teacher that we don't drink tea and he said no. I asked him if he would like me to talk to his teacher and he said yes.

I'm so proud of my little guy for recognizing the wrong in this situation and for wanting to do something about it. And, I'm really looking forward to talking to his teacher and offering to send something else for Justin to drink so that he can still participate. (We are in the south - sweet tea may actually be on the menu!) Thank you, Justin, for your awesome example!

Since we've been home

1. Alex and I celebrated our 12th anniversary chasing Bonepony all the way to Hilton Head. In other words, we left the kids with my parents and spent the night at a resort on Hilton Head Island, SC. The beach was warm and the waves were huge (thanks to Hurricane Gustav). We ate my favorite dinner of crab legs and steak then caught one of our favorite bands, Bonepony, at Wild Wings Cafe. Has it already been 12 years? Seems like yesterday . . .

2. Pool parties. Labor Day was one of many days spent playing in the pool with friends and family. McKenzie and Justin have turned into little fish zooming from one end to the other. Of course, breaks are needed every now and then, so McKenzie has figured out how to "take a little rest" without having to get out of the pool. Our daily routine is get up, take Justin to school, pick up Justin from school, swim and repeat.

3. Though not his first public school experience, Justin started preschool at the Methodist-run Early Learning Program down the road. There are 11 kids in his class, including two twin boys whom he thinks are the coolest thing EVER - "they look exactly the same mama!" His teacher, Miss Kimberly, refers to Justin as her little angel and tells me often that he is the sweetest boy, that he's a great friend and well-liked by everyone, that he's always happy, and that he's so interested in discovering and learning new things. Well, of course! He's still learning to read and probably gets more of an academic education at home, but he really enjoys going to school as well. He helps me make his lunch every morning. The first day I put rolls of deli meat in the lunch box of my non-sandwiching-eating son (along with the usual cheese, grapes, chips) only to be told matter-of-factly that afternoon that the meat needs to go on bread for him to eat at school. Well, of course. Yeah!

4. McKenzie thinks she's pretty big stuff too. She's started Joy School with a couple of her friends from church - Isaac and Ashton. She has also started going to her own gym class at The Little Gym. Justin is always telling her what he did at JS and his gym class when he was two years old so she's excited to be following in big brother's footsteps. She even insists on packing a lunch every day, even if she only gets to eat it at the park or in the car.

5. Alex turned 35 and we celebrated his birthday with a pool party and BBQ, dinner at a spanish tapas restaurant and another concert. This time we saw the Indigo Girls at Chastain Park. Alex has been a long-time fan and I enjoy their harmonizing but I think I'm partial to Emily's songs. Happy birthday honey!

6. We're buying a house! We've decided to stay in Atlanta and have made an offer on a home about 20 minutes north of my parents' house. We chose the area for its school district, plus we're still close enough to friends and family to be able to spend some time with them, albeit we are in a different ward. The house has five bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and a full basement (which is only partially finished) - so come visit anytime!

Besides getting ready to move, again, we're keeping busy with the gym, lunch bunch, book club, play groups, Tupperware parties, room mom responsibilities, family pictures . . . and blogging! We're back!

Closing a chapter

We've been home for over a month now and I know many of you think we dropped off the planet. After the whirl-wind move back to the States, I thought for sure things would calm down a bit and I would have to make up things to blog about - not so. I assure you all, we made it safely back to grandma's house in Georgia and have quickly re-acclimated to things on this side of the pond . . . and things have NOT SLOWED DOWN! Justin has a noticeable British accent (especially when pronouncing a long "o") and both kids talk like world travelers - their pretend play involves the Eiffel Tower, the HMS Belfast, the London Eye and any number of train stations, just to name a few. We will always treasure the short 9 months we lived in London and the awesome friends we made there. We miss all of you and think of you often as we share our experiences with family and friends here.

English Lessons
hob = stove
baps = hamburger buns
courgette = zucchini
rucksack = backpack
trousers = pants
pants = underwear
lift = elevator
aubergine = eggplant
pram/buggie = stroller
torch = flashlight
wellies = rain boots
biscuit = cookie
sweets = candy
lollie = lollipop/popsicle
lorrie = truck
boot = trunk
trash/rubish sacks = garbage bags
trash/rubish bin = garbage can
chips = fries
crisps = chips
terribly = really
cheaky = funny/silly (child)
no worries = no problem
daft = silly (adult)
pavement/footpath = sidewalk
garden = yard
holiday = vacation
flat = apartment
let = rent
tinned = canned
star jumps = jumping jacks
trainers = sneakers
starter = appetizer
loo/toilet = bathroom
trolley = cart (i.e. grocery)
take away = carry out
lemonade = Sprite
cot = crib
cloudy lemonade = lemonade
pastry puff = pie crust
ring me = call me
jab = shot
queue = line
removal van = moving truck