Kathryn's Pre-K class at school had a music performance today called, "The Best Band in the Land". They were absolutely adorable and played & sang well!
To start with, they played an imaginary instrument. Kathryn played a flute she says, hmmm...
Rohan, Kathryn & Ethan were picked to be the rainmakers....
Best friends, Martina, Kat, Rachel & Brigid. They have a sweet group in their class! Kathryn loves her school, and has such a fun time everyday.
We went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany for the February half-term school break, and stayed in a wonderful military recreation resort. The kids did a ski school for 4 days, and learned a lot. Wade was SO excited to ski - he was very determined to do well. The rope tow the first day was a challenge - he wouldn't let go even when he fell & it drug him up the hill! He kept falling & looked like a snowball, but the hard work paid off & he skiied well in the end.
Wade falling again!
Kathryn had a great time too. She made lots of friends (of course!) & charmed her teachers.
Blake already knew how to ski from his ski trip last year with Stan, but had a slight mishap with his ski pole! Halfway through the week, the instructors gave the kids poles to use, and Blake wasn't used to using them. We were just happy he didn't break his nose or take out an eye!
Okay...it is humbling to put this photo in of me with no skiing form whatsoever! I do have to say that I haven't skiied in 15 years - 5 pregnancies later! Every muscle ached that night...
This is the lobby of the resort we stayed in, very nice. They even had a little movie watching place for the kids and (Kathryn's favorite) a large hot tub and swimming pool. We can't wait to go back next year!
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oops...I forgot to add this photo from Christmas Eve - we went to church, hung stockings, and read the Bible story. A quiet family night, but really nice! 
Wade's 8th Birthday! I can't believe he can possibly be 8 years old! What a sweet boy.
Kathryn doing a sticker book in our kitchen.
Wade & Stan made this Harry Potter broomstick car for Wade's Pinewood Derby. The Cub Scouts got together at their school for the big race day! Wade won 2nd place in his den.
Wade's 2nd grade class put on a production called "The Runaway Snowman". Wade was one of the narrators, and he did very well.
The Middle School had a poetry performance, and Blake's class did Roald Dahl's version of Snow White. Blake was the king, and was quite funny (even though he hates performing!).
Kathryn finished gymnastics and started a ballet class this winter. She is very cute!.jpg)
My sister, Lisa, Brent & their 5 children spent 2 weeks visiting us right after Christmas. We took them to Windsor Castle, and here is our family with one of the Queen's guards. Stan's sister, Jeanne & Ken & their 3 boys also came to visit us, and we had such a nice time with both families!
We drove out to Shrivenham (where we lived last year) to see the countryside, and visited the White Horse near Uffington. It is a white chalk horse on a hill, and is thought to date back to the Bronze Age. Our families took a picnic, and we just about froze while eating in the wind!
After sightseeing in London and around England, we (okay, I!) had this crazy idea to take my sister's family to Paris on the train for a few days. They totally loved seeing Notre Dame & the Eiffel Tower, but it was crazy to travel with 4 adults & 8 children! The kids were great & walked all over Paris & tried new & strange foods. Here the Eiffel Tower is lit up at night - amazing!
Dear Family and Friends, Christmas 2007
We wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year! As 2007 comes to a close, our family is counting our blessings. We have truly enjoyed this past year in England! Some of our highlights include:
Stan has finished his year at the UK Defence Academy and completed JSCSC (Joint Command and Staff College). It was an academic year – completing paper after paper, listening to lectures, and spending hours studying. But mostly, he enjoyed playing rugby for the Defence Academy team and making some amazing friendships with other military members from all over the world. While Stan was working hard, I spent the year hoping it would never end! I kept busy with an Int’l Cooking Group, Bunco, and other social activities. It was a fun year. We learned some new things – Stan learned how to slice cheese the proper way so that he didn’t horrify the entire room (Hint: don’t slice off the tip of the cheese!), and I learned that I could eat all different types of food and LOVE them! What a great year, and we are thankful for the friendships we made!
In July after Stan’s completion of the course, we moved to our new house located in the outskirts of London. We moved in the middle of terrible rainstorms & flooding, but everything made it okay. Stan started his new job working with the Royal Air Force with a deployment to Malaysia, a 3 week exercise, and it hasn’t slowed down much since. He will go to Kenya in Jan. and various other locations next year. It will be interesting for him, and he’s looking forward to the adventures (hopefully they don’t include being eaten by a lion!). The children started school at ACS Int’l School, and absolutely love it. Blake is in grade 5 and involved in tennis, swimming, and running, Wade is in grade 2 and playing tennis and soccer, Kathryn is in Pre-K. and is in gymnastics and ballet. Academically they are doing wonderfully, and it is a great experience for them. I am keeping busy with a computer course & volunteering. This fall we have enjoyed a full round of visitors from both our families and friends, and it has been fun to explore England with them. London is very accessible from our new house. Our plans for adventure this next year include Normandy, Ireland, Norway, skiing in Germany and our first visit back to the U.S. for Easter.
We always welcome visitors to our Lawrie B&B! Please keep in touch!
Love,
Stan, Karen, Blake, Wade & Kathryn
Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, UK
Hall of Mirrors, Chateau de Versailles, France
La Sacrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Tour Eiffel, Paris, France
Sacre-Coeur Cathedral, Paris, France
