Halloween 09

Well, this year Halloween was interesting for us. We did find some costumes, no problem. Halloween is totally celebrated here in Scotland. (Maybe not quite as commercialized...) However, because we're smack in the middle of the city, and our particular apartment complex is small--we didn't have anywhere to actually go trick-or-treating. So, our plan was to dress up and head downstairs to Kenny's newspaper stand, and let the kids buy some candy. In fact, it was funny, because another customer asked us after seeing the kids dressed up, "You know you have to buy the candy in here, right?" So, here was our Halloween adventure....

2 Buzz Lightyear's & 1 Dora

Attempt #1 at a picture of all 3 of the kids....

Attempt #2.....

"Little Buzz"

"Pretty Dora"

"Big Buzz"

This is the hallway to leave our building.

Scoping out the candy.....
Found something!....
Waiting for Kenny to ring it up... (Notice Paige's bucket--she just hated the thought of not having a trick-or-treat bag! So, she grabbed one of Maddox's toy buckets.)
Attempt #3... Adorable, huh?!!

So, we had a fun Halloween! Interesting, but fun. The kids were good sports about it all--they're pretty amazing!

Our Trip to The Castle of Edinburgh

This past Sunday we visited The Castle of Edinburgh. This is something we have been talking about since before we arrived in Scotland. The kids were sooo excited!!! We had a great time--even though it was cold, windy and rained on and off... It was worth it!! This particular Castle was a city within the walls. Amazing. Enjoy the pics!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Friday Night Fun!

So, lastnight was a fun and interesting night for us. A friend of Shane's from school--who has a wife and 6 month old--invited us over for dinner. That was a very exciting thing for us since we haven't had the opportunity to make very many friends yet.... Anyway, they live across town, about 2.5 miles away. We knew it would take about 45 min. to an hour for us to walk it, but we were fine with that, and planned on leaving in plenty of time. Well, as things go, we didn't quite leave when we should have, and then when we stepped outside it started raining!! Now, so far when we've experienced the rain it's mostly been a light mist--not a down pour. It wasn't a down pour, but it was much more than a mist lastnight! PLUS, we were walking in it for over and hour since we weren't exactly sure where we were going! But we hadn't looked at the bus schedule, didn't bring a bus route map with us, and we don't know that part of the city that well. So, our options were quite limited. We kept walking...thinking it wasn't as bad as it was... Well, we had walked for over an hour in the rain--dripping wet once we arrived at our new friend's flat late! But they were very gracious to us, and they helped us find a bus route that would take us home when we left. Riding the bus absolutely delights the kids. They think it's great! So, here we are. Riding the bus.

And one last thing--this is why I'm cautious about riding the bus--we got on the wrong #5 bus!! It was headed in the opposite direction! But fortunately it was turning around to head in the right direction, and the bus drivers let us stay on. The "last stop" was actually at the ASDA--which is a "suprecentre" of sorts. I told Shane, "This must be there 'Walmart.'" And sure enough, as we were pulling out of the parking lot, the sign said, "Part of the WalMart Family." WOW! They are taking over the world, aren't they?!

So, to sum up, we had a fun night meeting our new friends and hanging out. Next time, if it's raining we certainly will not be walking that far! But it makes for a fun story, I suppose. And we were able to see some more of the city we wouldn't have noticed from the bus. Cheers, everyone!

Big Accomplishments at the Wood House!!!

Last night we celebrated!!!! It wasn't necessarily a "Scottish" celebration, but a celebration nonetheless...
Shane has been working so hard, and he completed his first chapter rough draft for his dissertation yesterday! It was a big deal, and we were very excited for him to complete this!! So, when he got home we went out on the town.... (to Quizno's... very American, I know)... But every time we're out on the town, it's some sort of Scottish experience, I guess.... And to be honest, so many of the little cafe's in the city aren't very conducive to a large stroller and a family of 5 (with little ones anyway). So, there are just pics of us below because most of our readers have most likely seen a Quizno's before. We sure had a great time!

Zion and Shane

Paige and me
(I don't know if Paige was trying to do a kiss face here or what?)

Shane and Maddox (being silly)

Zion and me (his smile is something, huh?)

Maddox and me

Shane and Paige--oh my word, she is so beautiful!!!
(Oh, and I was telling her not to smile here... Go figure...)

And Maddox was, of course, entertaining us. I tried to get this on video, but he stopped once I turned it on. He was being spiderman or something. Oh, let me correct that... He was being "Spectacular Spiderman," as the kids call it. It's hilarious!

We are SO proud of you, Shane/Daddy!!! And we love you soooooo much!!!!

Freeze Tag, Anyone?

So, if any of you out there would like to know how to play freeze tag in tight quarters--here you go!!

We're having fun in our flat, that's for sure! We just hope the people below us are having fun too!!:)

Just Some More Pics...

Here are just some pics.... Nothing very new to report here. We've hit a nice groove here in Edinburgh--visiting the park, grocery shopping every couple of days (due to walking/carrying everything and small storage space), and homeschooling and napping (for the 2 youngest anyway)....

Zion, Paige and Maddox: Today... We had a weird day... So, getting the camera out always livens things up, right?

Here's Paige posing... We have been braiding her hair lately, which is a new thing. She really, really, really wanted 3 braids in her hair!... Since that's how old she is, DUH!... So, we did it--as you can see below... Above, she was posing--adorable, huh?

And this was actually taken last week... The kids were being really silly, still in their pajamas and had gone to one of the beds!

These three certainly love each other!!!

Oh yeah, for any history buffs wondering about "Annie Londonderry" from our last post... She was a very brave and influential woman in the late 1800's who rode her bike all over the world. Sounds kinda silly, but was actually a bold move for a woman at that time. As I said, there was a women's suffrage parade here in Edinburgh last week--so, I'm guessing that's why they noted "Annie Londonderry" even though she was an American woman. Also, we still haven't really figured out why they hung it on David Humes statue... Our theories: 1. Because it's a very prominent thing on the Royal Mile. or 2. Because it's a statue of a man. David Hume lived about a century before Annie Londonderry, and he doesn't seem to have been against women's suffrage. That's all I know, folks...

Just Some Pics...

Here is Zion working on his memory verse for this week. We are working on having a verse from the Bible that starts with each letter of the alphabet! He's doing really well--even memorizing them! He's so smart!

And the kids were being so cute the other day and cuddling up on the couch... (It wasn't all that easy to get each one looking at the camera and smiling all at once though!) But they're still adorable, aren't they?!!

This has become one of our nightly rituals--reading from God's Word. We are in the book of Genesis reading about Joseph.

And I just thought this was an interesting thing we saw the other day... You may remember this statue of David Hume from an earlier post. (At least I'm pretty sure I posted it.) Anyway, he was a very influential philosopher a long time ago. We're not yet sure what his defamed statue implies, however, we are looking into it. Here's what we do know thus far--there was a women's suffrage parade the other on the Royal Mile, and it was the same day we saw David Hume's statue defamed with a scarf around his head and a sign reading "I remember... Annie Londonderry." I thought it was interesting anyway... maybe it won't be once I found out what it means...