Where have I been?
All Over!
These summer months have been packed with activity and flying by so quickly.
Is it just us or are all of your friends' kids born in the summertime too? Of course, part of it might be that Little Man and I are very extroverted which of course equates to a lot of party invitations from all of these new friends we have made here. In fact, we received so many party invites that it's impossible to attend them all. It's a good problem in our eyes. Now, Hero, being the more naturally introverted one in the group, finds this much less exciting than us. Soon Little Man will be having his own birthday party too! Him turning four has really snuck up on me.
As some of you know, we're Americans living in the United Kingdom. In America, most children don't start full time school until the age of 5-if not older, and they go to "Preschool" first before heading off to full time "Kindergarten". In the UK, children start attending "Nursery" or "Preschool" at the age of 3, and their government pays for them to attend any school (that will accept the grant) for a maximum of 15 hours a week. After that, British children can go to "Reception" full time after their 4th birthday. Most schools here require them to wear uniforms too. The school year starts in early September, and although they have a shorter summer break than many American schools, they have more breaks throughout the year. For us, this means that Little Man has been attending Nursery and will attend full time school this Autumn-at least a year ahead of all of his American friends back home. I worried about sending him so young, but after going through his assessment with his Nursery teacher and going to events with him at his new school, I'm feeling more confident about it. They seem to think he will continue to do very well, even with him being on the younger side. I know he's very excited about it! We've been trying to get prepared for this next big step. We ordered his uniforms-school colored/logoed polo shirts, backpack, jacket, raincoat, cardigans, P.E. kit, etc. from the school. He has his required black shoes, and we're slowly getting his grey "trousers" and shorts. His new teacher already visited his Nursery and will visit our home before the start of school. We have gone to events at the new school. We read to him everyday and take him all sorts of places and do educational (but fun!) activities together. He has plenty of friends...But still, he's my one and only child...My baby!...I'm proud of how well he's doing, especially after his rough start at life, but I think the difficulty lies in trust. Trusting yourself that you've prepared your child and are making the right choices for them. Trusting those who will be with them when you're not, and also, trusting your child...You hope that they will "fly in the right direction" after you give them that little nudge forward.
Before I leave everyone tearing up, I'll let you in on some of the other highlights from our summer so far. In between all of the birthday parties (and going-away parties) and school prep, we have somehow managed to squeeze in many other activities. Little Man and I travelled with friends to London. We loved visiting more museums there! We saw the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphs and mummies (including mummified cats!), a library filled with highly treasured classics and collections, Greek statues, and all sorts of other amazing artifacts in the British Museum . Then, we went to Madame Tussand's. I didn't quite know what all to expect there, but everyone had a blast! We got our pictures taken next to realistic wax figures of famous people and characters. (Seriously, you almost expected them to start talking to you. How you doin' Johnny Depp?!) They even had a Star Wars section. We saw the kids' "Marvel superheroes" movie (complete with 3D glasses and special effects), and then we went on an amusement ride where your seat is a little black taxi cab. On the ride, you get a fun mini-lesson in British history. More adventures have included: big indoor-and outdoor-playscapes, farms, nature walks, harvesting bit by bit from our little potted plants garden, play dates (which included trips to the pool), a 5K Color Run, dinners and games with other families, volunteer projects, and family movie nights (my favorite? "Minions"!!). I managed to complete two furniture projects as well. I gave Little Man's table and chairs and an end table new life!
Here they are:
It says: "Don't tell me the sky's the limit. There are footsteps on the moon." I not really into country music, but I thought Paul Brandt's lyrics were perfect for Little Man. I also stenciled rocket ships onto the tops of his chairs to match the lampshade on the light in his room (per his request).
The end table was transformed from it's former badly scratched up plain wood to this beauty! Grey and white with a heart on top and pit of framing. Hard work, but well worth the effort!
Before schools starts, I'm hoping we can spend a day or two on a beach somewhere just relaxing in the sunshine, get family photos done, and go on a tour of Cambridge-guided by friends who live there.
This summer has had its fair share of challenges too, but I won't go into all of that now.
In this post, I have chosen to focus on counting my blessings instead.
I am truly grateful for all of the adventures our family has enjoyed, and I am looking forward to more!
(And "Thank You!!" to everyone who has sent us care packages, cards, and invitations. We really appreciate it!)
I hope you are enjoying your summer too!
~LadyH
Q&A
What have you been doing this summer?
Any other activities planned?
Anything you hope to do before the end of this season?
If you could go on any adventure, where would you go? What would you do? Who would be with you?
