England Vacation!

Hannah and I on the trail.

The city of Matlock, Derbyshire...where the adventure started!
Josh consulting the map at the start of Day 2 in Winster. Here is a link to the Miner's Standard.
This outcropping behind us is part of Robin Hood's Stride. Part of journey across England.
The B&B on Day 2 near Monyash, England. They have the Stonehedge of the North on their property...it is called Arbor Low.

We are home safe and sound after our Spring Break in England. We had a wonderful time...though the weather could have been better. Rainy...cold...windy...at some points it was sunny. At least it was rainy here, too! Davey was great through all the various places we went. Of course, he made friends at every town...a smile like his is contagious!

Here are some pictures of the first leg of our adventures. We flew into London and then boarded a coach to Nottingham where Hannah and Tommy live. We headed out to Derbyshire (in the Peak District) the next day and hiked through a few towns and stayed at some B&Bs along the way. I think we got in about 13 miles or so over a day and a half. Not bad pace! Davey was great 90% of the time. What more can you ask for with a almost-one-year-old? Most of the walking was through pasture lands. We actually got up close and personal to some cows, horses, and lots of sheep. The pictures do not do it justice. If anyone is planning a trip there, we have some great contacts.

We ate fish and chips, traditional English breakfasts, and English chili. We loves it all! And Davey never went hungry either, he loved to try new things. Davey has also learned some new tricks. He is great at waving and saying "BYE!". He also loves to head butt you forehead-to-forehead and then shaking his head back and forth. He does this instead of his slobbery open-mouth kisses sometime. He might have taken one step while at Hannah's flat...but I am not going to count it...I think it was more like a calculated fall. I will post next about the second leg to London.

First Snow and Haircut!

Big things happening in Vernon! Davey and I both enjoyed a day off last Friday...14 inches of the white stuff! Davey loved to be outside and pitched a fit when we had to go inside once he started to shiver. The babysitter's son and his dad came to sled down the little hill in our yard. But then two days later, it was 55 degrees! Indiana springs for you! Josh, his dad, the mayor of Vernon, and his family all went out late Friday night and took sleds down Washington Street all the way across the bridge.

Davey looks like a big kid now with his new haircut. I knowI am supposed to wait until he is a year old, but he was getting shaggy. He did a great job in the big chair with the big bib. He even got a certificate for it. The lady in the picture cuts all the Shaw hair...even gave Josh his first hair cut 30-some-odd years ago!

We had a bit of a rough week...Davey has been fussy with an ear infection, RSV (a cold-like virus), and getting his FIRST TOOTH! FINALLY! So he hasn't been feeling the best, but we hope that once he is through with the antibiotic, we will be good to go for England. We go up to Chicago to visit Sarah on Friday and then fly out Saturday! And I have to get my grades finished for this term before I leave! Not enough time!

11 Months Down...1 to Go!

Just a quick update from the Shaw household...

Davey is really close to walking. He confidently walks around while holding on to the furniture. He will even stand up on his own for a few seconds at a time. The first picture shows Davey with his first pair of big boy shoes. He is used to wearing slippers. He can wave and say BaBa when you do it first. He is really getting good at saying MaMa when I leave the room. Still no teeth...but every fussy day gives me hope!

Davey doesn't watch much TV...but he already has a favorite. Has anyone out there watched Jack's Big Music Show??? It is the BEST toddler show! I even enjoy watching it (come on...how many Barney and Wiggles episodes can one person take??). If you have no idea what I am talking about you need to google it. The bad thing is that it airs on the Noggin Channel...which we don't get...yet. He watches it at the sitters while she makes lunch and we have a DVD with only 4 episodes. The music is second to none. If you have kids...get to know JBMS!

Just three weeks until our trip to England. We really need to get the move on trying to round things up and getting prepared. It just seems like there is no time for that!

In other news, I have volunteered to be our church's VBS director! Pray for me! Luckily we have a church that is eager to see it be a success.