The Queen!

This picture is courtesy of my friend Lydia.

 The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, came to Aberdeen for the first time in 10 years to celebrate the opening of the new University Library and the remodel of the historic Marischal College building (now housing Aberdeen City Council). This was our chance to see the Queen in person, an opportunity that the kids especially were so excited to take.

We hiked down to the University Library to stake our a place on the fence and waited for about 90 minutes for the Queen to come. During our wait it poured down rain and the wind whipped around us, but still we waited.

We were hoping that the Queen would walk part of the way down the sidewalk leading to the library, but I think the weather eliminated any chance of that. Instead, her car just drove past us, up the the very doors of the library. All we caught was a quick glimpse of her in the passing car.

The kids were disappointed, since neither actually saw her through the windows. So we braved the weather a little longer and pushed our way up to the library doors to wait for her to exit again.

Finally, the Queen and her husband left the building and headed for their car. Abigail was up on Darren's shoulders for a good view. Joshua was being held up  by a kind student near the fence; she heard his sweet pleas to see the Queen and offered to let his come to the fence line and held him sitting on the fence so he could see. Both kids got to watch her get back into her car.

It was a crazy wet day, but so worth the wait. The kids (especially Joshua) were so happy and excited in spite of the fact that they were soaked. And  Micah managed to sleep in the baby Bjorn the entire time. Check out the rest of my pics on Facebook.

Micah turns 8 weeks old!

It seems incredible that our little baby is already 8 weeks old! Micah is becoming a social little boy who loves his big brother and sister, often rewarding their attention with big smiles.

Micah is beginning to show a very sweet, tolerant personality ... as long as he isn't tired. He smiles and coos with the kids. He easily entertains himself in his bouncy seat. He is an easy-going little guy. But once he hits the point where he would rather be sleeping, all bets are off.

He doesn't (and never has) just drifted off to sleep when he needs a nap. Instead he calls loudly to the world to help him fall asleep. A little comfort, and some standing and bouncing, and he drifts off to sleep. We are still working on him staying asleep for more than 30 to 40 minutes on his own... including at night.

This little boy just loves to sleep in mommy's or daddy's arms. It is a good thing I love snuggling! But if you think of us, pray for wisdom, strength and patience.

On another topic, this Friday is Darren's deadline for turning in his thesis! He is continuing to work crazy hours to finish in time for printing and binding before handing it over to the registrar. Once the thesis is in hand, the University will contact his proposed examiners to set a viva date for the oral defense of his thesis.

It is hard to believe that it was three years ago today that we boarded a plane headed for Aberdeen, Scotland. How quickly time has passed! We have loved our time here and made life-long friends. In just a few short months we will move back to the US for whatever God has planned next. But we will always have a soft spot for Scotland!

More pictures on Facebook.

Six Weeks!

Micah is six weeks old this week, and we all love him to pieces. He has started to sleep a little longer at night (four and five hour stretches), though he still prefers to be held... all the time. I don't get much done, but I do get lots of precious snuggles. Bath time has finally become tolerable, though not 'fun' yet. Last night he didn't cry and actually relaxed during bath! We have been amazed at how strong his neck is for a such a young guy! And he really likes to work his legs by standing on my lap.

In other news, Abigail has started going full days to school! They phase in the new P1 (kindergarten) class with half days for the first several weeks. She was so excited that she finally got to eat lunch at school. She is so full of energy and enthusiasm, though it takes a little more effort for her to really focus on the task at hand. Even though there is not nearly as much play time, she thoroughly enjoys her new class and teacher.

Joshua is as positive and happy about school as ever. He always tells me that his day was excellent (or some other such adjective)! His new teacher transferred up from England and still seems to be getting use to the Scottish school and curriculum, but Joshua really likes him. There just hasn't been much communication with parents yet. But we have open house on Thursday and I look forward to hearing more about what they have been and are going to be working on.

Darren is working long hours these days, well into the evening and night. I am thankful that he takes the kids to school in the morning before hitting his thesis. He is suppose to be submitting by the end of the month and will then spend the next few months studying for his viva (oral defense), prepping and teaching classes, writing a paper for AAR in November, and all those other things he on his plate.

My days just got simpler with Abigail and Joshua both in school full days. I have 6 hours with just Micah. It is nice to have one-on-one time with him. I am working to be productive with most of the time, though it is hard when he has to be held so much, and takes so long to eat. I am just going to relax and enjoy this short time as a baby ... the housework and errands will have to wait.

As we head in to autumn weather, I am looking forward to falling leaves, hot drinks, warm soup and more snuggles with the kids. Life is good!