Schmidts in the UK!: October 2012

One highlight of living abroad is being able to host lots of visitors and show them around our home away from home. This month we were lucky enough to host our friends from our neighborhood back home in Baltimore. Riley and Lyla anxiously anticipated the arrival of their friends, Stella and Summer, while Mommy and Daddy couldn't wait to see Elena and Steve. They landed in London and spent a few days exploring the city before hopping on a train to Cheltenham on Thursday night. We had tons of fun visiting and catching up and, while Daddy headed to work and Riley headed to school on Friday, they spent the day checking out Broadway, an adorable Cotswold town. After school it was time for our road trip to Snowdonia in Northern Wales! We packed up the two cars, loaded in the kids and headed off on our adventure!

And an adventure it was! The drive to Snowdonia was supposed to take 4 hours...with our stop for dinner and an unexpected flat tire on a dark, rainy mountain road, it took much longer. But we finally made it to our cottage, which was in a great location and was comfortable, especially after Steve remodeled some of the furniture to make room for two pack and plays!

Our cottage for the weekend

Steve hard at work changing the tire while everyone else supervises

On Saturday morning we were all up early and out to replace our tire, which went much more smoothly than expected. Then it was a yummy breakfast and a visit to Criccieth Castle, which was really more ruins than castle, but with gorgeous views. Definitely worth a visit on a sunny day but probably one to pass up in the rain. We were incredibly lucky and were blessed with blue skies, sunshine and the fluffy clouds of children's drawings. Hooray!

If you ever have the unfortune of getting a flat tire in Wales, I can recommend a great repair shop in the adorable town of Portmadog.

The view from Criccieth Castle

See what I mean about the clouds?

The castle from the beach

Doing some learning

Wayne pondering the meaning of life

Lyla lounging

Family portrait!

Summer enjoying herself in the carrier

Lyla discovered that they have rocks in Wales too!

Stella with a pretty background

Sightseeing is just too exhausting for Lyla

After the castle, we walked along the beach and found mussels and shells, and then it was time for a quick ice cream. The weather was so great that we decided to push our luck with the kids and check out the town of Portmeirion, an Italian style tourist village that has been used to shoot many popular (British) television shows and movies. We walked along the beach, through the forest and checked out all of the architecture...but Stella and Riley's favorite part was a small alcove they called Ariel's House. Check it out!

Loving Riley's face here

Aww...

Hold on to your hats!

In Ariel's House

Portmeirion

Making friends with their reflections. (Yes, they have the same hairdresser!)

Pretty scenery

Alone on the beach

Beware of quicksand

Love the reflection of the clouds in the water

The whole gang. Poor Summer!

Proof that money does grow on trees!

After a very long day it was time for a quick dinner and bedtime for the kids and takeout and drinks for the adults. Success!

The next day we were shocked to find more sunshine and piled back into the cars for a gorgeous drive through Snowdonia National Park and then a railroad ride up to Mount Snowden. Steve was very jealous of all the hikers...I guess now he has an excuse for a return visit! The train ride was fun but the highlight was our short time up at the top of the mountain...gorgeous views in every direction! After the long ride home, we headed into the town of Llanbedr, where we were staying, to a pub to introduce everyone to Steak and Ale Pie and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yum!

Before we boarded, everyone was wide awake

But the train lulled some people to sleep

Everyone woke up to check out the view!

Much too close to the edge

On Monday, we awoke to rain but decided to squeeze in a visit to Harlech Castle before heading back to Cheltenham. The castle was beautiful and you could walk along the walls and imagine what might have been so many years ago. Then it was more ice cream, a quick pottery stop and saying good-bye to Snowdonia.

For once, the kids were allowed to literally climb the walls!

Hello down there!

Just what a parent wants to see! Someone needs to introduce guard rails to the UK

Heading down the dark, steep, slippery staircase....with her eyes closed

Even stylish in the rain!

Proof that time outs happen everywhere...even at castles

After the long ride home, it was one more night of visiting and then time to say good-bye. Unfortunately, our friends barely got to see Cheltenham at all but I'm thinking maybe they can squeeze in another visit before we leave. ( :

It's that time of the year again! Lazy evenings of strolling have turned to dark dashes indoors, sandals have been cast away in favor of wool socks and boots, and the kids have headed back to school. But, in addition to fall's predictable entrance, this year marks a big change in our house. Why? Because Lyla has now joined the ranks of school-children across the globe and, donning the ever-popular neon Dora backpack, headed to nursery three mornings a week at our local playgroup. Check out that smile!

Lyla's first day of school

And, just like the that, Lyla is now a "big girl." She cried the first day and made me stay awhile, but now, each morning, she directs me to stay for "two minutes". So, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30, she bids me good-bye and heads off intently into the classroom to find her name, which moves around the stage and is where she stores her backpack, her water bottle and her jacket while she's busy playing. Then it's onto the rug for the "register" (aka attendance taking), after which the kids are off to play. At this point, I get another hug and kiss and a directive, such as "You can go shopping and buy me Peppa Pig yogurt" or "I want bananas for lunch" and am allowed to leave. She is quick to tell everyone that "Mommy is going shopping but she comes back" and is excited to see me at pick-up, even though most other kids stay through the afternoon and are getting ready for lunch. Everyday she tells me she had a good day and tells all me all about her friends and what they played. It seems that everything is going well, although one day she did announce that they had to throw out the playdough because she put it on the floor ("but I was making roads!"). The teachers said she is very helpful and likes to take care of her friends. ( : She loves picking out her outfits every morning...and then asks that I take her picture. What a ham!

Looking sharp

Rocking her sparkly boots!

Riley has also started a new school year, this time in Year Two (1st grade age equivalent in the US). She is still in the Pre-Prep portion of the school, which ranges from nursery (3 year olds) to Year Two so she is now the big man on campus and is loving it! She has started taking violin lessons at school, in addition to Speech & Drama, Modern, Ballet and chorus. Those are all special, add-on components to the basic curriculum, which includes swimming, french, PE, art and music (recorder). She is a busy, busy girl!

Riley's first day of Year Two

Riley loves getting Deputy Head stickers when she has a great day at school!

Riley has also had several special events at school this year, including a field trip on a steam train to learn about the Victorians (you can read more about it here) and a Harvest Festival, where she performed with her classmates (check it out here).

Riley's been learning all about the Victorians

Posing with her classmates

But, believe it or not, going to school has not detracted from our fun! We have found that Lyla loves to get together with her friends on her days off and the weekends are more exciting than ever! We have found time for playdates, visits to the farm with Lyla and her friends, trips to the park, birthday parties and even a short hike.