Josh travels to London

Why Hello there dear friends!

I'm a young chap from the States with a hankering for authentic fish and chips.

Why don't we travel on over to London for a bite and I will give you a tour on our way!

After that 10 hour flight I need to stretch my limbs.

Let's start our walk off at Trafalgar Square!

Look, look...look!  Over there!

Aw, you missed it.  The Queen was waving at us from Buckingham Palace!

Don't I look good next to the gold plated gates?

Right around the corner is the Tower of London Castle and the Tower Bridge!

The gate at the bottom is the Traitors Gate where prisoners would enter the castle.

My favorite song is "London Bridge is Falling Down,"  I like to do the actions and everything!

Let's sing it a round or two while we gander at the London Tower Bridge!

Some signs in London look different than in the States.  

Instead of Yield look for "Give Way"

Instead of Exit look for a sign that reads "Way Out"

And if you see a sign for a Queue...that is where you should line up.

Also, KFC is much nicer here and is two stories tall!

Let's take a picture in front of the London Eye.

You won't get me up there until I have had my fish and chips.

I don't want to get queasy now.

Do you have the time?  Oh wait, I think I hear the chime of Big Ben.

It is so convenient having a giant clock tower I can see almost anywhere in London.

You may have hear of St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Winston Churchill's funeral was held here.

Now you can see it!

 

London is busy busy right now getting ready for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Let us get some snap shots of Westminster Abbey!  Remember when Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married there?  Carla Laney does.

The city of London is three times as busy at night than during the day.

It is fun to see the city with the lights of Harrod's, Big Ben, and the London Eye.

Let's go grab a bite before it gets too late or too busy!

Ah, these pepper and vinegar fish and chips were just what I needed.

Thanks for the company around London!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Where Josh was today...

I am officially jealous.  Just look at this!   I don't know if Josh is drooling over all of the awesome architecture like I would if I was there.  All of my art history teachers would be scolding me for not hiding away in Josh's suitcase.  I am getting a passport ASAP.

Westminster Abbey

My mom will probably try to tag along if Josh goes to London again anytime soon, or in her lifetime!

Makes me miss Princess Diana just looking at it, and I am almost positive that my mom knows everything about Princess Diana.  I can't wait to see pictures of the upcoming Royal Wedding.

Where Josh is Sleeping tonight...and tomorrow...

Talked with Josh twice today...and I wish I was in London with him.  

Here is his place for the next couple of nights, not too shabby!

He left 7:00 pm Saturday, arrived 1:15 pm in London Sunday where they are about 8 hours ahead.  He slept 3 hours on the plane which meant he got in 3 hours of sleep in 32 hours. Not much different than here at home lately during this crazy busy season.

Josh saw all that he could in 1/2 day today, but tomorrow it is work work work.  Tuesday it is work work work, and then catch an 11 hour red eye to Chicago for a lay-over.  Then another 5 hour flight back to SFO.  I am not jealous of the lay-over and flights, but I am sure he will use it wisely for sleep.

I can't wait to see all of his pictures and get my prize!  He got me a prize. :)

Where Josh is Sleeping tonight...

Not like our bed, but at least it is Business Class!  In 10.5 hours Josh will be in London.
I am just a little bit envious...

He was practicing his British accent all day. :)

Merry Christmas!

This last year of 2010 was one of the fullest we have known!

Crew Boy!

• learned how to walk and immediately began RUNNING and JUMPING!!!
• words so far:

mama

daddeeeee!

Dee Dee (Kadie)

Nay Nee (Laney)

Mineeeeey! (Mine)

no no no! (while pointing his finger and smiling)

awe (putting his head to the side when something is cute)

joo (juice)

ha dah (hotdog)

• Crew also knows to fold his arms in prayer and he dances to all kinds of music
• He gives the sweetest little kisses, and he has a baby doll.
• He is a monkey and climbs on EVERYTHING, and breaks most things he throws.
• Crew stole the title of Messiest from Laney, and probably also owns the title of best tantrum thrower. We will continue watching him closely in 2011. :)

Laney

• Learned to write her first name as well as f-o-x, c-a-t, l-o-v-e, n-o, y-e-s, t-o, and m-o-m and d-a-d. She leaves notes everywhere in the house.
• She is always right at my feet when I am upset about something telling me she loves me.
• Laney LOVES flash cards. Any and all kinds!
• Laney discovered the world of girly toys and things this year. She still has a special love of dinosaurs, but she and Kadie play all sorts of princess and fairy games.
• Laney has also started "crafting" with her sister after school.
• Laney still owns the title of Most Curious child, but Crew is a close match!

Kadie

• Kadie became a big kid in my eyes this year which really makes me happy and sad at the same time. :) :( But mostly happy. :)
• Kadie was baptized this year, she pays tithing, and she reminds me now of family prayer, scripture study and family home evening. I even put her in charge of one lesson and she is a natural at teaching!
• Kadie's favorite thing in the world is NATURE. Anything and everything about it.
• Kadie changes her brothers diaper sometimes, she even offers to vacuum on occasion.
• Kadie is a WIZ at math and loves it almost as much as her Daddy. She rarely comes home missing more than one problem on her math or spelling tests.
• Kadie has even dabbled in jewelry design this year, and wears one of her most recent bracelets almost every day.
• She wants to be a mom when she grows up, and I think she will be such a patient mother.
• Kadie still wins the award for Most Dramatic in our family, and she can add a touch of Sassy to the mix most days.

Josh and Leisa

Leisa started a few new hobbies this year including party throwing and her Sassy Pepper blog. She discovered a new obsession with organizing, which doesn't last long with an 8, 4 and 1 year old. Instead of trying to be the perfect mom this year, she tried being more fun, and the kids voted to keep the fun. :) Leisa is also in the Primary Presidency as an intern... I mean, counselor. She now knows the secret to making it all work at church is just that...a SECRET that she hasn't discovered yet! :) Leisa wins title of Most Crazy, but a good crazy, not "crazy" crazy,

at least not yet.

Josh was so blessed to be given the opportunity to go back to what he loves again for a career. Josh is now an Audit manager with a full staff at PWC and absolutely loves it. His engagements include Twitter and Zip Realty! Somehow, he still finds time to play the Wii with Kadie, bake cookies with Laney and wrestle with Crew. We are back to our old schedule of working hard in the week and playing twice as hard on the weekend! I think Josh deserves the award of Most Thoughtful because although he is overworked and underpaid...he does anything I ask, even without the asking.

This upcoming May will mark 10 years in our marriage! And we plan on celebrating in style.

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that your year to come is full of joy and happiness. We also are so thankful for all of you, and most of all our Savior.

With Love,

Josh, Leisa, Kadie (8), Laney (4.75), and Crew (1.5)

What happened in Dallas...

What happened in Dallas didn't stay in Dallas.

My Josh came home a Cowboy. He finally found his perfect Cowboy hat.

After being gone almost two weeks in a row, I am so glad he is home! It was a long couple of weeks. And one very very VERY long Sunday to start it off with. We did come home from church to find little notes all over the house with messages from Dad. The girls loved it.

I'll take the real Josh over his notes any day. Glad you are home shnookums!

Job Number Three

Remember this post? It was such a sad day. 6 years at Grant Thornton. I cried that night and I think Josh thought I was crazy because leaving GT was going to be so good for our family! Leaving meant that there would be more time for us to spend time together. It felt like saying goodbye to an old friend. Although moving on was so great for our family the last 15 months, it is time again to make a change. And so we are saying goodbye to GROCO.

What I will miss the most: The short lived experience of Josh working in Danville and we were able to have lunch together sometimes - it felt like we were in a movie. The kids have seen or talked to him on the phone every single day since he began at Groco.

I also love the different ways Josh grew personally in the last year+. Josh is a Rotarian, which is actually really cool. He has become very involved in the community and always helping in service projects. Josh also became the Treasurer for Oakland Parks and Rec, and I think if anything, it made him love Northern California even more. And so the decision has been made to stay here in San Ramon! Working for Groco enabled Josh to become more than just a CPA, and learning to love life is something we will never regret.

So...what is the new job?

Josh Waldron. Experienced Assurance Manager for Price Waterhouse Coopers.

I have always known that Josh will be successful at anything he sets his mind to. He is driven, and that is something I love about him. I can brag about him because this is my blog.

I am so excited to see where PwC leads us. ( Even more excited for amazing medical benefits!)

Third time's a charm right?!?

Love you Joshy!

Shelter Cove: Episode 2

We went to my parents' cabin again last weekend. (June14-16). I have decided to post these trips as "episodes" because so much happened this last time.

Day 1: Golfing

After we got to Shelter Cove Saturday, Josh, my Dad and the boys decided to go golfing. The golf course is a small 9-hole course right along the shore next to the town's airstrip. You don't have to call ahead either, you just take your $10.00 and put it in the wooden box and you can golf as long as you want. Apparently 9 holes was too long. After the 7th hole, Josh (my brother) got whacked in the head by Nick. I have no hope that there is any safe sport now. They had to rush him home where my mom did minor surgery with liquid stitches. (super glue).

It wasn't all bad, Josh got spoon fed by me and Kadie while he played his Nintendo D.S.

That night Big Josh did a little "birding" off of the deck.

Day 2: No Church? Let's hit the Beach.

On Sunday we really tried to make it to church on time. It was Father's Day. Big Josh stayed at the cabin with Kadie because she was sick, and the rest of us high-tailed it on the twirly 45 minute road trip to the branch building. Alex was sitting in the way back not feeling so hot...so when we got there to discover that there was no church that day, this is how she looked.

Morgan got a kick out of the "Visitors Welcome" sign. Laney was bummed, the branch only has about 20 people that come regularly, and really no children. I think she wanted the nursery all to herself.

The Beach

We found the regular crabs and starfish, but also some new friends. Big Josh and Morgan hiked over some rocks to get some snap shots of the deer grazing along the waters edge and some fat seals living it up in the waves.

Laney was proud of her "baby frock" (little rock) that she found and took care of.

Nick and Josh made up after the golfing episode and had fun exploring the shore.

Day 3: First Time Fishing

Kadie was able to go fishing for the first time this trip. The guy at the bait shop told us that the best fishing that morning would be right off of the boat dock. I really didn't think anyone would catch a thing.

Wait a minute, what is going on? Is that Josh and Kadie reeling something in? "It's Probably just some seaweed" Dad told Kadie. Look a little closer...that is the Perch that Kadie caught!

While Josh was getting the hook out, Kadie's fish had a few baby fish! It actually grossed me out a little, but was interesting to learn that Perch are one of the only fish that actually birth their little fishy babies live.

Being the sensitive girl that she is, Kadie spent about 10 minutes crying because she felt bad for the baby fish. Then she decided to feed the mama fish some squid and then put the babies out to sea.

Here is another Fish that Josh caught, it looked bigger in person, I swear!

Laney didn't catch anything, but she had fun holding the rod.

That's all Folks! Until next time for episode three!

Climbing

Thanks to my awesome sister Morgan who works at a climbing gym we were able to go Monday night (June 2). It was a full family get-together. Even my sister Kylie and her hubby Mike came! Kylie was a party pooper and didn't even try. KIDDING KYKER~ She is prego. :)

Competitive Josh did the same route as me of course and proved he could climb faster. Whatever, He is 10 inches taller than me! He didn't have to reach for anything.

We even got a harness and teeny weeny climbing shoes on Laney. I think she was a little nervous here.

Here she goes....

Um...ya she didn't like that (lower left). But she gave us all Hi-5's after anyway.

.

Ultimately Laney just wanted to "pretend" to climb, with her feet securely on the floor.

Kadie did so great. She made it all the way to the top for the first time! She even used Morgan's "Monster" chalk bag for good luck and better grip.

Go Kadie, Go Kadie, Go Kadie, GO KADIE!!!

Nice headless shot of me (Leisa) climbing.

The gym playroom was the better place for the girls in the end.

Big Sur

Last weekend we went to Big Sur on a camping trip with our friends the Macdonald's and the Hall's. It was such a fun filled weekend being away from TV, phone, email...I think that we will try to do it more often. Our two little twirly girls are just so in love with the outdoors and played hard all weekend long.

First night, roasting marshmallows.

Kadie with her hopeful betrothed Gavin (His little bro Colby is in the background). Kadie and these boys get along almost too well. We really hope that they stay friends forever. Kadie has great taste in boys already.

This humongous tree was a hit with the kids. Until Kadie tied Colby up and pretended to "rock climb". Poor Colby fell and got a fat lip.

On Saturday we went to the beach. While the kids were busy digging in the sand and running on the shore, the Dad's got in a little bit of mild Rock climbing with a wedding ceremony going on below.

Of course, Kadie, Gavin and Colby had to try out their version of Rock climbing when they saw their Dad's way up high on the cliffs. Laney is almost too much of a beach babe. She didn't take a nap the whole weekend being outside all of the time. She just LOVED getting wet and dirty...she is destined to have many adventures.

After a lot of begging, Kadie finally got Josh over digging in the sand. For some reason Josh was finding all of these strange worm things (gross limp slimy thing hanging from Kadie's finger and swimming in the bucket). Kadie kept calling them Eels...but they looked more like a really huge scary parasite. Any one know what they are?


Laney holding a sand crab...looks like sand, but there really was a crab in there. She is so brave.

After digging for crabs, Laney took a rest in a beach chair and chomped on some cheetos.

Thanks everyone for making it a great weekend! We had a blast, and can't wait to get back to Big Sur camping next year if not sooner!