TLF and Owen's First Birthday

Our 10 days in TLF (Temporary Living Facility) have begun.  You know it's getting down to the wire when you are finally allowed to check into your TLF room.  We were very fortunate to have a friend from work watch Jessie while we stayed in hotel comfort.  All of the pet rooms were full.  We enjoyed larger bedrooms, AFN TV  and house keeping.  The running track was just across the parking lot so we took turns going for morning jogs.

We stayed on the second level so Owen had a view of all the cars coming and going each morning.

Owen loves to put socks in his mouth and crawl around.  Strange habit.

The kids are loving taking baths again.  

Having no bathtub in the apartment meant boring showers for a month.

Spaghetti Face

Last minute play dates with friends (Amelia Willey)

What do you do with no toys and a busy boy......rip paper!

Dave had a date night with Ava.  They went to see Wreck-it Ralph.

Met up with Amelia again.

On our last Sunday, a sweet boy in my Sunday School class named Broden Jones gave me this heart warming letter.

Ava and her friend Ellie Gibbons, just after church.

Lauren Ingersol did an amazing job of capturing our little guys personality in his Cake Smash photo shoot.   Being a second child he doesn't have as many nice pictures, there's just not enough time.  We splurged and he had his special moment.  They are just too cute!

Lauren threw in a couple of Ava, which was so nice.

On his actual birthday (Nov 9th) we had a small party in our little room and invited a few friends over.  Thanks so much for partying with us.  It's hard to celebrate life moments when you're just about to move.

Sheri and Matt Willey

Alexis Meeker and Angela Barrett

Camry Eagar and Me

We played a few games...Pass the present (when the music stops unwrap a layer) but this one isn't good for tiny kids, only 4+ otherwise there is too much crying ,we found that out the hard way. And pin the number 1 on the birthday cake.

Cake was delicious!

 At the end of the party I found Owen chomping away on chips!  Happy Birthday little George!

Guy Fawkes 2012

Guy Fawkes is a little bit crazy and a whole lot of FIRE celebration that they have in the UK. Fawkes was introduced to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. Fawkes was placed in charge of the gun powder hidden under the House of Lords. An anonymous letter lead the authorities to search Westminster Palace during Nov 5 and found Fawkes guarding the explosives. Over the next few days Guy was questioned and tortured, he was to be executed for his crimes on 31 of January but jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hung and broke his neck.  Guy Fawkes Day (Nov 5) commemorates the failure of the infamous Gunpowder Plot.

We supported the local schools by enjoying some of their baked goods

Then watched as the huge bonfire was lit. It was ginormous and warm on such a cold night!

Lit lots of really long sparklers

And watched the finale fireworks

We ran into a few friends

Miss Emma, our favorite teacher from WestRow Preschool

and Lucas our favorite neighbor friend

There was karaoke singing. Lots of drunk Brits participated and then of course Dave got in on the fun.

Ava's almost 5th Birthday

Time is getting short here in England, we only have days left.  I wanted Ava to be able to celebrate her big 5th birthday with friends and since she doesn't actually turn 5 until Dec 1, we celebrated early.  With no home comforts left we held her party at the local base pizza parlor.  The kids were so excited and it was a total noise fest, but so FUN!

Thanks for celebrating with Ava:

Amelia Willey                         Aurora Barrett

 Ellie Gibbons                            Lucas Dean

 The cake was delicious, but in true kid fashion most of them only ate the icing and crumbs that came with the icing!

After pizza, cake and presents we packed up and went on a treasure hunt walk to the Arts and Crafts Center.  Dave hid the clues and at every stop there was a treasure for each kid to put inside there goodie bag.  Lucas (our neighbor) took Ava's hand and walked with her the whole way.  They are 2 peas in a pod and are going to disparately miss each other when we move.   

Found all the clues and are ready to paint our Minnie/Micky Mouse Christmas ornaments

They tried their best and there all going to look great once they are fired!

Halloween 2012

Trying to keep the kids busy and our minds off moving, we went in search of the perfect pumpkin at the Beck Row pumpkin patch.  They have pony rides and local crafters set up.  Ava wanted her face painted to be a pink Tiger, and the painter did a great job.

Sooo Scary!

 The pumpkins this year were really green...disapointing

It was a bit soggy and cold but we made the best of it.  Good thing we found our perfect pumpkins before the rain started.

A Tiger enjoying a few festive chocolate eyeballs

These are the Miller's 2012 Halloween Jackolanterns

Our costumes had to be planned out months in advance.  Needless to say Dave and I were lame.  Dave used a free wig that came in the Madagascar 2 DVD case and was a Clown (a little more Rodeo then Circus) and I was a witch (somehow I forgot to get a picture.) 

The last time we had to PCS during Halloween we were just as lame, Oct 2009

 Owen trying on Dave's wig.
He would have made a really cute clown!

Ava and Owen went as Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ and a skeleton. I made Ava's apron dress from an old bed sheet, which had to be done before the movers took my sewing machine.

Halloween is getting bigger and bigger in the UK but we still wanted to be sure our candy was GONE at the end of the night, so we opted to go on base.  There are so many kids trick or treating on base that they close the streets and they are flooded with little goblins running around.  Most people are out of candy in 20-30 minutes!  We met up with friends for some food and fun.

Dave posing with our Super Hero Bishop Boden

 We had so much candy, Ava was more then willing to share 

Owen on the other hand was a hoarder...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2012