Note: Paul and I were just rereading some of our journal entries from our first arrival in the UK, and I just want to make a public apology for anyone who met me or had any contact with me at all during that time. The last few months have been without question the most difficult of my life. Definitely some dark days. BUT I can honestly say today that I am HAPPY to be where I am! I am in fact LOVING it! We had to go through some rough stuff to be where we are, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thanks to everyone who has supported us thus far, and special thanks for the people in the UK who befriended me AT MY WORST. And sorry about all of that.
SO many adventures this week!
Monday was DANCE. I finally convinced myself to go take a class. The only time that fit in our schedules was the Advanced Contemporary Class. It took me 1.5 hours to get to Erin’s house where I dropped off the girls, then took a 20 minute trip to the studio downtown. Paul picked up the girls after class and took them home while I was making a fool of myself. Ha! Honestly, considering I haven’t taken class in ages and I’ve recently had a baby, I did pretty well. Shantal was there as well, and she reassures me that I wasn’t completely rubbish. Even if I was, I’m just proud of myself for going. It felt good to move, and I actually appreciated feeling sore all week. I think I’ll go back.
Tuesday, I was sore, and I didn’t really feel like going out… But I felt like Rachel would have fun at gymnastics, so we made a brave attempt. After all the trouble of getting there, the gym was full, and we had to turn around and walk back to the bus. Rachel was really fussy, so we stopped by the new ice cream place with a soft play area. She had fun playing with Eleanor while I chatted with Shantal. I’m so glad we get to spend time with them! Rachel loves Eleanor, and I love Shantal, so we always have fun all together. On the bus ride home, a woman fell and hit her head, so we had to wait for an ambulance. Then we waited some more while they assessed her and got her off the bus, and then the driver came on and told us we would all need to get off and take another bus. We all piled in the next one, but there was already a pram and an old man with a walker, so there was absolutely no room for my ginormous double stroller. We managed to stand in the aisle, and I had to pull us off to let people out, then get back on at every bus stop until the pram lady left. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time we got home. I was feeling better after we all napped (a miracle!) but I discovered we were missing some key ingredients for dinner! Paul only has a few minutes to eat and change on Tuesday nights before correlation, so I wanted to have dinner ready when he walked in. I had 30 minutes to spare, so I piled the girls in the stroller and literally RAN up the street to buy what we needed. We made it home in 20 minutes, and I was frantically cutting up avocado and chicken, the babies were crying, and my poor achy body was about to faint when Paul walked in the door. He took one look at me and said “I’m not going anywhere tonight.” I felt bad that he missed his meeting, but he reminded me that “family comes first”. I so badly wanted to be super-mom/super-wife and have dinner ready, kids happy, the house clean, and all that jazz… I couldn’t help but feel like a failure. But I’m grateful that he took the opportunity to take care of me.
Wednesday was a CAROL BEASLEY day! She brought me a delicious chocolate cake and a gorgeous scarf from Mauritius for my birthday! And there’s a spa day in the future… AH!!! So excited! She took us to the Bleakhouse Library-about 10 minutes away-where they have a baby clinic. (Here in the UK, you take the baby to a nurse at the regular doctor’s (GP) office for shots and sick visits. Well visits or development checks are done by the health visitor.) They weighed Alice in at 22 pounds 4 ounces. The lady made me weigh her twice, then said “Can I just speak with my colleague for a moment?” They whispered together for a minute, and then asked “And yeh just breast feedin’ her, yeah?” “Yes. I know she’s big…” “That’s amazing!” she said. “Amazing that yeh’ve been breast feedin’ her that long, and yeh know, you should bottle and sell that stuff! It’s amazing!” We were laughing about it as I put Alice’s clothes back on, then I asked about measuring her, and they said “Oh sorry, you’ll have to do that next time. She has to be naked for us to get her length.” What?? No you don’t. Oh well. They want me to bring her back in a few weeks anyway. We’ll do it then.
Thursday morning, I specifically prayed for an opportunity to serve someone. During the afternoon, I got a text from the missionaries, and I almost said no, but I remembered my prayer! It was answered! So, I went out teaching with Sister Eldridge and Sister Stone! They are such amazing missionaries. I was so uplifted by going to visit Reza. We were having trouble communicating since he speaks Farsi, but we invited him to be baptized on the 15th! He basically said “I know I will be baptized, but maybe after the summer or something.” We asked if he would say a prayer with us right then, so we knelt down, and he prayed in Farsi. When he finished, he said “Yeah. I will be baptized. I am free whenever God wants me.” It was so sweet to be a part of that experience. He is so humble! I love watching him learn.
Friday morning, we went to the store with Paul, and I attempted to clean the house while he was gone in the afternoon. It literally took 4.5 hours to sweep and mop the downstairs. It’s probably a good thing we have a smaller house. I feel like I do housework all day, but I get nothing done. It’s remarkable, really.
Saturday was one of my favorite days ever! Carol collected our family while Mike, Jacob, and Rebecca did some baptisms at the Preston Temple. We met up with Rachael Pratt and Dillon at the accommodations where there is a nursery! It has a big TV, tables and chairs, toys, and even a crib! We ate some lunch and left the kids to watch Rachel and Alice while the adults did a session. I’d never been to the Preston Temple, and it’s been about 6 months since we were last able to go to a temple in Utah, so I was just blissfully soaking it all in. Carol’s niece was going through for the first time, and as I was sitting behind her, I was constantly reminded of my own experience nearly 4 years ago. I just love the temple! It was nice to walk around the beautiful grounds and see where the British Pageant took place. There is a special feeling on those grounds. I wish I could live there year-round!
When we finished, Rachel had fallen asleep in the crib, so we waited a little bit before all going out to eat! Little Alice was a bit fussy at the restaurant, but Rachael Pratt carried her around so I could finish my dinner. We all had such a nice time visiting together. The journey home was a bit rough, but we survived alright. (It was a good test run for our road trip to Scotland in a few weeks! Stickers, snacks, and Charlie and Lola books are essential.)
Today was a lovely day at church. Sister Eldridge and Elder Higham are going home Tuesday, so they gave wonderful talks in Sacrament meeting. After church, I went to catch the bus, but it was raining, and the next bus was a 20 minute wait. So I was able to get a ride from a sweet man in the ward. He’s helped us out a lot, and I am always so grateful! Paul had to stay for ward council and 4 baptisms! We had Joe and Naomi McMorn and their three little boys over for dinner, which was so fun! They are great people, and we loved getting to know them better. Plus, it’s great for Rachel to learn how to share. Naomi made an AMAZING cake for dessert. She let us keep the left overs, but I don’t think they’ll last the night. Ha!
Other highlights of the week include breakfast for dinner-when Paul made Eggs Benedict!
And receiving a birthday card from Grandma and Grandpa! Also, I won a piano on ebay!!!! My parents wired us money specifically for a piano birthday present. They insisted! So, I found this one on ebay and we just have to go collect it! So excited!
Rachel’s Corner:
(You can't tell from the picture, but I french braided her hair to be "like Elsa and Anna".)
Talks about getting baptized every time she sees water, including bath time.
On the way home from the temple, she made up her first real song. It goes “Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow, rainbow.”
She can nearly do her “Mike Wazowski” puzzle all by herself!
All About Alice:
Slept a couple 11 hour nights last week! Wahoo!!
She’s been a little fussy these days. Now that she can roll from back to front, she gets stuck and needs a bit of help rolling back. Also, she doesn’t like to stay in one position too long. Needs to be held, sit in the bumbo, lay on the ground, change directions, etc. Keeps me busy!
I just love to eat her chubby cheeks!
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