Oxford

We've been here now for one whole month. And a full month it has been. So we live in Oxford now. Whew! I feel as though we talked about it, planned, visualized for a really long time, and then, in no time at all, it became our normal everyday.

So let's see what's happened...

We moved. Zooey did wonderful with the traveling. He didn't meltdown until we landed in London, resulting in us having to carry him through customs along with our overstuffed luggage and somehow we forgot to pick up the stroller at baggage claim. By that time we were all hitting our wall. Zooey immediately fell asleep in the cab to the hotel.

The first of three airplanes

Our  13 boxes being loaded on the truck to somewhere. We thought that we would be getting our stuff today. As it turns out, today may be the day it arrives to England. Then it has to sit in customs for at least 5 days. After that the company can make arrangements with us for delivery. This would have been extremely useful information for us to have about two months ago when we were carefully planning to travel with only enough for the first three weeks. ugh. 

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland. A wonderful distraction during our 9 hour layover. 

Resting up for one more flight

London

Z didn't make it to dinner - Josh and I were hanging on by a thread - Still exciting to be eating at an old favorite - Wagamama's

Headed to Oxford

Zooey discovered the double decker buses 

We're having fun exploring and getting to know our new town. It's slowly starting to feel permanent instead of like a long vacation. We've luckily enjoyed tons of great weather, which I like to think of as a 'welcoming gift'. Thanks, Oxford!

cheers,
Kelly

I love this. Be encouraged.

Kelly

Oh The Places You'll Go

A friend sent this to me. I DO so love Dr. Seuss! I get get teary eyed almost every time I read one of his stories to my students.

I'm tired

I feel a lot of things about teachers and education and the way children think and learn. It's an exhausting discussion that I often shut down about, because I can't see the solution or the winning point. I quit talking about it and just go back to my classroom. I do however get fired up/furious/sad when teachers are lumped together as whole single unit working to destroy the lives of the children we come in contact with.

I don't blame parents for the problems in education. However, I don't think it's all my fault either. :)

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/09/the-exhaustion-of-the-american-teacher/

The Summer Review

Now that school is in full swing and somewhat less time consuming, I looked back through pictures of the long forgotten summer. We were fortunate to have an action packed one full of adventure and family time. Here are a few pictures to prove it.

Zooey turned two  in June and we celebrated with a few friends in the backyard. There were Super kid capes, a new sandbox, sprinklers, bubbles and lots of cupcakes!

Zooey and I took a road trip to Mississippi to see Grammi and Pappi. We got to stop in Hattiesburg to see Aunt Amy, at work at the zoo, along the way. She gave us the VIP treatment complete with a train ride, petting zoo and up close snake encounters. (Amy will definitely be the wild/fun aunt.)  Zooey is NOT afraid of snakes and may think that he can pet them. :)

 The Shepherd's went to Colorado!!! It seems like a dream  that we actually drove across the country, rented an apartment and lived in Fort Collins for a month. It was a joking conversation at first that neither of us really thought was possible, but the pieces fell into place and we jumped at the chance to escape the Florida July heat.

 The River, our favorite

enchanted forests

where buffalo roam

camping, hiking

more river time

The Great Stupa at the Shambhala Mountain Center

As I said before, lots of adventure. 

Next on the list... The Fall Review - the adventure continues.

Baking with Zooey

The weather was actually cold this weekend, so it was a perfect time to make cookies! My friend, Laurie- an awesome cook, made me so happy awhile back when she posted her cookie recipe, so Zooey and I decided to try it out.

With not a lot of counter space and Zooey wanting to be in the middle of the action, we mixed our cookies on the floor.

Zooey's stirring was a bit flingy.

Zooey sneaking raisins from the batter. Stir a little...snack a lot.

Yummy success!

Even though I miss a really cold snowy day, a Florida winter has a few perks. There are tons of awesome, blue sky, sunny, warmish days that are perfect for picnics and hikes, as evidenced below: