A Great Visit!

Today is the last day here for Clay, Eve and the kids. We had a great time and it was wonderful to see all the kids and great for them to get reaquainted. Lochlan, Brodie and Riley beat each other up, played soccer/football and made faces at each other, Grace and Miah took a bit longer to find their groove but ended up two peas in a pod, climbing (on things they weren't supposed to), walking babies and dressing up. Olivia and Fiona gobbed and smiled at one another. It was really nice to see them play together. The Mom's and Dad's had a good time too, enjoyed the scenery, some surfing (Dad's only)and just plain catching up. We also had a surprise visit from a family friend(Mark & Clay's old neighbour) Michael Dunham and his girlfriend Kelly. It has been since our wedding that anyone has seen Michael and we had a great visit. Kelly is English and Michael is spending the summer here. Even though I'm going to date myself I have to say that they are a really nice couple of kids and we really enjoyed their visit.

We're sad to see everyone go but are very happy they came. We just hope they enjoyed their visit as much as we did! Here are some pics of the last week and half. L

PS I would like to add that Miah was up to her usual tricks, involving her brother this time as they were sharing a room. Toothpaste (duo) and ahhhh of course diaper cream (see pic in slide show).

6 Mos Old

So our youngest hit the 6 mos. old mark today. Crazy! Half way through her first year and I feel like I just blinked. She is great. She is my little mover and shaker. I put her in one spot, leave for a minute, come back and she is in another. She rolls, shimmies and schooches. She is such an easy baby, content, travels well, sleeps well. Almost makes you want another...but not quite! She's quite alert and has a real interest in toys, which means we're entering the everything in the mouth stage, lovely. I haven't weighed her but she's on the petite side and I think may end up being short. Either way she's healthy and growing well. Here some pics of our special babe with her main squeeze Manni.

Fun Activities

We've kept ourselves busy the last few days, aside from looking after kids that is. Monday we went to Church Cove. We packed a lunch and had a picnic on the beach. The kids played in the sand/water and got soping wet and dirty and had a great time! Tuesday we went to Falmouth and had donuts and did some shopping (mostly window) and today we went the National Seal Sanctuary, followed by the building/installation of our new sand pit(box). The kids are having fun with their cousins and everyone is enjoying the activities. Other than that just thr regular stuff. Here are some pics from the last few days. L

Time is Flying

Spring is here, I can't believe it's the middle of May already. Everyone here is doing great (except for the most recent run of the flu/cold). We are all enjoying the weather and the time outside. Our guests Clay/Eve and the kids arrived last night after a long trip safe and sound. Bit on the tired side but none the worse for wear. We are just having a quite day, giving everyone a little time to recoup.

I wanted to post a few pictures of Miah from the other day. We had a dress up morning and she put on the tutu that Auntie Heather and the girls picked out for her. She also had her hair in pigs tails for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa Kotzer gave her some money for her birthday and she picked out barrets, elastics and a head band. Hairs a bit short, but really cute none the less. I'm also going to include a few pics of Major Kotzer #2 and some other pics. If it works, I will put on a video of Miah, however I haven't had much luck lately. Cheers L

Flora Day

May 8th was Flora Day in Helston. It is a pagan celebration, celebrating spring that has now become a town celebration. We took the kids down town and took in some of the festivities. There are three dances throughout the day and one ceremony meant to ward off evil spirits. We managed to catch two of the dances and view the decorations (the buildings are covered with fresh cut flowers). Some of our neighbours danced in the last dance of the day. Here are some pics.

News

Hi all. Mark here. So, it being May, we are getting near a full year of living in England. Sadly, my best faux accent is still horrible... the closest thing I can manage to a Cornish accent sounds like something more like a drunken New Zealander... still working on it though. Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa K... we now have about 60 boxes of Kraft dinner... a year's supply as far as I can tell! Work for me is OK, a bit of travelling but all in all it the workload is more than reasonable. Good thing for that, because we will be pretty busy next week... Clay, Eve and the crew will be making their way out here from Kingston to stay with us for a few weeks. Miah and Lochlan can't wait to see their cousins... hopefully the time zone change won't be too bad for them... Summer seems to finally have arrived. It has been 18 C for the last few days, and I now need to mow the lawn weekly (arrrrrgh!). Oh yes, before I forget, all of you who complain about the $1.25 per liter of gas, well, diesel here just hit $2.40 a liter, so you have it pretty good! Not much else new, other than the fact that I know much more about Brit politics than I would ever have liked to! (PS Gordon Brown is going down...) Hope this finds you all well. M