Across the Pond

Well, we are here and pretty settled in. Both of the children did well on the plane. Emerson was delighted with the "goodie" bag provided by Delta- particularly the face mask that enabled her to get some serious beauty sleep while in the air.

We have been greeted by amazing autumn weather. In fact, we are getting a little bit spoiled- blue skies, crisp sunny days, and falling leaves. We have very little of the gray, soggy days that we were expecting. It has been a blessing to have this transition as we learn our way around our new neighborhood.

In typical Rachael fashion, I didn't let any dust settle under my feet when we arrived. My mom was with me for a week so I decided to maximize every moment of her help. We dropped our suitcases by the flat, took a look around and headed off to Ikea for a marathon 5 hour shopping trip. Our purchases were delivered the next morning at 9am and Trey immediately got to work assembling our furniture. Mom was a huge help as we tried to fill up our flat, stock the pantry, help the kids adjust to the new time zone, etc. We were sad to see her go last week, but are so pleased to have our family unit back under the same roof.

We like our flat and particularly our building. It is a great community of international graduate students with families so there are loads of children and a great back garden for playing. Emerson has enjoyed watching other children play from our kitchen window each afternoon. After a few days she worked up the courage to go out and meet a few children and now she is eager to play outside at any free moment.

We were expecting a 3 bedroom flat, however, when we arrived quickly learned that that meant no family room. So we have modified our space and Emerson and Ward are sharing a room so that our 3rd bedroom is a family room. Because I am working for home this space is essential since it serves as an office for me, playroom for the children, and sitting room for all of us. We also found out a couple of days after we got here, that the University has been renovating the flats. Most of them have had a complete overhaul (new kitchens: floor to ceiling, new furniture, paint, drapes, etc). As you can probably see, though, we managed to be assigned an unrefurbished flat. So, we are enjoying the luxuries of the 70's and thirty years worth of short-stay tenants. All joking aside... because it's not funny to mommy:) we feel very privileged to have a great deal of space, lots of windows, trees, and green space so close to the city.

2 weeks in Kiawah

Our final two weeks in the States have been spent in Kiawah Island, SC with my family. Emerson, Ward and I are enjoying some R&R while Trey is already hard at work in our sparcely furnished student flat. Emerson and her cousin Lois have had a great time jumping waves, building sand castles and riding bikes. Ward pretty much sticks to his typical baby routine- eating, sleeping...you know the rest. I have enjoyed having lots of eager hands to snuggle, hold, and help out with the little ones.

Both of my sisters have been here with their families. We have had great benefits from having our babies in "pairs". Emerson and Lois are only a few weeks apart, as are Ward and Aubrey. This makes for great play partners. We have had some great girl time before we spread out all over the map. The boys (Daniel, Brett, and Dad) have missed having Trey here- not only for his excellent company but because he is the fourth player in all of their beach games. Emerson, Ward, and I have missed having our Daddy and feel a little guilty enjoying these lovely accomodations, sunshine, and beach time while he is in Scotland making preparations for our arrival. We have been blessed to have this time and are getting very excited about our travel to our new home in Edinburgh next week.