Birthday Celebration!!!

For me??!! While Grandpa and Grandmom were here, we had an early birthday celebration for Dan. He loved it!!! As you can tell, he was a little surprised by the cake and candle. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he quickly got the hang of things.

Presents, presents, presents! Dan loved ripping the paper off of the gifts that Grandpa and Grandmom brought for him. He didn't even eat the paper! He went right for the sweet gifts inside :)

Dan LOVES his new train, Bible, and book! Thank you Grandpa and Grandmom!

Fun Video at 11 Months!!

Dan is quite the talker these days (no actual words yet except "daddy" which is precious!). We took this video a little while ago. He chatters away and loves it when we get down on the floor with him. We become human jungle gyms!

Our adventure home

After my parents left, Joe, Dan and I made our way home. It was a rainy morning, so we bundled up and headed to the train station. Here is a picture right outside our hotel with a great view of Edinburgh Castle.

Hiya Grandpa and Grandmom!!!

My mom and dad came for a visit to St. Andrews and we had such a great time. Dan LOVED having them here and I feel like we saw so much. To start things off, we had high tea at our house. I had so much fun making the menu. It was as follows: scones (of course), oatcakes and brie, chicken salad sandwiches, vegetable plate with tzatziki (not exactly scotish), fruit plate with yogurt dip, chocolate spice cookies, and tea! We had a great time and it was a fun way to welcome them to our home.

Dan had lots of time in Grandpa and Grandmom's laps. This photo captures one of these precious moments.
On the Monday after they got here, we took a road trip to Perth. We stayed in a fabulous old Scottish home outside of Perth, close to Scone (procounced "Sk-oo-n"). This is a picture of the view that we had right outside our hotel...absolutely beautiful!

Here is Grandmom with Dan in front of the hotel, Murrayshall. We had an amazing dinner there...one of the most formal and elegant I have ever had!

We visited Scone Castle while there. The grounds were gorgeous (we even accidentally had a view of the grounds that were off limits to ordinary visitors like us..oops! :)

Later in the week, we all headed to Edinburgh. Our hotel was situated right below the breathtaking Edinburgh Castle. Here's our group at the top of the hill, in front of the castle.

Dan was a trooper as he viewed everything from Daddy's back! He was so cute and excited!

And of course, the excitement usually leads to...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I just had to capture this nap on film, because it was raining and we faced some of the strongest winds ever! They closed down the castle after we left because the winds were no longer safe. All the while, Dan slept...that's my boy!

A close up of the drool and precious sleeping babe.

We said goodbye to Grandpa and Grandmom in Edinburgh. This is the morning that they left. We had such a wonderful time and hated to see them go! We love you!!!! Thank you so much for everything!!!

Grandmom had to get in one last blubber...priceless!

A Walk to Remember

It's a beautiful Saturday here and we started the day with a walk through a part of St. Andrews that we had not seen. The walk is entitled "Lade Brae's Walk" and it passes through the back side of town and takes its travelers along a brook, beautiful homes, and fanciful parks for the "wee ones". The first two pictures below are taken of some of the views while we were still in the heart of the town.

At one of the parks, we saw our friends and the dads took our littles on the horsie. Our friends joined us for the rest of our walk...we had alot of fun getting to know them better amongst beautiful scenery.

This spot was our destination and the end of our walk. It truly was picturesque.

What's full Saturday without some rough play with Daddy at the end?

Out and about in St. Andrews!

Here is our home. We love it! It is what we call a duplex, but what is called a "semi-detached home" here :) Our neighbors are great and the beach is really close. I love the red ivy and will be sad when the leaves fall. We have room for visitors...make plans for a trip!!!

Just one block behind our house is a beautiful park. Dan loves to swing and so far we have gone just about every day.

We headed to the "West Sands" Beach (we live by the "East Sands") one weekend. Here, Daddy and Dan are enjoying a banana-sand combo.

A view of the town from the beach. This is the beach where "Chariots of Fire" was filmed.

Dan loves the water and especially the seagulls! He looks up right away when he hears one.

This was taken in the heart of the town in Church Square. The library, a fun bakery and the church where John Knox preached are all just a few steps away from this spot.

We're here!!! Tea anyone???

Yes, we are safe and sound in our new home in St. Andrews, Scotland. We arrived three weeks ago and are loving learning so much about our new surroundings. I'm sorry for the delay in postings, but one of our first lessons was how to deal with phone/internet companies here. Ha! Have you ever heard of renting a phone line??? Well, apparently that's what one must do here, THEN you can set up everything else. Our life does indeed include alot of warm tea here. I understand now why it is such a vital part of British culture. When it is so cold outside, nothing sounds better than a warm mug in your hand.

Here is a brief recap of our trip and arrival. We left Dallas full of excitement. We weren't sure how little Dan would do on the plane but, all in all, he did just fine. He basically partied through the night, but a party was much better than a tantrum so we were happy to play with him. The drive from Edinburgh to St. Andrews was simply "brilliant" (as they say here). As we approached our new little town, it was hard to believe that it was really going to be our home. St. Andrews is one of the quaintest towns I have ever seen. The cobble stone roads, ancient ruins, and beautiful beaches are just a few of the things that make it so unique.

After a few days, we began to feel more at home (and rested). Joe has now started classes and we are figuring out our daily routines. It is just about a 10-15 minute (10 for Joe, 15 for me and Dan) walk to town, so getting around is very easy and fun. It's amazing how much walking your life involves when you walk everywhere you go!

We've met some wonderful people and are starting to build relationships here. There is a wonderful community of St. Mary's (Joe's specific Divinity School) wives that I have gotten to know, and LOTS of babies. Dan will fit right in.

Well, I have so much more to tell but I know it will come out in more postings. So, here is a video of Dan at dinner time here (for some reason the program is not letting me post pictures...more to come). He has adjusted really well to life here. I was surprised how quickly he adapted to the new time zone, surroundings, etc.! Thank you so much to all of you for your love and support. We miss you all!