Playing Outside in the Late Afternoon

The weather seems to be getting slightly cooler...well, it still reaches 80s, but sometimes in the shade, it can be pleasant...first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.

Ruby and I sat outside in the backyard one late afternoon and she loved watching the breeze swishing the leaves in the trees and feeling the grass in her toes.

Four Generations

During my stay in Beaumont we took a four generations picture...my mamaw, my mom, Ruby and me.

Ruby meets more of her family

I visited my parents for a week and while there I took Ruby around to meet some more of her family. She met...

Her Great Grandfather (my dad's dad)




Her Great Grandmother (my Mamaw, my mom's mom)




And her Great Aunt Elaine (my mom's sister)

Grapefest

Today we met Annette, Sakari and their 10 month old baby, Matias at Grapefest in Grapevine.



It was a hot, sunny day, and we enjoyed strolling through the festival...



Stopping off to feed the babies...



Eating festival food (corn dogs)...yum!

Ruby enjoys storytime

My mom gave us lots of books for Ruby. I thought Ruby was too young to pay attention to them, but she really enjoys storytime. When she is not trying to eat the books, she seems to look at the pictures and reach out for the various textures. So far, 'Curious George ABCs' and 'That's not my kitten' are clear favorites.

Just as cute as a button

Here is a cute photo of Ruby looking at me...so sweet!

Video - Ruby laughing at her daddy

Ruby is becoming more and more animated everyday. Her favorite spot is the changing table, where she loves to chat and laugh! Here is a picture of Ruby laughing at her daddy.

Unpacking and flatpack furniture

This past week we have been unpacking day and night. Our most productive time has been after Ruby goes to bed at 8 pm.

After a trip to Ikea last weekend, Alex put together 6 pieces of flatpack furniture - WOW! Here he is in action!



And here is Ruby enjoying a shopping trip to Lowe's...

If you are thinking of making an international move with a baby...

DON'T !!!!!



Although Ruby has adapted really well, it has been very challenging trying to pack, unpack and get settled in while keeping her entertained!!!

Ruby meets the Goodells

We had a short stay in Beaumont while we packed our things, but we had some time to visit with my parents, my sister and one of my brothers.It was their first time meeting Ruby (except my mom who stayed with us right after Ruby was born)! Here are some of my favorite pics from this past weekend...

My mom (aka Grannie Lynn)



My dad (aka Grandpa Goodell)



My sister (aka Aunt Mollie)...



My brother (aka Uncle Allan)...

Roadtrip to Beaumont

We drove to Beaumont to pick up the furniture and boxes that my parents helped us store for the last three and a half years.

We really enjoyed driving through the countryside...passing fields of cows, roadside BBQ places, small towns with only one traffic light, etc. Here are a few pics from the journey there:

Views of downtown Dallas...



Open roads...



Ahhh, huuuuge American flag...



Cow pastures...

Moving Day - Part one

(Here's where we are living...)

We moved in two stages...Part one involved loading and unloading the 20 suitcases we brought from London into the new house...Part two involved going to Beaumont to pick up all the furniture and boxes my parents helped us store (Thanks again mom and dad for helping us to store things, pack things up and get them back to Dallas!)

Labor Day burgers with friends

Alex grilled some fantastic burgers and some friends came over to visit on Labor Day. Despite the near 100 degree temps, we enjoyed sitting out on the patio and catching up.

Night on the town without Ruby

Alex and I went to a wedding Saturday night while Mrs. Macnab watched Ruby. We had a nice evening without a baby in tow.

Video - New Laughing Noises

We are always looking for new ways to make Ruby smile and laugh because it is just so cute! Yesterday we discovered that putting our face on Ruby's chest works pretty well...funny video.

Sunday night BBQ

We met Kate, Allen, Alex at the Hard Eight BBQ restaurant on Sunday night. We had some fantastic ribs, brisket and sausage and listened to live music in the background.

Ruby's first trip to Tom Thumb (grocery store)

We took Ruby to Tom Thumb and carried her facing forward in her baby carrier. She loved looking at all the fruits and veggies!

Alex and I were amazed at the selection of types of mayo, BBQ sauce, good fresh seafood, salad dressings, etc! Everything is so much different than London. We look forward to doing a shrimp boil, grilling some good Texas steaks, and trying out all of our old favorites!

Mmmmm...tex mex food!

Alex and I had our first tex mex meal since returning from London! It was delicious....we really missed good chips and salsa!

Ruby tries out her new chair

Since Ruby has started pulling herself to sit up lately, we bought her a chair to help her get used to sitting. She seems to like being able to look at things from a different angle.

Settling into things in Texas

(Lesley and Neil - Thanks for the cute Paddington Bear!)

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Within 3 days, we've managed to find a house to rent in Grapevine (while we look for a house to buy next year) and we've bought a Nissan Murano! I haven't driven in three and a half years while we lived in London, so it was an adventure driving home from the dealership!



Ruby seems to be enjoying Texas so far, although it has been quite a challenge for us to look at houses and shop for cars with a baby in tow! We are looking forward to moving into our new home and not living out of suitcases anymore.

Farewell London...Hello Dallas

On January 18^th, 2006 Alex and I arrived in London with only a few pieces of luggage and loads of excitement about living abroad. Neither of us had jobs and we were taking a gamble that one of us would find work so that we could continue our European adventure. Luckily things worked out and we have lived in London for nearly 4 years.

We have had such a fantastic time in London and have made so many good friends. We've gained some excellent work experience. And, while living abroad we have had the opportunity to travel to many places including France, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Italy, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Morrocco, Indonesia, India, China, and Taiwan...and lots of quaint places in England as well.

On September 1st, 2009 Alex, Ruby and I loaded up 20 suitcases, 3 carryons and two 'laptop' bags and flew back to Dallas, Texas. Miraculously, Ruby was a star, and handled the flight over very well. She shocked us by not having any jet lag or strange reaction to the different time zone. She has already settled into Texas time, and the only thing throwing her for a loop are the near 100 degree temperatures and the blazing sunshine!

So far, Ruby has spent time with some of her grandparents (and will spend time with my parents soon!), and she has met her Aunt Kate, Uncle Allen and cousin Alex. Ruby is now caught up on her immunizations for the US and we have introduced her to Super Target. I wonder what she thinks of the Texas accents after hearing the British accent for the first four months of her life.

We are busy trying to buy a car and find a place to live (New address and mobile numbers coming soon).

Reflecting on the last few years and thinking of our upcoming adventures in Dallas, we think we are going to miss and look forward to the following things....

Some things we will miss about living in London...

• Friends
• Energy and buzz of living in and walking around a big, busy city
  
• Great people watching everywhere - especially from the top of the red double-decker bus!
  
• Markets - Borough, Portabello, Spitalfields, Camden
• Pubs - a nice relaxing place to meet friends, hang out, have a pint, enjoy an English breakfast or a Sunday roast (some of our favorites were the Earl Spencer, Trafalgar, and the White Horse)
  
• Sense of history, international flair and great culture - festivals, museums and galleries, monuments, castles, etc
  
• Easy access to European destinations (I will miss the cheap Easy Jet fares...my best deal was a £50 round trip fare from London to Provence, including taxes!)
  
• London Public Transport (well some aspects like going out for the night and not worrying about parking, being able to zone out during the journey)
• Spending time in the parks, picnics, feeding the swans in Kensington Gardens
  
• Great variety of good beer (this was one of Alex's contributions to the list, obviously!)
• Yummy Indian food - we had a great place one block from our flat!

Some things we look forward to in Dallas...

• Spending time with family and friends
  
• Ruby getting to know her grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousin
• A slower pace of life and settling into things
  
• Spicy food, Tex-Mex and BBQ (Chuy's, Mia's, Chipotle, Bakers Ribs, and Fat Macs, here we come!)
  
• Driving (well, some aspects...like night drives and road trips)
• Super Target and 24 hour Wal-Mart - (I know this may sound silly to some people, but I miss the convenience of these stores!)
• Less rain!!!
  
• Watching Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno
• Fishing with my dad (and one day taking Ruby as well!)