Punting with Grandpa and Grandma

We took Grandpa and Grandma punting their first full day here in Cambridge. The weather was perfect, the river not too crowded, and we all had lots of fun.

Typical Summer Day with the Brutons

For us, this summer, a typical day consisted of the following:

• 7:30-8am-ish--Henry wakes us up. He's decided recently that 9am is overrated. I disagree, but whatever. 


• 8am-ish--Derek or I, we take turns, gets up with Henry, changes his diaper, gives him some milk, and then plays for about an hour. Then, whoever was still in bed comes down to play with Henry and the other goes back to bed for 30-60 minutes. Yes, seriously. we are that lazy. 


• 9am-ish--we all have breakfast together. Derek usually has granola with dried strawberries, Henry has buttered toast and helps me with my bowl of cereal. 


• 9:15-ish--Derek and I take turns showering. I have to run into the bathroom and close the door before Henry figures out what I'm doing, because he thinks he should get to shower with me. I let him jump in with me a few times (ok, more than a few. It was easier when Derek was gone early in the morning) and now he thinks my shower time is his shower time. * sigh * 


• 10am-ish--once we're all ready, dressed, hair done, the whole bit, we go outside. Derek has been working every day up until the last week, so he was usually upstairs writing his dissertation and Henry and I headed to the park to play. We love the playground at Lammas Land, but if I have errands to run in centre we play at the one in Christ's Pieces. It's closer to the shopping. 


• 12:30-1pm-ish--I make lunch for us all. Pasta or PBJs are our staples, with quesadillas thrown in here and there to add variety. I know, so exciting. Once in a while, we have chicken salad sandwiches. 
• 1:30-2pm-ish--Henry goes down for a nap. He gets a bit of milk and a snuggle before he goes up to bed, and lately he has been so tired from running around outside he falls asleep in my arms. I LOVE that. While he's napping, I usually read for a while or work and then take a nap myself. 


• 3:30-4pm-ish--Henry wakes up, which means I get woken up. We come downstairs and have a snack. Our favorite is strawberries with cream or something chocolatey. The best. We also like to read stories for a while. Like, 8-12 of his books. 


• 4:30-5:30pm-ish--We either go for a walk (all 3 Brutons) or we play with Henry's toys. We prefer getting outside, though. Our usual destination is the Botanic Gardens, but sometimes errands or a playground win out. 


• 6pm-ish--Dinner! We try to stay consistent with dinner time, because Henry has a hard time if we don't. 


• 6:30-7:30pm-ish--Derek and Henry play while I get the dishes done. Honestly, I enjoy doing the dishes because it's "me" time. I don't have to worry about what Henry's doing, and I can just stand there, wash, and think. Or talk to Derek. When I'm done with the dishes (that doesn't take an hour, people), I play with Derek and Henry. We like blocks, the train, and reading stories. 


• 7:30pm-ish--Henry's bath time. We can't use the words shower, bath, tub, or clean without him running to the bathroom trying to pull his clothes off. He loves taking a bath. Especially bubble baths. 


• 8pm--ish--Henry gets "lotioned and potioned," and then we go downstairs for milk and story time. Derek reads to us from our book about Cambridge while Henry drinks his milk, then we have family prayer. Lately, we've been reading Owl Babies every night. He LOVES it and has even started mimicking Daddy's voice. We caught it on video tonight, and I hope that the video turns out (check back another time to see that, I hope). 


• 8:30pm-ish--my favorite part of the day: family hugs and kisses. Derek or I hold Henry, and he puts his arms around both of us. We have a good sqeezy hug, then say "Give Daddy kisses!" and Henry and I both kiss Daddy. Then Derek says: "Give Mommy kisses!" and I get kisses from both my boys. Then "Henry kisses!" you get the picture. I LOVE it. Now that Henry gives kisses, I ask for them at any opportunity. But this moment, this 20 seconds of hugging my boys, is the BEST time of the day. We are awesome. 


• 8:32pm-ish--Henry goes up to bed, waving "nigh-nigh" to whoever stays sitting on the couch. He goes to bed like a champ, talking to Duxford (his bear) for a minute or two before falling asleep. 


• 8:35pm-10/11pm-ish--Derek and I get to work. I actually work work, like, for Ancestry, and Derek either works on his dissertation or works on something he's designing or he reads the news/comics. This is quiet time for us, but it's still work. 


• 11pm-ish--we usually decide we want to watch something, a show on BBC or a movie. I know it's ridiculous to start something that late, but we both enjoy the winding down time and the chance to snuggle just the two of us. 


• 12am-ish--We haul ourselves up to bed. 

Honestly, it's a pretty busy typical day. I'm not going to miss juggling school, work, and Mommying, but I know I will miss this routine. The chance to stay in bed in the morning, or take turns, is wonderful when you keep the kind of schedule we keep. About once a week we go and visit Peter after Henry's afternoon nap, or we meet up with friends at the part around 10am, or something like that. Notice all the "ish" tied to the times, too. We're flexible. We like Henry to have a routine, but we also want him to be able to adjust when we are out adventuring or when we have other plans.

All I can say is, when I look at this, I'm proud of myself for making it through without becoming an insane person. Thank goodness Henry takes good naps so I can squeeze one in, too. 

Punting with our Cambridge Friends

We are so glad the Brownlows and the Smiths moved to Cambridge the same time we did. They have been such great friends!

The last weekend we all had together, we went punting. We had such a blast, and everyone tried out punting (except for me. :D I do need to try it again before we leave, I think...). There was a broad range of ability in the punting. Derek is the pro, of course, and he taught everyone what to do. Johnny was the best of all the newbies, though. :)

These two. :)

Watch out!!!

good job Daly!!!

terrible group selfie--sans Henry. But what can you do. 

Josh taking his turn

Go Aimee!

The almost pro. :D

Life just doesn't get any better. :) Love these two boys. 

Grantchester

We made a spur of the moment decision to walk out to Grantchester. Originally, we were just thinking a walk would be nice, and maybe grab some ice cream at the end, but it turned in to way more fun than that.

It's a few miles out to Grantchester (2.2 according to Google Maps), but it is a lovely walk along the River Cam and through the Grantchester Meadows. Henry really enjoyed seeing all of the cows ("maa maa!" he said. We're working on the "oo" sound.) and we let him walk a good portion of the way once we hit the pastures. He does a really good job keeping up, and he knows the rules are he must go in the right direction and he musn't stop to look at dirt and rocks and grass for more than a minute or two. I only had to pick him up once or twice to avoid some rather exciting Cow Pats (eww, gross). 

When we arrived, we headed straight for The Orchard. At the turn of the centure, the Bloomsbury Group and others, including poet Rupert Brooke, used to sit and have tea in the afternoon. Brooke even wrote about Grantchester in one of his poems. 

After taking a look, we decided we could splurge and have scones, jam, and clotted cream. Oh and our best purchase--a bottle of absolutely delicious sparkling Raspberry Lemonade. 

We found a table with some of the beautiful and very traditional chairs out in the apple orchard, and settled down to have our treat. Oh, the fruit scones were delicious, especially with the cream and blackcurrant jam!! Henry could have drunk the entire bottle of lemonade himself, I'm sure. He LOVED it. 

We had a really wonderful time, enjoying the weather and the atmosphere of The Orchard. Henry was far more excited about the lemonade, the accompanying straw, and the little jars of jam, but that's ok. We had so much fun. 

It's the moments like this that we really treasure. We snapped a lot of pictures, but we also just enjoyed each other's company and our beautiful surroundings. Derek and I watched Henry as he guzzled down the raspberry lemonade, kicked his legs in the chair, and told us all about the jam jars he was banging together. I love our little family, and I love that we can do these kind of things together. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I had a meeting to get to, and we weren't sure how much walking Henry would want to do on the way back, so we only stayed about 45 minutes. But those 45 minutes were sure wonderful! 

Walking in Cambridge: Midsummer Common

One of our favorite walks to take is from our house to Midsummer Common and then along the River Cam. Midsummer Common is on the opposite side of most of the College Boathouses, so Henry and I used to walk there all the time to pick up Daddy when he was done rowing in the evenings. Usually, it was just before dinner time, and we would load up, take a pre-dinner snack or two, and wait for Daddy on the bench opposite Pembroke Boathouse.

When rowing ended in June, we started walking out there here and there to enjoy the weather, the long grass, and to see the boathouses. We love watching the people walk across the Common, or cycle by. Of course the River is a highlight, and Derek names off all the boathouses as we walk along. Pembroke's is, of course, our favorite!

Henry loves seeing the cows, too. Cows graze on Midsummer Common all through the spring, summer, and even into the fall when the weather is nice. Cows are one of the few animals that Henry knows "what they say." At first, he just said: "mmm, mmm". It has morphed to "maaa", but we're working on the "oooo sound."

Midsummer Common will be one of the places we really miss. The long grass, which Henry runs and runs through, and then inevitably sits down and stretches his legs out. The boathouses along the River, watching the boats that go by (Henry always points and says "Dad-dad-dad-dad") and watching the clouds move along the horizon. The sunsets here are incredible, with the spires from the churches piercing through.

We have many fond memories of Midsummer Common, I'll miss all the long walks across the grass when we leave Cambridge.






 

Croquet at Pembroke

On our way home from town this afternoon, we decided to "cut through college." We went in through the front gate at Pembroke, Derek popped in and checked his pigeon hole, and we headed down Ridley's Walk to find a bench and enjoy some of the fudge we bought. While we were sitting there, we decided we fancied a croquet match.

Derek went to the porter's lodge, left his student card as collateral, and brought the bag of mallets, balls, and stakes back to the croquet lawn.

I think it goes without saying, but Henry LOVED it.

He hauled the mallets around, helped Daddy put in the stakes and hoops (wickets, in the U.S.). While we actually played a game, Henry toddled around after us, playing "caddy" with the mallets.

I must admit--as we were playing, I did miss all of our PKP friends from four years ago. Wish you guys were here to play with us!!

Walking in Cambridge: Castle Mound

Castle Mound is the site of an 11th century castle, built by the Normans. Originally, it was intended to control the route from the North of England to London and the coast. All the survives, is a remnant of the motte and parts of the earthworks. What's really important, is is that Castle Mound provides incredible views of Cambridge. You can see almost all the spires in the area, and the hills that are far from the city centre.

We haven't gone up to Castle Mound often, as it's a 30 minute walk from our house, but we always enjoy the view. We once took a picnic up there in the fall, but it got awfully quickly up where there is no shelter from the wind.

This time, Henry insisted on walking the whole way up and down, and wanted to go up and down the top few stairs a few times. The views were, as always, beautiful. Henry pointed out King's College Chapel to us, as well as St. John's tower. We could hear the bells from Great St. Mary's Church, tolling the hour and reminding all the Cambridge students that they better hurry to class.

Dancing in the Rain

We had a sudden, and very quick, burst of rain today. We were just getting ready to put dinner on the table, when Derek opened the front door to reveal pouring rain!

Of course, Henry and I couldn't just let that go...

Daddy stayed safely inside with the camera. :)

Sierra Redwood

In the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, are quite a few plants from the United States. One of them, is Henry's favorite tree: a beautiful Sierra Redwood.

Its on the western side of the Garden, not far from the entrance. The branches extend all the way to the ground, and Henry loves scampering around the bottom and collecting the pine cones. He also loves to pick up the needles and dirt and bring them to me. I'll sit on the ground and he'll bring me handfuls of dirt and dried foliage over and over again. He's very giving that way.

We like to sit beneath the tree and talk, and I love to tell him about California where Grandpa Shaw lived. I tell him all about Grandpa's ranch--the horses, the cows, the goats. Riding on the tractor with Grandpa and helping Grandma clean the barn. I tell him about the special moments I had with Grandma and Grandpa when I went on the wagon trains with them, about the time I broke my arm, and about playing in the yard with my siblings.

This week, we went and played under the tree a few times, and I told him everything I could think of about Grandpa. It was hard, being gone when he passed away a few weeks ago. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to Skype with him a few days before he died, and even more grateful that he was able to meet Henry last June when we went to Scotty's graduation.

In a lot of ways, the great Sierra Redwood tree reminds me of Grandpa. Tall, strong, and firm. Unyielding in a lot of ways. The foliage is quite bristly, which reminded me of Grandpa's mustache. But the amazing thing we've discovered, is that the tree has a soft side. When you lean against it, putting your cheek against the bark, it feels just a little bit soft. Most importantly, the tree makes you feel like someone is watching out for you.

I always knew that Grandpa was there for me. Through thick, thin, and in between, he was there supporting us. Not a birthday or a Christmas went by without he and Grandma sending us a card. He made it to my plays, my graduation, a few of my concerts when he was in town. For a grandfather who lived so far away, he sure made it to a lot.

The thing Grandpa valued the most, was his family and friends. I know he didn't always show it in the way most people do, but I know that we were number one in his life.

He was strong man, who overcame so much. I'm so lucky to call him Grandpa.

Corn on the Cob

Sometimes, it's tough to live on an island. A lot of the food we love to eat has to be imported. Generally, the packaging explains where our food comes from. Our grapes come from Egypt, our cantaloupe from the Philippines. You know, places like that. We didn't realize how incredibly spoiled we were to live in Utah, where a lot of food is grown locally or within a day's drive.

One of the things we have really missed this summer, is corn on the cob. Man, do we miss Hayward Farms stands!

I decided, however, that with how much Henry loves corn, he needed to have some off the cob. So, I spent the horrific amount of £3 for just four pewney little cobs so he could enjoy it.

He loved it!

But it took him a while to figure it out--even after we showed him. Once he did, he loved sucking off the butter we had slathered all over it and gnawing on the corn.

I think he really enjoyed just holding it!

This is a face I see a lot--he likes to turn his head like this and talk--cracks me up!

This is how he tried to eat it for a while..it worked, sorta. 

There we go!

Butter fingers!!

Wimpole Farm

Henry and I visited Wimpole Farm with our friends the Calls a few weeks ago. Kristin, Alona, and Devon invited us, and we couldn't say no!

Wimpole Estate is just a few minutes drive from where we live, though we haven't had a chance to get out there until now! The estate is HUGE--we only visited the Home Farm area, as it is definitely the most kid friendly. I'd love to go back and spend a full day there, though.

We got to ride on a cart pulled by a tractor from the car park to the farm and back, which Henry really enjoyed. I think he wanted to drive the tractor himself, though!

The kids had a lot of fun running around the farm and looking at the animals. My favorite part was definitely the Shire horses, but the piglets won Henry's heart hands down. He could have spent all day sticking his fingers in and touching their squishy pink noses. 

The kids got to "milk" rubber gloves, play on a tractor, and we were even there in time to see the milking demonstration of a real live dairy cow!

I have to admit--even though I didn't grow up on a farm, all of this stuff I have seen in real life. But I LOVED watching Henry and his friends discover the farm. 

We didn't stay too long--poor Alona wasn't feeling well. But it turned out to be good anyway, as all three fell asleep on our drive home. 

Thanks, Kristin, for inviting us!

The kids trying to "milk" the cow. 

getting them all to look at the camera was exciting--smiles were just a bonus. 

I'm telling you, he LOVED the pigs. just watch the video and you can hear how excited he was. 

The boys LOVED the tractors. Henry and Devon both wanted to be pushed all around the farm. When Henry's older, I'd love to get him one of these!