A Week of Firsts

1 Feb- 12 Feb 2012

First time the River Cam got icy.  First snow.  And Ellis's first birthday.

Temps started getting really really cold.  And as Stephen likes to stress, it's a "different kind of cold."  It may have only been in the 20s, but when it's windy and damp, it really gets in your bones.  Of course, I am writing this on a day that got up to a toasty 63, so it seems like ages ago.  Nevertheless, we spent a lot more time indoors than we can usually tolerate, but still managed to get out a bit.

Am anxious to start blogging about our half-term holiday, so I will keep this one brief!

Love to all!  We miss everyone loads and a special shout-out to Aunt Linda & Uncle Alan who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary (!), Kathryn, Riccardo, and Layla who have a new addition to their family, lil guy Mateo, and to Catherine, John, and Iona who have an as-yet-unnamed little gal addition.  

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Bryce likes to draw the "big bad mouse" from The Gruffalo's Child

His first go at painting on his new easel from Grandma & Papa

First icy River Cam

Handsome Fearnley boys at the International Breakfast put on by Ace Nursery School

Bryce-- face adorned as the Big Bad Mouse-- playing with big kids at the breakfast.

The back garden after about 5" of snow

Working on our Gruffalo snowman (When we got home from Barcelona all that was left were two clementines laying in the front garden.  (His orange eyeballs)

Peeking through someone else's awesome igloo on the Common

Our giant snowball.  Bryce didn't like it so much up there.  Too high.

Goofy mum made a fool of herself trying to climb on top.

Bryce and his buddy, Xan, on a snowy Woodland playdate

These color-coordinated chaps look like they need to be in a kid's catalog

Ellis is giddy about turning one!

...but still "Baby Ellis" to his immediate family and friends in Cambridge!

Life's hard when you're pushed around in a cozy sleeping bag

This is my life.  Ugh, that path is longer than it looks, especially when the wind is blowing and it's below freezing and you're wearing heavy wellies.

It's worth it though, to get out of the house and into the warmth of the library and its cool book train.

Multi-tasking 11.95-month-old

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dimples!  Being snuggled by one of his favorite snugglers, Audrey.

Couldn't resist 1) "Harry the Hedgehog" complete with chocolate fingers for spines or 2) Not having to bake a cake 2 days before vacation.  Thanks, M&S!

I'll eat a little chili, but I'm saving room for FOUR slices of chocolate cake.  (Which didn't stay down in the end, I'm afraid)

Bryce and Emma captivated by Audrey's dramatic book-reading skillz

He just started clapping the Friday prior!  Perfect timing!

Cake slice #1

Cake slice #2

Couldn't help myself.  I mean seriously, they MUST have packaged the clotted cream like this intentionally.

Cake slice #4

I like birthdays!

I like my new ride-on, too!

Bryce leaning in for a smooch from Emma...

"I'll never wash this cheek again!"

Always a challenge to get everyone looking at the camera, especially when we're hopped up on cosmos and chocolate cake

A Vegetarian and a Sunday Roast

21-29 January, 2012

Oh dear, I'm getting behind again.

Soooo, my friend Courtney from college-- we studied fashion together at Syracuse and both hail from the suburbs of Philadelphia-- now lives in Germany designing for Adidas.  She had a store trip to London and was able to add a few days to her trip to come visit us in Cambridge!  Yay!

Random side-note:  Courtney is vegetarian and this post ends with photos of a big slab of raw meat.  Hope not to offend, Court, but we were craving meat after you left.

We showed her the sights that Cambridge has to offer, took her to the two running apparel shops in town, and exposed her to the Fearnley Family Death Flu.  We even got ourselves a coupla pints out at one of our locals while Stephen minded the sleeping babes.  Bryce's developing accent emerged when he said her name: "Cote-nay."  Over and over and over again.  (He really took to her.)  

Later in the week we were invited to dinner at a friend's home where we had a delicious, perfectly roasted chicken and killer (I mean killer) scalloped spuds.   Managed to finally execute roasted veggies that were not undercooked and our hosts liked them, too.  (Secret, evidently, is par-boiling and goose fat.)  Also made a little chocolate cake, recipe courtesy of Kathryn, Layla's mom. (remember the post about Bryce's friend visiting from Brooklyn?)  Bryce helped me with it and it was a hit.

Thanks to that dinner I was finally inspired to make a Sunday Roast, like a good li'l wifey and it turned out well.  My late mother-in-law thankfully wrote down her secrets to a good Sunday roast and I am so glad to be able to attempt a go at it where I can buy all the things she mentioned in her instructions.  (For example, a cut of beef called "Silverside" and goose fat and really good spuds.)  I swear the potatoes here are better than any potatoes I've ever had back home.  Never dry, always creamy.  Sadly Bryce only ate the meat and no vegetables.  Ellis ate only vegetables and no meat.  Oh, and lots of little micro-sips of wine.  Ellis likes wine.

Did you know that gummy bears come from Germany??  I didn't!  They are so much better than the U.S. ones.  Different flavors and everything!  Thanks, Courtney!  (And for those dense and addictive cookies as well, if that is even the correct word for them)

St. John's College.  Our first time in, don't know what took us so long to check it out!  Gorgeous!

St. John's Chapel

Courtney and me inside St. John's College

Bridge of Sighs

St. John's student accommodation.  Not too shabby.

More St. Johns

The same student accommodation from across the green

Cote-nay and Bryce (This was the day after that face-plant I wrote about...)

Upside-down! 

No caption necessary

Look at the color of these yolks!  I love English hens.  And their eggs.  Do you know that brown chickens make brown eggs and white chickens make white eggs?  Well, my friend Emma who has chickens told me that her brown one lays brown and her white one lays white.  Just looked it up on the ole internet and it says it's not true, but I am going to believe it anyway because I like the idea of a purple chicken laying a purple egg and that's that.

Let me out!  (These glass doors are not the best for privacy or Bryce's overactive imagination in low-light)

Sunday Roast!  Tried a wet roast, rubbed with salt, pepp, rosemary, & thyme, uncovered, with 2 onions, beef stock, crushed garlic for 3.5 hours at 140C and it was yum.

Took a little trip to the Fitzwilliam Museum while the roast did its thing.  What a lovely museum in the heart of Cambridge.  Bryce likes the knights in armor and Stephen and I really enjoyed their collection of Impressionist art.  There was also a cello concert in one of the galleries which was a nice surprise and added some dimension for the quick-paced & easily-bored Bryce.

A-ha!  A pretty passive meal to warm us up after our venture into the cold.

"Where's the beef?"

Our first date of 2012 / Bryce takes a tumble

19-20 Jan

Got the grad student, Georgia, next-door to mind the sleeping kids while Ste & I went to the Cambridge Winter Ale Festival.  It was held at the University Social Club, a nice stroll away.  We, however, took a cab so as not to waste any time since it finished at 10:30.  (22:30)

There was so much to pick from and so little room in our tummies.  We tried: Black Adder, Flinders, Exhibition, Old Ale, Balmy Fellow, Cambridge Fellow, Rising Sun, Knickerdropper Glory, Hophead, and Vanilla Stout.  And a cider for which I don't remember the name.  It's really hard not to judge an ale by its clever name but I learned my lesson several times on this occasion.

We saw a few of Ste's mates from his research group there.  The rest of the crowd was dominated by chubby, sweaty male students and crop-dusting 40-somethings.  I think I was one of 5 women there.

I was disappointed by Stephen's lack of determination when he gave up after only 6 half-pints.  He claimed he "felt sick."  In his defense, however, there were a few that tasted like yesterday's dishwater mixed with vinegar.  He felt better upon departure evidently, because on our stroll home he insisted we stop for kebabs.  (We did and it was outstanding, but messy.) 

Evidently the Beer Fest that Cambridge puts on in May is much bigger, outside at Jesus Green-- just a hop, skip, & jump from our house-- and family-friendly.   Can't.  Wait.

15 of about 100 real ales to taste

Cheers!

Ciders (I know this looks like we are inside a jail cell)

I spy "Old Tom."  Boo!

Would be a decent picture of us if it weren't for the backdrop: Toddler kitchen and hand sanitizer.  But the photo of Otis, Kelly's French bulldog makes a nice addition atop my head, donchathink?

Playing in puddles on a rainy day

Splish splash!

Finally got our butts outside with the scooter on a rainy day and while walking home (he can only scoot for so long) I told Bryce to put his hands in his pockets when he told me he was cold.  Well, when you trip and fall forward with your hands in your pockets... you get the picture.  Swollen, bloody, and bruised nose and lip.  Broke my heart because it was totally my fault.

So big!

Hug?  Or strangle.  You be the judge.

Bryce's first time putting the puzzle together with no assistance at all.  Proud boy!  Looks like he's got his mummy's love for jigsaw puzzles!

Operation Tiny English Accent

18 Jan

So we decided to enroll Bryce in the most awesome little preschool in Cambridge two afternoons a week.  It's called ACE Nursery School and it's perfect: homey, warm, calm, and organized.  It's a co-op so it's inexpensive (entirely free if you're over 3 years of age, thanks to government funding) and parent-run.  The head teacher is an expert in "behaviour management!"  Yes, please!  I was very lucky to have gotten him in as there is a waiting list longer than my hair.  (Hasn't been cut since Mother's Day 2011)

He only went to 2/4 "settling in" sessions since he is so keen to be on his own without me.  His first day alone was yesterday and it went well.  Supposedly.  I asked him what some of the names of the other kids in his class are and he said "Brycie."  "Ok, who else?"  "Big Bad Mouse."  Hmmm.  We might have to lay off The Gruffalo's Child book for a little while so he can focus on real people.  Anyhoo, when I picked him up, his "keyworker," Megan, gave me a report of good behaviour, time (1:30) and location (nappy) of bowel movement, and handed me his painting.  I'm impressed.  I heard her give other mums and dads their kids' updates and couldn't believe how she remembered everything.  We like Megan.

The age requirement is 2.5, and as Bryce just turned 2.5 at the end of January, he is the youngest in his group.  I am thankful that nearly all of them are toilet-trained.  I cannot seem to spark his interest in the toilet so maybe one of the other kiddies will.

This weekend we will go to an "International Breakfast" for which I am supposed to bring something American.  I'm thinking French toast since I don't really like pancakes or make them well.  French toast isn't really French, right?

Bryce's first day, in front of our house.

Faking apprehension

'Cool!  (That's what he calls it since he can't say "sc")

The big yellow door to Nursery School

It is going to be hard to say goodbye to this place when we come home.  Preschool in Brooklyn runs about $10,000 for 2 mornings a week.  That's why Bryce will be home-schooled.  At least for age 3.  It will not stop me from harassing some of the posh private schools in Park Slope in an attempt to get him a full ride somewhere.  Maybe with a cute little English accent and the proper sad puppy dog face he can woo them Oliver! style.  A mom can dream.