fog, fields, friends, food.

Hallo! (Just practicing my german out on you all!) How is everyone this week? I am quite good thank you! This past week has been a blur (like all the rest of the weeks) but its been good all together anyway.
This past week in the Tullecombe home we have had a little sick Christopher walking around here. He has had a cold for the past while, but then this week he was running a fever about 40.3 degrees for a few days, so we rushed him to the doctor one day, Sarah and I and he's now on antibiotics, and starting to get back on his steady feet...But he still is a bit moody (as sick children are) and we're trying to get his appetite back. He lost so much weight these past few days that when i put a pair of trousers on him they just fell back down to his toes...oops. So we had to find a smaller pair for the day. Poor little boy. Anyway, everyone else here is pretty good and healthy anyway so thats good.
This past week the sun has been out quite a bit, well here and there. There hasnt been any more snow *thank goodness* but there has been strange precipitation falling...but thats ok. The sun still shines. I love sitting on my kitchen counter and eating bowls of fruit, yoghurt, oats and rasins and just looking out over the valley behind our home. Its so neat seeing all the different colours and land/tree formations. When there's a mist the land just looks mystical and dreamy. It just makes eating my favorite brunch food that more enjoyable. Good countertop peaceful moments.
Well, since today is Sunday I went to church this morning. This weekend Phil and Debbie and their family went to a wedding of their niece so they weren't in church today, so I had to step out and make new friends. Which wasnt hard. The people in my church are so sweet and so kind. I sat with a lady today named Hilly (Hillary), and a man who i've sat with multiple times aswell David. (every week we re-introduce ourselves though because we continually forget eachothers names...hopefully we'll remember them next time). The service was really nice. Edward our vicar spoke about the Good Shepard, and it was really sweet. It was really encouraging and it made me think a little bit. *Am I really going out there, and sharing this brilliant love our Shepard gives us constantly? Am i stepping out of my comfort zone to love people and show them compassion?* It was just a good service, and we even sang a few songs I knew from home so that was really sweet too! I didnt have to try and follow the harmonies that are all over the place! It was great.
After the service I stayed for some tea and made myself talk to some people. I met this old man who let me just say is absolutely H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Holy moly did he make me laugh. He's over ninety (and so is his wife) and he was going on about how people just drive to church now, and since there was hail this morning and rain people decided to drive short distances instead of walking like his generation used to do...Or he still does to church every sunday. I learned quickly by this lovely 'young chap' that he 'walks' to church every week about 4 miles from his home every week with his lovely 'young spiffy' wife. She today backed out on him and didnt want to go out in the foul weather, but he got into his little scooter wheelchair thing and 'walked' to church anyway. Man I couldnt drink my tea I was laughing soo hard. He had some good stories and thoughts about the new generations which he's experience.

Well...this week i've also had some fun with the children...and my goggles here in this photo. Let me just give those of you who dont know about these lovely ski-goggles a brief story about them.

I LOVE these goggles. I love looking through them and just seeing how beautiful the world looks. Everything just looks so perky and cheery..when I was at home I would put these goggles on and just walk around, my family would laugh at me and I did run into a few majorly embarrassing moments with them..But anyway they're great. Nathan sent them to me in a package from home for me to enjoy whilst I am over here in England. SO one day to perk Christopher and Olivia up I pulled out these goggles. We were all giggling so much that we were all just a pile of giggling-gurtys on the floor. It was so funny. Caro took a few pictures of the 'action' hence this lovely picture here... BUT OH MAN. SO EMBARRASSING. I totally forgot that i had these goggles on later on when we were giving the children a bath..and Sarah came upstairs to talk to me, and i jumped out of the bathroom with these HUGE Goggles on my head...and let me just say she had the most confused look on her face, and totally forgot what she was going to talk to me about..I turned about as red as a fire engine and it was great. We had a good laugh over it. Oh dear...the things i get myself into.

Life here is good though, the children are learning quickly their please's and thank you's...through little time outs here and there they're learning where their boundaries are and how to say 'sorry'. In the mornings i dont have to go in as often to tell them to stay quietly in their beds instead of the gross screams I used to hear. Olivia is learning her alphabet and numbers, and Christopher just quietly sits back and watches...too lazy to actually try. But he's learning it too...i hope. This week the horses are being relocated for a little while to give our fields a little break and time to breathe and grow. It will be a little sad not having them around, and I probably wont have as many rides as I used to but thats ok. They'll be back.

I have a little excitement inside of me right now. Two friends from home are coming over this friday-saturday!! I am SOO excited!! Only a few more days until I get to see them and it will be fantastic! Karen and Ashley I cant wait!!
Well I hope you all have a lovely day. Best of luck to all of you writing exams! And for the rest of you I hope your days are great as well! And that you face the challanges you face in a day with grace and strength. Continue to love and treat people with compassion.
If you see a flower this week, you should kiss it!
-alli