While Mark was away in PNG, although his girlies missed him, we had lots of fun! Jenny's sister, Pippa (aka Popeye) came to stay ... on a Rapid Response Trip of her own! She was here to keep us company and help. She was a HUGE lifesaver so the phrase 'Popeye saved the day again' was one we found ourselves using on a regular basis!
One thing Popeye was looking forward to enjoying with us was the snow. This has been the mildest winter that we've had since living here, unseasonably mild ... so the minute the snow started to fall she and Abigail went running outside to experience it! Just two hours later we were out in back garden doing snow angels and building snowmen!
Naomi was enjoying the snow in her own little way too but then it all got a bit much and the white fluffy flakes just became the stuff of dreams!
We had our fair share of goofiness too! Visiting Amish country a couple of times and buying yummy doughnuts and huge heart shaped cookies ... and just playing around at home, baking and painting the alphabet among other things.
One 'tradition' that has maintained with every visit that Popeye makes is a change in her hair ... as you can see, this time it was a cut and colour, although the red streaks don't show up too well in the photo below!
Other highlights of the time when Mark was away included Naomi receiving her UK Passport. She now has one of each and will be the only member of the family who will be able to stay in the USA after our visas run out on December 14th.
Abigail went on a dress-up 'tea' date with her best buddy, Bri. As you can see they had SO much fun together with their heart shaped sandwiches!
We enjoyed lots of yummy food too. Popeye had her first taste of American pancakes, which she loved ... amongst other yumminess! Sometimes it was just us and other times we got to hang out with some of our good friends (including the Gettles below!).
Mark didn't want to be completely forgotten by us while he was away. He made sure he was remembered by sending some hand-dipped chocolate strawberries to his wife ... they were the juiciest, most succulent strawberries ever and huge too (you can't really tell from the photo!).
He may have been on the other side of the world but daily emails, occasional Skype's and the strawberries certainly helped keep him as part of the family while Popeye was here! One of the biggest things that happened was Naomi started walking and by the wonders of Skype, Mark was able to see this milestone just minutes after her first attempt!
All that's left to be said is the BIGGEST 'Thank You' to Popeye for taking time off work to come and help us ... and have lots of fun at the same time. We miss you!
No comments:
Post a Comment