The Olympics

This month we get to enjoy all the Olympic celebrations. We kicked it off by watching the Olympic torch run right near our house!

We started the evening off at a local pub (the family friendly kind) with a BBQ. 

We enjoyed the hamburgers and live music and then set off to find a good place to watch.

I had never seen the Olympic torch before. In fact the closest I've ever lived to an Olympic event is now--and we still live 2+ hours away! Well, we did a little research to share with you. Firstly, the torch is a real thing! It's not just a symbol, though the real thing has a symbolic meaning. It stands for peace, unity, and friendship--all virtues of the Olympic Games. Secondly, they actually run the torch...by foot! The route through England is visiting more than 1,000 towns and cities in England. England isn't a very big country, but the route isn't a straight line either. The relay will last 70 days and be carried by 8,000 different torch bearers. It passed our way on June 25th and it's still going! If you're curious to track the torch, you can see live video feed and pictures here.

Below is a picture of this year's Olympic torch.

I know for sure they have more than one made because I saw more than one pass by us. One being carried by a runner and another being carried ahead by the next runner in line. For more information on the history and design of this year's torch and to see pictures of torches in years past, check out this link.

So we waited patiently on our little patch of grass to see this little golden torch. To keep the kids interest, I told them we were watching for the fire! They liked that idea. Considering what's happening with fires and heat waves across the U.S., maybe it's not the nicest thing to read though! The helicopters were buzzing over head and while we waited, we counted them about 10 times! There were 3 (just in case you wondered).

Finally, after a mini parade the torch came by!

Can you see it? Okay, not the best picture. The preview screen on our camera is broken so we just snapped a picture and hoped for the best. If you look to the upper left corner of the photo you can see the torch bearer and the torch (it's the one on fire!)

The torch came and went and so did the people. As soon as it passed by everyone split ways and went from one crowd with one purpose, back to being individuals. It united us for about 30 minutes, physically, but the symbolism will stay with us until after the games have gone--especially when the U.S.A makes out like bandits with all the gold medals! :-)

What event are you most looking forward to during the Olympics?

The Sorensen European Extravaganza 2012

We decided to give our vacation a name--it was that much a part of our lives. I can't say I'd been planning it forever because I really only had about a month to put it all together, but the idea has been in our heads and hearts since we got married 4 1/2 years ago. What? You want to know where we went? I'll give you a hint...

Oh, not good with geography? Another hint then...

Not flags either? Alright, here's comes the big hint then...

Yes my friends, finally wonderful, fabulous, clean (minus all the people smoking) FRANCE! I have to say this vacation topped a lot of my superlative lists. It was the most tiring vacation I've ever been on, but we absolutely loved it!

Ian's parents came for their turn visiting with the Grandkids and we decided to make use of Ian's french skills and have a run at France. But, it was much more than just France! Why else would the title be the Sorensen European Extravaganza? Here's a list of what we did.

Train to London
Big Ben
London Bridge
Borough Market
Bus Tour
British Museum
Pictures on Abbey Road
Natural History Museum
Pointless taping
Singing in the Rain
Train to Dover
Ferry to Calais
Boulogne-ser-mer including:
Beach
Castle
Ian's old missionary apartment
Church (and meeting people he used to know!)
Train to Paris
The Louvre
L'arch de triomphe
Eiffel Tower
Paris Opera House
Barber of Seville
Bus Tour
Rental Car to Normandy
Mont St Michel
Plane to Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle
Taste of Scotland Dinner Show
Train back to Sheffield

If you tried to say that list in one breath, I think you'd probably pass out. We almost passed out doing it all too! Our itinerary was so varied, but I think on our trip there was something for everyone. Ian's highlight was the museums, mine was the taping of Pointless and speaking french, Ian's Mom's was Singing in the Rain (she even got wet!) and the Opera (not to mention all the quality time with her Grandkids), Ian's Dad's highlight was Mont St Michel and being able to do his exercise around such exciting new landmarks. The kids favorite thing was, well probably coming home if I'm being honest. They had little highlights here and there, but nothing compared to how well they slept in their own bed!

Pictures? Of course we have pictures. More than 1000 pictures! The hard thing is finding the 100 that are allowed on a slideshow. Well, here are the 100 greatest picture hits from our trip! Enjoy!

Now, there are a couple video highlights--if you have the stamina for it after all those pictures!

We taught Holly how to bisous!

After our brisk walk (or run) up the 668+ steps to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. I may not sound winded, but my legs were on fire!

Ian trying his first Haggas!

Our trip was fantastic. Everything we could of hoped for with 2 small children and a limited budget! Hopefully someday we'll get back to France to do everything we missed the first time. In fact, I wouldn't mind living there for a while even! Who knows?!

It's ALWAYS fun when Grandma Comes!

As mentioned in the previous post, the Easter Bunny brought Holly and Atley their Grandparents! They were so excited to have them here, and we had some really special adventures together....a lot of special adventures.

There are SO many pictures to share, the best way I know how, is a slideshow of course!

First, we let them attempt to recover from jet lag. Seriously--it's a beast! Then, we had an Easter Egg Hunt (see previous post) and they delivered all the American goodies they brought for us! If you lived in another country, what do you think you would miss most? Well, one thing we miss is Ranch Dressing! I mean, what else do you eat raw broccoli with? That's what I thought! So now thanks to our special mixture, we can make Hidden Valley Ranch to our hearts content!

Sunday was great! We got to show my parents what an ordeal it is to get to church, but how worth it it is for us. The people there are wonderful! They were very welcoming and kind. I was especially grateful to have my Mom there though, because she was willing to play piano for me. It was nice to have a little bit of a break. 

Our first foreign adventure was to Chatsworth House. The pictures are first on the slideshow. It may look a little familiar. It's been used in movies like Pride & Prejudice (as Pemberly) and The Dutchess. It is a fantastic estate and the Gardens go on forever! They had an Easter Egg Hunt on for the kids. Atley and Holly were very attached to their maps and loved finding all the different eggs inside and outside the house. See if you can spot a few in the pictures!

Our next adventure was York. York is an old medieval city. It had buildings that are still standing from the 1400's! That's like the beginning of time! The architecture was stunning, and the shopping even better. My Mom and I enjoyed shopping for hats and looking in all sorts of specialty shops. It was reconfirmed that my Mother is my hero when she bought a fancy hat. Doubly so when she wore it to church last week. How cool is she? My parents tried their first fish and chips, we rode a double decker bus tour, and enjoyed wearing ourselves out!

On a short break we enjoyed showing Grandma and Grandpa the nearby park. The kids love the slide and can't get enough of it. Luckily it stopped raining for a moment so we could enjoy it!

Another blessing of having my parents here and wearing them out, is Ian and I got a couple chances to sneak out after the kids were in bed and have a date. It has been WAY too long since we had a date. We went mini golfing and had a blast being silly and taking funny pictures with the scenery.

The big part of our trip consisted of traveling, by train, to London. After getting lost and not being able to find our hotel, we arrived and everyone needed a rest. The next day we took another bus tour so we got a general view of all the sites. We saw the Tower of London, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliment, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Baker Street, Regent's Park, and a whole lot of London we didn't intend to see (because we got lost). It was exhausting, but it was fun!

We left jolly 'ol London and took a 4 hour train ride north to Edinburgh, Scotland. What a difference. They may technically be in the same country, but these two places were so different. While in London we had a hard time picking out the specifics of English culture, Scotland screamed it at us! We saw kilts in every window, tartan this and that, and the coolest castle yet! The Scottish crown jewels were really a sight, though they don't allow you to take pictures! Sorry folks, you'll have to take a wander over there for yourselves and check those babies out. We enjoyed more shopping (what can I say) and even an American restaurant. It makes me laugh sometimes what other people think is American. They usually do a pretty good job though and this place was great. Free refills...yeah! That's American!

We came back to Sheffield and did a little more close-to-home exploring. The Sheffield Botanical Gardens were awesome, especially since it's spring. 

All in all, we had a WONDERFUL trip! The kids really got a unique chance to travel with their Grandparents and bond with them. Today Holly told me that she wanted to go to the train station and pick up Grandma. She said "she has to visit with me!" Well, that sadly has come and gone, but luckily for her, two weeks more and she'll have another Grandma and Grandpa to spoil her rotten. Bring it on!

Easter

We had such a busy Easter followed by a crazy busy April. Not to worry! Even though May has been INSANE, I'm finding time to blog. There's always a reason to celebrate, right?

Well, it started with our Primary Easter party. I was part of the planning, but I'm sure I didn't know my kids would be eating Cadbury Creme Eggs at 10AM. Oh well! They absolutely LOVED it!

First we started with some games. The kids were put on teams and had to take turns running down, unwrapping and eating some Easter treats. First team to finish, won! Holly was great at this game. One of the older boys in our primary was a big help to her, so she had a blast!

Atley loved eating the candy!

The next game got kind of serious. The kids were numbered and sitting in a circle. When their number was called they had to get up, run around the circle and when they got back to their place, run to the center and grab the candy there.

Next of course was the all important Easter Egg Hunt! They paired up the little kids with some of the bigger kids and doubled their egg count at the end. Personally, I thought it was a great idea! The smaller kids didn't get trampled by the older ones, and the bigger kids had to think about someone besides themselves! As a Mom with two small children, I was really grateful and impressed to see how kind and helpful the older kids were. 

When the hunt was over, we decorated bags to keep the goodies in,

made chocolate nests (a new one for me),




and had some lunch!

For our Easter celebration, we had a special surprise! Grandma and Grandpa Baron came for a visit! Holly was so happy to have them! She couldn't stop talking about how we were going to pick them up from the train!

Here's a video of the happy reunion.

Later in the day (the Saturday before Easter) we had our own little Easter Egg hunt at home. We slyly took the eggs we won at the Primary party, plus a few extras, some toys, and some All-American Pez, and hid them around the living room.  The video is about 5 minutes, so I'm not going to post it. But if you have a burning desire to see it, we can work something out! More information on the visit with Grandma and Grandpa to come!

Most importantly, at Easter time, we remember the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We were reminded of the importance of this event with the passing of Grandma Cressie on Friday, April 6th. She was 101 and lived a full and happy life. We count the time we spent with her as very precious. She taught me that there's always something to be positive about and laughing at yourself once in a while is a good idea! Then you don't take yourself too seriously. We remember her fondly, and know that because Jesus Christ was Resurrected, she will be too and we will see her again. 

Happy Easter to you all, but especially to Grandma Cressie. 

Photo Taken November 2008. Atley's Blessing

Photo Taken August 2009, Poway, California

Photo Taken July 2011, Ocean Beach, California

Let's Get Reacquainted! Part IV: Cristina

You weren't sure if I would round off our family with an update on me, were you? Well, just to satisfy here you go.

This is Me (Cristina). I'm 24, going on dead. I turn 25 this year and it makes me feel OLD!

It's hard to find pictures of me for 2 reasons. Firstly, I'm almost always behind the camera. Secondly, like many women I know, I hate how I look in pictures. I often go through the camera and delete pictures Ian has taken if I don't like how I look. He hates that. Lucky for me there's no way to get those ugly pictures back.

That being said, I'm about to post some older pictures of me. I think Holly was about 8 months old so, these pictures are nearly 2 years old. I don't post them because I want to. I'm posting for comparison. Believe me...it hurts to show these to you.

Wow. Like I said, it hurts to share those, but it is necessary for an update. Since we moved away from Rexburg 1 year ago, I've lost 20 lbs. I visited with a doctor in California for a check up and for the first time I heard 5 painful words....you need to lose weight. What? Don't you know I just had a baby lady? Okay, she might be 18 months old, but who has time for exercise with 2 children under 2? Not me!

Well anyway, it hurt my feelings a lot. It's not that I felt like I was the perfect shape or anything. I just didn't think I was in so bad of shape that anyone had a right to tell me to lose weight. She wasn't gentle about it either. She even gave me a target weight! I am proud to say I have met her target weight and it feels good! In fact, I weigh less than I did when Ian and I got married! I still don't like that doctor. In fact, I will never go back to her office.

Eight pounds have come off in the last 6 months since we moved here. I had no idea how much I was changing except Ian kept telling me my clothes looked baggy and unflattering (it was meant as a compliment). The reality hit me this week when I went to the doctor and stepped on the scale. Wow. Now what do I do? I was looking to hit this target weight and now that I'm there...what?

Well, I've decided to get my body back...or to try. I don't know how long it will be before I have another baby, but whatever exercise I do until then will only help me with the pregnancy and labor. So, I've started yoga! I once thought yoga was weird with all the named poses (warrior, downward dog, etc.), but that was back when my exercise was more intense. I thought yoga was for sissies, then I had a baby and realized I have no flexibility or core strength. Anyway, I haven't been doing it very long, but I have felt the burn! What I love most about yoga though, is that as I focus on my breathing I feel a lot of stress relief. I desperately need that these days because...

...this is my life.

I love love love these kiddos so much, but even when I'm trying to relax in bed and play a game, I have little arms reaching all over me! Ahhhh! Yes, sometimes I want to scream. In fact, sometimes I do scream. It usually followed by a lot of apologizing and repenting. But, despite the stress they bring I would never change the way things are. Why? Because for every one of the pictures above, there are about 10 pictures like the ones below!

Being married and additionally a mother has brought me the most happiness of any decision I've made in my life. I was happy to find out that I had a full tuition scholarship, but not as happy as when I found out I would be a mother. I was happy to graduate college, but it was vastly over shadowed by the day I brought Holly home from the NICU. We love living in England, but the experience overall is enhanced when Atley and Holly slip into mild british accents. SO cute!

As for my other work, I'm in the primary and it's really growing on me. I've always felt a little awkward around children, because you have to be a little silly for them to really like you. My self esteem often prohibits silliness, except with my own children. They have to love me. :-) I'm learning all about how primary works and am more and more grateful for the primary leaders who taught me.

Another thing I've been working on since before we moved here is the piano. I had a feeling I would need to sharpen my skills and that they would be needed here. So, the first day in our ward they asked me if I could play the piano. Ha! Good thing I've been practicing. In the last 6 months I've gotten a lot better. I play just about every week in Sacrament meeting and I frequently fill in in primary. That is my favorite. I get to be with the children and watch them sing and have fun without having to be too goofy. Though, I do think they get a giggle in now and again when I hit wrong notes. Hey, I said I was getting better, I didn't say I was perfect! I have enjoyed the blessing of a supportive husband who sits in church and tries to keep our kids reverent and away from the piano while I play. They like to help...too much. Again, that's why I need yoga!

Lastly, one of my favorite things I've been doing is trying new foods.

Some have rocked my socks and some have left me missing home and the familiar foods of my childhood. Belgium was definitely a highlight--as previously mentioned. The See's Candy peanut brittle I got yesterday in the mail was at the top of the list. We'll just gloss over the fact that it isn't really new, just the best I've ever had! English food, Turkish food, Indian food, Chinese food (like from China...not the U.S.)...all so different and so good in their own way. I find food to be a great adventure. When I enjoy it responsibly, I find it can be my friend and not the enemy I've been carrying around my hips, legs, and belly all the time. I often wonder if I'll have cravings for English foods when we go home. Only time will tell...

That rounds it off for our family. I know, I know, you were hoping for another one. Don't worry. Someday we'll have another baby and you'll have so many posts you'll be begging for mercy. Just be patient. We'll wait together :-)