Park, Park, Park & Park

Dorothy rolled over on her own for the first time yesterday. Quite exciting for Bells. On that note: D is- 65 cm long and weighs 13 1/2 lbs (or 6.3 kgs). We think both of those are slightly below average, so she is petite. She's just over 5 months old.

C made his acting debut yesterday. He played a captivating Pig 2 in the Garden Nursery’s inspired adaptation of that classic tale- Three Little Pigs. One theater critic- shown below- said this: C was masterful. His Pig character had touches of Brando from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but his underlying force was more akin to Sir Laurence Olivier in Hamlet.

D has developed her sitting muscles and is now ready for the Big Table.

C has been talking about Cranky the Crane (a character from Thomas the Tank Engine ) for weeks. We created a Cranky cake for the kids party today that went over a treat. And then C was able to add him to his collection.

We shared a bit of champagne the evening of C's birthday, which may have motivated Dorothy to do a bit of standing and smiling. That's Nettie off to the right- one of D's Godparents.

The person who inspired this blog was John Ryan . We chatted before C was born about getting pictures back and forth between the US and the UK, and he suggested a blog. Well, he's just had his second child- a daughter Lydia. Congratulations. Lydia Leighton Ryan was born at 7:53 a.m. today, Thursday November 20th, at Elmhurst Hospital, Elmhurst And she shares the same birthday as C.

C's birthday was the 20th. Bella found a great cd player for him, and a few cd's that were "age appropriate". As we were opening gifts, we stumbled upon his Godfathers gift from the US- a harmonica. Suffice it to say that the party turned in to quite a music fest.

Southfields has a little childrens bookstore on the high street which holds book launches every so often. Sandi Toksvig is a bit of a radio and TV personality in the UK, and has just put out a book- Girls are Best . We all chatted amicably about Obama and her recent trip to Chicago and Wisconsin. Not too many 4 month olds have had their snotty noses wiped before a picture by someone of this calibre.

C ably helped me around the house this past weekend. Uncle Nate and I painted the dining room, and C assisted with putting it back together. We journeyed to B&Q and C helped me pick out a set of screw drivers . He even held the picture hooks while I pounded things in the wall. This morning, he was running around the house with his Milwaukee saw - something he picked up from one of his favorite videos here .

Great Tew is a little hamlet on the western edge of Oxfordshire. Some cottages, a general store and one very good pub . On Thursday, we drove into Buckinghamshire and walked in Stowe Great Park. Here's D with a bit of the park scenery in the background.