Steve and Kammie and the other ones too.

Daddy's back!

This week has been so much fun for the boys. Since Steven's show ended on Saturday they've gotten a chance to see their Daddy more often. Its still not for a long time, since Steven usually gets out of rehearsal at 5 or 6 so he doesn't get home until almost 6 or 7 and they go to bed at 7, but its still more then what they have been seeing him.

This Tuesday, Steven was actually given a short rehearsal. He just needed to be there from 11-1:00, so we decided to make a fun day out of it. I took the boys on the train and we met Steven in Glasgow. We walked to the mall and let the boys wander around the toy store for a bit. Rhys spent most of the time with the books reading, he just loves to read. Gavin went everywhere and just loved that we just followed him around. After a bit, we left to go find the soft play area for the boys to play in. Right next to it, was a jumping house that they were both so excited about. It was £2 for 5 minutes, so its not something we would normally do, but it was our fun day out so we decided to splurge. Rhys took off right away and was jumping, going down the slide, just going crazy. Gavin was a little more hesitant. All the jumping scared him a little bit, so he was happy to stay close to the entrance for the first bit. After a while he spotted the stairs leading to the top of the slide, so he ventured over there. It took him a while, but he finally climbed to the top. (All the other kids just kept going around him since he was so slow) but he did it! I was wondering what he was going to do when he got up there, since he won't go down a slide by himself, but once he got to the top he just slid back down the stairs. Silly boy! By the time he made it back to the bottom it was time for them to get out.

That really worked up their appetite, so we took them to the food court and let them get some Happy Meals from McDonald's. Its not very "Scottish" but the boys love it and its cheap!

After we ate, we rode the train home and let the boys play outside for a bit. It was one of the rare nice days we've had this summer, so we didn't have to worry about the rain. The boys ran around like crazy, made a few friends, and attempted to ride a bike. I'm so glad we got to do this with the boys. Rhys only has 2 more weeks until School starts again, so its good for him to get to do a few fun things. =)

Playing in the blow up house.

Waiting for Daddy to bring the food.

Daddy with the food!

Waiting for our train to show up.

The train ride home!

Playing outside!

The tale of 8 adults, 2 children, and one tiny flat!

A few weeks ago we had a visit from our friends Tasha and Jen and their 4 friends. They were backpacking through Europe, staying in Hostels and such for several weeks and we were their very last stop. It was so fun to have them here. I had briefly met Cathy a few times and had heard stories of Sousa, Chase, and Brittany so it was like we were already friends when they got here.

They came on Friday, the 13th of July in the morning. Since there was 6 of them, we had the boys sleep on the floor in our room and we had them spread out in the second bedroom and the living room. I felt so bad that some of them had to sleep on the floor, but I think after hostels, having a clean floor to sleep on isn't such a bad thing. =)

We found out rather quickly that they like Indian Food, so we had fun showing them our local Take away. We also had them try Irn Bru, a very popular soft drink over here, that they all loved. (I think they had more Irn Bru then anything else.)

Steven's show opened that night, so Chase and Sousa stayed and watched Gavin for me so that I could go with Rhys, Tasha, Jen, Cathy, and Brittany to see the show. It was the first time in a LONG time that I wasn't as stressed about getting home quickly since they were staying with us. Normally I feel so bad for our babysitter that I try and cut the evening as short as possible. It was refreshing to get to just enjoy being out.

Saturday Steven got to take the group to see the Cathedral and Necropolis. Gavin was napping, so we stayed behind. I hear they really liked it. Steven also took them to see George Square, and we found out that they were smack in the middle of their Gay pride celebrations. Steven said there were people everywhere, food, music... it was quite the party. So, I guess they got to experience a lot of true Glasgow!

Steven also tried to show them the School, but of course it was closed for Summer. Luckily, at that point I was able to take the boys into Glasgow for us to meet everyone for dinner. There's a Chippy right by the School that we like to go to, so we went there. Its called Jack McPhee's and its definitely one of the places that we're going to miss.

Sunday started out stressful for me. Steven had a special performance of As you like it. Someone had hired them to come and perform it, so he was gone for most of the day. Then I was also teaching Relief Society which can be stressful by itself. Jen, Tasha, Cathy, and Sousa all came to church with me so it was nice to have bodies to help with the boys. They were also very helpful in participating in my lesson so it went nice and smoothly. That afternoon I made everyone Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties for dinner. We wanted to make sure they got a taste of some traditional Scottish cuisine.I think they all liked it pretty well. But, I think my favorite part of the trip was that evening. We all sat around talking, sharing memories, and it was just really fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoy having people over and just having fun. We used to have our friends over all the time in Cedar, and even though we've done it a few times here, its just not that common. So it was refreshing, but it also made me a little homesick. In a good way, I think.

They left on Monday evening, but before they could go we wanted them to get to see a Castle since they hadn't gotten a whole lot of Castle experience in their few weeks of traveling. We took them to Crookston Castle, since its so close to us. It was raining when we first set off, but it stopped and turned quite nice outside as we were there. I think Gavin enjoyed it the most, since I let him just wander wherever he wanted to go. I had his leash on him, but I was giving him free reign. It was cute to see how much he loved wandering around the grounds and climbing in the Castle. Hopefully there will be another really nice day, and when we're bored we can take the boys again so they can keep exploring.

I never thought we could fit 10 bodies into our flat and have it work, but it really did. It was a fun trip and we're so glad that they were able to fit us into their schedule. We're even more excited to have new friends from it! =)

As you like it

This past month has been so busy for Steven, but I think he has loved every minute of it. A few months ago he auditioned for a part in "As you like it," a play that was being put on by a Shakespeare company here called Bard in the Botanics. The company performs a few shows every summer that they perform in the Botanical Gardens here in Glasgow. The Company had asked the students in the program with Steven to audition because they were in need of a few interns. They were requesting 2 guys and a girl. Steven had felt he had a chance with one of the parts so he was really excited about it.

Well, it turns out he did get caste, but NOT in one of the 2 parts they were originally auditioning for. They told him that even though he wasn't quite right for the parts they were looking for, they LOVED his audition and really wanted to work with him. So, they rearranged their cast a bit to make room for him. He was cast as William and First Lord. Steven was so excited! Not only will this be great professional experience, but they loved him enough to cast him anyway. That is always a GREAT thing!

The other exciting thing about this particular show is it moved around the Garden. There were 4 seperate areas that they performed in, so the audience would actually get up and move. Steven had always heard of shows doing that, so he was excited to get to participate in one.

So, anyway, they rehearsed for a few weeks and then opened the show on Friday, the 13th of July. It was tricky because they performed it outside, so if it was raining too hard they had to close the show for the night. (Luckily they only had to do that a few times) Most of the time the Cast and audience just endured a little rain. Steven was lucky while they were rehearsing because they were on "Summer Holiday" from their course, but once the show opened Steven had to start up again. So, the almost 3 weeks of performances he was gone all day. He would leave at 8:30 to go to classes, stay there until 5, have time to eat and make it over to the Gardens to have their performance, and then make it home about 11:30 at night. It was quite draining, and I'm sure that's the only reason he's glad that the show has ended. Plus, its good for Rhys and Gavin to get to see more of Steven now. Once a week I would take the boys into Glasgow and we'd meet Steven for lunch so they could have a little Steven time.. but I know that it wasn't much.

Rhys had known about the show for a few weeks since Steven was always going to rehearsals, so he asked me if he'd get to go see it. We figured that since he's 6 now, and that's usually the age where kids can start being allowed to go, I would take him with me. We were lucky and had friends visiting us the week it opened so I was able to take Rhys to the opening night performance while our friends watched Gavin. Rhys was so cute watching the show. There were some moments he was laughing hysterically, (There was a wrestling scene, and he just thought it was hilarious) and everyone in the audience could hear him. Steven said he loved hearing him laugh, so I guess it was a good thing. There was also a point in the show where Rhys turned to me and said "Daddy is so funny." Which of course just melted my heart. I had brought a few things to keep him entertained in case he got bored, but he didn't end up needing any of it. He watched the whole thing, and I'm so proud of him. I'm excited to get to bring him with me from now on, as long as they're child appropriate shows of course!

The other really exciting thing that has happened during the show was it received a Review in the

Newspaper. The play itself was only given 3 stars, but Steven as actually mentioned by name as the best part of the play. I will post a link to the review at the bottom of the blog for anyone who wants to read it. I am just SO proud of Steven and all that he has accomplished so far while he's been here. This has been an amazing experience and I'm so happy that he has been making the most of it. We also hope that California enjoys his performances as much as they seem to enjoy them over here!

As of now, Steven is busy working on his final project and then he's done. Only 6 more weeks left! This time has gone by so fast, but we have enjoyed every minute of it. We're hoping to have many more adventures in the next few weeks before we leave. Hopefully time doesn't keep going too fast!

Here are some pictures that Steven took. We weren't able to get any of the actual performance, but I think these are really quite fun. Enjoy!

I LOVE that outfit on Steven. I wish he could have kept it.