Van Natter - July

Wow, I had NO idea I was so far behind!! A little embarrassed by that.

Let's start with July:

We celebrated the 4th at Emily's. John and Neil played Peek-a-Boo, which made everyone laugh! Before it got dark, Jacob set off some fireworks in the backyard. Addie would run inside and hide behind the sliding glass door each time - she's not a fan of the loud noises. Neil wasn't sure what was going on! We were back home before dark. We watched Captain America to end the day.
Addie is wearing her festive patriotic dress, and Jacob sports her Easter Bonnet.

THRILLED when I got the email about my free Ancestry, My Heritage, and Find My Past memberships. Everyone else should have them by now. I've still only been on Ancestry. I need to figure out the other two. For some fun, be sure to visit Relative Finder and see all the famous people you're related to!!

Neil turned one on July 11. We went over to celebrate. He was not too crazy about that messy cupcake! He did enjoy his new toys. As did Addie!! We got him a stuffed chair like the one we got Addie for her first birthday. (Different fabrics, but their names are embroidered on.)

I started putting together the Teacher Spotlights for the girls' latest venture, Teacher Approved, a subscription service for educators. There are bundles for K-2, 3-4, and 5-6. Each bundle offers 6 new products useful for teaching or student work each month. The teachers who offer their product each month get a 'spotlight' on the Teacher Approved blog. I am in charge of those. It is interesting to read about these teachers from all over the country (and world in some cases!) and how much effort they put into educating kids. I am amazed by Emily and Heidi's business(es.)

Such fun to attend Amy's baby shower at Stephanie's! The best kind of shower: no games, amazing food, and great gifts!! Annette outdid herself on the appetizer spread. Amazing!!!!! Addie had a ball playing with her cousins, and even got to borrow a swimsuit to play in the water out back. We had to pry her away when it came time to leave.
And now we can officially welcome BABY WES!!! 

We didn't do much to celebrate Pioneer Day. John never gets it off. I watched some of the parade on TV just to feel a little festive. John has a lot of Pioneer ancestors.

We saw a lot of the Littles through the month, which was fabulous, since we worried about seeing them often once they moved into their new home.

A little more from Mark and Linda

Had to start another post due to formatting issues....But almost done!

Today was a highlight day in Northern Ireland. We drove along the coast to the Rope Bridge at Carrick-a-Rede. This was a scary but amazing opportunity. The views were stunning.

Then we continued to the Giant's Causeway, an amazing geological wonder! 

A short distance away were the remains of Dunluce Castle with gorgeous views in the distance. I loved the flowers growing in the rocks of the castle. After eating Irish stew at "The Nook" with our friends, Chris and Steve, we crammed into a phone booth for a fun photo op.

Our plane was due to fly home from Dublin so we headed south and spent a fun afternoon at Trinity College where we were able to view the Book of Kells- the beautifully illuminated manuscript of the New Testament and the greatest treasure of Ireland. (Forgot to mention in the previous post that we also got to see a Guttenburg Bible and a rare John Tyndale Bible at the British Museum in London...simply amazing!) We also got to see the most amazing library we have ever seen at Trinity College.

We had a few hours to shop and enjoyed the various musicians- especially the old man playing spoons and the "statue" men.

Leaving our last hotel in Dublin. This is a typical view when you travel with Fun For Less.

(We have learned to travel with colorful luggage...viz: blue and red!)

This was a trip of a lifetime- being able to see the lands of our ancestors and to celebrate our unique heritage. The people were "lovely," the views were amazingly beautiful, the architecture was stunning and the food was everything we hoped for....delish! Even the blood pudding Mom!!! We are so grateful we were able to celebrate 40 wonderful years of marriage in a place that was so meaningful to both of us. 

Greetings from the Iowa Cottrells

Hi All,
We just returned from the U.K. after touring for 2 weeks with Fun For Less, and celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary.  Here are some highlights of our trip:

After visiting Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed, we drove to Windsor Castle outside of London. The gardens were gorgeous. We were lucky to see the changing of the guard. It was fun to try on some fancy hats. We had some awesome ice cream  with jam and biscuits in it, and also ate some traditional Cornish pasties.

 

In London we toured the Tower of London where we saw the English Crown Jewels. We drove around the city and saw Big Ben and London Bridge. The British Library was awesome- saw the Magna Carta, drawings by DaVinci, lyrics by the Beatles, music by Mozart etc., Jane Austen's writing desk etc. At the British Museum, the star attraction was the Rosetta Stone. We found a "Carvery" near our hotel where we feasted on 4 different meats, veggies and yorkshire pudding with gravy.

In the countryside we got to explore fascinating Stonehenge. In Oxford we toured Christchurch College- the school and the cathedral. Saw the dining hall which was replicated for Harry Potter. Lewis Carroll took inspiration for Alice in Wonderland and a little Alice shop was charming. 

After a drive through the English countryside we visited the Gadfield Elm Chapel, the oldest LDS chapel in the world. Nearby was Benbow's Farm where Wilford Woodruff baptized over 600 members of the United Brethren Church in the pond.

Later that day we had fun poking around Stratford-Upon-Avon- home to William Shakespeare. We enjoyed another Cornish pasty and a sausage roll, with gelato for dessert.

Warwick Castle was nearby and was a lot of fun to explore. We enjoyed the trebuchet and falconry programs. We also dared to climb the 530 steps to the castle tower and ramparts.
 
Sorry....formatting issues ahead! Lindsey, I need you!!! :)

In York we drove around the medieval city walls before visiting York Minster, the (stunning and) largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe- almost 1,000 years old. Shopping in the narrow streets and alleys was tons of fun, and a challenge to keep from getting lost!

Enroute to Wales and Preston, we stopped in Liverpool to see the Albert Docks, where immigrants set sail for America. The church has a beautiful statue of an immigrant family there.

Wales was gorgeous! We loved seeing the road signs with both English and Welsh. We had fun exploring Conwy Castle and the charming village where we did some fast shopping. Today was our 40th wedding anniversary. We found a hand-carved Welsh love spoon with "40" carved in the handle.

We loved driving through the Lake District of northern England enroute to Edinburgh. It was fun to see all the sheep in the pastures and the views were stunning. We took a boat ride on Windermere Lake and visited Grasmere, home of William Wordsworth. This is "Peter Rabbit" country and home to Beatrix Potter as well.

Edinburgh was amazing! We loved the old buildings, ate cottage (shepherd's pie) in a pub, shopped the Royal Mile, & explored Edinburgh Castle. We saw Holyrood House, the palace of May Queen of Scots, and Saint Giles church where John Knox ignited the Scottish Reformation. 5th pic below is Mark finishing off the Iron Bru which Mom suggested we try. We enjoyed it!..unlike the Ginger Beer we tried on another day. Bleh!  Ha.

The highlight for me in Scotland was stopping at a rest stop in Girvan, home to Grammy's boarding school at St. Joseph's. We picked up shells on the beach, gazed through the fog at the island Ailsa Craig, and imagined young school girls braving the COLD water of the Irish Sea

on the beach at Girvan, with the Aisla Craig in the distance

looking north to Girvan

At Stranrear we boarded a ferry to cross to Ireland.

Moulton Chat

Greetings Everyone!

Jess is worried that the summer is quickly getting away from us. I reminded him that we still have two LONG hot months. He knows I'm already longing for October!

We ended up pulling up a lot of our landscaping this Spring so we've been trying to refill areas. Why hasn't anyone married a landscape architect? That's what I really need, so you single kids, get busy looking!!! I need your help!!! We do have a neighbor who has been quite helpful but just in general terms so the decisions have been left to us and neither of us has a clue so it's a slow process! I did plant flowers this year. Last year, with the wedding, I simply ran out of time so it's nice to have some annuals growing again!

We went to see Marianne and her little family in Houston. Luckily, a cold front came thru so it was the PERFECT week to visit! Grant is a little charmer, always ready with a winning smile. We sure loved visiting. Grandpa got to play Roller Man with him which made him giggle! He loves his baths and loves to get around! He'll be walking soon, I'm sure. Watch out, Marianne!We helped Marianne plant some flowers as well.

It's been easier for the kids to have family dinners at their place so we've been going there a lot! Ella has become Grandpa's Girl. For so long, she'd act scared of him but I think once he started swinging her around, she figured out he's pretty fun to have around. It really warmed his heart when she cried when we left recently. Makes up for all the 'stink eyes' she used to give him! Perhaps eating chocolate candy didn't hurt either!

Jess' sister Sally and her family came up for her grandson's 1st bday party. We all ended up at a park in Riverton and the weather was beautiful! It was fun to see Avery and Sophie show up in the same pink jacket. These two are two peas in a pod! We often just sit and listen to their chatter. No one else can understand half of what they're saying but they laugh and giggle and it's so fun!

Jess ended up bringing his rocket launcher which he built. It's amazing! You add water to a 2 liter pop bottle and flip it over on this contraption. Then pressure is added and the kids countdown and then POW! Those suckers go flying. So far, Sophie's Hello Kitty rocket flies the farthest! It's so fast, you'll miss it if you don't watch closely. The kids had a ball with that! This is a picture of the kids making their rockets.

We were so proud of Bryce for almost completing his MBA. He officially had 2 more classes to attend this summer but they had his class attend the graduation ceremony. Yay, Bryce!

 And now Scott has just started his own program at UNO and should take 18 mos. He attends every other weekend and so far, he's enjoying it. He's still crazy busy at work and recently moved. He sadly had to put down poor Ol' Sebastian. Rest in Peace, Ol' Friend!

We love being grandparents! It's the best part of our lives! So grateful for each one and we look forward to Baby Wes who will be here soon!