Ash & Amber

Edith loves to dance

2012-01-28T14:31:00.002Z

Some Christmas photos

2012-01-28T14:20:00.002Z

Edith was in the Nativity at church. She was a sheep (right there in the front). She and her little friend ran all over the chapel yelling "Mark, set, go!" and "Come on! Follow me!" She can be a bit bossy. They were so cute, though.

She didn't want to wear the costume until I took her into the ladies and showed her what she looked like in the mirror. Then, she was all about the sheep costume.

For Ash's parents, we decided to give them a gift that just keeps on giving. They wanted an updated family photo or one of their grandkids or something. It seemed a bit pointless when they are so close to having another one from us, so we decided to give them one that they could enjoy now. I kept this as the desktop for a while. Every time Edith would see it, she'd say, "Pretty Daddy! Pretty Daddy! Hahahahaha"

Visiting the farm

2012-01-28T14:09:00.002Z

We took Edith to White Post Farm, which is really close to where we live. She had so much fun on this adventure. Unfortunately, it overlapped with lunch and nap, so she looks a little bit crazy.

Jumping on the trampoline.

Riding a tractor .. don't mess with this girl!

Sledding/ sledging down the fake turf slope.

Making new friends with goats ...

who love to eat her hair.

Ash had fun too! He loves the little birds in the bird cage.

They love him too!

Look at the size of this rabbit!!

some maternity photos

2012-01-28T14:01:00.003Z

These were at 38 weeks. I'm now at 40. I made Ash take them at 11pm so he couldn't avoid it. Also, I couldn't breathe out of my nose due to sinusitis. So fun.

while I sit around and wait ...

2012-01-28T13:52:00.002Z

I figure that I may as well add some photos of the baby I'm waiting to deliver.

Piggies!!

2011-09-24T11:04:00.002+01:00

I was so excited about actually putting her hair in pig tails that I had to chase her around the house to get this. She wasn't so pleased, unfortunately, being cornered. It's the price we pay for beauty, eh?

Probably about time, really

2011-09-21T20:22:00.005+01:00

This isn't the most recent scan. Say hello to our new baby!

All about dressing up ...

2011-09-21T20:14:00.002+01:00

Edith loves dressing up. She likes to try on her next size clothes and shoes and walk around the room in them, showing off how they look from every angle. Sometimes, I'm shocked at just how girly she can be.

She just doesn't know what to do with the eye mask. Somehow, this is the best option she can come up with.

Oh, and she loves jewelry.

Trashing the dress

2011-05-19T13:36:00.010+01:00

Our wedding day was pretty rushed, what with two ceremonies and a four hour drive between them. Our pictures were also rather rushed. They aren't our favourite. So, we redid them (3 years later) the way that we would have liked them, relaxed and fun. I'd been really excited to do this for months, but when the day arrived, I was less than enthusiastic; I'd forgotten how uncomfortable wedding dresses are. Also, I felt a bit silly parading around the house in this dress that I completely altered for modesty's sake (since my own dress was apparently off limits). Our friend Kelsey came over to take the photos. She did such an amazing job!

We really did have an absolute whale of a time!

Unfortunately, there weren't any pictures of these beautiful shoes that I bought to go with the ensemble. I do love them, though. (I took this photo for some inanimate object practice.)

(I had to sneak Edith in here somewhere.)

And then, the trashing!!

Runny frosting! I really didn't want it on my face.

I was too messy to go anywhere near the house, so I had to strip off outside while everyone looked the other way. That was pretty tricky. I got stuck more than once.

Overall, it was such an awesome use of a wedding dress. Thank you eBay seller!

Digging For Gold

2011-03-16T17:22:00.002Z

With a capital T and that rhymes with E and that stands for Edith!

2011-02-03T13:23:00.002Z

Also available live.

Ticket prices vary.

Let it snow .. except when I have to go somewhere

2010-12-01T12:30:00.004Z

It snowed all day yesterday. It must have snowed all night, as well. When we woke up this morning, there was SO MUCH SNOW (even in non-British terms)!!!

(This is just because Edith is so supremely cute!)

It's still snowing. I thought that it had stopped, but was sadly mistaken. Anyway, after breakfast, I thought that it would be fun to take Edith out for her first (real .. since last year could hardly count; she was way too young to even be aware) snow. It lasted less than 5 minutes. I put her wellies on .. which are a size too big, 2 sweaters, mittens, a scarf, her hat, and a wool coat (yes, she's a red coat) and out we went.

She's not really standing in the snow. It was way too deep for her little legs.

Like I said, the wellies are too big. This is where we went inside.

And just as a side note, Edith loves socks.

Hey look! an update!!

2010-11-16T20:27:00.002Z

I needed a bit of practice, so Ash went outside with Edith and we shot a few photos. I was really happy with the way that they turned out. Here are two of my favorites.

Ash is doing "round and round the garden" with Edith in this picture. She loves it!

I realized that there are loads of pictures of Edith with her daddy, but very few with mummy. Ash has been really working on taking some of the two of us since we made the discovery. This is one of my favorites.

These little beauties were for the ward's munch and mingle on Halloween. I thought that they were so funny (and creepy, as Martha Steward promised). They were malt cupcakes with a green (obviously) chocolate malt icing. I loved them, but oddly enough, they didn't go down as well as expected with the kiddies.

Photography

2010-11-16T20:24:00.005Z

I've finally got my website up and running, though it is currently being tweaked. Still! For the first web page I've ever made, I am feeling pretty good about myself!! Woo Hoo!!

www.amberdevinephotography.co.uk

Because I can

2010-10-06T17:20:00.003+01:00

I finally got Edith's hair in quazi pigtails!! Woo hoo!! Obviously, it was a very momentous occasion for me. Unfortunately, it is not frequently repeated. Edith likes to play with her hair .. especially when she has food in her hand.

One afternoon in Clumber Park ...

ONE

2010-10-06T16:58:00.004+01:00

Our beautiful baby has turned 1. I can hardly believe it!!!

We really had a great day with Conference and visitors. She didn't really have much of a clue what was going on, but she got sweet things. That said, she didn't really know what to do with the cake and a good majority of it ended up on the floor. Cake isn't fruit, after all, and Edith loves her fruit!

Ash and I woke got her up pretty quickly after she made noise. Probably pretty mean, since she was basically woken up by the parental paparazzi.

Camping!!

2010-08-14T18:04:00.006+01:00

We just had our first camping adventure as a family. Friday morning, Ash decided that we were going to leave as soon as he got off of work and go camping for the night. It was my first British camping adventure and I really feel like I got the whole effect. It poured all night long. There were sheep just over a stone fence less than 100 feet away. We had somewhat yappy neighbors in the morning. All that was missing was drunken campers, really. We got very little sleep trying to keep Edith on her mattress; she is a mover! Also, we were on a slight decline and kept sliding down the tent. That said, we had a really lovely time and are super excited to try it again. Of course, we need to recover. This WAS only one night, after all.

The (awesomely sized) car was all packed, back seat included. Poor Edith didn't have much leg room.

Ash is getting Edith ready to go see the sheep before bed. It wasn't nearly as dark as the flash makes it seem.

Edith wasn't nearly as bothered about the sheep as we'd hoped, but she did say a very knowing "oh!" when she saw them.

Edith spent the majority of the night scooting over to the edge of her mattress to wedge herself between it and the air mattress. I kept trying to move her so she could breathe, but she'd just move right back. I don't get it. If she'd not been bundled up so tight, I'm sure that she would have been facing the other direction or at the other end of the tent (or on Ash's face). The funny thing is that we'd been wondering how much she moves at night. We just happened to get a first hand view of it. (And yes, that is a book. She woke up at 6 and started playing with my journal, so I gave her one of her books. She played with it, then wedged herself between the matresses and went back to sleep.)

It was pretty cold in the morning, so I bundled Edith up. She looked so cute! The next step was taking the hat off.

Right, so behind me are 2 cars with their tents. Across are 4 cars and 4 tents, I think (definitely 4 tents). Behind our car was a car and a tent. Farther behind us was a van (used as a caravan). Around the corner were 2 big tents and 2 cars. That is really not that busy. The wall behind the tree (and cars and tents) is the wall that separated the humans from the sheep. I really enjoyed being able to hear them bleat all night and in the morning. I felt bad for them when it was pouring, but it was nice in the morning.

This was the view just a few feet down the road from the camp site. We were in the Peak District, just an hour from where we live. That may not seem far, but considering that we live 2 hours from London, 4 hours from the bottom of the island, 4 hours from Edinburgh, and 2 hours from Wales (and that coast line), it seems a lot farther. It was beautiful!!

Next, we went to Buxton to find somewhere to eat. We ended up at a fish and chips place, which wasn't too exciting. Across from the restaurant is this bookshop that is like something from Harry Potter. There were books everywhere! The ground floor level was all ridiculously old books, then upstairs, it was an absolute maze of books! It was crazy!

French Toast Cutouts

2010-07-23T14:09:00.002+01:00

Edith's breakfast tends to be pretty boring. So, I decided to try something new.

Due to ant killer on the floor ...

2010-07-23T12:51:00.002+01:00

This is where Edith played for 10 days.

Father's Day Present

2010-06-23T21:49:00.004+01:00

For Father's Day, Edith and I went to the park to take a few pictures. The "park" actually was a pretty scabby playground, but Edith absolutely loves being outside! Apparently, there is a park much closer to home. Anyway, these are a few of photos:

I back up all of her photos every other month. It averages out that I take at least 15 photos of her per day! I probably should add a few pictures of Ash and I. We have a bit of an event planned, so we'll have a few pictures of us on here, as well.

In honor of Father's Day, I MUST mention what an amazing Daddy Ashley is. He cares so much about his baby. He always wants to have Daddy-daughter time. She absolutely adores her Dad. Every time that he comes into the room, her face lights up in the biggest smile possible. She really only giggles for him, which makes me jealous, but I think that it's sweet. They have a very special and tender relationship. I love my wonderful husband and SUPER energetic (and happily so) baby girl!

2010-05-13T15:00:00.004+01:00

I've discovered that I do THE most embarrassing things as a baby-entertainer/feeder. Ash doesn't have enough patience (or raw entertaining talent) to feed Edith. Honestly. If any other adult were present when I tried to feed her, she wouldn't be so well fed, I think. No one will ever know. I will keep feeding her when no one is around to watch me act like a monkey or an airplane. Those little delights will stay with me alone. (Believe it or not, Edith absolutely LOVES pineapple. She ate 2 or so big pieces at her grandparent's house on Sunday.)

Oh! And we are now at 4 teeth with 2 on the way. Poor girl!

Rufford Park and a few pics around town

2010-04-14T09:10:00.006+01:00

The weather had been so nice that we decided to go out and take some pictures (with my new, beautiful camera!). I love this head band that Edith is wearing. It'll look even cuter when she has more hair.

We went to Belton House with Ash's family on the Friday before Easter. They had a playground and I really had to contain myself. I love playgrounds!! I wanted to slide on the slides with the kids. Instead, I went for the swings. I love swings!! Edith really didn't seem bothered. I'm sure that she will be one day. (Note the incredibly cute shoes and skinny jeans -- on my baby. My footwear is all about practicality. That said, after this, I bought the family wellies.)

Edith loves her door bouncer. I think that it is so funny to put her tutu - thanks Erin - on over the bouncer and watch her bounce all over the place. She looks so cute! Then, she discovers her fun tutu and sticks it in her mouth. Who would have thought that tulle could get so wet?!?

Adventures with Vern

2010-04-14T08:53:00.002+01:00

When Vern came to visit in March, we went to York (where I breastfed in the minster between two plaques that people seemed to find fascinating once I started .. I'm sure it's just me, but Vern did get a picture of me with people ridiculously close and looking. Also, I'm not so certain that I was supposed to be sitting in the chair that I was in; it looked really old). We also went to Hardwick Hall, London (pictured below), and Edinburgh. We were in the car loads. Edith was such a champ!!

Edith is beneath the coat. We are at a restaurant. On the other side of the gate is a disapproving woman who very likely got a pretty good look at my boob. Behind me, through the window and across the street, is the Tower of London and, farther, Tower Bridge. Very cool!
It was raining and we forgot (or lost) the rain cover to the stroller. This was the first time that Edith was forward facing in the stroller. I was very worried about her feet being cold, but she kept kicking the blanket off. Ashley fashioned a covering with the umbrella, very clever man, but we had to buy hats to keep us dry.

Fancy hats. We are in a park right by Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful!

More of that growing up stuff

2010-04-13T22:26:00.003+01:00

Edith can face forward in the carrying case now. This is the problem with it. I feel so bad for her when she falls asleep.

Solution

When Vern came to visit, we went to Hardwick Hall, a really old house. It was built before 1600. Mary, Queen of Scots apparently stayed there or something. It was a residence of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire back in the day. The floor coverings were woven grass of some sort. It was pretty smelly. Carpet would have been very expensive at the time and not for walking on. We are in the Great Hall here. There were loads of portraits of kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, etc. It was pretty awesome. The grounds were pretty sweet as well. My favorite part was when we went outside and watched 2 sheep give birth. We were all cheering them on and rooting for the little lambs to move after birth. Ah, the miracle of life. Good thing that Vern videoed most of it! Sweet!!

After a week of constant poopy nappies/diapers, we decided to try a bit of ruffage to stop the flow. Edith LOVES baby rice.

Been a while

2010-04-13T21:11:00.004+01:00

So, since our last post, Edith is rolling all over the place. She's, unfortunately, rolled off the bed twice. You'd think that one or all of us would learn. We have to keep an eye on her when she's on the floor, since she likes to lick everything .. even the floor. She's so darn cute, though.

Edith likes to see herself in the mirror. I will be so sad for her when she realizes that it is actually herself and loses a friend. Poor girl.

We frequently find Edith in funny positions like this when we put her down for a nap. She had grabbed her sleep suit and tried sucking on it, but apparently, that was exhausting.

Aunt(ie) Carly sent a package that included this adorable little beanie. I love it! Unfortunately, it didn't fit for long.

2010-02-13T17:49:00.003Z

Last week, after weeks of almost being there, Edith has rolled over onto her tummy. It's very exciting! We were so proud. She rolls onto her tummy, is fine for a few minutes, then cries, because she is on her stomach! Then, I roll her back to her back and she rolls back onto her tummy.

One morning, she had woken from her nap, but was fine for a bit before a feed. I was just getting into the bath. After a few minutes, I heard a few thuds against the side of the crib and a frantic cry. I thought that she had her foot stuck or something, but when I'd talk to her, she'd stop crying. Then, I heard a thud, thud, thud, frantic cry. Thud, thud, thud, frantic cry. When I came around the corner, she had moved to the top of the crib on her stomach, a long patch of drool around her, with her head wedged in the corner. Her arms were flailing franticly. I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I sure did!!

Last night, Edith had rolled onto her stomach. I was talking to my friend, Suzzanne. Edith looked up at me over her shoulder and rolled onto her back. Now I've got problems! My baby has just become mobile!

Look, two teeth!! (Not the gums, the little white bits above the gums.)

A bit of growing

2010-02-08T15:00:00.002Z

I can hardly believe that our baby is 4 months old. She is getting so big, which I didn't realize until I took her to the baby clinic; all of the other babies are so small in comparison. Even the older kids look short. Edith is getting her first two teeth. I wouldn't have even noticed if it weren't for all of the spit. Wow, this baby can produce saliva with the best of them. She didn't even whine about it until her 3rd injections on Thursday. I think that was just too much for her: 3 shots, 2 teeth, one snotty nose. Poor girl. I tried to get pictures of the teeth, but every time I pull down her bottom lip, her little tongue comes out to lick me.

Edith has been practicing sitting up. I think that it is particularly funny when she is still trying, but slowly folding in half or landing on my leg.

She's stared rubbing her nose when she's tired. If she's tired around other people, she puts her hands in front of her face and hides in Mommy's chest. I think that she thinks it's funny.

I didn't put her in that pose. I just happened to catch it.

Faith In God - Missionary Night

2010-01-17T22:39:00.004Z

So I managed to get roped into doing a missionary night for the Faith In God kids. I was so not really looking forward to doing it since the lads that would be there are normally a freaking nightmare! To my utter and most pleasant surprise they were very good. I had a great time and the Elders also enjoyed teaching the wee (little) ones. (Just small Scottish slang picked up from my mission.)

I wasn't really sure how to go about what needed to be covered, so in true missionary fashion I turned to PMG and went from there. Thankfully they were full of questions and seemed to even be interested in the answers! I asked at one point ''Why to get baptized?'' to which the reply ''Because you will burn in Hell for eternity if you don't'' came, I knew it was going to be a fun night. It wasn't till the end that one of the boys asked how we know that Joseph Smith actually translated the Book of Mormon and was a prophet. I was taken back by the sincerity in his voice. What a beautiful teaching opportunity this was. We all sat down and bore testimony of how we each individually knew the answer to the question and I committed them all to read the Testimony of the Three Witnesses and to pray themselves. We also spoke about this month's First Presidency message, about staying strong and keep going, do the right thing. I didn't expect a lot of what was spoken about, but that is the way it goes when the Spirit directs as these young kids had serious, thought provoking questions that they sincerely wanted answering.

Today at church, one of the parents of the kids came up to me and said ''Well, we're not sure what you did or said, but our Sam came home and demanded that we start saving for his mission because he is going to serve and can't wait to go!" My fears vanished and with that I knew that somehow, the evening had been a success.

What a blessing it was to teach the young people of the Church and in general be involved in missionary work. Love it!

A few family pictures

2009-12-19T16:41:00.003Z

Pretty self explanatory, really.

They Grow Up So Fast

2009-12-19T16:27:00.002Z

We figure that no one really is interested in seeing the adults in the family, just the new addition.

Edith looked so incredibly cute in her little chair. (Yes, those are butterflies.)

Since all the other mums at the baby clinic use their strollers and leave them parked by the door, I figured that since I'm a MOM, I'd be clever and use the sling. She hated it at first, but she likes being able to look around. We just have to do loads of extra bundling.

I took this picture AGES ago, during Edith's first 2 weeks of life. It was just so funny.

Edith loves her bunnies!!

2009-11-13T20:16:00.003Z

A family in the ward gave us a lovely pink bunny play mat. Edith has long conversations with her new friends.

Oh, and mind the poop.

We've been working on clicking. It's so exciting!!

Mom & Dad - Edith's Blessing

2009-11-09T21:34:00.004Z

November 1st, 2009 - Edith Nadine Devine was blessed by her Father, Ashley Devine, accompanied by Grandads Jones & Devine, Uncles Martin & Jon, and Bishop Keith Woodward at the Mansfield Ward Chapel. All went very well and Edith was very well behaved (no noises came from either end! YAY!)

5 Men and a Baby.

Although this was a very spiritual day, Amber and I struggle to take serious pictures (as you may have already gathered).

Proud Daddy with Daughter. (Not so sure about the Pioneer bonnet but she pulls it off well)

Everyone who came to see the blessing (Family and friends wise)

Evidence once again that at least one of us can't be serious in a picture.

All the men again

A better one...

Very proud parents!

Mom & Dad - Sherwood Forest

2009-11-09T20:27:00.009Z

So this was the first of our many adventures when we had Mum and Dad over. Mum was so excited about visiting Robin Hoods forest it made me smile so much. When we arrived she was amazed by everything and it all was ''Robin Hoods Fern'' or ''Robin Hoods logs''. We were close to buying a hat and toy bow & arrows to reconstruct a forest battle. Someone had their wedding in the forest that day so there were people all dressed up in proper Maid Marian, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck outfits, it was brilliant!

Not sure if your supposed to enjoy the stocks, but Mum was!

Aww bless, in front of the Major Oak. aka Robin Hoods chill pad.

3 Generations.

Amber was not avoiding a picture with Mom & Dad, she was fussing and wasn't prepared.

Unlike the above, I was prepared and wanted to be in the picture.

The British 'Robin Hood' Fern.

So excited!!!!

It was like really being there!

Robin Hood and little John fitting it out on the brdge.

Amber and I are becoming really good guides for Sherwood Forest. Mom Jones was hilarious! She was so excited, it got me back into the Robin Hood mood.

It was brown stripy day for Edith, looking cute as always.

It' all fun

Chilling out with Daddy

Camera Crazy Parents!

2009-10-14T11:50:00.005+01:00

Well we just could not help ourselves when we were just chilling on the couch. Hope you like the pics.

Edith's first few days

2009-10-06T17:28:00.006+01:00

Well we are 3 days into being parents as so far it is amazing! Edith is such a good girl, sleeps loads and feeds when she should (sometimes refusing to wake up to be fed!) Amber is doing great too, still walking slowly but making a great recovery. We are having so much fun with all this time together, it will be horrible when I have to go back to work! We sit all together and watched conference and it was beautiful.

Edith in one of the sleep gowns Amber made out of a pre-pregnant top.

Chilling with Dad in the morning.

Edith in the Sleep gown Auntie Erin brought over when she visited.

And again since she looks so cute in it!

Setting the mood for the rest of her life.....chilled!

This is visual proof that I have got my hands dirty (quite literally a few times!)

I really was that happy as it was quick and Edith didn't cry.

And this is how happy she was! Either that or she was filling the nappy again!

Daddy Daughter Time

Edith Nadine Devine - The Arrival

2009-10-04T16:59:00.012+01:00

So at 6:05pm on the 03 October 2009 our beautiful daughter Edith was born. After 16 hours of labor, Amber was a real trooper and Edith arrived. Weighing 7lbs 13oz. English hospitals don't measure the length until the first midwife visit which is on Monday, so once thats done we will let you all know as I have heard of the history of the Jones baby lengths. Amber stayed in the hospital overnight so it was strange to come home alone after just coming face to face with our angel of a daughter. Edith is doing great, she has all her fingers and toes (massive feet!) Two eyes, a cute nose and blonde hair. Amber is now home 19 hours after it all kicking off and is doing great, excited to sleep on her back and not get a foot in the ribs! Enjoy the pics below.

Amazing Mommy and Daughter 10 minutes old

Amber about a hour after giving birth to Edith - Hott Stuff

Liking the Gas & Air too much.

The posh NHS sleeping quarters.

Edith and Mom chilling before being allowed to go home.

Our little fluff ball.

Amber chatting with Grandma Jones 19 hours after giving birth.

London Day Trip

2009-07-22T23:13:00.006+01:00

Caught these chaps just strolling down the Royal Mile playing their flutes and banging their drums. All very exciting, sadly it meant that we had missed the changing of the guard which is always entertaining.

Changing of the horse guards.

Now this was well funny. Guy without big horse, had a big sword and was walking around, all be it look rather silly with his big black boots, trying to do his thing, while picture frenzied tourists well known for their annoying habit of getting in the way but looking all happy and taking a picture whilst it's happening. Then chaps on horses dismounted and then gave their horses a nice slap on the rear for being good horses. Brilliant stuff.

Amber who was actually annoyed at some tourists who were taking a rather long time posing in the red phone box that she, the before mentioned Amber, wanted to also do!

Near the end of a long and rather tiring day.

We just came out of the TV studio and this was on the embankment of the Thames. A nice couple took this for us.

I can't help but think that our little girl is going to look just like Amber awww Very cute!

Harry Potter night

2009-07-19T19:02:00.000+01:00

I was so excited about going to Harry Potter that I made this shirt. I even got Ash to put on a scarf and drew a scar on his forehead (much better than an actual scar). People looked at me like I was crazy, because, you see, people in England don't dress up for opening night at the cinema. It's not like I was dressed up in full witch garb, though it should be noted that Ash almost dressed up like Hagrid.

(Unfortunately, all of my other pregnancy pictures that I was importing for Erin will not import to this blog. I'm sorry.)

Also, I did get a massive hair cut last week. The hair dresser wouldn't cut off any more than what he did. He feared that I wouldn't like it much shorter. I'll probably get it cut again after little one makes her grand appearance and my hair stops falling out.

A bit of nature

2009-07-19T18:52:00.000+01:00

We'd decided to go to Belvoir Castle on an adventure, but the real adventure came when we got there and discovered that it was closed for the day. However, we found this awesome yellow field. That's our tiny car in the background -- the one that is smaller than the rolls of hay.

We went for a Sunday walk to the castle. It was a beautiful day, so we spent loads of time outside.

Hey! There is a baby in there!!

2009-07-19T18:27:00.000+01:00

This is the baby on her first scan. She looks like an alien, but we were so excited to see her. It really put my mind at ease. We both were a bit teary.

Our 20 week scan: We found out that she is a girl, that her little mouth moves like crazy, that she has SUPER long legs, and that she NEVER stops moving. I had to go for a walk to get her to go to sleep so that they could finish the measurements. Even in her sleep, she wiggles.

We were lucky that they got a picture exactly when she stretched her legs out. That is her stomach and legs.

About 2 seconds after they caught this picture, it became ridiculously creepy, because she moved her face forward and we could see her eyeballs. I love this picture, because her arm is up over her head. She kept scratching her head and talking. I love seeing her little face.

Snowdon and Snowdonia

2009-04-20T18:53:00.000+01:00

Snowdon is the highest peak in the UK, apparently. It is in Wales. This is a little village just a few miles away from the start of the trails.

After over an hour of waiting to get to the beginning of the trail at the car park (the lot was full, along with several parking spaces until we were about 3 miles away), we started the journey.

There were several .. big hills ... on the way to the peak. We hiked along one side of them for a while before our trail crossed over to the other side. (Both sides were equally light, so neither could be classified as "crossing over to the dark side".) The trail was basically big rocks forming stairs.

The view on the cross over bit. It was so beautiful! So, so very different than anything I've seen in the UK.

There is a very small figure in blue, I think, at about the middle point of the left side. That is Martin.

Martin and Sarah, enjoying a breather.

This is looking back toward the beginning of the trail. If you look down by the lake, you can see the "easy" trail .. which is basically just a nice walk until you get to the mountain, then it's STRAIGHT up! We did the more gradual climb, which is up, then up, then up, then meets up with the "easy" trail and goes straight up.

Just before the peak. Sarah was a champ! We'd just got out of the straight up bit.

This is the man made peak at the top. I thought it was pretty pointless and refused to go to the top. I only wanted to go to the top of what NATURE had made.

Enjoying our cheesy cobs at the top.

Sarah, Martin, Me, and Ash at the top! Yay for us!

And then we climbed back down.

2009-04-20T18:46:00.000+01:00

These were abandoned/ repossessed houses in Liverpool. The entire street was boarded up except one house, which did not have such cool paintings in it's windows. Credit crunch hits Liverpool!

A Super Surprise Adventure around a park, whose name I can't remember

2009-04-20T18:20:00.000+01:00

Ashley was really excited about the lake and the ducks!

... because who wouldn't be!

Ashley tried for ages to get the picture of the evil yellow-eyed duck. Poor duck.

When we got to the other side of the lake, we discovered (though we obviously weren't the first, since there is a brick wall there) a secret garden. Apparently the entire area was a retreat for the wealthy during the Victorian period.

Ruins of an abbey, which was, again, later used for a Victorian get-away location.

This is part of the abbey, recreated for the tourists. The food is plastic. If it was real, I still wouldn't have eaten it. The monks used to copy down sacred texts in this area. There were all sorts of monk extremists in this particular abbey.

Looking for the toilet. Or just going to the top level. The upper level was in a much newer style.

Ash outside the upper level. There is a picture of an English Victorian prince with his entourage in this very spot, minus the fencing and the little boy.

Ash thought this was the funniest sign ever!

A deer in the forest.

Sherwood Forest Adventure

2009-04-20T17:58:00.000+01:00

Here we are in Sherwood Forest (Ashley is there, too. I promise).

The visitor's center has all sorts of fun things, like this. Ash threatened a plastic model of the Sheriff of Nottingham .. and almost knocked it over. I have no evidence of this.

(I did not know that we were doing a nice picture.)

This is the Old Oak. Legend has it that Robin Hood hid in this very tree (cannot be proved) and that it was the meeting place for the other outlaws. It's a huge tree! It's also held up by scaffolding.

Close up of the Old Oak .. with it's door and window. It's actually hollow.

Another gnarled tree.

New Year's Party

2009-01-19T20:42:00.000Z

So, it was an 80's party. I didn't make loads of effort, even though it was my idea.

I'm crouching, because I TOWERED over all of them.

We had a good night, playing games and such.

Christmas

2009-01-19T20:32:00.000Z

Christmas morning we went for a walk at a nearby lake. It was such a lovely morning, but we opened a few presents .. for warmth .. first.

Ash's Santa Gig

2009-01-19T20:27:00.001Z

The primary needed a Santa ... so they asked Ashley.

Who even would have guessed?

Family Temple Trip

2009-01-11T16:48:00.000Z

Martin, Sarah, Amber, Ashley, Bev, Juli, Grandma, Austin, Jon, Serene

Chris, Anna Belle, Daniel, Ken, Emmaleigh, Aimee

Daniel watching Sponge Bob on Ash's phone. Ashley and his gadgets!!

Emmaleigh, Daniel, and Aimee watching Sponge Bob.

The girls table

Bonfire Night

2009-01-11T16:30:00.000Z

it was really cold, alright!

We were across the river from the bonfire, rather than paying £15-£20 to be right by it. We were waiting for fireworks for AGES!! Every ten minutes or so they said "5 minutes" on the loud speaker.

Me (with a blanket tied around my waist), Mum, and Sarah playing with fire

The sparkler has finished. We all wish for the return of the minute warmth and potentially dangerous sparks, but mostly for the ability to wave it about, writing silly disappearing messages, or just our names.

Black & White Ball

2008-11-01T14:24:00.000Z

Every year, the stake holds and autumn ball. Usually it is green and gold, but this year it was black and white, which is fun and makes me feel oh-so-elegant. I really enjoyed making a skirt and dressing up. It was a good night.

the Devine women: Mum (Bev), Amber, and Sarah

The guy in the striped top jumped into a really cute photo. Shame shame. He's an odd character. No one seems to know who he is, though.

The Devine men: Dad (Ken), Ashley (that's not his real prescription), and Martin

Yeah, they're posers.

All of us: Amber, Ashley, Bev, Ken, Sarah, Martin

We had a really difficult time with these pictures, because we couldn't stop making silly faces, which are just so much more fun.

Michelle and Chris Mace

Martin and Sarah

Amber is actually not angry, believe it or not.

Dad wanted to get closer to be able to hear properly. Ashley was his carer. The guy in the striped top is just there .. who knows why.

Shell and Amber

Scotland Road Trip

2008-09-27T20:24:00.000+01:00

The Angel of the North, between Sunderland and Newcastle.

The Border! Amber was actually very surprised that there was an actual wall separating England and Scotland. It's known as Hadrians Wall

Fairly random pic, but it was whilst we were venturing towards a castle that we saw from the main road!

The Castle that we ventured too.....very nice.

Me at the castle we ventured too....once again, very nice.....

The main entrance to the castle we ventured too, which was locked since it was too early to be open!

The side of the nice castle we ventured too, Amber ran off to get this pic as I kept a look out in case we were attacked...

Failing terribly at getting a nice pic with the Castle we ventured to in the background.

......

Yes, Amber actually took a pic of this...

And this...

not all that impressed my love.

Another castle-like structure that we spotted from the main road, which was again closed because it was too early. I was tempted to head up a rather muddy trial which led to the place but I think a Hummer or Land Rover would have been more suitable than a Ford Fiesta.

Amber eating the amazing sandwich I made for her with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

All we had was a loaf of bread and some ham slices, and funny enough, it was a brilliant sandwich! This is in Princes Street Gardens.

Edinburgh in the background, to the left you can see the top of a cool monument for Sir Walter Scott, a famous poet

Outside the National Art Gallery and then Edinburgh Castle up the hill.

Amber standing on the Disgrace of Edinburgh (Google it to learn about the history of it.)

Edinburgh City behind us, and my head is not that much bigger than Amber's, it just looks like that because I am actually much closer to the camera!

Amber on the Disgrace again.

A much more full picture of the Disgrace of Edinburgh, this is on top of a big hill and can be seen for miles!

I hate this picture, no explanation needed here.

Amber standing at the east side gate to the Queen's official palace in Scotland. She wasn't there though, never mind.

Me at the same gate, not sure why i am posing like this.

Amber checking out Jedburgh Abbey ruins, its a cool place.

Me, Tanya and Amber after the baptism. I taught and prepared Tanya's brother for baptism when I served in the ward over two years ago. So it was a special moment to be back and actually baptizing Tanya, her dad wanted to do it but he has a serious spinal disorder, rendering him unable. Apparently, they were wondering who could baptize her when she saw a picture of me. She pointed to me and said, "Him! I want him to baptize me!" Very sweet!

Me and Tanya

Me and the MaCallisters. From left:- Me, Simon, Karen, Grandpa Johnson, Joshua, Tanya.

This is basically what I remember the family like! They are a great family!

In the background, the small man with no hair is Brother McGibbon, he is the funniest old man in the way that he just keeps talking, and then brings out a poem for EVERY occasion!

On our way home crossing a different part of the Border. Amber is holding Irn Bru, the national drink of Scotland. It is the cause for 87% of Scotland's youth not having their own teeth by the time they turn 22.

Back on the English side (which is the same rock, but other side!) We were actually in a cloud at this point, we were in the hills and the cloud was very, very low.

Ambers Birthday

2008-09-16T14:56:00.001+01:00

So, I went a little crazy with a dry wipe maker pen. I don't like giving cards, so I wrote it on the mirror and the toilet! I stayed in bed whilst she got up for work! Hahaha

I built her her own little fort thing so we could look at the stars (the blanket) and watch Enchanted which Amber got for her bday.

Ok, so we don't have a dining room, and the living room was off limits at this point. We were confined to the spectacular dressing room/junk room. I cleaned it up the best i could and plonked the table in there. It worked out okay....i think!

Amber requested that there be a fort erected by the time she got home.....so using the wood from our old bed the we STILL haven't got rid off, I constructed this fine...thing...Amber wanted to stare up at the stars too, so i improvised with the Star pattern blanket! Im, rather proud of that bit!

Urm, well, you can make up your own caption for this one. I think a special star will be awarded to whoever comes up with the funniest!

Despite my best efforts, I still got the chocolates that had alcohol and all that silly stuff in them! I did look in the shop but I think that my brain saw the agreeable price and blocked out certain ingredients! Shame.

She was unbelievably excited about this present....

The call home

So on the whole, I think I ticked all the boxes on Amber's birthday wish list. Thank goodness there is another 364 days till the next one!

Chatsworth House with Martin and Sarah

2008-08-28T18:53:00.001+01:00

Here it is, the beautiful Chatsworth House. It really is huge with absolutely extensive and breath taking grounds. (I feel so cool to say extensive .. like I'm from that time period!) Anyway, it was a great day trip with Martin, Ash's brother, and his wife, Sarah.

Ash looks like Quazimodo here, bless him! Outside the stables, where they now have shops and food .. lovely sandwiches and cheap-ish jewelry shops.

At the back of the house is a man made waterfall. It's formed in stairs that people can walk up. At the top is this building with it's fountain. The view from the top is beautiful!

up the hill

2008-08-28T18:53:00.000+01:00

Here we are on our way up the hill. Behind us are the stairs that people can use .. but they are pretty moss covered and people slip.

Try not to look too close at this one ... except the background. It really is beautiful!

Sarah and Martin

Ash and I at the top! Welcome to our home. We just need a pitch fork!

round about the gardens!

2008-08-28T17:17:00.000+01:00

Above the waterfall is a path that leads to a much wider path. About half a mile along this path are stairs with one rather inconvenient tree right in the middle. Honestly! Who plants such a big tree right in the middle of a perfectly good set of stairs!

On the other side of the path was another set of stairs, leading to a secret little reflecting pond ... secret because no one else was there.

Ashley decided to become friends with this horse statue. I just like the fact that he jumped with such effort over such a small stream.

The main path curves around and takes you to a maze. Below the maze is this trough waterfall area. This is actually a way down from the top of the area, so these troughs are all the way down.

Right, so, what is probably pretty difficult to see is that this nude statue is pointing to her breast. Ashley and Martin decided that it would be funny if Sarah and I did this. At first, no one was around, but as soon as we climbed up to the top and posed, loads of people showed up ... of course!

the maze bit

2008-08-28T17:15:00.000+01:00

In the center of the maze.

The inconvenient tree! And Martin.

the side of the house .. the more famous side

2008-08-28T17:13:00.000+01:00

This is the Pemberley side of the house. Behind me is a VERY long pool of water with a fountain in the middle. Behind the big white baby is another small pool of water with some sculptures ... not odd sculptures like this baby. I think that it was part of some exhibition on the grounds.

Without the baby ... but with a tractor. Sarah, Martin, and Ash

As I was taking pictures, loads of ducks waddled right up to us. We left rather quickly after this.

Martin and the golden apple. This actually took a really long time.

inside the house

2008-08-28T17:11:00.000+01:00

We really only had a limited area of the house that we were able to see. The library was particularly cool. The books are SO old. The house, I think, is still lived in by the Duke and Dutchess of Devonshire. However, we were able to see the Marble Room, used in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. I loved it! Ash and Martin got a bit bored at this point, but they said that the couches were very comfortable.

This was, by far, my favourite statue. I love the way that it really looks like she has a cloth covering her. Sculptors are amazing!

Ah! Aslan!

And, yes, they really do have the "Mr Darcy" bust on display. Bless Matthew McFayden! I thought that it was so funny! Ashley tried to get me to kiss it for a picture, but that's a bit much.

Yes, this is Ashley's mark on Chatsworth. Behind it is a sculpture of a woman in a little ... alcove area .. like a little greek temple.