First Family Visit from the US

Our first family visitors from the US just departed today. Papa and E-mommy spent almost two weeks in the UK with us. They arrived and got to see a snapshot of life in England. They got a taste of the school in the village and were able to see the sights and sounds of the area. We took a day trip to London and saw the Sound of Music. Excellent... We all had a great time.

Papa and E-mommy were able to sneak away to Edinburgh, Scotland as an added treat. We have not been there yet but it sounded wonderful. You'll have to catch up with them for the details.

We had a very nice visit and the kids were excited to see visitors from home after 5 months over here. Mr. Murray also snuck in a visit this past week as well. The week was filled with pub meals, a visit to Brussels and a wild Eurostar train adventure.

Frosty UK Day

We have been surprised with some nice, frosty mornings. Vivian decided we should drag out of bed on a Saturday morning to see the beautiful trees. On first blush, I was thinking about burying her in some shallow grave behind the house. Once I saw the sites, I had to appreciate the fact that she pulled me out of bed. I did my best to mimic the photographic work of Dr. Hunter. I realized that this would never occur but decided to share the sites with everyone.

Christmas - Roman Style - Dec 2008

There is a great deal of Christian history (as well as many other religions) that is attached to Rome. You look back to Peter and Paul and the writing in the bible and Rome plays an important role. Being there at Christmas time made this quite interesting.

One interesting aspect that helped the kids survive visiting 200 churches and cathedrals were the creches that were in virtually every one. Some were amazingly elaborate and some were simple and primitive. Some modern, some ancient. To the left is the creche outside of St. Peter's Basilica. It was life-sized and quite amazing. The one with John and MJ is in the park that is across from our apartment.

When it comes to Christmas, it historically leads back to the journey that Ceasar Augustus started when he ordered the census of all the people in the Roman Empire (insert snide remark about taxes here). Mary and Joseph then had to journey to Bethlehem. Now back to Rome. Palatine Hill is one of the most famous hills of the 7 hills of Rome. This is where Rome was first established by Romulus and Remus were taken to the cave to be raised by the wolf. Starting about 500 BC. This was the happening place to live for the affluent people. This is also where Augustus was raised. This is the section on Palatine Hill where his palace was. (see Marshall & Maggie pointing)

On the other end of the Christmas story, we were able to experience the Scala Santa (The Sacred Stairs). These were the stairs that Jesus climbed to appear before Pontius Pilate. In the fourth century, they were brought from Jerusalem to Rome and this were placed in a former palace of the Pope. They are now covered in walnut (marble below) and are considered to be so sacred, you must ascend on your knees, saying a prayer on each step. John immediately headed up and we all soon followed. Very, very somber/sacred atmosphere and an amazing touch of history that has transformed the world.

Rome - Top 5 highlights: Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 2008

On Boxing Day, we headed off to Rome until 2009. Figure I would start the adventure with the top 5 highlights of Rome, Skelton style. Unfortunately, we won't make the highlights of any travel journals but it was an adventure.

5th is the classic Roman Photo. Everyone loves a good coliseum picture. We were about a 10 minute walk and stayed in an apartment which seemed to fit our numbers. Word to those who have not started reproducing. It is much easier to travel with 2 kids, than three. If you get down to basics, it is much easier to travel with no kids but that is a blog for another day.

4th is the shopping. We were amazed at the number of little shops that existed. You could literally go in a shop that had 10 items total. We picked up your standard gloves and scarves. Even got a leather briefcase from a little shop near our apartment. One day, we were walking down a lane past the president's palace and we passed a tie shop. Plastered in the window was this little face. We decided to duck into the shop since daddy is stuck wearing ties again. We opened the door and this kid runs straight up to me and says papa and makes me pick him up. Needless to say, Vivian and I had a quick conversation about how I had never been to Rome.... I had to hold him the whole time. I left with 6 very nice ties and a new friend. The picture shows the entire shop in case you are wondering.

3rd is that our kids now have careers. They have come to the realization that the best way to live is on the street. They are all going to be street performers and we have elaborate plans as to how we are going to pull this off. It was the subject of lengthy discussions. Every chance we got, we could stop and watch a juggler or some other street performer. It is interesting when the entire ordeal is in Italian and you can't understand a single word.

2nd is the best ice cream in the world. In case you haven't heard, Gelato can cure illnesses, can give a six year old super human strength when he can't walk another step, and can actually provide all the nutritional needs that a person can need. If you are full of pizza and ravioli, there is still room for a Gelato on top. If little John looks a little blurry in the picture, it is not your eyes. One dose of cold flurry and he would go supersonic.

Number 1: Vivian can now give lessons in fighting off a pickpocket. On New Years Eve, we found ourselves in a wave of riders, all attempting to board at Termini (train station). I headed for the door with strict instructions for the kids to follow my blocks. I pushed through the line of scrimmage and the four of us boarded. Vivian, realizing there was no room for her to run, took advantage of another hole in the line and she headed for another door. As she was mashing her way onto the car, she realized that someone was going into her backpack. A sharp word and a serious elbow to the chest was enough to scare this 20 year old pickpocket away. The rest of the story must be told in a pub over a pint. I will tell you that the next 24 hours were completely consumed with the kids planning vigilante strategies for the metro. If I were a bad guy, I would fear the Skelton's on the underground. Between being held down and having John jump on you, you would not stand a chance.

Happy Christmas

In England, many people use the phrase "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas." We had a wonderful Christmas at the Old Pumphouse in Cheveley. We attended a crib service at the St. Mary's Church in Cheveley on Christmas Eve. We sang carols around the manger scene.

Christmas Morning....arise and shine at 7:00 (the time we told the kids they could wake us up & they weren't allowed downstairs until we all went together) Everyone was excited about their gifts from Santa and it didn't take long to open the presents under the tree. Then the Skelton band was formed thanks to RockBand for Playstation 2. We also received a basketball goal and look forward to playing some Hoops in the driveway.

Christmas Dinner with the Gibsons...We opened our Christmas crackers and put on our crowns. They served goose and turkey. We ate fresh vegetables from their garden: parsnips, carrots, potatoes, leeks, and brussel sprouts as well as homemade Yorkshire pudding. It was delicious and we all ate too much! We enjoyed traditional Christmas pudding for dessert and then waddled home.

Our evening was spent packing for our trip the next morning on Boxing Day to Rome.....