More Taffs in Texas

This weekend we had another visitor from Wales, not directly from Wales but welsh all the same. Originally from Swansea, our university friend, Meirion, now lives in Kingston on Thames. An avid supporter of Welsh rugby, he visited us regularly to watch the Wales international matches so it was like nothing had changed, except now we know that he doesn't just visit us for the rugby! We gave Meirion the full Texan of experience by taking him to the Feedstore barbecue and he managed to see an armadillo, although he was mainly pestered by David and Evan to throw them around in the pool.

The Feedstore, a great place to meat!

Kiddie catapult

Timarron Tiger Sharks

The Timarron Tiger Sharks are a locally renowned swimming club that offers swimming lessons and swim team sessions every summer for 6 weeks in the Timarron community pool. Evan started swimming lessons in the UK but they fell a bit along the wayside with the move. Although he can manage in water he cannot swim strokes properly, which is a pretty important skill here! I signed Evan up for swim team, which meet for an hour in the morning on four days a week, and also for two weeks of afternoon group swim lessons. Under the tuition of local swimming legend Coach Murphy, Evan's swimming came on leaps and bounds.

Lessons are underway...

Evan takes the plunge at his first swim team session

After three weeks Evan felt confident enough to take part in a swim meet at the Carroll Senior High School Aquatics Center, where the pool is enormous and deep. The heats are all timed, and there's a huge scoreboard showing the results. Evan did four heats and although he's not fast, he completed all his races and really enjoyed himself.

Swim meet at the CISD Aquatics Center

For me, sitting in the sun by a lovely outdoor pool watching swimming lessons is a far cry from the hours I spent in Cardiff leisure centres watching their lessons, then trying to get the shivering kids dry and dressed in a cold cramped dressing room.

This is the life!

Pet Love

A bit of pet love on my doorstep

Bess has been groomed twice since we've been in Texas and they've both been pretty awful haircuts, even though my instructions are clear. All I want is for her to be shaved all over, no beard, no bushy tail and no shaggy ears, yet she has emerged looking like a schnauzer or a badly shorn sheep and I've taken to the scissors to sort her out. To top it off most groomers require a kennel cough vaccination every six months even though the manufacturer recommends this to be an annual vaccination. With the weather getting warmer and Bess's coat getting longer, I booked a different groomer yet again, only to discover that her kennel cough was six months and one day ago, they won't take her without a booster. Argh! Mobile groomers do not require vaccinations since they don't mix dogs together, so I booked 'Pet Love'. Although this was an expensive option, we did at least save the cost of an unnecessary vaccination. Along came a very friendly lady in a purple van and parked it outside our house. She vanished into the van with Bess for two hours. It was like a caterpillar to butterfly transformation; out came Bess, clipped exactly as I asked, smelling great and wearing a Texas cowboy bandanna. Result!

A pampered pooch

Moving in

A lovely gift of drinks chocolates, pool toys and
goggles for the kids from the previous owners.

The day the kids finished school was the day we got the keys for the new house. The kids all did a half day at school, and in the afternoon David had a 4th grade party at Timarron pool and Alice had a friend over and they were going pool party too. In the midst of me packing, the kids loaded up the car boot with swim stuff, snacks and drinks and we left in a rush for the pool. Except my boot was still open and as I reversed out of the garage the door bent back against the garage wall above the door and it wouldn't stay closed, argh! This was doubly frustrating as I needed my car to move boxes over to the new house. Moving day was set for a week later to give us the chance to pack, and my intention was to pack up a few boxes every morning and take them over to the new house and unpack them whilst the kids play in the pool. Everything had to come out of the side doors of the car as the boot was held closed with duck tape, it was back-breaking but we managed it. Rob took several car loads - and I've got a big car - over the weekend, so that when removal day came around, my kitchen, most of our clothes, and a lot of stuff that could go in the numerous built-in cupboards was moved and unpacked. The removal men mainly had to shift all the big items of furniture, they started at 8am and it was done and dusted by mid-afternoon. The week-long moving process has left us absolutely exhausted, and there's still lots to unpack and sort out, boxes that haven't been opened since they were packed up in the UK. Our rental house needs to be cleaned up too, which I'm really struggling to muster the energy for.

Moving again. Bess is enjoying the space of the empty house but the kids have to eat their pancakes standing up.

It feels glorious to be in our own home again. There's still lots to do but the house is lovely and the kids are really enjoying the garden, pool and trampoline, something our rental house lacked. Here's their first plunge...

Durham Court Cinema night

We have become friends and been accepted into the fold of a cul-de-sac just round the corner from where we live, and they regularly have things going on in the street. Last night, one of the families decided to have a cinema night for the kids on their front lawn. They put up a huge screen and projected a film, and they even had a proper popcorn cart. The kids thought it was absolutely brilliant, whilst the parents enjoyed having a drink and get together. We love living here!

Watching the film

Film has finished so they're moved on to dancing in an attempt to stay up later.

School's out for Summer!

So that's it, their first year in the U.S. education system is complete. It's been a busy year, with lots of changes and challenges, but also lots of new friendships and fun. Both Alice and David will be moving on to new schools in the autumn; David into 5th grade at Eubanks Intermediate School and Alice into 7th grade at Dawson Middle School, making them 'leavers' again this year. Both Alice and David had a traditional graduation ceremony, walking up on the stage and shaking hands with school principle and receiving certificates, although no mortar boards, thank goodness!

6th Grade Graduation at Eubanks Intermediate School

Leaving elementary school is seen as a big step up, next year in fifth grade they will have different teachers for each subject, timetables and lockers to contend with. In addition to the graduation ceremony, Rockenbaugh also has the 'Fourth Grade Clap Out'. All the kids, teachers and parents line the halls and clap the 4th graders as they file out of the building, it was really touching. In the pictures they're all wearing swim gear and carrying towels as they're going on a trip to the high school aquatics center for a final afternoon of fun, which was reportedly 'awesome'!

David in the Fourth Grade Clap Out at Rockenbaugh

Evan will be back at Rockenbaugh next year for second grade, although new for him will be traveling to and from school on the bus, and new classmates, as they mix up the kids every year. But before that they have three months off for summer, I'm wondering whether I'm going to survive...

Saying goodbye to their fantastic teachers Mrs Clardy and Mrs Brannon, and Officer Art