Scotland Pictures

Hoyer and Kyle at Edinburgh Castle

Hoyer at Kildrummy Castle

Hoyer and Kyle at Loch Ness

Walking through the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, 600 years older than Stonehenge.

Kyle, Hoyer, Me and Dodd Loomis having drinks before going to see his play, Luck.

Hoyer as a little lamb in a pasture near Glenbuchat.

The coast of the Isle of Hoy.

Hoyer pointing the way to Hoy!!!

Home Sweet Home

We made it back to London late last night. At 6 months, Hoyer is becoming more and more of a handful and we think our days of easy travel with him are over for a while. We had been debating a second trip to Paris and a weekend in Zurich, but now that our little bear is semi-crawling and such a wiggle worm, we think maybe not. But, there is still hope...Paris can still happen- and this is how- ( I have friends that do this all the time..)
We take the early morning train from London to Paris and then the last train from Paris to London that same day. Hoyer stays home with our sweet sitter. We shall see. It all depends on time and money (after the bill form enterprise..who knows...).
But, it is good to be home. We slept late today and are going over to friends for BBQ. We have started the loads of laundry and one suit case is unpacked completely. Luckily, Monday is a bank holiday, so we get a nice long weekend to recover and get things back in order.
Scotland Pictures are being uploaded as we speak and I will put up a ton as soon as I can.

Edinburgh

We made it back to Edinburgh to a Marriott for 2 nights to decompress and enjoy their pool and see Edinburgh. Hoyer was a little fish showing off to Kyle just how far he has come since taking swimming lessons. We had breakfast in bed both mornings.
We saw so many neat things in town, the castle, Holyrood, where the queen resides in Scotland, the Royal Mile and we were in town for lots of festivals that were going on in August, including the Fringe Festival.
I linked up with a childhood friend from Covington, Dodd Loomis, who was in Edinburgh for his play, Luck, that was featured at the Fringe. We were able to have a drink and catch up (on the last 15 years) before the show. Kyle and Hoyer then went back to the Hotel while I went to the show. It was really good!
Now we are at the train station getting ready to head back to London. We have had a nice time and learned a lot. The biggest lesson learned was about car rentals. Kyle will have to fill everyone in about that. Let's just say Kyle's bday gift was a new clutch and a tail light from Enterprise.

Welcome to your 30s, Kyle!

Kyle turned 30 today, August 26!! Kyle said he doesn't feel like he should be 30. I said, look around, you're in a minivan with a baby in the backseat, checkered dress shirt tucked into jeans, glasses and classical music on the radio, plus when you woke up, you said your back was hurting. You are 30.
Denial aint just a river in Eygpt.


We are on our way to St Andrews, (where prince William went to Uni)should be a beautiful, posh little town.
Hoyer had toast gin this morning in a high chair. I think he is getting more butter than toast, but t least he is getting the hang of it.

Castle Country

We have been driving through the Caingorms National Park and stopping at castles long the way. We saw 5 castles in one day! Lots of driving through the heather-topped mountains,lots of cows and sheep. In fact, Hoyer even looked like a little lamb in the pasture. (Pictures to come!)After a long day, We had a take-away dinner and ciders and hit the sack!

No Nessie!

We didn't see Nessie, but we sure did look hard for her. We spent the day on Loch Ness; boat rides, museums and a very tourist trap lunch spot. We had perfect weather.(Pictures to come) Today we are off to Aviemore. It is cold and raining, but we are prepred with all the right gear.Hoyer is now eating toast with butter at brekfast.

Orkney

We have had a very nice time in Orkney. Hoy was so very neat, our bed and breakfast amazing and our ferry rides back all uneventful! (Thanks to a little medication for Hoyer)
We saw an intact village dating back 5000 years bc. It was amazing, they even had furniture. Also, stone structures similar to Stonehenge but 500 years older called the ring of brodgar. What an amazing trip so far. It is cold and Hoyer has been keeping warm in his adorable uggs. I can't wait to share our pictures.
We are off to Invergarry now for 2 nights. Nessie here we come!!!

Ahoy from the Isle of Hoy

After a long ferry ride, we found out Hoyer doesn't quite have his sea legs yet. Poor baby was sick and mom felt sick. Dad held us all together. We are now getting on the second ferry from Stromness to the Isle of Hoy.
We have seen the most beautiful part of Scotland, our drive through the Highlands was amazing.
Our train ride was amazing from London too.

just a wee bit of things to take to Scotland

The list is long of all the things I have to take for Hoyer. Diapers, wipes, blankets, hats, socks, car seat, baby carrier, food, bottles, clothes. It is endless. We are working hard to each have a 'hand free' as my father always advises, but it is tough! Eight days requires a lot of clothes and food and not to mention it is a wee bit chilly up north, so we have bulky sweaters. As it stands, Hoyer has one bag, a diaper bag, a car seat, a stroller, a little bag full of food and a backpack to be carried in. I have one suitcase and Kyle has one suitcase, whew...

A Picnic Celebration in the Park

Relaxing in Kensington Gardens with a picnic from Whole Foods and wine from our trip to Provence.

I wonder what I will get for my 6th month birthday?....

I hope it is something good.....

Hmmm...that looks interesting.....

I am very happy....

I want to eat it....

Can I Dad? Can I Mum? Just a little? Please!!!

Ahhh..at last I got a tiny taste. Scrumptious.

Hoyer is half a year old! These last six months have flown by and I can only imagine that his next six will go even faster. Where did the last six months go? Feel free to take a look back on the blog to check out where the time went! Just scroll down to older posts or use the blog archive tool on the right.

Here is a quick recap:

February: We waited and waited and he finally came February 18th. The Gills were in town and we enjoyed getting to know Hoyer. He loved sleeping on dad's chest.
March: Lots of friends and family visited, The Benefields from Tuscasloosa, Kacy Benefield from Chicago, Brad Israel from Italy (at the time) and Sidney Rue from Birmingham.
April: We got into our own routine and Hoyer got his first stamp on his passport to Belgium. He also took his first plane ride and went back to the States to meet great grandmothers BB and Grano and lots of other friends and family in Alabama and Louisiana.
May: We celebrated our my first Mother's day in the states, Hoyer survived his first tornado warning and flew back to a very happy Kyle. Hoyer went to Spain and touched his toes in the sea for the first time. Hoyer rolled over for the first time.
June: Hoyer was baptized and we had a party for him at our flat. The Gills came to London all the way from Costa Rica, Minnesota and Louisiana. We had a fantastic time. It is so nice to have family visit!
July: Hoyer celebrated his first 4th of July and he went to France, his 5th country! Hoyer started solid foods. Hoyer rolls to get places- he is a steamroller!
August: Hoyer begins to show signs of crawling and no longer needs a boost in his jumparoo. His legs are long and he is wearing 12 months size clothing. He sits up unaided. (but not for long!) We will celebrate Hoyer's half year birthday with a picnic in Kensington Gardens. Hoyer will go to Scotland to visit his namesake island, The Isle of Hoy on Friday.

Hoyer is a 'caterpillar' in Sunday School. He officially joined the Crèche
and is on the roll at St Mary Abbots. Kyle enjoys taking him to the creche and having play time together with other caterpillars. They sing songs like Zoom Zoom Zoom and Wind the Bobbin Up.
We knew it was time for him to join- because the last few times we had him with us in church he 'talks' and wants to use our legs as his jumparoo. He is just too excited and happy and interested in everything that is going on, it was hard to worship and distracting for others, so off to the creche he went!

Foodie

Hoyer is quickly becoming a foodie. He prefers all organic food and really loves Ella's Kitchen Stage One foods. He eats it right out of the package. No spoon needed! We will be takings lots of this with us on our upcoming holidays.

How will we carry Hoyer around Scotland?

Hoyer loves being toted around in this new back pack. It will be easier than the baby bjourn that we are used to- Hoyer is over 17 lbs now, so it gets heavy carrying him on the front for long periods of time. He is in the Littlelife back pack.

Movie Star Treatment

For my birthday, Kyle and Hoyer treated me to a day at the spa! Kyle took the day off from work and stayed home with Hoyer so I could enjoy my day. I went to Adamina Day Spa for a facial and massage and was able to enjoy the steam room, rain forest showers and movie room. It was wonderful and the cherry on top was that I was there with real movie stars. Martine McCutcheon was at the spa along side me! It made me a bit nervous and flustered, but in the end, it was nice and she was sweet and beautiful. ( She was in one of my favorite movies, Love Actully) After my spa day Kyle took me out to dinner and then we rented a movie and had birthday cake at home, where I found beautiful sunflowers waiting for me.

Hoyer has found his tongue. He sticks it out all day long. It is really funny. It may have something to do with the banana I gave him-because ever since then he has been sticking out his tongue nonstop. He ate the banana like a real person. Sure made lunch easy on the go.

Speaking of eating, here is what a typical lunch time at home looks like after all is said and done! What a mess! Maybe we should have banana everyday. (peaches, peas and pasta below)

Oxford, England (not Oxford, Mississippi)

When I told some of my friends I was headed to Oxford, they thought I meant Mississippi. Although it has been way too long since I visited Ole Miss, this past weekend we spent Saturday in Oxford, England. We took the train from Paddington Station, where Kyle goes everyday, and enjoyed the University, the gardens and markets.


Hoyer sitting up in The University of Oxford Botanic Garden and sitting forward facing in his stroller.











Above, Kyle teaches Hoyer about leaves and Hoyer ate the leaf!

Getting Ready to Crawl!

Hoyer is getting ready to make the move! God help me!

Peek-A-Boo

Hoyer loves to play peek-a-boo. He understands the game and will put blankets or anything he can get his hands on and laugh when we pull it away. It also works really well the other way around- when we hide our face!

Where does the name Hoyer come from?

We are often asked where Hoyer's name comes from. Hoyer is the maiden name of my maternal great grandmother (Hoyer's Great Great Grandmother, Ruth Hoyer.) However, there is a UK connection to the name as well. The Hoyers came from Scotland, from the Isle of Hoy. We will be visiting the Isle of Hoy this August to see it and show Hoyer where his name and family came from all those years ago. Here is a picture of the Isle of Hoy below. Here is a great website that has a lot of wonderful information about Hoy: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/hoy/hoy/

I will be updating with more information about our Scotland trip in the upcoming weeks! We leave on August 21.
Hoy is the second largest of the islands that form Orkney. It is about 10 miles long and five miles wide and is roughly rectangular in shape, not counting the tail of South Walls at its south east end. Having said that, the B9047, which runs from near the north west end of Hoy to near the south west end of South Walls, is 20 miles long, so this is not an island who's size should be underestimated.

The name comes from the Old Norse for "High Island", (Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300.) an indication that Hoy differs in character from all the other islands making up the archipelago.

Just Another Manic Monday

Monday is my favorite day. I start out with Mummy Mornings at Whole Foods from 10-11. Then Hoyer and I head to The Life Centre for mummy and baby yoga from 11:20-12:45. Afterward we go the The Electric Cinema on Portobello Road in Notting Hill for the "Electric Scream, " where we watch up to date movies with other mums and babies under one year old. (subtittles are provided just incase it gets too crazy, but Hoyer really likes the big screen and the big chairs!)
All the while our wonderful cleaner is at the house! It is my perfect day!!!

On Tuesdays we have a playgroup with the Kensington and Chelsea Woman's Club then we do our grocery shopping- which gets delivered the next day!

On Wednesday we have our Little Dolphin swim class and then we go to Baby Clinic to have Hoyer weighed and checked by our Health Visitor.

Thursdays we have Buggy Boot Camp and run errands and Friday we have another playgroup and get ready for any trips we are taking! It is always fun!

girls trip means boy time for kyle and hoyer

I am off to the races with some friends in Sussex and Kyle and Hoyer are hanging out together in London.

July 31, 2009

Today marks the anniversary of Kyle's cancer diagnosis. It has been 7 years since that day and Kyle is obviously very healthy and happy. Hoyer and I are so proud of him. If you want to honor him today, click here to learn more about living strong.
We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate.