Photos PhotosHappy New Year! We brought in the New Year at the Teixeira home. Claudio and Angelique were deep asleep, but Claudia stayed up with Nia to party the whole night through.
Late in the month, Corinna had to go to Germany on business, so Nia and John tagged along. After staying a few days in Stuttgart, we went to visit Sonja, Peter, Luisa, and Christian in Asch. Nia finally got to see what plenty of snow looks like.
PhotosHere's our cheeky monkey!
The Millennium Dads had a BNO (Boy's Night Out) at Shenley Church End's Clock Inn to see a few comedians. But the real laughs were at home, where Nia and Daniel stayed in to take care of Corinna.
Nia has become quite a clever girl. She can't blow bubbles, but she can make
them by waving the wand. And she has become quite skilled at using a computer
mouse to play her PC games alone -
have you seen
the
movie?
Our favorite Sunday-night hang out is the Xscape centre. We always check out the scene at the Snozone, and eventually end up at Nando's - famous for their Peri-Peri chicken!
PhotosOmi has come to visit, and reminded me to take plenty of pictures of Nia. We went to Moreton-in-Marsh, which meant of course that we ate at Cafe Dijon.
Our trip to the Woburn Safari Park convinced us to get annual tickets. Nia
got to see her sea lions again, and her elephants again, and got to sli-ei-eide!
Go watch
the
movies.
We went to Stowe Gardens on the 16th. It's a beautiful destination not far from Milton Keynes (which is probably why we had never been there before). In the evening, we did our Sunday evening special event - a trip to the Snozone. Nia explained skiing to us (watch the video - 3.7 MB download).
PhotosIt's April, which means it can still snow. And I don't just mean my dandruff.
The weather's unpredictable, but one thing is unavoidable: getting older. We celebrated a friend's birthday: Kai's 39th, on the 13th.
Nia will also be older, someday, and may find it worth paying her parents to remove this photo from the web. But all it really shows is Nia's growing ability to dress herself.
Many of the same friendly faces got together on Easter for an Egg Hunt at Stowe Gardens.
We borrowed a new E-Class Estate Car for the long Easter weekend, and had to put plenty of miles on it, so we continued our National Trust tour on Monday.
PhotosOma came to visit for a week in May while John was taking a project management course in Watford. Over the weekend, we all walked through Stowe Gardens.
Nia was seen by an ENT in Birmingham as a follow-up appointment to determine if she needed grommets. She does - they'll be implanted in June, before her birthday.
The Children's Heart Federation sponsored a picnic at Kempton Races on the 24th. There were plenty of fun and games, as well as exciting horse races. A raffle at the end of the picnic snagged us plenty of prizes!
The 25th was a lovely day, so we went to the beach at Bournemouth with the Fischers and Franks. We made sand castles, played paddle ball, rode the merry-go-round, and thoroughly enjoyed the warm day even though it was overcast.
The week got hotter, and hotter, and hotter, until Nia couldn't take it any more and demanded a swim in our pool. Once she was cooled off, she shared the water with all of the plants and flowers in our garden.
PhotosOh boy, is June a big month. Nia turns 3 years old on the 18th. We have
already started celebrating. She got her first present on June 1 from Omi - a
big girl bike (have you seen
the movie?).
The Lucius family has come to visit - first Sonja, Luisa, and Christian, then Peter. They all brought their fancy camera equipment, and now everybody thinks they're a photographer.
Nia got grommets in her ears on June 10 to relieve glue ear, help her hearing, and eventually improve her speech. She doesn't seem to mind.
June 18 - Nia's Third Birthday! All the Photos are HERE. Nia woke up and knew exactly what day it was. She came downstairs and was greeted by a table with presents piled high. She celebrated with Mama, Papa, Sonja, Peter, Chrisi, and Luisa. She opened her presents from family, then dug into her first cake of the day. Not long after all that was cleared up, it was time for party number 2 of the day with all her friends. They all played in the garden then it was time to come in for (more) cake! Things quieted down for a moment later when everyone played Pass the Parcel. After that, everybody was pretty much exhausted (at least the parents, anyway) and it was time for all of Nia's wonderful gusts to go home.
Time flies when it's hot and sunny. We had visits from the Luciuses, the Coopers, and Oma and Opa. Click Here for some of the highlights!
Christmas photos: Click Here.
Annual Newsletter: Read here:
2003
Well, we certainly can't complain about 2003. We bought a house, gained a job, and didn't undergo any operations more major than grommet implantations!
This year's action started when we visited Sonja, Peter, and Luisa for Christian's January birthday in Asch. It was Nia's first time experiencing "real" snow (not just this English icing sugar!). She found all that snow both exciting and confusing.
In March, Nia's Omi / John's Mom (Donna) visited for a week. We went together to stroll through the Cotswolds, slide at Woburn Safari Park, and hike at Stowe Gardens.
We got together with our Ex-Pat friends on Easter for an Egg Hunt at Stowe Gardens. Well, it was more of a Stowe Gardens quiz. To earn our Easter treats, we were forced to march throughout the entire premises in the cold and wet to answer a list of questions about the gardens. Horrific? Actually, it was great fun to be with our friends, and the little hunters enjoyed it, too. And the eggs were enormous!
Nia turns 3 years old on June 18th. She got her first third-birthday present on June 1 from Omi: a pink big-girl bike. Our big girl also began going to nursery full-time. She became more attentive and engaged once a pair of grommets was implanted in her ears. That changed her life dramatically! All of the sudden, our silent girl began talking, and talking, and talking.
During the hot months, we made several trips to England's beaches. We shared the sand, sun, and summer fun with our friends on the beaches at Bournemouth and Hunstanton.
The Cooper family visited in August. We got to do all the touristy things you take for granted wherever you live. In England, that means going to Westminster Abbey, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge, Warwick Castle, and the like. Nia loved spending time with the big boys Aaron and Brian, which she thinks are the coolest two boys in the world (and so did our neighbour girl Victoria), and with her Aunt Sue and Uncle Dan. She is looking forward to visiting them in Texas once she gets older.
We went to Scotland with Nia's Oma and Opa / Corinna's Mami and Papi (Karin and Siegfried) in September. We toured the Highlands, Loch Ness, and Inverness. Nia fell in love with a big green monster (Nessie). We all enjoyed staying in Nia's "yellow holiday house"--a small place in the fishing village of Avoch (pronounce "Och" by the locals). The Scots must want to keep tourists away with their stories of bad weather, because we didn't see any of it. (This photo of John and Corinna was taken by Nia in Scotland)
John began working with T-Systems on a temporary contract in September, and got a permanent position in November. He is now the Global Network Factory's Planning Manager for the UK. After applying for a job in network management, how did he end up working in a factory? He's planning to find out.
In October, Nia had another scheduled heart check-up in the Birmingham Children's Hospital, and her cardiologist was very happy with her progress. Usually we get "no news is good news", meaning her heart did not change--not worse, and not better--but this time her ECG showed sign of her heart function improving! October is unfortunately also the time for Nia to catch every bug going around (this seems a bit of a repetition of last year). With both Corinna and John away at work full-time now, juggling work and staying home with Nia proved to be a challenge. We are accepting applications for occasional help. UPG (Unwell Pretty Girl) seeks CGM (Caring GrandMother) for love and attention. Must live close by (not across any Channels or oceans).
Corinna's extension with Mercedes was approved, so we will enjoy another year here benefiting from her ex-pat contract. This extension was essential for Corinna to keep her German pension plan. After this year, she can make her own decisions about where she lives and who she works for!
Now that we are finally in control of our future, we have begun the process to buy a house currently under construction. Next summer, our address will change to 1A Redwood Gate, Shenley Lodge, Milton Keynes, MK5 7BZ (don't send anything to that address yet, only the foundation is there so far!).
December was marked with the sickness bug, hitting Nia and Corinna, so we are totally behind with writing Christmas cards. Since we could not commit to travelling, the Schell family stayed in Milton Keynes alone to celebrate Christmas alone for the first time - and the first time ever for Corinna to celebrate without her parents. But we were very grateful for all the wonderful Christmas cards and gifts we received from our friends and family from all over the world. Even though our wishes are slightly belated, they come from the bottom of our hearts: We hope you all had an enjoyable and healthy festive season, and wish you health and happiness for 2004.
Love
Nia, Corinna, and John