Last Day of School

Alexander and Benjamin have loved going to school this past year. Every weekday from 9am-1130, they have a blast at a nursery school just up the street from us. Yesterday was their last day and we got to go watch as they were presented with a big folder of some of their artwork and some photos of them the teachers had taken. It was great. They looked so proud as they got to sit beside the teacher and talk about some of their work. Then the children all sang a goodbye song to each of them in turn.
So here are some pictures:

Benjamin showing off his book to everyone

Is this a proud boy or what??

Alexander showing off his book

Hope you all have a great Canada Day Weekend. We are celebrating with a few fellow Canadians on Sunday with a BBQ.

Fun times in Aberdeen

We have been in Aberdeen since Saturday for a little vacation. Shawn is presenting a paper at the University here tomorrow and we found a great place to stay so we made a week's vacation out of it! The city is quite nice and has some great attractions which we are still exploring.
We had some friends come up with us from Saturday to Monday and the children all had a great time together. The place we are staying has 6 bedrooms and a kitchen and living room...with a TV!!
So here is the start of a few highlights from our week thus far:

Our week began with a lovely train ride...

Soon after we arrived, the children got organized into boys' and girls' rooms; and here is our little girl with her nails painted for the first time!

No nail painting for the boys...just fort building!

Sunday was father's day so we made a giant chocolate chip cookie for the dads...they generously allowed all of us to share!
Aberdeen has a lovely waterfront/esplanade which we enjoyed visiting on Sunday and which we will probably visit again before we leave. Here is Grammy enjoying the waterfront.


Yesterday we found a great playground in which to spend the morning.

I am plugging away at my assignments for the Overseas Nurses Program which I am completing so I can finally get my registration to practice here in the UK. Benjamin was sick yesterday afternoon and night but seems better this morning so we may make it out to museum and art gallery today. I will keep you posted with more photos later in the week!

The Celtic Christian Tour

On Wednesday nights here in Edinburgh, there is a great ministry happening called the Celtic Christian Tour. It is the only free city centre tour available and it is terrific! Shawn's mom and I went on Wednesday night and really enjoyed it.
They begin at the castle and work their way down the Royal Mile (the high street) making frequent stops to share stories about the city and country. Two men are dressed as Cuthbert and John Knox and they both portray their roles fabulously. It was very educational and interesting. I was so impressed that they give a clear presentation of the gospel during the tour....John Knox is retelling one of his sermons.
At the end of the tour we arrived at a Christian Cafe where there was free coffee, tea and cakes!
Even though it was quite overcast and cold, we enjoyed our evening. Here are some pics from the evening:

Mom White posing with Cuthbert (in brown monk's attire) and John Knox (in black)

This is when John Knox gave the gospel message and invitation outside of the incredible St. Giles Cathedral
Here is a statue of David Hume (who used to mock Christianity). This was about half way through our tour, which was, fortunately, all downhill!

So if there is anyone reading this who may be in Edinburgh during May, June, September, and October.....please look up the Celtic Christian Tour. It is a great ministry which should be supported!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAWN!

To celebrate Shawn's birthday today we took a little trip to Crammond Island with some friends. It is on the outskirts of the city and when the tide goes out you can walk out to the island. Quite nice even in the fog! It was a nice day although you can't really tell in some of the photos...as proof, however, you can see the sunburns on our faces when you see the pic of the birthday cake we had after a very late supper.
So to start out, we have all the children lined up on the back seat of the city bus...actually, the two youngest members of our gang were too small to sit on their own (1 year and 4 months):

As you can see, the fog was still rolling in as the tide was rolling out....if you look closely, you can see Crammond Island in the background. This is Shawn, Alexander, and Benjamin walking on the beach
And here are Benjamin, Hannah and Jacob looking out from the road...again, the tide is still going out and you can see the island in the background

So we walked out to the island and had a little picnic lunch there....of course there is also the token picture of Hannah sleeping! I think I will need to make a whole "tribute" to her with all the sleeping pictures I have. She was so cute, she said "I'm tired" and I layed her down on Shawn's coat and out she went!

One of our friends took a lovely family photo for us:
Back on land, we took a little snack break while we watched the swans and ducks at the marina.
And finally, we made it home after 6pm so we had a quick supper of pizza from Papa John's (I had a free coupon!) and then the cake the children and I had made yesterday. I even snuck Grammy into the picture (she decided to stay a little closer to home today, it was quite alot of walking!).