Happy New Year Saxontologists! It has been a very eventful holiday season for your pastor/leader/spiritual guru, i.e. ME. I met a very strange man dressed in a red suit who seemed obsessed with getting me to sit on his lap. In fact, I met him a few times. He just seemed to pop up wherever we went and, to be honest, he looked slightly different each time. Mom and Dad were shockingly agreeable to the bizarre notion that I might want to greet this large, bearded, fashion-challenged individual no matter how I protested. But let's move on to more interesting (and less traumatic) news.
After Christmas, Mom, Dad, Kari and I loaded up the car and drove North to the Lake District. We stayed in a cottage in the countryside surrounded by sheep. I love to say "Sheep!" whenever I see them and I said it very often as I sat in my car seat and we drove around the countryside.
Did you know, dear Saxontologists, that there are ALOT of sheep in England? These are one, two of the sheep outside the cottage. (ps. I like to count now even though it sometimes is with my own made-up numbers.)
In the cottage, I had my own tiny room (and crib). The room was so tiny that my dad had to jam the crib behind the door so I couldn't escape from bed and wander at night....but I could still open the door and yell at them when I was bored!
I quickly found the vaccume cleaner as I had forgotten my own at home.
Here we are walking near Conniston Water.
Did you know that if you yell, "Hey duck!" they do not respond?
Dad and I in front of the Old Man of Conniston (a mountain Dad says that we will climb when I am bigger). As you can tell from my coughing, I was still trying to get over a virus that had been plaguing me.
Mom, Dad, Kari and I went to Ambleside and ambled around. Kari got sick of walking and happily rode in the stroller while I surfed my buggy board.
On New Year's Eve, we drove even further North to the borderlands of Scotland to a town called Carlisle. Carlisle is famous for being the Western outpost of Hadrian's Wall (which was built by these guys called the Romans which really seem to excite my Dad).
Personally, I liked the choo choo exhibit best. Dad says that my strange fascination with choo choos can only be genetic and inherited from Poppy Fred.
Mom said that she was very sorry that these stocks were not available for purchase at the museum giftshop.
We spent New Year's Day near Beatrix Potter's house in Near Sawrey walking. We walked to a pond where I am sure Jeremy Fisher lives (he didn't come out...it was too cold) called Moss Eccles Tarn.
Here I am with Dad at the church in Far Sawrey on the walk.
The next day, we walked near Hawkshead but, I only have this photo because I was too grouchy and insisted on walking BY MYSELF (which, between you and me, sucked).
On our way home, we stopped for a very fast visit to Grandma and Grandad Wainwright in Lincoln but mom didn't take photos because she forgot. (sigh.) What is the point of having an entourage and papparazzi if they forget to take photos, I ask you?
Anyway, I hope that 2009 has begun for you with as much loveliness and joy as I seem to have been fortunate enough to find (when I am not busy having a 2 year old temper tantrum). This year promises to be quite an interesting one...at least that is what my mom and dad keep promising.... As always, I will keep you posted on how it all ACTUALLY works out...no spin, gloss or sugar-coating will be tolerated when you are 2 years old, you know.
Maxime and I flying away...sort of.
After hard work picking blackberries, Maxime and I relax at the pub.
Can you feel the love? Is this guy awesome or what?
Me. Doing what I do best. 
More summer adventures to come!
In Switzerland, I rode funny little cars that dangle off of wires called telecabines. I had a telecabine of my very own in the garden of the house where we stayed. Mom says naughty Swiss children go for time outs in telecabines. Lucky for her, I am never naughty.
Dad had the brilliant idea that we should take a car train from one part of Switzerland to another. We drove the car up on the train and it started up. Seemed interesting....
....but nobody told me we were entering a PITCH BLACK tunnel that went directly through mountains and ran at 80 miles an hour for 40 frightening minutes!!!! Yes, you are looking at two freaked out kids!
Lots more hiking and mountain stuff. All very exhausting and as my mom always says, I have two settings:
SAXON "ON" and
And now, back to nursery school I return. No doubt they have been lost without me....
And, of course, because I am two (and a half) and I generally get my way or do this....everyone went on choo choos! In fact, I did five choo choos in four days....try to top THAT!!! 
Including a choo choo underground where I wore a bob the builder hat. 
A tiny choo 
choo that went through a tiny town. 
A steam choo choo. 
A choo choo diner. 
I even rode a choo choo to the top of the mountain! 
Then, I scared my Daddy by screaming "I want to go down!" and pointing over the cliff. (You never saw my Daddy go so pale!) 
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the cottage that we stayed in that I referred to as "Saxon's house." 
And I helped Daddy build fires in the fireplace while Mommy, Kari and Trixie watched. 
And I spent all my Daddy's pocket change driving a tractor that only worked for 10 minutes every time he put a pound in the slot. And I fished with sticks, and went walking and counted sheep (there are lots of them!) . 
And I, and I and I...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Aunt Kate came to visit me from New York and I introduced her to life with the Saxonator in London.
walking in Buckinghamshire on Saturday. Well, Kate, mom and dad walked. Trixie rode in the baby carrier. I walked, cried, went boneless and finally (victory!) my dad carried me.
we went into the West End and visited Dad's office. Don't I look cool in Dad's hat?
came with Mom to pick me up from nursery school. Unfortunately, she discoverd that I love nursery school soooo much that I am often begging to go back in after I have been enticed (or carried) out the door. Hummm, maybe I can climb back in through the letter box....
Kari was happy to see Kate as well. She spent most of her time sleeping on Kate's bed.
After Christmas, Mom, Dad, Kari and I loaded up the car and drove North to the Lake District. We stayed in a cottage in the countryside surrounded by sheep. I love to say "Sheep!" whenever I see them and I said it very often as I sat in my car seat and we drove around the countryside.
Did you know, dear Saxontologists, that there are ALOT of sheep in England? These are one, two of the sheep outside the cottage. (ps. I like to count now even though it sometimes is with my own made-up numbers.)
In the cottage, I had my own tiny room (and crib). The room was so tiny that my dad had to jam the crib behind the door so I couldn't escape from bed and wander at night....but I could still open the door and yell at them when I was bored!
I quickly found the vaccume cleaner as I had forgotten my own at home.
Here we are walking near Conniston Water.
Did you know that if you yell, "Hey duck!" they do not respond?
Dad and I in front of the Old Man of Conniston (a mountain Dad says that we will climb when I am bigger). As you can tell from my coughing, I was still trying to get over a virus that had been plaguing me.
Mom, Dad, Kari and I went to Ambleside and ambled around. Kari got sick of walking and happily rode in the stroller while I surfed my buggy board.
On New Year's Eve, we drove even further North to the borderlands of Scotland to a town called Carlisle. Carlisle is famous for being the Western outpost of Hadrian's Wall (which was built by these guys called the Romans which really seem to excite my Dad).
Personally, I liked the choo choo exhibit best. Dad says that my strange fascination with choo choos can only be genetic and inherited from Poppy Fred.
Mom said that she was very sorry that these stocks were not available for purchase at the museum giftshop.
We spent New Year's Day near Beatrix Potter's house in Near Sawrey walking. We walked to a pond where I am sure Jeremy Fisher lives (he didn't come out...it was too cold) called Moss Eccles Tarn.
Here I am with Dad at the church in Far Sawrey on the walk.
The next day, we walked near Hawkshead but, I only have this photo because I was too grouchy and insisted on walking BY MYSELF (which, between you and me, sucked).
In actuality, my friends, we went to Devon and lived in a caravan for a week. 
1) The poodle travels too. What could be better?
2) The beach is just outside my door. This is an important consideration when the water is FREEZING (more on this later) and you want to go back inside when you are done to change clothes. 
(That's right...the physique is 100% Saxonator..gut and moobs included...admire it, love it, envy it.)
3) I get my own room and I can scream as loud as a want when I don't want to go to bed and the neighbors aren't bothered. Truthfully, however, after all the excitement of the day, I usually screamed a few times for effect and then crashed.
4) Caravans are INDESTRUCTABLE to even my most serious efforts at dismantling.
Well, we went to the beach and even though it was cold, I very enthusiastically discovered a love for the water at any temperature. 
My mom eventually made me come out when my lips turned blue...but I wasn't happy about it.
We walked in Exmoor National Park many days under various weather conditions. 
I discovered my new favorite thing to eat--scones with clotted cream and jam...YUM! See how I can shove an entire scone in my mouth?
I helped my dad do the dishes which, when you love water in all its forms like me, is much more interesting than you might think.
I took my first shower...reluctantly. (Don't ask why but the ladle made me feel better.)
On the way home, we visited Dad's old school and Dad said that after developing such enthusiasm for swimming in Devon, maybe someday I would swim at Millfield as well.
