Merry Christmas 2011!
		Hello to all our friends and family from the UK! The last year has been AN INCREDIBLE adventure for the Henson family. We’ve moved to a new country, started a new job, joined a new school, moved into a new home, gotten new cars, new bank accounts and really started all of the things we have taken for granted all over again. In the process we have become even closer than before and learned an incredible amount about ourselves, the world around us and added some new sports, musical instruments, and met a whole lot of new friends. During the last year, we’ve also had the opportunity to travel a bit. Please enjoy a small sampling of pictures and stories from our treks and travels this year. We hope to share more with you in the future. In the meantime, if you want to connect, drop us a line to: cat@bearcat.org All the best to you and yours this holiday season and in 2012! Love, The UK BearCat Clan (Catherine, Scott, Autumn, Siena, Mr. Tickles and Tiger Lily)

Disneyland Paris – December ,2010 Burrrrr…ice and snow throughout the park, and still plenty of crowds. Check it off the list, but we prefer California!	Paris – December, 2010 After our trip to the magic Kingdom we did a whirlwind “Paris in a day” trip to visit all the big ticket items of one of the greatest cities in the world.	Our house stairs – Jan 2011 First day at Priory School! LOTS more uniform to deal with than St. Joe’s.
Wales Coast – Feb 2011 During February half-term, we drove to Wales and vacationed with the Pabst family. Gorgeous coastlines and more castles than anywhere we’d been to date.	Uncle Joe Comes to Visit - February 2011 Our first visitor! Joe got to experience the cold of Britain without the joy of the snow. We visited Stratford (see next photo) on the day the Queen and Prince Philip were opening the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre. What luck! She wore a fabulous hot pink coat and hat – classic Queen attire…This photo is on the rooftop at Rare Studios in Twycross where Scott spends most of his days. A beautiful campus on farmland.	Stratford-upon-Avon - March 2011 Will you? Yes, indeed! Toby and Claire get engaged in Shakespeare’s birthplace
Viareggio, Italy – April 2011 A game of Apples to Apples, fine Montelpucciano, and our very hospitable (and handsome!) host, Nicola. Viareggio was a terrific hop spot to many west-coast cities, and this small inn was perfect. If you are heading there, we’ll send the info.	Siena, Italy – April 2011 Siena was able to visit the inspiration for her name this year – what an incredible treat for the whole family. And yes…they do worship her here! J	Vernazza, Italy – April 2011 We took the train up to Cinque Terre for a day and showed the girls the town we are to spend eternity around. When we were there, only parts of the walks were open, as flooding in the spring had done a lot of damage. Sadly, on Oct 25^th, just a month ago, Vernazza and Monterosso were devastated by 13’ mudslides, wiping out the lower piazzas and taking several lives. They will be digging out for some time. If you have had a magical experience in Cinque Terre, please join us in contributing to rebuild the towns. SaveVernazza This is a legitimate US non-profit run by US expats living in Vernazza. Even Rick Steves recommends…
Alton Towers, England - May 2011 One Sat morning we woke up with nothing to do, so we grabbed an overnight bag and drove to England’s biggest amusement park and waterpark. Granted, it was a bit chilly still in May, but with a castle integrated into the theme park, it was definitely worth it.	Nice, France – June 2011 The girls and Cat went to Nice, France and stayed at our dear friends’ apartment in Old Town. PJ, Mar & Aoife, thank you again – a fabulous holiday! Another perspective of the French Riviera in Nice. Scott had to work in North America – we missed him, but didn’t stop taking advantage of our location. Siena spent her birthday (June 3) on the beach in Cannes (a little better sand-castle sand there).	Caernarvon, Wales - June 2011 The Karrick’s and the Jones’ finished their Great Britain tour with us in Wales (our 2^nd time) and then on to our home in Birmingham. A fabulous visit!
Siena’s Class- July 2011 Great group of kids; while Siena is continuing on at Priory School, most of the kids pictured here have gone on to other schools, as they have a major switch in education paths after Year 6 (like our middle-school transition).	Edinburgh, Scotland - July 2011 The fam hops on a train and heads 4 hours north to the land of Harry Potter where the series was conceived. The Texas Hensons are proud to see Boat’s Tavern being worn again!	London - July 2011 Likely our 4^th or 5^th time to London since we’d been here but BY FAR the best weather we had ever had when the Regalbuto Clan came to visit this summer. We did it all in one day…in large part to the Big Red Bus!
Cologne, Germany - August 2011 We made a last minute call for the entire family to head to Germany to join Scott for a game conference. Cat and the girls explored the city while Scott sold the promise and magic of Kinect. J	Amsterdam, Netherlands - August 2011 After the trade show was over in Germany, the family drove up to Amsterdam and stayed for 5 days in the heart of the city on a house boat – which ROCKED! We rode bikes all over the place, visited the home of Rembrandt and absorbed the genius of Van Gogh at his museum. Amsterdam is a MUST GO AGAIN!	London – early Oct 2011 A freak heat wave hit the first weekend of October. We were in London for the weekend to renew our passports. Hey, while we’re here….Wicked and Stomp! Unbelievable shows. 2 weeks later Scott and Catherine went back to celebrate their anniversary and saw the Lion King. Wow!
Lake District, England - October 2011 Our good friends the Lumley family invited us to join them for a week in one of the great treasures of England – the Lake District. For our friends and family who have experienced the great Northwest, the Lake District rivals our best experiences in every way – great scenery, secluded from the rat-race, public walkways and hikes across the most spectacular fields and one nice addition – pubs EVERYWHERE!	Lake District - October 2011 We took more pictures in the Lake District than any other single event in the last year (more than 500 during the week). Given Autumn is our favorite season due in large part to the changing colors, this picture was a great moment in time to capture the excellence of our trip.	Autumn Turns 8! - October 2011 Halloween is celebrated in England but not with the same…er…VEROCITY that we do in the United States. This year for Autumn’s birthday (which is only 4 days from Halloween) she decided she wanted to make it Halloween themed. Catherine made it an incredible event for the kids with bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving and flashlight hunts in the dark. The perfect blend of birthday and Halloween for Autumn!
Birmingham – November 2011 To start the holiday season in Birmingham we all went downtown to watch Santa (and Darth Vader with Storm Troopers) parade through the center of Victoria Square. In the midst of all of this, Catherine caught a moment of joy of the two Henson girls which is one of our favorite pictures to date. It really captures the happiness and joy we have had over the last year with all these amazing experiences. Every day we learn and grow and embrace this incredible experience we have had the pleasure to be a part of.

One of the greatest gifts we have had in our time in England is all the new things the girls have tried – music, sports, plays, academics, and the arts. In late September, Siena entered the following poem into the Christmas Poetry Contest (and won…way to go Siena!). Please enjoy her lovely poem - The Snow Queen – and know the Henson family wishes you the absolute best in the holiday season and all the optimism and hope for a great 2012!