I confess, I am a closet Anglophile

One cold morning, we decided to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We were a little late (and by that I mean right on time, not standing at the gates since the crack of dawn), so we didn't have the best view:


But the kids enjoyed it since it involved soldiers and horses.


We then walked through Green Park:


Then along Piccadilly and Regent Street (with a stop in Hamley's) to the Carnaby Street shopping area:


We met my brother Brody for some fish and chips:


Then we were off to the Imperial War Museum, which I enjoyed way more than I expected to.

For R1, they had an exhibit about spying and espionage, for me there was an exhibit on the Second World War including war propaganda and a replica 1940's row house, and for W1 and L1 there were planes, tanks and submarines.

We saw only a fraction of the exhibits, and would gladly return if we had a chance!

Hampton Court Palace

We spent an entire day away from London visiting Hampton Court Palace. It was misty and foggy, making it quite atmospheric and moody, appropriate for a place with such a long history.


We toured some of the apartments and chambers, took a very long walk around the grounds (we may have gotten a tiny bit lost), successfully navigated the Garden Maze, and dodged giddy British schoolchildren.

December 6

It's here. In mass quantities.



The season of it-takes-30-minutes-to-suit-up-to-go-outside-and-then-we-are-cold-in-5-minutes-and-want-to-go-back-inside has begun.



Are you jealous? Wish it could snow in your climate?



Hop on a plane and come visit! My arms could use a break from all this shoveling.

Because we would go and do lots of fun things instead of shoveling, not because you would be doing all the shoveling.

I promise.

We love London

Of all the big cities we have visited, London is by far my favorite. We have been there three times, and I would still jump at the chance to return... or move there...

This trip, we spent 6 days sightseeing in the city. Our pace with 3 kids was a little slower, but we still managed to cram in quite a bit. I'm going to mostly let the pictures tell the story:

Playground across the street from where we were staying. Apparently for larger children.

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery

Natural History Museum - fantastic dinosaur exhibit

Health Clinic (where we went to have L1's ear checked, and where W1 had control of the camera)

Regents Park

That wraps up the first two days in London. The little time we were able to spend in Regents Park made me wish it was warmer and we had about a month or so to explore all the parks in and around London. So beautiful!

This one makes me laugh

While slowly going through the 2,000+ pictures from our London/Italy trip, I stumbled upon this one:



It makes me laugh for a few reasons.

First of all, there's me, coats and Ergo in hand, ready to go! Just waiting! Let's go people! Pretty typical of me, getting impatient when I should just chill, because next time I will probably be the one making the others wait.

Then there are the kids. Sitting on the step. Waiting patiently. This is very untypical. In fact, I'm surprised that it happened, and that we caught a photo of it.

Which leads us to the next thing, where is R1? Taking pictures. That is quintessential R1 on vacation, taking pictures of everything, at every moment.


Be on the lookout for picture-laden posts in the next few days as I finish sifting!

one

Tonight, we had a birthday celebration for little H1. She seemed a little surprised at all the fuss.

Mother Nature celebrated with us by sending a snowstorm. Not only did it whip W1 and L1 into a frenzy of excitement, it fascinated and amused H1.

Instead of blowing out the candle, she opted to sample the frosting.
Again and again.


Earlier today, W1 and L1 picked out presents for her. After returning the fire truck and tractor to the store shelf, I helped them pick out some more appropriate things. W1 took a page out of Toy Story and went with Mrs. Potato Head.


H1 recently was taught by L1 how to roar like a lion. She seems to use it as a general greeting, as well as an expression of frustration. R1 would like to count it as her first word, but I'm still holding out for something a little more civilized.


We are grateful for the love and laughter that H1 adds to our family. She's a keeper.

leaving on a jet plane

We've planned, booked, dreamed, laundered, organized, packed, and prepared.




Tomorrow, the five of us head to the airport for one week spent in London, and one in Tuscany. We can hardly wait.



P.S. I may have recently been daydreaming about "accidentally" missing our flight home and staying an extra week, or month...


P.P.S. I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs. Sing it, Mama Cass: