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      • Trick or Treat
        10/31/09
        Although unplanned, perhaps it was very appropriate that we visited the Imperial War Museum today, on Halloween.

        The place was like a giant "Trick or Treat" for me in that explaining war to the three-year-olds was a more difficult task than I imagined (e.g. the "trick&q

      • Stratford upon Avon
        10/27/09
        Our delightful two-hour drive to Stratford upon Avon ended in the quaint and picturesque place its namesake sounds like. If you haven't been there, think about the name, "Stratford upon Avon," and then picture a small, bustling town. It fits. Streets are lined with Tudor-style 15th ce

      • Sandbanks
        10/26/09
        Picture a leisurely morning as three women and three toddlers decide to make a break for the beach. (Did I say leisurely? The drive to Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset, was two and a half hours, but we got to see some beautiful countryside and ate lunch in the car---without worrying about crunching into s

      • Football in London
        10/25/09
        American football really does exist in Europe, but not like Americans might think it does.

        90,000 fans packed into Wembley Stadium but fans of what, I wasn't totally sure. The Buccaneers played the Patriots, but what struck me funny were all that people that wore whatever football

      • Like Father Like Son
        10/25/09
      • Mercy
        10/24/09
        Today was one of those overcast days that I just enjoyed half of being home with my family. Still, I knew I wanted to get out and explore a bit, and my moms were right along with me. We arrived to the train station around 2:30 p.m. to head to the National Gallery, but what we found was a closed Tube

      • Bikin It
        10/24/09
        Drove up to Birmingham [say it: "Birmin-'em] a few days ago to pick up the Early Rider for the boys that I found used on Gumtree---the UK's Craig's List equivalent. The woman I bought it from thought I was absolutely mad to have driven two and half hours to get the bike, but it

      • Broken
        10/23/09
        Last night my mom and I heard a loud cry from a room where two boys were supposed to be sleeping in bed. Instead, they were jumping on (said) bed, and yes, "one fell off and broke his . . ." arm.

        When Kellen told me he couldn't move his arm, I knew we'd be going to t

      • Natural History Museum
        10/22/09
        Today's excursion found us at London's Natural History Museum. We got off the Tube and saw a sign that said, "Subway to Museums," and I thought I had gotten off the Tube at the wrong station. When I asked the man at the information desk for directions, he told me I had to walk th

      • Tag
        10/18/09
        The photo below is number 27 in a picture folder from July of this summer. I'm posting it after having been tagged by my friend Katie. It's hard to believe that combined we have 9 children---wow. Our lives are much different now that in our college dancing days, but I bet we would have nev

      • Bella Roma
        10/18/09
        Mom, Dad, Justin and I took a breathtaking trip to Rome this weekend. We packed so much in that we all fell into bed at the end of each day. I can't believe the splendor of that city where old meets new at every corner. Someone told us it is like the ancient Romans left mid-building and said, &

      • Just Cute
        10/13/09

        Above: On the way to the mail box


        Above: Lennox sitting in his car seat, just not in the car!

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      • Chiz'ick Hawse
        10/12/09
        I didn't realize it, but I'm learning a new language. I thought I spoke English, but apparently it's a different dialect, in more ways than one. I find myself asking people to repeat themselves, and I learn new words all the time. "Island," for example, is interchangeable wi

      • Neighborhood Ladies
        10/11/09
        Yesterday, my two moms, dad, and I had a pleasant visit to Ham House. Just across the river from our house, we ferried over and visited the place that once belonged to a 17th century countess who worked hard to keep her place in society, and in the end, mortgaged her home for legal fees in an effort

      • Treasure Found
        10/10/09
        "YES! My treasure is still here!"

        Grant, who had hidden a rock behind a lamp post several days before on the river path, found it again. This, and the opportunity to be a worker, a fire fighter, a horse, and a cowboy---all in the same day---are his daily miracles.

      • Now that's Sick
        10/09/09
        Q: What fries when a 3-year-old pukes on my toes upon waking up, another time on the living room rug after eating a pancake, lays on the couch all day, then has a piece of pizza for dinner and throws up again?

        A: A fried . . . parent?

        No

        A: A fried . . . stom

      • Mating Season
        10/07/09
        It's the call of the wild: the winning stag takes all. Today we found ourselves watching deer at Richmond Park again, but this time there were a lot of deer and there was a lot of hullabaloo going on for the females in the crowd (of the deer species, only, thank goodnes).

        I've

      • Dodo Arrives
        10/06/09
        Dodo arrived today and brought lots of special deliveries for us. Among my favorites were two syrups: Children's Triaminic Cold & Cough and Hungry Jack for pancakes.

        But the boys preferred the real Cheerios and the fishing game. And Lennox finally got his own sword set and is

      • At the Park with Nancy
        10/04/09
        Today we headed for an easy day at our neighborhood park with my cousin Nancy, who is visiting London for the second time since we've been here. We're hoping work will bring her our way again later this month so we'll get to see more of her.

        The boys are magnetized to Nan

      • Saturday Discovery: Westminster Abbey
        10/03/09
        Saturdays often are spent seeking out things in London that aren’t as easily accessible with a stroller in tow. Justin gets to spend time with the kids around the home front and my mom and I explore most of the day long.

        Today we sought out Westminster Abbey, which was more glorious th

      • Terrace Gardens
        10/02/09
        The borough of Richmond spent more than 1 million pounds on the renovation of Terrace Gardens, a quiet and beautiful park between the river and a busy Richmond street---reopened in July of this year.

        Sometimes I feel like the renovation was complete just in time to welcome us here as it

      • Apple Balls
        10/01/09
        After his nap, Kellen was the only boy awake and had free reign and rule of the back yard without brotherly interruption. I offered him the opportunity to pick the only three apples growing on our tree---inedible but extremely enticing, nonetheless, to Kellen, who gleefully plucked off the trio and

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