This morning we were lucky enough to meet up with another friend from home, my neighbor Lisa.  She and her husband are in town for a conference and she joined me and the kids at the Natural History Museum.  The first thing we saw walking up to the museum was the Butterfly house, which, unlike the free museum, you had to pay for.  My kids do love that stuff, so we went for it.  Lots of fun, beautiful butterflies, and lots of chrysalises opening to watch.  It was fun.  Once we got into the museum we headed for the dinosaurs area and then on to the crystals.  The area with the minerals and crystals was huge and very interesting.  So much cool stuff in that museum we will have to go back a few times.  It was lunch time after the museum so we went to the nearby Carluccios which we know to be a good italian restaurant and very kid friendly!  Just what we needed!

It was really nice to get to know Lisa better.  We had a great morning!  Our afternoon was lazy and our plans tomorrow include more laziness.  We will see how that goes.

Monday was a fun day with my cousin Lori and her family.  We met up at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park and I made the older kids play catch with my kids!  hehehe!  It worked great and the kids seemed to have a fun time in the sunshine.  And it was nice for me to be able to sit and chat with Lori.  We decided we were hungry and headed across the street to the Marriott hotel's secret entrance to the Roofnic......a pop-up restaurant on the roof.  Apparently the bouncer shouldn't have let us by because when we got to the top the employee came over and quickly told us that children weren't allowed!  He said that because his colleague made the mistake that he would let them stay (and the fact that no one else was there), but "for future reference" they couldn't come in.  No worries dude, we won't be going back!!  They were supposed to open at 10.  We arrived at 11.  Apparently the chef hadn't arrived yet.  They didn't ask if we wanted anything at all and didn't seem like we were wanted. They did have some yummy looking desserts and we ordered 1 each and enjoyed them with some water.  The weather was nice though and the kids enjoyed just hanging out.

We were going to say goodbyes and the Parr family was going to go to the Globe, but kindly said they would change their plans to go to St. Pauls cathedral so that we could join them.  We saw a Pizza Express right across the street and since no one got a proper lunch, the kids were hungry and we saddled up for a quick lunch.  It was a nice place to sit down, chat, and use the restroom.  After lunch we went to St. Pauls and enjoyed the beautiful cathedral.

My kids were pretty exhausted by then and ready to go home.  It was so nice to catch up with all of them!!!  Good times!

We woke up this morning and prepared for a nice morning at church!  Andy made us an (almost) full English breakfast with eggs and bacon and tomatoes and toast.  We got ready and figured we had to leave the flat by 9 to make the 10am meeting.  Not quite like Utah, is it??!!?  We took the DLR and tube and discovered that we really liked the area around the tube stop for the church.  Probably need to go exploring.  As we were about to turn the corner to go up the street 2 young girls in skirts approached us and asked if we were looking for the LDS church.  I think we look the part!  We said yes and they told us that they tried to get in but all the doors were locked and no one answered the buzzer.  We thought maybe it could be stake conference so we skipped out and headed to the Columbia Road Flower Market.  It was a lot of fun and there were so many lovely flowers for quite a good price!  Made me wish I had an English garden to work in.  I bought a white calla lily for my kitchen table and it's beautiful.  There were a lot of other fun shops that I will have to go back and visit.
We made our way to the train station and happened upon a Donut shop with baked donuts.  Yes, we bought some, yes they were good.  We rode home and had a lazy afternoon watching football and tennis.  Andy had to leave for the airport around 2.30 so the rest of the afternoon was me and the kids and a grouchy Alex.  Indian dinner the kids struggled to eat.  Then coloring contests and love note writing.  Wow, I'm ready for them to go to bed!
Andy is on his way to NYC to get his visa worked out.  It's a long story, but I'm cursing the idiot border patrol guy at London City Airport.  He thinks he's SOOOOOO important!  I'll work on adding Andy's pictures later.  I'm tired!

It was fun to have a day to explore with Andy!!  I told him he could choose what we did for the day since he doesn't get to be out and explore as much as we do.  He chose the Borough Market which is a terrific "farmers market" and Portobello Road Market, which is cool stores and junky stalls.  We ate a lot of yummy stuff in Borough Market and I wish the kids had decided to try more, but alas, they held out for crepes in Portobello.  One of our favorite stores there is all "Made in England" stuff like scarves and coats and cufflinks and bowties and other manly gear.  I bought Andy a pair of cufflinks from there a couple of years ago when we were here.  Alex wanted a bowtie and although he chose one that I didn't love, he loves it and is excited to wear it.  I think he will look like a stud.  Or a total nerd....not sure which!  The manager of the store was so kind and hilarious and played with the kids and made it a very fun time!  And Andy couldn't resist a colorful pair of socks.

Since we were already half way to my favorite store, Boden, we decided to go for it.  It was amazing and I wanted one of everything in the store!!  Unfortunately, it's very much out of my price range so I purchased a skirt and a linen tunic.  I'm not going to say how much they cost.  I don't want that documented forever!

It took quite a long time, over an hour, to ride the tube back in.  It's very crowded on Saturdays with more limited service.  But we made it home in time to chill, make a good dinner, and have a restful evening.  Also, they finally came and changed our sheets and towels and cleaned the flat.  Which feels much better!!  Made me pretty excited that I don't have to clean a toilet for 2.5 months!!

Andy took all the pictures today.  Use your imagination.  ;-)

Today was a lazy morning because Samantha slept in.  Alex and I played cards and did some laundry and dishes.  Once Samantha woke up we got ready and went to the park.  Poor Samantha made a bad choice and decided to wear flip flops while riding her scooter to the park....which we have said many times not to do.  I think she learned her lesson because she fell off her scooter courtesy of her bad shoes.  Thankfully, it wasn't a bad fall and resulted in only a couple of scratches.  After lunch we had some chill time (Samantha watching Once Upon A Time and Alex and I watching Home).  I even snuck in a 30 minute power nap!  We left a little before 3 to take the tube to Piccadilly Circus to meet up with Andy.  He had a meeting up there so we decided to enjoy the afternoon.  The weather was amazing again and we strolled around Covent Garden and ate at the Shake Shack.  Once again, let me state how expensive it is here!!  4 hamburgers, 1 lemonade, 1 milkshake = $32 pounds which translates to about $50.  This is why we grocery shop and eat in the flat most of the time!!!  More healthy too, I suppose.
I've been wanting a new fragrance so that when I get home and wear it I will be reminded of my time in London.  I was planning on just getting some Nivea body spray from Boots or something, but Andy knows how much I adore Orla Kiely, so he took me to the shop.  The clothes, while beautiful, were WAY too expensive for me, but they had a fragrance that I really liked, so I got that.  I'm quite picky about perfume so I was surprised I liked it right away.  It was more than Nivea, but not hideous.   At least that's how I justify it to myself!  After a few more shops, including the comic book store, we headed home.
A few showers later everyone is clean, feeling better, and relaxing before bed.

This morning both kids just wanted to sit around and "be lazy".  The weather was so glorious that I couldn't let that happen.  I showed them a picture of the Diana Memorial Playground and they immediately wanted to go.  We all got ready and left the flat around 9.30.  It sure took us a long time to get there via the DLR and tube!  We didn't pop out of the tube until around 10.20, but the kids enjoy the journey, so it isn't a big deal.  Just surprising when you google the playground and it's 6 miles away.....you think to yourself, "that should be 6 minutes away".  Not so my friend!  Life in the city!
The playground was really fantastic with a large pirate ship and lots of soft, cool sand to play with.  The kids spent the majority of their time in the sand and getting water to make castles.  I enjoyed digging in as well.  There were lots and lots of nannies there and they were actually all cute and sweet with their little ones.  A lot of school groups as well.  After an hour and a half we grabbed some ice cream cones and wandered Kensington Gardens.  We came across the pond and watched the water foul for a bit and then played catch on the grass.  We walked over to Kensington Palace which the kids had NO interest in.  I looked up the entry price and it was definitely steep enough to steer me away considering the lack of interest.  We decided to exit the park and get back on the tube and on our way out we saw the parked helicopter that had landed an hour earlier on the lawn near Kensington Palace.  We saw a crowd of people and went over to see the fuss.  We just missed the occupant getting in but I asked and it was apparently Prince Philip.  Kind of cool!
After getting home we had lunch and turned on a movie for a bit of a rest.  Alex had plenty of rest after the movie and wanted to scooter to the park.  So we did.  It was such a nice day and soon after we arrived school was let out and the park filled up.  Then the ice cream truck pulled up!!  I was on FaceTime with my mom so I handed the kids my smallest bill (10pounds) and told them to get a small cone.  They took advantage of my good nature and my absence and each got 2 cones!  1 double and 1 single scoop.  Samantha graciously handed me 2 pounds back!!!  Needless to say, I was quite upset and they don't get any kind of treats for the next week!  Little farts!
Poor Andy probably wanted to go out after work, but I was so tired and ready to be in, so we had dinner and kids will have an early bedtime.  Good day overall.  Ready for the weekend!!

Today was a bit of a lazy day.  I've been feeling flabby and horrible because I haven't exercised for a little over a month so this morning while the kids were playing at the playground I jogged and did some bodyweight exercises.  It's been a while......I'm sore!  Thankfully it's quite a good area for working out.
When we got home we chilled and then had lunch.  After lunch we met up with Andy and went to the mall to the Tiger Store.  It's a great little do-dad store and we were able to pick up a few things that we have needed like tape and a cutting board and some toys for the park.  Annnnnddddd, since we bought toys for the park the kids wanted to go back and play.  Mommy was tired, but we went ahead and the kids found some friends to play with.  I ended up chatting with one of the mums from India and I enjoyed that.
The afternoon was relaxed as well.  Andy got home, we had dinner and then walked to the large grocery store about 13 minutes walk away.  It was nice to see a bit more of the Isle of Dogs.  We bought more than intended at Asda (it's owned by Walmart so it's definitely the cheapest around), so we took the bus home which the kids loved.
We shall see what tomorrow brings!

Alex woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning....we probably should have just stayed home, but the kids really wanted to go out and about.  It was a very windy day and not super warm, so the only good thing I could think to do was a museum.  The British Museum has a special exhibit on right now of mummies and I LOVE mummies and Egyptian history.  So, that's where we went.  We took the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) for a few stops, switched to the Central Line and rode to the stop near the museum.  It was a short 10 minute walk to the museum and we spent about an hour there.  I love when the museums are free and we don't feel like we have to stay forever!  Once they said they were done, we left!  We can go back anytime, so it works out.
The kids decided to fight and complain the whole way home so I decided we would stay in the rest of the afternoon.  They are stinks sometimes and just need some time alone.

Alex was a monkey on the DLR today.  Lots of people were getting a kick out of him.  

London summer

So, we are in London for the summer!  Andy needs to do some work here so we all tagged along from May 29 through August 17th.  We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in Canary Wharf just minutes from Andy's office.  In fact, you can see his building from our window.  We are happy to be close to him so we can meet up for lunch sometimes and so that his commute is easy and quick.

We arrived Friday afternoon and have spent most of the time shopping for groceries and things the apartment needed.  A trip to Costco and IKEA were the most important agenda items as well as a trip or two to M&S and Boots.  I feel like we are pretty settled and have what we need for now.

We were planning to go to church Sunday morning, but everyone slept in so we didn't make it.  When everyone woke up and got ready we headed out to do a bit more grocery shopping and to attend a fun afternoon on Regent Street promoting Magnum bars 2 new flavors.  We were happy just to get free Magnum bars!!  The shopping on Regent Street and Oxford Street is quite fun so we enjoyed that as well as a long stay in Hamley's.  The kids don't have many toys here and having been enjoying the art sets we bought them at Costco, so we bought some cool markers and a nail kit for the girls to play with.  The next important stop was to get my cell phone working for the UK which was quick and easy!  We walked all the way to the M&S food hall for a late lunch so Andy and I could have our favorite haloumi sandwich......which they were out of!  After a few tears we found something else to eat and then shopped for the ingredients to make them ourselves for dinner.

This morning Andy had to go to work so the kids and I are lazing about the apartment.  A little later we will ride our scooters to the nearby park and then come back for lunch.  After lunch we will head to the movie theaters and see Tomorrowland.  A little fun for everyone.....except Andy.  Sorry dear!

No pictures for this post....I need Andy's help in figuring out the best way to get my phone photos on my computer.  I'm sure he's showed me before, but he will have to show me again!  I am going to try and keep up with this daily so we can remember our fun summer.  Wish me luck!

We had to run to the movies because mommy took a nap!  Ran to the tube at Canary Wharf, took the tube one stop, ran in the wrong direction, turned around and made it to the movies in time for the previews.  This is our "tired" picture.  

Right now on TV is "Spring Watch 2015".  There are hundreds of cameras set up all over the country watching Spring animals' nests.  Hilarious!  The "wren cam", "gull cam", "swift cam".  I love England!  They also tagged and followed a hedgehog in Regents Park.  

Alex has been giving me trouble lately....

Samantha made up for it tonight....she was crying and struggling to do her homework. Asked to snuggle so we did. I told her I would help her and that its not worth getting stressed over. I then picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. She snuggled into my neck and said, "I'm so grateful for mommies"

Sent from my iPhone

Kids Shakespeare play

I'm batman!!! And gnocchi!

5th and 3rd grade!

Birthday

It was raining something fierce when we came out of the museum.

Samantha's 10th birthday

At the thanksgiving point dinosaur museum