I Dream of Travel

Bruges

One thing I am trying to work on is my "living in the moment" attitude. I have a major tendency to wish away the present. It would go something like this, "London is great, but I can't wait to have a house where more than 2 people can fit in the kitchen." And now it might sound like this, "I love being home and having more than 2 people in my kitchen, but wasn't my London kitchen so sweet? I could stand in one spot and reach everything!" So in ode to my grass is greener attitude that I am working on, here is a beautiful and interesting blog that is all about travel and the beauty of life found in it--written by a mom (or maman since she is French) who travels happily with her children in tow. And since I'm allowing myself to wish away the present for only this blog post, "I wish I was in London so that I could easily travel to all these amazing places so easily."

BozAround is written by Vanessa Boz, the mother of a boy Wiley went to nursery school with in London. Vanessa travels extensively with her family so that her trips are always planned with children in mind. I read the blog some while we were in London and wished we could go to these beautiful places. Traveling from London was so easy, but I did not (of course) realize or appreciate it as much as I should have. Being pregnant/with a newborn the last bit of our time in London really reined us in and sent us driving around England itself instead of exploring the Continent.

So should you decide to travel around the world like this family, or maybe you are traveling to Europe soon and want some ideas for off the beaten path destinations or new takes on the classics, or maybe you are just going to couch-travel and let the gorgeous photos help you pretend you are on a Greek island instead of your couch--either way, stop by BozAround for inspiration on travel, modern products for children, and a short (free) vacay from everyday life.

First Day of School

Yep, that is my little boy all grown up and going to school! We started kindergarten last week, which is beyond weird. He enjoys it, although he says that he misses his preschool where he could scribble scrabble. Now he has to color in the lines. He doesn't like coloring in the lines, apparently.

In other news, I'm not really sure where this blog place is heading. I'm obviously not in London anymore and thus my life is slightly less glamorous (or was it only me who pretended my life in London was glamorous?). Either way, I'll go out on a limb and say "stay tuned" even though I don't know for what you should stay tuned.

Royal Wedding

Continuing to slowly catch up on the last month or so in London, here are some pictures from the Royal Wedding on April 29th. We waffled back and forth on if we were going to go down for the festivities. With a threat of rain, we thought that would be our excuse to watch it at home live.

However, it turned out to be a clear day, and thanks to Wil's prodding and insistence, we took the tube to Green Park where we met our friend Katie (from Wake) around 8:00 a.m. We walked down Piccadilly to St. James and down to the Mall (pronounced with a long a sound, not like "shopping mall"). We found a great spot where we could stand on a tree's roots and not be in up in the first bit of crowd so we had plenty of room to spread out with the stroller and let Wiley play.

Here is a view after they were headed down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, just to get a feel for the crowd.

Our English baby loves William and Kate!

Waiting for the procession to start--Guards playing music. The flags and outfits of all the guards really set the tone for the morning.

We entertained ourselves by marching like a guard in the grass.

The Princes came first, and we could see them in the car. We could also see Kate's veil when she drove by. Can you imagine seeing all those people lined up for your wedding?! This is the best picture I have from the procession back. William and Kate were in an open carriage, and we were able to see them. However, the picture didn't turn out. This is the Queen's carriage. You could easily see her in her yellow outfit.

Look! Katie and the boys found the bride!

All of us waiting for it to start...It looks like I blinked, but in fact, my eyes are "open." An indication of our tiredness from a baby and early wedding morning. Please notice the stroller (pram) decor.

I'm so thankful Wil made us get out and enjoy the atmosphere in person. It was a fun, historical event that we can now say we were there for! I loved coming home and watching the wedding on TV knowing that we had been out there. And to see the national pride for the British people was also so special to be a part of--although the crowds weren't quite as loud as I expected. Congrats and Best Wishes William and Kate!

(Remember this post? My friend (and Wiley's friend's mum), Ute and her husband, designed some of those plates totally on a lark! They were all over London, and she casually mentions these plates at the playground! So fun! This one on the bottom right, however, was my wedding souvenir--thanks for picking me up one, Puck! If you still want to get a wedding souvenir, look at the London Transport Museum for cute posters and other bits and bobs.)

Birthday Party!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Wiley's 5th birthday back in May (and in London). We had a bit of an "old-fashioned" (read: low-key, low maintenance) birthday party in our across-the-street garden. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and it was really a nice day to be outside. Here are a few highlights.

Wiley and one of his best friends, Fabian along with F's brother Kit and sister Imogen. They lived above us for a little while. Unfortunately, they moved outside of London last summer, but we still kept up. They are our best "English" friends and were sweet to drive up for the afternoon and stayed for birthday dinner.

Back to the party--nothing better than a little pile-on action. Which of course ended in tears.

Playing duck-duck goose

Divine cake from Primrose Hill Bakery.

A little pinata action. Wil was in the danger zone to protect the other children (and grab the bat if someone got carried away).

Red rover! No broken arms, thank goodness!

And finally, back to the beginning of our morning--Wiley with all of the Toy Story gang. He got Jessie, Slinkdog, and RC Car.

Easter...in June

I neglected to load any pictures from Easter/Wiley's Birthday/Last days in London until this week. So without any further ado...A look back at Easter in London.

After church at All Souls, we had our friends Jill, Tim, Elizabeth, and Victoria over for lunch and egg hunt. It was so much fun and an amazingly beautiful London day.

Sweet Ellis holding Parr with Victoria. Jill is to the right! Miss yall!

Easter picture. It's impossible to get both children looking normal at the same time. Our flat was in the building behind us.

Oh, I loved our beautiful garden across the street.

An attempt at getting all 3 children to smile and look at the camera at the same time. It was a no-go. I thought this was funny nonetheless. And by the way, those girls are the cutest girls in [insert our old postcode]. Their mama single handedly brought bows (and I'd say smocked dresses) back to the [insert our old postcode]. And I'm quoting her on that!

Coming up next...Wiley's Birthday!

yes.

via nestegg

simple

While I'm not entirely sure what this blog is going to look like now that we are back in the States, I do know that I still have a lot of pictures and memories that I want to share from our time in London. And selfishly, I'm going to use this to process the end of those hard-at-first but magical times in London. It's been an odd sensation to be homesick for a place I swore I'd never call home.
There is no doubting it, as hard as it was to sometimes find a babysitter and to not have family a phone call away to help, that life in London was so simple. Maybe not easy, but simple. Our little nest was just that. Little. Tiny. Simple. About the size of my kitchen and den right now. Total and no exaggeration. But my babies were right up under me and it felt so safe. Sure, a bigger nest would be great and fitting 2 people in the kitchen without bumping into one another is fine and all, but having your family right there, snuggled in, well there is just nothing like it. Our new house is a blessing, no doubt, but right now it feels very cavernous and my babies seem far away.

It's an odd life--being an expat--you long for home and its SUVs, large grocery stores, and familiar faces. That first winter feels like a lifetime of grey days and rain. There is just one tea cup at your table in the afternoon. Friends from home pull you through and a visit refreshes you. Then suddenly, one day, walking from Bond Street to Mayfair listening to an iPod, you find freedom in the new faces and life in those city streets. You are used to your online grocery orders and know what ingredients you can and cannot find in your new home. And the bus lines become as familiar as the interstates at home. The once-in-awhile friend for tea has become habitual and your home is strewn with toys and at least two empty cups at the end of the afternoon. It's not that you don't miss your friends and family in the States or that they could have possibly been replaced. But it's that without you even knowing it, your strange new city became home. Not Home, but just another home. Don't we have a few of those each if we are lucky?

In this transition, I'm missing my London home. A case of absence makes the heart grow fonder? But all it takes is me looking around at the faces of the people who have known me for years and years, and I'm reminded that this too will feel like home for my little family. It will look different and feel different than when I last lived here-- from when we left to make a home across the pond, even to make a home in Winston-Salem. I've changed. My family has changed. London happened. It was home and will always be one of my homes. And for my London home, I'll always, always be grateful.

Wake Forest Mama Goes to...

Alabama!

We have arrived back to Sweet Home Alabama and are finally recovering from jet lag. Our last couple of weeks in London were a whirlwind with Wiley's birthday party (pictures to come), packing (in suitcases only), and saying goodbye to some really special and sweet friends. I want to share about all this and selfishly just get it down in writing so I don't forget. There are a lot of emotions going on about the move, and I expect that they will all settle down once I have settled in with my little family in our new house. So, if it takes me a little bit, please hang in there (the five of you who read this), I'm in Athens for my little sister's graduation (yay!) and then orchestrating a move into a real house for the first time. In between unpacking boxes, if I can find the way out, I'll hopefully be able to share about our last happenings in London. That last month was pretty magical.

Five Cakes

Here's a little look back at Wiley's past birthdays! I can't believe we are celebrating #5 today!

Turning 4 in London with a bouncey castle and cupcakes (and military style haircut)!

Turning 3 at Wake Forest with all of our lovely college friends.

Animal cake to celebrate birthday number 2 on Davis Field.

Our first birthday at Crowne Polo with a smash cake that ended up all over his face!

Ready to go home from the hospital wearing his Daddy's outfit.

May 1, 2006. What an amazing day and incredible blessing from Him. We are so grateful for Wiley's life and cannot wait to watch him continue to grow up.

Sweet Home Alabama

...We're coming home to you.

Please keep the State of Alabama and those affected by the storms across the South this past week in your prayers.

Longboat

While Laura was here we were able to do a longboat cruise down one of the many canals that run throughout England. Originally, this was a primary mode of transporting goods throughout the country. You can see the longboat we were on (and Ted the Airdale) behind Laura and Wiley. It was the most gorgeous day. They met up with David and Jo (whose boat it is) outside of London in the morning and rode down to a pub where I met them for lunch. We then did the same ride back to their marina, passing a 15th century church that was destroyed partially when England split from the Catholic Church.

We got to experience 3 locks! Very cool experience. Picture above and below are from inside the lock.

Wiley and Mr. David driving the boat!

And then something happened that David and Jo both said they had never seen before. So, the locks have these big wooden doors to let water in or out. They have these huge wooden "poles" effectively that you use to swing them open or shut. There is a correct side one should be on to operate these "poles." When we came to each lock we got out and helped David do this. Unfortunately Laura got on the wrong side. It kept going and suddenly she was hanging on over the lock and water. It was pretty hilarious watching as you could see the progression of her face going from "Oh no." to "Well, guess I'll just lay over this thing and hold on."

We obviously had to let her hang a little bit so we could get a good picture! It was such a perfect day in perfect weather to see the amazing English countryside by water.

Chatsworth

The other weekend while Laura Puckett was here visiting, we took a long weekend trip to Chatsworth in the Peak District, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. On Sunday when we got there, we caught the tail end of a gourmet food fair.

We toured the house and then proceeded to get lost in the maze they have in the garden. Very tricky! They also had a farmyard. I loved it. A lot. It made me want to move to the country and have sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, and goats.

Meet Gladys. She was heavily pregnant.

We loved the lambs.

Sweet piglets living next door to Gladys.

So cute! They were jumping around and frolicking. Actually frolicking.

This guy kept trying to get out of his fence. If you walked over there and paid any attention to him at all, he was up on 2 legs. He also was very good at posing for pictures.

Chatsworth was a fantastic family-friendly weekend trip, only 2 1/2 hours north from Central London. Besides touring the house, garden, and playing in the farmyard and adventure playground, you can just hangout on the grounds for free. The gorgeous hilly fields complete with a herd of deer would be perfect for a picnic. It was the perfect last weekend trip out of London.

Warwick Castle

On our way home from Stratford-Upon-Avon, we stopped by Warwick Castle. It is owned by Madame Tussaud's company so it is, of course, a bit cheesy. But I don't think there is a more kid-friendly castle than this one! We got there at the end of the day so we missed a lot of the activities, but there seemed to be lots to do and see, not to mention just looking at the gorgeous countryside around it. It was a nice day out from London, and I would recommend it to anyone with little knights or princesses!

Here is Wiley trying out a sword borrowed from one of the knights.

The view from the top of the Castle. Wil and Wiley climbed this while I staked out our seats for the knight fight. Apparently, as soon as they started climbing past the first tower (and it's one-way), Wiley had to go to the bathroom, so they had to climb and run quickly through the rest of it. Why does it always happen that a potty is needed when you are in the middle of climbing a very old castle?

Just practicing shooting an arrow!

Wiley said his favorite thing we did that day was shooting the bow and arrow. He did pretty well too!

Family picture looking at the back of the castle.

I believe this is after Wiley had recovered from being told that the large vulture-like bird who was not in a cage but merely tethered to a stump (There was a birds of prey area.) liked to eat little boys like him. His sweet father told him this little tale that sent him into hysterics after a long day out. Ah, life with boys, I guess. But here are my sweet (and mischievous) boys.