Look Mom!

For about the last week or two, Justin has had a loose tooth. He didn't even notice it at first; I noticed that it was crooked all of a sudden. Well, today, while eating cookies at church, that magical first tooth came out!

Here is a photo of J holding his tooth, his tooth fairy pillow and showing that lovely first gap...

First Day of School

Justin's first day as a Kindergartner came just as we returned from London. He seemed a bit nervous as we got ready, packed his backpack and walked up the hill to Hainerberg Elementary School. He did great when we got to his class, sat right down and seemed ready for us to leave. Here are some pics of him, both at home and in his room at school.

Odds & Ends, part two

Here are a few from Trafalgar Square; it was much nicer weather on Sunday, and the festival that was there on Saturday was over so we could enjoy the square. We headed home on Monday, after a nerve-wracking commute via subway (rush hour timing and some horrendous delays!) Here are some pics of Michael in the Liverpool St Station, and of a friend, Kris Fialla, doing a better job than our flight attendants on the way home.

London odds and ends

We really enjoyed eating lunch at the Original Hard Rock Café also. We also hit the British Museum and the Museum of Natural History – Justin loved looking at the Dinosaur exhibit there. Once again, Michael slept through that one…We also liked seeing Westminster Abbey - can't take photos in there, but this one is from the courtyard area.

Buckingham Palace

The next day, up early again and off to Buckingham Palace to witness the Changing of the Guard. This is pretty neat as well – boys were remarkably patient in letting us view the ceremony! We got there early – as you can see from the photos, the place is a mob scene closer to the actual ceremony time.

Double Decker Bus Tour

That afternoon was actually the worst weather we had the entire trip! Of course, that was the day we picked to do the bus tour....Justin of course had to sit up top. Well, what do you do? You make the best of things! The bus co gives out 'free raincoats' (or, as you and I know them, TRASH BAGS with hoods!) We hopped up top, sat down and made the best of the tour. We saw tons of things: Picadilly Circus, Lord Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square, and lots of pubs like this one.

Princess Diana's Pirate Ship

We finished that morning by heading to Kensington Park, and the Princess Diana Memorial playground. It is really neat – and as it was a nice day, the place was packed. The boys played for quite a while, and Chris and I just enjoyed the sunshine. We also were highly amused at the signs painted at intersections, which remind you to look the opposite direction for crossing traffic. Wonder how many people were hurt before this plan was adopted?

London Eye, part two

The boys really enjoyed the Eye, and also Michael especially liked checking out the Thames River, flowing just below the bridge and visible through the “Michael windows” in the bridge. Justin and I became quite amused at the common Tube saying, Mind the Gap. At some Tube (that’s the subway in British speak) stations, there is a big distance from the edge of the train to the edge of the platform, hence the oft-repeated warning. Justin was pretty amused to find it actually painted on the platform in one station.

Holy London Eye, Batman!

After a good night’s sleep, we were off once again after a breakfast with our friendly crew. We headed first for the London Eye. Wow – that was so cool! Was it overpriced? Absolutely. Much historical value? Probably not. But it was so cool – you have to do it. The boys loved it – Michael was a bit scared at first, but warmed up and eventually walked around in the capsule. It was a beautiful day and we had a great view, plus, since we went right when they opened, there was no ‘queue!’ (That’s a line in British-speak.)

Tower of London, part two

We really did have a good time here - just a few more pics.

Tower of London

The Tower of London is huge, and there is much to see. It is the original royal palace/castle, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror in 1066. Lots of action in this place - torture, murder and beheadings, oh my! That is also where the British crown jewels are stored. We took the tour with the Yeoman Warders, or "Beefeaters" - it was very interesting to find out that they are all retired military men. We all enjoyed the tour - well, I say all - Michael fell asleep right in the middle of the tour! Gotta love touring Europe while carrying a sleeping toddler...

London, part two

Later that afternoon, we ventured out to explore the neighborhood a bit. Found a traditional English payphone, and some not very traditional advertisements! Ha ha. The ladies in the breakfast room fell in love with the boys; they were always giving them juice, etc. and so every morning was such a treat – the kids would walk into the room to a chorus of Hello Michael! Hello Justin! It was really something. Justin had managed to fall on the sidewalk near our house on Monday before our trip on Thursday, so he had a massive black eye all weekend. I am sure that made us look like parents of the year. Anyway, we headed out to the Tower of London on "the Tube." Michael loved that; he wanted to "hold on" rather than sitting down - here he is!

Off to Merrye Olde England!

For Labor Day, we headed to London. This is the last holiday weekend before Justin started school, so we figured we better go somewhere big! Started out by flying on Ryan Air, one of Europe's cheapie deal airlines. We figure this must be what eastern Europe used to be like! Bare-bones terminal, small airplanes, ugly flight attendants - ha ha. But for 1 Euro EACH to get there, hey - can't complain. We got there very early in the morning, and were able to immediately check into our hotel. It was located very near Victoria Station, and a very short walk from Buckingham Palace. The station had a variety of stores and restaurants, even a grocery store so was very convenient. We also got to have some American treats - Krispy Kreme donuts! YAY. Here are some pictures from the airport and the hotel. Our room was on the bottom floor (the basement) and the view from our window looked like, according to Chris, "something from a Chevy Chase movie." It was plenty big though, as you can see. And it beat the Prague 'cruise ship' hotel room, as the beds weren't all touching each other...