HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!!

Tim was able to take the day off of work on his birthday and we took advantage of the extra time to spend as a family and did something that's been on our list for awhile: The London Aqarium. We all hopped on the tube (my favorite thing to do with Tim when we have the girls because he can deal with Sophie and the stoller in all the stations - almost no escalators or elevators!) and headed down to the Westminster station. We got out right at the base of Big Ben, which I never get sick of seeing and walked across Westminter Bridge to the Aquarium that you see in the picture above. It was crowded, even though it was a Tuesday because we were in prime tourist country.

Here are the girls' second best friend at the aquarium - nurse sharks. The girls thought it was hilarious that the little sharkies were taking a nap on the sand! Their very favorite things, sadly, I didn't get a picture of: rays. They had a ton of manta rays in a shallow and open top tank right at the entrance of the aquarium. The rays were getting fed while we were watching them and were showboating for some extra attention. There was one that kept turning on its side with one "wing" out of the water and waving it and splashing water while others came up the the glass sides and smiled at our girls. They really were sweet little animals and were so mesmerizing that I forgot to take pictures! Oops.

Here is the birthday boy with little Sophie in her horse shirt in front of a giant tank of lion fish. Pretty cool.

If you look right over Tim's arm in this picture you will see a little black seahorse. There was another tank with a bunch of yellow seahorses. The girls thought these guys were pretty great too!

Sophie was way more excited about being at the aquarium than we expected. I guess it was because we set her free from her stroller and also she really is at the age where she can really see and comprehend her surroundings. She recognizes places and predicts what is around corners - what a genius! :-)

Abby really wanted me to take a picture of this nasty, nasty eel so I better put it in our blog for her. She took this disgusting creature's facial expression as a smile rather than "I'd eat you for a bedtime snack if I could" like I did, so maybe she just looks for the best in all things. I just think it looks freaky. Yuck.

My gorgeous monkeys posing in front of the sharks but no one (including the sharks) would hold still enough to let me get just the right shot. Still cute anyway, right?

At the very end of one's visit to the aquarium there are stairs to climb and you can walk on the ceiling of the shark aquarium. I think I am old, because this bothered me. Clearly I was in the minority!

We ate a lovely McDonald's lunch along the Thames right outside the aquarium. Look what our view was! Big Ben/Parliament and that is the spires of Westminster Abbey on the left. Pretty cool, huh?

OK - so we took some video of the rest of the birthday celebrations later in the day. Hopefully they will load for you. If they don't, I'll try to download them again. Let me know if you have trouble.

Bedford Park Green Days and Butterflies!

The first really big "fun fair" was set up in Chiswick this past weekend: The Bedford Park Green Days (Bedford Park is a large neighborhood in Chiswick that is closest to us). These fun fairs take a few days to set up in the large public greens and so the girls have plenty of time to get excited. Tim and I promised we would bring the girls to it on Sunday and it was nearly all they could think of!

Sophie loved little carousels... For some reason she wanted to ride on this firetruck and have me sqeeze into the seat next to her. Uggh... I got dizzy! Hopefully I won't have to ride too many more of those!
Abby loves bumper cars. She went on them for the first time with Tim at Green Days last year so it was her first choice for rides this year too. Really, any ride that Daddy will/can go on with her is the best ever!

Mmmmm.... lunch at Green Days. Tim and I made a long weekend break from our summer diet and enjoyed some good European carnival food. Usually you will not find hot dogs, mini donuts, etc at fun fairs here. We had a grilled soft cheese panini and Abby had a ham and cheese whole wheat crepe. For dessert we had local strawberries and watermelon. This isn't to say that there isn't cotton candy (candy floss) and ice cream - but the fried food and fast food doesn't really exist here. AND, the food is still yummy!

The girls really enjoy their summer fruits. While strawberries (what Sophie is eating) are easy to find year round here, watermelon isn't as prevalent. That is one of the things that Abby is looking forward to most about our upcoming trip to MN - is watermelon! And swimming!

Earlier this spring, when the girls and I went to Kew Gardens with Julia and Colin while they were stuck in London we saw that a butterfly garden was coming as an attraction. Abby had the day off of school on Monday so I thought it was the perfect day to go, as the weekends can get quite busy! The butterflies were wonderful and were happy enough to land on us and have a sniff. Although Abby had a butterfly print shirt, she was hoping to keep the real ones at a distance... she was sucessful!

This little guy really like Sophie's hat. She was swinging her head around trying to get a glimpse and he kept hanging on!

Crazy Animals

*** Warning *** The last picture in this posting is of a dead animal that Tim finds gross and didn't want me to post. The girls and I find it fascinating so I am going to post it anyway. There is your fair warning... *** Over the past week there have been many siting of crazy, wild animals. The peacock was trolling Kew Royal Botanical Gardens while we were eating lunch there last weekend. She was looking for illegal handouts, left behind crumbs and bits that she could steal. For being a peacock, she certainly wasn't picky.

Moving on to the next wild and crazy animal: Sophie! Here she is at Kew Gardens changing from her earlier-in-the blog-Elton John impression to the new and improved and perhaps hipper Bono look. These shades are on her most days. She is really into protecting her eyes! Besides looking like a loon she is now officially acting like a loon. The Terrible 2 1/2 into 3 1/2's have arrived again in our house and I'm not a fan. My sweet, easy baby has become a trantrum throwing drama queen at the drop of hat. Good thing between those trantrums she can still be as sweet as can be.

Sophie finally got her own sun chair - much to everyone's relief. She really enjoyed her fruit snacks in her new Bengal tiger chair. Wild times at the Farrell house. *** WARNING Last picture is next! ***

Personally, I'm not that grossed out by this photo, but I am sorry if you are. There is a growing fox problem in London and the news even hit US news sources earlier:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/06/07/london.fox.attack/index.html?iref=allsearch

In the article, two London foxes entered a home while the parents were watching TV in the living room through an open rear garden door (this is very common in the summer as NO home here has a/c however there are also no screens on doors or windows). The foxes climbed up one flight of stairs and climbed into the two cribs of 9 month old twins and attacked them. The girls are OK, though they were in the hospital each for a few days.

Anyway, the day of the attack Sophie and I were walking to Abby's school to pick her up and saw this little guy with some bad luck. He has clearly been killed in someone's garden and was set out in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk to be collected by the council. Sophie was so excited by the dead fox she immediately told Abby about it when we got to school and it was requested that we stop by to look at it again on the way home. For some reason I took this picture to share with all of you!

The very next day a fox trotted down the sidewalk in front of me while I was chatting with a neighbor around 8:30 pm just in front of our houses. This time we had Angus, my neighbor's cat, to shoo it away with puffed up back hair and some fairly menacing hisses. I have to say, other than the World Cup, foxes are a hot topic around here at the moment!

Cheerio!

The Sunflower Fete

From the beginnning of the school year I have been part of the Southfield Parent Staff Association (PTA). I joined to meet more moms, as I was still pretty unsatisfied with my social life last fall. After Christmas my involvement in the SPSA really accelerated as the planning for the annual Sunflower Fete (Pronounced like fate and is similar to a small carnival. The greens around here are packed with them nearly every weekend from April through October.) got underway. Somehow, being the gullible newby, I got talked into (I won't say hoodwinked, but close!) into chairing the sponsorship portion of the fete. This involved organizing teams of moms to canvas Chiswick, asking for monetary or merchandise donations to give to the fete. They could sponsor a ride or another stall at the fete (such as toddler-age games, food tents, bric-a-brac which is donated garage sale items for sale). For those of you who know me well, this is not a job well-suited to my strengths or personality. I was personally in charge of going to all 37 Estate Agent companies (real estate agents) and giving them the spiel about donating. In the end, my team was sucessful even if I personally didn't get much donated. I think next year I will pass this to another new mom and contribute in some way that's better suited to my strengths, whatever they may be.
The above picture is Abby and Sophie riding on the PM Nursery ride - The Carousel. Thank goodness there was a Barbie car!
After months of planning and hearing all sorts of carnival rides and games that I had never heard of, I finally find the answer to the greatest curiousity of them all: What are Swingboats? Here's a picture of the girls enjoying them!

The best thing about a carnival for a primary school is that every ride is suitable for Abby AND Sophie. Sophie is definitely aware of being left out of activities so she didn't need to feel bad this time!

Two weeks after the fete was over Tim and I got the best piece of mail we had received in a long time: Abby's acceptance letter into Southfield for next year (and the rest of her primary school years while we are in England)! Although we are in the school's catchment, we live near the far edge of it and because of the increasing popularity of the school she was orginally placed on a waiting list... and placed in another school several miles (and a car ride away). Suddenly a large problem in our life is solved! Love that!

So in the fall, this is the girls' school schedule:

Abby: M-F Reception (Kindergarten) from 8:55 to 3:15

Sophie: M-F Montessori from 2 to 4 and after Christmas (when she turns 3!!!!) she will go M-F 9:30 to 12:30 and can stay one full day a week to take karate, if she'd like. :-)

Second Visitor of 2010

Our friend Kara Buckner was on a world tour - traveling to ALL seven continents. Wow! We find her super impressive. She did most of her traveling alone, though she met old and new friends along her journey - she is a role model for confidence for everyone. On her European leg of her journey she stopped by our house for two nights. She had amazing stories to share and Abby, though she knew her from home, was completely smitten with her for the 48 hours Kara was with us.

Here is Abby showing Kara how to have fun at the strangest piece of playground equipment you'll ever see and it happens to be Abby's favorite. Kara was happy to check it out.

Abby and her new BFF. Kara is home now and we have plans to get together with her when we arrive ini July. It will have to be when Abby is NOT in school as it would break Abby's heart to know that I saw Kara without her.

Johnsons: The Guests that COULDN'T leave!

So my first posting on the Johnson's visit wasn't even adequate. I was in the wrong mood to be writing on this thing and so I didn't do them justice. I really have to be in the right mood - with either a lot of caffeine in my blood or a glass or two of wine. Anyway, I clearly left out the best pictures of the Johnson's visit! I love photos in a series and here is a series catching Julia, Michael and me having a few drinks (and dinner!) at The Swan. Tim took this first picture, which wasn't really that flattering of gorgeous Julia for some reason. She claims it was the light, I think she was getting ready to blow out the candle on the table.

Here I wrecked the next lovely picture of Julia and Michael because I thought the first picture was so funny. My turn to look great in a photo. Also, we weren't on the first round of drinks.

Look, another great picture of the lovely visitors and me drying my eyes, trying to loook normal - quite unsuccesfully!

Now, back to the original posting!... The Johnsons and Tim and Sophie in front of Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park. What good first-day-in-London weather! Who says it rains all time here?

A rare family photo at The Round Pond in Hyde Park.

It had been since October of 2009 that we had any visitors from home so we were super excited when Tim's sister, Julia, and her family - husband Michael and son Colin decided to come for a visit right after Easter. The week-long vacation started off fantastically with warm temperatures and even some sun - a welcome improvement over the few weeks before that were filled with rain and cold temperatures. Plus Colin was a trooper, only getting airsick once at take-off and sleeping though the rest of the flight despite an ear infection.

The Johnsons had loads of fun things planned - a Hop On Hop Off bus tour, a day at The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, nights out at The Swan (our favorite pub just down the street from our house - see above!) and even a girls' day at Kew Gardens... that's when Johnson's discovered they couldn't leave the next day like they planned. Oops! Let's just say our friend Eyjafjallajokull can take the blame. We heard the news on an announcement on the District line of The Underground on our way home - stating that Heathrow was shut down. What??!!??

So another week passed before the Johnsons could leave. After the initial shock of their forced extended vaca wore of, they got in quite a few more sites in and we got some more Johnson time in. The girls loved having extra time (except maybe Sophie with Colin - she was quite unsure about having a younger kid around here). Michael "worked" from our home. Julia helped me get ready for Kara's visit. Extra tourist destinations were explored!

Finally (for the Johnsons, not for us!) they were able to get on a Delta flight on April 23rd - one week past their originally planned departure date. Yikes! Will they ever visit again? They're still not talking... ;-) For the rest of you , Eyjafjallajokull is behaving again. For now. So hurry up!

Easter: Rainy, Muddy and Cold London!

Here are our big girls! The Easter Bunny brought them Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in frog form - who knew they would be such big hits?

Here is the best shot with the Easter baskets I could grab. They were pretty excited about the half-eaten carrots... that Easter Bunny even likes Ranch Dressing!

Digging for loot.

Sophie having an Easter egg-shaped chocolate lollie while playing in the pinto beans.

Sophie really enjoyed her chocolate cupcakes we made the week leading up to Easter.

Abby was so proud of her creation! We had loads and loads of frosting and had a great time decorating the cupcakes. It was tempting to skip the cake (for the girls, at least) and just lick away!

Here are my pathetic attempts at cupcake decorating... good thing the girls are 4 and 2 so they were impressed!

Easter was smack in the middle of a nice rainy spell. We had plans to go early to church at a local C of E church, an Easter party at Chiswick House and then off to a yummy lunch at one of our favorite Chiswick joints: Giraffe.

I vividly remember Easter from 2009 because it was the first holiday that we celebrated in England. It definitely brought on a weird feeling to have a year pass us by, especially because I had been stuck in a homesick rut since Christmas. However, the girls were bigger and we had a bigger celebration and less stress because of it. AND - second year in a row I got away with not cooking for Easter (well, I guess I never have had to bring more than I side dish anyway...)!