for brett during finals...

as per your request, here is a little something to keep you smiling while buried in books...good luck and 

we love you

The Shoe Corner

Maya has a lot of shoes. We've been given almost all of them. Half are too big, half are too small. They sit in a corner in our living room. I put them there temporarily at first, then watched Maya grow attached to her little shoe corner, and decided to leave them out. 

I've never seen her so content than when she is sitting with her shoes on and has her blankie.

Oh, and look who's finally walking! She is quite pleased with herself and the view from above.

The Blitz

We had back to back visitors joining us here in London most of April and the first part of May. First, Grandpa & Grandma Searle came to visit and shortly after, Grandma Jan and Grandma Syd made the long journey to spend time with their long-lost children, and favorite grandchild (who we all know is the #1 purpose for everyone's visit!)

We had a great time gallivanting around London seeing the sights and taking a couple of trips outside of the city (during one of which Maya threw up on a bus all over Brett, me, and a lady named Linda). We were blessed with wonderful weather; no rain and lots of sunshine. Brett and I had postponed a lot of the London sights, knowing that we would be going with visitors, so we had fun seeing some things close by for the first time.

Applause to Maya, who was such a trooper all day everyday that we were out in museums, cathedrals, towers, castles, parks, etc. Our little London baby has seen so many things in her short life, and sadly will remember none of them. All the more reason for gobs of pictures and albums with her smiling face in front of so many historical sights.

Relaxing at the Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

        

Laughing at Grandpa

Making friends with a Beefeater in the Tower of London

Pretty flowers outside of Buckingham Palace

This little girl all of a sudden decided to stand up and take some steps on her own. I guess she was waiting for a larger audience. So we bought her shoes and she's gaining confidence everyday...I CAN'T WAIT.

The moms went to Mamma Mia, it was awesome!

 

In front of Buckingham Palace

Stonehenge

Our mothers were here during the infamous royal wedding and we celebrated with an authentic English meal of bangers & mash with some close friends while watching the magical day on TV. We had been out sightseeing all that week and saw all of the preparations, not to mention Will & Kate (well masks that is). We were in Westminster Abbey on Tuesday and people were everywhere bringing in camera equipment, dusting, and basically making every tiny detail the perfect image that it was.

As far as heading towards Buckingham Palace on Friday, out of the question! Way too many people for us with our moms and a very hyper-active 15-month old. I did enjoy watching the wedding. It was fun to pick out all of the carriages and coaches that we had just seen at the Royal Mews. I loved Kate's dress, her simple bouquet, and laughed at Prince Harry's reaction to her walking down the aisle. So cute. I wish they only could have acted a little happier (they did just get married you know). A hand hold? Arm around the waist? A little wink? Kiss on the cheek? At least they finally kissed twice (supposedly against the Queen's etiquette lessons to the Prince).

I'm off to a wedding of a much closer relation...my sister's, in the beginning of June. It's a bit daunting to think about having Maya by myself on a plane (sadly Brett has exams) but I will be very happy to see my whole family and watch my beautiful sister get married to someone I can't wait to meet!

St. James Park

After that, it's a trip to Ireland, maybe Scotland, and then back to the USA. I don't want to think about the relocation yet, it is too soon. It came too fast, and I already miss England thinking about it: the markets, free healthcare, (repeat-free healthcare), windy park roads, fresh flowers on the corner, fresh baguettes, endless entertainment, good food, great shopping, walking everywhere, the list goes on. For now, I'm enjoying everyday we still have here.

(Sorry for the 2 novel-length posts in a row...and thanks to those who actually read them)

Holiday in Spain

Thanks to a last minute deal from Thomas Cook Airlines, a cheap hotel with a balcony, kitchenette and 5-minute walk to the ocean, and warm weather, we had a wonderful, relaxing family holiday. 

Grilled chorizo, pineapple, peppers and island spices over rice

After attempting to eat together the first night at the Hotel's restaurant while Maya tried to climb on the table and then proceeded to throw a fit, we decided to buy our own food and make good use of our kitchenette...good decision because we made some delicious meals.

The first day we were there, Maya was a little freaked out by the waves, but warmed up to them by the time we left. Little did we know she wouldn't want to play in the sand with the shovel and bucket we bought for her, but rather sit on her towel and eat pretzels. She did, however, take a swim in the ocean with Daddy.

Fuerteventura was a charming island with a fair share of half naked German retirees. When we arrived at the airport and got our rental car, we started driving and came to the realization that the scenery away from the coastline was oddly familiar. We thought it looked a little like someone had dropped Arizona, Utah, or New Mexico in the middle of the ocean. I kept telling Brett that I felt like we were in Mexico (I've never actually been) and he proceeded to sing the James Taylor classic "Mexico" throughout our entire stay. So the tagline for our holiday in Spain became "Oooohhh Mexico, I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go!"

Lunchtime bruschetta and fruit 

Saying bye-bye to the ocean

The beach was rejuvenating, the water was warm, the sun was strong and Brett even brushed up on his Spanish. We played cards and Banana Grams on our balcony after putting Maya to bed and enjoyed the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of London. Maya was such a trooper. More and more we are realizing how much she loves people. Everywhere we go, she talks to people and opens up conversation between us and strangers. She is one of a kind.

Last, but not least, the view from our drive back to the airport consisted of goats...lots of goats!

More to come on sightseeing in London and royal wedding chaos with the Grandparents!