A day in London

checking out the Thames and the London Eye

posing with a horse guard

Buckingham Palace waiting to watch changing of the guard

eating NYC hotdogs in St James park

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

the kids all wanted to hold up Big Ben

houses of parliament

hello bobby

WWII memorial

cleopatra's needle and sphinx

little rest and water from all the walking

millenium bridge

St Paul's cathedral back there

Tate Modern

Wenlock

Mandeville

the Globe

a guy doing sand art on the south bank

eating good mexican food at Wahaca

Trafalgar square

Tristan had to ask the guards some questions.
They told him to try and make the horseguard laugh but Tristan didn't.

10 Downing Prime minister's home

Wicked was great!

Monday was a bank holiday so Cory was off of work and we went to London for the day. We got up early and left the house around seven and drove 40 miles to Oxford to catch the express bus to London. There is one from here but it costs a lot more. This one cost us 32 pounds. If we took the one from our neighborhood it would be 85 pounds for our family and if we took the train it would be 107 pounds for all of us. Traffic wasn't bad so we made pretty good time. We arrived at London Victoria station and walked over to Buckingham Palace to wait to watch the changing of the guard. It was hard for the kids to wait over an hour but this has to be done if you want to be able to see. We got a good spot on the wall above the fountain and were able to sit up there the whole time. Of course the only time it really rained all day was during the changing of the guard but we had our coats on and didn't get too wet. I didn't bring umbrellas or my heavy camera because I didn't want to lug them around all day. All of these pics are from my iphone which I love and will never use a droid again.

We then walked over to St James park and got hot dogs which claimed to be NYC hotdogs. They were good but they only offered mustard and ketchup, no onions or relish. The kids played on the playground a bit and ran through the park looking at the geese and pelicans and such in the pond. Then we walked over to Big Ben and Parliament and Westminster Abbey. We didn't pay to go inside any of the cathedrals or anything. It's pricey and the kids don't appreciate it. I will go in later on my own with a city pass or something that saves you money if you see multiple things. We basically did a nice walking tour of the city on our own. I liked it very much. The kids will say it was too much walking but they had fun too. We maybe walked five or six miles that day. We walked along the north bank of the Thames crossed the millenium bridge then walked back along the south bank and crossed another pedestrian bridge and over to Trafalgar square and then past Scotland Yard, Horseguard Museum and by Downing Street and on to Victoria where we saw Wicked and then caught the bus back. It was a long day. The kids fell asleep as soon as we got back on the bus. Well, Aiden didn't fall asleep much so he got to hear the very foul mouths of some fellow passengers who were being obnoxious and were drinking beer on the bus which is not allowed. Note to self, don't sit upstairs on the bus at night because that's where the drunks sit and act crazy because the driver can't see them. The drive home from Oxford that late was not fun because these country roads don't have lights and we are old farts who don't see well to drive at night and it stresses me out. We made it home a little after one am. I slept till 11 the next day. We have all been sleeping in too late. Gotta start switching gears to get ready to start school next week! We all loved Wicked and I even think it was better this time than the last time I saw it. Lidia wants them to make a movie so she can watch it over and over. I bought a bunch of candy so they could snack in the theatre and we rented a pair of binoculars which they took turns looking through. We didn't need them but it was fun to them. Avery was very tired by the end but he survived and lectured me about having him up so late. While on the south bank we stopped for dinner at Wahaca Mexican restaurant and it was good. It's an England miracle! It was a little fancier than just plain tacos but it was really good and had real Mexican flavors. It made me happy.

Bournemouth

So Lidia loved EFY! She had so much fun and made some new friends. I guess they had dance contests during the dances and she came in fourth at the one she participated in. She danced with a boy named Joe from Wolverhampton and I think he may have a little crush on her since he has friended her on fb and chats with her online. So funny. Lidia doesn't seem to quite know what to do with that kind of attention. hee hee.

Aiden had fun at camp but maybe not as much as Lidia since it rained on them a ton and was muddy and some of their fun activities cancelled.

After they got home last Saturday we packed up and drove down to Bournemouth. It was nice and sunny all week until Friday and we decided to drive home Friday night instead of early Saturday morning. I was happy to sleep in today and in my own bed. We had a fun week on the beach and doing things in that area. Our flat was in a good location being a close walk to shops, the beach, parks, etc. I miss staying in nice hotels though. These flats are not usually well equipped and you have to bring your own soaps and paper products and they are in as in condition which never looks as good in person as it does online. It may have been a bit too soon to go away for a whole week, a long weekend might have been better. We had fun but were ready to come home. Lidia had not slept in her own room for about two weeks and was really happy to be back. I told Cory we will be sick of travelling by the time our three years are up and ready to move home to Utah and not go anywhere for a while.

We are just chillin today and tomorrow and then spendning the day in London Monday. I hope it's not crazy crowded since it's the bank holiday. I have a few more uniform items to buy and then they start school Sept 5. I hope they do well!

I like playgrounds on the coast.

some unique things to beaches here, cottages you can rent for the day, wind screens, tents, people swimming in underwear (most had proper swimsuits thank goodness), ice cream for sale, walls to create waves. There were also lots of kite surfers.

wetsuit not required but nice

wild blackberries everywhere!

I like long walks along the coast path especially when they have nice parks and gardens along the way.

the sand here works pretty well for making sandcastles

walking down to Durdle Door along the Jurassic coast

the water was so nice and clear here, should have brought wet suits and snorkels.

one not cool thing is that the beach is all rocks and you sink in and they kind of hurt your feet, more difficult to walk in than sand

Lidia got soot on her hand in the cave(someone had been bbqing in it) and rubbed her nose lol

we went to the oceanarium by the pier

Lidia and Aiden rode the swings at the pier, Avery and Tristan did the bounce castle.

Aiden hitting the waves with Cory

some people taking funny pics in the water

if you cant walk up and down the cliff path you can pay to take the lift

we rode a boat to swanage and back

we rode a steam train from swanage to corfe castle and back

Sir Avery of Utah! He loved being knighted and wouldn't let me tell him what to do anymore. 

Sir Tristan of Utah!

The kids called it a Harry Potter train and wanted to know if a treat cart would be coming around.

we had sorbet and gelato cones, mmm

old Harry Rocks

it wasn't cold but gets really windy on the boat

giant beach chair

The kids did a high ropes adventure course and in the rain. I am so proud of Avery for completeing the lower ropes course. He is so scared to try anything risky. He wouldn't go around a second time or try the climbing wall because he said he never got used to it. Lidia went around again and did the wall. Aiden and Tristan continued up to the high ropes and wall and jumped down from the very top. They loved it. Tristan yelled down to me,"Mom, I'm so extreme!" and after said he was just speechless. He will also proudly tell you that he climbed higher than ever on a wall and has a new record. He and Aiden want to do it again.

this is a face full of joy and sense of accomplishment