Sarah's Day in London

This time it was Sarah's turn to chose the birthday activities in London. On Monday, the 16th, school was out, Tony was off and it was a great day to go to London.

In Host Nation, Sarah has been reading about Paddington Bear. She wanted to see for herself where these stories originated. So we were off to find Paddington Station. It is a huge Underground and train station, complete with shopping and restaurants. The kids were excited to get a donut from Krispy Kreme. We found the Paddington Statue and took pictures.

It was then back onto the subway to find the Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park. Luckily, it was a beautiful day. We had fun walking in the huge park, seeing ducks, squirrels, flowers starting to bloom and people from all over the world. We finally found the historic statue. Like many Disney films, it was set in London. Peter visited the Darling family living here.

After working up an appetite, we revisited the Hard Rock Cafe (it was Sarah's birthday after all.) We had another great meal, this time it was Sarah who stood in her chair and was sung to. It was a great day. It was the first time we were able to get out, see the sunshine and not freeze. We felt very blessed to live near such an amazing city. How many people are able to trek all over London just to find statues? Although Eric thought she made poor choices, it was her day after all and she loved it. Happy Birthday Sarah!

Look...no teeth!

For those who have been asking, here is a photo of Sarah without her front teeth and her new haircut. Her new teeth are already beginning to come in and, unfortunately, very crooked. I guess we'll have another kid in braces one day.

Also, we are sad to report her little ears are no longer pierced. After waiting the six weeks (with daily cleaning and turning) we were ready to change out her earrings. She was very excited about the new earrings she got for her birthday and wanted to try them out. When she removed the starter earrings, her ears were very sore. We cleaned them and waited a few hours before trying to put in the new ones. She wouldn't let me put them in and insisted on doing it herself. Apparently, waiting that long was not a good idea. In that short amount of time, the tiny holes already started to close. By the end of the night, she was in tears, her ears were much more sore and were bleeding. We went back to Claire's the next day to ask for advice. They offered to put the starter earrings back in, but Sarah was too scared. I was not going to push her. We have decided to let her ears heal up and perhaps think about re-piercing in a few years. We have packed away the earrings and will save them for later. Sarah was very disappointed at first, but is doing better now. She is still her Daddy's little princess, of course!

Cookies Anyone?

Sarah is enjoying being a Brownie. Over the last two weeks, we have been involved in the annual cookie sales. I guess here it is done a bit differently. Instead of the girls getting their own inventory and being asked to sale them, the troops have booths set up around the base. We were responibile for two different time slots. We just had to show up, set up and the customers came to us. It was fun for the girls and MUCH easier on the moms.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Yes, it does snow in England. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been getting more than our share. Apparently, this is the worst winter in 17 years! Moving from Utah, we didn't think much of a little snow shower, but the locals felt otherwise. The public transportation system was shut down, the schools closed and everyone just stayed home.

The kids were confused by the term "snow day" as that is unheard of in Utah. However, we made the best of it. We drug out our snow gear and headed outside. The kids had a great time playing in the snow. It did not last long and our snow friend had fallen over by the end of the day.

Since the "big" snowstorm, we have had a few school delays. The base and schools start 2 hours later, that means we get to sleep in!!

We have been seeing signs of spring. The flowers are beginning to break through the ground, the birds are singing and it is no longer dark when the kids get on the base. Hurry up Spring!!

Happy Birthday to Eric!

Celebrating in London

Brownies Sleepover

Tony in Spain

Happy February!

I can't believe February is here. It seems like we were just taking down the Christmas trees (see prior post) and now the month of January is behind us. What did our family do all month? As I look back on the calendar I see that....

Tony made a quick trip to Spain in the middle of the month. He is getting ready for a larger TDY in March and needed to go see the base, make arrangements, meet people, etc. It was a fast trip and he did not get to do much except work. He did manage to go for a run along the beach one morning. He saw some family friendly places to stay and wants to take us back when the weather improves.

On the 17th, Sarah had her first Brownies sleepover. As a Brownie leader, I went with her and we both had a fun time. We stayed in the Girl Scout hut at RAF Feltwell. There was one other adult and four other girls. The girls laughed, danced, made pizza, ate and had a great time. While making Rice Crispy treats we managed to set off the very sensitive fire alarm and had the police, two fire trucks and several firemen stop by. Nothing was wrong and they turned off the alarm for us. Being scared it would go off again, I chose not to make pancakes as planned the next morning. The girls did not get to sleep until 2 am! Fun memories!

On the 23rd, our family traveled to London to see Cirque Du Soleil's Quidam. Although we purchased balcony seats, we were offered floor seats by a very nice usher. We sat on the front row! The show was amazing and although the story line was hard to follow and the songs were in French (we think) we all had a fun time. We also enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe London for Eric's birthday. This was the original Hard Rock and was full of valuable memorabilia. I got my picture made with Prince's cane from the Purple Rain tour, Eric stood on chair while everyone sang "Happy Birthday," Sarah got balloons and Tony got to enjoy very yummy American food. It was a fun day!

On the 24th, my baby boy turned 10! We invited some boys from school over for a Wii party. We had 5 boys come and celebrate with us. Tony arranged a treasure hunt in the nearby woods, we had a pinata, played lots of video games, ate hamburgers and hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. Eric had fun time with his new friends.

On the 28th, Sarah enjoyed celebrating the Year of the Ox at a Chinese New Year celebration at school. All week they learned about China, Chinese customs and the Chinese calendar. On Wednesday they enjoyed a catered lunch from a local Chinese take out. I was happy to go to her school, serve food and read the fortune cookies. The kids wore red for good fortune, ate with chopsticks and had a fun time. As Sarah says, "Gung Hay Fat Choy!"

I will post some pictures of our adventures soon. Looking forward to another great month and sending lots of love your way! Hope to hear from you soon!