Blenheim palace

It was another beautiful, hot Summer day in England. We took the kids to Blenheim palace (birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill).

I get the biggest kick out of this girl's personality. Check out her adorable pose.

Our four sweeties on the palace grounds.

New friend

Luke has a new friend. He's a little shadow to cousin Holly now. He loves to listen to her 'ink pod' (pink ipod).

He loves to watch her do her make-up. When she wasn't looking he tried on her mascara.

The two of them even have a new secret handshake. Double fives, bones, and wiggly fingers.

Jane Austen's house

Jane Austen lived in this house from 1809-1817. All of her works were sent to publishers while she lived here.

My niece Holly plays the piano beautifully. When we asked the tour guide if we could take a picture of this 1810 piano, she told us we could even play it if we knew how. It was so lovely to listen to Holly play the theme song from the 'Sense and Sensibility' movie in Jane Austen's parlor.

Jane Austen's writing desk. It is said that Jane Austen would look out this window to reflect while she wrote.

Our family in Jane Austen's back garden. Inspiring.

My next read: 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen

Bubble gum and tootsie rolls

My sister and niece are here visiting with us. This is my sister and I (and Michael) at Trafalgar square with Big Ben in the background.

This is my cute sister and niece in front of our house with the kids. They brought bubble gum and tootsie rolls from the States. What a treat!

The bubble gum has been a big hit with the neighbor kids. The tootsie rolls not so much. I guess that tootsie rolls are an acquired taste.

So far, we have visited the Tower of London...

And lots of other sights in London...

And in our spare time we made bread. I want them to stay forever :)

weeeehoo

Today was the boys last day of school. They brought home piles of paper and artwork which is all really fun to look at, but this is one of my favorites by Benjamin. Weeeehoo... bring on the summer!

Uncle Don

When we planted flowers in our garden a month or so ago, I thought of Uncle Don. He owned a landscaping company and he had a gift for making things beautiful.

Early Monday morning we received a phone call that Uncle Don had passed away. Life has been different since that call. Words fail to describe the sadness that we feel. We are grateful for the knowledge we have that we will see him again.

Our hearts ache for his family. We hope that you can feel our hugs, love and support through the miles that separate us.

An eventful day in London

I took the youngest 2 into London yesterday while the older 2 were at school. Mary was a superstar and did a lot of walking. So, we stopped at Baskin Robins for an ice cream cone. They were thrilled until Luke dropped his ice cream cone in the street while we were crossing. He started crying when I told him we couldn't go pick it up. We were too far away to go back for another one. So guess what our sweet little 4 year old did? Yep. She GAVE him her ice cream cone.

We walked through Regent's Park and I let the kids play for a little while. Luke fell and scraped his chin up a bit. It was rough day for the poor little guy.

But the best part of my story is yet to come. When we told the older boys about Luke's fall and his ice cream in the street, Benjamin said, "Oh mom, stop! I can't stand to hear anymore. I think I am going to cry." What tenderhearted little kids!

BTW, the baby geese in Regent's park were adorable.

A major award

Michael started talking through his smile before the bus doors even opened to let him off. He had received a special award in the school assembly and he couldn't wait to tell us about it.
The award and book were presented to him by the school librarian. Her comments on the certificate are adorable:

This certificate is awarded to Michael Stepan for his 'titanic' interest in history and engineering, his unstoppable curiosity, and his consistent dedication to choosing for himself a balance of challenging books during his visits to the Lower School library during the 2009-2010 school year.

He has been beaming ever since.

She gave him a book about Famous Buildings and he practically has it memorized already. We passed Wembley stadium today and he asked us if anyone needed to use the toilet because there were 2 thousand 6 hundred and something (I don't remember) toilets inside (as outlined in his new book).
Well done buddy! We love you!

World Cup Mania

We're loving the World Cup excitement here in England. It's almost like the Superbowl meets the Olympics. Every pub in town is decorated...

Games are advertised...

Official uniforms are displayed at Nike Town in London...

And we've found some really cool England stuff...

Don't be deceived by these pictures though, we still know where our allegiance lies.

2nd grade London field trip

Thanks to my fabulous hubby who worked from home to be with our youngest 2, I was able to be a chaperone for Michael's 2nd grade field trip to central London.

It is quite an undertaking to take 2 classes of 7 and 8 year olds into London. Michael's teacher became the 'queen' for the day and everyone had to stay behind her--to prevent excited children from running up ahead and being lost in a crowd. The kids had these 'passports' for the day. They received a sticker from their chaperone when they spotted the items in their book. Adorable!

Abraham Lincoln in Parliament Square. This statue was unveiled in 1920 in celebration of 100 years of peace among English speaking peoples.

I thought this was a great picture of Michael with the Union Jack flag and the statue of Abraham Lincoln on the left.

The kids have been learning about the British government and the Prime Minister. Through the gates on the right side in the back (black building) is #10 Downing street where Britian's Prime Minister lives.

The kids loved the horse soldiers.

The ultimate 2nd grade water fight at Trafalgar Square. Fortunately no one fell in :)

Crossing Hungerford bridge (I was so impressed that the kids knew the names of all of these landmarks and bridges) overlooking Big Ben, the houses of Parliament, the River Thames, the London Eye, etc...

This was my kind of trip through London. We stopped every so often for a snack or a drink, we had a picnic in St. James park, and ate ice cream at the end.

And finally, we took a double-decker bus ride back to school. Cool! Well, actually the top deck was quite warm, but the kids didn't care.