some stuff we’ve done over the past 3 months

Man am I ever behind on blogging about stuff we’ve done here….the blog worthy stuff just keeps piling up, but there’s no time to get caught up because all of our time is spent adding to the pile! Man, life is so hard….

I want so desperately to remember what we’ve done here, so forget the writing. I’m just going to slap some stuff up for family history sake. A hodge-podge of things we’ve been up to that aren’t really worth a whole post, but still need to be remembered.

I took this picture on our way to the British Museum one day.   I love it.  We love Paddington Bear. We’ve spent a lot of time in the woods playing villages.  Here Emmeline and Hazel are sipping their tea of leaves and sticks.And climbing trees.And hanging from them.And getting eaten by tree crocodiles.  Doesn't that log look just like a croc?We’ve been to a lot of awesome playgrounds.  These pictures are from Holland Park’s adventure playground.  My kids have judged it to be the best one yet.  And the rest of Holland Park is also amazing.  I love London green spaces.  They all seem to have such a beautiful mixture of wild and sculptured. Emmeline has done lots and lots of posing.  I love these ones with the cherry branch.  The blossoms here have been amazing.  Even in all the rain (which makes them smell so strong it nearly knocks your socks off).Hazel and I went to see her friends Mary Anne and Christine perform in their school choir concert at Royal Albert Hall.  That place is incredible.  The entire audience stood and sang Jerusalem together at the end and Hazel and I both had goose pimples.  It was such a great little date, I love it that I have a daughter that thoroughly enjoys so much of the same stuff I do.  We went to a picnic over conference weekend with the Schwartz family and their ward friends at Highlands house in Chelmsford.  Charlie was in heaven playing with all those boys (he hangs out with a LOT of girls lately).

I’ve spent way too much time trying to get my kids to do chores.  Especially Charlie.  When will he learn that it’s so much easier just to do the work rather than hem and haw and complain like a crazy person.  Any tips on helping a 6 year old work and not shirk?

We’ve tried to keep up on piano practicing and lessons, but haven’t done very well.  I hope it will come back to her, she was really starting to progress.  Darn it.  I guess you just can’t do everything.

We’ve gathered lots of stones and things to sort…... these are our stones form Wales. Aren’t the beautiful? They’ve entertained Emmeline over and over again. It’s amazing how kids make do when they don’t have many toys around.

Mr. Right is sitting right beneath this ad….. this is what we tell Mila Schwartz.  Ames and I have been planning their wedding.We’ve spent lots of time (though not enough) with Ames out in Chelmsford, or she’ll come to us.  We’ll feed our kids together and they'll play and play for hours.  I’m sure I’ve already said this on the blog, but I’ll say it again:  I love Ames and Rob and their girls.  And my kids do too.

These pictures (below) are from a gloriously warm day back in March when we headed out to Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge which is just a few minute drive from our house right on the border of Epping Forrest.  We met Allison and her girls there for a sparkly sunny afternoon playing games on the grass.  These are all pictures I took while laying on the grass looking up.  It was one of those sweet days were time is slow and light is soft.  I loved it.I’m in search for the most amazing tree in England.  This one at the hunting lodge is one of my favorites.  I need to go back and take a real picture of it one day (but I probably never will).

And here are my little Tudor children dressing up at the lodge.  This funny little iPhone picture is perhaps one of my all time favorites.

We love England.