First weeks in London

Well we made it here safe and sound! The plane ride over was not ideal - Brylie and Geoff sat in the back of the plane and Truett and I sat in the front. The flight was delayed because of us and people had to switch seats to accomodate one of us sitting with the kids (not our fault). So it was off to a rocky start! It was 55 degrees and overcast when we arrived (did not help my already gloomy disposition). Our van picked us up and Truett proceeded to poop all over his clothes, the rented carseat, and the van. That's what he thought about London - ha! :)

We arrived at the house and it is just so different here...and I was tired...and homesick. We were jetlagged that first week and trying to get adjusted. Geoff went to work right away so I was left alone with no phone or internet in this foreign neighborhood! Not fun.

BUT, I don't want to sound like such a downer! I truly feel lucky to be able to have this life experience and every day gets better :) We have phone and internet now (finally after 3 weeks!) which has helped a lot :) We also found a church just down the street and I have met some other Moms there and even had a play date this week with some of them! The Lord has answered some specific prayers for friends and it is a blessing to be reminded that He will take care of us wherever we may be! Geoff is really enjoying his job and is looking forward to all of the challenges ahead with his position and travels (he is in Singapore currently).

Sarah came for a visit last week to help me get settled in and prevent me from freaking out too much. ;) She just left this morning and it was so hard to say good bye, but it was so so nice to have her here and I'm so thankful for that time (thank you Mom and Dad for that early birthday present!!). We made a video of the house that I will try to post tomorrow. We didn't take a lot of pictures this visit because we had our hands full with two little ones and just trying to get around here! But here are some of the highlights from the last few weeks :)

First train ride for Brylie and Truett :)






The kids watching a video - small comfort from home. It has been unseasonably warm here and we do not have A/C in the house so we all tend to strip down when possible!




Sarah and I took the kids to the Aquarium in the city. This is the playground right next to it and the London eye in the background. Brylie loved it! We also quickly found out how UN-kid friendly London is. Most of the tube/train stops do not have elevators - a challenge if you have a double stroller - and the buses won't even let you on with one. We also went to dinner right outside of the city and they basically told Geoff that kids were not welcome....nice. But we happen to live in what I think is the most family friendly area (Wimbledon) and it is a nice neighborhood with a lot of other kids around so I'm very thankful for that!







The Aquarium is the building behind her




Some of these pictures are crazy - I was using two different cameras for all of these and it was really dark in there so I'm sorry if they aren't "of quality" :)












We walked over to the Wimbledon finals (it is about 1.2 miles from our house) last Sunday to check out the vibe. It was fun to listen to the crowd and see everyone all dressed up (not us as you can tell - we didn't want to pay for a grounds pass since it was almost over so we just walked around - maybe next year!) Yes, that is just a sign for the "bag rules" but we wanted to have something with Wimbledon for the picture - ha!




Centre Court. Sarah and I went back the other day to the gift shop and we took a quick picture. It is a nice area and they have some funny very "snobbish" rules (no kids, etc.)




Truett just looking cute :)




On the tube - this is how we traveled most days - T strapped in on Sarah and Brylie in and out of the stroller :)




This is in Kensington gardens. It is a Princess Diana memorial playground with the theme of Peter Pan. Hence the pirate ship and TP's and forts. This was really fun for Brylie, but kind of hard to get to (two different tubes and lots of stairs to haul the kids and stroller up and down). It was great having Sarah there to help and we will probably come back here whenever I have another helper!
















Truett having a little ice cream :) Don't worry, just a taste!




This is a playgroup they have at the church called Twiglets (so cute!). The last one is next week and then they will stop for summer break. I will look forward to this starting up again in the Fall because Brylie really loves it! They also serve tea and biscuits (as they do at every other function we attented in the area - it is really part of the culture here - I must say I rather enjoy it ;)




This is kind of a weird picture, but wanted to show you the kids sitting in their chairs for their juice and biscuit :)






Trying to stay cool in the house




Truett just fell asleep while we were walking...my cute boy



Taking a nap with Aunt Sarah

Savoring the last few days of Sarah's visit

Brylie wanted a baby strapped in too - it was so cute! She walked around like that to the store and back :)



Sarah, thank you for all of your help and support! I love you and miss you already!!

There is so much more to blog about but I don't want to overwhelm you too soon! I will try to post about all of the funny English things too...but that is all for now!