Finally, A Spring Weekend!

We finally got a weekend of sunshine, so we spent the weekend outside soaking it all up!

Getting some vitamin D.

Playing football with Daddy.

Chasing a goose and playing golf.

Working out with Dad - chin ups and a morning jog :)

And, a few other pictures and videos from the last couple of weeks.

Golfing at Purple Dragon.

Doing dishes with Daddy. 

Nathan's first time using a potter's wheel.

Butterflies and Nemo

We finally had a spring day yesterday!  It actually got out of the 30's and into the 40's and we had sunshine!  It's amazing how a little bit of sunshine will improve your mood :)  Nathan and I headed over to the Sensational Butterflies exhibit at the Natural History Museum--a tent-full of butterflies flying around.  We also got to see caterpillar eggs and cocoons.  We even saw a butterfly hatching out of its cocoon.  Nathan loved it!

But, just like that, the sun was gone today and we were back to our typical cold and gray weather.  I have been assured that spring is coming soon though and I can't wait!  To get out of the cold today, we went to see Finding Nemo in 3D.  Finding Nemo is one of Nathan's favorites and he was so excited to go to the "cinnamon" (aka the cinema) to watch Finding Nemo with "glasses and eat popcorn and sit with Mommy and Daddy."  (Daddy left work early today to join us!)  Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it to the end of the movie.  Just before Nemo and his father were reunited, Nathan decided he wanted to go home :)  But, even with the early exit, he still assured us on the way home, "I love the cinnamon!"  Of course, that may have had something to do with all the kettle corn and candy he got to eat :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  Although we're missing our extended family this Easter, our little family had a very nice Easter, complete with a visit from the Easter Bunny!  We hope that you all are having a great Easter surrounded by friends and family!

Easter egg-dying party with Aiden and Brice.

Hard at work dying eggs and painting Easter pictures.

And, a little fun too :)

The Easter Bunny!

Looking out the window to try to catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bunny came to our house!

March 2013

The weather here has been miserable this month--cold and rainy and several days of snow even (it snowed this whole weekend)!  It wouldn't be so bad if it was January or February, but it's supposed to be spring, and so far, this is the worst month of weather we've had all winter :(  We're trying to keep busy with inside activities, but we just can't wait for a little bit of sun and to be able to get back outside again!!

Here are some pictures and videos from the month that show us braving the elements outside and trying to keep busy with indoor activities.  There are also some pictures from Mother's Day--in the UK, Mother's Day is on March 10.  Needless to say, this was the coldest Mother's Day I have ever experienced :)  But, we still had a lovely day!  My boys took me to a nice breakfast, spoiled me with flowers, and even let me take a nice nap while they went out to run some errands.  I couldn't have asked for a nicer day (well, next year, I wouldn't mind a little sun :)

Nathan the butterfly!  The theme in music class this week was creepy crawlies and insects.

Make your own bowling alley inside the house.  What can I say, after spending so much time inside, we have gotten a little desperate for new, fun indoor activities.  

"Oops, I feel in the box."

Enjoying a Babyccino at our Mother's Day breakfast.

Happy Mum's Day!  This was my Mother's Day gift from Nathan (with a little help from our kids' club).

My Mother's Day flowers from the cutest little delivery man ever!

This is how we usually get around these days.  And, he insists on going everywhere with his back-pack (which he usually fills with candy :)

The Saint Patrick's Day festival at Trafalgar Square.

Cooking Class

Nathan made this lovely Native American headdress in the art room.

This week in music class, we learned about Ireland, including its animals.  That's a sheep on his head :) 

Giant Easter Eggs in Covent Garden.  He loved the Thomas the Train egg.

Driving the bus at the London Transport Museum.

Someone got an Easter package from Grandma and Grandpa.  He was thrilled!

Life-size Lindt chocolate bunnies in Covent Garden.

An Easter Egg hunt (well, actually Lindt chocolates, but they called it an easter egg hunt) in Covent Garden.  

A giant bunny!

After a fun morning at the London Transport Museum, the Lindt Easter Egg Hunt, and lunch with mom, he was so wiped out, he fell asleep on the bus on the way home :)

A giant chocolate Easter egg at Harrods.  You can take this home for Easter brunch for a mere £800.

The London Aquarium And Other News

Nathan and I went to the London Aquarium today for the first time.  It's definitely not as big and impressive as the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, but it was still a really nice cold-weather activity.

Nathan was so excited to go to the aquarium to see the sharks, the turtles, the Nemo fish, and the penguins.  And, although he enjoyed the other fish and sea life there, he pretty much raced around the aquarium looking specifically for those four things.  We even had to go back to see the penguins a second time :)  After spending the better part of a week cooped up inside (see explanation below), we had a great morning at the aquarium!

And, to fill you all in on our not so fun week last week, it basically went something like this: Chris was out of town all week; Nathan and I tackled potty-training, so we were inside for a couple of days working on that; potty-training got a bit interrupted on the second day when Nathan got sick and we had to take a ride in an ambulance to the emergency room (he got a really high fever (104 degrees) and had a scary little episode where he stared off into the distance, went limp, and was unresponsive for a couple of minutes, then came to and started vomiting - mom got a little freaked out and called 999).  And, although that all made for kind of a miserable week, the good news is, Nathan is fine.  His fever went away by the middle of the night Tuesday night and stayed away.  It was apparently just a virus and the little episode he had was just connected to the spike in his fever.  And, despite the interruption to potty-training, Nathan did really well and we are now diaper-free, except at nights!

He was thrilled to see this giant penguin before we even got into the Aquarium.

He's actually on his hands and knees looking down at the sharks swimming below him.

This tank was a favorite of Nathan's, because there was a giant turtle in here.

The penguins!!  This was his absolute favorite part!

Nathan and his friend, Tyler, in the shark tank.

This was last week during a play-date with his friend, Aiden, who was also potty-training.  They were taking a little bathroom break :)

Nathan and Aiden hanging out at Purple Dragon.