Barcelona

One of the best things about living in London is how easy it is to travel around Europe.  Our first trip was to Barcelona.  We spent 6 great days there.  It was amazing--the beach, the pool, the tapas, the sangria, the football--we loved it all!  And, the best part was, it was only a 1 and a half hour plane ride away!

One of our good friend's from college, Barry Hoyer, happened to also be in Barcelona at the same time we were, so we got to hang out with him too - so fun!!

On the train heading to the airport.  Nathan loved it - he got to ride on a train and an airplane all in one day!!

At the train station - excited to go on vacation!!

He loves being on the plane!

Our room in Barcelona.  Beautiful view!

Nathan and Uncle Casey playing in the pool.

An afternoon snack at the pool with our friend, Barry.

Barry and me.

Nathan hogging the bed.

La Sagrada Familia

Inside La Sagrada Familia

The ceiling.

Such a gorgeous church.

La Sagrada Familia - a work in progress.

Park Guell

Park Guell

View from the top of Park Guell

Nathan playing at the top of Park Guell.

Goodbye Olympics And Our First Sunday Roast

The past 16 days have been so exciting!  It's a little sad to see it all come to an end.  Casey made the most of the last weekend of the Olympics by hanging with the gold-medal-winning women's soccer team Friday night.  Chris' friend, Jeff, is friends with the team doctor and he was nice enough to invite Casey along with him to the USA house Friday night.  And, of course, they went out after that to a hot club in London (one of William and Harry's favorites).  I think the pictures speak for themselves :)

Sunday we went to our first Sunday Roast (a British tradition).  The weather was nice, so we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed great food, great weather, and yummy Bloody Mary's!

Apparently, some guy at the club kept buying them bottles of Dom Perignon!

At Mahiki.

Sunday Roast

A Fun Afternoon At Battersea Park

Every time we go to Battersea Park and see the boats, Nathan wants to go on them.  I promised him that one day when the weather is nice and Daddy is home, we will go on the boats.  Well, Daddy was home yesterday afternoon and the weather was nice, so guess what we did - we went to Battersea Park and rented a boat.  Nathan picked the yellow one.  We had a lovely afternoon relaxing on the peddle boat (well, Nathan and I relaxed, Casey and Chris had to peddle :)  Then we headed over to the kids fun fair that the park is hosting the whole month of August.  Nathan rode a little train and rode on a mini Merry-go-Round - so much fun!

Olympics - Weekend 2

We had such a great weekend!  On Friday night, Chris' friend, Matt Clark, flew into town to spend the weekend with us.  Nathan loved having him  here!  But, to be fair, Matt did bring goldfish and jelly beans with him, which is pretty much all you need to do buy Nathan's love :)

On Saturday morning, Chris, Casey, Matt, and I went to Horse Guard's Parade to watch Beach Volleyball (Round of 16).  It was the best event we have been to yet!!  We loved it!  The energy was great!  There was a DJ, lots of fun music, and even dancers in bikinis and board shorts to entertain the audience!  It's also a really cool venue, because it is right in front of Buckingham Palace.  We saw the Chinese women destroy the Russian women.  Then, we saw the Brazilian men beat the German men - that was a better match than the women's match, but the Brazilian men still won pretty easily.  Overall, it was a great morning!

Saturday night, we met up with our friend, Jeff, for Thai food in a pub near his flat (there is a thai restaurant that rents out the space in the back of the pub - the food was really good!).  Pubs here are great - kids are welcome in them and in the summer, everyone spills out into the streets with their drinks to enjoy the weather.  After dinner, Nathan had fun running around on the sidewalk outside the pub, while mom and dad got to enjoy some drinks :)  We only stayed for a few drinks and then headed home to get Nathan in bed.  Casey and Matt stayed out with Jeff though and apparently had quite the night, but I will let you ask them about that :)

Sunday, we headed over to Hyde Park to BT London Live (a big area with several large screens showing Olympics events, lots of food stands, and a stage with singers and bands performing between Olympic events).  Nathan loved the music!

These two are from last weekend heading home from gymnastics, but forgot to upload them to that blog post :) 

Susan and I in front of the crown before volleyball.  Our friends Susan and Ryan also went to beach volleyball Saturday, so we walked over with them.

Such a cool venue!

Nathan and Matt on the Tube.

The pub we went to for Thai food - there are flowers everywhere - so pretty!

Nathan and what was once a lion statue outside of the pub.

Hyde Park - BT London Live

Nathan and Matt playing "football" (still getting used to calling it that).

The Tower Bridge And Lunch With Daddy

Sorry, I'm a little late with this post.  Last week on Wednesday, we headed over to the London Tower and the Tower Bridge before meeting up with Chris at his office for lunch.  We didn't have a lot of time before we were supposed to meet Chris for lunch, so we skipped the London Tower tour and just watched the boats going under the bridge.  I actually think Nathan enjoyed this more than he would have enjoyed the Tower - he can sit and watch the "agua" and the boats for hours.  We even got to see the bridge go up to let a tall boat go under.  And, of course, we had to pose by the Olympic mascot, Wenlock - these little guys are all over the city wearing different outfits.

Then, we got to go see Daddy's office and go to lunch with him.  I'm a bad mom and forgot to take pictures of this, but Nathan had so much fun sitting at Daddy's desk and eating a "treat" (Chris' office has the best little shortbread cookies!).

Casey and Wenlock with the Tower Bridge in the background.

The bridge going up to let a boat go under.  Even the rings go up!

Wenlock!

Casey and a guard at the Tower of London.

This one is for Auntie Anne!  The Squire Sanders offices are right next door to Chris' office - I think you need to find some work to do out of your London office!!

The Olympics Are Here!

It's such a fun time to be living in London!  We are right in the middle of all the excitement!  The first weekend of the Olympics was amazing!  On Friday, we stood on the Chelsea Bridge and watched the Olympic torch float down the Thames.  Friday night, Chris and I went to an Opening Ceremonies party.  Saturday morning, Chris and I woke up bright and early to catch the Thames Clipper down to Greenwich to watch Men's Gymnastics.  By the time we got home, Casey and Nathan were already standing at the end of our street trying to catch a glimpse of the men's cyclists coming down Fulham Road.  We waited about 30 minutes before they came racing past us.  So exciting!  Nathan loved it!  On Sunday, we had brunch with an old friend of Chris'.  Then it was back home for nap-time.  Nathan woke up just in time to see the women cyclists come by.  This time we were smart.  We watched the race on t.v. so we knew just when to head outside to see them pass by (it was raining today, so we didn't want to stand outside longer than we needed to :)  We have lots of pictures and videos from this weekend.  Enjoy!

We're looking forward to the next few weeks of the Olympics!  We'll have more updates soon.

The Olympic torch going down the Thames.

On the boat to Greenwich to watch Men's Gymnastics!

At North Greenwich Arena for Men's Gymnastics!

Thanks Bryant for our USA gear!

The gymnasts entering the arena.

The Olympic Rings on the Tower Bridge.

Waiting for the cyclists!

Here they come!

Go USA!


The women cyclists!

Nathan and Uncle Casey relaxing after cycling.