Um, you know...

Apparently I am completely amazing in the eyes of Owen. He thinks in addition to all of my talents, I can also read his mind. He will be talking to me or asking me a question that goes something like "Mom, what's that, um, you know...?" or "Mom, I was doing, um, you know...and I need your help" or "Remember when we, um, you know." He honestly thinks I know what he's talking about. We are connected, but not that connected...although sometimes, I actually do know, you know?

Tuesday morning we had to say goodbye to Uncle Moogs. He had a great time, but in our opinion he was a little too busy getting into any Olympic event and not staying home with us.

Walter slept through the good-bye.

We also received a large package of Aloha from my mom & grandma this week. We have been particularly enjoying the macadamia nuts and frisbee...or is it the Hawaiian crackers and t-shirts...no, its the gummy bears and books... Thank you, Mom & Grandma!!!

Covered in Aloha!

This week the boys participated in a Chinese cultural camp. They were a bit timid to start, but after all the fun they had the first day, they are itching to get back two days next week! Owen says its way more fun than Chinese in MN where they "just work & work". Here, they do lots & lots of projects...right up their alley!

O's fire dragon

OK, but we're watching you...

Yesterday we saw an ad for the new Disney movie, Brave. I told the boys we should go see it on the next rainy day. They pleaded to check the forecast to see when that may be...and lucky for them, we live in England and today was rainy! :) (honestly, its been quite bright lately, so they did luck out!) So after lunch today, we hopped the bus and headed to the theater. We got there a bit early, after we got our popcorn and drinks, there was still time to wait. We started eating some of the popcorn and after a few handfuls each, decided to wait for the movie to start before we ate any more. I said I'd hold it until it started and Owen said this to me. He must know I'm related to my mother...who has been known to eat popcorn for breakfast.

I've heard and now realized I haven't given you a tour of our new house. Here's a good portion of it, with a few areas yet to be shown...including Walter's room and the rest of O's room...and yes, it is always this clean.

Santa's private entrance. 

The reading area...or lounging with a frisbee area.

Our living room.

The kitchen and O & W clothespinhands.

40 Goldstone Way

The dishwasher.

Owen's t-rex in his room.

The solarium...aka 'hot room'...aka football stadium.

The football fans.

He did it!

We spent the day in London yesterday! When given the options of what to do, the boys both decided on the Natural History Museum - they wanted to see those dinosaurs! So we hopped the bus, then the train, then the tube and ended up in Kensington, which we will be going back to for sure. It is a beautiful neighborhood and we barely scratched the surface of all it has to offer. The Natural History Museum was awesome. The boys had big eyes seeing all of the stuffed creatures and reading about their bones, brains, and eating habits. The mammals were a huge hit, the dinos were great (although the T-Rex was maybe a bit too real for W, who clung tight to my leg while we walked by), and it was really exciting riding an escalator through the center of the earth! We ran out of time before we could do the Creepy Crawlys and a few other exhibits but all agreed we'd be back.

Journey to the middle of the earth.

After the museum, we took a long, hot tube ride to the ExCel center which is hosting many Olympic events, including Jer's favorite, wrestling. We met Jer there for dinner and handed him a ticket to last night's wrestling finals. We tried and tried to get us all tickets but every time tickets came available, they were gone before we could reserve them. I finally was able to get one ticket so he was able to go. This was the one night he really wanted to see as an American had a good shot at gold. The boys and I left after dinner (and an ice cream) and on our train ride home he called to tell me "He did it!" He got to see the American win gold!

He also got to meet a US women's wrestling bronze medalist and check out her medal. He was nothing short of impressed.

I'm just going to the Olympics.

In the midst of Lindsay & Lydia's time here, we had another special guest arrive, Jer's brother Andrew, better known as Uncle Moogs. On a whim, Intermat decided to apply for an Olympic media credential a while back...and then received it, only to learn it was the golden ticket of Olympic credentials, allowing Andrew access to any event he wanted to attend. A few months later, we learned of this opportunity to move here...blah, blah, blah...here we are...and now here Moogs is! He stayed with us for a solid week, and has now moved into a shoe box sized dorm room near Olympic Village while he covers Olympic Wrestling for Intermat. We'll get to have him back on Sunday for a few more days of fun before he returns home to give Griffy lots of kisses.

When he was staying with us one morning I heard Owen ask him where he was going, to which he responded "I'm just going to the Olympics." What an amazing reality he is living right now. He came home with photos and stories of swimming, gymnastics, table tennis, judo, fencing, hand ball, water polo, field hockey, weightlifting, volleyball...jealous yet?!

I found Mac & Cheese!

Walter has been missing Mac & Cheese. We've been on the hunt for it quite a while and today at the grocery store, he was happy to proclaim "I found Mac & Cheese!" We bought all the boxes on the shelf.

Yesterday we had to say good-bye to Lindsay & Lydia. They are off to meet Andreas and his family in Cyprus. We had such a great time with them. I must admit I was nervous I would be crushed to see them go and yes, we were plenty tearful, but we had such a great time together and this is such a beautiful city we are in that I am happy and feel really lucky to call it home. On the way to the airport, Lindsay spoke with Andreas and joked that he should look for a job here...I personally think it is the perfect solution!

Our last few days together comprised of a trip to Arundel Castle and a leisurely day along the Brighton sea front.

Our knights in cotton armor.

"We just need a little peace."

Is there anything more charming than a seaside carousel?

We don't want you to leave either, Lydia Jean!

He looks at pictures of monkeys.

I was asking Lydia if she was excited to see her daddy and we started to talk about how he is at work. When I asked her what her daddy did, she said he works on his computer. Again, I asked what he did on his computer and she told me "he looks at pictures of monkeys." So sweet.

More whirlwind fun and adventures in photos for you...our time together is so precious, I must soak it all up while I can.

We rock pooled at Seven Sisters!

We hiked to Beachy Head.

We played Pooh Sticks at Pooh Bridge in Hundred Acre Woods (Ashdown Forest).