Bookworm

I love books, they're delicious...

Charlotte has taken it upon herself to taste-test every book we own. If you ever glance upon her library, you will think we are the proud new owners of a puppy. Wrong my friends - the teeth marks and the small missing chunks are from our beloved 9 month old daughter. Here's to hoping the paper is BPA/lead/chemical/everything free. I'm sure I would win "Mom of the Year" if her doctor knew her main source of carbohydrates were coming from Pajama Time, The Hungry Caterpillar and Goodnight Moon.

Polar opposites

So yesterday, Saturday, was an interesting day. It started with sunshine and ended with fog. I (finally) ran in my first Parkrun in Hampstead Heath - the sun was shining so I had no excuse. The Parkrun is a weekly (and free!) Saturday run that occurs all over the UK (and the world). These runs are meant to encourage runners of all sizes and speeds to get out and enjoy a timed run through one of the UK's beautiful parks. Each runner has a barcode that is scanned at the end of each run and you have an entire online profile which is updated and maintained by the volunteers of this awesome organization. It is an awesome idea and one that I would love to spread to PA when we return. During my run, I snapped a few photos to show off how enticing a run around London can be. I'm sure the other runners were mumbling "tourist" under their breath as I flashed away. Check this out: http://www.parkrun.com/home

I beat her, btw

Last night was Ladies Night - woo-hoo! We have been planning this soiree for a number of weeks, especially our attire. After all, we were going to DSTRKT*. A CLUB. I haven't been to a real club since... well... the Princeton in Avalon, NJ was a hole in the wall (it has since been updated and I hear the men are now required to wear shirts).  And this wasn't just any club, it is THE club where Kanye and Kim K hang out (I watch way too much E! here). We weren't able to enter the VIP area (shocking, I know) so not sure which celebrity was making their guest appearance. I wore heels for the first time in years, but to be honest, I wouldn't have been able to see anyway.  You know, with all of the fog machines.
And check this out: http://www.dstrkt-london.com/

*Tim (oh so sarcastically) said DSTRKT is so cool, they don't even need to include vowels.

You do the Hokey Cokey...

and you turn yourself around... Wait - you do the hokey WHAT? Yep - cokey. For over 6 months now, I have been trying to read everyone's lips at music class because I was certain they were trying to say pokey and just couldn't pronounce it properly. You know, because my English and pronunciation skills are just stellar. (insert eye roll here). But it was confirmed yesterday - they are saying cokey rather than pokey. I'm probably just being partial, but cokey sounds so ridiculous for this oh-so-serious song. Come to find out, if you were a New Zealander, you would do the Hokey Tokey. Who knew one silly little song could have so many profound variations. If you would like a full history of the song (I know, you probably already have Google open and ready to search), it can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokey_cokey.

And I wonder why I find myself staring blankly at the grocery clerk when he asks me to enter my pin number for the third time.* Come to find out, I can't remember my debit card pin because I have filled my brain with useless Wikipedia information. But happily, so will you.


*(I did a full grocery shopping (= one hand basket here in London) and I had to leave the store without any groceries. I couldn't recall my pin number (the one I use everyday) for the life of me. I had to call the store once home to notify them I would not be returning (I provided some lame excuse, to which I can't recall) and to place my groceries back on the shelf. I was too embarrassed to return and I'm certain I am now on the "watch" list for a stolen credit card.

hiatUS

We've been on a bit of a break from posting, as we were traveling in the States for the past three weeks. It was a busy, but fun, time visiting family and friends. Now I'm ready for a vacation! I guess not working for these two years is my extended vacation of sorts... if only London were on the water. (and the yummy River Thames doesn't count).

There were many "firsts" that occurred while away, some of which include: a Christening, two bottom teeth, crawling, a carousel ride, juicy 4th of July watermelon and swimming. I should mention that these were milestones for Charlotte, in the chance you're not sure which one of us has just mastered these skills. And I hadn't realized how nauseous a carousel can make you - it just keeps going around and around and around, for what seemed like eternity.  I'm convinced they used to move more slowly when I was younger rather than the dizzying speed similar to the teacup/saucer ride-effect of this past experience.

Here are a few pictures from these past few weeks:

On an unrelated topic, Tim wanted me to post the following bit of advice: When heading out in London, even with the sun glaring and not a cloud in the sky as far as the eye (or binoculars) can see... bring an umbrella and a stroller rain cover. Because it WILL rain and you WILL get caught in it. And you WILL be standing under the closed market awning with ten other unprepared ex-pats trying to wait-it-out. I may even invest in a rain poncho... saw one for 2 quid at Tesco this morning. Assuming I remember our own advice.