Cornwall

We were fortunate to have our friends Kati and Brett (and their two cute little buggers) come and visit us last week. It was so nice to see some familiar faces from home here in London. It almost makes you forget where you are when you are with your friends. Kati even said that she kept forgetting to take in the scenery because it was as if we were "home" back in the states rather than in England. We headed out to the coast, Cornwall to be exact (a 5+ hour drive with 3 kids under the age of 3 in the car) with Brett as the brave navigator. I have to say that he was cool, calm and collected during the entire trek. Not an easy fete with pouring rain, three car seats and oh yeah, driving on the opposite side of the road! I sometimes have trouble just following the road when I'm walking it, nevertheless trying to drive it. ha

The southwest coast of England is gorgeous. Not a bad location for Charlotte's first ever beach experience. Reminds me of a mix between the cliffs of southern California and the rocky Maine coast. Even a bit of rain couldn't spoil the scenery this breathtaking. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Happy Birthday

And... she's 1! Little miss sunshine turned 1 today and though so cliche to say,it is amazing how quickly the first year seemed to pass us by. While some days were long (think of sunset at 3:30 pm, winter and lots of rain), this past year has been so insanely fast - I am finding it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that Charlotte turned 365 days old today. Reflecting upon this time, both Tim and I have gained many a new life lessons/insights into our new life as parents. A few of these are as follows:

1. Waking up before the sun rises isn't always a bad thing, especially when the alarm awaiting you has a giant grin on her face
2. "Free time" is a term we no longer use - it's easier that way
3. Kids are a lot of work, but knowing you are helping to shape their future makes each moment worthwhile...and a little bit scary
4. calling your spouse mom-ma-ma-ma or dad-da-da-da sounds really normal after a few days
5. We're going to start selling empty boxes and label them as "toys"
6. We don't have a car, but can easily identify the 2012 model strollers
7. Boogers and messy diapers lose "grossness" when they belong to your own child
8. (Off-key) Singing in public is totally acceptable when it is labeled as "Rhyme Time"
9. No one can make her laugh like her dad
10. We wouldn't trade a single day of it

Happy birthday, peanut butter...

celebrity (near)sightings

What a productive 10+ months we have had here in London thus far. To date, we have personally seen John Goodman (old news, walking along the Thames back in February wearing a fabulous grey sweatsuit), Ricky Gervais (power walking in a Hanes tee and mesh shorts, walkman in hand), Chris Martin (no big deal - just the lead.singer.of.Coldplay running along my street) and Boy George. Okay, this last one is up for debate. This most recent sighting was last weekend at the Sir Richard Steele Pub in Steele's Village while casually enjoying a beer and feeding Charlotte dinner. Don't judge, children are allowed at pubs. And we weren't technically IN the pub, we were seated outside in the concrete garden. Back to the story... Upon his entrance, Tim and I (eyes wide open) glanced at each other and stealthily turned away to plan our photo opp. After further review and Tim's paparazzi moment, I concluded that it is NOT a one Sir Boy George. Tim and Charlotte swear it is he, as Google (old reliable Google) confirmed he once lived in walking distance to this pub. And Charlotte couldn't take her eyes off of his striped pants and platform shoes. Can you blame her? You decide.

*Add Tim Burton to the list...ate brunch with him on Sunday. Okay, not "with" him... but he was sitting at the table next to ours.

Bonjour

Now add an "e" in between the "bon" and the "jour" and say it with a Julia Child tone. You are now privy to my exact butchering of the French language. Needless to say, it is only one of two French words in my entire arsenal of french vocabulary. Come to think of it, I think Bonejour is a dog store in Philadelphia. Happy to see I inquired my phenomenal pronunciation from a pet store in Olde City.

This past weekend, we discovered that one can only mask being an American in Paris for so long when the first word you're required to say sounds like it evolved from another planet. However, we only felt very American in Paris until Tim overheard a southerner at the hotel check-in say very loudly and proudly "MERCY, MERCY" to the receptionist. [insert Merci, Merci for those non-french speaking individuals] After that, we considered ourselves seasoned Europeans. I mean, I now call undergarments by their proper name - pants. This coming after a bit of an embarrassing tailoring conversation last week. But that's for another day...

We had a great time in Paris - what a beautiful city filled with rich culture, architecture and the best macarons on the planet. Eating an entire baguette for dinner (not to mention loads of cheese, charcuterie, red wine and grapes) has never been more appealing. Even Charlotte got in on the culinary action with a Croissant. Aside from eating, we saw some of the major attractions the city has to offer - beautiful gardens, The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. A few pics to document Charlotte's first "holiday" are below.

Laduree, mmm macarons

Eiffel Tower 

dinner in our hotel room 

boat tour on the Seine

favorite places

For the last three mornings, while I have been preparing breakfast for Charlotte, she has been scampering away from her toys in the living room (reception room to the English folk) for a much more intriguing and prime location. This is where I have found her on each occasion:

Melts my heart... gushy, gushy

Dear Abby,

My mom keeps trying to feed me [sneak in] various types of food, many of which I try to splatter all over the floor, table and curtains for my friends, the ants, to enjoy. Ever heard of quinoa? If not, keep it that way. My mom says it is super healthy, a great source of protein and the "whole grains" won't bother my tummy. Well, it bothers my taste buds so I hope it disappears from our house as quickly as it appeared in my diet. Oh yeah, and hiding them in homemade applesauce is for rookies... What should I do?

Sincerely,

 Charlotte "I want sugary snacks" Anne

___________________________________

Dear  Charlotte "I want sugary snacks" Anne,

Listen to your mother. End of conversation.

Sincerely,
Abby

Peaches and butter

100% natural and organic. Who would have thought peaches and butter would make such a terrific hair gel? I think she may be on to something here... Any takers?