London House

I guess I haven't really said much about our new house - it's quite lovely - the people renting it to us are just so nice. Relocating is an experience but relocating to another country is so "foreign" (sorry for the pun). The kids told me I didn't have a picture of the front of the house. I suppose they are right - I completely forgot, but I have video of it.

The kids have been picking out the rooms they want based on the floor plan I brought home and the pictures. It's very cute. It's been super busy around here though.




I've been selling things on Craigslist - it's been kind of fun. I've already made $200 on selling stuff I just don't need to store. Friends of mine that have been expatriates before gave some sound advice - get rid of what you don't love because you won't care about it when you get back - so I've been doing my best at tossing things out, giving things away, selling things, and figuring out what I'm going to bring. Moving is so stressful, but I think what compounds it for me is that I cannot actually "pack" anything. The movers do it all - so I have PILES....

It's coming and we're doing our best to meet the due date, although the company hasn't exactly told me when we are leaving yet!!!

SPT - Ice Cream

So funny that today's SPT is ICE CREAM!!! Just 1/2 hour ago I was thinking "I'm craving Ice Cream!" and I so do not have any in my freezer! We've been doing a good job of purging in our house getting ready for the move. It's amazing how much food you can store in your house. With the baby I've been craving Jamba Juice, slushes, & ICE CREAM!!

In our town we have a Drive-thru-Dairy - you can get bread & milk but you can also get the best soft serve cones!!!!



I have always loved ice cream - gelato especially - but I can be picky of what kind I like - not too fruity unless it is a sorbet - I love mint, coffees, sundays, girl scout specials...... yummmm - it's not helping my craving talking about the ice cream! Big Stick popcicles are yummy too!

Good News & More Good News

Yes, it's official - we get to balance out the hormones a little in our household. We are no Brady Bunch, but we get to buy pink again after sooooooooo many years. All the kids are completely excited!

But the other half of the good news is that this new baby will be born in the UK - so my trip a couple weeks ago wasn't exactly vacation - it was a house hunting trip!


We are going to go over to London for 2 years for Mike's work. We were able to get all 4 kids into an International School over there. We're really excited and it's going to be an amazing experience - the kids are really supportive. They are feeling everything, excitement, fear, curiosity, bewilderment - all the things I'm feeling. But we'll have a great place for friends to come visit us!

SPT - Grass

It has been a while since I've done an SPT, just can't seem to get to them soon enough lately - but we've had a busy 3 months around here. But I got up early so I'm still a day late but I'll give it a shot!

Grass - I have such a love-hate relationship with it - I love to look at it, love that we live in California so it is always green (except when we burn it, or forget to water it) and it's fun to watch the kids play in it.... However when I was a girl I slaved using the PUSH mower at my parents house, kicked up rocks with the Edger - but worst of all - I'm allergic to it!

But I love that our kids can have their friends over and play in the backyard!

Or we can have birthday parties with car races!

I just make sure I take my Zrytec ahead of time!!

Back home from across the Pond

But I have a terrible cold and I just don't feel well. I didn't sleep for 4 days - mostly because of travel and jetlag - so here I am. I don't remember ever being pregnant and sick at the same time. I don't remember having a cough for sure - takes a lot of concentration to cough - good thing I practiced my kiegels! but still - if you know what I mean!

Hope all is well - I plan on taking it easy this week, purging the house and catching up on some blogs - but I do go for my big ultrasound tomorrow! I'm kinda excited - I've only planned to find out once before... I like surprises...

Coming Home

Tonight we had dinner at a really nice restaurant with other executives from Mike's work. It was very nice - and very European! There was a variety of people there from all over Europe and a few from California.

I'm excited to be coming home tomorrow though - it's been a long week. I haven't seen the kids much this summer yet - they got out of school, then after a week we went to Hawaii without them, then came home for a week and then came out here to London for 10 days....

I'm ready for my own shower & bed! I'm tired of taxi cabs, artificial air, hotel rooms, electrical adapters, restaurants, continental breakfasts, the BBC, the same clothes over and over, smelly people... however the weather has been exceptional which isn't normal necessarily for here.

It will be nice to be home, even if it is supposed to be hot!

Mamma Mia! & Hyde Park

Well one good thing about being in London is Mamma Mia already came out here!!! We took advantage of not having kids and saw a movie here - it was so so so funny - poor Pierce Brosnon cannot sing so just expect it. I saw the musical twice so there was no thought of missing this show plus I've of course got my Colin Firth fix - by the way - we're here on business for Mike - and one of the guys he works with is COLIN FIRTH'S NEIGHBOR! Hellllooooo - so they invited us to come over any time - I was like - can I move in??? But Saturday we went to London and didn't go to their house and then saw the movie - on Sunday Mike got an email from the guy - he said, 'oh by the way tell Holly we literally ran into Colin on today on our way home'....... why weren't we there??!!! Although he is starting to get into the older gentleman category for me I still think of him as Mr. Darcy....

One of our other friends out here said she lives by Hugh Grant and sees him once in a while - he too is starting to show signs of age, but he is still very pleasant to look at!

This is Hyde Park - I was playing around with the camera again... we took a really long walk and went through the park - it is huge and ended up on Bonde Street aka Rodeo Drive of London.

I just loved the architecture of this street off Bonde Street

No introduction necessary I'm sure - we were actually in a taxi zooming by getting car sick by the way they all drive out here.

Their famous ferris wheel in the city - you are supposed to see everything from this - we'll have to try it one day.

London Calling

And we're off!!!! Mike & I are now in London having a great time - it is much cooler weather than at home. The first time I was in London we went to Hawaii the week before so it's kind of ironic we're here again just one week after again. The second time I was in London I was pregnant with Tyler - and here I am preggo with another child... so many coincidences!

We're going into town tomorrow so we'll take some touristy pictures then! Cheers!

Home Sweet Home

Hawaii was so nice - but it is nice to be back home. Tyler had a job of dog sitting this week. His name is Shadow and he is a Coton De Tulare, such a cute dog - and always happy and doesn't really bark. He was adorable - we watched the kids in the backyard running around with him and thought that just maybe we would consider getting one.... but not quite yet.....




Chandler also was chosen to be on the All-Star Baseball Team - it is a very good team this year and very fun for the kids to play with friends from other teams. On Saturday it was crazy though, his first game was at 8am, so he had to be there at 7am, and the next one was at 1, but started late. And it was HOT HOT HOT. The day before on the 4th of July we had gone to my cousins fundraising event I mentioned last year - and then we went to the county fair. It was a little nostalgic for me - last year we went to the fair and I rode all the rides with the kids, then 2 days later I had my big bike accident.... this year I again couldn't ride the rides with them for an altogether different reason.......




This is basically why I couldn't ride the rides nor can we get a dog......
























Yes, this is me - "SURPRISE!!!" It sure was for me anyway - of course I thought I was done - we had just potty trained Lucas - I gave away the crib (to Linda) all of my clothes, and last of all the high chair - when I had a little surprise. So I am 19 weeks already - not the kind of news I thought I'd be sharing but here it is - the kids are all routing for a girl - I'll find out in 2 weeks so we shall see!

Days in Paradise

Here with Grandpa John and a friend

At sunset looking out our balcony - the sun was gorgeous, but can't see it with the flash :(

Dinner at "Soup Nuts" a hole in the wall place but it had the BEST BLT I've had in ages! You can't tell in this picture but my tan is coming along quite well!!! But all great and good things must come to an end - we leave tomorrow - which is a good thing, I've been waking up at 5 or 6 AM and can't sleep any more, plus we miss the kiddies :) A sign that it's time to go home!