Twins' Birthday

We had a birthday party for Aaron and Linnea on the 4th of July while Kristine and the kids were still here. We had the party on the backyard. Our English friends thought we were crazy to plan an outdoor party in July, but we got lucky- it was warm and sunny. There were about 15 children- mainly friends from pre-school and neighbors. We played games like pin the tail on the donkey (which we modified to pin the English flag on London) and pass the parcel, did a little limbo and some dancing and had lunch. Linnea and Aaron had a great time and are ever so excited to finally be FOUR!!!

Kristine and kids visit- Isle of Wight

Meade's sister, Kristine, and her kids, Kyle (8) and Jessica (10) were our next visitors. They were here for
2 and a half weeks right after Meade got out of school. We spent the first week on the Isle of Wight, a small island just a few miles off the southern coast of England. As there were 7 of us, and our small sedan would not fit everyone, we decided to rely on public transportation to get there and back and also to get around the island. While overall this went well, it involved four forms of transportation to get there (taxi, two trains, ferry, and bus), frequent two-hour one-way bus journeys to travel part-way across a 20 mile-long island, and a bit of hitch-hiking to get to our cottage from the bus stop with all our luggage after Aaron skinned his knees while dodging traffic on a very narrow country road.

We rented a cottage in a holiday park that had an indoor and outdoor pool, large indoor soft-play area, activities for kids, and lots of other great things for kids and families. Highlights included the warmest week of the summer (yes, it even exceeded 80 once), visiting the beautiful beaches, walking several kilometers along a sheep-grazed meadow to a spectacular rock promontory called “the Needles,” and exploring a bit of history by visiting the Osborne House (queen Victoria’s summer retreat that houses her largest collection of art and furnishings) and Carlisle Castle (a quintessential castle atop a hill complete with a moat and drawbridge). We spent the remainder of the time seeing local sights and Laurie and Kristine got away to Paris for two days while I (Meade writing for once) assured myself of never wanting to be a single father with four kids. It was great for the cousins to be back together again – it was like they had never been apart.

Mom's visit

In early June, my mom (Diana) visited us for about ten days. She had just completed her masters in social work at Long Beach State University. Hooray for mom!!!!!

She was here for my birthday, which was really nice. We had a party at our house, at which Meade cooked a sit down lasagna dinner for sixteen people. It was the first time he had ever made lasagna and of course it was delicious. See photos above.

Mom was also here during the Royal Ascot, which is a week of horse races in honor of the Queen, which the Queen attends. Each day, she travels via car through Great Windsor Park from Windsor castle to a certain point in the park, where she (and her entourage) switch into horse-drawn carriages to travel the remainder of the way to the racecourse in Ascot. So, we (along with lots of others) picnicked in the park, staking out our spot while awaiting her arrival. She passed by us in her open-top carriage and waved at Linnea and Aaron, then turned her head just as I snapped this photo. It was quite exciting for the kids, especially Aaron, who had been dying to see the Queen. His only complaint was “that was not a very fancy dress.”

Also in Great Windsor Park, which is about a mile and a half from our house, we watched the final match of the Queen’s Cup polo tournament, which the Queen also attended. (She really gets around for an 84 year old!) The posh people were out in force, with their top hats, feathered hats, carriages and picnics with crystal and champagne. Yes, we had walked there with shorts and tees, but it was ok, they did not seem to mind.

Mom and I spent a day and evening in London together, which was wonderful. We visited Westminister Abbey, and saw Wicked, which was fantastic. We also drove out to Hampshire to visit Jane Austen’s house, which is set in a beautiful garden in the small village of Chawton. She is my mom’s favorite author, so it was very special for her. You would not believe the table that she used to write all her novels. It is a small round table about the size of a large pizza, on which she somehow crafted her genius works with a dip pen and a little bowl of ink, incredible.

Lindy's visit!

At the end of May, my friend Lindy and her family (Scott and Ariella), who live in Seattle, visited us for several days on their way to Israel. Ariella is the same age as Linnea and Aaron and they have been friends since birth. They played as if they had just seen each other last week, and played and played. We spent one day in London, where we did the “princess tour,” visiting Buckingham Palace and the Town of London. We also visited Windsor Castle, went on some walks, and just hung out. It was fantastic to see them.

Some spring photos

Here are some photos from the spring. (I am a bit behind on the blog!). Photos from top down are: first three- Aaron, Linnea and Meade on a hike/walk in Guildford followed by Aaron and Linnea at the "punch bowl" in Savill garden, Linnea on a pony ride at one of many fairs we visited, and Aaron and Linnea gardening in our greenhouse.

Devon

In mid-May, we spent a weekend in a little cabin in a tiny coastal town near Bideford, which is in the county of Devon. We were crazy lucky with the weather and it was sunny and in the high 70s. Highlights of the trip included the best fish and chips Meade or I has ever tasted (doused with loads of vinegar) and a visit to the clifftop village of Clovelly. The village has been entirely preserved as it was in the mid 19th century, inclusive of cobblestone streets, thatched roofs, and no cars. They use sleds (previously pulled by donkeys and now by children- according to some local kids) to carry goods up the narrow, steep roads. The whole village is owned by a single family, and has only been owned by three families since the time of the Normans. We also had a beach experience unlike any possible (lucky for us) in the U.S. I suppose that because England is a crowded place with lots of people and not much coastline, the beaches are packed with people and it is not a quiet, relaxing place. On the contrary, right on the sand there were multiple vendors with generators going and....a bouncy house! (But of course). The English and their ice cream and their bouncy houses- what is the deal? Linnea and Aaron loved it all.

San Diego

In early April, I went to Carlsbad, CA (solo) to visit my sister and her family and help out with their new baby, Connor. He is a happy and easy going baby, but still of course requires lots of time and energy (I had forgotten how much). Their older son, Colin, who is 3 and a half, is very sweet with the new baby. I got to see my brother, Jimmy, who came down from Monterey, which was quite a treat, as I have not seen him for a while. One sunny day, Sara, my mom and I went out for a champagne brunch in celebration of my my finishing her master's thesis. She is now almost finished with her MSW program, and will graduate (with honors!) at the end of May.

It was sunny and warm. I ran on the beach a few times, went to Trader Joe's twice, and I think I had Mexican food 4 times, and oh man, it was so good! What is up the English and their food? How hard is it to cook good food?