Our Christmas Break Trip part 1: Travel, Hotel, Hay-on-Wye, & Hereford

After Boxing Day, Mummy, Daddy, and I rented a car and headed west. We visited parts of Wales and the towns along the border in England. It was a lot of fun!

In England, I'm already old enough to sit in a car seat that faces forward! I liked that a lot. I actually slept pretty well in it, though Mummy kept worrying that I would get a sore neck. She tried to help by snuggling the blanket up under my chin, which helped a little. At first, it was really weird that Daddy was driving on the other side of the car, but Mummy and I got used to it. He did such a good job!

 We got stuck in a lot of traffic on the way to Goodrich. So when we arrived, it was already dark. But that's ok--I was ready to be out of my car seat and play in our hotel! We stayed in "Ye Hostelrie" in Goodrich, just 400 meters from a really old castle! We had a really cool window in our room that Daddy really liked. They had a cot for me (we call it a crib in America) and housekeeping even made it for me every day! I thought that was really nice. There were a few ladies that are Mummy's age who ran the hotel. They made us breakfast every day, made our beds, and got us our dinner every night. I thought one of them, named Emily was really pretty...

We ate in the bar every day while we were there. We had English Breakfast in the morning. Eggs, toast, beans, bacon, tomatoes, and even a big mushroom! My favorite part was the eggs and the orange juice. For dinner every night, Mummy ordered chips to share. I LOVE chips! And I love ketchup, too.

Our first full day on holiday, we went and visited Hay-on-Wye, a town in Wales. Hay-on-Wye is a village on the border of England and Wales. They have the world's largest (and oldest) used bookstore! Of course when Mummy read about it she knew she had to visit. in 1961, a man named Richard Booth started buying books from all over the world an sending them home to his sister. Once they had a lot of books, they opened up their very first shop! Mummy bought a book at his shop--it's an hold book of English Carols.

Mummy and Daddy both really liked Hay-on-Wye. It had lots of windy streets, with a really cool clock tower, grocers, and antiques. Another fun thing, is that lots of the signs have both English and Welsh words!

There are 60 bookshops in Hay-on-Wye! Mummy and Daddy were in heaven! 

Mummy enjoyed taking pictures of me with her new camera. 

I really liked Hay-on-Wye, too! Mummy and Daddy said that maybe one day we should open up our own bookshop there. I could go for that!

After we went to Hay-on-Wye, we traveled to Hereford to see the cathedral. It was all decorated for Christmas still--which I really liked. It's a pretty old cathedral, and they still use the same heating system they used in the 1800s! Huge boilers on the either side of the nave (Daddy said that is the big open room in the cathedral) that get really hot. Mummy and I stood next to one and got warm.

The town of Hereford is really pretty, too. We wandered around the shops, looked at the river, and saw a REALLY old building--from the time of Shakespeare! By then, I was getting really tired and just wanted to go back to the hotel and get some chips for dinner, so we got packed up and headed to Goodrich.

--Little Brute--

Our Christmas Break Trip part 1: Travel, Hotel, Hay-on-Wye, & Hereford

After Boxing Day, Mummy, Daddy, and I rented a car and headed west. We visited parts of Wales and the towns along the border in England. It was a lot of fun!

In England, I'm already old enough to sit in a car seat that faces forward! I liked that a lot. I actually slept pretty well in it, though Mummy kept worrying that I would get a sore neck. She tried to help by snuggling the blanket up under my chin, which helped a little. At first, it was really weird that Daddy was driving on the other side of the car, but Mummy and I got used to it. He did such a good job!

 We got stuck in a lot of traffic on the way to Goodrich. So when we arrived, it was already dark. But that's ok--I was ready to be out of my car seat and play in our hotel! We stayed in "Ye Hostelrie" in Goodrich, just 400 meters from a really old castle! We had a really cool window in our room that Daddy really liked. They had a cot for me (we call it a crib in America) and housekeeping even made it for me every day! I thought that was really nice. There were a few ladies that are Mummy's age who ran the hotel. They made us breakfast every day, made our beds, and got us our dinner every night. I thought one of them, named Emily was really pretty...

We ate in the bar every day while we were there. We had English Breakfast in the morning. Eggs, toast, beans, bacon, tomatoes, and even a big mushroom! My favorite part was the eggs and the orange juice. For dinner every night, Mummy ordered chips to share. I LOVE chips! And I love ketchup, too.

Our first full day on holiday, we went and visited Hay-on-Wye, a town in Wales. Hay-on-Wye is a village on the border of England and Wales. They have the world's largest (and oldest) used bookstore! Of course when Mummy read about it she knew she had to visit. in 1961, a man named Richard Booth started buying books from all over the world an sending them home to his sister. Once they had a lot of books, they opened up their very first shop! Mummy bought a book at his shop--it's an hold book of English Carols.

Mummy and Daddy both really liked Hay-on-Wye. It had lots of windy streets, with a really cool clock tower, grocers, and antiques. Another fun thing, is that lots of the signs have both English and Welsh words!

There are 60 bookshops in Hay-on-Wye! Mummy and Daddy were in heaven! 

Mummy enjoyed taking pictures of me with her new camera. 

I really liked Hay-on-Wye, too! Mummy and Daddy said that maybe one day we should open up our own bookshop there. I could go for that!

After we went to Hay-on-Wye, we traveled to Hereford to see the cathedral. It was all decorated for Christmas still--which I really liked. It's a pretty old cathedral, and they still use the same heating system they used in the 1800s! Huge boilers on the either side of the nave (Daddy said that is the big open room in the cathedral) that get really hot. Mummy and I stood next to one and got warm.

The town of Hereford is really pretty, too. We wandered around the shops, looked at the river, and saw a REALLY old building--from the time of Shakespeare! By then, I was getting really tired and just wanted to go back to the hotel and get some chips for dinner, so we got packed up and headed to Goodrich.

Happy Christmas!

I was going to let Little Brute tell you all about Christmas, but he has graciously allowed me to do the honors this year. Don't worry, he'll have his own little post about his first Christmas, but I thought I'd give you the overview here on the family blog.

Christmas Eve was less than ideal, as poor Henry was SO sick. After a terrible night's sleep, he woke up around 8:30 and was happy about 10 minutes before he cried, cried, and cried some more. Derek and I tried everything we could think of--playing, walking, drinks, food, bottle---you name it. Poor little guy spent almost 3 hours screaming and crying. Finally, around noon, he laid down on the couch, put his face right into our fuzzy blanket, and fell asleep. For the next few hours he would wake up and cry a little, I'd lay him back down and snuggle him in the blankie, and then he went back to sleep. By the evening, after a few hours sleep, he was a much happier boy.

Happy enough, in fact, to take some great pictures in our Christmas jammies! I was pretty pleased with how our jammies turned out--thank goodness our friend Megan brought her sewing machine, or my favorite Christmas tradition would have been skipped this year!

The flannel for our pyjamas (notice the British spelling there...) came from a duvet cover I bought at Primark. Flannel here is so expensive! I was really glad to find an alternative. Didn't they turn out adorable? Henry even had footies!

Henry is reading the book Nana and Papa sent him--he loves to read!

After our little photoshoot, poor Little Brute was completely worn out again. Luckily, we got him to drink a bottle (he'd been refusing everything most of the day) and then he went down a bit early. Derek and I turned in early too--I was coming down with whatever Henry had, and taking care of a fussy, sick baby all day is exhausting.

Christmas day we woke up much later than I generally deem acceptable on Christmas morning, but Henry needed the sleep and so did we. Around 9:00 we heard him stirring, so we got up and went downstairs. Santa had visited! Henry got two new books from Santa: a touch and feel book about wild animals, and "Dinosaur Roar!" (which is fast becoming one of our favorites). Henry wasn't quite ready for presents yet, so he had a nice warm bottle and Daddy and I enjoyed the light of the Christmas tree. Once Henry had finished his milk (and taken another little nap!), he was a much happier camper and around 10:30 we dove into Christmas!

Of course, we began with our stockings.  We started a new tradition this year with stockings--cans of root beer!! Santa splurged on us this year...I know that root beer is quite expensive!

Henry also got some bath crayons, a little stuffed owl, and some socks in his stocking. Derek and I both got a pair of Union Jack socks (so cool!), I got some Reeses, and Derek got a Cars 2 washcloth! Stockings were minimal this year, but still lots of fun.

Then, we dove in to our presents! Henry got to open his first--the present I have been waiting for over a month for him to open! His teddy bear! We actually let him help pick it out at Hamley's (shhh!!), so I knew he was going to love it. He's a gorgeous little bear that we named "Duxford" after the Air Force Base nearby (the American 8th Air Force was stationed there in WWII--pretty awesome). I think he and Henry will be great friends.

Derek and I both got some beautiful gifts from each other. I bought him a vintage advert of the Cambridge vs. Oxford Boat Race, we exchanged books (as always), and he bought me a beautiful scarf. Henry bought his Daddy a pair of books about hedgehog (a series we have been collecting since before Henry was born) and he bought me a beautiful necklace I've been eyeing at Sainsbury's since we got here.

We promised Nana and Papa we would wait to open presents until we could Skype with them, so I thought we were all done when Derek said "Mommy's not done with her stocking." Yep, lo and behold, tucked under the cuff was a little piece of paper. I was on a scavenger hunt! All around the house I followed the clues, and finally discovered two boxes to open. I honestly had NO idea what was in them!

I have to tell you, I haven't been that excited about a Christmas gift in a long time. When I opened it up and saw what was inside, then I was REALLY excited!

The SLR camera I had been wanting for AGES! I couldn't believe he had bought it for me (as you can see by my face when I opened it). It's something I've been looking into for years, seriously, and I didn't think I'd have one for a few more years. Sneaky Derek!!

We've already taken hundreds of pictures with it and, man, it takes gorgeous photos! I love it.

After that surprise, I was sure it was going to be a great Christmas. We Skyped with both sides of the family, opened Nana and Papa's presents (don't worry--I'm super excited about the matching bow-ties Nana made Henry and Derek! Expect some pictures of them soon!!), and lazed about for the rest of the day. Henry was still not feeling well, and Christmas Day was one of the worst days for me sickness wise.

The beautiful dinner I had planned didn't quite pan out, and we didn't even have our lovely chocolate torte until the next day. Our non-alcoholic Christmas pudding that Peter found for us is still in the cupboard a week later (we just didn't feel up to it and have forgotten about it...we must do it soon though! Perhaps on the Orthodox Christmas....)Before bed, we did do our Christmas crackers, which was nice. Henry did NOT like wearing the little hat it came with, though.

But even with us being sick and missing our families, we had a lovely Christmas. We went for a walk just after the sun went down at 5pm and took some pictures (yay for an awesome camera!) and talked about how extremely blessed we are. We have a beautiful little boy that we adore. We're on an incredible adventure that millions of people only dream about, we have families that love and support us, and, most importantly, we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for all of those things and more--Christmas was just another reminder of the wonderful lives we have--I can't wait till Christmas next year!

Happy Christmas!

Just in case you didn't get a Christmas card from us (we only got a few this year!)

Christmas in London

We went to London again this week (on the 18th)! Mummy really wanted to see the Christmas trees and go to a Christmas Market, so Daddy said we could go back--just three days after we went last time!

This time, the first place we went was Trafalgar Square, to the National Gallery. I was so tired after the train ride, so I decided a bottle and a nap in my stroller was a good idea while Mummy and Daddy wandered around the museum. I did wake up just in time to go outside, though! I got to see the tree that the people of Olso, Norway gave to London as a Christmas present (Daddy read a sign that says they have been giving a Christmas tree to London since 1947. It's a thank you for helping them in World War II) and then Daddy introduced me to the Lions! They were so big. They sit at the bottom of pillar where Admiral Lord Nelson stands.

After we grabbed some hot chocolate from Pret-A-Manger, we walked down the Mall (say the "A" like "Apple". It's not a place to go shopping, Mummy says) and saw Buckingham Palace. That's where the Queen lives! She had a pretty Christmas tree in the front of her house, too.

By then, it was getting dark but it wasn't even 4:30pm yet! So we went down to see the London Eye and go to the Christmas Market that they set up right next to it. On the way, we stopped to see Big Ben (Mummy's favorite) and look at the Christmas tree Parliament put up there.

The market was so fun! We bought some roasted chestnuts because Mummy has always wanted to try them. She and I both decided they are gross! So, we made up for it by getting some roasted Almonds (they had a sugar coating all over them that Mummy let me suck on! I don't have enough teeth to chew it, though). We walked around and looked at all the beautiful things for sale. Mummy's favorite was a stand that had a bunch of wreaths made out of oranges, limes, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. It smelled really good!

My favorite part was looking at the lights on the London Eye. There were some really pretty trees covered in blue lights right at the bottom of it, too. But it was getting cold and I was tired again. So, just as it began raining, Mummy and Daddy took us down into the tube to head home.

Can you see me and Mummy?

We had another really great day in London. I can see why Mummy says it is the greatest city in the world. But man--all that adventuring is exhausting!

Daddy's Party

Last night we went to a party!! All of the people in Daddy's program got together to have a party. There was food, music, lots of people, and...lots of drinks. At first I was really nervous and wouldn't let Mummy or Daddy put me down. But eventually, I realized that all the people there really liked me--that's why they got right up close and said "AWWW!!!"--Mummy said that is actually a compliment.

There were so many drinks at the party. Everyone kept offering me drinks, but Mummy said "No thank you" to lots of them. That was ok, because Daddy went and got me some Sprite! I love Sprite!***

I wore my Santa hat and while we were there, somebody put a Santa hat on Daddy! We were twins!

We stayed long enough to get Christmas Crackers (which are cool, but really loud) and exchange our White Elephant gift. A month ago, Daddy sent in 2 sentences about our family without giving away his name. Then, we got a note about our person and had to get something for them. When we opened our present, I was so excited--whoever had our name got me the perfect gift: a stocking!!

Overall, it was a very fun party. But I was definitely ready to go home and go to bed--I'm glad we didn't stay as long as everybody else!

***Mummy's Note: Yes, people actually did try and give our baby wine! Red wine and white wine. They didn't seem to believe me when I said no thanks. One girl even got the cup all the way up to his lips before I could stop her, good thing that was during Little Brute's "not so sure" time and he turned his head away. Seriously!

When Walking Through Cheapside...

Mummy says that if you're walking down Cheapside, you must stop at St. Paul's. I think she's right!

This is us just before we got on the train, and then me and Mummy on the train in our Christmas jumpers!

Yesterday, we took the train down to London again. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral, which was really cool. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the main part of the cathedral, cause Mummy and Daddy had been there before. But we did climb up to the top of the dome!

To get up to the Whispering Gallery, you have to climb 257 steps. Whew--that was a lot of steps! Luckily, Daddy carried me in the tummy pack, so it wasn't any work for me! The Whispering Gallery is really cool. They call it a Whispering Gallery because you can hear someone whispering from the opposite side the dome, no matter how big it is! In St. Paul's, the Whispering Gallery is huge and decorated with beautiful gold mosaics. I wish we could have taken pictures inside.

After the Whispering Gallery, we climbed up 119 more steps to the Stone Gallery. This is outside of the building, right at the base of the dome. I loved that part! The wind was blowing my hair all over the place, and we could see all of London from up there! It was also fun to look up at the dome. Did you know, that when Sir Christopher Wren first presented his idea of the design for St. Paul's in 1673 they told him he couldn't do a dome? So, he built things around the middle of the building while men were working on it, and built it in secret! Then when they were all done, there was nothing they could do!

Here we are on the Stone Gallery. Whew so windy, but so much fun! Can you spot the London Eye?

Mummy says a lot of people won't believe that, so I need to tell you where I learned that (she says that's called "citing your sources"). It's from a letter that Christopher Wren's son wrote. I think that is really cool, though.

Anyway, after the stone gallery, we climbed 152 more steps to the Golden Gallery, which is at the very top of the dome! I was amazed at everything we could see from there. We saw the London Eye, The Globe Theatre, the Houses of Parliament, the Gherkin, The Shard---lots of things! London is really a HUGE city.

On the Golden Gallery at the top. Do you see the London Eye again?

After we went to the tip top of St. Paul's (528 steps in all!), we went down to the very bottom: the crypt. They bury people in the crypt! I thought it was going to be creepy, but it wasn't--it was actually very beautiful. There are some very famous people buried in St. Paul's Crypt. Their graves in St. Paul's are really big and fancy. There were two that Mummy and Daddy told me about:

1. Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson
2. The Duke of Wellington

Do you know how they are? Well, Lord Nelson was the man that beat the French and Spanish Navies at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He was injured in the battle, but kept on fighting--until he died in the middle of the battle. Mummy said that he is a great hero in England. Mostly, I think he's cool because he only had one arm and he was still fighting!

The Duke of Wellington is also a special guy--he defeated Napoleon! He is another important British Hero, that Mummy says I better not ever forget (I won't!). ***

After the Crypt, we bought some souvenirs, then headed out the door to the Museum of London!

The Lamp in the Victorian town. 

The Museum of London is seriously just down the street from St. Paul's. It is seriously an amazing museum! It tells you all about the history of London, the city, from before humans lived there, until today. I asked Mummy and Daddy what their favorite parts were:

1. Daddy: His favorite part was seeing a Roman Eagle that was recently discovered in London, in September actually! A lot of people say it is one of the best pieces of Roman art ever found--it's in almost perfect condition. (I wish we had a picture of it, but you can see it and read about it in the article I posted on here)

2. Mummy: Her favorite part was walking through the Victorian Street. The Museum set up a part to look just like a city would during Victorian Times! They had all different kinds of shops, a pump for water (that told you all about the gross things that were in it! EW!), and they also had a real lamp from that time. It was really cool.

3. Me: My favorite part was definitely the model of London's streets. They had a bus, a taxi, and a horse drawn carriage that you could drive along, and underneath they had a tube! It was so cool. I played with it for quite a while before Mummy and Daddy said it was time to go. Oh! And I also really enjoyed listening to the stories of people who lived in London during the Blitz, when the Nazis were bombing it. They had a big room where you could go and sit and watch a video, see pictures, and listen to the people tell what it was like.

By the way--another funny thing they had in the Victorian City part (Mummy's favorite part) was a urinal from the Victorian Times. Daddy explained what a urinal is to me.....huh.

So the Museum of London is definitely on our list of "best places in London." A lot of people don't go there, because it's not very well known outside of London. I Loved it!!

Anyway, after that, we went over to Harrods to see the lights and their Christmas windows. It was so crowded! We didn't stay very long before Mummy and Daddy decided we should go home. Which was good, because I was exhausted!!

Harrods all lit up for Christmas

Here we are on the Tube on our way home. 

***Mummy's note: We didn't get many pictures of us outside of St. Paul's, because it was getting dark by the time we left the Cathedral (it's pitch black outside by 4:30 p.m now) and we wanted to get to the Museum. Daddy promised me that we would go back and get photos outside of the Cathedral another time---we better!!!