Happy Birthday Derek!

Can you believe my husband is 26? Awww...he's all grown up!

We celebrated with the Smiths and the Brownlows--balloons, a banner, a pie, and everything! The Smiths gave him some lovely chocolates, the Brownlows got him a cheese board (don't worry, he's more excited about having a block of wood to cut his cheese on than I thought possible), and then Henry and I spoiled him. He got a Pembroke Crest Tie from Henry and a pair of Minion pjs. OK, those were for Henry--but the "Whaaa?!?!" that is on the shirt is something Derek says all the time--and makes me laugh. Then I bout him a Pembroke Crest polo shirt and a book about the history of the Tube.

I made a chocolate cream pie complete with crushed Oreos on top! My favorite bit, was the pair of sparklers in the shape of "26" that I found at Party Mania (seriously, that's the name of the store). I'm so glad we were able to have our friends with us--and Henry loves all 4 of them, so that helps, too!

It's funny, whenever we celebrate a birthday at our house, one or the other of us comments on how "just X amount of years ago we didn't even know the other person existed!" And yet now--life just wouldn't be the same without each other. Derek is my very best friend--the person I want to be with all the time. One thing our time in Europe has shown us (both this time and the summer of 2010) is that we can actually spent an entire week together, without hardly a single moment apart, and be perfectly happy. Someone once commented on how boring that must be, being with the same person all the time. I can't even fathom being bored with Derek.

There's too much to talk about, too much to share, too much to listen to. I'm so glad that I married my best friend.

Happy Birthday, my Darling!

Wish we had a better photo of Aimee and Jonathan! Next time--we will do better. 

Two Museums

We went to a museum in London that I have never visited before. We hopped on the train around 11:00 and made our south on Friday the 24th of January, intent on visiting the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. As per usual, Little Brute decided that sleeping on the train is for babies (and he is not one, he says), so we arrived at Covent Garden just in time for him to get really whiney and for my stomach to start growling.

In love with this photo of my boys on the train, waiting for me to join them. 

We wandered in and out of the shops looking for something hot and quick to eat and finally settled on a Jacket Potato stand. Perfect choice, if I do say so myself. The potatoes were hot and delicious with great toppings. It definitely hit the spot for both Derek and I, while Little Brute contented himself with a crack or two before being strapped into the tummy pack for a nap.

our Jacket Potatoes and me and Little Brute in Covent Garden!

I also LOVE this photo of my Little Brute!

The museum is just inside the boundaries of Covent Garden, in the building that was once the London Flower Market (think the opening scene of My Fair Lady. It's that place!). We paid £27 for all three of us to get in, which made my stomach lurch a bit--paying for a museum in London is very rare for us, so this had better be good.

We were not disappointed.

The museum has one of the most impressive collections of old trains, tube cars, omnibuses, and buses in the world. It lays out the history of transport in London from the 17th century onward, including the first underground system in the world: the London Tube, built in 1863. Little Brute slept through the first half, which gave Derek and I time to read everything we wanted without having to chase our toddling boy around. We learned about how the tube was dug, the transformation from omnibus to the current icon, the red double-decker, and the conditions on trains in the early 20th century. Let's just say I'm awfully glad we don't have steam powered everything anymore, not to mention air conditioning!

Once Little Brute woke up, it was explore, explore, explore! He crawled from bus to bus, helped Daddy drive a Tube train using a nifty simulator, sat in his very own seat on "The Tube," and then settled down for his own lunch of pasta with tomato sauce and courgettes (all blended up, of course). We had a brilliant time--it's a museum I would love to take family to. And, actually, we only paid for Derek and I to enter--anyone 17 and under is free! And, as a bonus, our tickets are good for unlimited entry for the next year.

Exploring with Daddy--these two are great pals!

Seriously--the vintage buses were Little Brute's favorite!

We were feeling rather "museum-y", so we decided to take a bit of walk and go visit the mother of all museums: The British Museum.

I'm not ashamed, but rather surprised, to say that I teared up when we entered the Great Court. I remember taking Derek there for the first time a few summers ago, and how excited I was for him to see the Rosetta Stone, the friezes from the Parthenon of Ancient Greece, the Lewis Chess Set, the head from Easter Island. But walking into the Great Court with my son just--wow. It was a rush of emotions, of all the things Derek and I get to teach him about. All the books we will read, all the stories we will tell him, all the places we will take him. I know he won't remember anything about this trip, which makes me sad.

But it was one of those moments, one of the thousands of moments, I've had in my life where I recognize just how lucky I am. Millions of people go their whole lives wishing to see the things I have seen. I've stood on the steps of St. Paul's, examined the carvings of prisoners in the Tower of London, looked at the original manuscripts of Winnie the Pooh, the Magna Carta, and inspected the hieroglyphics etched onto the Rosetta Stone. And now, here I am, holding my baby and pointing out the Jackals and Falcons carved by the Egyptians thousands of years ago.

My baby took some of his first tentative steps in the British Museum. He crawled to me across the floors of one of the greatest museums in the world. We sat and had a dinner in the Museum Cafe, just a stone's throw from one of the magnificent heads from Easter Island. He threw his sippy cup on the floor, he dropped puffs in one of the galleries.

I recognize that this adventure is something we will never forget. My little boy will have postcards, photographs, and souvenirs from some of the great cities of the world (several from the greatest: London). I'ts just a day trip for us to go and see these things, these magnificent monuments to the brilliance of man, the great potential of God's crowning creation.

Yes, we Brutons go adventuring, as Derek would say. And man--what adventures!

The Great Court with it's iconic ceiling. 

So many amazing things to see! The Parthenon Friezes, Lewis Chess Set, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian Hieroglyphics on a wall...amazing. 

seeing the Rosetta Stone for the first time--and pursing those cute little lips. 

yes, we let our baby crawl all over at the British Museum. 

As a bit of a P.S. on the way home, we walked to Piccadilly Circus to take a few pictures--this was my favorite. LOVE my new camera!!!!!

Exploring King's College

We went for another walk today, back to King's College, just for fun. While we were there, Little Brute got down and explored.

Standing! He's growing up so fast...

Figuring out Spoons

Sometimes I get really frustrated with Mummy when it's time to eat. I  want to do it! So, she's started letting me try it out!

A few days ago, Mummy let me try eating Mac & Cheese all by myself! I know that a lot of it ended up all over my jammies and on the floor, but it was sure a lot of fun!

Mummy said to say this is one of her favorite pictures now. 

How Little Brute Felt About Swinging Today. In 2,000 Words.

Pictures are worth 1,000 words, right? :)

2013 in Review

I know I'm a bit behind on the blogging bit of my life, but Derek and I got this put together this afternoon: our 2013 in 50 photos.

Hope you enjoy it.

Goodbye 2013!

Mummy and Daddy took me on an adventure New Year's Eve: we went to London!

Aimee and Jonathan Smith, our friends from church, came with us. I was really glad, because not only are they lots of fun, but they have a car. So, we drove most of the way and then got on the tube at Gant's Hill. That meant I got to sleep in my car seat on the way there and all the way back!

This is the first time I got to wear pajamas into London! Daddy had me in the tummy pack the whole time, too. I love being in the tummy pack because then I'm up high and I can see everything.

We got off the tube at Holborn, right by the British Museum, then walked down to the River Thames. We found the PERFECT spot on Waterloo Bridge--we could see the London Eye, Canary Wharf, and (most important of all): Big Ben!!

Our View from Waterloo Bridge

We laughed and danced and talked until 9:45---and then I told Daddy it was time for a bottle and sleep! I was so tired--I really wanted to stay up and see the fireworks, but I was just too knackered (as the British would say). We were on Waterloo Bridge...having so much fun....I started to sing...Daddy was so nice and warm....I'm just wanted to close my eyes for a second....



So---Mummy here. Little Brute fell asleep around 10:00 and, unfortunately, missed all the excitement of the fireworks. Daddy and I were so grateful, however, because that meant actually got quite a bit of sleep! Daddy zipped him up in his coat giving him a warm, dark place to sleep. It even muffled the sound. Which was probably a good thing.

All you could see of Little Brute was one foot....awww!

It's long been on my bucket list to spend New Year's Eve with Big Ben in view. When we found out we would be in England for a year, it was one of the first things I mentioned to Daddy---we MUST be in London on December 31st. The Christmas holiday was full of fevers, coughing, chest pain, bad sleep, and more used tissues than I care to mention, so it was looking like my dream might have to be put on hold. Luckily, by the 31st Little Brute was better and I was the only one battling the chest cold. So, we jumped in Aimee and Jonathan's car and headed for London.

When we got out of the tube at Holborn, I was surprised to see very empty streets. Oh, a handful of people were milling about, making their way towards the Thames, just as we were. Little Brute was chowing down on his first bottle of the night, with Daddy cradling his head as we walked (he's become quite the proficient feeder/walker, that Daddy). When we got to the Embankment, the crowds appeared, though nothing like I had anticipated. Waterloo Bridge was right in front of us and we found a nice spot where we could see Big Ben and the Eye.

I looked at my phone: 8:30. Holy wow--we still had 3 1/2 hours before midnight. In an effort to kill some time, we decided to see how close to Westminster Bridge we could get. Not very close. They had been keeping count of how many people were in specific areas (very smart Fire Marshall) and had barricaded the end of the Embankment by the entrance to the bridge. Oh well--our journey through the crowds burned at least an hour and we still made it back in time to find a fantastic viewing spot on Waterloo Bridge.

Pre-sleep for Little Brute. :)

As the time slowly ticked by, I was incredibly grateful to have the Smiths with us. It's so nice to have great conversation to pass the time! We talked, laughed at the drunken Germans trying to start the wave, took pictures,  danced (ok, just Aimee and me), and looked forward to the 12 dongs from Big Ben himself.

At 11:30---it began to rain. Brollys went up and we huddled together. Luckily the "rain" (it was more a bit of a drizzle), quit coming down around 11:50, just in time for us to get really excited about the fireworks!

And then it happened--10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3..2...1...Big Ben's glorious voice echoed down the Embankment and across the Thames to where we were standing, welcoming in the New Year. Red and gold fireworks exploded the from London Eye and within seconds, our senses were overwhelmed with the smell of sulfur, the beauty of the fireworks, and the music of Britain, welcoming in the year 2014. Daddy and I snuck a kiss right at midnight, careful not to squish our sleeping babe.

The fireworks were spectacular, just as I hoped they would be. The Houses of Parliament quickly faded behind of the smoke and ash as hundreds of fuses were lit, sending red, green, blue, purple, and gold explosions into the night sky.

As I was snapping away with my new camera, the people around me suddenly took several steps back. Daddy quickly retreated to the edge of the bridge--yes, a drunken fight had started. Luckily, it was contained and stopped within a minute and we went back to enjoying the fireworks--but with a wary eye on those around us.

Before the show was over, we started making our way back to the tube--best to beat the crowds and the trampling that often takes place in these events. We left at just the right time--the mad dash quickly followed us as we made it through the gates and onto the streets of London. Our adventure wasn't over, however. We enjoyed the embarrassing antics of drunks, particularly a foreign couple who could barely walk. He made his way down the street kissing any girl who would let him, while his partner giggled and fell over as they tried to get on the tube. Luckily, being sober, we made it down the escalator before they could and secured our place on the Central Line, loosing them in the crowd (there's only two people I'd take a kiss from on New Years, and they were both right next to me. I was glad we avoided that awkwardness). All the while--Little Brute slept on. Completely safe and secure in his Daddy's coat. When we got to the car, we checked our pockets--none of us had been pick-pocketed while we were there. Every camera, coin, wallet, and iphone was still in our possession.

As we rode the tube to the car park outside the main bit of the city, I couldn't help but stop and think about what an amazing year 2013 was. We welcomed our sweet little boy into this world, moved a few times, Daddy graduated, we crossed the pond, Disneyland....so many things. We have so much to be grateful for. So much that is wonderful in our lives. And on the last night, one of my dreams came true--to be with the family that I love in the best city in the world, on the biggest night of the year.