Welcome to London!

Sunday evening we arrived in LONDON!  The apartment we had rented was triple booked, but the owner made up for it by putting us up in a hotel a block away from King's Cross Station. 

Here are Chris, Camden, and Emma on our first exploration of the neighborhood.

 The famous St. Pancras Station (remember this from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?)

Speaking of Harry Potter...

Emma and I tried catching the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station.

So many choices for dinner!

Camden and Emma vote for sushi :)

A Sunday Afternoon In Cambridge

Cambridge was calling on Sunday!  We had a traditional Sunday Roast at The Alexandra Arms. Here are Olive, Emma, and Camden waiting patiently for it to open.

On our stroll back to the main part of town we saw this very festive home still decorated for the Queen's Jubilee.

 Olive and Emma running in Parkers Piece

 Taking in all the amazing buildings in the heart of Cambridge

 You can take a punt ride down the river.

 A parade of 3.

 An afternoon cricket match.

Strawberry Picking and Oxford

On Saturday morning we headed to Oxford.  On the way we stopped by a strawberry patch and picked some of the best strawberries I've EVER eaten!

 We stopped for a picnic lunch break and our #1 duck fan followed this mama and her ducklings.

 We enjoyed an afternoon wandering around Oxford.  It was an honor to walk the same streets as literary icons Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Dr. Seuss.

 A special shop dedicated to Alice in Wonderland

 An afternoon tea and cake break

 We toured the beautiful campus of Trinity College

 A family race in the courtyard

 The famous Bridge of Sighs

 We were on a mission to find a great tradition pub for a pint and fish & chips for dinner.  The Chequers was just the place! The fireplace and some of the carved stonework has been there since the 1500s. 

 YUM!

 Two tired kiddos...

Charmed by Cheveley

Our trip to England began with a few days in the village of Cheveley with our friends, Josh, Alicia, and Olive Boisvert. Cheveley is exactly what I imagined an English village would look like. 

We learned that in order to be a "proper village" you must have a school, a post office, and a pub. Cheveley's pub, Red Lion, is just around the corner from the Boisvert's home.

 Cheveley is right next to Newmarket, the thoroughbred horse racing center of England. On Friday morning we watched hundreds of trainers running their horses just outside of town.

 Our next stop was Bury St. Edmunds. We stepped out of the rain for a little Starbucks break (the kids were so funny pointing out all the Starbucks in England).

 We wandered around the grounds of the abbey

Bury St. Edmunds is also home to the famous (and delicious) Greene King beer

Happy Father's Day!

Today we celebrated the world's greatest dad!  

The kids got Chris some Iowa Hawkeye gear...

 Emma wrote a book, "My Dad is My Hero," and read it to him...

 We love you, Daddy!

 Enjoying a delicious steak and shrimp lunch by the pool.

Miles, our Camp Adventure project coordinator, joined us for the fun.

 This guy deserves a afternoon of relaxation! :)

So Long First Grade!

Here is a picture of our favorite girl on the first day of first grade and the last day of first grade.

She's gained some height and lost some teeth.

Most of all she has learned so much this year!  

Way to go, Emma!