Apparently I went to London...

Over the past two years my oh-so-insightful husband has repeatedly told me to update my passport - just in case I had a last minute chance to travel with him. I honestly had every intention of doing as he requested, but..................there were so many other things of immediate import which had to be done that my passport has lain dormant in the file drawer.

FORTUNATELY, A few weeks ago the Hub called me on a Monday morning and asked if I would like to go to London with him. Of course, the answer was an unequivocal 'YES'.

UNFORTUNATELY he was leaving on Wednesday and I would need to depart on Sunday - BUT MY PASSPORT WAS EXPIRED!!!

FORTUNATELY as a man 'in the know', my hub was able to figure out how I could get my passport updated overnight, which is not possible in many locations but luckily residents in the vicinity of Washington D.C. have this capability. And so, within 24 hours I was able to get a passport and a babysitter (thank you Courtney) who was recently home from BYU.

UNFORTUNATELY, 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave for the airport, Mr. Z tripped on his way up the stairs. I really wanted to ignore the gushing blood and fatty tissue that I could clearly see exposed in the gash in his chin but clearly, I was going to take a trip to the E.R., before any other trips were possible.

FORTUNATELY the E.R. was not too busy and they had me in and out in eighteen minutes, a Loudoun County record.

I admit, I left my stitched up little boy with the babysitter and tried to make my flight but UNFORTUNATELY that eighteen minutes, plus the twenty on each end to drive to the hospital were ten minutes too many. Or so I was told by United Airlines.

(I was at the airport a good 50 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart but apparently you need a least one hour before international flights).

FORTUNATELY I was able to schedule my departure for two days later (and extend my trip by two days) and was still able to join the Hub in London!

What an awesome Hubby I have! We had such a great time. He felt bad that I had to spend so much time alone but I kept reassuring him that for full-time-at-home Mom being alone in England is a magical and wondrous thing!

And did I mention that though Mr. Z was very glad to have me unexpectedly home, when the other kids realized that I missed my flight Miss A said "Oh, rats! I was excited to hang out with Courtney", and Mr. N said "What! You are here? That stinks!"

I silently agreed.

The fateful split chin.

I highly recommend buying the 24 hour bus tour. You can hop on and off the bus
through out the city at the different attractions over a 24 hour period.
I went with the Big Bus Company, if I ever go back I will go with
The Original Sightseeing Tour - they have a LOT more buses in operation.

The Hub had to work whilst there, but he grabbed a few moments whenever possible
as seen with me in front of the Clock Tower. Contrary to popular understanding,
the bells within the tower are called Big Ben, not the tower itself.
And 'yes', this is what an International Man of Mystery wears whilst working.

Here we see the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. Just before I took this picture
I was asked out by a French Man who did not care that I was married (which I had to keep telling him). Had I been unmarried perhaps this tale would have a different ending.
Or had I been attracted to a 50-something short man who worked for the Big Bus Company.

I loved seeing all the red phone booths but did not love it when
I had to use one as they are frequently utilized as urinals.

Guards in front of Buckingham Palace. The last time I was in London we were able to
walk up to the guards and get pictures with them.
It would seem that the 9-11 terrorists continue to effect life here and overseas.

Picadilly Circus

The White Cliff of Dover - where US and Allied forces set sail on D-Day.

Canterbury Cathedral

Tower of London

The Tower Bridge

Leeds Castle

Westminster Abbey

The Flower Garden at Hyde ParkThe Dining Hall at Christ Church, Oxford - to Harry Potter fans this might look familiar...

The 'Harry Potter Stairs' at Christ Church

The Cottswolds - a picturesque 'suburb' of London where we had lunch.

Shakespeare's House at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Warwick Castle

Apparently I went to NYC...

My Mom and I took the kids to NYC for three days. We had SO much fun!


The boys's loved that it was Fleet Week.

When we walked into Dylan's Candy Bar (a three story candy store) the kids shifted from 'I am so tired and can not walk another step' to a pre-consumptive sugar high. We literally had to run to find the restroom as two of the three were in such an excited state that I was sure that at least one of them was going to wet their pants.

We formed many memories on this surry ride.......squishing 5 people into a mode of transport that was likely made for a maximum of three.......watching our 'driver' haul all of us uphill as we headed for the entrance to central park......the kids popsicles rapidly melting and dripping onto my shoes, pants and arms.....learning (from an angry NYC resident) that it was illegal to bring a surry into the park.....

The kids were troopers, we hauled them to The Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, through Central Park, to the World Trade Center Site, Battery Park, Toys R Us (with a ferris wheel), Times Square, the M&M's store, Ellen's Star Dust Diner, the Natural History Museum, Dylan's Candy Bar, FAO Schwartz, and to the Lion King.

Apparently Miss A had a birthday...

Nothing like a birthday on a weekend so that presents can be opened first thing in the morning!

Birthday Breakfast is a tradition at our house.
Waffles topped with ice cream and all the toppings!

I designed cupcake sleeves for Allie's cupcakes! I didn't want to pay for them (pricey!) and I couldn't find a template so it was a bit of work but totally worth it!

Allie designed and helped decorate these cupcakes - she is so artistic and creative!

I am so proud of my amazing girl. She is SUCH a wonderful person. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. She amazes me all the time with her maturity, sensitivity, and great attitude. She is 11 this year..........I can't wait to see what she accomplishes. LOVE HER ! ! ! ! !

Apparently I am playing catch-up...

Made a wedding veil for Heather - love her!

Allie's art was in a show at the mall!

Zack's allergies have resulted in a slight case of asthma -
for which he need periodic breathing treatments.

Matt was out of town so the kids took it upon themselves to decorate for
Mother's Day. They sent me on a treasure hunt to find my gifts! Cute kids!

Mother's Day tea at Zack's preschool.

Apparently Mr. N is a lover...

While riding into D.C. to see the Cherry Blossoms (on the Metro) Nick was showing
me the way he was going to stare into the eyes of the girl that he loved.

Paddle Boats in the Tidal Basin (Jefferson Memorial).

Walking around the Tidal Basin

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Eternal Flame (Kennedy grave site).

Life:

She is definitely a 'tween' and has discovered a love for shopping! I love it that she is not too cool to let loose and act silly - as seen trying on a killer wig!

Nick worked really hard on his visual aids, report and displays for the third grade Animal Fair. One of the greatest things about our school district is that they try to foster children's independence from parents 'helping' with their work. They completed 100% of this project at school, including creating their own silk screen for a tee shirt. The only thing I did was iron it on so he could wear it for the fair.
The hubby was not surprisingly out of town for our 13th anniversary (old! ugh!) No pics but I made him his very own anniversary cookies! We are celebrated with a dinner at our favorite restaurant 'Not Your Average Joe's'.
For YEARS I have TRIED to make impressive cakes. This is yet another example of a failed attempt that that was created to celebrate the birthday of a good friend. Hey - it tasted good!
Roller skating with the kiddo's was tons of hilarious fun! I wasn't able to take many pics as at least two of the three offspring were clinging to various parts of my body at all times!

Life:

As I update my neglected blog you might notice that other things have been neglected as well (see previous post). The photographic evidence from 2009 thus far indicates that I took the time to make and photograph cookies though I did not take the time to remember the camera at most of the events that have transpired with my family. Hopefully acknowledgement of my short-comings and redirection of time is penance enough for past transgression.....right?

Valentines Day brought many heart shaped things.....



Every year Nick picks up more tips on how to craft a truly magnificent Pine Wood Derby Car!



Nick and Allie LOVED playing basketball. I was the coach for Allies team (no - I do not have excessive basketball skills but I certain know more that a bunch of 10 year olds - right?). Sadly, the camera did not make it to one game or practice! Zack was not as enthusiastic as basketball. It was difficult for him to transition from soccer, where we had games for all three kids and dutifully cheered for all three kids, to basketball where we only cheered for two of them.