Today after dropping off the boys for their last day of school before Easter break, I hurried home to get ready quick to meet my friend Jen at the tube stop to go to Victoria Gardens and lunch with some of the other girls in the ward.  I had never taken the tube before with just me and Tate.  I've been totally nervous to take the stroller on the escelators in the tube stations, and also having to carry the stroller up and down some flights of stairs.  Well this morning was a great induction!  Jen and I acidently took the wrong tub, switched trains twice, and ended up going up and down more flights of stairs and escelators than I thought possible!  We ended up at the wrong place and then realized we had to go back almost how we got there and that there would be more flights of stairs and more carrying the strollers (or buggies as they call them here).  But we did it!  And we, especially I, survived.  I was grateful she was with me giving me tips and tricks and now I feel pretty confidnet I can do the tube by myself and not be a chicken anymore.

Once we finally got to where we were going for lunch, we walked around a bit at Covant Garden Market.  I saw this guy being crazy/scary...I love these crazy street performers.




It is so neat with lots of shops, and cafes and restaurants.  I want to go back soon for sure!  We ate a little place called Shake Shack, it's a burger place.  Now, having come from Texas where there is every great burger joint in the world, I would rate the food so-so.  But the best part about the lunch was ordering a large (which was more like a medium by the states standard) Diet Coke WITH ICE!  I enjoyed every single sip and was in all seriousness sad when it was gone.  I miss ice.  I miss sonic.  I miss my route 44's.  I will admit I am a adict.

I had just enough time to come home and pick up the boys from school and then run home, drop off their stuff, and get them a quick snack and bathroom break, before heading off again to Todd's office for the BCG Easter party.  They put it on in the middle of the square where the office building is and it was so cute and charming.




They really did a cute job with this party with the clown who did balloon animals, a face painter, Easter Egg Hunt and visit from THE Easter Bunny.  It was really a great family party and the boys absolutly loved it. I am a fan of BCG London.  Just saying.















We bought the fast track tickets because we are lazy like that and also when we saw the line we guessedimated that it was probably about 1-2 hours to wait.  No thanks!  There were also tons of obnoxious american teenage school groups, and if I had to stand behind them and listen to them talk about Miley Cirus while they giggled and gaggled I would have probably punched one of them and then it would have caused a scene.  So just to avoid all of that, we just decided to just fork out the extra dough and get on!

The fast track tickets are great because you really just pay, and then go to the front of the line and step right on.  While we were waiting for the 2.2 seconds we had to wait, we met another american couple and found out they were from Oklahoma!  We obviously instantly bonded and they were super nice, which wasn't a surprise.

The Eye never stops, so you just kinda hop on when it is still moving.  We got into the pod thing and started to go up!  It is really, really cool.  Highly recommend.  The views were incredible and it was really fun to see everything at dusk.  I will admit, once you start getting to the top, it is a little freaky. The pods actually do shake a little because of the wind I suppose, and also how they are positioned on the wheel.  So yeah...I had to talk myself out of a little anxiety, but we were good after that!





So we headed back up closer to home and found a little place that serves Pho.  What is Pho you ask? It is some vietnamese soup that Todd has come to love after he was introduced to it by some of his colleges at work in Charlotte.  So he wanted me to try it out.  I wasn't a fan, just to let you all know. But I am picky like that. Oh well, I gave it the ol' collage try!

It was a great day.  So busy, but packed full of firsts and fun things!  It's hilarious that date night now ends at like 10:30pm for me.  I am not kidding, I can't last longer than that anymore!

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Who doesn't love Cyndi Lauper??  You know, I think of that song almost every Monday.  Thanks for nothing Cyndi Lauper!

We found out on Friday that Tagg and I needed to come in today for an "enrollment meeting" at Tagg's school.  I had no idea what an "enrollment meeting" was.  I guessed it was just to meet Tagg, go over some policies, etc.  So after I got Thatcher settled at his school, Tagg and I headed off to Robinsfield to have our meeting.

When we got there the kids were all going in for the start of school and Tagg and I sat and watched all the moms and dads kiss their kids goodbye and the kids run in with their backpacks, laughing and talking to all their friends.  Kids are the same no matter where you go in the world.  They are cheerful and full of energy.  Parents are the same throughout most of the world.  They take their kids to school and kiss them goodbye and tell them to be good, and worry about them and love them.  It was fun to sit and watch this and all the different cultures of people doing the same thing that we do with our kids every single day.  It makes the world seem a little bit of a smaller place seeing the commonality between us all.

We went in for our enrollment meeting and basically it was just to say that Tagg was in, and here is a packet of info and let's take him up to his class!  Even though we didn't know Tagg would be starting right then, he totally wanted to go, so he did!  A little anticlimactic, but it worked!  We went upstairs and the deputy headmistress (aka: vice principal) introduced him into his new class.  His teacher seems really sweet and the kids were all smiles and welcoming.  I left him there praying yet again that he has a good day, that he makes friends, and that he is happy.  If anyone could do it though, it's Tagg.  That kid was born raring, ready and confident.  He has little to no filters, and thinks that everyone and anyone is his friend. He is loud and friendly and has no problem talking to anyone, even adults.  So I usually don't worry too much about him in situations like this, but I did today.

I picked him up at 3:10 and I could see that he was as happy as can be.  First thing he said to me was that it is so nice to be back in school, and that he likes being the new kid because he gets lots of attention and gets all the friends. Nice.  Needless to say, he had a great first day.  I feel so blessed that both boys are adjusting so well, making new friends, and loving their new schools.  It is such a load off and a relief!

We picked up Thatcher and he was a bit grumpy because they went on a field trip today and he said it was "ultra boring".  So as a treat we stopped off at a gelato shop on the way home and the boys had their first gelatos but in London.  Tate wasn't really a fan.  I've noticed he doesn't really like chocolate. He must not be my son after all.  Looks like they might have gotten things mixed up at the ol' Texas fertility clinic.

Todd came home at 6:30 (which is still odd) and we had dinner that I made in the crock pot.  It is so strange having this traditional schedule after 4 years of not.  It is nice though.  After dinner he took Tate and gave him a bath and started his bedtime routine while I supervised the boys cleaning up dinner and started getting them ready for bed.  It is amazing what four hands and two parents can do!

Now I am blogging and cursing this internet.  We haven't had wifi or our internet set up in our flat yet. Neither a phone.  So, we've been using this lame hotspot thing that is SO spotty and unreliable and I want to throw my computer out the window half of the time using it.  We get our internet Wednesday. Thank goodness!  I think I'll go read a little bit and then off to bed...

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We stopped by the park on the way home and the boys played catch for a bit, and I snapped these pictures because it still boggles my mind where we are...I mean look at the backdrop!  So cool.




We headed home sooner than we had planned because even though the sun was out, it was actually freezing cold.

Todd had a great first day at work on his new case.  We thought that he would be able to get home relatively early tonight, maybe even for dinner, but he learned half way through the day he had late meetings.  They said it was very unusual and not common and so I still have a glimmer of hope that it will be different here with Todd's schedule.  That was one of the major perks about coming, Todd should be around a heck of a lot more.  The jury is still out for me if that is going to be true, since he only came home to sleep tonight.  But I still have faith and hope and all that good stuff because I am good like that. ;)  I'll update as our time here continues.

Something that is annoying is that we do not have phone or internet in our flat until April 2nd.  So we've been paying a weekly fee to this "hot spot" internet we have available through our building.  It is so spotty and goes in and out all the time and it is enough to drive you batty.  I can't wait to get our "broadband" as they call it here, installed.  Ay.

Oh, and today was the first day I missed TV. Looks like I'll have to start checking out the ol' iTunes to catch up on some favorite shows!

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