Just Keep Swimming

We've been hanging out a lot at Grandma and Grandpa's pool since we got back. McKenzie has taken to the water like McCain to Bush's tired policies. She keeps doing the same thing over and over. Check her out.

For a while I was content to just watch from the sidelines. I'm not that strong a swimmer. But with McKenzie showing me up, I sucked it up and went for it.

I'm planning to start jumping off the diving board the day after tomorrow.

We're Back

We made it back. After an hour taxi ride to Gatwick, a nine-hour flight to Atlanta, an hour-and-a-half getting through customs (you have to go through passport control, collect your luggage, go through customs, recheck your bags, go through security, and then re-collect your bags), and an hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we were pretty tired. We slept, went to church, then slept some more (after church... not during).

It's been fun to be back. I got to go to primary with my friend Riley (Benjamin was away on holiday... er, vacation). And I get to sleep in my old bed.

We're trying to get back into the lifestyle: driving everywhere, fast food on every corner, high fructose corn syrup. One thing I didn't miss when I was gone was political news coverage. Like this one, which was the "top story" on Daddy's My Yahoo! page: Election a Study in U.S. Patriotism. The story leads with this summary:

The U.S. presidential election presents a sharp contrast between two types of patriotism: John McCain stands as a war hero. His rival Barack Obama calls Americans back to the can-do spirit of the nation's founders. In November the candidates will find out which style appealed more to voters...

Huh? This election is about patriotism? Excuse me, but I think that's ridiculous. Shouldn't it be about whether everyone here has access to good healthcare, like our friends in other countries? Or about whether our country acts like a bully on the global playground or like the kid that everyone wants to have around? Or about whether we're going to stay addicted to petrol?

Is patriotism all you've been talking about while I've been gone?

Goodbye London

Tonight is our last night in London.

Last night, we ate at a noodles place called Wagamama near London Victoria station. The train ride there and back was my last train ride in London. Walking around the streets today, we realized that it would be the last time we would walk around these streets we've called home for the last nine months. This afternoon we went to the park near our house for the last time.

I'm excited to go back to Atlanta, but I'll miss London. I made a list of the things I think I'll miss the most.

5. The fresh air - It never gets too hot here. None of the houses even have (or need) air conditioning. On a nice day, we'd open the windows in the front and back of the house and just let the breeze flow through. It felt so nice. Even when it rained, we'd keep a few windows open a crack and listen to the rain tap dance on the pavement.

4. The food - You might not believe it (unless you've read The Omnivore's Dilemma) but the food tastes better here. The strawberries are better; the blueberries are better; the blackberries and raspberries are better; the eggs and the cheese are better. They taste like they came from the farm in your backyard.

3. The sites - There are so many great museums here (that are also free). And I loved seeing the London Eye whenever we took the train into London. I'd shout, "Look Mama! The London Eye!" loud enough for the whole train to hear. Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, the HMS Belfast... there's so much cool stuff to keep a kid busy and happy.

2. Cities and towns built for walking - We survived for nine whole months without ever driving a car. We walk to the library, to the grocery store, to school, to church, to the restaurants, to the train station. The cities are built for trains and walking (or for kids like me riding their scooters), and it feels so good to get out and walk every day. Not to mention that we've been completely oblivious to (and immune from) gas prices. In Atlanta, we'll have to drive to a park to be able to have a place to walk around.

1. My friends - I've made some good friends while I've been here: friends from school and friends from church and friends from a lot of different backgrounds and countries. It's been really fun.

There are things I've missed about the States that I'll be glad to have back, like my friends in Atlanta and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, but I'll write about those things some other time. For now, I'm saying goodbye to London.

My Toys Moved to Atlanta

Remember nine months ago when my toys moved to London? Well, yesterday they moved back to Atlanta. The movers came and packed up all our toys and stuff and sent it on its way. The house looks pretty bare now.

After all our stuff was gone, McKenzie turned to Mama and asked, "Is this our house?" It is for two more days.

Clapham Common Ward

Today was our last Sunday at church before we go back to Atlanta. We said goodbye to all our friends. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've told you much about our ward: the Clapham Common Ward.

Our ward is a pretty small ward, and a very diverse one. There are a lot of people who were born in Africa, some who are from Jamaica, a few born-and-raised Brits, and a handful of Americans, like us. And for semesters at a time, there are exchange students from BYU who come to the ward to help out.

Our first Sunday here, there were about 70 people in Sacrament Meeting. These days, it's probably closer to 90. Mama plays the piano in Sacrament Meeting and is in the Primary Presidency. On many days, she would play the piano in Sacrament Meeting, teach the lesson in the older Primary class (there are only two classes: one for those less than 8 and another for the older kids), lead Singing Time, and run Sharing Time. When BYU exchange students are here, they often help as primary teachers and sometimes take over the piano playing.

My Primary class has about 3-5 kids in it. I'm the youngest. The next youngest is my friend Kae (he's 6). When I showed up, he was so excited not to be the youngest anymore that he took me under his wing and helped me out.

Daddy teaches in Elders Quorum. His days aren't quite so hectic. But he tries (not very successfully) to keep me and McKenzie entertained on Sunday afternoons while Mama takes a nap after her busy morning.

Anyway, we said goodbye to all that today. I'm excited to be able to go to church with my friends Benjamin and Riley when I get back to Atlanta, but I'll miss my friends here in London.

Thames River

We're down to our last week before we go home to Atlanta, so we've been cramming in some last minute sightseeing. This last week, Mama took McKenzie and me to the Victoria & Albert Museum and to Buckingham Palace. Yesterday, we took a boat ride down the Thames.

We rode on the City Cruises line. We got on at Waterloo Millenium Pier and cruised out to Greenwich. Along the way, we passed the HMS Belfast, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge, all sites I've experienced close up.

It was raining the whole time, so it was hard to take pictures, but it was still fun. When we got to Greenwich, we checked out the National Maritime Musuem. We had been there months ago, but it was cool to go back. One thing I'm really going to miss about London is the museums. There are a lot of them; they're really cool; they're free; and they have fun stuff for kids.

Bekonscot Village

Saturday was my birthday. I turned four. To celebrate, we went to the Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield. To get there, we took a train to London Victoria, then a bus (a double-decker) to Marylebone Station, then another train to Beaconsfield. Bekonscot is the oldest model village in the world. It's big, too. It had a model zoo, model churches, and model country clubs and a golf course. My favorites were the model trains. They would stop at the stations for a few minutes as if to pick up passengers, then they would move on. McKenzie's favorites were the model playgrounds, complete with slides and swings.

After we got home, we had a bunch of friends over for dinner and birthday cake. You can read about that on Mama's blog.

Besides getting to ride on trains and double-decker buses and getting to see the coolest model village, I got some other things for my birthday. I got a toy pirate ship, some books to read, and a new train. I wish I could have a birthday everyday.

See Jane Run

Mama's been teaching me how to read. I think I'm getting pretty good at it.