Delete the Adjectives

To Plant a Garden

2011-06-18T19:45:00.003-05:00

Daddy and I made a garden. We made it out of cinder blocks. It's 4½ feet by 4½ feet (on the inside). We planted four tomato plants, a jalapeño, a serrano, a pimento pepper, a cucumber, and a zucchini plant. We also planted some flowers in the cinder blocks themselves. The flowers are supposed to keep animals away and they attract bees to the garden.

I also made a little garden for myself. We planted a strawberry plant in it. Hopefully we get a few strawberries.

Pool Party

2011-05-28T18:31:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. School's out. Crabgrass is in bloom. And the pools are open. Josie's gonna be a swimmer.

Sweet Hammock

2011-04-02T22:25:00.001-05:00

Check out the latest addition to our backyard. Wanna come chill?

71 Degrees

2011-02-19T14:22:00.002-05:00

It's 71 degrees here today. That's park, grilling, and picnic weather. Is it still winter where you are? Why aren't you here?

Forever Young

2010-11-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

We're in Florida this week. Today, we stopped by the Fountain of Youth. We all drank a swig from the fountain. Looks like I'll be around for a long time.

Josie's Soccer Skills

2010-10-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

Josie's been working on her soccer skills, too.

Soccer

2010-10-09T10:14:00.001-05:00

McKenzie and I are playing soccer again this year. I've decided to be more aggressive this year than I was last year. I go after the ball. In today's game I saved three goals during the time I played goalie. And here's a video of me getting a shot on goal when I was on offense.

McKenzie's become something of a goal-scorer. She scored two in a game a few weeks ago.

Toothless

2010-09-05T08:06:00.003-05:00

I lost my first tooth this week. I pulled it myself.

It had been loose for a few days. At school, I pushed on it and it almost came out. It was just hanging by a thread, so I pulled it all the way out.

That story makes Daddy cringe. But he told me whenever I pull my own tooth he'll take me out for ice cream. (I think he's just hoping he won't have to pull any himself.)

The Playground is My World

2010-08-07T14:58:00.002-05:00

Daddy put up a playground in our backyard this summer. We actually bought the playground last summer, but Daddy warned us that it might take a few weeks to put it together. Over a year later, it's finally done.

Getting it together wasn't what took so long. It turns out we don't have any flat spots in our backyard, so we had to make one. First, we built a retaining wall, carting 150 retaining wall blocks into the backyard one wheelbarrow at a time. That took a few weekends (spread over a few months). Next, we had to fill it in with fill dirt. That took a few weekends, too. When that was done, we were finally able to start building. It was pretty quick from there. Of course, now it's too hot to play on the playground... but in a month or so it's going to be great.

To the Lighthouse

2010-08-07T14:50:00.003-05:00

While we were in Florida, we went to the lighthouse in St. Augustine. (Apparently, it's haunted, so we went in the daytime.) They let you climb up the stairs in the lighthouse. It's a bit of a hike. You have to be tall enough for them to let you climb up. McKenzie and Josie weren't tall enough, so I went up with Moms. When we got back down, Dad wanted to go up so I went up again with him.

I was careful not to spit from the top. I didn't want to hurt anyone with my projectiles.

Beach Bummin'

2010-08-06T20:14:00.004-05:00

We went on a trip last month to Florida. We stayed with a friend at their family's beach house and bummed at the beach most of the week. We all boogie boarded (I like to boogie), except for Josie who just wanted to stroll up the beach toward the horizon.

We took a little break from the beach to hit St. Augustine. We hit La Herencia for a Cuban breakfast and then infiltrated the Castillo de San Marcos there (an old Spanish fort).

It was a sweet trip. We got to hang out with friends and work on our tans. A great break before heading back to school (next Monday!). More on that later.

Swim Meet

2010-05-28T21:20:00.003-05:00

McKenzie and I are on a swim team this year. Lots of neighborhoods have swim teams and every week we compete against other neighborhoods. Yesterday was our first swim meet.

Neither of us won, but we both finished. Not bad, given that it was our first competitive swim.

Karate Kid

2010-05-22T17:28:00.003-05:00

I've been taking karate lessons. Today I got my yellow belt. I graduated up from yellow belt with white stripe. Check it out. I didn't even have to sand the floor.

Justin's Greatest Hits

2010-05-16T17:24:00.002-05:00

Put Me In Coach

2010-04-20T19:08:00.001-05:00

I play T-ball. This is my first year. Saturday was my first game.

It's not your normal T-ball, though. The rules are kind of weird (it's a church league). The coaches pitch a few pitches and if you don't hit those, then you hit off the tee. The only way you can get out is if the other team catches it or if the ball beats you to first. There are no outs at other bases. Each team bats through their lineup each inning, unless they get three outs first, which is only theoretically possible at this level (we got the other team out once during the game... one more time than they got us out). Also, we don't keep score. Everyone wins.

I got to bat three times (games are limited by time, not innings). Each time, I hit it off the coach pitching. No need for the tee here.

Uncle Hebe... I mean Jed

2010-04-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Uncle Jed paid us a visit last night. He stopped over on his way home from a work trip in Florida. We were excited to see him.

We gave him a taste of the suburban life. (He lives in the heart of San Francisco.) We played in the yard, grilled some fish (for fish tacos) on the deck in back, and chatted with our neighbors from deck to deck. The tacos were awesome, by the way. Grilled tilapia topped with tomatoes, guacamole, and chopped peaches.

After dinner, McKenzie knocked Jed out at Wii boxing and I played him to a draw at Wii baseball.

Only problem is, I kept calling Jed by Hebe's name. I guess I don't see either of them enough to tell them apart. They'll both have to visit more, maybe even at the same time!

Thanks for taking time to hang with us, Jed.

Back Home

2010-04-17T09:49:00.000-05:00

On Thursday in DC, we went to the Holocaust Museum and then the American History Museum. They were cool. On Friday we walked around Alexandria a bit and then headed to Charlotte.

We spent the weekend in Charlotte and went to Austin Deal's farewell. Austin is Aunt Sam's husband's sister's son. And we were in their ward when we lived in Charlotte. And he's going on his mission to London, where we used to live. We told him all about it: to put his luggage in the boot, to always wear trousers over his pants, et cetera.

It was cool being in our old ward again. Everyone thought I was so big. I thought everyone looked like strangers.

After the farewell, we headed home. After being gone for a week and a half, it was nice to be back home, where the weeds were a foot high and we had two weeks of laundry to catch up on. Home sweet home.

Rocket Man

2010-04-13T20:59:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, we went to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. It was pretty sweet. We saw lots of planes and spaceships and stuff. They had stuff that explains how planes fly. They even had a paper airplane contest (Daddy's plane was great).

They also had a room on planets. We've been talking about planets in school, so that was cool to see. I even learned something new: there are rings around your Uranus. Did you know there are rings around Uranus?

After the museum, we walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. It was really pretty. It looks out over the tidal pool toward the Washington Monument. You can also see the White House in the background. Very cool.

Monumental Walking

2010-04-07T20:42:00.004-05:00

Last night, after it cooled down a bit (it was 90 degrees during the day), we walked around the monuments. We started at the Washington Monument. Then we walked to the World War II Memorial. Then we walked along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. Then over to the Koren War Memorial, then back to the other side for the Vietnam War Memorial, then back to the subway. It was a lot of walking.

White House

2010-04-07T20:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we went to see Barrack Obama's house. Our appointment was for 11 am, but I think Barrack Obama was busy when we got there so we had to wait outside for a while. I think he was having a prayer breakfast for the miners. Later in the day, we saw a clip of him "speeching" from the East Room.

When we finally got in, we walked through the rooms they let visitors see. We saw the Library, the Vermeil Room, the China Room, the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room. My favorite room was "all of them." McKenzie's favorite was the "tea party room/wedding room" (the East Room), because it looked like a princess tea room.

The Capitol was Capital

2010-04-07T09:03:00.001-05:00

We're in DC this week for spring break. We had planned to spend the week here anyway, before Aunt Sam died. She was going to spend some time with us. After her funeral in Richmond last week, we drove up Sunday to DC.

On Monday, we went on a tour of the US Capitol. The rotunda was pretty cool. Someone painted on the ceiling. I don't know my Mama and Daddy get so upset when I draw on the walls at our house...

On Monday night we drove out to Fairfax County to see Mike & Karen. Aunt Rach and her family came up, too. So did Uncle Ken and the kids. We had a good dinner (Daddy made Lomo Saltado, a peruvian dish) and played some fun games. Mike & Karen are great hosts. Thanks guys.

The Funeral

2010-04-07T09:01:00.002-05:00

It was a hard week with the passing of Aunt Sam, but the funeral and other arrangements helped put it into perspective, and having lots of family around made it a little better.

I made friends with my cousin Noah. I drew a map to his hotel room so I wouldn't forget how to get there (it was across the hall from our hotel room). McKenzie made friends with Maggie (Noah's sister).

Josie made friends with everyone. She was so sweet and agreeable the whole time. Even Uncle Matt couldn't resist her.¹

¹ Which is pretty good, since Matt used to eat babies.²

² Just kidding. Uncle Matt used to deliver babies and I don't think he ate any of them. As you can see from the picture, he's a baby charmer.

Aunt Fireman Sam

2010-03-30T22:17:00.002-05:00

I just found out that Aunt Sam died yesterday.

We sometimes called her Aunt Fireman Sam. She wasn't really a fireman. We just called her that after a cartoon in the UK called Fireman Sam to the Rescue. It was a term of endearment. Sometimes McKenzie would call her Grandma by mistake. Aunt Sam didn't think she was old enough to be called 'Grandma'.

When I said the prayer tonight, I said, "Please bless Aunt Sam that she'll feel better and that she'll be alive again." Isn't that what we all wish for?

McKenzie asked a lot of questions, like:

Q: How long will Aunt Sam be dead? (Like me, McKenzie knows that Aunt Sam, like all of us, will live again.)

A: A long time.

Q (to daddy): Will you die?

A: Not for a long time.

Q: Not for a long time?

A: I'll live for a long time.

Q: Did Aunt Sam live for a long time?

A: Not long enough.

McKenzie: I miss Aunt Sam.

Uncle Hebe & Princess Carley

2010-03-25T17:55:00.000-05:00

Uncle Hebe and Princess Carley came to visit us last week. We had a lot of fun with them.

On Tuesday, we tried a new variation on Uncle Hebe's Stinky Cheeseburger recipe: we stuffed the gorgonzola cheese inside the burgers. We grilled them (it was in the mid-60s that day... jealous?) with buffalo sauce and pineapple slices. Mmm.

On Wednesday, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. We saw sting rays, sharks, jelly fish, and 'Nemo fish'. Then we went to the famous Varsity restaurant for some greasy burgers and fries.

On Thursday, Uncle Hebe made massaman curry. Finding coriander seed, cardamom pods, and shrimp paste (we had to substitute anchovies) was a challenge, but it was worth it.

On Friday night, everyone left us kids with grandma and grandpa and headed out on the town (apparently, to Eclipse di Luna for tapas). We said goodbye to Uncle Hebe and Princess Carley (they left early the next morning while we were still fast asleep). We loved having them and can't wait for them to come back.

Thanks for visiting!

Snowman

2010-02-27T07:51:00.003-05:00

A few days ago we had a big snowfall. When I got home from school it was already snowing. So I put on my snowman-making clothes and got to work.

Here's the finished product.

Snow Day

2010-01-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

It snowed some more overnight. See that thin layer of snow on the deck? It may not look like much, but it's enough to cancel school around here. Snow rocks!

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My Favorite Weather

2010-01-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

It snowed today!

Before you get too jealous, keep in mind that snow here usually means that you can barely see the snowflakes falling through the sky and nothing sticks on the ground. That's what it was like today. Still, it snowed!

It was snowing when I got off the school bus to go home. I ran inside to tell Daddy and Josie. "It's snowing!" I shouted. "That's my favorite weather!"

My First Concert

2009-12-06T23:22:00.004-05:00

Daddy took me to my first concert this week. I was stoked. Of course, when Daddy first asked if I wanted to go to a concert, I said, "What's a concert?" But now I know.

We drove out to Athens and saw Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. It was an awesome show. They did a lot of Christmas songs from their album "Jingle All the Way." You should check it out.

The concert was on a school night, so I was up kind of late. I almost made it all the way through the concert, but I lost steam toward the end. Luckily there was an empty seat by me so I could stretch out.

All in all, it was a great show and a cool experience. I'm ready for my next concert.

Labor of Division

2009-11-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

I figured out how to do division today. I've been doing addition, subtraction, and multiplication for a while now. I know that 3 times 4 is 12. I even know that 3 squared is 9.

But today, Daddy tried a new one on me. I told him that our lesson in Primary was on tithing, so he asked me how much tithing I should pay if I got $10. I told him $1. Easy enough. Then he asked me how much tithing I should pay if I got $20. That one stumped me, so he asked it a different way.

"How many tens are in 20?" he asked
"Two," I said.
I think that surprised him. "Whoa. How did you know that?"
"Because of that song I sing: ten... twenty... thirty..."

Then he gave me another one.

"How many threes are in six?" he tried. I think he thought I could only do division for multiples of ten.
"Two," I said after thinking about it for a second.
"How many fives are in ten?"
"Two."
"How many threes are in nine?" I guess he wanted to make sure I wasn't just answering "two" for every question.
"Three." I said.

Daddy says I learned how to do division. Next up: square roots. After that: derivatives.

The Park

2009-11-14T15:10:00.001-05:00

It was 75 degrees today, so Daddy took us to the park.

I hear they're getting snow out West. Anyone wanna come visit?
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Playing with Josie

2009-11-14T08:55:00.001-05:00

I like to play with Josie. She likes to play with me. She smiles whenever she sees me.
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Hello Again

2009-11-07T22:32:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in a while. I got pretty busy there and then I fell out of the habit. What could keep a five year old kid so busy that he can't find time to blog? Let me fill you in.

In my last post in June, I mentioned my new baby sister. She keeps us all pretty busy. She's a good baby. She likes it when I hold her, sing to her, and read to her.

In August, I had my birthday. I'm five now. Grandpa, Uncle Luke, and Aunt Sam came out for my birthday. Actually, they were probably here for Josie's blessing (the same day as my birthday), but I gladly took in all of the extra attention.

Later in August, I started school. That's right, I'm a kindergartener now. I ride the bus to school everyone morning and ride it back every afternoon. I've learned a lot since I've been in school, like how to color inside the lines. I learn a lot at home, too. My dad gives me math problems: addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Today, I correctly answered "What's three times four?" I'd tell you the answer, but I figure you'll appreciate the challenge of figuring it out yourself. On a good day, I can even tell you what three squared is.

At the end of August, I started soccer. The season is now over. During the season, I progressed from hyperactively running circles around the ball, to carefully dribbling the ball, to almost scoring a goal on a breakaway. Next year, I'll work on my post-goal celebration.

As you can see, I've been pretty busy. But I'll try to squeeze in a few posts more often for my loyal followers.

Josie

2009-06-28T20:27:00.002-05:00

I'm a big brother again. My newest baby sister was born today. Her name is Josie. She's a pretty baby. I'm going to take care of her.

Disney World

2009-05-24T14:07:00.002-05:00

We just got back from Disney World. We had a blast. We stayed at a hotel in Orlando with a sweet pool. We got in a good sunny day of loafing at the pool before the storms came. Orlando got record rainfall while we were there.

Luckily, the rain let up just in time for us to get in a day at Disney World. And what a day it was. We took a spin in a teacup, rode roller coasters, flew in elephants, and drove race cars. I even let Daddy come with me on Splash Mountain and on Thunder Mountain. Thunder Mountain was a scream. Literally. I screamed like a little girl.

The Graduate

2009-05-15T22:42:00.002-05:00

I'm a graduate now. I graduated from pre-school this week. The finals were rough, I had to sing songs and eat cake, but I passed. On to bigger and better things.

"Justin Eastman, you just graduated from pre-school. What are you gonna do next?"

I'm going to Disney World!

Actually, it's true. I am going to Disney World. We leave tomorrow.

My Memory's Faithful

2009-05-04T21:44:00.002-05:00

Last night while Mama was pouring me a cup of Sprite, I noticed the sign on the Sprite bottle that said "100% Natural Flavors". (I've been noticing numbers a lot lately.)

"100 dollars?!" I asked.

"No. See this little symbol here?" Mama answered, pointing to the %. "That means 'percent'. It's 100 percent."

"100 percent! Like Horton at Grandma's house in Salt Lake City!"

The full quote, for those of you who don't know Horton, is: "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100%."

Salt Lake City

2009-05-03T19:36:00.006-05:00

I went to Salt Lake City last week to get a new Aunt. I'm glad I did. She's a good aunt.

The night before the wedding, Uncle Hebe and soon-to-be Aunt Carley put on a dinner for family and friends. It was sweet food and good company. After a great evening, Mama said it was time to go.

"Is Carley going?" I asked.

"Not yet," Mama answered.

"I want to stay until Carley goes."

The next day was the wedding. I asked Carley if she would be my Aunt. She got down on her knee for my proposal. Otherwise, I'd be proposing to her knees.

She said yes!

I told Mama I want to live in Salt Lake City when I grow up.

"Why's that?"

"'Cause that's where Uncle Hebe and Aunt Carley live."

The rest of our time in Salt Lake City was cool, too. We spent some time on Temple Square, visited family, played some whiffle ball, and stayed up late every night. It was a great vacation.

Salt Lake City

2009-03-29T20:14:00.003-05:00

I'm going to Salt Lake City!

We're all going to Salt Lake City on an aeroplane. I'm getting a new aunt (translation: my uncle's getting married). We'll be there the weekend of Apr 24.

I was so excited when I first heard we were going, I started packing the very next day. It took Mama a few tries before I finally realized that it would be a while before it was time to go.

I Can Wait

2009-03-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

I've been reading with Daddy every night before I go to sleep. I'm reading Hen's Pens. We read a page every night.

After we read tonight, Daddy showed me that we only had one page left.

"I'm so excited. I can hardly wait," I said.

"Do you want to read it now?" Daddy asked.

"No. We can read it tomorrow. I can wait."

Sunshine

2009-03-08T13:14:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday, we were making a snowman. This Sunday, we're wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Snow

2009-03-01T16:08:00.002-05:00

Those of you who are more accustomed to snowy climates might be tired of winter by now. But we're just getting started and I'm excited as can be. It snowed today!

We took advantage of the rare occasion by putting on long underwear and rain boots and playing in the snow. We made snow angels and snow men. We weren't prepared with coal for eyes or carrots for noses, so we improvised. I named him Jack.

We also had a snowball fight, which was a lot of fun until some of the shrapnel from a snowball that hit Mama ended up on my face. I mean, I like the snow and all, just not on my face.

Blowing Up

2009-03-01T15:57:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I had a dream or something that my bed puffed me up. It felt like the bed was pushing me up and it felt furry like a bear. I walked out of my room disoriented and told Daddy that my bed puffed me up.

He took me back in my room and we said a prayer that I would feel safe and sleep well. It worked. I slept great that night and my bed didn't puff me up any more.

Ever since then when it's my turn to say prayers, I pray that "my bed won't blow me up." So far, so good. I haven't been blown up again yet.

Tour de Playground

2009-02-22T16:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a nice day, so Daddy took me and McKenzie to the playground in our neighborhood. I decided to ride my bike there while Daddy and McKenzie walked.

There are a few hills between our house and the playground, so it was a bit of a challenge. Actually, going down the hills was the scary part. I'd inch forward and then put on the breaks, a few more inches and then the breaks. Going up the hills was easier. I huffed and puffed, but I made it.

When we got to the playground, I missed a turn and found myself hurling down a hill. Luckily a tree stopped me. I hear it was like the time Grandpa used a tree to stop himself when he was skiing. I got a few scratches on my face to show for it.

96 Years Fast

2009-01-31T16:52:00.001-05:00

Today Daddy took us to the park. We took our bikes with us. The park gave me more room to ride than what our driveway allows. I raced around the sidewalks.

Afterward, Daddy commented on how fast I had gone. "Yeah, I went 96 years fast," I said. That's fast.

Something New

2009-01-20T20:31:00.002-05:00

In my school today, we got to listen to Barrack Obama. I was excited. Every time I hear someone say "Barrack Obama", like if Daddy's listening to NPR, I say "They said 'Barrack Obama'!"

I thought it was pretty cool to be able to listen in today. I'm excited that Barrack Obama is our new president.

Merry Christmas

2009-01-04T17:32:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy playing with my Christmas toys that I haven't had time to post. Sorry for the delay.

Along with lots of other cool stuff I got for Christmas, I got a new bike. At first, I had a hard time pedaling and watching where I was going at the same time. That's how I wound up darting down the hill at the side of our house, with Daddy scurrying after me.

But by day two, I was a natural. Check it out.

I Just Called to Say...

2008-12-28T20:55:00.005-05:00

My friend Ashley from Charlotte came to visit. We were buds when we were only two years old. We used to hang out together at the gym while our mamas worked out.

Actually, Ashley lives in Oklahoma now. Her family moved there when we moved to Atlanta. I guess she couldn't stand the thought of living in Charlotte without me.

Last week, Ashley's family stayed at our house on their way home from Disney World. It was cool to hang out again. After they left, I kept talking about how funny Ashley is; how she made me laugh. I think Mama noticed I kept talking about her.

Mama: "Do you like Ashley?"

Me: "Yeah."

Daddy: "Do you wanna kiss on her?" (He means "kiss her". He throws an "on" in there to improve the cadence.)

Me: mumbling

Mama: "Huh?"

Me (sheepishly): "Yeah..."

Mama: "Do you want Ashley to come visit again?"

Me: "Well I can't kiss her over the phone..."

Smokey Mountains

2008-12-09T21:16:00.004-05:00

We spent last weekend in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. It was about a three hour drive from our house. We had to drive through North Carolina, my home state, to get there. I was excited to see my home state again, even if all I saw was pavement.

The place we stayed in Tennessee had an indoor water park where we swam the first day. It also had an outdoor playground where we played every day. Other than that we just slept in and hung out.

On our drive home through Smokey Mountain National Park, we pulled over and took a little hike. While McKenzie fell in the mud, Daddy and I took pictures.

After we got over the mountains and were driving back through North Carolina, I got the urge to go. Daddy said he'd pull over when he found a respectable looking gas station or restaurant. There wasn't much to choose from, though. A few miles later I warned him it was an emergency. "I'm bound to go in my pants," I urged. He pulled over at the next station. Crisis averted.

I'm Thankful For...

2008-11-28T08:25:00.002-05:00

Daddy asked me what I am thankful for. Here are the things I told him.

Daddy & Mama
McKenzie
Grandmas & Grandpas
friends
teachers
the trees
the sky
clouds
the sidewalk
the sun
the moon
the stars
flashlights
colored leaves
cars
pencils
books
houses
walls
fences
stairs
running
stickers
fish
sharks
plugs
things that go into plugs
the oven
the microwave

Hartley's

2008-11-26T22:00:00.003-05:00

We went to Whole Foods last week. One of the things we got there was some Hartley's Strawberry Jam. That's the kind of jam we used to get in London. We'd put it on Mama's homemade biscuits. It's delicious. Whole Foods is the only place we can find it here in the States. They have it in their "international foods" aisle.

The funny thing is, we used to go to Whole Foods in London (the one on Kensington High Street) to get stuff that was hard to find over there, like pumpkin pie filling so Mama could make a pumpkin pie, or aji amarillo so Daddy could make lomo saltado and papa a la huancaina.

Speaking of pumpkin pie: Happy Thanksgiving.

It's Been Such a Long Time

2008-11-25T21:09:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I've been pretty busy with moving into a new house and being in school. I've also been a little sick. I got strep throat and then an ear infection.

The day I was diagnosed with strep throat, I came home and took a nap in the afternoon. When I woke up it was dark outside and I thought I had slept all night. I had something like the following conversation with Daddy:

Daddy: "Do you have to stay home from school tomorrow?"

Me: "I stay home from school today."

Daddy: "You went to school today. You stay home tomorrow."

Me: "Today is tomorrow."

Daddy: "Huh?"

Me: "Mama, why is it still dark outside if I'm awake now?"

I assume you saw Mama's post about Halloween. McKenzie and I had a great time. We got to go trick or treating like three times. We had so much candy we started to give some of it away to trick or treaters.

We're settling into the house now. It feels like home. Mama painted my bedroom. She's going to post some pictures on her blog, so I won't spoil the surprise.

Going to California

2008-10-08T21:47:00.003-05:00

Mama and Daddy went to California a couple of weeks ago for a friend's wedding. They left us at home with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a good time, but from the pictures it looks like the scenery was better in California. The wedding was in Mendocino, a few hours north of San Francisco on the coast.

The day after Mama and Daddy came back, we bought a house. We've been moving in slowly over the past few days. More to come on that in future posts.

Gee

2008-09-06T19:51:00.002-05:00

Daddy took us to the park a few days ago. Yes, we drove there.

It was the park where we had a run in with the geese last year. This time, we kept our distance and just played on the playground. I expressed my position on whether geese were welcome at the playground: "We don't want the geese to come to this place. We don't want anything to be in this place, especially bad things."

But I allowed for a few exceptions: "Turtles... they can be here."

"Snails." (We used to get snails on our back door in London after a good rainfall.)

"Dogs."

"Cats."

"Slides."

"Swings."

"Popcorn."

"Pinecones."

"But not geese."

Then, with my newfound appreciation for plural nouns, and noting that geese is plural: "If it's one, it's gee."

"Uh, it's goose," Daddy said, stifling a giggle.

"Oh."

Preschool

2008-09-06T19:42:00.009-05:00

I just finished my first week of preschool. I go to school at a Methodist church down the street. They're going to teach me the alphabet. I haven't had the heart to tell them that I'm already reading (much less writing my own blog).

I admitted to Daddy today that I liked my school in London better.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Trains."

"They had toy trains at your school in London?" he followed, as if to make sure I didn't mean the real train tracks just a pitching wedge from the school there.

"Two."

I do like my new school, though, even if they don't have trains.

Just Keep Swimming

2008-08-30T21:35:00.007-05:00

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

2008-08-19T19:43:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-15T16:41:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-15T05:21:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-10T16:31:00.006-05:00

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

2008-08-10T16:16:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-04T16:08:00.003-05:00


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

2008-08-02T02:38:00.003-05:00

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

Covent Garden

2008-07-28T14:24:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, we went to Covent Garden Market. To get there, we took the Northern line to Leicester Square and transfered to the Picadilly line to Covent Garden. (For you out-of-towners, here's how to pronounce Leicester.)

The Covent Garden tube station is one of the few stations that doesn't have an escalator. You can either take a lift or the stairs. We didn't feel like waiting in the queue for the lift, so we took the stairs. As you turn to go up the stairs there's a sign that says that there are 195 stairs. Daddy looked at Mama with a look that said, "You up for this?" Mama nodded and up we went.

195 stairs is a lot of stairs. It was easiest on McKenzie. Mama carried her half the way. I climbed all 195, but admitted to being tired. Daddy didn't admit as much, but he was breathing heavier than I was.

There are some shops at Covent Garden Market, but the coolest bit was the street performers. The best were these two jugglers.

After Covent Garden, we took a bus over to Hyde Park. We got ice cream cones, ran around a bit, and then walked along the Serpentine. It was a beautiful day; a perfect day for a walk in the park.

English Countryside

2008-07-13T08:49:00.005-05:00

We experienced a bit of the English countryside yesterday. Daddy's friend from work, Clive, and Clive's wife Jen invited us out to their place in Goring. Goring is about an hour train ride west from Paddington Station.

Goring is a beautiful little village along the Thames River. We walked along the river for a bit and then had a little picnic by the riverside. We played fetch with Clive and Jen's dog, Saphy. After the picnic we fed the swans. That's Saphy in the picture, helping me feed the swans.

After the swans, we walked to a village pub and had some hot chocolate. It was my first British pub experience (or any pub, for that matter). Village pubs are more like little cafés: good places to sit and chat and have a beverage.

After hot chocoloate, it was time for us to go. We had so much fun in Goring, we slept like logs all night.

The Queen's English

2008-07-08T16:11:00.003-05:00

Daddy thinks I've picked up a bit of an accent. He says my os are sounding more like a combination of "oh" and "oo". I guess it's particularly noticable when I say Volvo.

I've picked up a few colloquialisms as well. It began when I started using the term garden like the British do, and stopped thinking of the phrase "paved garden" as an oxymoron. Then, I started refering to airplanes as aeroplanes. Finally, Mama caught me pronouncing schedule like the British, where the first syllable sounds like shed.

I suppose I've truly begun speaking like a proper Englishman.

Black Pudding

2008-07-06T04:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I did something else my ancestors might have done: I tried black pudding. Black pudding is part of a traditional English breakfast, along with baked beans, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast.

I didn't eat all of those things, but I did try some black pudding. The first bite was alright, but by the second bite I couldn't do any more. When we got back to the hotel room and did a Google search for black pudding, I realized why.

Black pudding is also known as blood pudding, as in you make it by cooking blood with a thickener until it congeals.

My ancestors may have eaten blood pudding, but I think I've had enough to last a lifetime.

Roots

2008-07-05T11:22:00.014-05:00

While you were celebrating the launch of an insurgency that went on to overthrow an occupying power, I discovered my roots yesterday.

We took a two-and-a-half hour train ride from London north to Preston. Daddy spent a few hours in the Lancashire Records Office poring over some old parish records while Mama, McKenzie, and I wandered around Preston and stumbled across some memorials to early church members.

Daddy found the birth record for my great great great great great great grandpa John Bromley (Brimley). He was born in 1739 in Leyland, near Preston. He also found the marriage record for his dad, John Bromley in 1732, and a few other records.

Next, we took a train five minutes south of Preston to Leyland, where these ancestors lived. We went to the church there, St. Andrews, where they were all christened and married. It's a really old church with a big cemetery. We wandered around the cemetery looking at gravestones. We saw some from the 1800s. There were some older ones, but they were so worn you couldn't tell what they used to say. I kept asking Daddy, "Does this one have grandpa's name?", but we couldn't find it.

Anyway, it was neat to walk around the same area where my ancestors walked as long as 300 years ago.

After Leyland, we took a train an hour south to Liverpool. Liverpool is where my great great great grandfather, William Jedediah Brimley, left England with his family to go to Utah. He was seven years old at the time.

By the time we got here to Liverpool (I'm in Liverpool now), it was late so we just grabbed some dinner and hit the sack. Today we went down to the waterside and went to the Merseyside Maritime Museum. They had an exhibit about emigrants that left from Liverpool to go to other countries. They had this little room set up like a ship's lodging quarters would have been in the old days. Maybe this is what my great great great grandpa's ship was like.

I wonder how they felt when they left. Maybe like I felt when I left to come to London: missing my family and friends and toys, but excited about the new adventure. I wonder if they imagined their descendants might come back. I wouldn't be surprised if they did, but they probably never though that we could get here in less than a day (with a half-day flight from the States, and a two hour train ride from London). Well, I've completed the circle.

Wimbledon Village Fair

2008-06-25T14:09:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the Wimbledon Village Fair. You've probably heard of Wimbledon. They play tennis there.

We weren't at the tennis courts, though. We were at a park. They had big slides and a merry-go-round and a bunch of booths selling trinkets. They also had face painting. Mine is a lion. McKenzie's is a butterfly.

Ten Year Old Shadow

2008-06-18T15:42:00.002-05:00

Last night after dinner, Daddy took us to the park. By the time we were done playing, the sun was kissing the horizon. I noticed my shadow and told Daddy, "My shadow is really tall, like it's ten years old."

He said that when the sun gets close to the horizon, it's gravitational pull distorts the time dimension and makes our shadows get older.

South Bank

2008-06-15T10:27:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we walked along the South Bank of the Thames. We took the Northern Line (that's the tube for you out of towners) to Waterloo and then just walked along the river.

Just after we came out from the Underground, we saw a procession of different planes flying in formation overhead. There must have been an air show somewhere.

We also played at a playground near the London Eye, saw a bunch of street performers, and got some ice cream cones from an ice cream truck.

We walked down past Shakespeare's Globe theatre and on to the HMS Belfast, almost to the Tower Bridge.

The HMS Belfast is a navy ship that doesn't ship anymore. Now it's just a museum. Here's me in the captain's chair. "Let's get this tin can turned around!"

A Little More Challenging

2008-06-11T16:06:00.005-05:00

Every night, before I go to sleep, Mama reads me a few bedtime stories. Usually she reads me one of my favorites, or a book we've checked out from the library. This week, she started reading me A Bear Called Paddington. Seeing as how we've been to Paddington Station, she figured I might want to know about the bear.

I wasn't getting it, though. Last night, as she was reading, I interrupted her.

"Excuse me, mama. Can we read something a little more challenging, with pictures in it? 'Cause I don't know what you're talking about."

She laughed and then read me Goodnight Moon instead. Then I think she wrote about it on her new blog, A Mother's Prerogative. Her blog is more about our day-to-day lives from a mother's perspective. Hopefully she won't tell all my embarassing stories, like the time I got up to pee in the middle of the night and slipped and fell into the toilet.

Half Term

2008-05-31T15:40:00.008-05:00

It was half term this week. That means that I didn't have school all week. We filled up the time with a lot of activities. I'm worn out.

On Monday, we took the bus tour I told you about in my last posts.

On Wednesday, I went to a jump zone with my Iranian friend, Danny. Actually, Danny was born in the UK, but his parents are from Iran. I told him I was sorry about the whole Shah thing. He said he didn't hold me responsible. Now we're allies.

On Thursday, I went to the Natural History Museum with my Jamaican friends, Kae and Lynden. Actually, they're more British than they are Jamaican, but they do have Jamaican blood in them.

On Friday, I was supposed to go to the London Aquarium with my Russian friend, Katrina. She couldn't make it, though, so we went ahead without her. We realized that we've already been to the best aquariums in the world (the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta). The aquariums in Paris and London are okay, but they don't compare.

On Friday night, I had my first sleep over. Kae and Lynden came over and spent the night.

On Saturday, we went to Richmond and walked around. Richmond is a short train ride west of here. It's known for being a posh inner suburb of London. Mick Jagger lives there (the Rolling Stones were discovered there). We walked along the River Thames and up to the highest point in Richmond Park. It's a pretty place. I can see why Mick Jagger gets his satisfaction there.

Stonehenge

2008-05-28T15:49:00.004-05:00

Our last stop on the bus tour was Stonehenge. I think Grandpa's going to be jealous that we got to see it, so I'll give him all the details: It's a bunch of rocks out in the middle of nowhere.

Actually, it was pretty cool. It's an impressive sight. Those Stonehengers must have been pretty strong to lift all those rocks. Unless, of course, they had help from the aliens...

I guess the story of Stonehenge and the mystery is what make it so interesting. Maybe Grandpa will tell me about it some day.

We took about 15-30 minutes walking around Stonehenge and taking lots of pictures. Then we got back on the bus and headed back to London. It was a busy day visiting three cool sights, but it was fun. As the tour guide said, we can now tick all those boxes.

Bath Time

2008-05-28T15:31:00.005-05:00

From Windsor Castle, the bus drove us about two hours west to Bath. Bath has a pretty interesting history. Back when England was part of the Roman Empire, the Romans built Roman baths from the hot springs. They must have had pretty big families, because those baths were pretty big. The Great Bath was the first thing we checked out when we arrived.

Mama's favorite author, Jane Austen, lived in Bath for a while and wrote some books there. We paid homage by going to the Jane Austen Centre and perusing the book store there. If we'd had more time, we would have gone through the museum, but the bus wasn't willing to wait for us.

We did get to walk through some of Bath's streets. We walked past Sally Lunn's, home of the apparently famous Sally Lunn's Buns. It's been around since 1680, so maybe even Jane Austen enjoyed a bun or two. There was a line out the door waiting for buns, though, and the bus was getting anxious, so we missed our chance to try a 300 year old bun.

Windsor Castle

2008-05-28T15:13:00.002-05:00

Monday was Memorial Day in the States and Spring Bank Holiday here in the UK. That means that I didn't have school and Daddy didn't have work. We celebrated by spending six hours on a bus.

It's better than it sounds. We took a tour bus to some sights we'd wanted to see. We took a train to London Victoria first thing in the morning, then walked to the Victoria Coach Station, where we started the bus tour. Our first stop was Windsor Castle.

An interesting thing about Windsor Castle is that the Queen still lives there sometimes. You can walk through the State Apartments when she's not there (which we did). There's a huge dining hall, the Waterloo Chamber, with a big long table that would fit my whole entourage of pretend friends, and then some.

There's also a huge doll house (Queen Mary's Dolls' House) on display at the castle. It was big enough to park a bunch of my big toy cars in its garages.

We only had about two hours to spend at Windsor Castle before we had to get back on the bus. I'll tell you where we went next in my next post.

Wrapping Up

2008-05-22T16:42:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, we went to the Paris Aquarium. It was actually kind of lame compared to other aquariums I've been to (Chicago & Atlanta).

When Daddy finished work, we all went to Angelina, near Jardin des Tuileries. It's supposed to have the best hot chocolate in Paris. I don't drink hot chocolate, but Mama said it was good. But what really got her talking was the chocolate pastry we ordered. I tried some of it too and it was great. Tasted like silk, but a lot better, since I don't imagine real silk tastes all that good.

Thursday morning, we headed back to the Gare du Nord station, boarded the Eurostar, and headed back to London. The week in Paris wore McKenzie and me out so much that we slept all the way home.

Versailles

2008-05-22T16:18:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday, Daddy had to do some work in Paris, so Mama, McKenzie, and I went to the Palace of Versailles. Versailles is south of Paris so we had to take a train to get there. Now, you know I like trains, and I like double-decker buses, but get this: they have double-decker trains in Paris! We rode on one to get to Versailles.

Versailles was beautiful. The grounds were cool. We walked all over and checked out all the fountains. These French really know how to do their palaces.

After we got back, and after Daddy finished work, I talked Mama and Daddy into taking us out at night to see the Eiffel Tower lit up. We didn't get back to the hotel until after midnight, but I've decided I like the nightlife.

Jardin du Luxembourg

2008-05-22T15:45:00.008-05:00

On Monday in Paris, we took a stroll down the Promenade Plantée, an elevated park in east Paris. Then we went south of the river Seine to the Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the largest parks in Paris. There's a big pond/fountain in the middle of the park, where kids bring their little sailboats and push them in. They wait for them to sail back to the edge and then push them back again. Check out the video.

There's also a statue of my Uncle Jed in the park. At least it looks kind of like him...

After hanging out in the park, riding the merry-go-round there, and sitting down on the grass with hundreds of other people while we ate a snack, we walked north across the river to the Île de la Cité. There was a group of inline skaters there showing off. Here's a video of one of them.

I can do that too, and I don't need skates to do it...

Our Lady

2008-05-20T15:16:00.003-05:00

After we checked out the Louvre, we walked East along the Seine and across to the Île de la Cité. The Île de la Cité is an island in the middle of the Seine. Apparently, it's where Paris started. It's also where Notre Dame is.

We admired the cathedral from outside, then took a walk around inside. It was neat. That makes the second large and famous Catholic church I've been to. Maybe I'll go to St. Peter's Basilica next...

After we had walked around most of the city, we figured it was time for a boat ride. We floated down the Seine. Apparently that's a very touristy thing to do in Paris, but hey, we're tourists. It was a great way to see the city. We saw more great views of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.

Toward the end of the boat ride, we floated past this statue. They call it the Statue of Liberty. Apparently, they made a bigger one too, but they gave that one away...

Champs-Élysées

2008-05-18T16:01:00.011-05:00

On Sunday we took the metro to the Charles de Gaule Etoile stop. That's where the Arc de Triomphe is. We checked out the Arc de Triomphe for a while and then walked down the Champs-Élysées. If you're having a hard time pronouncing these names, join the club. But here's a website that helps: http://www.languageguide.org/francais/grammar/pronunciation/. And here's another that teaches you some French: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/.

The Champs-Élysées runs from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de Concorde. There are a bunch of shops along there that sell stuff we'd never buy. But there was a cool Puegot store that had some race cars. Check me out in front of my favorite.

We walked all the way to the Place de Concorde (a little over a mile) and to the Jardin des Tuileries just beyond Concorde. The Jardin des Tuileries is where the Louvre is. It's a cool park even without the Louvre, but having the Louvre there doesn't hurt. We didn't go in, but we checked out the big I. M. Pei pyramid out front. Mama thought it was cool. Daddy thought it didn't fit in. I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition of the old and the new.

(By the way, happy birthday Grandpa. He's 70 today. I can't count that high, but Daddy says it's a really big number.)

Eiffel Tower

2008-05-17T15:56:00.007-05:00

After we arrived in Paris, we checked in to our hotel. We stayed in La Défense, a business district in the Northwest part of Paris. We then took the Metro to the Champs Elysée Clemenceau stop and walked across and then along the river Seine. We walked toward the Eiffel Tower, but stopped at a little playground on the way. McKenzie got a kick out of the slide.

After a few times down the slide, we headed on to the Eiffel Tower. It was a pretty busy day, so we had to wait in line for tickets for about an hour and a half. The time passed quickly for me, though, cause McKenzie and I took a nap while we waited.

We went up to the very top of the tower. Mama got a little nervous on the elevator ride up, but once we got up there everyone was fine. It was a sweet view from up there. We could see the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and all along the Seine. And from that high up, people look like sprinkles and cars look like candy.

Bonjour

2008-05-16T15:18:00.004-05:00

I just got back from a week in Paris. Daddy had to do some work there, so we decided to tag along.

We took the Eurostar train. It's about a two hour train ride that goes from London St. Pancras station to Paris Gare du Nord. It goes under the English Channel to get there. We left around 9am last Saturday. A couple of hours later, Mama told me we were in Paris.

"Where's the Eiffel Tower. I can't see it." I announced, loud enough for the whole train car to hear.

I got a few chuckles from that one. The Eiffel Tower is nowhere near Gare du Nord. Not to mention that you can't see it from inside a train station.

We stayed in Paris from Saturday until yesterday (Thursday). We had a lot of fun. I'll tell you all about it and share pictures in my upcoming posts. Until then, au revoir.

Happy Birthday McKenzie

2008-04-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was McKenzie's birthday. We spent the afternoon at Battersea Park. Battersea Park is a nice park in South London, just a few train stops from us. We walked around and sat on the grass and watched the ducks. It also has a cool playground with a really big slide.

After that we went home and had dinner and then cake. McKenzie got a princess cake. In case you can't tell from the picture, the cake has Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella on it.

So, McKenzie's two now. When we ask her how old she is, she still says "one," though. I guess getting older takes some getting used to.

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-23T17:30:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm back in London. It was great to spend a few weeks with my homies back in Atlanta. But it's also nice to be back where my toys are.

On the plane ride back to London, Mama asked me what would be the first thing I'd do when we got home.

"Play with my trains," I said without hesitating. Then she asked McKenzie the same question.

"Vacuum."

We got back to London Monday morning. We were pretty tired, and just happy to be home, so I skipped school that day. (Monday was the first day of the new term.) I went to school on Tuesday, though, and had a great time. On the way home, I told Mama about my day.

"I met a girl today," I said.

Mama proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions about her. I got grilled, really. Maybe next time I won't mention it...

Atlanta Temple

2008-04-12T14:01:00.003-05:00

Mama and Daddy went to the Atlanta Temple this week. McKenzie and I hung out with Grandma and Grandpa while Mama and Daddy went inside.

Afterwards, we went to the tomatoes restaurant (aka, Sweet Tomatoes), my favorite restaurant. While we where there, I had the following conversation with Mama:

Me: "Mama, do you know what my favorite kind of water is?"
Mama: "What's your favorite kind of water?"
Me, chewing on ice: "The crunchy kind."

Stone Mountain

2008-04-12T13:34:00.004-05:00

We went to Stone Mountain this week. Stone Mountain is sort of a shrine to insurgents from years past, back when Southerners thought insurgency was a good thing.

We took a tram to the top of the mountain, took a train around the mountain, rode a boat in front of the mountain, and generally had a good time. It was fun to hang out with my friend Benjamin.

Oh, and there were monster trucks there, too. That's something Southerners have never grown tired of...

I'm in Atlanta

2008-04-06T17:14:00.002-05:00

We came back to Atlanta for a visit. We left London on Wednesday morning. It was a nine hour flight, but it was the best nine hour flight I've ever had. We got upgraded to business class. They had oversold economy so I think they needed to clear some space there. That, and the fact that Daddy has lots of status, meant we got to fly up front.

The other business class travelers must have been a little surprised, if not leery, to see us up there. McKenzie and I were really good kids, though. We ate a good meal, watched a few movies, and took good naps.

It's been fun being back in Atlanta. I've been hanging out with my friends Benjamin and Riley. I'll tell you about my adventures here, once I have them.

Church of England

2008-03-31T15:32:00.004-05:00

We went to the Church of England yesterday. Before you think that we're switching teams, we had an ulterior motive. Daddy has a friend at work that goes to the Church of England. They made a deal: if we go to his church then he'll come to ours. Yesterday, we went to his church.

David's church is in an old building that was originally built in the 1400s, although it's been rebuilt since then. The sermon was about whether children should be allowed to take communion. Actually, it was more a matter of the vicar (the priest) trying to convince the congregation that it was a good idea. Afterwards, they took sort of a straw poll to see how everyone felt about it.

After church, David invited us to his house for lunch. He has a great house with a beautiful garden (garden = yard for you yankees). Here's a picture of the swing in his rear garden.

After lunch, David had a bunch of other friends from his church over for an Easter egg hunt. All the adults hid the Easter eggs and then we kids got to find them. I found a lot.

All in all, it was a really fun day. When we got home, Daddy asked me if I noticed anything different about David's church.

"The sacrament table," I said.

He was impressed at my astuteness. "Anything else?" he asked.

"The sacrament," I said, acknowledging that they hadn't passed it around. Daddy said I'm a smart kid.

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T13:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter everyone. We had a fun Easter here.

On my last day of school, I gave chocolate easter bunnies to my teachers at school, and one to the crosswalk lady that helps me cross the street on my way to school. She thought that was pretty neat.

Yesterday, we had the missionaries over for dinner. Mama cooked a gammon. If you don't know what a gammon is, that's okay. We didn't either. Mama went to the local organic butcher and asked for a ham. She got a blank stare.

"Do you mean a gammon?" the butcher asked.

Apparently, she did.

The gammon came uncooked. Mama soaked it for a few hours and then boiled it for another couple of hours. It turned out great. It was the best gammon I've ever had.

Snow

2008-03-23T03:33:00.004-05:00

It snowed here yesterday and it's snowing again today. It even hailed a little yesterday. It's not cold enough to stay on the ground, but I caught some snowflakes in my hands and in my hair.

School's Out!

2008-03-20T13:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my last day of school for the term. Daddy says it was my first last day of school. He says not to get too excited because I'll have a lot more. Now, I'll go to museums, play at parks, and have friends over for a few days. Then I get to go back to Atlanta. I'll see my friends in Atlanta and check out my old stomping grounds. Then when I come back to London, I get to go to school again! I can't wait.

Babysitters

2008-03-16T14:29:00.004-05:00

After we got home from Paddington Station last week, Karen and Brody came over to babysit. Brody is the Elder's Quorum President at church and Karen is the Relief Society President. Why two presidents from the same family? Because the old Relief Society President (the Stake President's wife) will be moving soon.

Karen and Brody are a young couple from the States. Brody works for Nokia as a designer. He likes to design cool track layouts with my train set. That's what we did when they came to babysit.

While we were playing with trains, Mama and Daddy went to see a play in London's theatre district. They saw The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. Apparently, it's been playing in London for the last 55 years. After that long, shouldn't someone have figured out whodunnit?

Kensington Gardens

2008-03-16T14:11:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday we went to Kensington Gardens. To get there, we took the train to London Victoria, and then the Circle Line tube to Bayswater, near Kensington Gardens.

Kensington Gardens is a big park that's just the other side of Hyde Park. It has a big playground called the Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground. It's a pretty sweet playground. It has a pirate ship, some log houses, some teepees, and some slides. We played for a while until it started to rain. Then I chased some birds around the park.

After that, we went to Paddington Station, just a couple stops from Kensington Gardens. Paddington Bear is named after Paddington Station. My friend Benjamin is a big Paddington Bear fan, so here's a shout out for Benjamin!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-03-02T11:51:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day.

"Huh?" you're probably saying, if you're reading this from the States.

Well, today is Mother's Day in the United Kingdom.

At school, I painted a porcelain box at school so I could give it to her for Mother's Day. She also got a present from church: a little candleholder that says "Oh Mum, you're so special.". She thought it was cool to have a present that says "Mum" on it.

Horniman Museum

2008-03-02T11:39:00.004-05:00

We went to the Horniman Museum yesterday. It's a small museum in Dulwich, south of London.

We went with our friends, the Goulehi family. The Goulehi's parents are from the Ivory Coast in Africa, and they lived in France before they came to London. The Goulehi kids speak French and English. It's pretty cool hearing someone say "McKenzie" with a French accent.

The kids are Iman, David, and Gracie. David is my age and Gracie is McKenzie's age.

The coolest part about the Horniman Museum was a room they had with some drums and other percussion instruments that you can play. Here's McKenzie jamming on the xylophone with David.

London Zoo

2008-03-02T10:31:00.004-05:00

The week before last was half term. Half term is when all the kids get a week off from school because it's half way through the term. After being used to going to school every day, having a week with no schedule was a bit rough. We found some fun things to do, though.

One fun thing we did was go to the London Zoo. Mama, McKenzie, and I went with our friend Katrina and her Mom (or "Mum" as they say here). Katrina's mom is from Russia (Siberia, even). Her dad is from Wales. She speaks Russian and English. She's one of my many multi-cultural friends here.

Here's a picture of me, McKenzie, and Katrina on the bus on the way to the zoo. We took three buses to get there. Some were double deckers; some were regular buses.

The zoo was a lot of fun. We saw giraffes, bears, monkeys, and lots of other stuff. We didn't get many good pictures because it was cold and overcast. But you know what all those animals look like anyway.

Miss Potato Head

2008-02-10T14:21:00.002-05:00

This is how McKenzie plays with Mr. Potato Head.

I Love to See the Temple

2008-02-10T03:32:00.000-05:00

We went to see the London England Temple today. The London temple is in Newchapel, which is basically out in the countryside south of London. We took the train to Lingfield and then took a cab from there. We just walked around the grounds and Mama got some stuff at the distribution center.

To get home, we were a little more adventurous. Instead of taking a cab, we walked the 2.5 miles back to the station. There was sidewalk most of the way. Where there wasn't, we did a little off-roading through the mud in our stroller. Daddy almost accidentally dumped us out of the stroller a few times. That was the fun part; the rest was just nice. Lot's of green rolling hills, old houses, and some sheep.

Double Deckers

2008-02-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

I finally got to ride on a double decker bus today! I've wanted to do it ever since I heard we were moving to London. We took the train to the London Victoria station and then we took Bus 11 into Chelsea. Driving through London on the top of a double decker bus is a cool way to see the city.

As we were going through Chelsea we saw a cool open air market in Duke of York Square. We got off, checked it out, and bought a couple of snacks. We walked around Chelsea just a little and then hopped back on the #11 heading the other way.

Next, we got off at Westminster where we checked out Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament (to which Big Ben is attached), and Westminster Abbey.

Daddy also made us take a picture of this statue of Winston Churchill so that Grandpa could see it.

Parc de la Ciutadella

2008-01-31T17:16:00.000-05:00

Our last day in Barcelona we went to the Parc de la Ciutadella. The entrance to the park is near Barcelona's version of the Arc de Triomf. The park has a big fountain designed by Gaudí, a cool playground, and a huge statue of a wooly mammoth. We played for a while and then had to head out to go home. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was fun.