What a great week! After being stuck in the house with all the bugs, it was SO refreshing to get out and play!
Sunday, we dragged ourselves to church-just for the last hour. We were still poorly, and I don’t think we would have gone normally, but Paul was needed for the baptisms right after church. So, we made it to sacrament meeting, and I’m so glad we did. My voice was gone, but I was determined to share my testimony. I had missed the last few opportunities because of travelling or feeding Alice, so I was glad to be able to share what I’ve been learning.
After church, Paul was able to baptize Ryan and Jamie, and we did an impromptu music number of “Come Follow Me.” Paul sang beautifully, and I had a great experience improvising on the accompaniment. Rachel loved watching the baptism and talks about “get baptized” all the time.
The rest of the week was spent preparing for London, but highlights include our Tuesday night activity. Paul has to go to the church for correlation meeting, so I packed up the girls and went too. We get out nursery toys and play the piano or dance around. This time, I was determined to get moving, so I did some dancing with Rachel, and we had so much fun! I got a proper work out. Lots of princess songs…
Wednesday, Carol came to the rescue! We went into the city to a place called “Snappy Snaps” to get Alice’s passport picture taken. Paul happened to have a break from class, so he met up with us, and we all ate some amazing Indian food from a little street vendor. Usually, I honestly can’t even stomach the thought of eating Indian food, but it smelled SO good, I ate 3 samosas and a few other things! We also went to the city library and got our library cards! YAY! There’s a great children’s section, and Rachel and Alice get their own cards to check out 10 books at a time with no fees for damages.
That night, we had Elder Beckstead and Elder Higham over for dinner. They were so sweet. Brought a pie for dessert and picked up the trash that had blown into our yard. I love being able to meet and serve these cute missionaries. Rachel loves them too!
Thursday, we ditched playgroup to get ready for our trip. Paul came home early from school, we quickly shoved in some food, then caught the bus to the train station. We were quite a sight with the double stroller and a big suitcase, but we packed as light as we could. I was proud of myself for not over-packing. We made it to the train station, found a nice table, and enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride to Euston Station. Luckily, the train wasn’t very crowded, and nobody wants to sit by the noisy kids anyway, so we had plenty of room to play. The train was pretty warm, but other than that, I think it’s the best way to travel! No one has to be locked into seats, Paul is free to help, and we got there in great time!
We took the tube to Pimlico and found our “hotel” just fine. There were no escalators or elevators at our stop or in the hotel, but Paul and I got really good at carrying our stroller and luggage up and down stairs. The “hotel” was actually a stack of one-bedroom apartments that were converted into a hotel. So, there was no lobby or people on staff, but the place was clean and ready for us. We asked for a child’s cot (which I thought referred to a travel crib), but they set up a camping style cot instead. We decided to put Rachel and Paul in the big bed, and I slept on the cot in the living room with Alice on the couch. It would have been fine, except the cot felt like sleeping on cardboard with wires poking through, and the springs holding it up would pop out every time I rolled over. It was hilarious. I managed to get a little sleep, though, and we were grateful to have a kitchen. It was nice to feel like we had a little home base.
Friday morning, we were up early to catch the bus to the Embassy. I had to pinch myself as we rode past Hyde Park. I love London! We ran out of juice, and Rachel was freaking out, so while we were in line for security, I ran two blocks to buy some juice at a pharmacy. We were so nervous about getting in and having the right paperwork. Plus, the armed guards outside are intimidating. It’s a little overwhelming. But we got in just fine, and after filling out a bunch of forms, we were able to wait in this room that has a great area for kids! Rachel loved all the toys and books, so it was a fun morning for her. We spent about 2 hours waiting to be approved, and in a couple weeks, we will have a US birth certificate, US passport, and social security card for Alice! Yay!
After the Embassy, we walked to Picadilly Circus to catch the Original Tour Bus. Before we got on, we decided to feed everyone and change nappies at KFC. (How very American of us.) We took the tour bus to Buckingham Palace, where we got off to look around. Rachel LOVED the water in the fountain, and we made fun of all the people with selfie sticks. Just kidding. Kinda.
We barely missed getting on the next bus, so we were out there in the cold for about 40 minutes. By the time we got back on the bus, we were all fairly frozen, so the girls fell asleep! Paul and I were a bit worn out, so we didn’t get off for a while. We drove all around London-St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Tower of London, London Eye, Parliament Square, Victoria Bridge, and more. It was fun to hear stories from the tour guide and just sit together for a bit. After finishing the tour, we decided to go back to the hotel for a quick break. We were walking through a pedestrian subway when Rachel’s nappy exploded all over. Luckily, it was just wet, but there was no way she could wear those trousers (pants) home. We didn’t have a change of clothes with us, so Paul used my moby wrap (for babies) and wrapped up her legs in some make-shift pants! Ha! It was cute! She just sat in the stroller the rest of the way home, and they kept her nice and warm.
After feeding Alice and taking a short nap, we went to CHIPOTLE with Charly and Loren! YAY!!! It was so fun to see them! And we LOVED having some Mexican food. There’s nowhere in Birmingham with decent Mexican food, so we were really excited about Chipotle. (Note: If acting doesn’t work out, we may open a Café Rio over here. People would go nuts!) After dinner, we walked around Covent Gardens and had THE BEST hot chocolate at a cute little chocolate shop. (Venti?) We had the place to ourselves! So fun! We had a great night just walking the streets of London with Charly and Loren. They were so cute with Rachel and Alice, and I was amazed at how quiet the streets were. London is so beautiful. The sidewalks are so big and clean, and the architecture of every building is fun to look at! You just feel grand walking in such a big, beautiful, exciting, historical city.
That night, we juggled the sleeping situation so I could be on the bed. Everyone slept through the night, so we were all set for a great Saturday. We checked out and took our luggage to the Jones’s, then we all went to Leicester Square to hunt down some show tickets. We didn’t end up getting anything, so we wandered through the streets to Hamley’s-a huge toy shop! Rachel was in HEAVEN. There was a remote-control minion, tons of Toy Story and Monster’s Inc toys, Peppa Pig dolls and backpacks, Legos, flying contraptions, and Paul and I enjoyed the Harry Potter exhibit. We could have stayed there all day! There were two whole floors we didn’t even get to see! Next time? The Jones showed us GBK-a really good burger joint. The waitress was a cute Italian girl, and she was OBSESSED with Rachel. Ha! It was cute and maybe a tiny bit creepy.
We ended up going to the Disney store for a minute, then Charly and Loren took us on a highlights tour of the National Gallery. Unfortunately, half the museum was closed due to a worker’s strike, so we’ll have to go back and see more. It was pretty incredible to stand in front of Da Vinci’s work, though.
That evening, we introduced Rachel to Mulan and had fun hanging out with the Jones’s. It was the weekend of callbacks for the Nauvoo/British Pageants, so we were able to FaceTime a few friends while they were on a break. It’s really the best weekend of the year, because we typically get to see a TON of friends in one place, doing what we love! It was sad to be so far away, but I’m grateful for technology and hanging out with the Jones which made us feel closer.
Poor Rachel had some tummy trouble, so we spent the better part of 2 hours trying to help her feel better. Paul and Loren went to get some Prune juice, which seemed to help, and Rachel was so worn out, she and Alice BOTH slept through the night. Didn’t wake up until 8! Wahoo!! Charly and Loren were so nice to let us stay with them. And we met their lovely flat mates! So fun!
It was sad to say goodbye on Sunday, but we know we’ll be back. I purposefully didn’t try to cram too much into this trip. I wanted to be relaxed and not tied into much of a schedule. You just never know with the weather and two little girls.. Luckily, it was pretty mild weather-cold and windy, but sunny. (No snow or rain! It’s a miracle!) Now we feel like we know our way around, and we know what’s worth seeing again. There’s plenty to do in London, and I really love it there. Maybe we’ll move closer after we graduate? We’ll share a big place with Charly and Loren, and we can trade off babysitting while we all audition for gigs. Haha!
Rachel’s Corner:
Loves to ask “Where are we, Mommy?” I think it’s because I ask her that when we film little videos for the family.
Loves anything fuzzy-pipe cleaners, pom poms, Charly and Loren’s hot pads, etc.
Getting to be such a good walker! She used to ask me to “holja Bean?” (Hold ya, Bean?) all the time, but her endurance is improving every day!
She sings “Sunbeam” and a little song we made up called “Muffy-muffin’s Awake”
All About Alice:
Gives us the best belly laughs when we tickle her or pretend to bite her cheeks
Has the best grip I’ve ever seen… or felt
Started scooting around on her back. Still not a big fan of tummy time, though.
Loves when we sing or play music for her
Constantly stares at Daddy when he’s around. Me too, little girl, me too.
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