Londontown

Westminster Abbey

Dragon and clock at the entrance to London city

Big Ben

Loved this

Another Clock

London Eye, River Thames, Big Ben and Parliament

Adam and Double Decker Bus

Me and telephone booth

So much to tell a week in London with Shay and Adam. It was nice, intense, exhausting, adventurous, jet lagged, rain free, beautiful, dirty and lovely. We tried to get used to the time change right away, but the fact that Adam wouldn't let me sleep on the way over and wouldn't go to Shay (he was lovely both there and back by the way, he just wanted me) made it where I had to sleep once we got there. Our hotel was great and let us check in at 9 am. Thanks Hilton Croydon. The people had lovely accents that I enjoyed thoroughly. And every one was super nice and helpful. Although I was a bit worried because the airport wasn't such a friendly place. Everything seems to be about the price it is here except in pounds sterling which is about $1.70 so things are a little pricey. I tried not to think about it and just had fun. We visited all the sites including: Hyde parks speaking corner, where Shay had a discussion with a Socialist, we had an ice cream in the park and sat in expensive seats (you have to pay 3pounds each) but we didn't pay, the guy let us off nicely when we said we would leave right away. Buckingham Palace. We rode the Underground or Tube, where I made Shay carry the stroller down 185 stairs only to have to ride an escalator up to the platform. I loved the train and the constant MIND THE GAP. I thought that was funny till I got Adams stroller wheel caught...Mind the Gap wont you already! We saw St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Went on a bus tour, river tour and a Jack the Ripper walking tour, which was interesting. Went to lots of museums, Tate modern, British museum, National museum. Went to a game store and bought settlers expansion, traders and barbarians and a carcassone expansion. Went to lots of little stores and bought gifts. Everything is old and small. Had a wonderful dessert in Covent Gardens at an Italian place. Went to China town, Piccadilly Circus, sang Morrissey while riding a double Decker bus, bus driver crashed, but only minor. Wonder if it had anything to do with my singing? Went to Antique Market where everyone oohed and aaahed over my cute mohawked baby. Took lots of pictures of clocks. Got Adams picture drawn in the park. Ate Lunch and people watched at Trafalgar Square. Asked the bobbies where to buy Nappies, bought nappies, bought lots of chocolate bars, ate lots of chocolate bars. Bought Skyler some Cajun Squirrel potato crisps (chips are fries) that the twins actually liked, yuck. Looking back I think I am enjoying it more or as much as being there. I am sure there is more but it is dinner time, Cheers!

WT speaks out!

I have been feeling like a total WT the last couple of days. Going beyond my norm to feel extraordinarily WT. For those of you who don't know what that means WT= white trash. The feelings began when I was at the thrift store yesterday. Adam was crying and the girls were running around like they were at a McDonald's play place. I kept trying to involve them in the process of looking for cute things for Adam and themselves but they insisted on running rampant like a bunch of hoodlums. Finally I decided to change Adams diaper, hoping he would stop crying so I could look for a couple of things on my thrift store list. It didn't work, he was hungry. Rather than stop looking for great thrift store bargains on half price day, I decided to nurse him while I looked. Yes you are right, that is a very WT thing to do, added to the fact that I have 3 little mismatched self-clothed girls running around the store ignoring their pleading mother who is begging them to stay by the stroller. I was covered by a blanket and probably would have been able to finish without feeling too trashy, when all of a sudden...BAM. I knew one of mine were involved. So I quickly lay Adam in his car seat, pull my shirt down and run. All the while my milk is pouring out all over my shirt. I come around the corner and Jane is on the floor with a headboard and foot board laying on the ground beside her. I grab her and run back over to Adam so I can take the blanket off his face and stop my milk from gushing everywhere. You say, can it get any more WT than that? Yes, I say, yes.
Then the saga continues, today I am so tired...(I do have an 8 week old and 4 others, so I can be tired every now and then) when I remember I have to replace a movie from the library that Elly broke and return 4 others. They are a dollar a day each, so I have to do it today. It was 4:30 and I load all the kids in the car. We get to Target and Elly is a total mess, crying, yelling, stomping. For some reason all the kids like to go total berserko when we go to any store. So people are looking at me because I have 5 kids, I look hammered, they look hammered and they are acting like complete loonatics. Not only do I feel what they are thinking, they are probably right. I have way too many kids to be in public, where people should act a certain way and that way is the complete opposite than the way my kids are acting. So I get out of the store, Elly is running one way, Skyler and Kaely another. I have Jane and Adam in the stroller, cars are all over. I say come on, stay by me, your gonna get run over, people are looking at me like I am WT and I am feeling it, when Kaely jumps in front of the stroller. I run over the back of her foot and she screams bloody murder. That is the pinnacle of my WT moment. I wondered why I had brought my misbehaving children in public when I am too tired to handle it. So the moral of the story, I don't know, I am too tired. If you think of one let me know.

Skylers Poem

Skyler wrote this poem while doing his spelling sentances homework. Very fun.

My Lamb

My favorite lamb happily lives in China.
He most often calls me Carl.
He joyfully lives in a castle in Chinatown.
Steve [the lamb] has bad skills of listening.
He rarely uses a comb.
He climbed Mount Fuji the fastest and lived to tell the tale.
Steve never securely fastens his seat belt, so he has broken a lot of bones.
He only eats crumbs, so he is very skinny.
He usually puts mousse in his wool, which makes it stiff and spiky, but it always softens out.
Steve doesn’t have any thumbs, which is frustrating because he [happily for him] can’t help me do my chores.

Mad Bargaining Skills

Christy told me I must blog about my mad skills to find cheap things and ask for them even cheaper. Well today was a day of deals. To start the day off I finally found a cute pacifier strap for Adam and cute paci's as well, which totally put me in a good mood because I really wanted them. Even though they weren't on sale. Then I found a great watch for Shay for 75% off. He had surgery today and I wanted him to know I was thinking of him and what a better way than spending 12$ and asking him what he thought I spent. "It looks like it should have cost 80$ but I bet you figured out some way to get it for 12 or 13." I laughed knowing he was right and it felt good! I of course left him in the dark knowing he would take better care of an 80$ watch than a 12$ watch.
But lets move on...I had actually gone to Target to get a vacuum and ran out of time, too many choices too little time. Which benefited me later. The one I really wanted at Target was 250$ and I would NEVER buy a vacuum for that much. It would kill me. Seriously, I would die and then return it and all that wasted life and time. Any way, So we went to Home Depot after the kids got home from school. The same vacuum was 127$ Yeah, but wait, one of the attachments are missing. So the crazy lady from Home Depot who actually had driven me crazy just days ago while looking for a gas range for our kitchen, gave me 37$ off the already reduced price. So I get the 250$ vacuum for 95$. Yes! Crazy lady you can make me crazy any day for a discount. I think she felt sorry for us because our kids looked totally hammered and there were alot of them.
But that is not all, I wanted to get wood to make a garden box for our backyard, and what do I find in the discount bin... Yes you guessed it exactly what I was looking for. Four big pieces of wood marked down to a dollar each. I was excited, but even more so when the guy went to ring them up and they were 27$ each. I of course only paid a dollar each, beautiful day.
Yes today was a wonderful day of deals, and my vacuum works super duper good! Could you ask for more?
One last thing, we were actually going to go to wal-mart to get a vacuum but I had a feeling we should go to Home Depot. This happens to me all the time and when it does I usually find what I am looking for and for a great price. What can I say, I am just good I guess. Or really blessed.

The cutest baby in the world!

Our friend Marchet is a very talented photographer. She always comes through and does an amazing job. She took these beauties of my beauty. I really wanted some in his blessing outfit before he out grew it, he gets fatter every morning, I am sure of it. I think she did super on these photos, thanks Marchet.

Okay so maybe you have had enough of this little guy, but I sure can't get enough. I just love him.

Our Sweet Little Adam

So a good friend took some great pics of Adam in the hospital. She did such a great job, I am loving them.

photo shoot

Today I did a photo shoot with the girls on a whim in the living room. It was fun. Here are the results. Kaely took the first two and I took the rest. Kaely also posed the girls.