London Day 3

 We started our day off walking down to Buckingham Palace.  Both boys are super independent.  We found them walking so far ahead of us a few times.  We usually yell, "GUYS" and they come back.  This morning, as the boys were way ahead of us again, Nate yelled, "GUYS" and these two officers jerked around.  They looked at Nate and said, "Us guys?"  He laughed and said no the little guys.  One officer laughed and said, "Oh good!  I thought we were in trouble!"  It was hilarious! 

 We got a few quick pictures of Buckingham Palace. 

 Then, we headed to see Wicked.

 We have been talking about seeing Wicked for years now!  On Wednesday, they have matinee showings which is perfect for our family!

 We had AMAZING seats!  No one sat in front of Ethan or Lincoln.  They had a perfect view!

 The show was the highlight of our trip.

 After the show, we walked down to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament.

 Once again, Ethan loved taking pictures. 

 Lincoln found Lincoln!

 We couldn't decided what to do for dinner, so we went back towards the hotel and had 

burgers and shakes again!  

At the end of the trip, I asked everyone what their favorite day was and this was Ethan's favorite day.

London Day 2

 In 2000, Marilyn and I went to London.  Our first stop off the plane was to Hampton Court Palace.  I had the worst jet lag!  I didn't remember a thing!  This time, we were plenty rested!

 Hampton Court Palace is one of the two remaining palaces owned by Henry VIII.  

 It was a quick train ride from Waterloo Station on a gorgeous day!

 The palace had lots of activities for kids.  

They had drawing books and scavenger hunt books along with audio guides.

 We visited the palace kitchens first.

We sat in the Great Hall and let the boys work on their booklets.  

 It really kept them occupied while we listened to our audio guide.  

 We explored Henry VIII's apartments.  These dresses were made out of paper.  

 We also explored King George's apartments.  

 Years ago, photography was not allowed.  Marilyn was videoing in this room and the tour guide told her "NO PHOTOGRAPHY!"  I had to show her it was allowed now!

 We spent quite a bit of time outside.   It was an amazingly beautiful day!

 About the only thing I do remember from the 2000 visit, was the maze.  I remember wanting to cry because I was so tired and I wanted to lay down!  I thought it took us forever or about 30 minutes to get through it!  These speedy guys did it in less than 10 minutes.

 After the maze, we found the gardens.  

 They wanted to climb the trees so badly.  

 This side of the palace reminded me of Versailles.  

 We spent about six hours at Hampton Court Palace.  It wasn't until the last few minutes that the fellas started complaining.  The palace did a great job of having lots of activities for kids!

Beautiful sunset on our way across the Black Friar's Bridge on our walk back to the hotel.
This day was the favorite of the trip for Nate and I both!

London Spring Break 2015

 We got into London on Easter evening.  

We were lucky enough to be able to have dinner at a great burger place near our hotel.

 Our hotel is right near the Thames.  We walked down the river and took a few night pictures.

 I love the Globe!

 St. Paul's Cathedral across the river.  

 We decided to have Museum Monday!  Our first stop was at the Modern Tate Museum.  

 Nate gave Ethan his old Ipod Touch and he was in heaven taking pictures this trip.

 As we walked into the first room, Lincoln says that he thinks that painting is a Picasso.  Sure enough, he was right.  I didn't think too much of it until the stinker walked to the next room

 and did the same thing.

 We laughed and then it became a challenge.  He was right 9/10x! I was shocked!  Picasso is pretty distinctive, but this museum was mostly abstract art.  

 He asked me to take his picture every time he found one!

 The Tate was a fun museum.  

 We crossed the Thames near St. Paul's Cathedral on our way to the British Museum.

 We found a Dutch restaurant serving what they call pancakes.  I call it a crepe.   Nate and I shared this massive plate and we still didn't finish it!

 We had a nice cool day to explore the British Museum.  

The last time we were here it was HOT and crowded!

 We headed straight to the Parthenon exhibits.  The last time we saw this exhibit, we had not seen the actual Parthenon.  It was neat to see it again and imagine it on the Parthenon.  

 We explored the Nineveh exhibit and then headed to the Egyptian mummies.  

 We were tired so, we decided to sit in a coffee shop and play on the phone until dinner.  

 This was what we were ALL excited about!  Dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Heddon Street Kitchen!

 I love that they had a three course kid's menu, but the BEST part was that the 

kid's meals were free on Easter Monday!  

 I had the pork belly, apple sauce, and mashed potatoes.  Nate had fish, potato puree, and macaroni and cheese.  Lincoln had rigatoni with meat sauce.  Ethan had fish, peas, and chips. 

We all shared barbeque wings.  

For dessert, Nate and I had mini donuts.  Lincoln had brownie and ice cream.  

Ethan had this massive ice cream cookie sandwich!

At the end of the week, I asked which day was the best.  Lincoln picked his day!   

I think it was mainly for dinner!