Halloween 2014

This year the boys both chose the same theme for their costume.  They both decided to go as skeletons.  We had chili and mummy dogs for dinner (a tradition started years back with the Cowleys).  They were eager to get started so we headed out with their neighborhood friends.  They got all the houses in our neighbor about 2.5 hours.  Henry was done after one side of the neighborhood and decided to stay home for the second half.  Both the boys had at least 5 pounds of candy each! Yikes!

Henry's First Lost Tooth

Henry lost his first tooth.  It had been loose for a bit.  The boys were playing in the basement and before I knew it, Henry was headed upstairs with a bloody mouth. I guess Jack slipped and his foot hit Henry's mouth.  We couldn't find the tooth, but Henry didn't seem to mind so much. He was just so excited to finally be getting big boy teeth!  He wrote a note to the tooth fairy about not being able find his tooth.  Seemed to work out just fine!

Jack's 9th Birthday

Jack turned 9! Where has the time gone?  He decided he wanted a minecraft theme party this year. He invited a bunch of friends from school and they all came over after school.  They ate minecraft themed food and then got into the games!  Kris made up a really fun code breaker scavenger hunt game.  The boys had to break a code to find out the next clue. They were all trying to get the prize at the end (candy ring).  It was challenging, but they all seemed to enjoy it!  Then it was pinata time.  We made a TNT pinata and it stood up pretty well for a long time. Jack finally got it opened and the boys went crazy for the candy!  To finish off all the fun, they shot off coke and mentos fountains and then had a giant nerf gun battle!

London Trip

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit our good friends the Cowleys in London.  The boys were super excited about going on a trip, especially one that took them out of the United States.  They loved the plane flight and to be able to have their own tv in front of them for 7 hours!  They were great travelers!  The Cowleys put us up for our week long trip.  It was so good to see them and visit with them.  They chauffeured us around many great sights in England.

We visited Windsor Castle (Queen Victoria's weekend home).  It was amazing to step into a castle that is actually still used and not just for show.  The boys liked listening to all the stories they told during our tour through the castle.  They really listened and learn quite a bit.

We also enjoyed a day at Lego Land.  Henry has been talking about going here for at least a year.  It was a fun day and the boys got to explore so many rides and fun attractions there. Henry's favorite ride was the Viking Splash were we all got a bit wet!

Another day we journeyed to Warwick Castle.  This castle dates back to when the Lancasters and Yorks were battling it out!  We saw a demonstration of a trebuchet  (catapult) that threw giant fire balls.  We also got to experience giant birds of prey up close and learn a little more about the life of a bowman.  The view from the top of the castle wall was breathtaking and the little town around it was so darling.

We also had a great trip to Harry Potter Studios.  It was so neat to be on the actual set of where the films were made.  They had a fun activity for the kids throughout the tour where they had to spot the golden snitches.  All the kids had fun looking for them.  Corbin and Megan treated us all to some Butterbeer, while the kids explored the flying car and motorcycle.  The giant model of Hogwarts was impressive as well as the room of wand boxes, each one with a name of someone that had worked on the movie.

The adults got a night out too!  We left the kids at home with babysitters and headed out for a night on the town in London.  We got off the tube near Harrods.  I've been wanting to visit Harrods since my last trip to England when I was 16.  It still holds up as an amazing store.  Even the ceilings are decorated so beautifully!  It was packed and we were so glad we didn't have the boys with us!  We hit the chocolates and tea section first and then walked around the main floor area.  We check out some watches that cost more than our house!  Amazingly over the top ridiculous, but fun to look at!  We walked around Piccadilly Circus and found a tasty Italian place for dinner before we took in a show.  It was a great night and we all enjoyed being together, especially without the kiddos!

Another day took us into London.  We took the bus, train, boat, and more buses to explore all the great spots of London.  After gazing up at the London Eye, we took a ferry down the Thames and was told about the various histories of the buildings nearby.  We passed under London Bridge and got close to Tower Bridge. The ferry dropped us off at the Tower of London where we ate fish and chips for lunch.  Jack had a hot dog and it was awful. Note to self: stick with fish and chips!  We then got on our Big Bus tour bus and got to see the city from the top deck.  We stopped off near Big Ben where we learned the origin of its name.  The bell was named after the man who made it named Ben. I guess the bell and he had a similar shape!  He also constructed the Liberty Bell.  Westminster Abby was closed for church services so we couldn't go inside, but was still amazing to see from the outside. Then we walked down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.  It was cool to see, but the Queen was out of town so we weren't able to have tea with her!  Our last stop was the highlight for the boys.  We went to Hamleys, the worlds oldest toy store.  It was 5 floors full of toys!  Each floor had a different theme.  One for building things, one for crafts, one all for dolls and such.  The boys loved seeing the store employees demonstrating flying objects, race cars that climb walls, and new games you can play using an app off your phone.  We got some goodies and made it back to the train station in time for our train back to the Cowleys.

Our last day we spent shopping around Windsor in the rain.  It was a perfect English day.  We were so lucky to only get two days of rain while we were there.  We loved spending time with Corbin, Megan, and the kids.  It had been way too long since we've been able to hang out like old times!  Megan is a mean cook and fed us well and Corbin got the top star as he chauffeured us to the airport the next day through an amazing amount of traffic!  We were all sad to leave and get back to our every day lives in Pville.

We're so thankful to the Cowleys and their generosity and hospitality. We will always remember this trip!