London Outing II

After being catered to for breakfast (this is the life! and we are contemplating staying longer…) we went into London again.  We had lunch and played at the playground while waiting to ride the London Eye.

The boys liked how tiny everything looked, and Jack thought he would check the stability of the glass behind the bars by slipping between them and pushing his body away from the bars – all  to my horror.  Eric just shrugged.  (A COMPLETE role reversal for us in terms of worry about the boys getting hurt.)

We walked across this bridge to see Big Ben and go to the aquarium. (this is the view from the Eye, and the glass is a bit dirty.)

     

At the aquarium, the turtles and sharks were the highlights.  The sharks had a giant tank that went down three floors, with many viewing areas.  Of course, it seems as though the sharks always swim near a window where you are not…but we finally got some shots with some. ( I think if you click on the photo, you are linked to a bigger version.  These look really cool big.)

Jack

Owen

Jack

Double Decker

big hit

The Quanrud Residence

When my Uncle John and and Aunt Lynne offered to let us stay at their house in London for the first part of our trip, we were very pleasantly surprised.  We had not been expecting them to offer.  They are 4 working adults, and we did not think that the arrival of 4 more people (doubling the number of people in their house) who were in a completely opposite time zone – and would be up at odd hours – would be something that was even feasible.

Yet they did offer, and we hardly breathed in before we blurted out YES!

We were expecting a place to stay and some really good directions and ideas about what to do in London with the boys.  But we got OH so much more than that…oh so much more!

First, they gave up two rooms (which Eric and I think is one of the main beneficial factors in getting on the correct time schedule so quickly).  This  is where Nick slept (at least the first night, until Owen came to wake him up at 5 or 6  in the morning – after he went to bed past midnight.)  Afterwards he went to the very comfortable floor of Chloe’s bedroom. Oh, and I must add that after Nick woke up, he entertained Owen. He did not send Owen back downstairs and turn over to go back to sleep.  What 20-something guy does that?!

This is a typical example of mealtimes that they presented us with.  A table set and ready with all the comforts you could want.  Dinner, made for 8 by Lynne (who is a wonderful cook!)  Entertainment for Eric and I– via Nick.  Entertainment for the kids – via Chloe. Everything cleaned and taken care of and tea offered after meals – presented warm in your hand.  (And I must shamefacedly confess, that for the most part, Eric and I were too tired to lend any kind of hand…please don’t tell our mothers.)

 

Of course we already knew Chloe was going to be a plus.  Owen was already madly in love with her from her Christmas visit to Washington.  And Jack quickly fell for her when she laughed at all of his jokes. “Chloe, there is a coconut on your head.” (BTW that is “all”  his jokes).  Poor Chloe had to sit between them for every meal and she smiled the whole time, letting them mess up her hair, ask insane questions (and then ask the same questions over and over again).

On at least three different occasions, our monkeys were taken out for excursions (leaving me and Eric at home!) and the monkeys thought that was GREAT! (and so did we)

Our first morning at their house, after Owen woke up Nick on the couch, John made his famous pancakes and let Owen help.  John has been making these pancakes for something like 20 years.  Every Saturday.  Owen still talks about the pancakes as the best food he has had on our trip so far! (though Lynne’s chocolate ice-cream-sauce and the “Sugar Notre Dame Pancakes {crepes} are close on the list.)

Hendricks

This fluffy doggie is the hit of the house with the monkeys.  They just can’t get enough of him.  I am not quite sure who is following who around the house.  Hendricks likes to sniff anything that is brought in the house including all of the monkey’s toys.  They like to show their toys to the dog, but are a little hesitant to share as they are worried that Hendricks might eat it.  I don’t believe that anything has been eaten by the dog yet (except carrots, which he loves) but we are still looking for a little Lego Darth Vader… Outside is definitely Hendricks’ territory!  Any stick, pinecone, or other object that comes from his yard is his toy, and he isn’t really keen on sharing.  Hendricks’ toys can only be touched for a maximum of 5 seconds before he will snatch it out of your hand or “’woof’ at you,” as Jack says.  The monkeys think this is a great game to gather all of Hendricks’ toys, but I am not so sure if Hendricks does or not.

For the most part, all these guys are good friends and are very excited to see each other and spend time together. 

Jack likes Hendricks so much, he thought he would take up eating like him…

…which inspired Nick.

Second Dilemma

I did not realize that giving an earlier post the title of, “First Dilemma” presupposed that there will be a second, but apparently it was fated to happen…

As Eric got the kids ready for bed last night, he left them to go to the bathroom and wash their hands while he collected their pajamas.  I was upstairs bonding with John when we heard a great commotion and ran downstairs. Water was pouring out of the bathroom and down the hall pooling in the entryway where the coats and shoes are kept.

Owen and Jack had washed their hands and went into the bedroom to get undressed.  Unfortunately, two miscalculations were made: when Owen washed his hands he put the plug in the sink and didn’t remove it, and Jack neglected to turn the water off when he left the bathroom and joined Owen in the bedroom to get changed… It wasn’t until Eric had the boys changed into their pajamas and went back out into the hall that he was aware of any of this.

After moving a piece of furniture, sopping up water with towels, and mopping the area – everything was back to normal – no permanent damage done. (Though I can’t say what John and Lynne’s future policy of hosting families with two small children will be…)

I know the monkeys are very unlikely to lock themselves in the bathroom again, or put the plug in the sink, but I must admit that I am left a little uneasy when I think of that little bathroom.  Don’t bad things  usually happen in groups of three??

Oh, and here is Eric’s super useful photo he took for the blog… (I am sure that helps illustrate the story for everyone.)

London Outing

Today we were feeling completely adjusted to the time change, and decided to have a day out in London.  It was raining, but we were game.

Chloe guided us on our journey, and walked with us for a while around the natural history museum.  It was a day off of school for the local children, and the museum was too crowded for the monkeys, so we walked around and found Harrods and bought gigantic lollypops for the monkeys.  We had a bite to eat and some cream tea at a little shop before heading back to the museum.  

  By this time in the afternoon, we had the place almost to ourselves.  The dinosaur exhibit was excellent, and we all loved it.  There were lots of life-sized dino skeletons, and a walkway on the second story so you could see the top view of the dino skeletons which was a very unique view.

 

Owen wasn’t too keen on the upclose view of the T-rex mouth…  But in another room there was an animated life-sized one that the monkeys thought was great.My favorite was this dino egg and baby nest.  Too sweet!  It was hard to convince Jack they weren’t real.

The monkeys really liked chasing pigeons and the tube train as well.  I think the transportation is going to be the highlight of this entire trip!

________

Chloe made this chocolate peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting for one of her friend’s birthday parties tonight and we decorated it with edible glitter.  How cute it that?!  (A great hostess, like her mother, she made another identical cake for our dessert , minus the glittery ‘22.’  Yum!)

Hot Chocolate

Jack has quite the little temper and often accompanies that anger with threats.

As he is still three, he hasn’t quite figured out which threats effect the person he is aiming the threats toward, and which threats only do a disservice to himself.

While at a coffee shop on the way to my Uncle  John’s from the London airport, I told the boys that I would order them a hot chocolate.  Jack was in the stroller and wanted to get out, but I wanted him to stay in because he we were in a very busy train station.  I had both boys myself as Eric and my cousin Chloe were off buying cell phones for us.

Jack: If you say I can’t get out, then I won’t want hot chocolate.

Mama:  Oh, what would you like instead?

Jack: I’ll drink nothing!

Mama:  Are you sure?  I worry that you will be sad when the drinks come, and everyone will have a coffee or hot chocolate and you won’t.  (stubborn look from Jack) It is important to tell me now because we won’t have time to go back order one for you after the lady makes the drinks for us. 

I felt fairly confident that Jack would be the sad one when the drinks came.  I asked him several times if he was sure and that we wouldn’t have time to order one for him if he changed his mind after everyone had their drinks.  No luck, I couldn’t convince him.

While we waited for our drinks, I noticed an old woman in a motorized wheelchair outside the shop, obviously wanting to get in, but unable to open the door for herself.  I assumed that someone in the crowded street or someone  in the shop that was next to the doors would open it for her.   But no one did, so I walked over and opened them.  It was a little funny situation as both doors needed to be opened at the same time for her chair to fit, and I had to stretch out and hold one with my feet, and the other with my arms, while the lady ducked her head to avoid bumping into me.  “London Bridge is falling down…” I sang. We both laughed.

“Bless you! Bless you!,” she says in a Polish accent, smiling and nodding her head.  I smiled and said, “You need some coffee too?”    She shrugged,  rubbed her arms with the opposite hands and said, “I need come in for warm.” 

Owen’s drink came up just then and I returned to the counter and handed it to him.  As soon as Jack saw it he immediately began crying.  Of course, now he wanted hot chocolate.

Mama: Oh  Jack I’m sorry baby.  You said you didn’t want any so I didn’t order any for you.  (Louder crying  from Jack)  I trust that what you say is true.  When you say, ‘I don’t want hot chocolate.’ I believe you.  I am sorry, it is too late or order something now.

The whole time I am talking, Jack is crying and blubbering, “I want hot chocolate.” and the old Polish lady is pleading with me (with sadder eyes than Jack) , “Please buy for little boy, please buy for little boy.”

I glanced over at the line which had grown across the entire store by then.  There was no time to reorder.  I look at my crying Jack, and at the old woman who is also still pleading, and she begins to cry!  I am not kidding, the lady is actually crying, tears welling, then spilling over her eyes!  “I pay. I pay,” she pleads. “For little boy, I pay.”

I feel trapped.  I have a three-year-old who has spent the entire night on a cramped airplane and had only about three hours of sleep.  He is hungry and thirsty, and is beyond comprehending much.  I just want to give him the hot chocolate, and make him happy.  I have a sweet crying old Polish lady who, no doubt, thinks I am a cruel mother, and I have have this unexplainable need to give in to her in her old age  (like I represent the heart of the next generation in this world??!)  But there is the fact I have a small amount of time, and there is a long coffee line, which makes reordering impossible.  And then, I have what is the “right” thing to do which weighs on me the most: to have Jack realize the very natural consequence of his actions – he cannot have hot chocolate if  he chooses to not order any when the chance occurs.  Crying shouldn’t change that.

I am trapped in all my thoughts since I have to wait for Eric’s drink and for my own. The old lady moves toward the line, “I pay. I pay for little boy.”  I am not even sure she can afford it.  I look up at the barista who glances at the line,  smiles and says, “I can make him one, and ring you up on the other register.”

I sigh and agree to the barista’s proposition, and know that this will prolong Jack’s idea that the world should cater to his every whim.  But maybe I scored a point with the polish elderly?   Sometimes it seems better to resign to the idea that you are going to have to fight three battles later, in order to put off a battle now.  I think this was one of those times.