La recherche (Research)

We are following the sunset out of Bourron Marlotte and heading to Rome for a four day weekend. Ryan Air had some ridiculously priced tickets 150 euro for the entire family to fly round trip. How could we pass up such a bargain?! Taylor gave each of the kids an assignment to write la recherche report on various sights in Rome. They have all been turned in and we are ready to live the research! Bon Voyage.
Top: Clara's - Circus Maximus, Spencer's - The Colosseum
Bottom: Lilly's-Ancient Rome, Olivia's-The Vatican

la bibliothèque (the Library)

I have always loved going to the la bibliothèque. When I was young I would ride my bike to the Holladay library and gather as many books as I could carry home. I hope I have passed that same excitement to my children. Today we ventured to la Bibliothèque Municipale de Fontainebleau with our friends the Benoit's. Iwona was nice enough to invite us and she helped me find my way around all of the books. It is a strange feeling to be surrounded by lots of great books, yet I don't have the ability to read them. I felt very illiterate. The girls were able to find a few books to practice their French skills. The books we checked out were for very young, very beginner readers. I'm anxious to see if we can move up the reading chart with continued trips to la bibliothèque.
Iwona was showing me several different book series that we might find interesting. This particular book is called "Lili trouve sa maitresse mechante" - translated it means a little trouble with the mean teacher! I said to Iwona, "only in France would you find a book with that subject." We laughed and laughed because it's true. If you have read any of my other posts you know how there are many French school teachers who are not kind. At least they have authors and psychologists writing books to help the children cope with such issues!

President Hinckley

We learned early this morning via the internet that the Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had died. Gordon B. Hinckley was an amazing man. He made us all want to be better people. He was encouraging, optimistic, witty, fun, kind, smart & gracious. His faith and testimony led the church for 12 years. He is the only prophet my children have known. This morning when we woke the kids to get ready for school we told them he had passed away. Each of them expressed feelings of tenderness towards President Hinckley. It is a strange thing to be away from home when such events take place. You just want to talk with others who share the same sentiments and to reminise on a life that has truly lifted your own. The world is definitely a better place because of the life, service and legacy of President Hinckley.

Une promenade dans les bois (A walk in the woods)

After church we thought we would go for a little promenade dans les bois. The weather was clear and crisp. It was a terrific walk except for the fact that we got lost. We have been told never to venture into the forest without a map. We had an idea of where we were going (following the blue marker), but once you get into the forest an idea does not lead you to safety. There was another family ahead of us so we followed them only to find out they were lost and without a map as well. It all turned out fine. We made friends with a new family and we made it back to our car.



Hillary is our newly adopted family member. She is from Arizona, but for now she is teaching school in France. We love having her hang out with us. She is tons of fun and willing to go on crazy adventures!

Concours photo de famille (Family photo contest)

The kids each received a digital camera for Christmas. Taylor has sponsored a weekly Concours photo de famille. The theme for week number one was trees. Olivia was the winner of the 5 euro prize. Stay tuned for next weeks contest with the theme "The essence of Rome" (we are headed to Rome next weekend).

Discours de primaire (Primary Talk)

Miss Clara Jane presented her first French discours de primaire in church today. She did an awesome job. Her topic was on the Creation. She wrote her talk in English and then Taylor helped her translate it. There were a few difficult words, but she managed to say them without any problem. You can tell from this photo she was feeling relieved and good about life when it was all over. Last week Taylor gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. I hope they don't ask me next!

Church in France has been a comfortable and happy place for our family. The members have gone out of their way to befriend us.

English Fair

We passed an old fashioned English fair and took a ride before the long drive home. Lilly was hilarious. She couldn't wait to get on the swings. We were the only ones on the ride and she giggled so loud everyone stopped to watch her. Talk about the simple pleasures.




Spencer, Olivia, Clara & Taylor opted for the human powered ride. I guess it wasn't the safest of rides, but they sure managed to pump their swings high into the air. That marks the end of our Christmas vacation to England. (If you want to start from the beginning go to the post marked Eurostar)

Warwick Castle

Last stop on the tour was Warwick Castle. It was a bit out of the way, but we were so glad we went. Of all the castles we have visited this is by far the most interactive & enjoyable for children. There were courtiers all over. They were chatty and fun and we felt very welcome.



I think I will invest in the stocks for those times that the kids start arguing. Spencer & Olivia didn't seem to mind it.

We visited the dungeon the great hall and state rooms. There were demonstrations of how knights armor was made and how they stored spices, nuts and food. Overall it was a fun learning experience for everyone.

Stonehenge

Driving through the English countryside is beautiful. I was relaxed and enjoying the ride, while Taylor had to worry about keeping the car on the right - I mean left side of the road. He was amazing. Thank goodness for GPS systems that help us navigate to any destination in the world. One fun thing we did while we drove on this vacation was to listen to several Roald Dahl books on cd. Many of his stories take place in England so that made it especially fun.



It is very cool to drive past rolling hills and farmland and then BOOM there is Stonehenge. How did those rocks get there? Who lifted them into formations and why? We listened to the audio descriptions, but still don't know the answers. It was an interesting stop and one we would recommend. The weather however was freezing so maybe if you go you should plan a summer visit.

WICKED

The grand finale of our time in London was seeing "Wicked" at the Apollo Theater. We had fantastic seats and the kids could see everything on stage. The show was amazing. I had to restrain myself from singing along with the cast, as I just LOVE the music from this show. All of us were mesmerized. Lilly's attention stayed with the entire story. She would turn to me occasionally and ask what a word meant, but otherwise she was following right along. I think it captivated Olivia most. She could not fall asleep when we got home and she just kept talking about the different scenes and songs. It was a "wicked" good show!

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is closed three days in the year. We chose one of those days to visit (New Years Day). So sad we didn't get to see the Crown Jewels and Traitors’ Gate. This place was an object of fear for 900 years. People who committed treason or threatened the throne were held & tortured here. It felt a little torturous since we didn't get to go inside. I guess we will have to go back another time. The "Beefeaters" (guards for the Tower) were standing watch and all smiles for a photo.

Tower Bridge

There are lots of bridges in London. Our favorite was the Tower Bridge. Seems like everywhere we go there is a photo opportunity. My kids named me the "mamaratzi". They feel like I am stalking them on all of their adventures. They will have to keep smiling because I'm not even close to packing up my camera.

Swimming with Friends

We were lucky enough to stay with our friends Jason and Stacey Wells. They are friends from the good old days at Wharton. Jason has been working in London for the past year and a half, but they are moving back to the states. Their house is just outside the city and it was a wonderful respite for all of us. When we first walked into their home the kids all said, "this is just like being in a house in America!" The added bonus was the indoor pool. On New Years Eve Ericka & Miranda were nice enough to take a swim with our kids. What a treat.

The water was a bit cold. No worries they had a wet suit to fit every body.























All fireworks are legal AND available in London. Kind of funny because you cannot have an electrical outlet in the bathroom, but you can let off fireworks from your apartment in the middle of the city! Jason was nice enough to put on a fireworks display. He & Taylor didn't read the directions fully and let off a firework that was supposed to be grounded. It flew into the air and created quite a show. Lucky for us it didn't land on their beautiful house. We were exhausted from all of our sight-seeing that day so we rang the New Year in early and had the kids in bed by 10:30pm. Thanks Jason & Stacey for your friendship & great hospitality!

Hamleys

You can't visit London with children and not go to Hamleys. It is the worlds oldest and largest toy store. We were impressed. There was an entire floor dedicated to plush toys, electronics, girls and boys just to name a few. Each floor had several employees demonstrating new and innovative products. Talk about great salespeople. The girls pulled their money together and bought a rainbow art set.

Platform 9 3/4

Harry Potter was the book of choice for Spencer and Olivia over the school break. They tried and tried to make it into Hogwarts but lacked the magic to break through the brick wall.

Picadilly Circus

Venturing into London on New Years Eve with a family of 6 was nuts. Picadilly Circus felt exactly like a circus. Crazy! People were everywhere. The subways were free so it was mayhem. It was very much like being in Times Square in New York City. I don't thing we would ever go to NYC on New Years, so why did we even try it in London? We are glad we did it as it was really a wild adventure.

Harrods

Ever since I was in High School and first heard about Harrods department store I have wanted to go there. Well I finally made it on New Years Eve along with the entire population of London. It was so crowded we thought we would never find our way out. Funny how now that I am a mother with 4 children my desire to shop is non-existent. It was fun to see the grandeur of Harrods, ride the Egyptian escalator and see the amazing food hall. Our Harrods purchase was made at the old fashioned candy counter. We bought HUGE gobbstoppers (jaw-breakers) for the kids.

The Queen's Guard

Probably one of the most annoying parts of being one of the Queen's Guards is having to stand still and not smile while the rest of the world is taking your picture. How do these men manage to stand still for 24 hours without itching their nose or having to go to the bathroom?! We were impressed with their stamina.