Pussycat, Pussycat, Where've You Been?

...We've been to London to visit the Queen!!

Yes, that's right. Exactly fifteen days after our return, I'm finally blogging about London!!

What kept me from doing this? It was really the overwhelming feeling of trying to do our trip justice in a blog. I know how wordy I can get...and there are so many stories, so many sights we saw, and so many moments I want to record. Overall, I'm just very thankful for our trip, and incredibly thankful for the friends we visited there. :) I'm thankful for the amazing experiences Kendyll was able to have at such a young age...but yet, an age where I hope she will remember this trip even as she gets older.

I guess the best way to do this is day by day...

Day One: Involved flying, flying, and more flying, with some sleeping in there somewhere. Actually, Kendyll slept almost the entire way, after watching Horton Hears a Who, having a snack, taking some Benadryl, and doing some Ipod listening. She was an old pro on the traveling part of this trip, and it was so much fun to be all alone with my biggest girl.

Day Two: Began with our arrival in London, and what would later be named "Kendyll's favorite part of the whole trip": The reunion with her friends in the airport.

Seriously, when I saw Stephanie at the end of the walkway, my eyes began tearing up. But, when those three girls started running full-speed toward each other, and ended in a three-way embrace in the middle of the airport, I was completely bawling. Steph and I hugged too, while crying, and then we snapped their cute picture. It was truly a priceless moment, and I hope none of them ever forget it.

Next, we went home to Amy's house, driven by our chauffeur, Stephanie, who actually drives the weird London way VERY well! We were greeted by our other sweet friends, including our new friends from this trip, Trinity's cousin Kyndall, and her mom Jennifer. We sat down to a delicious lunch and my new favorite drink (Pimm's and Lemonade!!) And what did we do next? The same thing we would have been doing back home...the kids swam in the backyard!! It was so hot and sunny and not what I expected! We had to borrow a swimsuit because I packed more for the "cloudy" weather. :) They had so much fun splashing and jumping...it was like we had never been apart from these families.

Later, we got to accompany Trinity on her trip to get her EARS PIERCED! The friends huddled around her and comforted her as it happened. She looked so cute with her new gold balls, and Kendyll was very proud of her BRAVE friend, Trinity.

Oh, and we also had our first walk to the tube station...and our first tube ride in London. Kendyll and I learned alot by the time we left London, and it was cute to watch how well the Smith and Ownby kids knew the tube system while we were there. They could recognize which line we were on, where the stops were, and just acted like they had lived there all their lives!

Dinner the first night was none other than Fish 'N Chips, one of my favorite meals ever. It did not disappoint! Look at the grease on this sucker! Mmmmmm!!!

The kids stayed up late every night we were there, and the first night--even with jet lag--Kendyll and the others played and played, while the moms watched "The Other Boleyn Girl" to get us in the London mood. :)

Day Three: Sightseeing!!One of the blessings Kendyll and I received from this trip was a new friendship with Jenny & Kyndall. Since all of us were new to London, we did some sightseeing together, and had so much fun! Kendyll and Kyndall hit it off (as did their moms!), and were interested in alot of the same things, which worked great for touring London. Here they are reading their tour maps, and planning the day. Two peas in a pod, I tell ya!

Our first stop: The London Eye! (a huge ferris wheel that takes you up to see a bird's eye view of London...)

The next stop: A double-decker tour bus! Unfortunately, it was cold...and rainy...which led to sadness...but it also led to hot chocolate! And, that seemed to bring out the sun. :)Throughout the day, we saw everything from the Tower of London to Oxford Circus to Big Ben to Buckingham Palace, mostly from the bus seat. At Westminster Abbey, we got off, thinking we would just take some pictures. At the last minute, Jenny suggested we pay the money to go inside the abbey and look around. And, I'm SO glad we did it! It was one of my most favorite things (and we were there for HOURS!)

They had a kids' tour booklet for the girls to use, and I think the moms ended up learning as much as they did from it. I could seriously write an entire blog about Westminster Abbey...but I won't. :) Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures inside, so I got nothin' to show you but the front...

We ate a quick lunch and continued our touring, only to find that the Tower of London was closing for the day. So, we waited until later in the week for that one.

We finished the day with a boat ride down the River Thames, and back home (successfully) on the tube. It was a FULL day of everything London!! Day Four: Will have to wait until blogger decides to cooperate. :) I'll be back...