England!

It's not very often that I am downright pessimistic, but that was undeniably my attitude about two weeks ago. It had nothing to do with our destination (England - a dream come true!) but had everything to do with the journey. I (we!) were scared to death of the 14 hour plane ride with our 1-and-2 year olds! (At one point, anticipating the trip, I'm pretty sure I even referred to it at "parental suicide." Nice.)

Well, it turns out my fears were unfounded (lesson learned: pessimism is a waste of time). Our trip to England started out on a great note when our kids champed the flight there (in spite of Ezekiel being so sick I'm sure people thought we were spreading the swine flu. We weren't - we checked. But Kevan did catch vomit in a bag when Ezekiel coughed so hard he gagged. Good times.) They slept, they played happily, and Bekah Jane waved and smiled at every person she could bat her eyes at. And Ezekiel kept talking about going to "England's house." Honestly, minus the vomit, it was a great plane ride. We were STOKED to survive. And the fun began!


Arriving at LAX with 2 kids and all their accouterment...

We made it! Our exhaustion gave way to excitement as we pulled into great-grandma and Rick's beautiful house in the country. This place was off-the-charts charming. We loved it!

And then I saw the garden. Yes, this is their backyard and, yes, I was in heaven. Rick is an incredibly talented gardener and I was in awe of the beauty. Right behind that arch is a creek and beyond that is a barley field. And that's what the kitchen window overlooked. AMAZING. We spent so much time out here, and loved every minute. Why, oh why, can't I find this in Orange County?

The main purpose of this long-awaited trip was to introduce Kevan's grandma to her great-grandchildren. We all loved Great-grandma Plumb and Rick right from the start! Bekah Jane especially stole their hearts with her constant flirting and charm. And they, in turn, thought both kids were "brilliant" and everything they did was "lovely". You'll notice Ezekiel is absent from these pics of the first couple of days...that's because he mostly slept while he recovered from his nasty cold and serious jet-lag!

Going for a walk with Grandma Gina (Gina is Kevan's dad, Richard's, wife). This trail behind the house was like nothing I'd seen before. Seriously surreal. I took the kids along this trail early in the mornings and Kevan and I walked it in the evenings. We couldn't get enough of this beautiful countryside.

Looking back at the house...

Kevan's uncle Nick (Richard's brother) and cousin Sam took us to a Manchester City soccer game! My first pro soccer event... we sure had a great time! And, of course, we had fish-n-chips before the game. When in England, do as the English do...

PS: Sam is the cutest 13-year-old EVER. The accent doesn't hurt, either.

Monday began in the garden...

and then we went to the animal shelter with Grandpa and Grandma Gina:

Ok, you have to enlarge this picture and check out what this horse is doing to my daughter's head!

The kids ended the day helping Rick with his garden:

The next day we visited Ely cathedral - the oldest building I've ever been in! It was incredible.

A view from the roof

Bekah Jane is so pious - she knelt on the praying bench all by herself!

Playtime with Grandpa before heading off to bed

Snuggling with baby sister

Bekah Jane wraps herself in a good book!

The next day we are off to visit a real-life castle!

Bekah Jane frollicking in front of the castle

And then we headed to the aquarium by the sea - Richard used to visit this place when he was a kid and hadn't been back in 30 years. He said it had hardly changed. Taking his grandkids there made for a really special day. And the kids loved it!

Kevan and his dad on the boardwalk

There was also a carnival along the boardwalk...ALL of us kids had a great time!

I swear, she wanted to do this! And she asked to do it again!

Our final day we took a lovely walk to the park with Great-grandma and Rick.

Great-grandma is not one to miss out on the fun! I love her spunk!

And, just like that, our 10 days were up and we said our teary goodbyes.

Bekah Jane was conked out before we even got on the plane - and she slept for the first 4 hours of our flight. This picture cracks me up!

Can you tell Ezekiel is just a little tired?

Happy girl even after 14 hours of flying. Oh, how we thank God for our childrens' sweet dispositions. Why did I ever doubt? We were so, so proud of them!

Thank you, Grandma Plumb and Rick for an incredible holiday! Your hospitality and generosity are an example to us - and made us feel so loved! (They had all kinds of baby stuff already at the house for us - and even baby proofed! The thought and effort to make us feel welcome and at home was so touching!) We had an amazing time in your beautiful home and garden and LOVED watching you with our children. Sitting in your garden listening to stories and just getting to know you was a dream come true. It was a trip we will never forget and always hold dear in our hearts.