London continued

Our adventure continues...

On December 28th, we went to High Tea, but first a journey up and down Portobello road in hopes for some gifts for the people we had in mind at home, a few upcoming birthday gifts. Portobello was packed, a Saturday market, person to person traffic, food stands, vendor stands, people speaking a variety of languages. The smells of food, savory and sweet, body odor, cigarettes, marijuana. So many different things going on at any given moment. We were unsuccessful with our gift venture, but did purchase some fresh fruit at a fruit stand which was right next to a pizza stand, so we also grabbed the kids three slices, saving them from meltdowns. We returned to the flat and got fancy for tea.

We went to St Erman’s where we sat in a fancy and quiet room, prim and proper. We had to reiterate the rules to the kids nearly every 40 seconds. Overall, they did well, dining on mini sandwiches and pretty desserts including a DIY gingerbread man and a chocolate gingerbread lollipop. They would ask to repeat High Tea for the next several days, numerous times each day. It was a success, until it was time to leave. Dave went ahead with the kids and I paid the bill. I came out of the room to the kids screaming with delight as they raced around this formal foyer with other diners trying to enjoy the quiet atmosphere. We bolted and headed home.

Sarah came again and Dave and I went for a cheese platter and wine (wine wine) before catching the show ‘& Juliet’ a musical about life after Romeo. It was full of pop music and was cute, we had bagged a dinner reservation in favor of it which I think was the right idea, but we had both liked SIX much more. On the tube ride home there was a young child across from us, she reminded me of Piper, she dozed on her mom’s lap. It made me thankful that our kids were here with us and we could go home to them. The babysitter deal was a home run. We grabbed another glass of wine at a place called Beach Blanket Babylon near our flat, it was an old victorian turned into a restaurant and then returned home. The kids did great, Sarah had success with Sully, bribing him into a better bedtime with Pokemon balls.

December 29th started slow. I had a major headache (hangover?) and was happy to go back to bed as soon as I woke up. I rewoke at 10:30 feeling much better. We headed to Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill, it was a favorite outing from our last trip and we hoped we would be able to do it again. Much to our luck, the weather was perfect. We made it to the top, took a few photos and then returned via the Marble Arch so we could check out this nearby sculpture. I happened to stumble upon a piece of mail from our flat owner and out of curiosity, googled him. Much to my surprise, he was Nic Fiddian-Green and he was the man who sculpted this 33 ft hoarse head near the Marble Arch, it was incredible. It explains why the flat is called ‘Artist’s Mews.’ This is also where Piper happened to get into some mystery poop. We took a bus home and sat with this lovely Irish woman and her daughter and had a nice conversation. We went to Pizza Express for an easy, low stress dinner and came home so I could launder Piper’s poopy clothes and get the kids to bed early. I stayed up late by myself, like midnight, watching ‘Julie and Julia,’ it was a peaceful evening, just what I needed.

December 30th is my parents’ anniversary - 52 today! Today was our fullest day and I'm glad we only had one full day. The kids did great considering they easily walked more thank 15k steps. We got up early to see the changing of the guards which was sort of a let down as it was so busy and we only had a few glimpses of the men marching and some horses. We walked to Big Ben from there, about a one mile walk which takes us double the usual time between kids and crowds. Big Ben is under scaffolding and will be for a few years while they do some restoration work, but once we were there, we were close to all of the River Thames sites, so we were set. Greta’s main request was the London Eye and the wait was 6 hours (gasp), Dave got tickets and we went out wondering. We had hangry kids and after some drama, found a little Italian spot under the tube. We then went for our THIRD merry go round ride and got the kids cotton candy. Then we took the water bus to the Tower Bridge, sent an anniversary photo to my parents with a 5 and a 2 and then found a bite to eat at Slug and Lettuce, a very family friendly TGIFridayish spot, but it did the trick. By the time we returned, it was our turn to go up in the Ferris Wheel. So, we got into the 45 minute line and waited…Pip lost her second hat of the trip and all in all, the Eye was worth the night ride. Between the Christmas lights and the city lights, it was really magical. We got home at nearly 8pm. Dave and I had take out and made the kids pasta. Greta’s favorite part of pasta is the personal parmesan cheese holders and she is very anxious to bring the tradition home with us.

December 31. Today is New Years Eve and we didn’t have much planned so we made our way to Regent Street to exchange an Apple watch band Dave had purchased for me for Christmas. The kids love the Apple store, its like their safe place. Hahaha. After, we found ourselves in Covent Gardens for lunch and while we waited for our table, Sully, Greta and I finally found G some new shoes. We had pizza in the basement of a pizza joint, very busy and lively and then wandered into a couple of shops, J.Crew and Lulu where we nearly lost Greta. Out of curousity, I wanted to pop into Gucci and there happened to be a store about 7 minutes away from where we were (so about 15 minutes in Munce time). When we arrived on Bond Street, it was candy for the eyes. Wide sidewalks, crystal like Christmas lights with a peacock and crown theme. Every shop had their own facade of lights, we walked into Gucci and Piper was so excited, “dad, look at all of these things with Greta’s name on it!” Stella McCartney was a multicolored delight, Tiffany was classic with wreathes and white lights, Cartier had a big red bow, BVLGARI had a diamond serpentine, it went on and on. We made our way to the tube and got ice cream (for the second time today) before getting on. Piper has started to stand her ground when we are going long distances. When she tires, she just sits anywhere she is, right in the middle of anything, even on escalators or stairways if that feels convenient. The crowds of people act like it not bid deal and walk around her. What can I say, it works overtime as either Dave or I immediately swoop her up. We tried to get on a tube and it was so jam packed, we decided to wait for the next which happened to be worse, but we squeezed on anyway. We came home and grabbed dinner at Prince Edward’s pub near Notting Hill Gate and then went to McDonalds where the kids mauled a 20 pack of chicken nuggets and then to Tesco to get some New Year’s Eve ice cream and treats. We came home and played games, Heads Up and freeze dance, watched a movie, and at tons of treats, and went to be at 11. I fell asleep with Sully in the twin bed so got up to move to my own space at 11:57, just in time to hear the midnight fireworks which were impressive for 12 solid minutes. Then woke up at 4am to Greta throwing up, actually our second late night poker of the trip as Piper had done the same earlier in the week. Too much crap. Happy New Year!

January 1. Dave and I took turns shopping a bit so we could enjoy ourselves rather than be preoccupied by the kids. I Found a British Comic Book for Hudson’s birthday and attempted to get Anna some shoes but couldn’t get ahold of Maggie in the middle of the night Sioux Falls time, so that had to wait. Then we took the kids to The Lion King Musical at the Lyceum Theatre. What an experience. I was overwhelmed with emotions at the opening scene. I mean, is this real life? Sully was captivated, Piper had some wiggles, Greta wanted as much chocolate as possible, but I had her very restricted considering she had been up the night before. The kids were better the second half and Greta even took a 20 minute snooze, although she denies that. They all loved the songs "I just can't wait to be King" and "Hakuna Matatta." They have been singing the lyrics for days. We came right home after, I love that the kids are mastering the tube. As soon as we swipe them in, they run free, like a bunch of caged animals with the world at their fingertips. They look at and attempt to read all of the billboards. Greta likes to sit on her own in trains and busses, next to random people. On the way to the theatre, she sat right among a group of friends in their early 20s, probably still in their NYE clothes and got a lesson in British cuss words and clothing and open containers. She is going to be our wanterlust child, so curious and confident.

We came home to dinner at the Pub down the street, all was well until they brought Piper’s sausage over mashed potatoes when she was hoping for a hot dog, and she melted. Dave had to whisk her out of the restaurant, no shoes, no coat for Dave, he left it all behind, including his phone. Sully and Greta and I finished up and carried it all back with us. Piper was better, we all needed some quiet veg time on the couch, so we did just that.

January 2- our last full day. We surprised the kids with ice skating at The Somerset House. This has been a winning activity, authentic smiles all around. This time the penguins were polar bears and they were only aloud on the training area. We all improved again with time and 30 minutes in to our 45 minutes session, Piper and Great had to go potty. Skates off, down the stairs and in and out as fast as we could. We regrouped in time for a couple more laps and then an unfortunate fall for Piper that really bummed her out. After skating, we went on an adventure for Ashley’s perfume package in Camden Town, too bad I didn’t get the zip code right the first time. On the way there, Sully was scolded by another woman for bugging the pigeons while they at their dinner. It definitely made an impact on him, but I told him not to sweat it, the pigeons are doing just fine. We successfully retrieved the package and made our way back. The bonus being we got to ride the double d bus for 20 stops, one hour, and we got the top front row seat, but missed our stop, ha. We went home where dave and i spent 2 hours cleaning and packing before going to an italian spot for dinner, our second choice as the first one had a 3 hour wait. We went home and hit the sack early in anticipation of today, a full travel day.

A few take aways-
1. We played musical beds every night. Oh my gosh, Im sure I slept in all three of them with different combos. The kids did all stat put one (only one!!) night the whole trip, what a treat that was.
2. We did it! We are adventure seekers and pulled this off- Dave and I are rockstars! (Please excuse this moment where I cheer for myself :)).
3. Bubble babysitting is great and was definitely worth it.
4. Our kids are so adaptable, but are also ticking time bombs.
5. Put your credit card back in your wallet every time, even if it is slightly inconvenient to take out and put away numerous time.
6. Location trumps everything. It was so nice to be connected to central London.
7. Tube and Bus travel only- except for airport transfers. Public transportation is so easy, and free for the kids!
8. Having a husband who loves to travel is definitely one of the best things about my life. What an amazing opportunity and thing to experience together. Oh, and his patience and willingness to be an involved and helpful partner makes it all possible. xoxoxoxo
9.We need to keep traveling with the kids, planting the adventure seed will pay off. Spain 2022?!

Piper making eggs for breakfast with Dave's watchful eye. 

St. Erman's Hotel for high tea. 

Piper practicing. 

Pinky up! Cheers! 

Calming my nerves. 

High Tea. 

The walk down Portobello Road from Notting Hill Gate.

Date night. 

Hampstead Heath

Parliament Hill

'Still Water' by Nic Fiddian-Green

The London Eye!

Treats by Millennium Bridge. 

The Tower Bridge, take 142.

Waiting for our turn, and the last time we saw that hat. 

Looking out over London Town, crescent moon and all. 

Beautiful Bond Street. 

The Lion King. 

Games at the flat.

Ice skating at The Somerset House. 

Post skating snacks

Camden Town adventure. 

Top shelf and front row! 

A magical London Christmas

We are here!

After years of planning and talking about this adventure, we are here, jet lag has subsided and its every bit as magical as we had hoped.

We left Sioux Falls at 1:15pm on Friday, December 20th and had a relatively uneventful journey. Our flight out of Minneapolis departed at 5:40pm, we had dinner on the plane followed by teeth brushing and goodnight gummies. The kids were so grossed out about the teeth brushing part in those little bathrooms, I can't say I blame them. Greta and Piper slept, exactly as I had hoped. Sully, on the other hand had a really hard time turning off his brain. His personal TV kept him awake, and the two year old in front of him who was wide awake the entire flight didn't help either. Neither Dave or I slept much, either. We arrived on time and met our driver as planned, he delivered us to the Notting Hill flat around 9:30am. We had some time before the apartment was ready, so we walked down Portobello Road and to Gail's Bakery for a very jet lagged breakfast. The kids barely ate, Dave and I had no problems adapting to the new food. We made it into our flat and we all crashed for 2 hours, we woke the kids around 3pm and they were disasters, oh my gosh, especially Sully. We pulled it together and walked along the market in search of things to make our flat as Cristmassy as we could, it was a really fun way to explore our surroundings. We ended the night with melt downs at Pizza Express :).

On Sunday we made our way to the Churchill Arms restaurant via a double decker bus, much to Greta's delite, then to Winterland where we visited Santa and connected with Sarah, our sitter, who was darling and really nice and engaging with the kids. While we were waiting for Santa (1.5 hour wait), Piper fell fast asleep in the stroller. It was actually great timing as she was having second thoughts about Santa and isn't entirely sure bout him yet. After the visit, we played a few games, it was very unsuccessful, ending with lots of tears, but they were so hard and expensive. We made our way toward the Natural History Museum when I realized all kids had to use the potty. So we snuck into a very fancy hotel near Hyde Park, the Dorchester, to use the loo. We made our way for a quick photo and then back to our neighborhood for dinner at the Electric Diner and then bed.

Monday morning started with Dave's phone being on the fritz. We found place in central London who helped us and then went to the Apple store for a better charger. We happened to be adjacent to Carnaby Street which was a nice surprise as it was on our list of things to explore later that day. We had lunch in SOHO and then back to the NHM for a merry go round ride, which the kids loved. We went for dinner at a family friendly joint near our place, it was just ok. The kids were terrible. Like coming of out their skin terrible. And then in the next minute, Sully and Greta were speaking Spanish with the waitress and in that moment, they redeemed themselves. Piper fell asleep during dinner, once again, good timing.

Tuesday was Christmas Eve and we made it a day about Auntie Julie. We woke up and went to the NHM for our scheduled ice skate, which was so charming. We started out slow, but when we got the penguins, life got better for all of us. We raced around the Christmas tree and loved our 50 minute session. We ended it with a quick lunch and then tried to tackle Harrods with no success. We came home to regroup before going to Kew Gardens which was every bit as magical as I had hoped. There were lights and music and merry go rounds and helter skelters and snacks and we were loving life for the first 45 minuets, and then the kids fell apart. We finished the walk and left hungry and cold. We wandered through the area and found this most charming Christmas Eve restaurant where we had pizza, pasta, wine and tapas, it was just right...until I realized I had lost my credit card at the gardens. :( We had to deal with that when we got home. It was a magical and memorable Christmas Eve.

Christmas day was so low key, exactly what we needed after our 5 nonstop adventure days. The kids opened their gifts and stocking and stayed in pajamas until about 5pm. I did 4 loads of laundry and we regrouped. Dave and I gave each other a 1 hour walk break and it was so good for both of us. We both took in the sites and enjoyed some peaceful time. We decided to venture out for dinner to see what was open, turns out not much. It was still good to get fresh air. I spotted a place that looked like it had a pizza on the window but it turns out it was a pita and we were at a middle eastern restaurant with a prix fixed menu. Ha! Not exactly ideal for our situation, but we made due and it was fun for all. We returned and watched a family movie and enjoyed having a day for just being together, it was lovely day.

Thursday was Boxing Day, we had a lazy morning. I had an idea, lets try to find Sully some new shoes and check out that mall we had heard a lot about. Terrible idea, turns out Boxing Day is basically the equivalent to Black Friday in the States. We would never think ever of bringing our kids Black Friday shopping in Sioux Falls, and here we were in London with our kids in a busy crazy mall. Oh, and did I mention it was raining and windy and the umbrellas we purchased on Portobello Road were cheep and broke in like 5 minutes? Fortunately we found a 5 Guys and we were all recharged and better. Major save. We came back to our neighborhood and found shoes and came home in time for our sitter. Dave and I ventured out on our own which was good for us and good for the kids to do their own thing. We explored and saw SIX the Musical, which was incredible. We even stayed late (because I was last in line at the bathroom) and saw a couple of stars. We came back to our neighborhood for an amazing Italian dinner and returned home around 11 to a successful evening for Sarah and the kids, except that Sully stayed awake waiting for us. Oh well, it was worth it.

Today was a kid day. We slept in and did some homework here before going to The Museum of Transportation. We had lunch there and the kids had a great time running around stamping their guide cards and playing in the double decker busses and trains. Dave probably had as much fun as they did, checking out the history of The Underground. We finished up and came home for dinner at the flat, onion soup, leftovers, and wine. A regrouping night at home with shows and a chance for me to catch up on this blog.

It's been a great adventure so far. The kids are doing quite well considering we are constantly on the move and getting so many steps in. Its so good to not have the pulls of home life and to just be together. We are thankful we have one more week together.

Airplane situation.

Saturday morning- breakfast at Gail's Bakery. 

Portobello Road Market- grocerys to start the week. 

Sunday- Churchill Arms

Santa 

Learning the ropes of the The Underground.

Monday - SOHO

This Merry Go Round saved our day for a cool $25. 

Tuesday, Christmas Eve- Natural History Museum ice skate. 

Bus love- ride to Harrods's. 

Mistletoe.

Our charming Notting Hill street. 

Our flat.

Kew Gardens

Christmas Day HH.

Dinner. 

Pip.

Date Night. 

SIX

Our tube stop. 

Outside the Museum of Transportation. 

The beautiful decorated city. 

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a couple of things in between.

It seems with a late Thanksgiving, the holidays feel condensed this year. Well, that and the Munce family is preparing for a big family holiday to England, so some celebrations have been rescheduled in order to get it all in. We are all feeling the business, but it has been fun to celebrate and be together, and the icing on the cake? As soon as Friday, December 20 rolls around, our only commitment will be to our nuclear family for 14 days straight, and for me, that is the very BEST present I could ever ask for. 

Thanksgiving was really nice. We had a small group as neither of my brothers or their families were with us, it was a very casual day. My aunt and uncle and one cousin also joined us for part of the day. We gathered at 12 for a meal and then continued the day with football, a puzzle, a talent show, and cousin mega fun. The kids have a so much fun. Most people had left by 3 or 4, but the Olivers stayed until the bitter end at 9pm when the entire Munce family hit the sheets, hard, but with a clean house and full hearts. 

We followed up Thanksgiving with a weekend of gathering with friends who are like family. We hosted my St. John friends here on Saturday for happy hour appetizers and drinks while the kids destroyed the basement. And the following weekend, we spent almost every waking minute with family starting with a Connelly ladies Christmas brunch on Friday, followed by a staycation for Dave and I downtown which included Christmas shopping, eating, drinking, and sleeping- yes, it was as amazing as it sounds. Saturday afternoon was Miles' birthday and then we watched Hudson in the DAPA performance of Frozen Jr. We celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday morning with a brunch at my parents house. Sully had a piano recital on Sunday afternoon and did so well. We are all so proud of him, but Dave especially, his heart almost swelled right through his chest when Sully finished his piece. 

Last but not least, we celebrated Christmas with Dave's group last evening (Monday) and we are all recovering today. What a whirlwind of events and celebrations and gatherings. Life is good. 

Thanksgiving.

Munce crew. 

The bowl of noodles found under my seat by the carwash
people. This was after my preclean. Too funny not to
share and document. 

Connelly Ladies Christmas Brunch. 

Connelly family Christmas. 

Mustache fun. 

Family photos with Mr. David. 

Very professional 😍.

AA Inc. Party. 

My lovely little G, growing up so fast. 

Fam photo, notice the shoes Greta picked out for Piper.

Stairsteps- Piper-4 Greta-6 Sully-7

So proud of these three amigos. 

St. Louis

The girls and I made our annual St. Louis trip the weekend of November 16 to visit the Winters family. It marked six years since Dave Winters has been gone. It's amazing how much has changed, the kids are all so grown up. Stacy and I often reflect about how the only challenge is the travel as once we are together, the kids take care of each other and get along SO well, we are fortunate for that.

We left on Friday afternoon and had a very seamless travel day, arriving at about 3pm, in time for a quick snack and short playtime before taking a meal to the fire station in Dave's honor and then going to family night at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in downtown St. Louis. We did crafts and toured the theatre before seeing Stomp, which is a show I have always wanted to see. Greta and Piper were so exhausted that they fell asleep half way through the loud and rambunctious performance, one on my lap and one on Stacy's. It was very entertaining and fun.

We got up on Saturday morning and hung while the kids played. Stacy booked me a massage which was amazing and exactly what I needed. When I returned, we loaded up and headed downtown to this new ferris wheel and diner. We went on the ferris wheel and then ordered lunch and freakshakes, which are $20 milkshakes, filled with everything from cupcakes to cotton candy to cookies and candles. It was quite a treat. After lunch we returned and went for happy hour with Stacy's boyfriend, Mark and then went for dinner with Stacy's good friend Erin. Saturday was a good day.

The girls and I returned on Sunday afternoon, another seamless travel day.

We spent some time looking through old photos from over the years, specifically the ones of our frequent trips to see each other. It is amazing how the kids have grown and have grown up together, how much we, as adults have grown up. The tired looks in our eyes in the earlier years when the kids were little, to the photos of us making time to get out without the kids and find some time to do adult things. It is great to have good friends to share these phases of life with. Until next time!

That's a full car! 

Girls' row at Stomp.

This, my friends, is a Freakshake. 

Sugar sister heaven.

Dinner out. 

Family photo. 

Joe, Sam, Greta, Tom, and Piper. 

First annual Friendsgiving.

The trivia group which has evolved into one of my favorite friend groups did Friendsgiving this year. The Barkers hosted and Rebecca flew in Oprah's favorite turkey and made all of the fixings. It was lovely evening sitting in their charming dining room surrounded by good wine, good friends, and loads of laughs. To top it off, we celebrated Kris's birthday which was the following day with two kinds of pie and 48 candles, that was a smokey situation for a few minutes. It was soo fun, I'm always so sad when its over.

The gals.

The guys. 

The turkey carver.

The birthday boy.