Sightseeing in London - Day 1

Our first full day in London was jam-packed. We started fairly early in the morning and didn't stop until late.

Our first stop was the Tower of London. My mom and sister ran out of time for the full tour last year, so that was first on our list this year. (You will notice that we don't have a lot of indoor photos at the places we visited. Many of the places don't allow photos.)

After our tour, we walked over to the Tower Bridge. After learning some history, we took the opportunity to walk across the top of the bridge. There were portions in the floor made out of glass, so as you stood on it, you could look down and see the traffic traveling across the bridge, and look down further to see the river. Katie said she was scared of it, but she was willing to keep going back on that part, so I think her fear was more drama than reality.

Our next stop was the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Starting in the 1990s, this theater was built to look as much like the 1599 theater as possible. Our guide was so entertaining as he told us stories of the past and how they are honoring the past in the way the theater is used today. I wish our pictures had turned out better, but it was dark when we visited.

Our last stop that day was going to Hamley's Toy Store. Ever since Jennifer told Katie about the store last year, she had wanted to visit. We took a long time going through the five floors of toys. It was a dream come true for Katie!

When we went out to breakfast, I was so excited to find this advertisement for hot chocolate. I didn't care about the hot chocolate, but I was so impressed that they served an orange slice with it! Yum! 

Our first stop was in front of the Tower of London. 

My new hat was quite the sensation in London. They must not have these hats yet. I got a lot of attention over it! 

The Tower of London used to house exotic animals in the past. Now they have statues to represent the animals that once lived there. 

Six ravens guard the Tower of London. I spotted one! Can you find it? 

While our tour guide talked, I found this pigeon hiding in the rocks. I thought it was the greatest thing ever!

This was one of the guards who was guarding the Queen's jewels that we got to see. At first, I was scared of him, so Aunt Jennifer stood with me. 

With a little space, he was an okay guy. 

We watched him march back and forth. 

From inside the Tower of London, we got a sneak peak at the bridge we were going to next. 

Before we left, we had to stop at the place where Anne Boleyn (second wife of Henry VIII) was beheaded. 

Grandma made sure to stand in front of Anne Boleyn's house.

After lunch, we walked to the Tower Bridge. 

As we walked across the top of the bridge, we could look through the floor in some places. Aunt Jennifer and I liked standing on the glass. 

After a long walk, we found Shakespeare's Globe Theater. I liked the small version. 

We got to sit in the theater as we learned all about it. With the open ceiling, it got a little cold!

We got to walk up close to the stage to see it better.

 Finally, it was time to make our way to the toy store. Sometimes it's hard to wait for another train!

 The streets around the toy store were decorated for Christmas. This street had angels flying down the whole thing.

I was so happy to find Hamley's Toy Store window.

I met Queen Elizabeth II in the store. 

Then I got to sit in the Lego car. 

I also met one of my favorite characters, Peppa Pig! I loved the toy store!

On Our Way to London

After my mom and sister went to London last fall, they convinced Katie and me that we should go there  too. We decided that we would all go on Thanksgiving week this year.

Katie had been excited for the trip - like she is with every trip. She had packed, and we were ready to go the next day. She went to one final dance lesson. After class, Katie's friend lifted her up. They lost their balance, and they fell on Katie's arm. When she was still crying after an hour and not lifting her arm, I decided I better take her to Urgent Care to make sure her arm wasn't broken.

After x-rays, the doctor said that he didn't see a break. He also said that you can't always see breaks right away with kids Katie's age. He let me know that if her arm was still sore in a half a week, we would have to find a place in London to get her arm x-rayed again. We crossed our fingers that her arm would get better and left Urgent Care with a sling.

After a painful night, Katie was ready to go. I wish I could be that excited for a long plane ride! As always, Katie did really well on the plane. She was able to entertain herself and sleep for a good portion of the trip.

When we got to London, we took the very crowded Underground to our hotel. We accidentally got off one stop too soon and consequently got to trek through the city with our luggage, but we made it! One of Katie's favorite parts of any trip is getting to stay at a hotel, so she was happy! The long trip there was worth it!

I felt pretty sad when I hurt my arm. I was worried about getting x-rays, but they didn't hurt, and my doctor was really nice! 

Before we left the next morning, I was excited to find a package from Grammy Noreen and Grandpa Joe! Thanks for the card and hair clips! I took the clips to London with me! 

I always love getting on the shuttle to the airplane. I like to sit in the back seats that sit up higher than the rest of the seats. 

While we waited for the plane, I played with my rubber duck that I packed. I told my mom it would come in handy! I also decided I was tired of my sling, so I just let my left arm hang limply at my side. 

My dog, Collie, and I were ready for the long plane ride! 

My mom got me a travel journal, and there were fun games in it that I got to do on the plane! 

After a while though, I just had to sleep. It's a good thing I can sleep anywhere! 

When we finally got to London, I wasn't very happy to be on such a crowded train that was having big delays. Since there were no seats, we had to stand. Luckily, I could sit on top of my mom's suitcase!

Even in a crowded train, I can still fall asleep! 

I was so happy when I got to my hotel room that I did a dance on the bed!

Get ready London…here I come!

Happy Thanksgiving, 2016!

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving late because we were out of town on Thanksgiving Day. We had a simple celebration - just a turkey dinner with our family. It was a relaxing day.

The night before our dinner, I got our stuffing-mixing pot ready and wore it as a hat! 

Then, of course, I had to see if I could still fit in it. 

 Everyone was surprised that a six year old could still fit.

It's my favorite holiday seat! 

Can I get out now?

In the morning, I was so excited to find my elf, who returned to the house after a year off!

After I got dressed, I helped my mom prepare parts of dinner. Just like my mom, I grabbed my swimming goggles to wear before the onion was cut, so my eyes wouldn't burn! 

While my mom cut the onions, I got to eat celery! Yum! 

When dinner was finally done, everyone else sat down with their turkey dinner. I chose to pass on that dinner and have bell peppers and cucumbers. It was delicious! 

My favorite part of the day was having Grandpa join us for dinner! 

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

A Cultural Picture

While Katie was drawing one night, she decided to draw a picture of Chinese girls dancing.

I wanted my dancing girls to be speaking in Chinese, so one is saying "Ni hao" (hello) to the other one.

An Inspiring Letter

Katie received a letter in the mail that made her day. Her letter was from Hillary Clinton. She was so excited to get a letter back from her!

I was so happy to hear I had a letter from Hillary Clinton! 

It's so exciting to have people write back when you write to them! 

I loved it! 

It just made me wish again that she had won the election.

Sending Off My Book

At the end of summer, Katie started writing a book about when we got Bailey and Sophie. She finally finished it and was so excited to send her envelope to the publisher. Now the waiting begins.

After my hard work, I was excited to put my book in the envelope to get it published!