Cousins! Cousins!

We had a wonderful week with family visiting from the States! Uma, Aunt Beverly, Uncle Ed, Ethan and Simon were here for the week. Since I'm a leading authority on London playgrounds, I took them around to all the good ones. We had bad weather last week, but I think they had a good time anyway. Here are some of the highlights.

Pascale with Aunt Beverly


Ethan on the big jungle gym at Corams Fields.


Josephine and Uncle Ed at Corams Fields


Josephine and a goat at Corams Fields


On the London Eye


On the London Eye


Josephine with Uma

At the Princess Diana Memorial Playground


At the Princess Diana Memorial Playground


Riding the Tube


Ethan being silly


Pascale at Corams Fields


Josephine with Aunt Beverly


Josephine with Uncle Ed

Riding scooters in the back garden.

White Easter

It snowed for the first time this winter on Easter Sunday! We were watching it from the window, and the girls really wanted to go out, so I got everyone bundled up and outside. Josephine wanted to go in immediately. It was just too strange to have this white stuff falling from the sky. Pascale actually played in it for a few minutes until she got cold and we went in.


We had some rain earlier in the week, so the girls took their umbrellas out for a spin.

Pascale put this puzzle together all by herself!

This is a good pic of Josephine eating a pain au chocolate. That brown thing she's holding is the chocolate that she surgically removed from the inside.

We went to the Science Museum. We'll probably be going there a lot, since Pascale has a month off between school terms.

Here they are walking to the playground.

Their cousins are visiting this week! Here's Josephine with Simon.

Josephine with her easter basket

Here are the easter baskets before the kids get ahold of them.

Bernie took them to Gambado on Saturday.

My Baby is TWO!

Josephine is such a big girl now! She had her second birthday on Saturday. Now every day she asks if it's still her birthday.



Opening Presents. I managed to buy this strange wrapping paper that does not tear. Even I could not tear it, but Josephine somehow managed to persevere and open her gifts anyway.


She found her cake on the kitchen counter


She likes her doll stroller


Josephine got an umbrella for her birthday, which came in handy right away.

I made dresses for the girls, and matching ones for their favorite stuffed animals.


The girls like to play in the spice drawer


Bernie got me these chocolates for my birthday. Aren't they lovely?


Pascale made this very impressive train out of napkins.

In other news, we've all had the flu lately. I'm the last one to get it, and have been in bed with a fever all weekend. In previous years, we have all gotten it at the same time, which is truly awful. This year, we're getting it one at a time, which is much better. It's good to have someone who's well to keep the house running and care for the sick.

Josie's First Haircut

Here's Josephine getting her first haircut. She was so proud of herself!

Pascale got her hair cut too.


Pascale was sick with the flu for most of last week, so we spent a lot of time in the house. Here's Pascale pretending to put a diaper on Josephine.




It was my birthday on Saturday.




We went to an Easter party where they had face painting



This is the window of my favorite upholstery shop on King's Road. They have upholstered birdhouses with fake birds in them.



Of course, no blog entry would be complete without a pic of the kids at the playground.

The Ultimate Authority

I said to Josephine, "Stop doing that." She replied, "Pascale said it was OK."

I'm going to introduce a style change on the blog. It seems, when I look at others' blogs, that it's easier to look at a photo and read the description beneath the photo rather than above the photo, as I've been doing it. So, from now on, the description of the photo will be found below the photo.


Nonna sent Josephine a birthday card with $20 in it, and I told her that I would go to the toy store with her and she could pick something out for her second birthday. I keep telling Josephine that, when she turns 2, no more baby bottles and no more pacifiers. Bernie joked that, if she were really planning ahead, she would go to the baby section of the toy store and spend the whole $20 on baby bottles and pacifiers. Good thing she's not that devious. Yet.


Josephine insists on taking her stuffed bunny with her everywhere, so Pascale always has to take an animal along, too.


Today is Mothers Day in the UK, so Pascale brought me flowers. We also went out for lunch at the restaurant downstairs. At the restaurant, while Pascale's back was turned, Josephine took all the ice out of Pascale's drink and put it in her own drink. When Pascale turned back, Josephine acted like nothing had happened. We had to ask for more ice for Pascale.


I like this pic of Josephine



Running and playing Ring Around the Rosie outside our building


They like to hang out in this little alcove. They call it "playing porter"


Pascale scooting to school. She's been a lot more interested in scooting this week, and I've started making her wear a helmet. When I told her about it, she said, "M wears a helmet every day!" M is the coolest kid in her preschool. His mom making him wear a helmet certainly made my life easier.