As fast as any 1 year old should go!

In lieu of any weekend adventures to write about I thought videos of Reed might suffice!

Here is something I am certain Reed is missing, his ride-on toys.  I am sure Chris's back is thankful that this isn't a possibility right now, lol!  I believe this video was taken around Reed's birthday.  I can't believe how much he's changed in 7 months.  Whoa, that means I've missed the 19 months post.  Oops, I better get on that.  Until then, enjoy!

Where did we go?

You may be wondering where the posts of our weekend adventures have gone.  Did she post them and they go out into internet space and not get posted for the rest of us to see?  Did she decide that we didn't need to hear about their weekend adventures anymore?  No, no, my friend, that is not the case.  In lieu of Chris being out of town until Friday afternoon and then having to return to Ireland on Sunday, we had a pretty chill weekend in terms of our London life.  It was more like a weekend that we experience at home although it was only one day instead of two.  We attempted to take Reed to the National Army Museum to the play area, but it was closed for a birthday party.  So we browsed an area of home decorating stores, walked through Chelsea, lunched at Patisserie Valerie, which is becoming my favorite lunch place, and then headed home.

Reed and I are counting down the days until Chris's return tomorrow.  We can't wait!!  And, our first visitor arrives on Saturday.  Chris's cousin Lauren will spend most of the week here before we all head to Paris on Friday.  So excited!!

Until the fun of Chris's return, Lauren's arrival and our trip to Paris, Reed and I will continue to entertain ourselves with videos like this.  I actually showed this to Reed once because I was tired of watching clips of Elmo on YouTube on my phone.  He now requests it.  "Cha-ee, Cha-ee?"  I am not sure if he thinks his Uncle Cha-ee is in the video or not, lol!

Whoooaaaa Jack!

Please excuse my "proud mommy" giggling!

The Pioneer Woman Rocks!

This week I've made a total of three recipes courtesy of the Pioneer Woman.  I had no doubt that her recipes were good, as our friend Maureen has made several things of hers for us that were very tasty.  I had only tried a few recipes before but I decided this week to try out a few more and I was not disappointed.  If you need a new recipe idea, check her out!  See below for the recipes that I've tried.

The Marlboro Man Sandwich - This certainly isn't a healthy meal, as you use tons of butter, but it is oh-so-tasty.  We ended up adding red bell pepper and mushrooms to the mix with the onions to make it extra yummy.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake - Yummy, yummy!

Cinnamon Toast - My husband thinks that he knows the best way to make cinnamon toast.  I think the Pioneer Woman has got him beat.  The toast was excellent!

And, recipes that I've tried before this week......

The Bread - I actually made this bread at my parents house and I may have put it on too high of a rack in the oven, so it ended up smoking up the house but it was still really good.

Life by Chocolate Cupcakes - I might recommend dousing the chocolate kisses in flour before dropping them into the batter.  They sank straight to the bottom and didn't stick to the cake, so most of them remained in the pan when I pulled the cupcakes out.  These were still extremely tasty though and the ganache, yum-o!  Oh, and I didn't try the cherry option.

Scooter crazy!

The transportation method of choice by children all over London is apparently a scooter.  They are everywhere.  And, with our kid, who is crazy about anything with wheels, the abundance of scooters was a constant distraction from anything we were doing.  If he saw an unoccupied scooter you could bet that he was going to go over and get on it.  So, I broke down and ordered him a scooter this week.  We are totally  not those parents that are constantly buying our kid new stuff but I feel like he deserved it, at least that's the excuse I used.  We did take him away from his family, his house, his bed, and his friends.  Honestly, he probably doesn't know much of a difference right now, but what's a little treat going to hurt?!?!

Loving his scooter!  Unfortunately, it is a little more purple than the blue it said it was, lol!  Oh well.

Portobello Market and Hugh Grant Sighting

Okay, just kidding, there was no sighting of any sort, although we did check out a few of the filming locations for the movie Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, which is one of my many favorite romantic comedy movies.

Saturday morning, we made our way to Portobello Road in Notting Hill to check out the weekly Portobello Market that is oh-so-famous.  The streets were ridiculously crowded, as were the shops, and there wasn't much shopping done on our part considering we had a whiney toddler in tow.  Apparently he was just sleepy, so once he fell asleep we were free to browse around.  In the antiques section, we saw lots of silver and leather bags.  There was also a food section with fruits and veggies as well as cooked meals.  We will definitely have to go back there sans the kiddo sometime to check out all the cool antique stores on the street.  I need to find something to ship back home although Chris disagrees!

Craziness!

William Thacker's door in Notting Hill.

Obviously, no filming took place in this building since there isn't anything above the door, like in the movie.

The corner where William Thacker (Hugh Grant) runs into Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) and spills orange juice on her.

And, the Travel Bookshop that inspired William Thacker's travel bookshop in the movie.

Maybe next time I will get lucky enough to have a Hugh Grant sighting!  The only thing left to see in regards to this movie is the gate where Hugh Grant says "whoops a daisies" and Julia Robert's character calls him out for saying something that only little girls with ringlets say.

Typical Little Boy!!

Our little boy is into everything!  If we are saying "no" to one thing, then he is running to do something else that, I believe, he knows we will also say no to.  Just the other day, I had to clear out one of our cabinets where we housed our reusable shopping bags.  He was pulling all of them out and then putting them over his head, eek!  So, we had to put an end to that.  Well, what did he do?  He found another way to explore.  In Chris's words, "at least he can't fall on his head."  LOL!

AAP Car Seat Recommendation

The American Academy of Pediatrics released an article yesterday recommending that children stay in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the age of 2.  Thank goodness we won't have to turn Reed around in his car seat considering we will only be getting back to the US just a week before his 2nd birthday.  I can't imagine how he would feel about this, whoa!  Thankfully our next child will have Reed to entertain him or her when they are riding rear-facing for two years.  I am thinking car manufacturers should consider a moveable DVD player screen!  Click on the link below to read the full article.


AAP Article

Reed in his seat that he never gets to use anymore.  Sorry for the messy hair, we didn't get out of the house yesterday.

Reed frequently goes out into the foyer area of our flat to sit in his seat.  He even tries to latch it.  I hope he remembers this when he is having to get in it all the time again.  When we ask him if he wants to go for a ride, meaning in his stroller, he sometimes goes straight to his car seat.  I think he misses hanging out in his seat and watching dvds.  Soon enough, baby, soon enough!

Weekend Sightseeing: Part 2

On Sunday, we had a pretty lazy morning going back and forth about what we were going to do for the day.  Chris and I were both a little tired from the day before, but we can't let any of our time here go to waste.  So, we decided to check out the British Museum where lots of cool things are kept.  It didn't take long in this museum to make us exhausted again.  See below for some of the artifacts that are kept at the British Museum.

The Rosetta Stone, which contains three different languages, including hieroglyphics, and was used to decipher the meaning behind the hieroglyphic symbols.

A portion of the beard of the Sphinx.

Hieroglyphics

Ramases II - They think the hole in his chest may have been causes by those removing the statue.

1270 BC, craziness!

A portion of a frieze showing a parade of horses riding up to the Acropolis in Athens.

Mummies!  So cool at the lengths they went with their burials.  And the bodies have remained intact, so to speak.  They are even able to x-ray the mummies to determine the age at death and any ailments they might have had.

Reed and Daddy.  Thankfully, Reed slept for most of our museum tour.

"Horse."

Reed and Me.

The British Museum!

No more sickness, please.

Yesterday we made our second trip to a London ER.  I know, I know, we shouldn't be going to the ER, because it isn't a true emergency.  The thing is that is really our only healthcare option at this point until I can find a private doctor that will care for Reed (must get on that ASAP).  We figure we are eligible for their free healthcare here but can't get a straight answer from anyone, so we will stick with paying the little out of network fees that our insurance in the US requires.

Onto the more important issue, Reed.  He started running a very high fever on Monday night that continued to go up and down but never down low enough.  After two nights and a day of him being miserable, I decided that it was time to let someone else take a look.  As a complete shock to me, we were escorted almost immediately into a room where we spoke with a nurse and then 30 minutes later the doctor came in.  Now, that's what I call service.  The doctor spent a good 30 or 45 minutes with us evaluating Reed.  He didn't really see any issues until he looked in his throat and noticed that it was a little red.  He said that we should continue to manage his fever and that he will probably start to show more signs of a sore throat in a few days.  I think my baby boy can handle a sore throat much better than he can a fever.  He is so miserable with a fever.

Now, onto the somewhat funny part of the visit.  Since this is Reed's second trip to the ER, you would think that he would be a pro.  No way.  The nurse put a plastic strip under his arm to take his temp and you would have thought she was cutting it off.  Then, she wrapped a strip around his big toe with a red light on it to monitor his oxygen levels and heart rate.  Again, he acted like she was cutting it off.  Boy, is he dramatic.  Poor little guy.  She also put a little bit of local anaesthetic on his hand just in case they needed to take blood and then wrapped it up in gauze.  You know the drill by now.

The funniest part of the visit, if visits to the ER can be funny, was when the nurse asked me to try to collect a urine sample.  She left a tray for me and a little tube.  Um, what?!?!?  I was completely thrown off guard by that.  She said that I should just take his diaper off and let him walk around and then catch it when he starts to "wee" (this is what they call it).  Well, a little boy who doesn't feel well just wants to be held.  At any other time, he would have definitely been up and roaming through all the many things to mess with in the room, but not yesterday.  So, I had to hold him.  Not being a brave mother at all, I put a diaper on him loosely and decided that I would just keep a check on him constantly until it seemed like he was peeing.  Welp, I missed it.  I was pretty frustrated.  My words to Reed...."no Reed, don't go potty in the diaper, go pee pee in the potty".  You can't imagine how many times I sang "pee pee in the pot-ty" yesterday, lol!  So, my first try failed, but after the doctor left he still wanted to check Reed's urine so he said to give him something to drink and then hope that he goes wee.  Anyway, to make a long story short, Reed finally started strutting his stuff around the hospital room and made his way over to the other side of the bed where he started weeing everywhere.  Thankfully, I can't some of it.  Oh wow, what an adventure.  And, the urine came back clean, so no sign of infection there.  That's good.  The doctor was more confident that it was his throat.  No need for a blood sample either, woohoo!

Reed woke up this morning seeming more like himself.  I think we may be on our way to a much happier little boy.  And, please, please, please, can we not have to go back to the ER while we are here?!?!?!  Reed has hardly ever been sick and we've had two not so fun experiences since we've been here.  Enough.  We are going to have to get serious about germs around here!

Sorry for the blurry picture.  I didn't take my good camera along for this adventure.  Check out his boxing glove.  This was before I missed the wee, whoops!

Um, can someone please buy us one of these?

We are pretty obsessed.  I have been obsessed for quite some time since I first saw these vehicles in the movies She's All That and John Tucker Must Die.  Yes, I just brought up those movies and I am not ashamed to admit that I love them.  Not just for the cars in the movies either.  While the ones featured in these movies are two door and soft top, which I wouldn't mind having, the four door hard top version is probably the most logical choice for us.  So, if you have money lying around that you can't wait to spend, please purchase us a four door Land Rover Defender from the UK, have it shipped over to the US for not so bad of a price, pay customs fees in the US (we haven't checked on these), add airbags, which I don't think it has, and then please have the steering column moved to the left, so we don't feel completely awkward.  Okay, I think that's it.  Doesn't sound like too much to ask, right?!?!?

Land Rover Defender 110
This one was parked directly across from our place.  I thought for a second about stealing it, but then realized that the only place I have to park it is directly across the street from where it currently was.  I kid, I kid. 

Weekend Sightseeing: Part 1

We headed closer to central London this weekend to check out some of the city highlights that we had yet to see.  Our first stop was at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.  What beautiful buildings!  Unbeknownst to me, it appeared as if you could actually take a tour of the Houses of Parliament.  We'll put that on our list of things to do before we leave.  Just across the street was Westminster Abbey, where the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be taking place in just over a month.  We ended up not taking a tour because it cost $26 per person.  We'll plan to do that when we have visitors but definitely before the wedding.  From there, we checked out the home of the Prime Minister from behind the guarded gates.   Then, we made our way to Trafalgar Square, where many protests are held as well as the annual New Year's Eve countdown.  In the square is the The National Gallery, which houses many works of art from the likes of Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Renoir, just to name a few.  We then continued our journey to an awesome area of London called Covent Garden.  It was a very happening and crowded place.   We will definitely have to take visitors there.  After much walking and sightseeing, we were pooped, so we called it a day!  Enjoy the pics!

Big Ben
Did you know that Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, not the tower itself?

A portion of the Houses of Parliament

Houses of Parliament

The circle that Chris went around many times on the night that he got lost returning our rental car.

Dum dum da dum!!!

The north entrance to the Abbey.  So beautiful!  I think I probably would have chosen this place as well.  Good pick Kate!

Tea towels anyone?  I honestly want a tea towel for the wedding but I really didn't want one with their faces on it.  More searching to be done.

The London Eye peaking out from behind a building.  I've got to get brave enough to ride it.

Security at No. 10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives.  Winston Churchill also lived here.

The home of the Prime Minister is apparently one of the two buildings in the back on the right.

"I am seriously getting tired of this stroller."

Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery

Reed loves lions, so we tried our best to get him to sit with this one.  He wasn't having any of it.  He stayed there for a half-second, maybe.

Neal's Yard, a cute little nook in the midst of several buildings with restaurants.  We'll have to go back there to eat sometime.

I have been missing Willy's terribly.  Thankfully, a coworker of Chris's recommended Wahaca for good Mexican food.  I am glad we took her up on her recommendation.  The food was awesome, unfortunately, it was a little more expensive than Willy's, so we won't be able to go quite as much.  We did pass a Chipotle that same day though.  That could work.

Sundays with Andy!

Since we are unsure about our potential to find a church to attend while in London (although we should really get out and check out some places near us), we decided we would watch a message by Andy Stanley from North Point Community Church while eating our dinner on Sunday nights.  The first message we watched was the first in a series called Big Church.  It was an awesome perspective on what the church really is, what it means, and what we need to be doing about it.  It was such a great message and we have since been excited each week to sit down and watch his message, almost sad when it ends.   Please click on the description of the message that we happened upon first after deciding what our Sunday tradition would be.  It's a good one.  And, maybe start a tradition of your own that involves checking out these messages online or going to a church near you!

Big Church

Part 1: Day One

Andy Stanley

When you think of church, what's the first thing that comes to mind? A building with pews, choirs in robes, a band? Is this an accurate picture, or is church supposed to be something different?

Worst. News. Possible.

After agreeing to be in one of the most grueling groups at Bain, working in their private equity group, in order to avoid traveling while we are in London, Chris was informed this week that he will be going to Dublin, Ireland for five weeks.  He will more than likely be gone from Tuesday to Thursday each week and sometimes Monday to Thursday.  We are extremely bummed.  Thankfully, we will survive!

Another new hangout!

Well, it seems that we are officially in the 50s for good, at least I hope, so getting to play outside on a regular basis is just around the corner.  Until then, Reed and I will continue to check out all the cool things to do that are located indoors.  For example, the Science Museum.  In the basement of the museum there is a special section just for kiddos with a water table, large legos, and many other activities.  Of course, Reed loved the water table and the hard hats located in the lego area.

Playing in the water.

"I love hats!"

Reed was moving the cones from one 'x' to the next.

He loaded up the wheelbarrow with legos and pushed it around.

Reed stretching his neck to see the beginning of air travel.

Welcome Thomas Robert "Tripp" Carlock III!

Congratulations to two of our most favorite people in world, Teal and Laren Carlock, who welcomed their baby boy Tripp into the world on February 4th.  He weighed in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

I am indeed posting about the arrival of Baby Tripp just a short month after he was born, so Happy 1 Month Birthday Tripp!  I guess you can say that I have been kind of busy.  That's not a very good excuse though.  Any who, Chris and I are both going crazy thinking that we won't meet this little guy until he's over 6 months old.  So, the plan is for me to fly out to Texas in June when we make a one week trip back to US.  Woohoo!  I will also get to meet two other new additions to the Bruner and Fuszard families!!

Congratulations again to you two!  We love you guys and love your little man as well!  We hope that you all have gotten at least a little bit of sleep during Tripp's first month!!  What a lucky little guy to have you two as parents!

Tower of London and Borough Market

Based on a recommendation from one of Chris's colleagues, we ventured to Borough Market on Saturday to see what it was all about.  There were fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, you name it, it was being sold at this market.  And, there was cheese, which Chris can never say no to a free sample.  We ended up not purchasing a single thing there, except for lunch, but we hope to go to there with a plan next time so that we can bring home some of the wonderful items offered at the market.

One of the entrances to the market.  It was crazy crowded.

One of the many interesting items available.  You know you want to take home some goose fat?!?

Or maybe even a pig's head.  Poor pig.

Lots of fish options.

After seeing most of what the market had to offer we walked to London Bridge, which thankfully, is not falling down.  Nor is it very interesting at all.  I am certain it was much cooler in the 18th century when people lived in buildings on the bridge and also had their businesses there.  Now, it's just a regular old bridge.

Chris and Reed crossing the London Bridge.

While the bridge itself is just a bridge, you do get see an awesome view of the Tower Bridge.

We then proceeded to walk through a deserted part of town where apparently shops are only open during the week to make our way to the Tower of London.  I was super excited to go here and look forward to my next visit.  This is where Anne Boleyn, amongst several others, were executed.  I loved the book The Other Boleyn Girl, so this place brought it all to life.  We took a tour of the place led by a Yeoman Warder, also known as Beefeater, who actually continue to live at the Tower of London.  Unfortunately, our crazy kid cut our tour short.  We will pick up where we left off next time.

Tower of London.  The grass is where the mote used to be.

Our tour guide.  While he said that many claim there are ghosts that live at the Tower of London, he has never seen one.

The Bloody Tower, where it is supposed that two princes, or future kings, were murdered by their uncle Richard III, so that he could be king.

One of the many gates.  Our guide warned us not to stand under it too long, lol!

Tower Green, where the executions took place.  Only those of high enough status were executed here in private.  Others were taken to Tower Hill for a public execution.

The White Tower, a palace built by William the Conqueror.

Chris and Reed standing in front of the place where the crown jewels are kept.  Unfortunately, you can't take pictures in there.

Reed and Mommy.....he was so sleepy.

There is a great view of the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London.

One of the many entrances.