The Kennedy Circus: December 2013

Dec 2013 - Christmas

Merry Christmas! We had a lovely Christmas. Donnie has 2 weeks off from school after a whirlwind of a December.

We purchased our cute little Christmas tree at a local nursery called The Chelsea Gardener, and carried it home. They told us the cabs would accommodate small trees, but no, we were stubborn. And it was heavy! The kids spent weeks making lots of decorations for our tree and our house, since I forgot to pack even a single Christmas item.

For Christmas dinner we had venison, ham, minted peas, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding with gravy, carrot casserole, mince pies, and plum pudding. All courtesy of our local gourmet grocer. (Well, I did warm up the food). We later discovered that we should have flamed the plum pudding; it was so alcoholic it was almost inedible!

The kids got legos, remote control cars and helicopters, art supplies, and kindle fires from Santa. And a pink unicorn for Sarah! The kindle fires were really a gift for Mommy, so I can have my own kindle (and the computer) back.

Can I have this for Christmas dinner?

Some homemade decorations.

The stockings were hung from the spoons with care...

Ezra wearing his customary English Christmas crown.

It's a lego Christmas!

A unicorn! Notice the mac and cheese on the couch …. Santa also brought them each some food from America that you can't find in England. Mac and cheese, Oreos, Goldfish, and Magic Shell. One little pack to enjoy!

This gift absolutely floored them, as it should!

Dec 2013 - Out With Daddy

Ezra loves to run errands with Dad, and honestly, he is the best shopper. Maybe a little too good! But of course they would never just run to the store. At least two stops this day, one at the park, and one at a nearby church.

Daddy took the kids up to the Diana playground, and stopped by Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on the way home. Diana is a very unusual playground. It is gated with a security guard, and only adults with children may enter. Unfortunately it closes at sunset (3:45!) so you have to get there early.

Kensington Gardens on the way to the playground,

Sunset at the Round Pond

Winter Wonderland! No rides for the kids, since the cost $5-10 PER RIDE, but they walked around and enjoyed the sights.

Mmmm, Bratwurst.

Another day out with Daddy: to the petting zoo in Battersea Park.

And back to the Natural History museum (which is about a quarter mile from our house). The building itself is stunning. The exhibits are decent, but not as good as the Smithsonian (personal opinion!). My favorite museum so far is the Victoria and Albert. It has the style of "rummage sale meets museum."

Dec 2013 - Everyday Life

What do we do all day? A little school work and a lot of playing. The kids are involved in art classes, and football (soccer) starts back up soon. We try to do something touristy at least once a week, and spend 2-3 afternoons at the park.

Pirates, argh!

Mommy the rule-breaker. Daddy took this picture just to show you the red man is on!

Christmas carols at St Martins. We didn't know half the carols.

One of our local tube stations (Gloucester Road, pronounced like "foster").

Heading down to the Southbank for the Christmas market.

Famous skatepark at Southbank.

Crossing the bridge back to Embankment tube station.

Dec 2013 - International Night at the Royal College of Defence Studies

Donnie is attending school this year at the Royal College of Defence Studies. One third of the students are British, and two thirds are international. Donnie is the only American. One of the goals of the school is to break down cultural barriers by encouraging friendships among the students and their families. As you can see, this party does a good job of that!