Paris sights, our trip to Disneyland Paris, and Linda's visit

After the horrific beginning to our holiday we decided that since Brett was doing fairly well and we only had a few days in Paris, we should make the most of our visit and continue with our original plans for sightseeing.

Around 9 a.m. or so on Thursday (after we had a few hours of sleep) we took the train into downtown Paris. We visited Paris last year for the girls' birthdays so wanted to make it a fairly easy day and make sure that Linda was able to see some of the main sights since she hadn't ever been there. We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame Cathedral. We stood in line at Notre Dame and climbed the 400 stairs (although it felt like a LOT more!) to get to the top of the tower -- and, oh my goodness, I honestly didn't think I was going to make it! I was holding Kameron's hand as she was climbing the stairs in front of me as we kept going up and up and up wondering when we would reach the top ... and she kept telling people that she was helping me get up the stairs. In actuality, I think she was dragging me up the stairs! ;o) Definitely a great exercise regime!!! After seeing most of Paris and being thoroughly exhausted, we took the train back to Disney so the kids could ride a few rides before heading back to the hotel at a fairly reasonable time (so we could attempt to get some sleep).




Friday was our big driving day. Our original plan was to head to Mont Saint Michel first (which was about 4+ hours from Paris); however since we were caught in traffic for over 1.5 hours in Paris, we decided that we would go there at the end of the day if there was still time. Our first stop for the day was Omaha Beach at Normandy. After the fighting in Normandy, more than 10 American cemeteries were on the battlefield; however a little over half of the burials were moved back to the US. The American Battle Monuments Commission focused the remaining casualties in 2 main cemeteries (one in Normandy and one in Brittany). The American cemetery at Omaha Beach is 172.5 acres and has 9,387 burials. This is the largest American cemetery from World War II but is not the largest one in Europe. (The largest if the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery from WW I -- which has more than 14,000 burials.) While situated at a beautiful and peaceful location, the whole experience was obviously quite emotional.


After visiting Normandy, we decided that since it was only mid-afternoon we would head to the coast to visit Mont Saint Michel (about 1.5 hours from Normandy). Mont Saint Michel is a medieval town situated on a rocky tidal island. The island is best known for its spectacular and well-preserved Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Michel at the peak of the island. In addition to the abbey, they also have a main street with museums, shops, and houses. While nearly 3.5 millions visitors travel to this island each year, there are only 30 people that actually live on the island. Following this visit, we decided to grab a bite to eat and head back to the hotel. It was a long, exhausting, but fantastic day -- to say the least. ;o)


With Saturday being our last day in Paris, we decided that we would spend the entire day at Disneyland. We all enjoyed riding just about every ride in the park (several times!) and Mike, Linda, and I really enjoyed watching the kids' faces light up when they would be on a ride or see a character. ;o) Even though Kendall & Kameron's birthday was on July 14, we still celebrated their birthday at Disneyland with a Tea Party. We enjoyed visiting with characters, eating "tea-type" food (lots of pastries and sweets) and, of course, a Mickey & Minnie birthday cake! We ended the day and our trip by watching the Illuminations parade and fireworks that evening at the Disneyland Park.

Getting ready to go to Disneyland






We're ready to watch the Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3-D show




Kendall & Kameron's 4th Birthday -- Tea Party





Since we were wholeheartedly exhausted after our trip to Paris, we decided that on Monday we would relax just a bit and visit Stamford to walk around the town and shop. Stamford is a beautiful town to visit and shop in (which Linda and I enjoyed) -- but I think the kids enjoyed feeding the ducks at the park the best. On Tuesday, we went to the girls' Gymmies class and then took a trip to Ferry Meadows (a large nearby park) to have a nice quiet picnic and let the kids play to burn off some more energy. With it being Linda's last evening with us, we decided to take her out to eat at The Cuckoo (a great pub) in Alwalton (about 5 minutes from our house). The children and I took Linda to Heathrow on Wednesday morning so she could catch her 12 p.m. flight. We had a wonderful time during her visit. We were all sad to see her go but are looking forward to seeing all of our family again at Christmas. ;o)

I Can't Speak French!!!

With Mike's mom, Linda, visiting us for a week, we decided to take a long weekend trip to Paris. The plan was to visit the main sights in Paris as well as Normandy and, of course, Disneyland Paris. We took the Eurostar from London to Paris. Upon arrival at the Avis rental station at the Gare Du Nord train station in Paris, we realized they hadn't held us the 3 booster seats that we had requested. They said they could provide us with one booster and then two infant seats (you know, the big bulky ones). We carried them to our "van-zilla" that we had rented for the 6 of us and realized that they were set for a baby -- so the straps wouldn't go over Kendall & Kameron's shoulders. On most car seats, as long as I can see the back of the actual car seat, I can correct the problem by readjusting the straps. Unfortunately on these 2 car seats, there was absolutely no way to get to the back of the seat because of the attached base that we couldn't get off (nor could the Avis people). We asked for assistance (as much as we could since all they really spoke was French). A man from Avis came out to the parking garage where we were at and tried, tried, and tried some more to get the straps readjusted. After a little over 2 hours waiting for him to get this situation corrected (and now getting into rush hour traffic in downtown Paris), we decided they were good enough for the ride to our hotel at Disney and we would work on fixing them later.

We arrived at the My Explorer's Hotel at Disney without any problems (except actually listening to "Jane" -- our GPS system -- and letting her take us through the heart of Paris rather than on the outskirts so she could save us a mile or two but add about 2.5 hour drivetime to our trip). Everyone got situated and in bed around 12 a.m. (Thursday morning). Finally, I thought that our bad luck was over and we were going to have a flawless vacation. (Key word here is "thought.")

Mike, the girls, and I were in one room and Brett and Linda were in the smaller room attached to ours which held a bunk bed. None of us were really sleeping well since it was hot in the room and, of course, there isn't any air conditioning. Brett seemed to be rolling around in the upper bunk of the bed quite a bit. Well at 2 a.m., we heard him really rolling around and then we heard Linda screaming "BRETT!" and then a loud thump. Mike and I immediately jumped out of bed and ran into the other room as we knew Brett had fallen. Brett either rolled out of the top bunk or since he wasn't sleeping well, he crawled out thinking he was in his own bed at home. Thankfully, Linda heard him rolling around and attempted to catch him as best she could on his way down to the floor. He was crying uncontrollably and we finally were able to calm him down a bit to notice his mouth was bleeding. I cleaned it up as best I could and noticed a gash in his lower lip. You guessed it -- on impact of the fall, he bit through his bottom lip. I rushed to the front desk and asked the front deskman if he spoke English. Thank the Lord he did speak English as I was almost hysterical knowing Brett had to get stitches and we were in a country even more foreign to us than England. Mustafa, the front deskman, called the emergency number and 3 fireman came our room within about 15 minutes. They spoke no English so I was very thankful that Mustafa came to our room to be an interpreter for us. The firemen obviously couldn't do anything for Brett in our hotel room so Brett and I had to ride in the ambulance to the Marne La Vallee Hospital. Only 2 people could ride in the ambulance so Mike had to drive separately. After what seemed like an eternity riding in the back of the ambulance with one of the fireman that couldn't speak any English, I was pleased to walk in to the check-in area of the hospital to find an individual who could speak a few words of English. I had taken our book of French words; however that stupid thing seemed to be just about useless. I haven't ever felt that helpless and frustrated as I did sitting in the hospital attempting to communicate with the nurse and the doctor. Both the nurse and doctor at the hospital were very good and could also speak a bit of English. It ended up that Brett needed 3 stitches in his lower lip. In order to not pass out or throw up, I decided to leave the room while Mike stayed with Brett as the doctor stitched up his lip. Brett was a very brave little boy and didn't freak out a bit -- unlike his mummy. ;o)

We were able to leave the hospital about 4:45 a.m. and drive back to the Disney Hotel (although Jane did take us through some very creepy parts of Paris in order to do so in the middle of the night). Brett was in good spirits and not in too much pain so while it was after 5 a.m. when we got back to our room, we all still layed down to attempt to sleep for a few hours.

For all of you who know me very well you already know that I tend to hang on to things a bit longer than I should and get quite emotional in various situations...so for several days I wasn't able to really sleep at all as I kept thinking back to the sounds of that night and the accident and reliving every moment. While it was terrible having Brett fall and having to go through getting stitches, I still truly believe that our guardian angels were with us that night looking over him. Linda was definitely one of the angels with us as without her catching a portion of him, who knows how he would have fallen and hit the ground. All I could think of when I looked at him over the next few days having fun in Paris and at Disney was "what if?" There are so many worse things that could have happened to him during the fall depending on how he landed and we were blessed that it was just a gashed lip. I say prayers every day and thank the Lord for my beautiful children and wonderful husband and family; however I feel that there aren't enough thank yous in the world to Him for ensuring that Brett was only hurt minimally. As they say, count your blessings every day...

Here are a few photos. (I will plan to post more info and pics later from our trip to downtown Paris, Normandy, and Disney.)

The weekend and Sports Day

Mike's mom, Linda, arrived for a 13-day visit on Saturday. With her being a bit jetlagged from the long flight, she stayed home with the kids while Mike and I were able to go out and enjoy an anniversary dinner (11 years and counting) alone. Thank you, Linda!

On Sunday, Mike and Brett took Linda to London to show her the sights. They left at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday and returned to the house around 7 p.m. Sunday night. Needless to say, they looked zapped when they returned so everyone went to bed early.

With Sports Day being postponed from Friday to Monday due to questionable weather, we prayed all weekend that the weather would be nice for the event. When Monday arrived, we were very pleasantly surprised that the weather was beautiful -- sunny and fairly warm. ;o) We arrived at the school early to select our spots on the football field and were ready to watch some action. The school children were broken down into four teams -- yellow (Brett's team color), red, blue, and green. All of the children from Reception to Year 6 participated in a variety of events. Brett participated in five events throughout the afternoon. He did very well in all of them -- and as you can see from the bottom photo, he was very proudly displaying one of the several stickers he received from placing in the events. Great job, Brett -- we are very proud of you!





Today, Linda was able to watch the girls participate in their Gymmies class and then after lunch we headed to Elton School to attend the Year 6 Leaver's Service. This is a church service that is held at the All Saints Church right next to Elton School at the end of every year. The service provides a good message to everyone (children and adults) and then all of the children are wished a safe and healthy summer holiday and everyone has the opportunity to wish the Year 6 children well as they move on to another school and a new chapter in their life. It is very hard to believe that as of 3:15 p.m. today, Brett is now is Year 3!

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving for Paris for several days. We'll be back on Sunday afternoon -- so I'll post photos upon our return. Have a wonderful week/weekend! ;o)

Teddy Bear Picnic

This past Friday was going to be a very busy day. The girls had a Teddy Bears Picnic with their Playgroup at 9:30 a.m. at Ferry Meadows (a nearby park) and then at 12:00 p.m. we had to be back at Elton School so I could help prepare to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts as a fundraiser at the school's Sports Day. With the fabulous English weather, the day didn't necessarily turn out exactly as we had planned...

The girls and I arrived at Ferry Meadows right on time and all of the children from Playgroup ran around the playground for awhile and then we headed over to sing songs (English songs that after a year and a half I still don't know the words to) and play with a huge parachute that the kids love to swing around and hide under. After all of that, we laid out our picnic blanket and enjoyed a nice lunch of peanut butter and jam sandwiches -- our English friends still can't believe we eat peanut butter and jam together. ;o) I keep telling them that they don't know what they are missing -- but they still won't try it. After everyone had finished their lunches, we all climbed aboard the little train that runs throughout the park and took a ride to a larger playground on the other side of the park. The kids had an absolute blast and we were so glad that the rain held out while we were there.



The girls with their friend, Iliana, enjoying the train ride.

I received a call while at the picnic confirming that due to the questionable weather, the Sports Day at Brett's school was going to be postponed until Monday afternoon. However with that being said, I had placed an order with Krispy Kreme for 20+ dozen doughnuts to sell on that day as a fundraiser for the school. Since Krispy Kreme has a rule stating that the doughnuts must be sold within a few hours of being picked up, the committee (which consists of about 10 mums) knew we still had to attempt to sell them on that day. So the girls and I headed to the school to set up and prepare to sell as many doughnuts as possible to the parents as they came to pick their kids up from school. We had been provided with balloons, banners, and those fabulous Krispy Kreme hats which we all felt that we had to wear while selling the doughnuts. (Photos of this will NOT be posted on the blog.) ;o) After it was all said and done, we sold each and every doughnut that afternoon and made a nice profit for the school. (And even better, the rain held off for the entire day and didn't downpour until about 4:15 p.m. -- after school is finished.) Just another reason why we love the weather over here... (can you sense the sarcasm?!)

Elton School end-of-year performance

Every year, the children at Elton School put on a end-of-year performance. Brett and all of the children (from Reception through Year 6) worked very hard in learning all of the songs for the show. The Year 5 and 6 children put on a play that was enhanced by the songs the children sang. The theme behind the play/songs was about being kind to the environment and taking care of the planet we live on. On Wednesday afternoon, the girls and I enjoyed viewing the "dress rehearsal" (where preschool children could attend) in preparation for the two big shows -- one on Wednesday night and the other on Thursday night. Brett did a great job and the show was very well done!

Happy 4th Birthday, Kendall & Kameron!

We really can't believe that our little princesses are 4 years old today! It seems like just yesterday they were born and I was an emotional mess wondering how in the world we were going to take care of our little man and twin girls at the same time. ;o) It is amazing at what you can get used to and what you can handle (with a ton of help from our wonderful family, of course!). Brett, Kendall and Kameron are the joy of our lives and we wouldn't have changed a single moment. We love them with all of our hearts and know we are truly blessed! Happy 4th Birthday, little princesses!

July 14, 2004
We were blessed with Kendall Nicole at 2:04 a.m. and Kameron Mackenzie at 2:15 a.m.


1 year old


2 years old


3 years old

4 years old ;o)

Visit to Althorp House -- Princess Diana's family home

With the weather being absolutely beautiful today (and Kameron finally feeling well!), we decided to go to Althorp House which is about 1 hour 10 minutes from Peterborough. Althorp House is where Princess Diana grew up and where the Spencer family has lived for 500 years (they are celebrating its 500th anniversary this year). When we arrived we ate lunch in the onsite cafe which has been converted from an old horse stable. The kids picked out which stall we would eat in based upon the names of the horses that were posted on the walls. ;o) After lunch we walked through the estate and then headed out to the 'round oval' area which includes the island where Princess Diana has been laid to rest as well as temple that has been set up in remembrance of her. It was a beautiful area and viewing the area as well as the exhibition they had set up about her was very touching.

Front of the Althorp House


Standing in front of the island (you can see the statue/urn in the background on the island)


The Temple that has been set up in remembrance of Princess Diana

Trip to London for Doctor Who Exhibition

Kameron was feeling a bit better today (after not being well -- on and off -- for a week), so today we ventured to London to see the Doctor Who exhibition which is set up at the Earls Court until September 18. We started watching Doctor Who episodes around Halloween 2007 and continued watching the series just to see if each new episode could get any weirder than the previous one. It seemed that each new episode did, in fact, get weirder; however after a few shows, we were absolutely hooked. The exhibition set up at Earls Court is the largest ever in the U.K. We were able to get up close to various props, costumes, monsters, and creatures from all of the latest episodes. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the characters in person that they have seen on the television for so many months.

Entrance to Doctor Who exhibition / TARDIS


K-9 / The Face of Boe


Weeping Angel / Dahlek


Clockwork Man / Cyberman

The stoplight tree at a roundabout in London. And I was just beginning to think driving in England was easy... ;o)

Birthday Party at the Fun Factory

This afternoon, we celebrated Kendall & Kameron's 4th birthday at the Fun Factory at Brewers Fayre (a pub/restaurant in Peterborough with a nice indoor play area). We had a mixture of children from Caterpillar families as well as children from Warmington Playgroup where the girls go to school in attendance -- 19 in total. Once the kids arrived, they all played on the equipment for about an hour or so and then they sat down for "tea" (dinner as we call it in the U.S.). Following tea, the kids played a bit more and then were treated to some ice cream and then Brewster Bear (easily explained as the U.K. version of Chuck E. Cheese) brought in birthday cakes so we could sing to the girls and they could blow out their candles. It is quite different having a birthday party over here as they obviously do things a bit differently than we do in the U.S. -- 1) the birthday cake is cut into pieces and wrapped up so it can be given to each child with their goody bag at the end of the party for them to take home and 2) the birthday presents aren't opened at the party. We brought all of the presents home and let the girls open a couple before bedtime (that was, of course, after I put them all in the bathtub to wash off the germs from the play area). ;o) We all had a great time and the girls are looking forward to opening more presents tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next...

Tea time






Make a wish and blow out the candles...




Handing out the cake to the kids as they left the party.