Celebrating Two Countryside

I can't believe I am already saying this, but our little Stella turned two this past weekend. How quickly she went from this little snuggly baby that fit so perfectly in my arms...

... to this independent, shoe loving, Peppa Pig addict, refuses to talk much but says "no" passionately, always laughing, wants to be just like her sister, can't stop her from jumping on furniture two year old!

We decided to make Stella's birthday special for the entire family by taking a fall break from the lights, busses, trains and noise of the big city so we headed to the countryside about an hour and a half south west of London to Glastonbury. We found a fantastic holiday cottage complex a mile from town that offered adorable cottages, animals of all kinds, fresh food and most importantly, peace and quiet. Except for Avery and Stella who showed those animals a thing or two about running wild.

The views we got to see of the countryside were stunning.  Everywhere we looked we just saw green, green, more green! We couldn't stop saying "wow", and our walks around the area were twice as long as they should have been as we stopped to soak in every bit of each amazing new scene.

While we sat on the couch with our coffee, we got to look out onto the farm. ( Of course we had to bring our traditional family birthday bunting!)

Some extraordinary views from our walks around the farm and along the public footpath that took us into town.

Glastonbury, Somerset, England - The biggest point of interest in Glastonbury is the Glastonbury Tor (Tor being the celtic word for "hill"). The Glastonbury Tor sits 514 feet above sea level and historical findings dating all the way back to the 5th century have been discovered there. The large structure on the Tor is the remains of the tower of St. Michaels church, a church originally built on the Tor in the 1360s.  The historical accounts and myths of religious, spiritual, and celestial legends in and around the Tor brings religious ceremonies and visitors of all types to it's hill top and surrounding city of Glastonbury. The town is littered with quirky witch craft vendors and natural healing remedy shops. The Flood family felt a little out of place strolling through town, but still thoroughly enjoyed a few of the cafes and pubs.

Downtown Glastonbury- one street about 1/4 mile long, yet probably 20 witchcraft shops.

The Tor 

Since we arrived in Glastonbury, multiple people told us we can't do the Tor with our small children. Upon hearing that, I swiftly had us all hiking to the top. ( We don't say "can't" in this family!)

 518 feet of steps with two toddlers and no buggy, uphill, and we made it... exhausted, but made it. The 360 degree views from the top were more than worth the climb.

 

By far our family favorite of the weekend was being around all of the farm animals that we got to meet, play with and feed. We got to know more about dogs, cats, chickens ( fresh eggs!), goats,  8 week old piglets ( fresh bacon from their Mamas!), sheep, and horses. I'll never forget the morning of Stella's birthday, as we were sitting down to a fresh farm breakfast at our table and the farm cat hopped in the sink window, climbed over all of our dirty dishes and came straight to our table to start begging. The girls loved it.

The goats that were behind our cottage got our food scraps each morning.

Lane and "his" horse Hallow had an instant bro-mance. We all loved picking apples off trees and feeding them to this gentle giant. 

The chickens ran free around the farm, and so did Stella.

I never thought of my family as a farm-loving family, but after this weekend I can see us taking many more adventures into the slow life of the country.  Stella got to start her third year of life being wild and free, climbing hills, chasing animals and of course eating boxed confetti birthday cake courtesy of our friend Duncan Hines.

~Happy Birthday Stella Kay - The sparkles in your eyes melt our hearts daily. We are so proud to have you in our lives and love you more than words can say.

L, L, A & newly two S

Summer in the States!

We waited all spring for some hot weather. We were craving some 90 degree, sweat while you sit outside, only cold beers poolside make it feel okay, type of days.  As we had been looking forward to for months, we headed home late June to visit friends, family and dig our toes in the sand at the beach.
Funny part was that upon arrival to Columbus, we found they were having a pretty mild summer and most Ohio-ans were complaining of the rain and mild weather. It was in the 80's. We hadn't seen above 70 in London.

After months of missing our favorite little people, we finally got to love on, play with, and fight over shared toys with all of our cousins.

We spent a week of our trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with family and friends. The Mavko family has been doing this trip with family friends for over 20 years and this year was just the fun we remembered from the past!

Digging out some beach couches!

Fourth of July Trailer Park Parade (No, we don't stay in trailers or camp at the park, our building is next door... but seeing this parade yearly is just another tradition)

Poker Face We-Pa!

Fourth of July Spirit!

Tired Stella napping surfside on Mommy

The best part of being home was spending time with our friends. Many have had new babies we missed at birth, babies that grew up too fast while we were gone, and mom's girlfriends had no lack of good gossip stories from home.

Avery and Addison Chan - we miss our old neighbors!

Lo and Morgan at Brazenhead... all.night.long.

Down on the farm at Arica's beautiful new antique barn!

Two of Avery's favorite things - her buddy Ava Thompson and Timbits

Meeting our new girlfriend Ellis Thompson! 

Since we don't live on a quiet suburban street while in London, it was great for the girls to do some suburban-summer activities at the Grandparents.

Playing in the backyard hose with Brody!

Backyard Pool Diving at Sherrys!

Neighborhood Splash Pads

Hanging in We-Pa's backyard with the cousins

 Avery loved to end a summer evening at Nanny's taking our dog Brody on a walk around the court

Avery learning to ride her first training wheel bike!

As much as we loved our trip home for summer break, after four weeks at home we were ready to come back to our quiet life in London - Columbus, and all of our family and friends are too wild and busy for us!

Booking our next trip home for the holidays,
~L, L A&S

Mama turns Thirty

After months of anticipation (years really), the Flood family has survived what could have been  a horrific event in time - Mom turning another decade older. Yesterday was my official 30th birthday, and August 15th came and went without too much fuss, tears or mental breakdowns.

The day started off with a presentation of my tea in bed in a very funny (not so much!) reminder mug from my loving (and older by the way) husband. Although I find it an annoying reminder of the fact my twenties are behind me, I will always cherish this mug as it perfectly represents my only birthday I'll spend in the UK. 

(Aren't I lucky to have a husband that brings me tea in bed not just on my birthday, but multiple times a week?!?! I love mornings in London living in a small flat where the kitchen is two steps from the master bedroom. I never got served like this at home!)

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful... Play date with a new friend for Avery, trip to the doctors office for the girls check ups (nobody should have to suffer through National Health care on their birthday), frozen pizzas and champagne for dinner, cupcakes...... We kept it low key........

But knowing me, did you really think I was going to let this day in my life go by without using it as a reason to party with my people?!?!?!???? We were relaxed on my actual birthday because we celebrated with all we had a few months earlier when we were home in Columbus for our summer visit.     We (my best mate Morgan who also said goodbye to her twenties this summer), were thrown a fantastic party at The Bogey Inn to celebrate our getting old, not to mention our 20 year friendship. All of our people were there, Morgs sister/my dear friend Ali made the whole party possible with her impeccable party planning skills, and our parents spoiled us with great food and lots of cocktails. It was perfect.

Birthday Girls  

Look at this cake! - Ali's Mother-in-law makes cakes that look this fantastic and taste even better and we were so lucky to have her make one for us!

So many of Morgs and my friends came from far away places to celebrate with us! Cronic (and Camp) made it from Chicago!

For about an hour, there was an absolute downpour that flooded our outdoor party tent area - all of the kids loved it, especially mine! In honor of my thirties I've calmed down and am not going to worry about what exactly my kids are splashing around in from the wet floor of the bar. 

My girls. I wouldn't have survived my youth without them.

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate with me for the big day. Each card, bottle of wine, gift, perfectly planned party detail, cocktail, birthday hug from my girls, and cheeky little mug of tea made my celebration great and was a perfect way to start out my fourth decade.

xoxo
~Lo

Spring Catch Up

It's August, which seems like a great time to do some blog updates... about the spring. We've had a fantastic few months, which means lots of activities outside, trips in and out of the UK,  and little sitting by the computer.

We've learned that spring in the UK means different things than at home. At home come May, the coats are put away, gloves and hats hidden in some remote closet, and flip flops and shorts are predominantly displayed.  Here in the UK,  there were days in which we wore coats ( not jackets, I'm talking lined coats) well into June.  Nonetheless we got out and enjoyed the 60-ish degree, sunny-ish weather when we had the chance.

Here is a glimpse of Spring 2013 as seen in the UK by the Flood family:

Lane & Avery on the National Rail on our bank holiday weekend getaway to Cardiff, Wales

Sunshine, Patio Beers, and Legos in Cardiff 

Rain doesn't stop us girls from having fun - we just head inside to the nearest indoor playground

The Brown girls and Flood girls go to Southend on Sea to see the seaside and ride some carnival rides

Lounging in our back garden- we are so thankful for this outdoor space in a crowded, busy city

Family day trip to Brighton Beach with the Brown Family

Lane and Jessica on the Brighton roller coaster - the adventure seekers of the group!

Playgrounds, Feeding the pigeons in Regents Park, and Ice Cream - Oh My!

The best part of spring was the beautiful surroundings on those few sunny days. It may have been a record breaking year in regards to bad weather here in London, but the ability to get out to the local parks and gardens more than made up for it 

And just wait for our next post, Summer was even better....

~L, L, A&S