Our Trip To England

DISCLAIMER: What you are about to read is a few words shy of a novel. Mommy emailed Grammy details of our trip everyday so she had lots of material to pull from. And we were there for 3 weeks and that’s a lot of time to cover. Plus years from now we want to know the stories behind all the pictures. So, if you’re still interested in our trip to England, make yourself comfortable and thanks for reading. Scroll to the bottom if you're in a hurry and just want to see the slideshow!

It all started with a storm so bad that lightening struck our neighbor’s house two hours before we were to leave for the airport. Fortunately no one was hurt but the roof caught fire which required four fire engines – all positioned in front of our house. It was both terrifying and fascinating to watch as Mommy packed our suitcases into the car.

The plane that was to carry us across the Atlantic was also hit by lightening. Information we were given at the gate -- AFTER we checked in and cleared security. The plane needed to be scanned for structural damage, (really - sure you don’t want to get another plane?) so departure time it was delayed.

Mommy decided after 4-hours of delay (now Midnight) to cut our losses and go home. They were announcing, at this point, that our flight was now scheduled to depart at 3am. She was not going to spend the night in an airport with two 3-year-olds then travel (tired and cranky) for 8 hours on a plane. Plus she had a hunch the plane wouldn’t be leaving at 3am. Fortunately they hadn’t loaded our bags so we were free to leave. The hard part was calling Grammy and Papa to come pick us up! It ended up being the right decision because the plane didn’t leave until 6 pm the following evening – a 21-hour delay.





The flight was ok. Mommy had been prepping us for months and we were so excited to finally be on the airplane. But after the novelty wore off, and the lack of sleep kicked in, we were a bit hyper. Mommy was the only one who suffered though. All the other passengers were fast asleep – we were the only ones awake, punchy and hanging on Mommy like she was a tree. We did manage to sleep eventually - three hours before we landed. The transfer to the Newcastle flight wasn't the smoothest ‘cause WE WERE POOPED and transit instructions aren’t marked clearly in Terminal 5. Long story short - after waiting in line at customs (45 minutes), we had to leave then re-enter through security -- kind of a pain. But then, there in the middle of Heathrow, we heard birds chirping, angels hymning and below these bright rays of light was our beautiful Aunt Stephanie brimming from ear to ear. It was a sight to behold.

We landed in Newcastle, but as Mommy suspected our bags did not. Really though we weren’t too bothered. We were just happy to finally be there. But no one was happier than Nanny, Grandad and Uncle Philip who were waiting for us on the other side. There were oodles of hugs and kisses.

We headed out to the car and Liam DID NOT want to get into his car seat. There were major tears. It took us 20 minutes to get him in the car and only on Mommy’s lap which she was NOT happy about but the only way. He was just so tired and kept saying, “I want to go home. I want Mommy's car. I want my other car seat.” Lucy was happy as a clam – just taking it all in. Once we were on our way he was better but we were all sooooo exhausted. It was all we could do to keep our eyes open.

Of course by the time we got home Liam was fine and loved exploring the house. Plus Nanny had a bunch of toys and books for us. Our favorite was an elephant that blew butterflies out of its trunk. You were supposed to catch them in a net but Lucy just wanted to collect them and stash them away in one of her new bags.

Nanny also got us the coolest air mattress beds (Peppa the Pig and Thomas the Train). Lucy LOVED her bed but Liam insisted on sleeping with Mommy. Throughout the night though Lucy kept rolling off her bed and eventually ended up with Mommy and Liam. Poor Mommy woke up the next morning on a little corner of the bed with Lucy in the middle vertically and head down and Liam in the middle horizontally -- like a “T”. But the important thing was we were OUT and didn't wake up until 11:00am.

That morning Lucy came into the keeping room with a very strange expression on her face and then proceeded to vomit all over Mommy. She seemed ok but very pale. Mommy tried to get her to eat toast but she puked that up too (Liam was very concerned about her, kept telling her to ‘drink wada”). Then she put herself back to bed and passed out for about 3 hours. She woke up, puked a little more, and was fine. Mommy thought it would be a good idea to go to a place called, Dalton Park. It’s an outlet mall and it happens to have the closest Starbucks. We had some lattes then went over to a little play area. Lucy convinced Nanny to buy her some Princess make-up. She was feeling better.

It took a little bribery and trickery to get Liam in his car seat again but we managed eventually. Grandad turned it into a competition.
Grandad: “Liam, I’m going to beat you to your car seat.”
Liam: “No Grandad, don’t beat me!”
Grandad: “I’m going to beat you Liam!”

An outsider hearing this would call the officials, but this tactic worked and was used every time we got in the car. It became a game and now Mommy uses it at home.

The weather was cold. Most days were cloudy and rainy. But it was a nice break from the heat and we didn’t have to get sprayed from head to toe with sunscreen and mosquito repellent every time we went outside.

Once we got over our jet lag Aunt Pamela and Uncle Mick had us over for an afternoon of fun. It was a full house. There was Andrew (Lucy was out of town), Neil, and Jonathan. Mick’s mum, Muriel, and Daddy’s friend Daryl with his girlfriend Gemma (and a few others who popped in). And of course our new cousin Jemima! Jemima is just the cutest little girl and we tried to be very gentle with her because she’s only 18-months old. There was so much food and since it wasn’t raining we all sat outside and played – we were having so much fun we stayed for several hours. Their house was fun to explore too!

When we got home Nanny and Grandad’s friends Alison and John came by with the coolest play tent and tunnel. We loved it. Lucy wanted to sleep inside the tent so Mommy put her bed inside it. Lucy slept in her tent-bed every night – just LOVED it. Liam continued to sleep with Mommy.


It was fortunate that we were there to attend the Annual Chris Snaith Charity Football Tournament (coordinated by Grandad). It’s a special event because it uses the sport of football (Daddy’s passion) to raise money for brain tumor research. It was fun watching Grandad and his buddies play against some of Daddy’s old buddies. We were so excited to see Grandad playing football we yelled from the sidelines, 'Come on Grandad'! Grandad’s team didn’t win, but then they played against guys 20+ years younger. We went to the pub afterward for a reception and to present the trophy to the winning team. It was very touching. Our Daddy had so many friends who loved and adored him.


You know what they say, ‘When in Rome…’ so we went to another football match! But this was Grandad's ‘Over 40s’ football match. We LOVED it – you know our Grandad's kind of a superstar and we were so proud of him so we kept yelling out, 'hi grandad' from the sideline. We don’t think it was too distracting. It definitely wasn’t our fault when he got whistled at for touching the ball with his hands. He’s actually a really good player and he’s the manager of the team which is a big job. Liam also got to go into the showers with him after the game and came out beaming. He liked being one of the guys. Lucy was a little bummed that she wasn't included but she was content having Mommy all to herself for a bit.

The library in Sunderland has a music class for tots every Monday morning that Aunt Pamela takes Jemima to. While we were there we joined them. It was always jammed-packed with lots of kids of different age groups. Of course we had our little fan club watching us sing and dance – Nanny, Grandad and Aunt Steph. We really got to spend lots of time with Jemima. We hope she’ll remember us.


It’s not always possible to play outside in England’s climate so to make up for it there are loads of fun centers for kids. And boy do they know how to do fun. We went to this place called the ‘Fun Shack’ - this massive facility with so much to do. We spent 3 hours there. They had these little bumper cars and Liam nearly peed his pants when he saw them. He and Grandad drove around and around and around. He’s actually a pretty good driver. Lucy liked the cars but not as much as the trampolines. She’d bounce for hours if she could. It was money well spent.

When we left the ‘Fun Shack’ the sun was shining. Mommy wanted to take advantage of that rare opportunity by going to the beach in Seaham which was close by. She just wanted to look and told us not to get wet. Ha! As soon as we saw the water we took off running. We had stripped down to our birthday suits and ran into the North Sea before she and Grandad caught up to us. The water was ICE COLD. And we were pretty much the only people on the beach except for the occasional dog-walker. I guess there aren’t many people who go swimming there. Our lips were blue and our shivering bodies were covered in goose bumps. But we’re 3 and we didn’t care – it was the beach!

Nanny and Grandad have a dog named, Poppy. She looks like a fox. She was also Daddy’s little pal. Poppy is a very spoiled doggy. She gets cold cuts for breakfast, lunch and dinner and nice long walkies around the village farms. We got to take Poppy for walkies up the road where there are some horses. We’d bring them apples and carrots. There were even a couple babies. It was so wonderful to be within walking distance of such a beautiful landscape.

Our Great Gran turned 84-years old so we all caravanned to her place in Oldham to help celebrate. We met her, Rosemary and Norman at a pub where we had fish and chips and of course birthday cake. We pretty much ate all of Great Gran’s cake but we think she was happy to share it with us. We went back to her house and of course explored around her beautiful grounds. Aunt Stephanie pointed out all the fairies hiding in the trees. There were hundreds of them – and we saw them all! Nanny and Mommy took us to a little playground down the road but it was too cold for Mommy so we didn’t stay long. It was such a wonderful day.

Actually, all our days were wonderful. Alison joined us for an afternoon down at the farm – literally, that’s what this place was called http://www.downatthefarm.co.uk/ It was amazing. Like the Fun Shack it was jam-packed with so many things to do and see. Farm animals, tractor rides, zip lines, bouncy castles, toy tractors, reptiles, a Barney ride (of all things), the list goes on. We held bunnies, guinea pigs, snails, lizards, snakes, and even gigantic cockroaches!

There was this place called ‘Seven Stories’ which was a children’s book museum. http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/home/index.php Coolest place ever. We spent 4 hours exploring all seven stories. There was something for every age group. There was a special Charlie & Lola exhibit that had lots of fun little interactive activities and re-created rooms from the books. In the loft they had costumes and you could dress up as a character from one of your favorite books. They also had an arts and crafts room that overlooked a quaint little canal where we made hats, puffins and little clay figures. We also had lunch in the 'lovely' café and Mommy spent far too much money in the gift store.

Have we mentioned play dates? We had a few. Nanny’s friend Carol had us over for a play date with her grandaughter, Holly, who’s 2 ½. Lucy and Holly became fast friends – she too had pink toenail polish and a pink purse. After showing each other the contents of the later they decided to go shopping (in the house of course). Liam was quietly playing with some toys but watching the girls out of the corner of his eyes. When Lucy called for him he jumped up and ran to join them. Think he was waiting for the invitation. Later in our trip Holly came to our house for a play date. Little sweetheart.

We also had a play date with a childhood friend of Daddy’s, Catherine, who was up visiting her parents, Anne and Geoff. We rode scooters and bikes with her two kids, Olivia and Joseph, in the back alley way which was tons of fun. Give Liam a bike and he’s entertained for hours. We only went inside because of course it started to rain. But there were so many fun things to play with – piano, flutes, guitars, harmonicas…Needless to say it was a bit noisy, but our hosts didn’t once bat an eye.

Isobel, Joy and Adam invited us over one day. Adam is so cool. He showed us how to play Guitar Hero, Wii bowl and he let us hold his pet guinea pig, Freddy. The best part was getting to ride on his hot rod scooter bike in the back alley. We did NOT want to leave. Mommy was trying to convince Joy (Adam’s Mommy) to come out to America for a visit. Adam should go to Disney World in Orlando and we should meet him there!!

Aunt Margaret and Uncle John put together a wonderful spread and had the family over to their house. It was a busy day and Mommy forgot to feed us so when we got there we were famished and pretty much devoured anything we could get our hands on. Funny thing, you know we love to explore new houses we visit. Look in every room, closet, pantry – everything. So naturally we wanted to have a look around the upstairs rooms. Mommy told us we couldn’t because “Uncle John was taking a nap and opening the doors would wake him up.” [He was actually at a friend’s while the house was full of women] Of course Liam follows everything with a million, ‘A-Whys’:
Liam: “A-Why he taking a nap Mommy?”
Mommy: “Because he’s tired”
Liam: “A-Why he tired?”
Mommy: “Because he doesn’t feel well.”
Liam: “A-Why he doesn’t feel well”
Mommy: “Because he stayed too long at the pub last night”
Liam: “A-Why that make him not feel well?”
Mommy: “Too many pints”
Liam: “A-What a pint?”
Mommy: “It doesn’t matter Liam. He’s sleeping so let’s go downstairs!”

That worked and we stopped snooping and stayed downstairs. Then it was time to leave and as we’re saying our goodbyes in walks Uncle John through the front door. Mommy overhears Liam who has a very confused Uncle John cornered in the foyer:
Liam: “You awake now?”
Uncle John: “What?”
Liam: “You awake now?”
Uncle John: “Yes”
Liam “You feel better now?”
Uncle John: “Huh?”
Liam: “You not sick?”
Uncle John: “No”
Liam: “Why you outside?”
Uncle John: “Huh?”

As Mommy started to explain to Uncle John, Liam was already on his way upstairs. It was time for us to go!

Here we are 3-years-old and we’ve never been on a bus! The transportation system in England is fantastic so Mommy and Aunt Steph decided to take us on a bus ride into Durham. What a great experience – standing at the bus stop, giving the driver money, NOT having to get into a carseat and people-watching. We took it into Durham’s city center and walked along the cobblestone road up to Durham Cathedral http://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/ and Durham Castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Castle. There was even a medieval wedding going on while we were there.

Uncle Milla took time out of his hectic schedule to come up from Oxford to go to a locomotion museum with us in Shildon http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/VisitShildon.aspx The North East played a significant role in the development of trains/tracks because of the coal mining industry so we were in the right place. The museum was a huge warehouse full of old trains dating back to the early 1800s. We didn’t know why we couldn’t go inside them all, but we did get to ride on an original steam engine (like Thomas) and that was pretty special. They even had a little miniature steam engine that we got to ride on. It was funny.

Another one of Daddy’s friends, Graeme and his girlfriend Stephanie, came in from Manchester to see us. We met at Mowbray Park in city center (Sunderland) http://www.visitsunderland.com/attraction-details.asp?venueid=26 We spent a few hours feeding the ducks (and seagulls), playing on the playground, and eating lunch. Really though, how cool is it that these friends of Daddy’s make such an effort to see us? We hope they continue to stay in our lives.

Another thing we enjoyed whilst in England was playing in Nanny and Grandad’s ‘garden’. Liam would tell Mommy, “I’m going to play in the garden now”. Not ‘backyard’ but ‘garden’. It does sound much nicer doesn’t it? I guess it’s inevitable to pick up little English sayings. Anyway, there are two gardens, the front garden area with Nanny’s clothes line (because EVERY English garden has one) and beautiful trees and flowers. Then the back secret garden (separated by a wrought iron gate) with steps down to two ponds with lots of frogs. This secret garden was our favorite.

We should mention that Aunt Steph and Uncle Philip came up from London and stayed with us for our entire visit. They are both in between jobs and had some flexibility. Uncle Philip got a really kick-back temp job in Durham that took him away from us during the week days, but Aunt Steph was all ours! In fact, Aunt Steph was our social secretary. We’re not kidding you. There were so many things to do and people to see that we had to keep organized and she did just that. Anytime Nanny or Grandad had a friend that wanted to pop in Mommy told them to, ‘check with Steph’. Ms. Bossy Boots kept us all in order – bless.

Right so, Aunt Steph and Uncle Philip waited until we got there to give us our birthday presents. But they wanted to make it special. So they came up with the most creative scavenger hunt. We woke up one morning to find a clue outside our bedroom door. Each clue led us to another all over the house – upstairs, downstairs and then outside where we had to crawl through a tunnel to discover a cupcake picnic set up with all our presents. Really? Cupcakes and presents for breakfast? It doesn’t get much better than that. Aunt Steph and Uncle Philip ROCK!

Another Aunt Steph idea was a place called Whitworth Hall. It's a hotel now but was once the Shaftoe family home. For those of you who don’t know, there’s a nursery song (that we happen to listen to) called, ‘Bobby Shaftoe’ and it’s his family home. ANYWAY, the grounds were beautiful and frankly hard to believe part of the Best Western chain. That’s all beside the point though. We went to see the deer. And there weren’t just a few but thousands of very hungry deer. And they are not timid like the deer in Atlanta. You can buy food to feed to them and when they hear the rustling of the food bag, watch out! Here they come! Sooooooo cool. Lucy was so giddy-excited and kept saying, 'whoa! whoa! whoa! and laughing her little head off. Liam just chased them ‘cause he’s a boy and it was an open space and that’s what he does. Great activity – one of Mommy’s favorites.

We couldn’t travel all that way and only see Great Gran once. So we decided to surprise her with a second visit. Unfortunately there was a bad accident (car transporter fire) that turned a 2-hour trip into a 4-hour trip. Not to mention that Lucy was recovering from another stomach bug. But all in all we managed ourselves beautifully and we got to bring a bit of controlled 3-year-old chaos to Oldham. Great Gran has a bear called, ‘Edwin’ who’s been in the family for a long time. His nose is a bit mangled (probably from when Daddy was a boy) but he’s massive and cuddly and we hope he’s still around when we have kids of our own. We also LOVED sitting on Great Gran’s ‘motorcycle’ [transportation scooter]. We begged Mommy to let us ride around on it but she said it was out of gas – buggers – so we just had to pretend like we were riding it. Lucy also liked putting/getting ‘mail’ in her mail slot. Another thing we loved to do was tackle Great Gran. Everyone kept telling us ‘NO!’ but she kept laughing and laughing every time we went in for a tackle-hug. It’s our unique way of showing our love.

Three weeks went by so fast. It was really hard saying goodbye. So hard that as we were about to leave from Newcastle airport poor Liam barfed. He got Lucy’s bug. He was sick two more times in Heathrow and, well, lots of stuff coming out the other end. Not a fun thing to have during a 10-hour plane ride. But what a little trooper. And Lucy was so patient with all the trips to the bathroom. Liam was quite lethargic so the journey back was actually pretty good. Even negotiating our tired little bodies through the most complicated and asinine system at Hartsfield-Jackson’s international terminal went smoothly.

And then there was Grammy waiting for us. We were so happy to see her. It was good to be home but it was also a sad because we really missed everyone in England. Now that we’re such experienced little travelers maybe we can make more visits out there. Right, we’re going to start saving…
Click on link to view a slide show: http://picasaweb.google.com/nksnaith/ExportedVideos?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3p66Cwrs7WAQ#5513633627659023090