england road trip with grandma and grandpa

ian’s parents came to town last week! it was so great to have them here in london with us for a few days, and this past weekend we took a lovely little road trip out into the english countryside together. moses adores both grandma and grandpa and has absolutely delighted in being with them - and ian and i have too, of course! grandpa had to go back to work in texas yesterday, and grandma is here for another couple of weeks because she is soooo kindly taking care of the little mo while ian and i go to morocco for ten days (we leave this upcoming friday!). i feel so blessed in the in-law department and it’s just always really good to be together. 

here’s some photos from our road trip, which included stops in cambridge, a couple villages that ian’s ancestors came from, lyme hall in the peak district, and oxford on the way back to london. we stayed two nights in a cozy little cottage on the edge of the peak district and all five loved seeing beautiful and historic bits of england. we spent a couple hours singing random songs together in the car (singing seems to be the only sure-fire way to help moses be happy after he’s been strapped into a car seat for several hours!), stayed up too late talking at the cottage, and caught some good weather and a stellar sunset. 

i love england so, so, so much. 

we climbed to the top of a church tower in the center of cambridge and enjoyed the views. 
 
i love strolling around the colleges at cambridge (and oxford!) and peeking in. everything is just so, so pretty - and so english.
 
 

 
 
the chapel at king’s college in cambridge is among the very top most spectacular man-made structures i’ve ever seen. i've been inside now three times and each time i’ve walked in my jaw just drops! the fan ceiling and the stained glass is just mindbogglingly gorgeous. 

^^ little mo among the snowdrop flowers in the churchyard of the village that his great great great grandparents lived in! ^^

for some unknown reason, moses has definitivitely decided that he will pronounce both grandma and grandpa as “baka” - in a whisper. it’s pretty cute.

^^ lyme hall - three points for you if you know which version of pride & prejudice this place appears in. ^^


 
 
our quick stop through oxford reminded me again how much i love, love, love that town. 

 

england: where i first truly connected with god as a child, where i lived for the first time on my own as a teenager, where i found myself in so many ways as a missionary, where i became a mother and really started creating a family. this green island is so significant and beautiful to me. it’s home. 

hooray for another weekend exploring this green and pleasant land. with grandma and grandpa!!