lately in london
often, in the evenings, moses pulls up a chair to our front window and sits down to watch and wait for daddy to come home. he does this totally unprompted! he freaks out when he sees ian coming down the street … always a joyful reunion for everyone.
one day we went back to our old neighborhood and visited the london transport museum. it had been a while since we’d been there and mo had a blast.
every time i go to covent garden these days, i feel so nostalgic. i really miss living there, in the very heart of london, but i also love where we live now so much. and it’s hard for me to be in the area without popping in to get a shack burger at shake shack (and some crinkle fries for moses!).
at the beginning of the month, gabriel started smiling, and we love seeing his grins (with dimples!) soooo much!!
we’ve had some really warm days and some fun at different splash pads/paddling pools, like this one in the courtyard at the victoria & albert museum.
i was brave and took the boys to the zoo one morning. it takes an hour to get there from our flat, and we had some misadventures on the journey home. while we were at the zoo we had a great time, but i decided that activity is best for when ian can join us :)
on my birthday morning we went to an indoor soft play area that moses loved. i was surprised that he was brave enough to go down all the slides, including the big ones intended for kids over five (since the place wasn’t busy, the workers there said he could go wherever he wanted). it was a blast!
we had a little birthday party gathering with the friends we made in the prenatal class we took before moses was born. it’s always so great to gather with them and especially to see all the kids that have known each other since the womb play together. now those little babies are about to turn two! and it turns out that it’s even harder to get a picture of a bunch of almost two year olds than it is to get a picture of a bunch of almost one year olds, haha! (second picture is the same kids in the same place twelve months ago!)
gabriel is slaying us with his cuteness, and moses is super obsessed with his “moomin” stuffed animal that our sweet midwife gave him (we took a polaroid picture of mo and moomin to send with a thank you card to her!).
one birthday gift ian gave me was a reservation at duck & waffle - a top-floor restaurant with incredible views in the city of london (financial district). we had suuuuch a fun date night there a couple of days after my birthday. ian timed our reservation for sunset - so we could see the city in the daylight and sparkling after dark - and requested a table right by the window. it was a pretty magical evening.
i got out mo’s “my dad is super rad” onesie for gabe to wear in preparation for father’s day // two of my friends from the time I spent at byu were in town for a medical conference so i got to have a really fun girls’ night out with them!
here’s ian walking to church on father’s day - pushing one little son in a buggy and carrying another little son on his chest. he is the best dad ever. he’s deliberate, patient, silly, earnest, playful, involved and tender. i knew he would be a fantastic dad but he has far exceeded my expectations. we are sooo lucky!!
after church and naps on father’s day, we went on a family walk in kensington gardens, and moses stole the glasses off his daddy’s face while getting a shoulder ride. he thought it was pretty hilarious :) it was a really happy day celebrating moses and gabriel’s dad and also charity and ian’s dads!
moses loves to look for mr. peacock in holland park, and this morning not only did we find him, but he put on an amazing show for us!
this boy reminds me to exult and enjoy and embrace simple pleasures. i love hanging out with him and his baby brother every day.
we are having a great summer in the city!
Terrific pictures Charity. I especially like Mo in Ian's glasses. Do you like London in spring or fall better?
ReplyDeleteYay for happy summers! Love the photos! --M
ReplyDeleteBeautiful family! One thing though, (maybe it's not a 'thing' in London - but I'm always leery of those balls the kids can play in. There have been some instances of dangerous and/or gross things being at the bottom so that when the kids land/root around in the balls they either get cut or get something disgusting on them. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteCharity, the views from the duck and waffle looks fabulous! I realized on Instagram that our 32nd birthdays are just 2 weeks apart, that we both married a Wright, and that we've both lived in England. Enjoy your summer!
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