Daddy's Birthday in LONDON!

Dad has been with us the entire time, but yesterday - for his birthday - we planned something EXTRA special! Take a look at our U.K. celebration on April 3rd:

First stop - CUPCAKES in Covent Garden! YUM!

Next stop - the Beatles tour! Here we are outside of John Lennon's house! It actually belonged to Ringo, but he was kind enough to let John and his new love - Yoko - stay there!

Here we are at Abbey Road Studios! I imagine we could have worked our way inside if they had heard me sing......alas, we viewed the famous venue from afar :)

Leaving our mark at the Studios. And spreading our Leafs love around the globe!

The famous crossing! The place where Dad and I left a lasting impression on all other Abbey Road crossers :)

Last stop - tea and scones at Harrod's! We toughed out long lines and in-store craziness to get to the Tea Room, but it was WELL WORTH IT. Those scones were TO DIE FOR!

Oh - I didn't take a picture of it, but we stopped by the National Geographic Store to look at the Genographic Project Participation Kits. I know Dad thinks the idea is pretty COOL. And so.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!! You will be swabbing your cheek and learning about your ancestors in no time!!!

We love you!
XOXO

TOP MOMENTS from TODAY!

Today we did our own thing - no tours or organized ANYTHING! We just went wherever the sunshine took us! Here are some of the moments we LOVED:

Walking along the Thames and stopping at whatever catches our eye! This band had a sign that said "help us get to CANADA". Naturally, we had a listen and contributed to their travel fund. They even sang us a song about Ontario!!!

Queen graffiti. And then spotting the "graffiti removal" truck moments after.

Pictures with St. Paul's Cathedral. BEAUT-I-FUL!!!

Phillip being silly. Making jokes every second he can!

Old married couples. This couple was particularly sweet. We missed the "holding hands" shot by seconds, but trust us when we say they were the cutest. We want to be JUST LIKE THEM when we're that age!

Make that "London Bridge WAS falling down!" Phil's superhero strength prevented any potential fatalities!

Playing hopscotch en route to the Tower of London.

Double decker advertisements. This one was my favourite. Acceptance is KEY.

Trafalgar square - and the countdown to the Olympics!

Soaking up the sunshine in Hyde Park!

Flowers, flowers, and MORE FLOWERS! Making the city EVEN MORE pretty at every glance :)

How was your tea, MY DEAR?

Just like straddling the Prime Meridian, arts & crafts can allow you to be in TWO places at ONCE! Of all the things we did in London today, coming home and seeing THIS PICTURE is my absolute favourite part.

I love you two!
XOXO

APRIL FOOL'S DAY in PHOTO'S!!!

Yesterday was the PERFECT day to introduce Phillip to this BEAUTIFUL city! The weather was SUPERB - sunny, yet cool and FRESH! Here's a look at some of our DAY ONE adventures:

We started our day with a "Westminster and West End" walking tour. Our guide was named Andy and he made sure we were aware of two things: 1) Brits DO NOT like being told what to do and defy authority at every chance they can, and 2) Brits like to get drunk and disorderly. Don't worry - other aspects of culture, as well as history and politics were included in his two hour gig :)

Westminster Abbey! It's almost been ONE YEAR since the royal wedding and you can tell that the excitement still remains as people walk up to this famous landmark!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR! Our walk through St. James's Park was wonderful. Andy asked us to take some of the Canadian geese back home with us, but we had to inform him that our home is Kuwait and those lower-class birds would not be welcome there!

Our "Will & Kate" reenactment at Buckingham Palace! They wouldn't permit us on the balcony inside.

Our second tour of the day was with Maria - who toured us around West Ham for the Olympic experience! West Ham is definitely NOT the safest or most fashionable neighbourhood in London....in fact, we were happy to be surrounded by 30 other people (there's safety in numbers....right?). Anyways, on the walk to the Olympic Park you can stand in TWO PLACES at once at the Prime Meridian! SO COOL.

Da, Da, Da, DAAAAA!!!!! Here it is - the Olympic Park! In this picture you can see the Olympic stadium (where the opening and closing ceremonies and some track and field events will take place) as well as a twirly red thing called the "Orbit" (an observation tower for the games). While we were there, a test event was taking place and the stadium was blaring songs from Kelly Clarkson and Journey. AWESOME. It's too bad we couldn't join the fun INSIDE the stadium! The tour sure pumped us up for this summer! WE CANNOT WAIT FOR THE OLYMPICS!!!

In the evening, we went to the London Eye. On this observation wheel, you are put into a pod-like structure with about ten other people and are with them for around 20 or so minutes. Well, Phil made an OUT-LOUD remark near the start of our journey that left me embarrassed for the remainder of it....."NOT SO BIG NOW, ARE YOU BEN?!!!!!" OH PHILLIP ;)

Here's the Eye post-ride. At this time, the sun was starting to go down and the two of us were right tuckered from our big day out. Dinner at a DELICIOUS Thai restaurant followed our return home and bed came shortly after.

GOOD MORNING from LONDON!

As per usual Parkinson fashion, Phil and I were asleep before it got dark last night (7ish??). Some may see this as LAME, but we were happy to wake up early this morning to see this beautiful sunrise!!!!!

Today we are hoping to tour the West End and the Olympic area! YIPPEE!!!!

WE ARE HERE!

And safe and sound :)

Our journey to London was a pretty good one. The staff on British Airways were lovely, the food was good (YAY for KITKAT BARS!), there was on-board entertainment (we finally got to watch "New Years Eve") and our luggage arrived with us (<---- which hasn't happened the last THREE trips). The staff at the airport were also fantastic - making the one hour line-up through customs bearable and somewhat fun. OH YA - and Daddy surprised us on the Heathrow Express to Paddington station ;)

I am so happy he was able to join us! What a trickster he is - denying his attendance all along!

Our hotel is adorable. It is called the "Glenlyn Hotel" and it is in a sweet neighbourhood in North Finchley - the outskirts of town. The main street is a few steps away and has plenty of restaurants and shops to peruse and enjoy. After a wonderful walk in the fresh air, we decided on Mediterranean cuisine for dinner. YUM. We also made a quick pit stop at the grocery store to pick up some water and snacks for our touring around tomorrow.

Our hotel room is located in its own little hallway, down a small set of steps. It's pretty much a fort....with a hobbit-sized entrance. Here's me on my knees, unlocking the door to our abode :)

Right now we are going to get cozy in bed, make a tea, and look through the travel brochures we picked up in the lobby. The weather is supposed to be SUNNY tomorrow so some outdoors sightseeing may be in store for us :)

So stylish. So LONDON. I love these buses. Fascination at its best. I want to drink coffee and watch them drive by all day long.

Hooray for trees, clean air, rosy cheeks, rosy red buses, and drinks of a different sort ;)

OUR LOVE CACTUS.

While tidying up the house before our trip.....


Phillip: You killed our cactus?

Lindsay: (puts head down) I suppose so...

Phillip: That's hard to do, hun!

It's official. I'm just not cut out for plants.

BYE, BYE PENNY!

My Dad told me the news today. I can't believe it!

If I happen to purchase an adorable stuffed toy souvenir from London this week (ah-hem...Phillip?), I will be sure to name it "PENNY".....

TWINS!!!!!

You know how much I LOVE to match......

Well, today was student council's much anticipated "twin day" and, despite our 4:30 a.m. wake-up (broken & leaky water heater), I knew it was going to be a STELLAR DAY. Not only could I dress up the same as Phil, it was the final day before Spring Break and we were playing with our quiz boards in class!


As predicted, the day was wonderful. Many students were absent because they were traveling, but the ones who came to school made the day a memorable one. The highlight of my day would have to be last period - when some of my grade 6 girls made up a dance to the scientific method song I posted early this week. TOO FUN!

Not sure Phil felt the same way about this "twin day".......he tells me that I made him "dress up" (in jeans) on a day that all teachers were allowed to "dress down" (in jeans). Haha.

Either way, SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!! HOORAY!!!!!

Tonight we are having pizza and catching up with our friend Shane :)

Two more sleeps until LONDON!!!!

HUGE NEWS.

My bored hubby has found something else to keep himself busy. Starting the week after spring break, Phillip will be teaching grade 6 math, one period each day!!!