Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Spring Round-Up

April and May were packed to the brim with family visits, trips, and the daily grind. As I posted at the end of May (!), I've got a few more pictures to put out there.

More fun than a barrel of monkeys

All dressed up and nowhere to go

Right before Oxford's most aggressive duck took Tor's croissant

Ahbee and Pakka's visit was a whirlwind of catching up for the first time post-Christmas (and the first time in Oxford for Ahbee), sightseeing, and great home cooking.


Trying out Tor's new Noodle Kids cookbook


We all enjoyed a day at Legoland (surely the first of many over the years...I collect coupons from all our cereal boxes).
Hoth pit stop

Fearsomest Lego shark ever


Post-Legoland  Star Wars construction action
(yes, I buy hand soap three bottles at a time)

































Our next excursion was a four-day weekend to the Lake District, six hours north. The kids were champion road trippers both ways and Lars found us an amazing vacation cottage with several hikes that started right outside our door. It felt great to get some elevation.

Just outside the house at the base of a 400-meter hill
Trekking to the top













Hunkering down to escape the wind

On his last legs on the way down...


...and back at the cottage





The aftermath: zonked out to Mike the Knight

Gardens and adjacent mini-golf at a nearby village

Outdoor pub games: parents' best friend

Peak bagging



Back in Oxford at the Jericho Street Festival: Dances with Wellies























We'd been watching these buds for weeks and they finally bloomed!

"Lookit! Lookit! They're white!!"






















Next post: Scotland with the Siglers and Austria with no buffer between us and our intense but lovable offspring!