Fast Cars, Museums, and Spring

We have just been hanging around town the past couple weeks, enjoying the beginning of spring.  Here's the recap in pictures.

Here are some beautiful pictures of our city that Tari and Chris took on the London Eye when they visited.  Here is St Paul's Cathedral

A great one of the Houses of Parliament

Tyler loves inspecting the community vegetable gardens that are planted near where we go to swim class.  It has been fun to watch the bean stalks grow and talk to him about how the flowers will become berries.  Maybe someday when we have hopefully at least a patch of green space of our own, we can grow a garden!

Hey look - the ducks are back in the water!

Tyler outside the British Museum - our first time there.

The Rosetta Stone.  The museum is so huge it's overwhelming.  There are artifacts there from all over the world.  We only got to the Greek and Egyptian exhibits and then Tyler made it clear he was ready to leave.  

Whoa!

The lollipop helped make the museum more fun.  

Hello birdie!

Um, Dad, this cat has earrings and a nose ring.  It does not look like the kitties I know!

The Nereid Monument 

Parthenon sculptures

This is more like it!  We went for a swing at nearby park, Coram's Fields 

For JJ's birthday I got him this racing adventure where he could drive fast cars.  Two other women in my playgroup also got it for their husbands so the dudes went for a kid-free Saturday morning with fast cars.

It's hard to see but JJ is in the driver's seat (on the right of course).  I'm a big dork and got the "picture package" so that he could have a picture to take home to me for the blog!

While the boys raced, the girls took the kids to the zoo.  It was a nice day and all the animals were super active!  Here this camel was out for a walk.  I thought it was super cool to get this close to the camel but Tyler was more entertained by my sunglasses.

Rooooaaaar! The lions were the most active I've ever seen them.  There were roaring and getting really close to the glass.

Hi Raa Raa!  Raa Raa the Noisy Lion is Tyler's favorite TV show here so he really enjoys lions.

Hi penguins!!!

Everything is in bloom here, it is beautiful!

I went to rugby with Tyler and JJ last Sunday for the first time to check it out.  Tyler is definitely a little young for the class but he seems to have fun.  He is such a polite boy, it's adorable.  There is one part of class where the coach runs around with flags velcro'd to his belt and the kids chase him around the gym and try to grab a flag.  Tyler chases him but then would stop right in front of him as if to ask permission to take a flag.  The other kids just grab the flags and run on.  The coach is really good and picked up on it, so he started to show Tyler which flag to take.  After Tyler saw that, then he would grab the flag the coach showed him.  Hopefully he toughens up a bit for future flag football games :)

Our Holiday Week in Marbella, Spain

Recently we enjoyed hosting visitors when Tari and Chris (JJ's sister and her husband) came to visit.  We all headed from London to Marbella, Spain and spent a glorious week on the Spanish Riviera.  We all enjoyed having them around, especially Tyler who always wanted to be by his Auntie Tari.  We are so glad that they were able to get away from their busy schedules in Michigan to come over to Europe and we miss them already!

Tyler watching airplanes with Auntie Tari before we took off to Spain

Enjoying some morning milk on our balcony in Spain

We went to a street market in Estepona at the marina

Tyler enjoyed getting his feet wet in the Mediterranean again

Watching the sun set with Uncle Chris

Tyler enjoyed riding in the car again.  He always wanted to wear everyone else's sunglasses

The Kerns overlooking the white village of Mijas Pueblo

Street corner in Mijas Pueblo

The streets of Mijas were lined with these adorable blue pots

Tyler and JJ walking down some steps in Mijas

Overlooking the white village

The view of Mijas

Tyler enjoyed the viewing deck where you could see all the way to the sea

Hey Dad, look over there!

I think I can see to Africa!

We enjoyed our lunch with a view.  Of course, PB&J was on the menu.

A church in Mijas

Mijas Bull Ring

They have donkeys you can rent in Mijas

This boy is so lucky!  Just a little swing in the mountains, overlooking the ocean... no big deal!

He loved the FC Barcelona football (or soccer for all you Americans) "kit" that we found him at the market

Fun in the playroom at the hotel with Auntie Tari!

We went on an adventure day to Gibraltar.  It was an interesting experience.  There are long lines at the border so everyone recommended that you walk across the border from Spain to Gilbraltar (a British territory).  This is us walking up to the border.

We took a cab tour of Gibraltar.  First stop was the Pillars of Hercules

The second stop was this incredible cave.  Uncle Chris was Tyler's guide of choice all through the cave.  He kept walking around saying, "Wow"

Third stop was a viewpoint of the rock of Gibraltar, also home to lots of monkeys.

The Rock of Gibraltar

Tari & Chris in front of the rock

Tyler and Daddy in front of the rock

Tyler enjoyed watching the monkeys eat and talking to them

Stop 4 was the war tunnels.  They also had a view of the small Gibraltar Airport runway.  They have to stop traffic to let planes take off and land.  When we got out of the cab we saw this plane take off.  I think it was the coolest thing that Tyler has ever seen to see a plane go down the entire runway and then fly away.  He was sobbing for the rest of the time in the tunnels, wanting to see it again.

"Yea, yea, yea, there is a big tunnel that is historic and there are cannons.  The real question is can I see another airplane take off from here?"

The cab driver dropped us off at the high street in Gibraltar.  It is a bizarre little British world in Spain full of pubs and British shops.  We had lunch at a traditional British pub where we saw the changing of the guard, Gibraltar style.

Walking back to the Spanish border, we literally had to cross the runway!  That was interesting!

Tyler enjoyed playing in the sand back at the Marriott resort

We spent a beautiful sunny day at the resort beach and pool.  It was in the high 60s but felt hot in the sun and we all enjoyed putting on bathing suits and getting our feet wet.  Tyler couldn't wait to get down to the beach!

 Tyler really enjoyed throwing rocks in the ocean.  After we got home and asked him about vacation, that was one of the first things he said,  "Throw rocks.... ocean"

Big rock!

A rare photo - Tyler and Mommy!

Marriott brought in a bird trainer with two owls and a falcon that you could pet and have stand on your arm.  Tyler was so excited.  He's really into owls lately.  He liked petting this small one.  The woman had a big owl too but Tyler definitely preferred the smaller one.

Chris made friends with the falcon

Tyler talked JJ into going down the water slide a dozen times.  The water was so cold - they were crazy!

He enjoyed all the water toys

"Hey guys, I'll drive to Marbella, OK?"

Tyler running down Avenida del Mar in Marbella, a beach boardwalk in Marbella.  This path led down to the beach and is lined with Salvador Dali sculptures

The Kerns on the beach in Marbella

Tyler liked the elephant sculpture.  Auntie Tari helped him get a closer look

Tyler and Auntie Tari in front of a fountain

He talked Tari into a little fountain dipping... more on fountain dipping a little later...

A square in Marbella was lined with these really cool benches

Old Town Marbella was lined with little shops like this one and beautiful churches.

Dining al fresco in the Old Town Marbella Square.

Sangria!  And milk for Tyler of course

We headed to Ronda one day.  This town was built up on a cliff.  This bridge was amazing!

The view from the bottom of the road closer to the gorge.  We stumbled upon this when we were actually going in the wrong direction but it made for nice pictures!

We did a wine tour of the Joaquin Fernandez winery while in Ronda.  Tyler actually really enjoyed the tour

Horsing around during the wine tour

Cool dude by some wine barrels

This is quite possibly my favorite picture ever.  Tyler loves to listen to music on the phone.  This picture shows JJ (with a glass of wine) and Tyler dancing with the beautiful vineyard behind them.  Everyone had a great time!

There was a resident dog at the vineyard

Auntie Tari enjoyed her vino!

After the winery JJ decided to let Tyler dip his hands in the fountain in the town square.

Oops!  Too many glasses of wine for Daddy - he dunked Tyler's whole head into the fountain!  Tyler loved it!

What a great vacation!  We enjoyed flamenco dancing at the hotel later in the week and had the best time during our stay here!

Silly family pic!

Back in London, we had a perfect spring day to do some sightseeing.  Here is Tari and Chris in about to cross over London Bridge

The Kerns in London