The Grandmothers Are Here!

When our parents found out that we were coming to Scotland, the dads were happy for us, and the moms were instantly checking out how they could come visit. With three kids under 6, I was worried that our moms wouldn't get to do enough sightseeing. I warned them numerous times that we would be very limited on what we could do with them. So, they decided to do a tour of Scotland together and then come visit us in Edinburgh for 4 days! That way, they get to see some sites and visit with us.

The girls were so excited about seeing their grandmothers. They have been counting down the days since we got back from Coventry. Last night, Cole and I were able to have dinner with our moms at the Beehive Inn & Pub. There wasn't enough room for us to all sit together, so Cole and his mom ate downstairs while Cindy and her mom ate with the tour group. Katie was a little upset that she wasn't allowed to come out and eat with them, but we were there rather late.

On Wednesday, our mothers were visiting the castle in the morning, so we arranged to meet them there at 12:00 or 12:15. After going to the gym, the girls and I headed to the castle. I was directionally challenged that afternoon, so I got there late. Luckily Cole had gotten there on time! The girls were so excited to see their grandmothers that they were all fighting to get out of the stroller as fast as possible!!! It was really cute. Dani really enjoyed walking down the street with Grandma on one hand and Mamoo on the other.

We walked down to Princes St. and the museum. We ate lunch at the museum cafe. The girls and grandmothers had to go outside to hear the one o'clock gun. Next, we had some ice cream that according to Katie tastes like whipped cream! The big girls walked around the museum with their grandmothers and then we split up. Katie, Mamoo, and Cole went to the Elephant House; and Grandma, Cindy, Dani, and Claire walked up the North Bridge to meet everyone else at the Elephant House. On the way, we stopped at a shop on Princes St. so that Grandma could buy some birthday outfits for the girls. Dani talked Grandma into a really colorful hat! And, Claire was so excited about her new clothes that she started taking off her shirt in the store. She had a new outfit on before we even left the store!

After getting some rest at the Elephant House, we headed back to our flat so that our moms could check emails and figure out plans for the next few days. Then, we went to Kismot for dinner. It was really fun to show our moms the place that has become a second home for us. And, we were fortunate enough to be able to introduce them to little Liya and her mom Rianna. Plus, Abdul was there as usual. Everyone enjoyed their dinners. Our moms were able to catch a cab at the restaurant, and we are all looking forward to seeing them some more this week!

Last Day at the Gym!

Our time in Edinburgh is quickly coming to an end! We're looking forward to getting back to our own place, but we'll definitely miss this place. Today was my last day at the gym. We're leaving July 10, so it didn't make sense to pay for another full month of membership. And, the gym said there was no way they could work with me such that I could come in for the last 10 days that we are here. I know I'll miss it, but it's also nice to not feel like I have somewhere that I have to be every morning. 

The girls like playing at the gym, but I think they were also happy that they wouldn't have to get up and rush there every morning. Plus, they are excited that they will get to see their grandmothers later today!!! So, on our last days at the gym, we made sure we took pictures with their babysitters, Miss Lucy and Miss Susie, who work in Club V. And, we got some pictures of baby Kaitlin. The girls fell in love with Kaitlin and wanted to adopt her as their baby sister!

More Castles!

After spending 4 days in Coventry, we were happy to be retuning to Edinburgh. We loved the flat in Coventry, but it didn't seem to have air conditioning. Even with the windows open, it was rather hot upstairs at night. And, Edinburgh definitely feels like home to us right now! We got packed as much as we could the night before so that we could get an early start. We were able to get out around 8:30 in the morning, and Cole looked up a few castles that we could visit along the way.

After about 2 hours, our first stop was Conisbrough Castle. It was a cute little castle, it didn't look as big as some of the others that we've visited. At first, we couldn't find anyone in the office. And, when the man appeared, he told me that the castle is closed to the public on Thursdays and Fridays. This isn't publicized on the web page, though. So, we had no way of knowing this until we showed up! Cole and I were a little disappointed, but also a little happy to know that we could get back on the road quickly. Katie was rather upset and kept telling me to ask if she could go in. In the end, we were able to spend about 30 minutes running around outside the castle while Cole bought large lollipops and more pop guns for the kids. Claire had been a bit grumpy and this shut her up! (Notice, she's not in any of the pictures for this stop!)

After another 2 hours, we stopped at Tynemouth Priory and Castle. Wow! It's on a rocky headland overlooking the River Tyne that enters into the North Sea. The ruins of the Benedictine priory are right there with the moated castle-towers, gatehouse, and keep. Hence the name Tynemouth Priory and Castle. The coat of arms of the village of Tynemouth includes three crowns since the priory is the burial place for three kings.

This was another large castle with plenty of room for the girls to run around! Since we were right on the water, not only did we have beautiful views, but we also had lots of wind. The girls thought that was loads of fun since Katie's skirt kept billowing out. Once inside the grounds, they ran around and climbed on the ruins. They found an old burial site that had two big stone tombs. The girls, of course, had to climb in them and claim them as their beds! Claire even had to pretend she was asleep.

At the castle, there was a cannon and a large gun. This is always a sure-fire hit with our girls! They had to climb on top and get plenty of pictures taken. And, they all had to stare down the barrel of the big gun. Ugh! With the graveyard on site, we had a hard time keeping track of where the girls were all the time. They kept disappearing behind tombstones. I don't think they ever wanted to leave. But, once they were promised some popsicles, they were ok with the idea. We played at this castle for at least an hour and a half.

When we finally got back, we were pretty happy. It really did feel like we had returned home. The trip back seemed to be much slower than the trip there, but breaking it up with castle visits every 2 hours helped make it more enjoyable! The girls seemed a lot happier and they didn't watch any movies or play with the "pink games" (Nintendo DS lites) at all! Plus, Cindy didn't hit a single curb on the way back. This trip was definitely a success!

London

Cole and I were thinking that we really should take the girls to London since we're so close. And, being in Coventry, we were only 2-2.5 hours away. However, from talking to people, we definitely didn't want to drive there! We went back and forth on whether or not to go. And, it looked like if we went, it would be just me and the girls.

I talked with Katie and asked if she wanted to go to London. She said, "Yes." I told her that it would take at least 2.5 hours to get there, and she said that it would be OK. I talked to her some more and I guess my reservations were apparent, because she turned to Dani and said, "Do you want to go to London." Dani replied, "No." Katie turned back to me and said, "Ok, Mommy. I guess we don't have to go to London." What a sweet little (I mean big!) girl. I talked with her some more throughout the day and she held steadfast to wanting to go. So, we decided to make it happen. And, Cole decided to join us and help out!

Thus our trip to London began! Cole booked a train for us from Warwick to London. It would take a little under 2 hours to get there, and we'd have about 6 hours once we were there. So, off we went! The girls were excited! The train there was packed! So, we sat near each other, but not with each other. Once we got there, the girls were excited to get on a subway to Westminster Station. We got out from under the ground and were met with spectacular views! We could see Big Ben, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, and the Thames River. The sky was blue and there were only a few clouds. It was a gorgeous day!

Katie was excited about the London Eye. So, we headed across the bridge and got tickets. Katie was so excited and kept talking about it. Dani, on the other hand, was telling us that she was not going to get on it. This made Katie a little scared that she wouldn't get to go, but I reassured her that we were all going. Of course, once we got in line, Dani had to go potty! So, we all got out of line and came back a few minutes later.

Katie loved the London Eye, and has since asked several times to go back to London just so she can ride on it again. Claire enjoyed it as well and wound up with Katie sitting on the floor looking out of the glass windows. Dani got on without any problems. At first, she sat on the bench in the middle of our car. Before we were even halfway up, she moved to the edge to look out the glass with her sisters. We enjoyed showing the girls Buckingham Palace where the queen lives. We also pointed out other sites. The girls didn't want to get off when it was time to go. And, they asked if they could ride it again!

After the London Eye, we ate some lunch and had some ice cream. Then, we went to the London Sea Life Aquarium. Cole and I weren't overly impressed, but we do live near SeaWorld! Claire was a little grumpy at first, but once she saw the fish swimming around, she was a happy little girl! They all enjoyed looking at the various fish. Katie and Dani even pet a starfish! They had to wait until a crab was removed from the vicinity of the star fish before they would put their hands in the water, though. But, when the guide picked up the crab and asked if anyone wanted to pet it, Dani did reach out and almost touch it.

Once we were done at the aquarium, it was time to head back to the train station. The girls were excited to go on another subway. And, then we were able to get on a train where we could all sit together around a table. The girls enjoyed reading, eating, and coloring on the way back. They had a fun, full day! I'm glad we decided to take them there. I'm really glad Cole came, because I don't know how we would have done this without him! My only regret is that we weren't able to take the kids to Buckingham Palace to see it up close. But, I'm sure we'll return one day when it won't be so hard to cart all 3 girls around!