Author: marybethgaige

Here it is, the last post…. But first I will share Tim’s words from what he posted to FB when we returned:

The Virginia Gaiges are back on American soil.

After 10 days away, 7000 miles of air travel, 15+ tube rides (including transfers between lines), 2 museums, Warner Brothers Harry Potter tour, an iconic department store and the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park we only lost ONE MITTEN.

Boom.

Only Tim…

And here is what I shared last year….

Ok, FB friends. Thank you for coming on this trip down memory lane with me. We have now come to the end.
December 28, 2016: Saying goodbye to Edgeware, spending too much time at Heathrow, and flying across the pond.
We got home just in time for Rose to share with Timmy and I and Declan the British plague (cold/ flu) she picked up and ruin NYE 🤒😷. It was the trip of a lifetime and I fully enjoyed reliving it this year. 🇬🇧♥️

Way home I got a bassinet!!!

#selfieswithDad

#selfieswithDad

December 27, 2016, on our last touristy day, Timmy wanted to go to the British museum. It frankly was not my first choice, but he did much for me on the trip, so I was happy to let him have his pick. 🙂
The girls practiced walking like an Egyptian, we checked out the Rosetta Stone, and got lunch outside…hotdogs! I enjoyed a trip to Tottenham Court Road for the Harry Potter connection. We all had a lovely day, and Tim and I started packing when we got back to Edgeware.

The British museum

Walk like an Egyptian …

The Rosetta Stone was popular…

#selfieswithDad

Enough pics, mom -RKG

So British..

Waiting for the tube….

On December 26, 2016, after two low key days in Edgeware, we were ready to get out and about in London. And out and about we did! We walked all over and the girls were such troopers! (D got a lot of time in the Ergo :)) We went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, I tried to look for Will and Kate at Kensington, we walked to see Big Ben, explored St James’s park, then through Green Park to meet our friend Michael and his lovely companion Monique near Wellington Arch before heading into Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.
We totally gave Mike an out but he insisted they were up for meeting our full crew for Winter Wonderland. I was so glad we went with them because Mike and Timmy did the rides with the girls while baby Declan stayed with Monique and I. When we got hungry we hit the beer garden for brews, pretzels and the girls got down to music…and used Mike as a jungle gym. We talked international politics, life, love and had the most lovely time. Then they dropped us at an Italian restaurant to cap the night. We recently read a magic treehouse story that mentioned Hyde Park and the girls remember it well! 🙂 🇬🇧♥️❄️🍻🍝

The changing of the guard at Kensington Palace

St. James’s and Green Park

#SelfieswithDad

#SelfieswithDad

(This did not come through to the blog, bit this was a 360 degree photo)

Tim was amazing at these.

Me and the crew at Buckingham… Notice the much needed coffee!! ☕

Games and rides at Hyde Park. Rose especially loved the bumper cars… The announcer kept saying “Dodge em!!!” and she repeated it for days!
Note Annabelle pulling Mike around like she’d known him for years…

More rides… And Michael Jorge as a jungle gym!

#SelfieswithDad

She’s posing in front of that bridge in St James’s park because it was on an episode of Sherlock

Mike and Monique ♥️

Getting down to some live (American) music. Always, my loves, dance like no one is watching!

We terrorized this Italian Restaurant. Rose housed that huge bowl of pasta…look at those bags under her eyes…what a trooper.

Selfridge’s

Beautiful, crowded streets of London. Note the double decker red buses 🙂 🇬🇧♥️

Christmas 2016. Simple and yet so memorable. Santa got the message on where we were. He ate the cookie. He brought the very things we so desperately wanted. (Shopkins, a blue seahorse, a new onesie 😂) We had Christmas crackers and played the games and Timmy and I ate all the food. And Treacle tart. Harry Potter’s favorite and I’d never had it! We had traditional British Christmas pudding and Treacle tart and my heart was full. I could never ask for more joy. 🎄🎅

Warning: if you listen to the video with sound, you will hear Tim’s voice. People have been shaken by that in the past, so I’m warning you. 💔

We had a quiet Christmas Eve last year (2016) in Edgeware, around the house, prepping and eating food, going to the park, walking to the bakery and checking out the market. Timmy and I enjoyed a quiet night chatting over some wine our friends had left us after the kids were finally in bed and Santa had come 😉 🎅🇬🇧🎄

December 23, 2016 was hands down the best birthday of my life. It wasn’t particularly glamorous… but it was so good! Declan was up a bunch in the night so Tim went down with the girls in the morning and let me sleep in and they made me cards. We headed back into Central London primarily to ride the carousel next to the natural History Museum that we didn’t have time for the day before, with a quick stop at Kings Cross to see Platform 9 3/4, then walked to Harrods, checked it out in all it’s Christmas glory and had lunch. Then of course, Amy came and Timmy and I headed to Part 2 of the play. Best gift ever. Tim and I toasted and ate Cadbury chocolate caramels and Pringles. (Heads up, the Palace Theater does not sell real food). The play, the trip, our children, how could I ever have asked for more? #ThisWas36

♥️♥️

Truth…and yet, that face makes it all ok.

Tim thought the UK government should pay us for the free birth control we provided on the Tube 😉

Platform 9 3/4!!! (This is how I get a pic without waiting in line 😉 )

#PartyofFive

📞🇬🇧♥️♥️♥️💙

Harrods!!!

They enjoyed Harrods!

December 22nd 2016 we woke up on a foggy morning in London and it was the night we would see Part One of the play, the very reason we came to London. Giddy with excitement, we set out for the Natural History Museum (high on our list after London-with-kids research). Tim went to will call at the Palace theater to pick up our tickets while I took the crew to an adorable patisserie. Then off for fun and learning at the museum, before we headed home to meet my amazing friend Amy Dole. On the walk back to the tube, Tim said “we have to accept the possibility that after tonight, Amy isn’t willing to come back tomorrow. If that happens, I don’t want you to miss it! Let’s convince Amy to come back and you two can go and I’ll stay home.” 😉 (Fortunately that was not necessary.) The palace theater was absolutely amazing and everything met all expectations!!! ⚡♥️🇬🇧

Last December 21 was a low key kind of day. We stuck close to “home” in Edgeware, where our milk was delivered in glass bottles outside the door (!!!) and I cooked dinner from groceries we had delivered. Timmy took the girls to the park while Declan and I napped. Annabelle checked out all the work out equipment, Rose was obsessed with putting tiny wooden people in a red double decker bus, and also when I turned my back, put a pink super hero mask on her baby brother.. “Super Declan!!” He accepted it without a sound 😉

One year ago I posted on Facebook….

Late post tonight but last year on December 20th we trekked out to Leavesden for the Harry Potter studio tour! I can’t possibly get this down to just one photo, Timmy and I had so many! It was absolutely phenomenal; so glad we got the tour in!

We took the tube to Central London to get the bus, past where we were staying out to Leavesden, but also rode in the front top of the double decker and watched the Sorecerer’s stone on the way

Proof they can sleep in daylight…. With severe jetlag.

Goblet of fire and the great Hall!

Nerd girl’s Heaven.

The girls rode Sirius’ motorbike and the Ford Anglia!! 🙂

Geeked out so hard!!!

♥️🎄

Visited Diagon Alley and got some sweets!

Butter beer!!!!

Rose’s absolute favorite: making magic at the Dursely’s… Carrots chopped, dishes washed, knitting needles going…

Beautiful lights in central London on the way home

And…it was a Tuesday…so of course we came home and made tacos 😂😂🇬🇧🌮

Last year I posted on Facebook every day from December 19-28th my one-year-ago memories from London. While we were in London we weren’t posting in real-time, so it was the first time that I was really sharing our trip. In 2016, everyone thought we were crazy when we took a 5 and 3 year old and a 5 month old to London for Christmas. It was absolutely amazing. When we returned I wondered how we’d ever top that Christmas!! Then when Tim died less than 6 months later I knew we never would. Of course, as I mentioned in my “The Holidays” post, I will continue to try to give the kids the best Christmas experience possible. I would like them to have a good electronic record of that Christmas in London though, the last with their father, even if they personally remember very little or nothing at all. So this year I plan to capture the memories I put on Facebook last year here on my blog for them to call up when they want.

I think I will always consider it the Greatest Christmas.

Here goes:

A year ago we landed at Heathrow. I was seated with Declan separately from the other three so I could have the bulkhead seat with a bassinet, and then they changed aircraft so no bassinet seat…meaning I was awake the whole night holding Declan. (And Annabelle was awake almost the whole night watching movies!) Our friend Stephen met us at the arrivals gate at Heathrow and I whispered to Timmy “this is JUST like Love Actually!!” Then we navigated the tube across London to arrive at our friends’ adorable home, and the girls were so excited to see the tree where Santa would leave their gifts!! 🎄🎅We made ourselves right at home. I know that last photo is Tim decompressing once we finally got all 3 to bed because I see a glass next to him 😉 🍷🇬🇧