All About Aldeburgh

From Crowell Post

A couple of weeks ago, we headed up to Aldeburgh to hit the famous fish & chips shop. It was worth waiting. The line in the picture was actually much longer than our wait...thank goodness.

From Crowell Post

Before the lanterns were lit up, Elsie had fun clapping to the music and watching the dancers in the center of town.

From Crowell Post

Once the clock hands reached 8:30pm, the crowd started pulling out their matches and lighting up their lanterns. It was beautiful to say the least. The crowd paraded down main street to the beach where they were greeted by fireworks. We didn't get to stay for the big show, but hopefully next year we'll get to welcome the parade and fireworks right on the sea side.

Gracie, Oh Playmate

From Crowell Post

Elsie's sweet blue-eyed, curly-blond-haired friend certainly puts a huge smile on Elsie's face whenever we get together. Sally and Abby, Gracie's grandma and mom invited us over for a play date and boy did these girls (well, particularly Elsie) love the stairs. I don't blame them. Who wouldn't want to play on this fun, red, spiral staircase!

From Crowell Post

Like a sunny day, these three ladies always put smiles on our faces and are ever pleasant to be around. We never want to leave them.

Out to Lunch

From Crowell Post

What greater way to test out the British-headquartered restaurant chain than to eat in London itself--especially with some great company {thank you, Burtons}.
Wagamama supposedly = "selfish" in Japanese. We sort of think each of us selfishly indulged in some really great ramen and noodles at lunch that day.

Only, the Music Never Stopped....

From Crowell Post

It was apparent at the Ipswich Primary Campout (maybe because all the chairs were missing or ended up in front of a different tent) that Elsie LOVED the little chairs! Yes, she did like the songs, the fire that went "snap," and even the sugar that made the fire go "woosh"; but, the chairs just won her little heart. She was quite content--especially when she found a perfect fit.

London = Choo! Choo!

From Crowell Post

How delightful it is to meet up with friends in London! We told Elsie we were going to London and she instantly said, "Choo! Choo!" So there you have it. Truth be told it is faster, cheaper, and funner to ride the train into the city than by car. We pulled into Liverpool Station and set off for some sightseeing with Mark & Rachel. We are positive they could have seen more of the sights without us, but we enjoyed every minute of our time with them.

From Parliament and Westminster to Kensington Gardens for a picture with Peter Pan and a walk along the Thames--we'd have to say that summer is truly a splendid time to see London. Of course, it would only be appropriate to top it off with an ice cream cone--and daintily eaten at that. Maybe Elsie is absorbing a little more of the proper English culture than we realized. :)

From Crowell Post

From Crowell Post

With Toy Story 3's debut here in the UK, we thought we'd hit the theater opening night! In previous weeks, Elsie came to just love "Woo-ya," aka Woody. I turned on Toy Story one time--thought it would be a nice deviation from the overly-watched episode of Elmo--while I was cleaning the house. To my surprise, she watched the entire movie and was still sitting her same spot--glued to the screen!
So, we headed to the downtown Woodbridge Riverside Theater for a matinee. It was perfect. Small theater. A handful of people. Yes, only a handful on an early Monday evening (we know this would not have been the case in Utah, let alone the States for a show opening).
It's too bad the 30 minutes of previews zapped Elsie's attention midway through the actual show. I guess the beginning and ending parts of the film will have to do for Miss E. Then again, the fact she was tickled to see Woody, eat almost an entire bag of popcorn, and see a movie with Daddy and Mama was a treat in itself.

Friends with Picasso

From Crowell Post

Elsie has been all over painting these days. She still initially calls it, "ca-la" (color), but then repeatedly says, "paint" throughout the project. Thank heavens for washable paint! Even though the end product is a fine wash of mixed colors, it is still a masterpiece.