March

 Like father like son.  Will all prepped to drive a golf cart.  He's obsessed with "vroom, vrooms" these days.

 Emily turned 10 with a pajama party.  We had such fun making flip flop slippers, decorating cupcakes and watching a movie on the big screen. 

 Will's first "official" haircut -- the other being an unmentionable experiment made by Mommy who has no experience cutting hair (how difficult can it be to cut a little boy's hair?!).  Fortunately, he was too young to notice the comments like: "So you tried to cut Will's hair yourself, huh?"

Busy boy.  Lots of exploration and messes these days!

Family Reunion

For the first time in 17 years, we were all together again, just my parents and their seven children (no spouses or children were able to make it to the funeral).  It was wonderful to all be together as adults and spend time together celebrating Grammie's life -- a life so well-lived.

 My beautiful sisters

Virginia Elaine Davis Ward

August 6, 1921 ~ January 23, 2012

On January 23rd, I received a call from my mom saying that Grammie Ward had passed away at the age of 90.  While I’ll terribly miss the presence and influence of this truly angelic woman, I felt overwhelming joy as I thought of her released from the constraints of mortality (she had been in decline for the past few years) and reunited with those she loved so dearly who had gone before.  I could just imagine her joyful smile and contagious chuckle as she was reunited with Grandpa, Uncle Philip, her baby daughter Julie Anne, her parents.  I’m so grateful for her influence in my life. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Grammie.

 

 Young mother.

 Young love

 Grammie was often asked to model for newspaper ads for local department stores.  Whenever I've seen these photos, I've thought she looked like a 1940s film star.

Beautiful, irrepressible Grammie

December-February

Been so long since we've posted.  Here are some pics from December-February.  Santa brought the girls a trip to Disneyland for February and here they are ready for the magic to begin!

Uncle Dave was a sport and came to watch Will.  They thoroughly bonded and Will was sad to see Uncle Dave go.  Dave had put up this poster from the paper of a "Vroom, vroom" and Will loved it. 

Giant sombreros at Epcot

Meeting Rapunzel!

Having breakfast with Lilo

Ready to fight trolls in the Norway Pavilion

Ready to save the universe and defeat the Empire in Star Tours

On the ferry

Animal Kingdom -- we loved the safari and Mount Everest!

Meeting Cinderella's wicked stepmother

Will trying to take part in Emily's basketball camp

Christmas morning (didn't take enough pictures!)

Feeling an affinity for Santa (perhaps given their matching outfits), Will took it upon himself to polish off the last of the crumbs left from Santa's snack.  It took awhile for him to actually get interested in the presents.

This year Mrs. Claus brought pajamas for the girls and their American girl dolls.

Our annual chocolate-covered pretzel fiesta

Making over 800 lunches for underpriviledged kids at the Kids in Mind charity

Visiting Santa and seeing the Christmas lights

Having fun in a very small patch of dirty man-made snow

Crafting with Grandma McLaughlin

Making gingerbread houses

And visiting the zoo on a very spring-like December day

London!

We saved London for last and it was wonderful. We had booked a hotel well in advance of our arrival, but two weeks before our trip, Jennifer mentioned that a couple in their ward who had recently relocated to London on business had offered us the use of their spare room. And what a spare room it was! Their flat was in Eaton Square in the heart of the posh Belgravia neighborhood and it was such a commodious and comfortable place to come home to each evening after a day packed full of sightseeing!More views of Eaton Square -- the home of the family in the British series Upstairs Downstairs. Neville Chamberlain lived in the square during his Prime Minister years. Two doors down was the flat where Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier lived. Margaret Thatcher lives a few blocks away. We couldn't believe our luck!

In the park of Buckingham Palace after taking a tour of the state rooms -- amazing art, and of course, Kate Middleton's wedding dress, veil, shoes, jewelry . . . So fun to see!

We celebrated Jennifer's birthday with High Tea at Fortrum and Mason's

Outside of Westminster Abbey

More Westminster Abbey

Having a picnic lunch in St. James' Park

Jennifer and I enjoying a rickshaw ride after a night at the theater. We saw Wicked (loved it), Billy Elliot (amazing dancing, terrible language), Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", and Mama Mia (off-puttingly raunchy).

We loved browsing through the opulent Harrod's department store

And finagled permission to pose in some designer fascinators

Munched honey-roasted peanuts while crossing the Millenum Bridge from St. Paul's Cathedral

Climbed the dome at St. Paul's to view a spectacular panorama of London

Took in a production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Globe Theater. One of the biggest highlights of the entire trip!

Saw a different view of London from a late afternoon Thames River cruise

Took a (disappointing) Harry Potter walking tour which stopped at this traditional sweets shop -- apparently the type of shop that J.K. Rowling might have envisioned when she came up with Honeydukes

Got well-acquainted with the London Underground

Posed with the Horse Guards

Chatted with some friendly coppers

Toured the Tower of London

And its torture chamber

Visited the National Gallery, the treasures of the British library, and then gave in to museum fatigue by eschewing most of the treasures in the Victoria and Albert Museum in favor of an evening picnic in the V&A courtyard and impromtu wading in the pond.

and were inspired by the exhibits in Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms