My Super Sweet Six...

So they say six is the new sixteen, right? Ok...maybe not but it's still a pretty important milestone. Not convinced? Just ask Riley, who turned six on January 4th and hosted her very own pyjama party (that's the British spelling) for her entire grade! Hey...you only turn 6 once, right?

The bash kicked off with some pretty amazing invitations....

Mommy didn't think to use the British spellings for pajama or favorite! Oops!

Riley looked adorable in her special birthday pjs (and Lyla looked pretty cute in her Peppa nightgown too!)

The kids made some super cute cereal necklaces (as modeled by Riley above) and fruit loops crafts and then it was time for the games! We played Hot Potato...had to expose all of Riley's friends to the American classics! They loved it!Then it was time for the races! We started with a Pillowcase Race, where kids jumped in a pillowcase like it was a potato sack, and then had a Pancake Relay, where kids raced back and forth with a pancake on a spatula. Too cute! Did I mention how cute they all looked in the favorite pjs? ( :

A sample of our rainbow cereal and marshmallow craft!

Pillowcase races!

See the pancake on the spatula?

It was a nailbiter!

Then we broke into the most fun part of all--Musical Pancakes!! Freeze Dance in the UK is called Musical Statues and Riley wanted to play Musical Pancakes, where you drop flat to the floor when the music stops. Simple enough but the kids LOVED it!

Strike a pose! 

We then feasted on buttermilk pancakes, prepared by Gramps, who worked hard in the kitchen to keep these kids happy! I was happy to see that everyone liked them...they're used to really thin pancakes here, which are more like crepes. We had oodles of toppings for the kids to try...most were very impressed by the chocolate chips since they don't really sell those here! Some Mums and Dads wanted to try American pancakes too! Yum!

After we ate, the kids listened to GG read a story about Monsters Under the Bed and drew their own monsters before eating some more! We realized too late that we had forgotten to bring a lighter but we sang and Riley pretended to blow out the candles on her cake. Oops!

Story time!

Cute book with printables to create the monsters in the story

Pretend the candles are lit!

She was happy anyway!

Then the party broke into sheer bedlam when the pinata came out. Apparently they don't really do them at parties here so kids were confused, we had a pinata malfunction and parents were arriving to pick up kids! Amidst the chaos, everyone got lots of treats and left happy and excited! Hooray for candy flying from the sky!

The kids still look confused...

They descend!!

Finding goodies!

Finally, we sent everyone off with a cute party favor!

Lyla snatched one up!

Mini American cereal box in a bowl with spoon and cow tag. We had to add the lollipop because Riley says goody bags are supposed to be sweet!

What a fun day...it was a party she'll never forget! And, lest I forget, she got to celebrate on her actual birthday as well with a fun Gaston the Ladybird cake.

Happy 6th Birthday Riley! You are the most thoughtful, sweet and responsible six year old I know...who also happens to be energetic, enthusiastic and a ton of FUN to be around! We love you!

Lyla Turns 2!

Happy Birthday to Lyla! Our baby turned two on January 3rd! She celebrated on her birthday with a yummy Peppa Pig cake and later with friends at her party. We love you Lyla!You keep us entertained every day with your giant hugs, lovely singing, and endless smiles! Hope you enjoy some of our favorite pics of Lyla's party and our 2 year old being adorable! (Notice the haircut....big girl said bye bye to her mullet!)

On her birthday she blew out all of the candles on her Peppa Pig cake!

Getting ready for her party with Daddy!

Lyla had a Bubble Guppies themed party since Bubble Guppies is her favorite tv show. Unfortunately, there is NO Bubble Guppies merchandise for sale....so we improvised! We found a bunch of Bubble Guppies themed printables on nickjr.com and then broadened our theme to include all things under the sea, including Swedish fish and goldfish cracker filled fish bowls, fish shaped ice cubes, fish and dolphin shaped chicken nuggets, and seashell pasta. Riley helped us turn some regular party games into Bubble Guppies games--Simon Says turned into Mr. Grouper Says, Hot Potato turned into Pass the Dolphin, and Duck, Duck, Goose turned into Gup, Gup and Away! She's a party planner in the making! Lyla had a fabulous time...and we've got lots of cheesy smiles to prove it!

"I can curtsy like Riley"....

"This doesn't seem quite right"...

Having so much fun!!!

Riley, Chloe and Ali

Elliot being silly!

Hi Charlie!

Owen and Alex enjoyed the food!

Sweet Teddy!

Being silly!

The playroom has exploded!

Playing Mr. Grouper Says (aka Simon Says)

Playing Gup, Gup and Away! (aka Duck, Duck, Goose!)

Pinata!

My favorite...Lyla and her friends Chloe and Ben

Being 2 is fun!!

The Schmidts Take London!

After a lovely Christmas here in Cheltenham, we piled back into the car on the 26th for our first visit to London! We stayed in a lovely flat in St John's Wood, a beautiful area in northwest London that was right across the street from the famous Lord's Cricket Ground.

Lord's Cricket Ground

We spent our first day there exploring St John's Wood and trying to figure out how to navigate London during a tube worker strike.  After waiting for a very long time with a ton of people to board a bus, we bit the bullet and took a very cool London taxi (they put NYC taxis to shame!) to Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland.

So choosing to forgo the bus crowds for a taxi to Hyde Park= Best. Decision. Ever. We had a great time at the festival, with Riley and Lyla riding lots of kiddie rides, Daddy enjoying potato pancakes and Mommy and Riley even getting to ride a scary ride!

Marble Arch

We see the lights!

The next day the tubes were back open and we managed to do some exploring! First stop was Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, which was incredibly crowded but fun to watch. Most of our pictures are courtesy of Riley, who had the best view in the crowd on Daddy's shoulders while Mommy couldn't see a thing. It isn't easy being the only shorty in the family!

Buckingham Palace

Since we were so close (it was a coincidence, I swear!) we decided to head to the Hard Rock Cafe for some American food. Hooray! The girls even got giant ice cream sundaes. Yum!

Afterwards we headed to the Natural History Museum. Lyla LOVED the dinosaurs and Riley loved the explorer pack there. She took very detailed notes on what we saw and sported a very fancy hat.

The next day was jam packed with more fun...beginning with another trip on the Tube. Mind the gap!

Followed by lunch at Wagamama's...

and a visit to the Tower of London! Lyla fell asleep while waiting in a VERY long line despite the freezing temperature!

Riley didn't believe that Mommy would wear her hat in line!

Sleeping Beauty...or the Marshmallow Man?

Once we got inside the Tower, we started out on a tour led by a very funny Beefeater. Riley and him made fast friends and she left us in the dust!

Can you spot Riley?

 Lyla woke up in time to see the Crown Jewels and do some horsing around in the cold.

After leaving the Tower, we took some pictures by the Tower Bridge. Riley even got a really nice shot of Mommy and Daddy on their 15th Anniversary (we started dating on December 28, 1996). Man, we're old!

We left feeling cold but still energized so we decided to try our luck at the London Eye, a giant ferris wheel with great views of London. We waited awhile in the queue (more cold!) but it was worth it! 

The girls needed to lay down for a bit in the middle of the ride.... it was getting late!

On our last day in London, Wayne and Riley picked up a very special delivery from Heathrow Airport...GG and Gramps! The girls were so excited to see them and show them around London! We did a bus tour of London to keep them awake and everyone got to see all of London's most famous sites.

Those hats again!

What a great way to end a fabulous trip! The next day it was time to head back to Cheltenham...but first we had to fit in the car! 6 people + LOTS of luggage + car seats + pack and play + stroller= too much stuff for a British seven person car! Can you spot Mommy buried in the back row? ( :