Let the Games Begin!

As many of you know, I am an Olympic fanatic. I watched the 2004 Summer Olympic Games from my Costa Rica hotel room and joke that I timed my maternity leave around the Winter Games of 2006 and 2010. I proudly stalked Michael Phelps  in 2008 like every other good Baltimorean, and cheered at his homecoming parade (he grew up a few blocks away from our house in Towson!) So it is an understatement to say that I am excited about the 2012 Summer Games being in London. I am ECSTATIC!  We were lucky enough to score tickets to three football (aka soccer) events…2 in Cardiff and the Women’s Finals at Wembley. GO TEAM USA! I am not usually a huge soccer fan but tickets were available and it seems like a fun event to take the kids to. We were even able to check out the 100 Days to the Olympics Countdown in Times Square when we were in NY and watch some of the Team USA Beach Volleyball players!

While all of this is exciting, the best part (so far!) came last week when the Olympic Torch passed through Cheltenham!  Riley’s school had a week of Olympic activities which included their own Opening Ceremonies and visits from special Olympic guests, including her favorite, Pride the Lion (the Team GB Mascot)!

Riley's class wore the colors of China for the Opening Ceremonies!

Riley sings for Pride the Lion with the Singing Squirrels, her school choir (she's in the yellow dress onstage!)

And then our family headed down to Bath Road to watch the torch go by with some friends. Apparently the torch bearer changes every 300 meters and the one we saw was Leon Taylor, an Olympic Silver Medalist in diving, who just happened to be one of the visitors at Riley’s school! Very exciting!

Waiting for the torch

Ali, Lyla and Riley

Jocelyn, Fleur, Riley and Eva

Here Comes the Torch!

Leon Taylor with the torch (and Riley's friend Eva cheering in the background)

 We are now officially counting down to the Olympics! We can't wait!

Mayday!

Mayday! Mayday! Could you hear us yelling this mid-May after we almost drowned? This April was the wettest April on record here in England and the rain continued for the first half of May. A student was literally kayaking across the cricket field at Riley's school! And then, suddenly, in mid-May it turned GORGEOUS. Like 80 degree gorgeous! Unheard of here! The past two weeks have brought much appreciated sunshine, complete with adorable declarations by Lyla of "Mommy, it's not raining again!"

And so, rain or shine, May was full of days spent enjoying Spring!

Nice shades!

Giggles!

Checking it all out!

Feeding the ducks at Pittville Park

Cheering on Cheltenham Town, our local football team! (Riley made signs)

Happy Mother's Day with friends!

Feeding animals at the Cotswold Farm Park

Sheep shearing demonstration

Baby Chick!

 

Zipline!

Trying to chase the ducks!

Bouncy pillows

Lyla loves to go out "in the garden" (aka backyard)!

Add skipping rope to her list of talents!

Sisters!

Ready for the Queen's Jubilee party at Rainbows and Brownies!

Big Girls Don't Cry!

Ok...well maybe that's pushing it. While my girls still cry, they are getting incredibly big at an alarmingly fast speed. Need proof? See the pictures below. Riley is currently learning to ride a bike without stabilizers (aka training wheels) while Lyla learns to ride her balance trike. The process has been slow for Riley who continues to leap off the bike every time she gets scared.

Lyla yells "Ready, Steady, Go!" as Riley attempts to master her big girl bike!

Ready to roll!

I guess she doesn't quite need the helmet when she is crawling along at a snail's pace!

She's doing it!

Need another sign that Riley is getting too big? She has lost her first tooth! She notified us that it was "wobbly" (as they say here) and, 2 days later, out it came! She wrote an adorable little note for the Tooth Fairy so the Tooth Fairy felt compelled to write back AND leave a shiny two pound coin!

And, just when I thought they couldn't get any bigger, we visited Bourton-on-the-Water, a very cute, touristy Cotswold town. The town boasts a model village that is an exact miniature replica, even including a model of the model. Whoa! My two pretty girls were like giants in the miniature village. Adorable!

And when they weren't busy being giants, they were busy devouring ice cream and taking in the sites. Proof that they are still, in fact, my babies.