The London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace

The gates of Buckingham Palace

They pack some heat here in London

Changing of the Guards. There were HUGE crowds. Because this was the last day that the Queen was in residence before she left for Windsor castle this was a big deal. The red guards were replaced by RAF. This probably took at least 2 hours. The bands played fun songs such themes from Magnum PI, A-Team, etc...

Our picnic lunch in the park. We had to "rent" these chairs for 1.50 pound/chair. I didn't even care at this point. My feet and back were killing me and I needed somewhere to rest.

Our guard at the Tower of London

Our own personal beefeater. He was our tour guide for the Tower of London. He was great fun and since it was a free tour the price was right.

Tower of London

The view from the London Eye

Winsor Castle, St. Paul's Cathedral, Thames, Big Ben, and Parliment

The View

The London Skyline

This guy was playing the bagpipes on the Westminsted Bridge. I LOVE the bagpipes. It was awesome.

The view from the top.

The view from the very tippy top of St. Paul's. We climbed all of the 500+ steps to get to the top of the dome.

The Tube

Windsor Castle
To get to Windsor we took the tube and then the train. It was very easy and while it was crazy busy that day we really had an excellent time. We bought a beautiful china bowl that now I need a curio cabinet to display it to it's best ability.

The courtyard

The Queen was in residence for her summer vacation so the guards were there. They are really young.

Nate shooting his new gun

Don't a bad shot

Nate is left eye dominant so in the beginning he was having a hard time shooting. He's doing a lot better now.

Sighting in the gun

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Little girls are fun.

We have had a little visitor. Her name is Ariana (sp?). She's 1 years old. Her Mommy has been in the hospital and she's been staying with us and another friend until family can get into town. Oh my goodness she's adorable. Huge brown eyes and dark curly hair (obviously not my child huh?). She's a little monkey who loves to climb all over you but mostly just wants to be held. This means that while she's here...nothing gets done besides taking care of her. It's not bad but it has thrown a wrench in our scheduling here's how it went this morning.

I didn't know what time she'd get up so I set my alarm early so I could get up, dressed, and eat before I woke her up. No such luck. As the alarm is going off I hear this baby screaming that sends me running into her room. She of course of fine but I'd just had a heartattack. Not use to that kind of attention getting activities. So...Chris and I got to play tag-team. I'm pretty sure Chris is in love with her. He was very anxious to know if she'd be coming over again tonight.

Nathan has been a great helper. He plays and holds her when I have something else I HAVE to do. While it has been fun I have to hand it to mom's w/young ones. I forgot how much energy it takes and how you never get anything done around the house. She is a great snuggler though and so much fun to dress.

Small picture but maybe this one will help. FYI-The high temperatures here aren't even our lows here in the south. I am so excited I can hardly see straight. Now to find my sweatshirts.

Count down begins.

Less then 2 weeks until we get to go on vacation here...A few of you know where this is but don't spoil the surprise.

I realize it's been a while since the last post. Here's what the Otis family has been up too lately.

1. Working for both Chris and I. Neither one of us gets to sleep in even though school is out.

2. Riding our bikes. Some of us more then others.

3. Spending lots of time at the pool. It's really hot here in Lousiana. It's really the only way to survive the summers.

4. Shuttle Nate to all his summer activities. Invention camp, Kids Fit, Sylvan, Scouts, and playing with friends. I'm exhausted.