Need a magical pet? wand? robe? broomstick?

These are Lizzie's own creations: The Sightseer 1000 lets you "see what is going on with Aliens' brains from slo-mo to fast-forward;" the Future Frail glasses "let you see the future...not bad before Christmas!" and "Quen" sells quills and ink.Magical pets for sale: cats, bats, owls, spiders, and the gerbil
Never knew my old broom could look so snazzy!

Harry Potter

Lizzie is a little obsessed...

Frivolities on the Fourth

Couple things I forgot. This one probably because I blocked it out of my memory:

Adam.

Driving in Edinburgh's rainy weather.

On the Left Side of the Road.

With a Stick Shift!!!!!


TERRIFYING!!! Believe me, the first day, it really was.

Here's a day's harvest from our garden! There is something amazingly satisfying about planting, growing and eating your own food. We felt very self-sufficient that day. Yum.


Oh, and Ivy had a Princess Musical Theater Summer Camp this month. The performance was last Tuesday. She was in Princess HEAVEN.



Eli, two weeks away from his Seventh Birthday, FINALLY lost his first tooth. This picture was taken almost two months ago. He's had two rows of teeth for quite a while now. The dentist said to start saving our money for his braces, too. Yeesh. We really wanted him to get it out while we were in Scotland. But then it prompted a whole discussion on the Tooth Fairy's currency exchange rates, so it was probably for the best that he lost it in the USA.

Saying Goodbye to Grandpa

On Monday, June 22nd, we held services for my Grandpa Morley. He died peacefully on June 14, 2009 of old age, surrounded by his 6 children and their spouses. A greater man than him is hard to find.

It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful tribute to his wonderful life.

Edinburgh Wrap-up

Howdy, Folks!

Well, we've been home for about a week now, and I feel like I'm just barely getting back on my feet! What a recovery!

Enjoy some of the beautiful Scotland scenery!

One last bucket of balls at the Peebles Hotel green:

The impenatrable Edinburgh castle

This water is the "Fifth of Firth" an estuary to the North Sea. Try saying that 5 times fast!

The Scots know how to garden!

One of the many cannons atop the castle.

This is the famous howitzer cannon, shot at precisely 1:00 every day except Sunday.

Boom!

We visited the Prison, used to hold enemies from the Revolutionary War.

Some etchings in the wooden door show the "Star-Spangled Banner" being flown over a ship. Take that!

Yeah! A rainstorm! Time to show off the great raincoat!

And now for souveniers: You just can't get away from the plaid!

Yes. We bought Eli playable bagpipes. oy.

Time to go home.

Say goodbye to the Motherland!

Wedding Extravaganza!!!

Wedding Day teaser

We don't have much time and we are finally in a place with an Internet connection...but here's a little teaser until I can get more pictures uploaded:

Eli in his Stewart Plaid Kilt

Where: Princess Diana Memorial Park in Kensington Park, London
When: Today, about 1:30 pm
Who: Now things are getting interesting!

Okay, let's cut to the chase:

We hung out at the park with Jake Gyllenhaal today. Erin, did you hear me? An Oscar-winning Celebrity. And I don't just have a story. I have PROOF, sistah. Proof. Check it.

Thank goodness I had kids to fake pose right under the pirate ship playground where Mr. Gyllenhaal was.

Oh, not good enough? Take that!

And THAT!
It's totally him, baby.
The first tip-off was the hat. I was like, dude, who wears a hat like that to the park with their kid? And now, look at the collar. Dead giveaway. And do you know what? When I got my camera out, he flinched. He was just a little TOO aware of a camera than a normal human would be.

Okay, so anyway, I digress. Let's see. We also visited Kensington Palace, bringing Madeline along with us. This is a statue of Queen Victoria, so we had our own little princesses do a curtsy.
Seeing the Sunken Gardens,

Here's the gates in front of the palace where people still put flowers in memory of Princess Diana.

And here's our own little king in front of William II statue. With a little princess head poking around the side...Tonight, we went out to dinner and a show with our lovely hosts, Shannon and Scott.
We went to Royal Albert Hall, a theater in the round, to see The King and I, starring Daniel Dae Kim, (from Lost) - it was just awesome. Tom, Vickie and Alan joined us as well. Wonderful night!