Summer FUN!!!!

We have been in California since the beginning of July! We've had loads and loads of fun!! We've done lots of cool things: I had my birthday party (I'm now 4); we went to TWO zoo's (San Francisco AND Sacramento); we went to TWO fairy lands: Fairy Land in Oakland and Fairy Tale Town in Sacramento; we've been in TWO states: California and Oregon; we've played with almost all of our cousins (totaling well over 10); we've swam almost a ga-zillion times; and we've spent time with just about all of our grandparents, aunts and uncles. Basically, we've been having the times of our lives and once our mommy finds time to download the 700+ photos, we will post them here!! STAY TUNED!!!! --- Love, Julia and Marco Milani.

Sports Day 2008!!!!

All the schools in the UK a have Sports Day at the end of the school year where the kids show their athletic prowess! They do various relays, sack races, and egg and spoon races. Even the parents get into the act and have a few races!! Yes, Julia's mom and dad participated as well! (Mom LOST and dad won one and lost one!) It's all done in good fun but you can sure tell the athletes from the mathletes!!! Julia may be a bit of both.... maybe.

Julia, Julia Ingram and Isabella on their way to Sports Day at school!

Here comes the Nursery class!!!

Julia and Abi march into the stadium (the track at Regent's Park!)!

Julia getting into the sack for the sack race!

SHE'S OFF!!!!

Julia and Abi are neck and neck in the bean-bag on the head race!

Julia running her little heart out in the relay race!

Here goes Daddy in the Dad's race!!!! (He won the first one but unfortunately it was null since their was a false start!!! He lost the second; he's claiming a pulled hamstring.!

Jolly Phonics!!!

Julia is in the second row on the right - between her friends Julia I and Bella!

This week Julia's class gave a Jolly Phonics presentation to the entire school!! The nursery class did a fantastic job of showing all the other kids at St. Christina's how they learned songs for each of the letters of the alphabet. Mommy's favorite was M!

Mmmmmmmm, the mum's and dad's make many meals, many meals, many meals. The mum's and the dad's make many meals for the hungry children! MMMMMMMM!!!!

Play time!!!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE play dates!!! We recently had a really fun play date at our house with the McCarthy's (Olivia, Brenna & Amy), the Beyer's (Brooke and Ryan), and the Forrest's (Sarah, Anna & Leah). We played dress up - even Marco dressed up - games, we ran around, we danced and basically we had a great time! We also had lots of snacks, or "tea" as they say here in Merry 'Ol England! The mommy's had their own version of tea but it wasn't hot.... We LOVE play dates!!!

Marco and his tiara!

Olivia, Julia & Brenna, the princesses!

"Tea Time" for the kids!

Happy Father's Day!!!

The Milani's Family Zoo!

For Father's Day this last weekend we took a journey to the Battersea Children's Zoo with our friends the McCarthy's! Two of their daughters - Olivia and Brenna - go to school with Julia at St. Christina's. Mom, Katrina, runs with me during the week and on weekends (many good chats and problem solving transpire!!)! A good time was had by all considering the weather was "dodgy" and was teetering on the brink of rain all day!!

The dad's doing what they do best: pushing strollers! Clearly Marco enjoys his stroller time!

Julia and Brenna in the meerkat peep hole!!! They spent many an hour crawling down the tunnel and popping up in the midst of the meerkat pen!

All the girls! Brenna, Julia, Olivia & Amy!

Daddy and Marco ride the tractor! It was Marco's favorite thing!

First Slumber Party!!!

Last week I had my first slumber party!!!! It was soooo fun! My BF Sarah stayed with us FOR A WHOLE WEEK while her mommy and daddy went to look for a new house in America. Sarah and I had the best time! EVER!!! We played together, we ate breakfast together, we ate dinner together, we bathed together, we did the school drop off and pick up every day!!! We even had snacks and watched tv together! WE did EVERYTHING together! It was like we were sisters for one whole week!!! (hint hint hint, mom!)

Sarah's mom was nervous because she's never been away from home before (neither have I come to think of it!?) but she did great! She slept thru the night every night! She didn't wake up once!! It was probably because we slept in the same bed so that neither one of us would have bad dreams (and so that sarah wouldn't miss her mommy!)! We slept so well that Mommy even snuck in and took pictures of us and we didn't even move!

I hope we can do it again before Sarah moves to America.

Sleeping beauties!

Napping after a full day of fun!


Bath time!

Kew Gardens!!!

Yesterday we took a field trip (that's what mom calls them) with our friends and downstairs neighbors, the Nelson's. We went to Kew Gardens out in Kew. We had to take a bus and a train to get there! It took a little while but once we got there it was very fun and very pretty!!!

The Milani's and the Nelson's in the Gardens!

Me and Marco taking a little drink from a fountain!

Becca giving me a little lift because I was tired of walking!! Mom and Dad don't like to bring the buggy for me any more! They say I'm too big of a girl so I have to walk and walk and walk! It's EXHAUSTING!!

Tyler and I like to skip and play! We have sooo much fun together!

I took this picture of mom and Laurie on the treetop walkway!!! You can see all the trees behind them!!!

We had a great time with our friends. We are going to be sooo sad when they leave in July to go back to Seattle. They've been good neighbors and I LOVE playing with Becca and Tyler!!!

Run Mommy, RUN!!!

Mom left us alone last weekend (with daddy, of course) and went to Brussels to do a 20K run with her friends. She said they had a GGGREEEAAATTT time. (I'm not sure if I should be offended that she went without me and Marco and had fun!)

Mom said they did lots of carbo loading in the square!? (Looks like fun to me!)

She said they got t-shirts from the race and met a man from Brussels named Laurent. She said he helped one of their friends get into the race....?????

Mom said that the race was hard because it started so late, was hot and they ran out of water. She also said that she Kelly Basile, Jody Hnat, Amie Burke and Colleen Mueller (her friends) had LOTS of fun but they have specific requirements for their next run (like it should start earlier in the day)!!!!

Mommy, Kelly Basile and Colleen stayed the longest. Mom said they had LOADS of fun sight-seeing after they were done running. They went to Brugges and did some fun things (like drink wine).

Mommy said the city was really lovely and the chocolate was really yummy! (I can attest to that since she brought me and Marco some!)!

Mommy also said that the town square was lovely and that she, Kelly and Colleen had fun just walking around!!!

Looks like lots of fun to me! Next time, I want to be invited!!! I think they are going to do it again in the fall!!! Invite me! Invite me!!!!

It's my birthday and I can cry if I want to!!!!

The birthday boy with his gift from daddy: A BBQ!!!

The whole birthday group!

One of Marco's favorite gifts and one of his favorite girls (laynie!)!

The moms (having a good time!)!

Happy Birthday to me!

Today was my birthday. I am TWO. For the record, I didn't cry. I ate lots of cupcakes and egg salad (thanks Colleen!) but I did not cry. I'm a big boy!!!

I had a GREAT day. I got tons of gifts and had a fun party. I got a bbq from my daddy! Now I can cook just like him. I also got some Elmo cd's which I cannot wait to watch. I got a Bob the Builder phone too which I LOVE. I love all my gifts!!!

We had a party in the garden for me this evening! Mom thought it was going to rain but luckily it was sunny (and windy)!! Tons of my friends came over and we ate and played. We had a great time! I think mom and Julia had fun too.

I think I'm going to like being two!!!

The Royal Mews!

Ready to go into the Royal Mews!!

Julia and Sarah studying one of the royal carriages!! (They still use these!)


Look at this beautiful carriage!


Hanging around in St. James Park!

Is the Queen in?

A few weekends ago Mom took me to the Royal Mews. (Marco stayed at home with daddy.) Gretchen, Brooke and Ryan came as did Cara, Leah and Sarah. Brooke and Ryan's neighbor Ahmen came too. We had a great time. It was really interesting. We saw lots of neat things.

The Mews are located behind Buckingham Palace. King Henry the VIII built them as falconers hundreds of years ago -- a long long time before I was born. The Queen's horses (the ones that come down from our neighborhood every other day) live here!! We didn't see them though. The royal carriages are kept here as well. They are very beautiful. The carriage that carried Princess Diana to her wedding is here! We got to see it!! My BF, Sarah, and I studied all the carriages in great detail. We thought this was a fun trip (probably b/c we got to use the ear phones too!). The best part of the whole day was playing in the park and getting a big fat ice cream after our visit to the Mews!!!

We tried to see the queen but she didn't want visitors.... We did see the end of the Changing of the Guard though!

Happy (Belated) Birthday Will!!!

The Barge coming down the Thames!

The Globe Theater!

The whole crew!

Some of the girls (Amaya, Julia, Brooke & Leah)! (See St. Paul's in the background?)


The very brave moms.

Marco had the best view!!

In honor of William Shakespeare's birthday we went down to the Globe Theater to see some festivities! On this warm evening (weather was key since there were thunder storms all day!), a barge floated down the Thames and stopped in front of the Globe. On it were some mistrals singing and playing instruments (lutes maybe?) and acting out bits of Shakespeare plays. This event marked the opening of the Globe theater for the Spring/Summer season!

We didn't see any plays; we simply went to watch the festivities and take a nice walk along the embankment! Fun was had by all!

Swim, swim, swim!!!

The Tiny albatross!

My name is Marco and I LOOOOVVVEEE TO swim!! Mommy finally put me in swimming lessons and I am very good, if I do say so myself! There are lots of other kids in our class (mom says too many); some are very small and some are pretty big. I'm one of the big guys and I do a great job of going under water. I LOVE it. I also like to jump in from the side of the pool. It's so much fun, especially if I go all the way under!! I don't like wasting time blowing bubbles; I'd rather splash and swim. I also don't like putting those floaty things on my arms. They get in the way.

Mom thinks I'm going to be an Olympian, whatever that means. She says I'm like Ian the Albatross - but shorter, whoever that is....

First Day of School -- Spring / Summer term!

Julia in her Spring Uniform (despite the chilly weather!)!

The Queen's cavalry on their daily ride.