By now, you may know that my sister, Beth, her husband, Mark, and their two little ones (my adorable twin nephews!), moved to England last summer for a 2-year stint. I miss them all more than I imagined. The time difference is harder than it looks on paper and the video chats with two kids on each side make for some choppy discussions. BUT, we were lucky enough to be able to go visit them last month – all of us: my husband, me, and our two girls. And we had a blast. The jet lag was easier than it should have been, the cousins picked up right where they left off, and we were all left with some amazing memories that will last a lifetime.
I’ll share a bunch of photos from the week below with a bit of narration, but for those who are interested in seeing an expanded selection, you can view this slideshow:
My sweet nephews, O and H, love dressing up. And they love Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Put these two facts together and you get the answer to this question: what is their favorite dress up costume? You’ll see this theme throughout our visit.
Here’s our first day – a leisurely morning, a visit to their awesome local park, and an unusual shoulder nap for our sweet Lucy. 
Our second day we traveled into London to visit the Sea Life London Aquarium and to take in a few of the sights.
Walking around London was a bit surreal for me as I spent a semester there in college. So much was familiar, but there was a good number of new sights as well. Strange to revisit a place where I was a college student with my whole family.
Let’s hear your roar!
My lovely sister, her boys (who were celebrating a birthday that day!), and my “little one.” (Lucy was asleep in the stroller at this point.)
Sub in Mark for Annabeth:
Lucy wakes up from her nap and gets her turn with the lions.
The gang, striking a pose.
Cousin love!
The following day we got to celebrate the twins’ birthday, pirate style, complete with pirate ship cakes, a treasure hunt, and pirate costumes for all.
Post-party, the girls got to explore the beautiful fields and paths behind their home.
Oh, and here I am! Photo credit: my darling husband.
Day 4 was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! We went to the Princess Diana Memorial Park in Hyde Park and the kids had a blast with all sorts of different contraptions.
After the park we walked around the grounds, got some ice cream, and reveled in the beautiful weather, the good company, and all the cuteness before us.
Yes, that is my husband hanging from a tree.
Our last day we went to the world’s oldest model village in Bekonscot. The kids had never felt so big! It was really unique and interesting.
We ended the day at the playground at Bekonscot. Smiles abound.
So much fun. So much love. There were tears when we left and there will be tears when I see them again. Love you guys. Thanks for everything, Beth and Mark. xo
