Off to England!

We set off on our biannual trip to England on Thursday, in time to celebrate the dawn of Stace's birthday in transit.

Our girls were so excited about taking this trip. Just like Cora when she was 3, Violet was eager to pack her things days in advance.

We passed down the Dora suitcase to Violet, which she was thrilled about. And, Cora was very pleased with the new teal carry-on rolling case Stace got her this week.

This was our first trip for which we needed no diaper bag. Whoa! We did change Violet into a pullup on the plane, just in case there was bad turbulence and we couldn't get to the toilet, but she kept it dry. (She's been in panties overnight for a month or so.)

Free wifi at LAX meant the girls were happy watching kids' shows prior to our 10 p.m. departure. Stace and I used to prefer the late flights, because they make the jet lag recovery easier. But a nightmare trip with a 10-month-old Cora led us to take the earlier flights ever since. This time, we were landing on a work day for Gord, so we needed to arrive late enough for him to pick us up after work.

This flight, Violet and I shared a two-seat aisle with a window, with Stace and Cora in front of us. He got the better end of that deal! Cora slept well, and so did Stacey.

Violet wasn't naughty, but she didn't want to sleep, either. The late takeoff meant a very late dinner service/drink service/cleanup, and Violet got a second wind before the cabin went dark. Thankfully she was good, in spite of staying awake past 3 a.m. Pacific time.

Here we are on the miles-long walk from the airplane to Heathrow's baggage claim.

And, the joyful reunion with grandparents our girls love so well.

Gord and Sue drove the girls to Somerset, while Stace and I gave them all kisses and then went down to the airport's Underground station.









Off we went to London's Waterloo station, where we boarded the 7:20 p.m. train to Yeovil, along with the rest of England. Standing-room only for at least a half hour, before one lady nearby got off. Another few stops later, and Stace was able to sit as well. As soon as I was seated, I was out!

Dean and Euan picked us up, and we were on our way to Martock. Our first night was brilliant - a great night's sleep for everyone. It's nice to be past the baby stage, at least in this respect.