Ingham Family TRAILS

We definitely made a lot of those throughout town this past week!  I wish I had been wearing a pedometer, because we logged a LOT of miles while Gaga Brenda and Papa Dewey were here.

After our amazing weekend in Bath, we headed back onto the train to make our way back to Oxford.  David had to go back to work, so Brenda, Dewey, the kids and I relaxed at home for a bit.  Then we went to Summertown to do some exploring.  The kids had a summer holiday Monkey Music workshop, which was really, really fun!  Maxwell was a bit of a crab (probably overtired from our weekend away), but Darian had a ball.  It was really cool that B & D were able to see the kids in their class.

Maxwell picked this hat for the "trip to the seaside" song.  He's a dip.

Darian, playing with the parachute

After class we went to a pub for lunch, and much to Papa's dismay they didn't have fish and chips.  :o(  We did have yummy burgers, though!  (And I made up for it later by making Toad in the Hole for dinner...YUM!)  We walked around Summertown for a bit, and then we drove so that I could show B & D where Maxwell's preschool is, as well as the new house that we will live in after this one.  During naptime BD walked around town and went on a tour of Oxford Castle.

On Wednesday we had a day in town.  We walked around all the shops, went to the covered market, and had a nice tea/lunch in the city centre.  I headed home with the littles and BD took the Oxford City Bus Tour, which David and I still haven't done but I really want to!

Thursday was a day to explore another part of the country!  We drove about 90 miles East to Berkeley Castle.  I had purchased a groupon for the castle and butterfly farm a while back.  It seemed like a nice touristy thing to do with visitors!  It was a beautiful sunny day, and we had a great time!

Posing

Pretty girl, showing me her flowers

We finished the day with a yummy patio fiesta!!

On Friday, B & D rode the train into London to go to Buckingham Palace and do a little sightseeing.  The kids and I relaxed at home and played with our friends next door for a little while.  Then on Saturday (since we can't all fit in the car) David took everyone out for a day of sightseeing, and I got the day OFF!  I slept in, took a nice long bubble bath, got a shoulder massage, went to tea...all by myself!  It was wonderful and quiet.  I need more days like that...especially the way the day ended:  Date night with my  hubby!  We went to a lovely dinner and walked around town.  It was fantastic!!

On Sunday we went on a nice walk down the river to a pub for dinner.  We were joined by our fabulous neighbors, the Price's.  The kids were great on the two mile hike, we stopped to feed the ducks, and generally just enjoyed the fabulous view!

Monday was Maxwell's first day of preschool (I'll write a separate blog for that big event!!) and B & D's last day in Oxford.  While the kids were napping they went back to town to do some more sightseeing and shopping, and then when David got home we all walked back to town for one last pub dinner.  It was raining on us, but what better way to end a trip to England, than an evening stroll through the rain?

We had a fantastic visit with Gaga and Papa and are so grateful that they came to stay.  Hopefully they are the first in a long string of visitors that will join us while we are living abroad!  Actually, second!  My Bestie Renee' came to visit for about 36 hours in May when we had been here about two weeks!  ha ha!  You need to come back, Renee'.  We are much more settled now!!  :o)  And we definitely need more time to show you the sights.