Week 2

Week 2 was spent settling Liam into his new school and meeting some of the characters involved in our life here in London (because a good life isn't truly complete without a few characters here and there).  So far Liam's transition into the new school has been brilliant.  They had a wonderful system in place for new students to stay for only a short period at the start and stay increasingly longer each day.  For Liam, that was paramount.  After I picked him up the first day, he said to me, "Mommy, I didn't know if I would like a new school . . . but now I know I do!"  My heart fluttered at these words.  I spent all summer worrying about it and listening to him do his best to express his apprehension in the only way a four year old can, only for these worries to melt away in minutes.  Kids are so adaptable that way.  Much more adaptable than adults really.  His apprehension has turned into excited descriptions of what he has accomplished that morning and the new friends with whom he has worked.  I am hearing names of children I have never heard before.  And for all the people who have asked me if I thought Liam would come back with an accent:  Liam said to me one day, "I have a new friend named Alekzahnda." I had no idea what name he was saying until I said it aloud and realized, OHHHH.....Alexander....with a British accent of course!! :)  It also occurred to me that Liam will be learning to read and write here, which means all of those vowel sounds will indeed be practiced as the Brits say them!!

In addition to the friends Liam has made at school, we also met  a lovely woman named B, contracted through our award winning property finder, Sourcing Property.  Sourcing Property and SecurelyBe teamed up to offer us phenomenal relocating services both in the arena of finding a place to live (Sourcing Property) and then once we settled, learning all about the ins and outs of life in London and how to transition our old lifestyle into a similar lifestyle here (SecurelyBe)  I will be meeting with B once a week for a crash course in such things as healthcare, working in London, education, shopping, chatting with neighbors, etc. etc.  And speaking of chatting with neighbors, B highly encouraged us to knock on our neighbors' door to introduce ourselves.  In doing so, we met Leon who lives above us.  A lovely gentleman in his eighties who invited us in straight away, told us to use his garden whenever we want, and then went straight for Liam's heart with juice and chocolates.  What more could we ask for in a neighbor really.  And finally, our landlord Barry popped by to check up on us.  Again, lovely gentleman, offering help in any way possible.  Unsurprisingly, I have found British people to be SOOO nice, charming, witty, and polite.

And finally, as a celebration of Liam completing his first week at a new school, we went to Legoland!!  Keegan made the all too common mistake of telling Liam about Legoland months ago so needless to say, the visit came not a day too soon for him.  It was a lovely conclusion to our second week here in London.

Cheers!

What could this child possibly have to worry about . . . who wouldn't love that face and that floppy hair?!

 

Liam's totally cool school . . . in an old church building.

Liam and I went on a photowalk one day up the street to an old church/cemetery.  I tried to make it more fun for him by turning it into a scavenger hunt for circles.

Is it creepy that I took my four year old to a cemetery?!  I think I know the answer to that . . . 

After I picked up Liam from school, we went exploring the neighborhood in search of the perfect park which we had yet to find.  I almost fell over when we turned the corner and came across this gem.  We were both just completely flabbergasted by the enormity and creativity of it.  It was a total Zen moment.  As happy as it made me, I couldn't help feeling sad the whole time we were there thinking of Liam's best buds, Will & Teo, back at home and how much fun they would've had all together...

Legoland was, of course, a big hit with Liam and Daddy alike :)