Hayley

If you're wondering how we get away from time to time sans enfants. This girl is the wind beneath our wings. She has been babysitting for us for over a year. On average she's over here two to three times a week. She's not just a babysitter. She is a dear friend. She has in many ways become a part of our family. She loves us and we love her; it's really that simple.



Her time in London is up, and today she flies the coop, fairly literally, landing into a new life chapter in Egypt! While we are so excited for her new adventure, we will miss her dearly! Best of luck, Hayley . . . and we can't wait to see you in Cairo this spring!



And a little random Trevi funny.

Restaurant for Two, Please

How is it that you can dine in a busy central London restaurant and find yourself feeling as if you were the only patrons there? Dine with a good friend and you'll find out. This week I had lunch with one of my most favourite people in the world. I've noted before that I live among amazing people, and she is a prime example. With little time between my morning class and our lunch reservation, we meet at the station to shuffle to our lunching spot. We arrive just on time. The restaurant has a very welcoming, soothing ambiance. Instantly we are transported out of our crazy lives full of to-do lists and endless worries into a stimulating yet decompressing conversation. We are seated at a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Fully lost in conversation we feel as though we are regaining ourselves, remembering elements of previous lives. We share. We laugh. Despite attentive wait staff service and a full house, we are alone. It is just us. And just like that two hours have passed. Soon the demands of our busy lives find us checking our watches, mentally reviewing the day's tasks ahead and we are thus back out on the cold streets exchanging valedictions. Before we leave our table haven a mysterious yet cheerful creature appears at our table with little boxes of chocolates, as if from heaven above. What a perfect punctuation to such a perfect lunch.

A Shower Story

I live among amazing people. It's true. Around here people come and go like mail through a sorting room, but I feel privileged to cross paths with such incredible individuals, even if only for a short while. One is a lovely girl who moved here with her husband from Delaware/New York. She is expecting their first child. I'm so inspired by her strength, especially in the face of moving to a new land while pregnant with her first baby. Two other lovely creatures in my midst planned a most deliciously sweet baby shower, which I was able to help with as well as host. It is just so much fun planning such a happy event for such a deserving mom-to-be with two creative, talented and thoughtful beings.

Trev Turns Three

My baby is three! How can that be? Trevon James came into the world and into our family three years ago. It's hard to believe! But then it's hard to even imagine our family without him. He's added an immeasurable amount of joy and vibrancy to our family. Happy Birthday Trevi!


Less than 24 hours off a transatlantic flight, the party boy is a little jet-lagged


"Darf Vader!"

More From Indiana

Family photo . . .




Exploring quaint downtown Newburgh . . .
















Views over the Ohio River . . .






On a hike . . .

Lunch Bunch

Food was a big component of our holiday abroad. The minute we booked our plane tickets we began dreaming. Cheetos, root beer, peanut butter cups, ranch dressing, Lucky Charms, refillable icy drinks, and the list goes on. We had a lot of tasty treats at my brother's, but also enjoyed several wonderfully American meals out.

Grandpa's favourite Midwestern burger joint . . .




The king putting on his crown










Madeleine does pretty well to hold her own among a group of seven boys! But as Brooke knows all too well it's nice to get out with the girls every now and then. Aunt Brooke was thoughtful enough to plan a fun girls-only lunch for Madeleine and the rest of us gals at their town's charming, and distinctly feminine lunching spot.

"Home" for the Holidays

According to the common definition of the word "home" we were not "home" for the holidays per se. (Seeing how someone else is living in our California home at the moment, that might be a tad challenging.) But if home is where your heart is, then we were definitely "home" for the holidays. Our family ventured across the ocean for our very first family journey back to the States since we moved to England 18 months ago to spend Christmas with my brother and his family in Indiana. We got some strange reactions from people in London when we told them our holiday destination. New York, California, or even Chicago, apparently all acceptable holiday-making locations, but Indiana? Most commonly people would reply with a quizzical "why?"

This is why.


My parents joined us from California to make this an official Monroe family Christmas, the first in many, many years.


Relaxing on Christmas Eve, with the 6th official Monroe cousin :)




Unto us a Child is born






All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care


Christmas Eve goodies from the Monroe sweet shop!


Oldest cousins getting ready for the Christmas Eve feast


Fold your arms!


Ahhh, sibling love on Christmas Eve


Passed out, are we still on London time?


"Hey, I think the presents are stashed in here."


Happily donning their new Christmas PJ's


Building a cousin pyramid


Hold it!


And down they come


Presenting the Monroe-Ashton actors guild in The First Christmas

Tanner, in dual roles, plays a convincing inn-keeper


Madeleine Mary and Trevor Joseph crestfallen after being shafted at the inn


Joseph nervously anticipates childbirth


Baby Jesus arrives. Mary, why are you still pregnant?


The shepherd boy receiving good news of great joy


The three wise men bearing gifts for the newborn baby Jesus


The ensemble


Christmas morning!

I seriously don't know what this is, but . . .


it looks pretty cool!


Excited to be opening Trevor's gift


Dude I got an iPod!


No seriously, I got an IPOD!

What a wonderful Christmas! Although dealing with jet-lag wasn't exactly fun (actually still dealing with it; you don't want to know what time it is right now), nor was the 13-hour outward layover and the 7-hour return layover, but it was all worth it. It was not only a wonderful time of family fun, but also so thoroughly enjoyable to be back in the States, where the cheap dollar rules, Target stores abound, customer service remains and everything just feels like a nice comfortable pair of old shoes. More of our stateside excursion to Indiana to come . . .