Moran Family Fun

November weekend two we were out and about traveling again, this time to London for Emily's birthday to see some shows. We got a later start to the day than we wanted so we didn't actually make it to the city until lunch time but that meant we could start our adventure with burgers at Five Guys! Then it was on to Leicester Square to buy tickets for Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.  We had an hour or so to fill before our Phantom matinee so we took our time walking to the theater and stopped whenever we saw something interesting, and there was a lot to see. In the end, we spent most of the time between buying tickets and going to the theater at the M& M's store. Making personalized candy is never a bad idea! I have to say though those little cups of M& M's were kind of pricey at £10 each. The store was an experience. Besides the many things you could buy (t-shirts, soccer balls, blankets, tote bags, keychains, and of course candy), there were four fl...

Since we were still living in a hotel and it felt kind of like a vacation, we went somewhere new and different every weekend in November. The first weekend we traveled south and a bit past London. Jared and Abigail went to the London LDS Temple while Natalie, Samantha, and I explored nearby Hever Castle  which was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. It's pretty small as far as castles go and we actually didn't go inside the castle itself at all and instead explored the grounds. The castle is surrounded by TWO moats and some really fantastic gardens.  You guys, there was an actual maze on the castle grounds! Just like in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yes, I am a little bit of a geek. Also, it took us much, much longer than it should have to navigate the maze because we let Natalie direct us for most of the way. Can you believe how humungous those leaves are? Natalie was making plans to fashion herself clothing and shelter from the leaves of whatever...

Somehow Halloween has morphed from a single night into an entire sugar-fueled season. We started with the squadron trunk or treat which, though small, was a candypalooza. I think there were maybe ten cars? The girls each came home with more candy than they would ever need and actual Halloween hadn't even happened yet. Natalie planned her costume before we moved and it was actually pretty good for an entirely kid-made getup.  Obviously, she's dressed as a mermaid and she used things we already had around the house to make it happen. One of Samantha's bras for the seashells, an old leotard for modesty, Abigail's peacock wing from last year for her tail, and some matching leggings for warmth. Samantha was going to be a lot of things before she settled on an angel out of desperation. We found the costume at the BX right before we left for the squadron party. Before that I don't really remember what she wanted to be! This costume is fitting for Sam because sh...

What's life like for the first couple of weeks in a new place? Glad you asked! First off you don't know where anything is and because of the jetlag, you're too tired to really pay attention and learn how to get places anyway. It takes a day or two but you start to get your bearings. Taking a run around your new neighborhood helps make this process easier.  Post trans-Atlantic flight selfie  Your days are filled with setting things up so that the strange new place will maybe feel more like home. So you get the kids registered and send them off to a new school, praying that the other kids will be nice and the teacher will be as good as their old ones. You contact every company who might send you mail to give them your new address and in the process or typing or saying it over and over you finally memorize the thing. You figure out which cell phone plan will work with your phones and which company will actually work both inside and outside of buildings. Sadly, my cell ...

Our last full week in Maryland was a busy one. We had the movers packing up all our things, Abigail had her last cross country race with the Chopticon team, we moved into a hotel, we sold a car, we moved into another hotel, we spent a day at the Smithsonian killing time before our flight, and we made one last Chick-fil-a/Wawa run before returning our rental car and taking the shuttle to the airport.  For the first time in my many, many moves our packers were women, not men. I have to say I was a little shocked when the truck door opened and three women climbed out! They spent a couple of days  boxing and wrapping and our house sounded and smelled like packing tape. Anyone who has moved more than twice knows what I mean by that. The next day the big trucks arrived and they started loading our things into big wooden crates. When the movers are there we really are just sitting around watching them work and maybe answering an occasional question. My favorite...

The last weekend of September was also the first weekend of October and that means it's Conference time! In addition to watching General Conference, we also enjoyed a visit from Jared's dad and sister and the girl's cousin Baraka. We also knew we had the movers arriving on Monday so we packed and did other preparatory things for the big move! It was a busy, but also fun and uplifting weekend. Sometimes I've considered having the girls wear Sunday clothes to watch General Conference to avoid the sleepiness that sometimes comes as a result of watching church on the television, on the couch, in your pajamas. As always, Conference was uplifting and inspiring. I'll share just a few things that touched me and made me want to change and improve. Elder Gary E. Stevenson said, "One is never too young to seek and receive a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon." As a family, we've been studying the Old Testament for what feels like forever and thi...

It was two weekends down and two weekends to go in September. Our next big adventure involved grandparents, service, and football.  My dad traveled from Wyoming to the east coast and spent time with all of us girls and our families that live on the other side of the Mississippi.  We were so excited when it was our turn for grandpa to visit us. I love that my dad is so easy going. Sometimes when company comes to stay, even when it's family, I get stressed out about how the house looks, how the kids behave, or what we're going to do during our time together. I never feel that way about my dad and it makes my life a million times easier. Mostly I think he's happy just to be around us as he can often be found contentedly reading a book as our family life continues moving forward as usual. As long as there's some sort of diner to eat at or a project he can help with, Dad is happy.  One thing Dad brought with him was old pictures that had been taken from slides and put o...