All Star Days

The Olympics might be over but London and our flat are still feeling very sporty. Big Brother has become a savant of sorts about all things Olympic, Paralympic and extremely knowledgeable about flags. A future vexillologist perhaps!  He knows many more flags than I knew countries at his age.  And he is so interested in all the graphic arts and fonts that accompany the summer festivities. We're always wondering how much of what interests the children now will influence what they'll pursue as hobbies and careers later in life.  On that note, Biggest Brother, our lead musician, has spent the last 3 days "busking" and earned over £20. His most lucrative day was when Big Sister accompanied his drum beats with an interpretive dance. It may be about to get harder to convince them to earn an allowance if they think they can spend a few minutes outside playing for a hat full of money.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the Olympics we go. Yesterday, we went to Stratford to see the Olympic Stadium, the Anish Kapoor installation, the aquatics center, and a fantastic John Lewis, too. I felt like a real Londoner and city girl picking up school uniform bits on this outing.

In addition to an incredible view of the Park, John Lewis also had an amazing LEGO Olympic Stadium. Complete with a crowd of minifigs and minifig athletes and behind the scenes crew. Absolutely magical. It is a wonder we're not all still standing at the top of the escalator with our mouths agape, continuing our reverent whispered sentences begining with, "Did you see...?"  If only we'd been called upon to help with the construction.

Seeing the (actual and non-LEGO) Park up close (or as close as you can get without coveted tickets) was a thrill for us all. Inspired by the view, Big Brother announced that it would take an entire six weeks (he's as verbose as his mother!) to recount how much fun he's had this summer. That's so very good to hear because we've had plenty of lazy pajama mornings that eventually segued into lunch and finally a relatively nondescript library or park outing. And on those days we typically watched "The Fall Guy" over a breakfast picnic.  I'm not ashamed. That's exactly what summer is for. At least in my book. The days of schedules and spelling lists and bedtimes will be here before too long. We're soaking up summer and each other while we can.

We're constantly pinching ourselves about the special things we see and do here. I am terribly impressed with how well the boys can navigate an urban adventure. They planned our route to the Olympic Park and a few above ground trains home just for the fun of it. They are knowledgeable and confident in finding their way around London, and when they're not, they readily ask directions. I envy their future travel companions and can attest to their abilities and sweetness, too.

It isn't every boy that would offer to carry his little sister on his back when she got tired and her tiny Converse seemed suddenly too small.

Speaking of little Converse, I glanced down on the Tube ride and saw Big Brother and Big Sister's feet next to each other while they were chatting away. Big Sister's high tops were the boys' before they were hers and now they're apparently due to become Baby Sister's soon.

Gold medals all around for our summer. Thus far!