Cheltenham

The phrase "you don't know what you've got til its gone" does not apply here.
I don't think I ever took for granted how lucky we were to live in Cheltenham or in the Cotswolds.
Its such a beautiful part of England and Cheltenham itself provided everything we needed.

Going back felt so familiar.
I was slightly disoriented at first, but after one day of running around the town, it all came back.

We had to visit a few things that were special to us when we lived there...whether we all remembered them or not.

The rabbit and bull statue on the prom...

Any of you who ever visited us surely remember the "fish clock".

A magical sort of clock hanging in the arcade (mall).

On every hour (or maybe half hour...can't remember) the clock would start to play music and bubbles would come out of the fish's mouth as it turned round and round. 

My kids would run under the clock and dance around to try and catch bubbles.

I miss those days that weren't yet touched by inhibitions.

Hannah dared not go near the bubbles and Ivan and Jenelle only walked out, grabbed a few and returned.

You can see Jenelle's expression when I told her to "dance around and catch bubbles!!"

And how could we forget about Thomas...he was a staple on our shopping trips.
Ivan was THIS close to actually having me pay for a ride.

We used to love to see Ivan make the funny Thomas expressions.
You've still got it kid!!

This is a regency style home...very popular in Cheltenham...
...and look...its for sale!!!

The green rolling Cotswold hills that surround the town.
This is only the beginning of the green too.
In another month all the trees and hedges will be in full leaf and bloom and it becomes amazing!

I want that house.

More on life in and around Cheltenham later.
I would like to make a note for anyone wondering if I only packed one outfit for my kids.

These hoodies were probably the best deal EVER!!
We bought them for the kids when we were in...ahem...ahem...disneyland...and they have worn the heck out of them!
At home AND abroad.
They provide warmth without bulkiness as well as a "uniform"...making it easy to spot your kid in a heavily populated area like London or Legoland, etc.

But, as I was taking pictures and then later looking through them, I started to think that it looked like my kids only had one change of clothes.
I promise that they changed and bathed daily!
And I also promise that the minute we arrived back home, those hoodies were the first thing to be washed!!