We moved into our flat near Highgate Village (Islington, London) on January 24th. We were all really excited about getting out of the hotel and into our own place! We lucked out because we also had beautiful weather for the move. During our last breakfast at LaGaffe, we took a picture with one of the owners Lorenzo who was really nice and helpful every day!

Our neighbor upstairs owns her flat and has owned it for 20 years - a very nice lady who immediately told me how to get to shopping on the bus etc... The flat came furnished, but we had to get linens, towels, and dishes. The first night we took a bus ride out to a huge American Style shopping mall to stock up on some basics. We even went to TJMAXX. The next day Ethan and I took the tube and then a bus across town to IKEA to get Ethan a bed (we have a one bedroom flat) and some cheap dishes. It was quite a sight after Ethan and I were finished shopping (bed in the box, matress, and all). We took a minicab home, and the driver helped us get everything inside. Here is a picture of Ethan in his bed!

Here is the picture of breakfast at the flat and the boys putting together the Lego Castle in the flat.

One night we roasted marshmallows over our gas stove in the flat! Yummy!

Our flat has a really nice view. We even hung a small bird feeder out back to see what different birds they have in England. We look forward to having some meals out back when the weather gets nice. The day we moved in they had put some wet cement around a garden shed in the back - Ethan wrote his name in the cement!

Life is different here. We have learned how to ride the bus and walk to local markets. They have grocery stores like in the US (but smaller). They also have stores that just sell fruits and vegetables, fish shops, meat shops, and great bakeries. Since we take the bus home from the store; I usually go a couple times a week (less to carry - and everything is fresh). Here we are at the bus stop with our laundry. Our washer is being repaired, so we won't have to do this often.

Probably the biggest news is that we enrolled Ethan in a local public school. He starts on Monday! The school is about a 5 minute walk from our flat. His class has only 13 kids, and he will wear a uniform. He will wear a blue or yellow polo shirt with blue pants and black shoes. I will do a separate post about his first day of school. Here are some pictures of a neighborhood park and playground.