Gee Gees, Squirrels and Dancing

Last week on Bank Holiday Monday, we went to see the horse racing at Ripon. It's a flat course (no jumps) and the races were all pretty short. We went with cousin Adam and his mum and dad and all of us parents were demonstrating how irresponsible we could be by asking Beth and Adam to choose the horses we bet on. We won't be doing that again, neither of them chose a winner!! Thankfully it was a nice afternoon and we didn't get rained on. There was plenty to do as it was an official family day at the racecourse. I don't think we really made the most of it as we didn't take a picnic and were moving about the whole time. The races were exciting - I think the kids enjoyed watching the horses and there was the added excitement that if either of them took a wrong turn, they could be trampled. ;)

Saturday we again went house hunting and I think we've now found a village and house that we're happy with (two weeks today until we do move so we had better sort something out!). Grandma and grandpa met us there so they could keep Beth occupied while we looked. It turned out to be a lovely day as we played in the park (it had a tractor climbing frame), had lunch at the pub by the river and then walked along the canal, looking at the long boats and locks. Unfortunately we didn't take any photos but here's a pic of the house we liked from the advert.

Grandma and grandpa came back to our house to stay for a few days after meeting up so we have been out and about having fun. On Sunday we went to South Park in Darlington. Beth loves chasing the squirrels (I think she thinks they are cute and cuddly), if you look closely at the picture, you can see one just escaping up the tree - she isn't too far behind. We also took the opportunity to dance on the bandstand (well, daddy, grandma and Beth did).

This morning (now Monday) we headed off to the swimming pool for a splash. It's the last day that the slide will be open in the morning since schools go back later this week. Beth will be sad when she realises as we usually go down it at least six or seven times, I'm surprised my cossie doesn't have holes in the bum (perhaps it does and I just can't see them!).

In case you were wondering, Toby was present for all this fun, he was attached to my front so didn't get included in many pics but here's one taken by grandma. He's doing fine and has worked out how to roll both ways (back to front/front to back) and pops over everytime he's put down. However, he still can't get into the position he'd like to be in - stood up on his hindlegs watching everyone!

One last thing, the whole potty training/learning thing is going pretty well (this will probably jinx it). We haven't had an accident for four or so days and Beth now likes to go by herself, she would lock the door if she had a chance. Her potties aren't really used as she likes the real loo but she did use them the other day to pretend to be a robot. :)

Congrats Steve

We seem to have been quite busy since the last post. Steve was offered, and accepted, a new job down in Doncaster. It's all very exciting since we will be moving down there in a few weeks, doncaster is about 90 minutes south of here and close to Sheffield (where we would ideally like to live). Once again the search is on for a house, we had a look at four on Friday but so far none are quite right. We'll head down there again this week to look at a few more, luckily there are quite a few around so we should find something.

Steve actually starts the job on September 22nd so I think we'll try and move the week before. Poor Beth, she's only just settled in here, especially to nursery so it'll be a bit of a pain finding another one that she enjoys. I can't imagine Toby will mind too much, he hasn't really settled into life on Earth yet so this change shouldn't make a difference!

In other things, potty training continues with varying degrees of success. Beth seems to have nailed it in the house but all bets are off once we step out the front door. Not sure if it's that she forgets or if she just doesn't realise there are toilets strategically placed for public use - whichever, we'll keep trying. Swimming is Beth's great love at the moment. We've been going every week for the last month and she especially likes the big slide. It is fairly good fun for us both as Toby goes to the creche at the leisure centre and Beth and I get some time on our own together.

Toby is also doing fine, his teething is driving us round the bend as it involes huge amounts of drool. At night he's getting a bit better and we've had a couple of nights where he was only up once or twice. I'm rather hoping that he'll start crawling soon as it might tire him out so he'll sleep and it may also alleviate his boredom so he'll be less fussy (doubt it'll make much difference but I can dream!). Here's a pic of him on toy/contraption we bought for him, it's meant to make tummy time more enjoyable so they strengthen their muscles ready to crawl . ;)

Nostell Priory And Parkland

Today we met up with grandma and grandpa (mam-ma and pam-pa) at Nostell Priory and Parkland, a National Trust property that happens to be pretty much exactly halfway in between our two houses. I didn't take that pic, it's courtesy of the National Trust website. :)

The weather was a bit iffy but we decided to brave it and just make the best of it. Luckily the showers blew over pretty quickly so we didn't really get wet. We started out by exploring the parkland. Their was lots to look at and climb on and plenty to keep us on our toes (electric fences, deep lakes and slippy tree trunks) but it was great fun chasing round, playing hide-and-seek and a quick game of football.

After our exploration, we indulged in a very yummy picnic provided by grandma and grandpa. I think we were rather spoiled by it - homemade soup (using veg from their garden), sarnies, fruit, cake, pork pies, crisps . . . Beth wolfed down two cups of soup along with copious amounts of crisps! Of course Toby was present, here he is hanging out with dad.

With lunch finished, we headed into the gardens - we gave the house a miss (with the exception of climbing up and down the steps) as it prides itself on having a fantastic collection of Chippendale furniture, not something that mixes well with an energetic two-year old. The grounds were very nice with lots of trees to clamber on and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.

There was also a merry-go-round, not something we would normally have Beth go on but grandma indulged her (what's that saying . . . when mum and dad say no, ask grandma!) and she had a blast. Unfortunately she was not impressed when only allowed one go. After a relaxing cuppa in the tea room (very British!), we headed home. Beth has only just dropped off (9pm), I think her mind was spinning with the activities of the day, she obviously had a fab day as just before she settled down, she asked to do it again tomorrow.

Fun With Holly And The Raf

On Sunday, Holly (a friend from uni) came to stay for a few days with her 14 month old son, Rafferty. I hadn't seen her for two years and Steve hadn't seen her since 1997 so it was lovely to get caught up on everything and spend some 'quality' time together (well, as quality as you can get with a 4 month, 14 month and 27 month old!!).

Rafferty loves books and seemed to reignite Beth's interest in them so we spent quite a but of time reading. It was also lovely weather for one of the days so we lounged about in the garden. Beth was quite keen on football and is getting fairly good at kicking - of course Molly gets to play too.

On Monday we decided to catch the bus into town to go to the soft play area. It was quite an experience taking two pushchairs and three children, along with all the bags and stuff they need, on a bus. I think we made the bus late as the driver had to wait about ten minutes for us to get on and sorted out. That may have just been due to the shock of having to pay £1.85 for a single ticket to travel the 15 minutes into town! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the bus ride or at the soft play. We did have lots of fun while there. Both Rafferty and Beth loved the slide, Beth plucking up enough courage to go by herself before we left. The ball pool was the other favourite as it came up to their necks so they could jump in and pretty much disappear.

In other things, Beth is getting quite particular about some things which is good for the most part. She helps to put things away in the right places and here she is setting up the furniture from her dolls house very specifically ready for tea time. :)

Hanging Out With Adam

We headed over to cousin Adam's house on Saturday for a play (and to experiment with potty training in a 'safe environment'). The weather has been really hot and muggy so it was lovely to get over closer to the sea where there was more of a breeze. We had a walk down to the beach, as you can see the mist was still hanging over the coast - Beth, Adam and their daddies were on the beach when the pic was taken! After a little play and a picnic lunch we walked back to spend the rest of the day in the garden.

As you can see, with the start of potty training, Beth and Adam are now very grown-up - almost teenagers in their stance. :) Hopefully by the time they are teenagers they won't be having accidents in the bouncy house (not that it bothered them, I'm sure it was actually very nice and cooling with the weather being so warm!!!).

Toby is fine and seems to have learnt his name. He still hasn't quite worked out the purpose of nighttime and the hot weather doesn't help. Just in the last week we worked out that he is teething, he is actually fairly cheerful with it though must be producing buckets of drool each day. Beth seems to have become somewhat attached to Toby and is getting better at not sitting/squashing him. Sometimes she seems to miss him - yesterday we went swimming and Toby went to the creche at the pool. Beth was most insistent that he come with us next time though I suspect it's more that she wants to showoff her poolside skills rather than is actually missing him. More often that not she wants him on the sidelines, telling me to 'put him there' while pointing to his little chair or mat. I suppose the fun will really start once he's crawling and starts messing with her toys.

Dresses, 'B' for Beth and Other Bits

It seems that since the wedding and Beth's experience wearing a dress, she has fallen in love with them - especially pink ones. She is no longer happy with the outfits I choose and insists on picking her own. I suppose it's not a bad thing since potty training is on the horizon and it might make the process easier. At the rate she goes through them I'll have to go on a shopping trip to stock up on pink ones (the frillier the better). The main drawback at the moment is the weather as it's pretty miserable and a little summer dress isn't the best protection from pouring rain!

This piece of news brings out the competitive 'my child's better than your child' streak! ;) It was my birthday last weekend and Steve bought a card for Beth and Toby to give me. He asked for Beth to write part of it and perhaps do a B for Beth. This is the result - one that was duplicated on the side of the bath with her bath crayons to prove she could do it. Obviously she's a genius . . .

Toby is doing great though we suspect he's teething (already!!) as he always has his fist stuck in his mouth and drools a great deal. Of course he might just be being a baby and slobbering! Today we went swimming again. Toby was quite happy to float on his back (a hand supporting his head) kicking his legs. I think he stayed like that for at least 20 minutes. Beth also had fun with her armbands but became a bit clingy after grandma accidentally let her go under. Grandma and grandpa are visiting for a few days as we are going to Steve's (other) cousin, Kate's, wedding tomorrow and it's an adult affair (what on earth will we find to occupy us without children - we're out of practice and won't know what to talk about that doesn't involve a bodily function!). Anyway, grandma brought up a bucket of spuds from their garden for our dinner tonight and here Beth is digging them up.

To finish up, here are two pics I couldn't resist including. The one of Beth just cracks me up - she seems to be impersonating Amy Winehouse (or someone of a similar constitution) and I promise she has not consumed anything containing alcohol. The one of Toby is from this afternoon. I thought that since he can hold his head up well and never stops moving that he might enjoy going in the bouncer. It did keep him amused for quite a while and he spun himself round not quite understanding who had hold of him!

Water Fun

Knowing Beth's love of water, we invested in a water table for in the garden. Yesterday was the grand unveiling and it seemed to be a hit. Despite it threatening to rain, Beth happily splashed and poured and sploshed all afternoon and only came when it was time for tea (she sounds like a child out of a storybook!).

Toby wasn't quite as keen, he doesn't really enjoy being outside. I think he finds it too bright so he's a bit of an indoor boy (perhaps he's going to be a sensitive bookish type . . .). Toby, as you can see, is very smiley at the moment and just loves being talked to - poor boy sometimes gets rather neglected due to a demanding two-foot creature who also lives in the house.