Just thought I'd do a quick post to let everyone know that Monday and Tuesday (15th &16th) will be moving days for us - packing up on the first day and actually moving it all and unpacking on the second day. Hopefully it won't be too stressful since we decided to get the moving company to do our packing - I think we were spoiled by the move from CA! Also, the phone line at the new house should be working by the time we move in and I think we're just about on top of swapping all the utilities over, knowing where the furniture will go and I have even got a grocery shop booked to deliver on Tuesday night.
Obviously I wouldn't like you all to think that we're too organised so just to mix it up a little, we haven't actually got final confirmation that we have a house to move to but it should be ok. ;) If not, I'm sure we can pitch our tent by the canal.
Apologies for the lack of photos, we'll try and do something interesting over the weekend (in between sorting stuff out) so I can post some soon.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Sunday, 7 September 2008
CBeebies
There was great excitement today as we took Beth and Toby to the theatre
for the very first time. We were going, with cousin Adam, to see the CBeebies show (CBeebies is the BBC television channel for children under 7 and has characters as much loved as Elmo). We were in a box which was great since it was contained and Adam and Beth could move about a bit and dance without annoying anyone else.
At first I think Beth was rather overwhelmed by the whole thing as she just watched with a very serious look on her
face. She did gradually relax and join in later on. I think she was trying to process what was going on and if the characters were real, etc. Toby didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off the stage and thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Postman Pat made an appearance along with Tommy Zoom, PC Plum and the Koala Brothers. Not sure if any of those mean anything to anyone but thought I'd include them anyway! We'll be heading back to that theatre later in the year for the Christmas pantomime. It'll be interesting to see what she thinks of that.
After the show, we went out for tea which included ice cream. I think by the time we headed home we had a very tired little girl on our hands. Beth was rather horrid and the only words we heard coming from the backseat were 'shut up' (not sure where she picked that up!), and 'NO'. Hopefully she'll get lots of sleep tonight and be charming by tomorrow morning.
for the very first time. We were going, with cousin Adam, to see the CBeebies show (CBeebies is the BBC television channel for children under 7 and has characters as much loved as Elmo). We were in a box which was great since it was contained and Adam and Beth could move about a bit and dance without annoying anyone else. At first I think Beth was rather overwhelmed by the whole thing as she just watched with a very serious look on her
face. She did gradually relax and join in later on. I think she was trying to process what was going on and if the characters were real, etc. Toby didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off the stage and thoroughly enjoyed himself. Postman Pat made an appearance along with Tommy Zoom, PC Plum and the Koala Brothers. Not sure if any of those mean anything to anyone but thought I'd include them anyway! We'll be heading back to that theatre later in the year for the Christmas pantomime. It'll be interesting to see what she thinks of that.
After the show, we went out for tea which included ice cream. I think by the time we headed home we had a very tired little girl on our hands. Beth was rather horrid and the only words we heard coming from the backseat were 'shut up' (not sure where she picked that up!), and 'NO'. Hopefully she'll get lots of sleep tonight and be charming by tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Day At The Beach, Brit Style!
This post is going to be more pics than writing as I was a bit snap happy
on our trip to Seaton Carew. Anyway, this is how we do a day at the beach . . . no sun or bikinis in sight, just buckets, spades and lots and lots of running. :) Gran, grandad and Adam were there and of course Toby ventured out in the carrier!
The beach is absolutely huge and very quiet, just a few dogs and 
horses about. We started with our buckets, spades and rakes digging holes and making pictures. It's amazing that that simplest things can occupy toddlers for hours. After that we had a wander down to the water. Beth still doesn't like to be close to the edge of the sea, I've no idea why as she loves being close to the edge of ponds, lakes, rivers, baths ;) I think it's the crashing of the waves that scares her.
After a picnic lunch (in the car as it was a bit windy), we headed into the dunes for a 
play. It was good fun to run around up there but rather easy to loose children as there are so many little mounds and dips. I love this picture of Beth, it looks like she's preaching something with a big 'hallelujah'. Just as we were thinking of leaving it started to rain so we packed up and headed home.
Here's one last photo - don't they both look angelic?!?
Sunday, 31 August 2008
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. :)
(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. :)
Monday, 18 August 2008
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 wa
s 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 . ;)
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 wa
s 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 . ;)
Sunday, 10 August 2008
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 th
e 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.
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 th
e 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.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
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. :)
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. :)
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