Back from Cyprus

In case you'd missed us we've been away again. Yes that's right Again! This time we went to sunny Cyprus for a week during the Spring half term break.

We had booked a villa over the Internet (some completely random site as you do) and were a little unsure of how it would pan out but it was a lovely place. Very well appointed and with a lovely swimming area.

The only downside was that the tiles around the pool edge got very slippery when wet (cue 80's rock music!) and Ben didn't really understand the command "Don't Run!". All this lead Auntie Alison to have daily heart failure!

Ben spent most of the holiday bare-ass naked and took this as an opportune moment to toilet train - although he did seem to think that the grassed area was his own personal toilet facility!

Amy spent most of the time in the pool and mainly fully clothed. She managed to swim pretty much the entire length of the pool without any kind of floatation devices and only minimal drama!

I've posted more of the pictures here but below are some of the key moments.

Happy 6th Birthday Amy

This one is a little bit on the late side because it's May and, therefore, I must be ill again!! So here goes....

On Saturday 3rd May it was Amy's 6th Birthday. She had a party with lots of her school friends at Virgin Gym which they all enjoyed immensely.












The next day it was an at-home party for the family (it was at this point which I started to take ill so my recollection of the day is somewhat limited!). There was bouncy castle fun, trampoline fun, BBQ fun & hot-tub fun.









Monday was bank holiday and a day at Chessington World of Adventures with Paula, Gav, Evie & Morgan and Auntie Alison was planned.

I was too poorly to go and spent the day in bed but the other had a lovely time. The weather was glorious and everyone got very hot and tired queuing for the rides but everyone had lots of fun.








Then this Friday was my 34th birthday. I had already had my main present (Wii Fit) but I also go some perfume, clothes & money which will be well spent in the coming days!

I was still feeling quite unwell but we had a large dinner out planned as a joint party with Paula so I shook off the cobwebs and ventured out. Sadly the restaurant had gotten greedy and had over-booked. They were completely unable to handle the number of diners and it was gone 10.30pm before we received our main dishes. Needless to say a return trip for Steve & Gav's birthdays is not planned.

So that brings us back up to today... I am feeling a little more human today and I hope it lasts. I hate it when I have to post lots of big stuff together because you never do each topic justice really!

Happy 6th Birthday Ollie

Well it's been a bit busy since we returned from holiday and not just with all the washing.

Amy started Gymnastics on a Tuesday after school - it was meant to be a stop-gap whilst we were on the waiting list of Cheer leading on a Saturday but a place has become free earlier than expected so we do that as well!

She seems to love both of the classes and after only one lesson of each is able to do a forward roll - something which complete escaped her before.

Ben has finally figured out what the potty is for and was extremely pleased with himself for doing his first wee on it. He ran about the room high-fiving everyone and shouting - "I did a wee"!!

I guess we'll have to see where he goes from here but at least it's a start.

On Sunday we went to Ollie's 6th Birthday party. This year it was family only and he had a joint one with his cousin Elise (he'd had the rowdy friends party at Go Wild the day before).

Everyone had a great time and the kids especially enjoyed the wheel barrow rides - I'm not sure who is crazier - them or Phil!!

Happy Birthday Ollie. Hope you enjoy your presents.

We Are Sailing

Hi Guys. We're back from our holiday and there is much to tell.....

The holiday was split into two parts; 6 days on Land at the Disney parks in Florida and 4 days at Sea on the Disney Cruise Line.

So here goes.....


Monday 31st March
We arrived at our hotel/apartment after a very uneventful flight and after a short while were joined by Brenda & John (they had been unable to get a flight to Orlando and had flown to Miami and driven from there).

Tuesday 1st April
We started out in Magic Kingdom and were very lucky to receive Dream Fastpass tickets for the whole day which allowed you to get on some of the most popular rides with very little waiting. We were very pleasantly surprised and were stopped several times during the day by people asking were we'd got the special passes from!

Wednesday 2nd April
On Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom and Ben actually got to see the Kilimanjaro Safari as he stayed awake for it!

It was a bit too hot today so we left a bit earlier and went back to the pool for a swim. Well Amy did but Ben by this time was covered in chicken pox so we kept him away from the water.

Thursday 3rd April
Disney Studios today and Amy watched the High School Musical street show about 5 times. They both really enjoyed the Playhouse Disney Live show and Ben seems to have discovered a deep and meaningful love for Ariel. We went to the Little Mermaid Show and when Ariel appeared (real person) he shouted out very loudly and during a quiet bit "Awiel, my see Awiel!!" - it was very sweet.

Friday 4th April
It was back to Magic Kingdom again today as it's the kids (and my) favourite. Sadly no dream fastpass tickets today but still had a very good time.

Saturday 5th April
On Saturday we did Seaworld and we all got thoroughly soaked by Shamu the killer whale. Amy had asked to sit in the splash zone but if I'm honest I hadn't realised how wet you got. Ben completely freaked out but Amy loved it!

After Seaworld we went back to our apartment to pack up ready for the cruise. Amy didn't want to leave the hotel pool behind but that's about par for the course.

Sunday 6th April
The first day of the cruise. We weren't too sure what to expect really but it was magical from start to finish. We kept Ben well hidden in case anyone noticed his (now fairly scabby) spots but no-one seemed interested. After all the official stuff with check-in it was onto the ship itself. As soon as we got on the boat we bumped into Abby from Ben's nursery who was starting her first day working on the Youth Team which was nice.

We got into our cabin and there were some lovely little gifts waiting which Steve had organised. There was a memory box for keep-sakes & photos, some bubbly & a beautiful bouquet of flowers with roses shaped like mickey mouse!

We were introduced to our waiting staff & the quality of food we would be enjoying for the next 4 days and explored the ship. That evening we bumped into Captain Jack but sadly I couldn't not locate Will Turner!

Monday 7th April
When we awoke we were arriving in Nassau where we would be parked for the day. Sadly the weather was quite miserable but we enjoyed our city tour excursion which we had booked.

That afternoon we returned to the ship and Amy explored the Mickey pool which was in the shape of Mickey's head. Ben had a little go in the splash area reserved for those not potty-trained and they both had a lovely time. The weather had cleared by then and it was blue skies ahead.

That evening we watched the Toy Story show after that it was a dash down to High School Musical Dance Party where Amy & Ben bopped away before a quick change into our glad rags for posh night and another scrumptious feast for dinner.

Tuesday 8th April
Today it was a day at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. The weather was glorious and Steve and Amy did a fine job of getting sun burnt!

Amy got her hair braided and we all went on a treasure hunt, following clues to lost gold. We had a great time in the sea mucking about together.

Amy lost her first tooth somewhere on the sandy beach but as luck would have it she received a letter delivered to the room on our return from Jack Sparrow. Apparently he had found her tooth on the beach and had given her 2 silver doubloons in return. To say she was gobsmacked would be an understatement.

The show tonight was The Golden Mickeys and you all had to walk down a red carpet whilst camera's flashed. Then it was onto the Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party. Unfortunately, Amy crashed out during the show and Ben wasn't far behind so the kids spent the night asleep in the buggy.

The deck party was really good and was completed by a firework show. Apparently Disney is the only cruise line which has permission to set of fireworks at sea and it was fairly spectacular.

Wednesday 9th April
The last full day was a day at sea. There were lots of activities to do and plenty of time to be spent splashing about. Amy & Ben particularly enjoyed watching High School Musical on the big TV screen by the pool.

The final show was Disney Dreams which was very well done with loads of characters from different Disney films popping up on stage.

Thursday 10th April
Our final morning on the ship and then we departed. It was a completely seamless disembarkation so we spent the rest of the day before our flight back at Magic Kingdom.

It was very sad to say goodbye to Granny & Grandad who are staying in Animal Kingdom Lodge for another week but all good things must come to an end.

We've got loads of photos and I've not put them on here as this post is long enough already. They can all be found here - More Photos

We now seem to have a house stuffed full of Disney merchandise but Steve and I are unanimous in our opinion that it was our best holiday ever!

Easter 2008

Goodness me but I've fallen behind again so prepare yourselves for a mammoth post....

My last post was on Mothering Sunday so what have been been up to since then...


The kids got a new double swing which Nanna & I put together on the 9th (with a tiny little bit of a helping hand from the boys). The kids love it and I got it for an absolute bargain price so everyone is happy!





Then on the 18th Amy had one of her school friends, Beth, over to play after school and the kids had a great time mucking about and dressing up. Ben insisted on joining in so I just had to take this photo to use for leverage when he is 18!!








On the 21st it was Amy's school assembly and Steve went. They were doing Pinocchio and Amy was a fish - a talking fish mind. Apparently she delivered her line perfectly!



So onto this Easter - what have we been upto this long weekend...





Good Friday
We travelled to see Granny & Grandad in their caravan which was parked near Ipswich this year.


The weather was very cold and windy so we decided to go the Ipswich Transport Museum. The kids really enjoyed it and they both seemed very eager to climb into the back of a police car there which was slightly disconcerting!



Saturday 22nd
A fairly normal Saturday really nothing too out of the ordinary here.


Easter Sunday
My Parents & the Nans came over for the day (Ally was already here as she is staying for a bit) and we had a lovely roast Lamb lunch which Amy cooked.







Earlier in the day the kids had great fun out in the back garden playing in the snow!










Easter Monday
Our original plans for the day were changed and the weather was atrocious so what do you do - you go shopping in Ikea that's what! Amy seemed reluctant at first but seemed to enjoyed the kids department at least!

So that's us back up to speed. We're off on a mega holiday at the end of the month so will have lots and lots to post when we get back.

Mothers Day 2008

So what did we all get up to this Mothering Sunday...


I for one had a great day. It started out beautifully with a lovely lie-in and then a nice cooked breakfast. I opened my cards and presents and then we played about in the house until it was time to go to lunch.

We all went to the Alma and we weren't too sure what it would be like anymore because it had changed ownership and the head chef had departed too but it was a lovely meal - as always.


The kids, though full of beans, behaved themselves very well and then we all went back to Nana's for coffee afterwards.

So Thanks to Steve and the kids for making it such an enjoyable day

Celebrities R Us

We've had a great day today....

For Valentine's Day I brought Steve a Wembley Stadium Tour and it was booked for today so we all headed off to London.

I said I would entertain the kids whilst he went to Wembley so we decided to go to Madame Tussaud's. I wasn't sure whether the kids were a bit too young for it but they thoroughly enjoyed themselves - as did I.

We saw loads of famous "people" and the kids had a great time having their photo's taken with them. The kids even found a new Daddy!! (only joking).

Full photos can be found here: More Photos

Steve was full of news about his Wembley Tour and had a good time too.

Ballet & Broomfield

It's been a bit of a busy weekend, but don't I always say that...

It was watching week at Ballet again and myself, Steve & Ben went along. We were wondering if Ben would manage the whole 45 minutes but he behaved himself very well.

Then it was off to Roger & Yoita's for a lunch with friends and family. Mary's in-laws to be were there so it was nice to meet them.

Amy played cheerleading with Druisa who is a few months younger than she is and they were firm friends within about 60 seconds of meeting!

Then today we had the customary burnt bacon breakfast with Granny & Grandad except this time we waved goodbye leaving them in our house! We had to take Ben to the emergency doctors as he has has another flare up of his impetigo and a chest & ear infection to boot!

Also, Amy had a birthday party at 11am today so Steve took her to the party whilst I waited at the doctors with Ben.

Then this afternoon we cleared out the garage - again, it's never-ending whilst the kids played in the garden with Billy.

So it's been pretty busy. Too busy for picture taking in fact!

Clash of the Titans

You may recall back in January that the family made a pilgrimage to Blackpool to watch Ipswich v Blackpool FC. Well the return leg at the Ipswich home ground was this weekend and nothing was going to stop them all going - not even Dad's knee operation!! Even the kids were going this time.

Naturally I declined so spent the afternoon discovering the delights of Ipswich's shopping district where I experienced the joys of Primark! I think I shall have to start a Facebook group campaigning to bring Primark to Chelmsford.

By all accounts the match was a good one but it was a very cold day (colder even than Blackpool had been in January!) and those footie boys can really make some noise so Ben bowed out just after half time.

Amy gave up with about 15 minutes to go but to be fair the game was all over by then anyway with the final result 2-1 to Ipswich.

Strangely it seems we didn't take any pictures the entire weekend. However, we do have a nice little video of Amy singing & dancing on the trampoline from Sunday afternoon. The song she is singing is All for One from High School Musical and if you manage to watch to the end there's a great recovery from a "You've Been Framed" moment!

Tap, Tap, Bang, Bang!

It's been a bit of a busy weekend....

On Saturday we were having the carpet in the lounge replaced with wooden flooring as the carpet was just not up the job of dealing with the multiple spillages that seem to go hand in hand with our two. So one of John's mates came round and fitted it all for us and very good job he made of it too.



We also had to put together a new house for Billy - his previous abode having been damaged in the "great wind" on Thursday.


Then today Granny & Grandad came back from their holidays and round ours for burnt bacon breakfast.

The kids had a lovely time in the morning playing on the new lounge floor. I am sure the novelty will wear off soon enough but we made good use of their enthusiasm and set them to work with brooms & brushes! Amy especially likes it because she can tap dance on it and Ben likes the fact this his tools make even more noise when bashed now!


Then this afternoon Amy had a party to go to for one of her old nursery friends. So it's been all go. Steve and I were glad to sit down this evening.

Something pour le weekend??

This weekend Steve and I did something unheard of. We travelled to Paris without seeing Mickey Mouse!

The kids went to stay with Nanna, Grandad & Ally and Steve and I set off on the Eurostar. We had a lovely trip on the train for the first time in recent memory we didn't have anyone other than ourselves to entertain.

We were staying near to the Eiffel Tower in the Hilton - it was a nice hotel although the selection in the mini bar was a little, well, French! - See if you can make out the condoms in the bottom left-hand corner. Only in France!!

On Saturday we visited the Notre-Dame cathedral and then took a stroll along the banks of the River. In the evening we had a dinner cruise which was very nice - lovely food & fine wine.

On Sunday we went up the Eiffel Tower and Steve took some lovely photos whilst I hung about trying not to look down!









Then we went to Le Louvre. It is just such an immense building we never got close to seeing even a third of it but we saw the pieces we wanted to. Like old Mona - although we failed to find any Monet.












Then it was a nice French lunch before our return journey home. The kids were very pleased to see us and I think the adults were glad to have us home too.

Didn't we have a lovely time....

... the day we went to Blackpool!!

This weekend was a major event on the sporting calendar. Ipswich Town FC versus Blackpool FC at Blackpool's new state of the art stadium.

So the family pilgrimage began. Now if you'd have asked me before we went whether I was looking forward to it I would have selected some fragrant and colourful words in reply. However, I am happy to admit that I would have been wrong!

The journey both there and back was everything you could have hoped for - good weather, good traffic, good children and the game was a 1-1 draw thus preserving family harmony.

We did get some funny looks & comments when my Mum & I took the kids to the amusements whilst the others went to watch the game though - people seemed quite taken with the fact that one was supporting Ipswich whilst the other one Blackpool.

After spending a small fortune to allow the kids to pop 2ps into a slot machine Mum & I headed back to meet the others.

Dad had sat in the lovely new home supporters section of the stadium. Whilst, Steve, Alison, Brenda & John had err not!

That night we had a lovely dinner in the pub attached to the Premier Inn we were staying in and the next day Ben did a good job of waking the whole hotel up so they didn't miss breakfast!

Everyone is already planning the return leg at Portman Road - but this time the kids want to stay to watch the match!

Introducing.....

... Billy Bunny!

We have a new addition to our family. His name is Billy and he is our lovely new pet rabbit.

We got him from a friend of Ally who could no longer care for him (bit of a tug of love bunny I think) and the kids love him.

Ben especially seems to be quite overwhelmed by the thought that Billy has his own house and just repeats the words "Birry - House" over and over and over!

Here's hoping he lasts longer than the fish!

Country Dancing

Last weekend was Granny's traditional new years quiz & fancy dress party. The theme for this year was Country & Western.

As always everyone made a fine effort with the fancy dress & the food was particularly yummy this year - I found out I love Cowboy Stew!!

I was in charge of doing the quiz again and as I know praticially nothing about Country music it was quite hard but Wikipedia came in very handy!!

Kirstie & Brenda did a wonderful job of decorating the house - it looked brilliant once they'd finished.

For more photos from the evening just click here: More Photos

Happy New Year 2008

Happy New Year to you all.

We are returned from our New Year's break at Butlins in Bognor Regis and we enjoyed it so much we booked whilst we were there for new year!!!

So I am now part of the Butlins Family apparently. I never expected to like it so much but it is perfect for the age our kids currently are and it was definitely the most enjoyable New Year's Eve I've had in a long time.

So what happened....

Well we arrived midday on the 30th December and met up with Paula, Gav, Evie & Morgan. We then set about exploring the place.

It was heaven for Ben with a life size Bobsville (this is where Bob the Builder lives for those not in the know) and there were live Bob stage shows about 3 times a day.





There was also a funfair outside & smaller kids rides inside - all completely free which was a welcome change.










On New Year's Eve we managed to find a table in the Skyline (the main arena) and the night's activities started at 6.30pm with all the kiddie-themed events - kids disco & some crowd called the Skyline gang who kept them all amused.

This seamlessly merged into more adult events from around 10pm when the tribute acts started.

Ben crashed out first and Morgan put up a brave fight but he finally flaked out in the buggy with Ben.

The girls did really well with Amy seeing her first ever New Year's Eve countdown. She paid for it the next couple of day though and has tonight gone to bed at 6.15pm - she is shattered.

All in all it was a very good new year. I wonder what 2008 has in store for us eh!

Christmas 2007

Well, they say time flies when you're having fun so I must have been having a really good time because I'm behind again....

So I will do my best to fill in the blanks.


Saturday 22nd December
Was the night of our Christmas party with our friends. We are creatures of habit so found ourselves at the South Lodge again but it's a good night with fine food and cheesy disco music so you can't really go wrong. The kids were sleeping over at Granny's and had been there since about 10am so Steve and I made the most of the day and I went to bed for about 3 hours!



It was really good night. I can always tell because I start to take what I can only assume I must think are arty shots with the camera on tilt!!










Christmas Eve
A big day was planned with Ally the kids and I going to Old MacDonalds Farm Park. As it turns out both Ben and Amy were sick during the night and Amy looked mighty unwell for most of the day so we just kicked about the house for most of it. We did manage to coax Amy out of the house to the Chris Ingle service at St Luke's which we all enjoyed.


Christmas Day
We were woken up nice and early as usual by Ben but Amy didn't stir until around 7am. When we went into the lounge the kids were thrilled to see that Santa had been and left two presents on the fireplace.

Father Christmas brought Ben a Bob the Builder armchair and Amy a High School Musical Sing Along game for the Wii.





We opened the rest of the presents under the tree and then Granny & Granddad popped in with some more presents.

They left and then my parents, Alison & the Nans arrived with even more presents. By this time Ben was a little bit overwhelmed but Amy was thrilled at all the lovely gifts she was receiving.



We had a lovely day singing to Amy's new game and Ben even built himself a stage to sing from. But I think the Nans got a bit tired towards the end of it!










Boxing Day
Well, most of what I have to say here is second hand because I came down with some kind of horrible lurgy and spent most of the day in bed or in the bathroom!

Brenda, John, Kirstie, Phil & the kids came over and by all accounts everyone had a lovely time. There were more presents and everyone had a dip in the hot tub towards the end of the day - which Kirstie had been looking forward to I know.




27th & 28th December
Steve and I had planned to do a spot of sale shopping but I was feeling rough on the 27th still and then Steve felt poorly on the 28th so we didn't really do much. We did manage to buy our new flooring for the lounge though so it that was good.


Saturday 29th December
So that brings us back up to date. Today we went to see High School Musical on Ice and took Amy's friends Lily with us. I swear those two girls did not move, speak or blink for over an hour - they were completely mesmerised.






Ben really enjoyed it too and joined in with the Wildcats dance as soon as it started playing.

We're going away with Paul & Gav, Evie & Morgan for New Years so hopefully I should have some more updates after then.

So Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all.

Santa Special

Last Saturday was fairly action packed....

We went on the Santa Special steam train at the Colne Valley Railway. It was really well done with Santa visiting the children on the train and giving them each a special gift. nothing good in the way of pictures I'm afraid - they just wouldn't keep still!

We went with all Amy's old nursery chums and it was really nice to see Amy & Lily playing together again. They both share a love of High School Musical and have already decided that a sleepover is in order in the New Year.

After the train we all went back to Daniel's house where the kids played together and the adults enjoyed some of the lovely food that Daniel's mum had prepared.

Then it was a quick dress change at home before Amy headed off to the Faces Christmas Party. It was a bit of a late night for her really and after such a busy day too I wasn't expecting her to make it through but when I went to collect her she didn't want to leave!

On Sunday we had Paula, Gav, Evie & Morgan over for a few hours playtime and then Bev & Gerry for next door popped in for a pre-christmas drink & a nibble or too.

It's getting close to Christmas now and Amy is very excited about it. Not sure Ben knows what's going on yet - maybe next year!

Postal Delays!!

No, not Royal Mail I mean me!! I have been reminded that it has been a little while sans post and I thought I'd better rectify the matter.

Last weekend I should really have posted about in full but it's a bit late now so here are the highlights - Amy had a sleepover at Auntie Kirstie's & Ben got to spend some quality time with Steve & I without having to listen to High School Musical on repeat!!!!

So what have we been up to this weekend....

Well, on Saturday we had Granny's pre-Christmas day when she gives the children lots of little Christmas oriented presents which would be largely superfluous after the 25th (like Xmas socks & Santa letter kits etc). It's become a tradition of sorts.

The kids had a great time and played together very nicely. We all slept over and then today we went to the newly refurbished Queen B for lunch. The food is pretty much as it has ever been but the surroundings have definitely changed for the better.

This afternoon we just stayed in doors, did a bit of cooking and played in the lounge. Amy wouldn't stay still enough for us to take her picture but Ben had some quite time to deal with some important paperwork!