Oseland Family Blog

chessington again

2011-11-26T21:43:00.001Z

today we went to chessington again. phil and noah came back after football and picked the rest of us up. last week we got the boys a mcdonalds happy meal to eat on the way to save some time. And they were not happy about it- noah wanted sandwiches! so today i packed them each a little lunch box and they quite happily ate that in the car on the way- i have learned my lesson!

jack was so tired, and possibly a little unwell that he fell asleep on the sofa while phil was out getting our chinese for dinner.

chessington zoo

2011-11-19T21:26:00.001Z

today we used our merlin passes and went to chessington zoo. the rest of the theme park closes for the winter but the zoo stays open in winter.

the boys were pleased to find one ride open!

they enjoyed looking at all the animals- lion, tiger, monkeys, sea lions, lizards, birds to name a few.

there was even a sea life centre

elliot's 1st birthday

2011-11-18T21:11:00.006Z

today elliot turned 1. instead of a cake i made him some birthday cupcakes. for dinner i made bolognaise, not sure if it's his favourite since he eats anything!

we got him some soft animal skittles, a train and some big mega blocks. (so hard to find things to buy the 3rd boy!)

noah and jack enjoyed 'helping' to open the presents. in fact, they also tried to stop elliot playing with them!

waiting for his cupcakes to come out...

helping me make brownies

2011-11-17T21:04:00.002Z

jack and i made some brownies today for noah's school to sell for children in need.

he loves to lick the bowl!

so proud of himself...

2011-11-16T21:02:00.001Z

...and so very very happy that he managed to get the breadsticks and jack's water bottle out from the bottom of the buggy.

playing with paper

2011-11-15T21:29:00.003Z

phil's mum sent down a box with a birthday present in it for elliot. i opened the box and put the present away and then gave the boys the box which also had some loose paper in it to pay with. they loved it! elliot loved tearing up the paper and passing it to jack.

someone couldn't wait for his dinner...

2011-11-07T21:25:00.000Z

i set some of the dinners on the table and went back into the kitchen to get some more, by the time i came back, this had happened! elliot had reached up, tipped his dinner onto the table and was quite happily eating his way through it!

merlin passes!!

2011-11-05T20:18:00.002Z

after our legoland passes ran out, we decided to not renew them until possibly the start of the 2012 season. until a renewal letter arrived in the post. it offered us a huge discount if we upgraded to merin passes and also £25 of free lego per pass.
so we went for it!

jack was so happy to be able to be allowed on the cars now he has turned 3!

elliot was very good and happily fell asleep in the buggy without any protest or having to push him around.

jack kept asking to play with the lego so i took him while phil took noah and elliot to miniland.

jack loved it.

noah got involved when he was finished with miniland....

...and elliot enjoyed eating the large bricks!

we headed home before the firework display started (it being guy fawlkes night). too late, too noisy and too cold for our little family.

but first we spent our vouchers. we let the boys choose some lego- jack chose a lightning mcqueen set of course, and a castle set for noah. we also bought some which we put away for christmas for jack.

inset day / halloween

2011-10-31T21:26:00.001Z

today is an inset day at noah's school (training for the teachers) so he was at home with us. we went to monday monkeys, the toddler group i take jack and elliot to every monday from 10-11.30. we then went back to noah's friend nicholas's house for a lunch of pizza. his mum got out the craft supplies (braver than i would be with 5 young kids in the house!) and they had fun sticking and making pictures. then the glitter spilled. and they had even more fun putting their hands in it and rubbing it on their faces! hence elliot's sparkly face! it was then time to leave as elliot was exhausted. noah and jack then spent the afternoon dressing up as pirate noah and king jack. we found a load of costumes in a charity shop and bought all that would fit them, probably about 5. these are their favourites.

alice holt with nicole and mia

2011-10-28T20:50:00.001+01:00

for the 2nd time this week we packed a picnic and went to alice holt, this time with nicole and mia. we did our usual trail, ate our picnic and then played in the park. the boys had so much fun in the park!

jack fell asleep on the way home!

halloween fun

2011-10-26T20:30:00.001+01:00

last night nicole arrived with her 4 month old baby mia and this morning catherine got the train across from london for the day. catherine brought with her face paints and far too much halloween sweets. she got straight onto painting the boys faces- noah as a pirate and jack a lion.

i then had the boys paint 3 jars i had saved for a halloween craft. i wish it had taken longer for them to do as they absolutely loved it, they got right into it, completely concentrating on what they were doing.

they then had to be left to dry, so we went to the park by squirrels after lunch.

these are the finished jars with tealights in them. i painted on the faces and let the boys do what they wanted with the third jar.

catherine went back to london after dinner. nicole and mia are with us until saturday.

alice holt

2011-10-25T21:27:00.000+01:00

this week is half term so noah and jack are at home all week. today we took a picnic and went to alice holt forest. we did our usual trail and then had our picnic by the car before heading to the park.

when we got to the park we saw someone from church and noah started playing happily with another boy from his primary class. but then it started to rain. we tried to take shelter in the pirate ship but it was absolutely pouring and didn't look as if it was going to stop so we made a run for it to the car. we got absolutely drenched! luckily the boys don't mind getting wet in the rain (the bath is a different matter!) i had to strip noah down to his pants he was so wet!

leeds

2011-10-23T21:11:00.001+01:00

on friday afternoon i packed up the car, picked phil up from work, we picked noah up from school, made a quick stop at home and then headed up to leeds. but the traffic was awful and we had only made it to uxbridge by dinner time, so we stopped at nandos to eat.

when we got back to the car we put the boys in their pjs and started driving again. noah and jack fell asleep watching a dvd. elliot screamed. almost the whole way. if he's past the point where he should be asleep, even though he's in the car, he won't fall asleep and will just scream because he wants to be held. we then had a really bad night's sleep with elliot.

we brought the boys bikes and so saturday we went to the park in the morning.

in the afternoon we went to the ice cream farm for an ice cream and a look at the animals.

we found a ladybird which noah and jack loved having crawl on them.

we did some races...

we left after dinner on sunday. elliot had another really bad night, and even during the day he was so unsettled and grumpy. lots of screaming! so it was a relief to come back home and get him back to his usual routine.

park

2011-10-21T21:02:00.001+01:00

today i brought jack's bike and lunch with me when i collected him from squirrels. he loved being able to ride it around while elliot played in the park.

jack's 3rd birthday

2011-10-18T20:09:00.021+01:00

this morning when jack got up he opened his presents of a balance bike (my idea) and a drumkit (phil's idea!) and a few other little bits like clothing and lego.

noah was lucky enough to get a present as well of a book and CD of puff the magic dragon from my mum. it did the trick and kept him happy while jack was opening his presents.

jack had a little go on his bike in the back garden while he was waiting for us all to get ready.

i took elliot with me and dropped noah off at school while phil took jack to the tennis courts with his bike. he knew he was getting the bike for his birthday and has been talking about it and looking forward to it for so long!

my mum and phil's mum both sent him money so we took him to toys r us to choose what to spend it on. phil and i thought he should spend it on a duplo set and had spent last night looking at what was available.

jack had a very different idea. when we asked him what he would like he said 'big car'. and no matter what we showed him he was adamant that he wanted a big car! so we started looking at cars. and we came to the 'cars' film section and got no further! he spotted finn mcmissile and that was what he wanted. the funny thing is he hasn't even seen cars 2!

we opened it for him as soon as we got out of the shop and he played with it all the way home in the car.

jack decided he wanted 'old mcdonalds' for his lunch so he had a chicken nuggets happy meal before we dropped him off at squirrels for the afternoon. i sent him in with sweets which he handed out to everyone at the end. phil and i then spent the afternoon shopping and tidying up before picking jack and then noah up.

we spent some time at the park where jack got to ride on his bike again before heading home for jack's favourite of fajitas for dinner. (he asks with such hope every night if we are having fajitas for dinner! i have even tried to use it as leverage to get him to eat his dinner....'you can have fajitas if you eat your dinner 5 nights in a row'...it didn't work though!)

desert was a train cake.

making biscuits for phil's birthday

2011-10-16T21:51:00.001+01:00

i had the boys help me make biscuits for phil's birthday instead of a cake as it's jack's birthday in 2 days time and we don't need 2 cakes in 2 days!

lion costume

2011-10-15T21:44:00.000+01:00

phil found this lion costume in a charity shop and brought it home for the boys....somehow it managed to fit both noah and elliot!

autumn fun

2011-10-14T21:28:00.001+01:00

noah and jack had fun today rolling in the autumn leaves on the way home from school.

sleeping on the stairs

2011-10-12T21:21:00.001+01:00

this is how we found noah when we went upstairs for bed tonight....fast asleep on the stairs. he won't come downstairs when he wants us. instead he camps out at the top and whispers for us...and eventually falls asleep if we don't hear him!

gimme that ice lolly!

2011-10-10T21:13:00.001+01:00

noah and jack like to have an ice lolly every day. elliot is very aware of this and as soon as he sees the ice lolly he wants it. luckily noah and jack are happy to share. this is a picture of what i saw after turning my back for a few seconds...he thought wasn't getting the ice lolly quick enough!!

playing in the cot together

2011-10-08T21:46:00.004+01:00

elliot and jack gave me a few mintues peace when jack climbed into elliot's cot after his nap.

favourite toy

2011-10-07T21:29:00.000+01:00

one of elliots favourite toys is the washing machine. he will watch it go around when there is a load in and stick his head in as far as it will go when it is empty and spin the drum around!

littlehampton

2011-10-01T20:47:00.004+01:00

to take advantage of this lovely weather before it ends we got one last beach trip in. this time to littlehampton, a place we'd never been to. it was a stony beach which kept all the boys occupied- noah and jack throwing them and elliot eating them! the tide came in fast and quite far up the beach so we had to keep moving.

after lunch we packed up and went for a walk.

phil took elliot for a walk into the town to get him to sleep while i stayed with noah and jack on a wall by the harbour watching the swans and the boats.

when phil came back with elliot we walked back to the little amusements area and let noah and jack go on a couple of rides before we finished with fish and chips (which phil had to queue for ages for while i waited with 3 impatient children!) and headed home.

indian summer

2011-09-30T21:07:00.003+01:00

we have been enjoying an indian summer here all the way through to the end of september. so jack and elliot and i have been spending a lot of time outside at the park before and after squirrels.

sleeping boy

2011-09-26T21:40:00.003+01:00

this is how i found jack when i came downstairs after i put elliot down for his nap....love it when this happens!!

bikes

2011-09-24T21:34:00.002+01:00

today we had a saturday at home. when this happens we usually try and take the boys to the park on their bikes. they love it, it never gets old!

on the way home from school

2011-09-20T21:28:00.002+01:00

every day after school we go to the park. it is the park next to squirrels preschool and is on the way home. this means noah and jack and elliot can play with a lot of other children, i can talk to other mums and we don't then have a lot of time to kill at home before dinner! we usually leave around 4.30 so i start dinner straight away and elliot, because he has only just arrived home is more likely to be able to occupy himself while i cook. i am not looking forward to the point when it gets too cold to be able to stay for long!

last day of our legoland passes

2011-09-17T21:03:00.001+01:00

tomorrow our legoland passess run out so this is the last day we can go. we got here early so we could get on as many rides as possible without a large queue. we also didn't bother bringing a picnic and ate at legoland. as we get 20% off with our passess and jack and elliot ate for free because they're under 3, it cost us less than £20 for us all to have all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad. should've done this before- definitely worth avoiding the hassle of making and carrying around a picnic!

noah queueing for the last ride we went on- the skyriders. we usually don't go on this one as it usually has a large queue but it was quite small today so we went for it. i went on it with jack and noah while phil fed elliot his dinner. i found out afterwards we were the last ones they let on as it started to rain.

while noah was at school...

2011-09-15T20:52:00.000+01:00

...jack and elliot and i went to the park. jack loves sticks and will look for one and find one and pick it up and play with it wherever we go. it was nice to spend a bit time with jack and give him some more attention.

noah's first day at school

2011-09-12T20:52:00.000+01:00

noah's first day of school finally arrived. he took it all in his stride and was happy to go straight in and start playing. i was able to go in and stay with him to make sure he was settled but i didn't really need to. and with jack and elliot in tow, i wasn't able to stay long.
he had been for a few visits to the school and half of his class is made up of children he was at squirrels with, so i think he see this as an extension of squirrels. there were no tears or clinging to me at all, just a very happy boy.

legoland

2011-09-10T20:35:00.002+01:00

another trip to legoland today.

there was a special event on with lots of different types of vehicles which we went to see at the end. the boys got to dress up in rnli (lifeboats) gear. and there was a monster truck display that noah wanted to see but it was getting too late and elliot was very hungry and tired so we had to leave.

the week before school starts

2011-09-09T20:16:00.001+01:00

since jack has been at pre-school all this week, we haven't been going anywhere, just staying at home. we've brought lunch to the park when we've picked jack up and played for a while.
noah's teachers came for a home visit today and brought some books in a bookstart pack. and then we went to brenda's the schoolwear shop for some last minute purchases of noah's school uniform- not fun with 3 kids!
noah starts school on monday- something neither of us can wait for!

jack's first day at pre-school

2011-09-06T20:07:00.001+01:00

this is jack on his way to his first session at squirrels pre-school. i stayed with him for his hour long visit but i might as well not have been there. he just went off and played. of course he knows it well since noah went there and even already knows some of the children there. he didn't want to leave when it was time to go.

summer holiday 2011 day 4- portland castle & portland bill

2011-09-03T20:38:00.008+01:00

phil took a picture of our caravan as we left.today is our last day so we packed everything into the car and headed for portland castle first. the weather wasn't as hot today as it has been.
this is the outside of the castle.

inside the castle there were plenty of hands on activities like brass rubbings

and building a castle wall and knocking it down.

and dressing up.

phil particularly enjoyed the dressing up!

and of course noah loved to find the number on the display and match it up with the audio tour and listen to it.

outside we ate our picnic while the boys ran from one end of a semi-circular wall to the other again and again and again. there was a jump that they were a bit apprehensive about at first but after phil helping them a few times they went for it on their own.

after lunch we went to portland bill, a lighthouse on the island of portland. there was a little visitors information centre but the actual lighthouse was closed so we couldn't go in it. phil took noah and jack for a walk around the rocks while i pushed elliot around to get him to sleep.

there was a huge grassy area so phil played football with noah and jack. i don't know if it was because we'd had a few long, full days, but noah was acting up and wanting the ball all the time- trying phil's patience!

when elliot woke up we all went for a walk around the rocks before heading back to the car around 4pm.

we then stopped at nando's on the way home for dinner.

summer holiday 2011 day 3- weymouth beach

2011-09-02T20:11:00.001+01:00

today was a hot day so we went to weymouth beach for the day. elliot fell asleep on the way there so i stayed in the car with him while phil went on to the beach with noah and jack.

they had built a sandcastle by the time i got there.

we spent the morning on the beach then had fish and chips for lunch. after lunch and a bit more playing it was time for elliot's nap. so we packed up and went for a walk down to the harbour. phil pushed elliot to get him to sleep while the noah, jack and i watched the boats.

we had promised the boys an ice cream so it wasn't long before they started asking for it and we headed back towards the beach.

noah and jack didn't want to leave, but we eventually managed to drag them away.

this is how i found noah when i went to check on him before we went to bed!

summer holiday 2011 day 2- sea life centre

2011-09-01T14:20:00.000+01:00

our first night in the caravan went well. everyone slept well- even elliot despite the squeaky door to his room. this is an issue as i stay with him in the room until he is asleep.today we went to the sea life centre. we took a picnic and stayed all day. the weather was great so the boys were able to play in the splash area and get wet.

summer holiday 2011 day 1

2011-08-31T13:55:00.001+01:00

today we started our summer holiday. there was so much to do in dorset and we had so much fun at easter that we back to the same area. we found a caravan on a farm in weymouth that would take us for 3 nights. this is how noah and jack occupied themselves while we packed...

we packed a picnic and found a forest to stop for lunch on the way down.

and since we were passing maiden castle we stopped there again. however this time there were sheep there which scared jack a little. lots of sheep poo!

phil took the buggy down the long while i walked down these steps with the boys.

we then stopped off at tesco to get some food for dinner and went to the caravan. jack had been desperate to get to the caravan all day- he was so excited!

after dinner we went for a walk....where unfortunately phil got a nasty sting from a wasp.

legoland with joanna & yazmin

2011-08-30T21:22:00.001+01:00

today we took joanna and yazmin to legoland.

we headed straight for the boats which are usually pretty busy

jack came with me, joanna and yazmin went together and phil, noah and elliot in another

we then went on the new submarine ride which all of us could go on

i waited with elliot and yazmin while phil and jack, and noah and joanna went on the dino safari- one of the boys favourites. jack calls it the dinoco ride!

jack amusing himself in the queue for the rocking boat.

joanna and yazmin fly back to australia early tomorrow morning...and then we go on holiday.

joanna, catherine and yazmin arrive

2011-08-29T20:56:00.001+01:00

phil went to the airport this morning to pick up my sisters catherine and joanna and joanna's daughter yazmin. catherine had been there for a few days visiting from london and joanna had been there all summer from australia. i'd have gone over with the boys but there was just no room for all of us. so instead joanna came to us for a few days on her way back to australia. we didn't venture far- just to king george v park.

noah very proud of himself that he managed to get to the top of the climbing frame by himself.

catherine worn out!

we went back home for a bbq before catherine got the train back to london.

leeds

2011-08-28T20:23:00.009+01:00

we went to leeds for a few days to visit phil's family.
the first day we were there it rained so we went to the museum which had quite a few interactive exhibits.

the weather the next day was much better so we had some fun in the park.

park

2011-08-24T21:45:00.001+01:00

today we just had some time at one of our local parks- king george v. it's a great park- good play equipment and lots of space for football. and quite often there will be someone else there we know. but not today- until we were leaving, when jude, one of noah's pre-school friends arrived.

legoland again

2011-08-22T21:42:00.000+01:00

another trip to legoland. this picture is on the fairytale brook ride. it's one we can go on when phil's not with us because it's always a short queue and we can all go on it at the same time. noah used to be a little scared of this ride because of the aladins cave but i think he's ok with it now.

london

2011-08-20T21:19:00.008+01:00

today was a trip to london. we started with a picnic in hyde park. poor elliot slept in the car on the way and was really sweaty by the time he woke up!

we then walked down exhibition road to the science museum where the boys played with the interactive exhibits and we watched a bubble show.

we then had another walk in hyde park to try to get elliot to sleep in the buggy- he did sleep but not for long. we had wanted to get a chinese in london but we were all tired and the boys were acting up so we just went straight home instead.

trilakes

2011-08-19T21:02:00.000+01:00

today we met up with sarah, a friend of mine and her 1yr old daughter and went to trilakes country park. we had never been before and had been wanting to try it out. she ended up being late because of car trouble, but we went on in and had a pic-nic lunch and the boys played in the park while we waited. we then walked around the farm and saw the animals and fed the ducks. when the kids had had enough of the animals we went over to another part which had a sand area and some tractors to pedal around. of course they loved the tractors and were crying when i had to drag them away to go home because elliot needed his nap. unfortunately he just wouldn't go to sleep in the buggy and was so grumpy.

dvd day

2011-08-18T20:59:00.000+01:00

choosing a dvd

train ride to guildford

2011-08-17T20:06:00.008+01:00

a friend of mine had told me that she had been to guildford recently with her 2 boys and had had a lovely walk along the canal. i knew that noah and jack would enjoy a train ride so decided to take them for something different to do. i was a bit apprehensive as it was something we had never done before, but they were really well behaved and despite doing a LOT of walking, there was no moaning.
we walked to north farnborough train station which is a 15 min walk from our house and had to wait a while for a train. the boys were happy to wait and just be on a train platform. noah liked watching the big clock get nearer the time the train was due! the train ride was less than 20 mins.
we went down to the canal for lunch and then i had to figure out how to get back down to the canal from the road when the towpath ended but i managed it without too much trouble. we found a national trust property but we didn't visit it. instead we walked on to this bridge . but we couldn't cross to the other side as there were loads of steps down to the other side which was just too difficult for the buggy. so we headed back the way we had come, via the town centre to find some toilets. we were probably only there for about 3 hrs but it was a lovely day out which the boys definitely enjoyed. they always do best with lots of fresh air and space to run about in!

waiting for the train on the way back...

we got back just in time because it started to rain as we were walking home from the train station.

legoland

2011-08-15T21:40:00.003+01:00

after surviving last weeks trip, i took the boys to legoland again...may as well make use of our passes!

today we played with giant bricks....

....and played in the splash area before heading back up on the hill train. the advantage of leaving early afternoon is that there is no queue for this so we don't have to walk back to the exit.

artwork and baking

2011-08-12T21:31:00.000+01:00

today was a stay at home day...which maybe explains the artwork on the wall. this is the first time they have done this and i have no idea why! i made them scrub it off...even when noah complained that his arm was hurting!

jack licking the bowl....it's his favourite park of baking!

puzzle books

2011-08-11T21:25:00.001+01:00

noah loves these books. they are usborne puzzle books with a story and a puzzle on each page like a maze, or things to find. we've managed to pick up quite a few from charity shops and are always on the look out for them.

legoland...alone

2011-08-10T21:12:00.001+01:00

for a while i've been debating taking the boys to legoland during the week while phil's at work and today i decided to go for it. again i made the picnic while elliot had his morning nap and then left. i warned the boys that they wouldn't be able to go on many rides, but they were absolutely fine with it. there are plenty of other things to do and a few rides they can go on on their own.

with their legoland maps they were given as we arrived. they love these things! they pore over them at home and talk about what rides they've been on or want to go on next time. each ride is numbered so of course, noah knows the numbers of the rides we go on.

we watched the pirate show while we ate our lunch.

in the splash area before we left. jack was a little more cautious, but noah went for it and got absolutely soaked.

again, we left when it was time for elliots nap so he could sleep in the car.

buzz and woody in the forest

2011-08-09T20:36:00.012+01:00

today we went to alice holt forest. while elliot had his morning nap, i made a pic-nic, so we were all ready to go when he woke up. noah and jack had been wearing their buzz and woody vests and wanted to keep them on.

we did our usual trail where they could climb and play on each of the structures.

and then we had our pic-nic by the park. the only problem was the wasps. it was easier in the end to pack up the pic-nic and just let them play in the park while eating at the same time. there was one point when jack was eating his sandwich and a wasp was buzzing around his face which made him scream with his mouth open full of food. i thought it was going to fly in there! luckily it eventually went away.

we left when it was time for elliots nap so he could sleep in the car on the way home.

putting up the book shelf

2011-08-07T20:06:00.000+01:00

we finally got around to putting up the bookshelf we bought a loooooong time ago from ikea (over 18 months ago i think!) we saw it on sale but weren't sure of the measurements of the alcove it wouold have to go into. so we came home, measured the alcove and found it would fit....and i sent phil back down to ikea a few nights later to buy it. it's been under our bed ever since!
phil was really patient and let the boys 'help' him. when it was up they enjoyed putting all their books on it.

in the garden

2011-08-02T19:58:00.001+01:00

a hot summers day in the garden. jack getting wet, noah getting drenched and elliot exploring the garden toys. everyone happy!

sleeping on the floor

2011-08-01T19:41:00.002+01:00

quite often lately, i find noah like this when i go in to check on him before i go to bed....fast asleep on the floor. he hasn't fallen out of bed, he brings his bedding on to the floor and chooses to sleep there!

christchurch

2011-07-28T21:30:00.002+01:00

today we decided to go to the beach as we've not been for a while. i wanted to go somewhere that wasn't just a beach as an 8 month old on the beach is hard work! we usually go to west witterings which is a stunning beach but there is nothing else there. we were headed to bournemouth when we saw a sign for christchurch which had a sign for a quay on it. we thought that would be interesting for them when we were finished with the beach so off we went to christchurch.

first of all we went to the beach. it wasn't the best beach we've been to, there were a few stones and rocks about but it was still a nice beach.

after we'd had our picnic and ice creams, played a few games and made a few sandcastles, it was time for elliot to have a nap. so we packed up and followed the signs for the quay. we parked by the beautiful priory church. elliot was still asleep at this point so phil took the boys down to the harbour while i stayed in the car with him. he found they did boat rides so he took the boys on one which was about 20 mins each way. poor phil was stuck on the boat with noah needing the toilet just as they set off back. so to distract him he had him count buoys (counting is always a winner with noah!)

by the time elliot finally woke up, phil had found a park with the boys and they were playing quite happily.

next to the park was a splash park....jack was a little apprehensive at first but with a little help from phil, he got wet and really enjoyed himself. noah got absolutely soaked straight away!

it was a beautiful day and we didn't want to leave. it was made even better by the gorgeous fish and chips we ended with before drove back at about 7pm.

legoland

2011-07-27T21:10:00.017+01:00

last night after work phil picked up our new car, a vauxhall zafira. and our old car was picked up for scrap.
phil has the next 3 days off work so today we all went to legoland. here are the pictures....

morning in the park

2011-07-26T20:06:00.001+01:00

the summer holidays have just started and here we are back at the park next to noah's pre-school. we are without a car after our old one, which we were going to scrap anyway died on me while i was at the library on my own with the 3 boys. i just had the single buggy in the car so poor jack had to walk the whole way back. it's about a 30 min walk with them which is long enough for noah to start moaning, but they managed really well.
i was concerned because i had no money on me and had to leave the car without a pay and display ticket. luckily when phil went back at 7pm there was no ticket on it. he managed to drive it back home but that was as far as it got. we are waiting to pick up a new car- a zafira, within the next couple of days.

the boys had loads of fun and were really well behaved considering we are here almost every day noah is at pre-school. we headed home when it was lunchtime and elliots naptime.

jack underneath the highchair

2011-07-18T20:04:00.000+01:00

doing his jigsaw.

milestones museum

2011-07-16T19:45:00.001+01:00

today we went to milestones museum in basingstoke for the first time. one of the other mums at squirrels had told me about it. it's a museum made up of streets with shops, a school, transport and homes from victorian times to around the 1930's. there were outfits to dress up in.....

a little post office that only under 5's could go in....

there was also a school room where you could participate in a lesson, and an old sweet shop where you could buy sweets from.

jack asleep

2011-07-15T21:34:00.001+01:00

this rarely happens, which is why i love it so much when it does....jack fell asleep on my lap this afternoon...made even better since elliot was upstairs asleep and noah was at pre-school- last day before the long summer!

pirate noah and spiderman jack

2011-07-08T21:26:00.004+01:00

today was the summer fair at noah's pre-school. they had their faces painted for the first time. i wasn't sure whether they would want them done, but they did. jack was a little apprehensive and wanted to wait until noah had his done. of course, they didn't last long before they were smudged by them just generally wiping their hands over their faces!
luckily i had wiped jack's face clean before he fell asleep face down on the sofa!

new sofa

2011-07-06T21:06:00.000+01:00

after months and months of searching on ebay and biding our time, we finally found ourselves the perfect brown leather sofa just a few miles away. and we won it for only £150!! we'd seen others we really liked go for more than twice the price.
phil had measured the gap it was to go into and it was the perfect length....or so we thought. when we got it home it was too big! phil thought he'd measured the gap wrongly, but it wasn't him- the seller had measured the sofa incorrectly! so annoying, but we've kept it anway and just put it at an angle. there aren't many like this that come up for sale and we don't want to start looking again.

peas

2011-07-05T21:19:00.000+01:00

our peas are ready to eat and we are loving them. jack and i sat in the garden this morning and snacked on them while noah was at pre-school and elliot slept.

marwell

2011-06-30T21:31:00.002+01:00

noah's preschool- squirrels- did a trip to marwell zoo. i made phil take the day off to come too as i was not going to take 3 young children on my own!

it was a lovely hot sunny day and we took our time just walking around the park and seeing the animals. we met up with noah's friend nicholas and went round with his family.

having fun climbing trees...everyone met up for lunch...

and then went on the little train which took us on a loop around the park. elliot had fallen asleep by this point so phil stayed with him.

elliot eating the sand in the park

since we were already halfway there, we decided to go to ikea in southampton for dinner and to pick up a few bits.

elliot 7 months

2011-06-28T21:27:00.000+01:00

nowhere near sleeping through the night!

our plants are growing...

2011-06-18T21:23:00.000+01:00

strawberries and peas

a sick baby

2011-06-05T21:11:00.000+01:00

this was after an AWFUL night with elliot. he had been up all night. we must have gotten about an hours sleep the whole night. we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. but we finally realised he was unwell when he finally settled after being sick and doing a massive poo in his nappy. this is him finally asleep- on the edge of his bed, with a poo nappy and lying in his sick....but i was not going to move him for fear of waking him!!

(elliot 6 months)

playing in elliot's bath....

2011-06-03T21:09:00.000+01:00

london

2011-05-30T19:58:00.006+01:00

on the train on the way in to london...

we decided to take the boys into london today. we booked our train tickets and took the train in in the morning. as we predicted, they loved the train journey.

our train went into waterloo so we met my sister catherine at the london eye. while we were waiting the boys had a play in the park while i fed elliot. they didn't want to leave the park!

we then walked past big ben and to westminster abbey. noah was a little interested to learn that that was where the royal wedding he had seen on tv took place. we didn't go in the abbey- too expensive and massive queues, but there was a little church next it that phil, catherine and the boys went into while i gave elliot his solids.

we then walked round to buckingham palace where noah and jack had great fun splashing their arms in the fountain- they didn't want to stop!

after buckingham palace we went to get lunch at a favourite place of mine and phil's called miso. we walked through picadilly circus where we saw these street performers. we gave jack some money to put in but he couldn't figure out where to put it! unfortunately miso was no longer there so we went to wagamamas which was just around the corner instead.

after lunch we went round to trafalger square and went into the national gallery, but noah and jack were just not interested so we left pretty quickly.

they were much happier playing on the steps outside......and on the countdown to the olympics.by the end of the day the weather had turned from hot and sunny to cold and wet. we were all exhausted from so much walking! but the boys did really well considering.

playing mariokart together...

2011-05-27T21:22:00.001+01:00

noah LOVES to play mariokart. while noah is playing, jack also has to have a wheel and controller and 'play'. now elliot is joining in as well at 6 months!

baking buns with jack...

2011-05-10T21:44:00.004+01:00

jacks favourite part...licking the bowl!

while my back was turned....

2011-05-05T21:37:00.003+01:00

....they emptied their chest of drawers! oh well it kept them quiet and they had fun...and it didn't take me too long to shove them all back in!

waverley abbey

2011-04-30T21:17:00.004+01:00

this weekend my sisters are nicole and niamh are over from belfast and catherine came over from london on friday. we watched the royal wedding on tv on friday and went to the park and today they all went into london to do some shopping. so we went to waverley abbey in the afternoon. it's a free english heritage property about 20 mins away from us that we've been wanting to visit. it was beautiful- from the walk up from the car park along the river to the abbey ruins themselves.

this time phil stayed in the car with the sleeping jack and elliot and noah and i headed up to the ruins together. noah had fun climbing over them.

this is the first picture of elliot sitting up by himself. 5 months.

noah and jack had fun running along this length of wall and jumping off at the end- again and again and again!

climbing a tree together...

frensham ponds

2011-04-25T20:56:00.006+01:00

after a full week we didn't want to travel far but we still wanted to take advantage of a hot bank holiday monday. so we settled on frensham ponds, a pond which is surrounded by sand, only about 20 mins away. we took a pic-nic and had fun playing in the sand and splashing in the pond. noah ventured quite far out with phil playing with the beach ball , but jack stayed near the edge.

while we unpacked....

2011-04-23T20:24:00.001+01:00

after a week away, we were going nowhere today! it was another beautiful day, so while we unpacked and started on the mountain of washing, we filled the paddling pool for the boys to splash around in. noah was more than happy to be able to wear his swimming costume again.

easter holiday day 5- beaches

2011-04-22T19:35:00.011+01:00

after packing up and leaving the cottage by 10am we went to west bay for the morning. the weather wasn't as great as it had been- not that it bothered anyone but me! we stayed there until we'd had our lunch and then drove to another beach- charmouth beach. this time jack and elliot were both asleep, so i stayed with them in the car while phil took noah down to the beach to look in the rock pools and climb the rocks.

jack, elliot and i joined them when they woke from their naps. i put elliot in the sling since it would have been impossible to bring the buggy to this beach. elliot was quite happy, but he is not a light boy to be carrying for any length of time!

eventually we had to pack up and leave as it was getting near dinner time. we stopped at a mcdonalds and instead of eating inside, the boys got their camping chairs out and ate outside!

easter holiday day 4- abbotsbury

2011-04-21T20:47:00.018+01:00

jack and elliot this morning. they are my early risers. noah will sleep later especially if we can get to jack before he wakes him!

today we went to a village called abbotsbury. elliot went for a much needed sleep on the way so i got to stay in the car and read my book while phil took the boys up to this church. again i think they were just happy with the wide open space and enjoyed their walk up there and looking around the church. i was more than happy to spend some time with a book and a sleeping elliot although the car was pretty hot.

by the time they made it back to me elliot was awake and we were all ready for some lunch. we were fed up of sandwiches so decided to eat at a local pub- big mistake! the food was horrible- so greasy, and the pub just wasn't that nice either.

after lunch we had the choice of a swannery, farm or gardens. we went for the gardens. definitely the right choice. we all loved it. the different areas kept the boys occupied and they were happy enough to wander around.

above is the view from the steep hill that we walked up. below is phil with a sleeping elliot in his arms. he was screaming and screaming and screaming from tiredness and would not go to sleep so phil had to just carry him like that until he went to sleep. and he is not a light baby!

jack loved this flowing water and sticking his hand in it- he had to be dragged away in the end!

this is towards the end of the day when the boys were getting tired, so to keep them occupied, phil had them doing races....which quite often ends in tears if noah doesn't win!

these are some crazy fish which would come to the surface and swim around so fast and flip about that they splashed water over the side!

back at the house for some dinner in the garden....

when we went in to check on the boys before bed this is how we found them- they never stay in the same position.

before we left this morning, noah broke the toilet. he lifted the seat up too hard and it cracked the cistern. it now needs a new cistern and won't be fixed before we leave tomorrow. so it's buckets of water to flush! we also haven't had hot water for the shower up until now, and when they came to fix it managed to turn the water off. it's all fixed now though. and this morning i put a wash on only to come back and find it soaked the clothes but didn't wash them! but despite all these things and my mastitis it's been a fantastic holiday and the cottage has been a beautiful place to stay....although we wouldn't stay here again!!

easter holiday day 3 - weymouth beach

2011-04-20T20:13:00.008+01:00

here are a few pictures of our day at the beach which involved pic-nic, splashing, balls, games, ice cream and sandcastles. we didn't take too many pictures as our last camera broke after a day at the beach. luckily my mastitis was amost gone and i felt a lot better.

as usual, i thought it was going to be a lot cooler than it actually was and wore jeans while everyone else was in shorts and t-shirt. it was boiling!

easter holiday day 2- sea life centre, weymouth

2011-04-19T20:16:00.003+01:00

last night, jack fell out of bed. noah and jack are sharing a room with 2 single beds. jack sleeps in a cot at home but doesn't move around much in his sleep so we were more concerned about noah falling out than jack. luckily i was awake with elliot and heard him fall out so i was able to get phil and get to him quickly. we then put his mattress on the floor.
this morning i woke up with mastitis. it had been coming on all day yesterday really since elliot didn't seem to want much milk. if i'd been at home i'd have made phil stay home from work and i'd have gone to the doctor's, but since we were away and we had plans and it could take all day to get an appointment, i dragged myself out of bed and went to the sea life centre. also, it would have been way too hard to stay at home on my own with elliot.
the boys were so excited to go. noah remembered it from the last time we went 2 years ago! i mainly sat down outside between each area and let phil look with the boys. it was another beautiful day and the boys had fun.

there were a few little rides to go on.

back at the cottage playing in the park after dinner.

easter holiday day 1

2011-04-18T20:32:00.003+01:00

after the success of last years easter holiday, we decided to do the same thing this year. so we rented out a cottage for 4 nights- monday to friday, the second week of the easter holidays, and went to bridport in dorset. neither of us had been there before. since we couldn't get into the cottage until around 3pm and to break up the journey, we made some stops. first of all we stopped at maiden castle. this is an old roman hill top fort that phil wanted to visit. basically it's lots of hills, flat on top, and lots and lots of wide open space. the boys LOVED it!! i was worried they would moan about having to walk so far and want to be carried, but they were so happy the whole time- and they walked a lot! noah liked reading all of the information signs.

we took a pic-nic with us and ate on the top- it was a little windy.

phil took the boys off to these temple ruins while i found a spot on the grass to feed elliot.

we had to come back down because i needed the toilet and i'd also forgotten to bring elliot's food up with me. who knows how long we'd have stayed there otherwise!

next we went to the beach. noah was desperate to go to the beach. elliot and jack fell asleep on the way so i stayed in the car while phil took noah up a steep hill to the top of a cliff. this is jack when he woke up...just sitting in the car park waiting for phil to come and get him and take him to the beach. elliot was still asleep so i got to stay in the car and read a bit longer.

the cliff in the background here is where phil and noah walked up.

we were getting ready to leave the beach and i turned around in the car to find noah had got his chair out and set it up inside the car!

we the went to the cottage which was on a working farm. we picked up the keys from the farm shop and unpacked the car and had some pasta for dinner.

after dinner we had a walk around the farm. there was a little park which the boys didn't want to leave, some pigs and a tractor which jack was quite taken with.

having fun in the garden....

2011-04-16T20:33:00.005+01:00

....with anything they can find- goggles, hats, bikes, balls, sunglassess!! it's always good when they can occupy themselves for a bit!

easter treats

2011-04-15T20:20:00.003+01:00

pictures of the boys polishing off the easter treats (cornflake buns) we made together while noah was off pre-school for easter.

star wars at legoland

2011-04-09T20:01:00.003+01:00

today there was a star wars event going on at legoland so there were loads of people dressed up as the characters wandering around....not that the boys had any idea who they were!

this is noah in front of miniland. miniland is a favourite of noah's. it is famous landmarks from around the world made of lego....not the most exciting part of legoland. but noah loves it because phil has made a finding game out of it. they wander around and phil will ask him to find a blue train, a red roof, a yellow car...etc....even jack joins in.

eating strawberries after playing in the splash area. this was the first time they have been in it and we didn't bring their swimming costumes so they just stripped off and had a little splash around.

conference

2011-04-03T19:46:00.004+01:00

look at my happy boys!! oh well, at least they're all looking at the camera at the same time!

we stayed at home to watch conference. the boys were excited to see the prophet and noah liked to see if he knew the name of the apostle speaking. they didn't sit for very long, but that's ok. we only ever manage to watch 1 session with them around.

legoland reopens

2011-03-26T20:32:00.000Z

after a long winter, legoland finally reopened at the end of march, so off we went on the first day it reopened, which was for passholders only.
oh my goodness it was busy!!!
luckily the boys aren't too bad at queuing and we kept away from the really big queues.

we ended up having lots of fun in the labyrinth....

on the swings which only ever has a short queue...

one of noah's favourites- the cars

new bikes

2011-03-22T21:32:00.006Z

i use the term new loosely- they are from ebay. noah has been playing after pre-school with his friends who have bikes and always wanted a go on them. it hadn't even occured to us to get them bikes for christmas. we actually got the bikes a few weeks ago but didn't give them to them straight away- we used noah's as leverage for good behaviour.....it took him longer than he would have liked to get it!

but eventually we did give it to him and phil took them across to the tennis courts by noah's pre-school to ride them.

translation for what jack says- 'yea me like my roary bike in the tennis courts'

starting solids

2011-03-20T20:54:00.002Z

i started elliot on solids the day he turned 4 months. i started the other 2 around 5 months and they took to it really well. elliot wasn't so impressed, he kept pushing it out with his tongue instead of swallowing it. with hindsight i think it was maybe a little too early for him, but we persevered and he eventually got it. phil took noah and jack to leeds this weekend without elliot and i. i couldn't face the long journey and a weekend away from home with a baby that doesn't sleep well. and i also thought i could take the opportunity to get some housework done that i just hadn't had the time to do. while it was great to get the housework done and get a little bit of peace and quiet, i did miss phil and the boys.

winchester

2011-03-12T21:00:00.002Z

we needed to get out for the day and decided to go to winchester. it's a town we've passed on the motorway plenty of times and that phil wanted to visit. we parked the car at a park and ride and took the bus into winchester- the bus ride was probably one of the highlights for the boys!

we first went to the cathedral but didn't go inside, and then headed up through the town. phil and the boys went up a tower and had a look at the view while i tried to feed and calm a screaming elliot who just wouldn't settle. eventually i just put him in the buggy and pushed him around until he stopped screaming and went to sleep.

we then went into the great hall where there was music playing on 38 speakers. each speaker had an individual voice from the choir playing so that when you stood in the middle, you could hear the whole choir and also by standing next to a speaker you could listen to the individual singer. the boys weren't all that interested in it but phil really enjoyed it. the boys just wanted to run around. luckily there was a small garden outside for them to run around in. the great hall was part of a castle.

after finishing in the great hall we went for a late lunch at pizza hut. elliot slept all the way through lunch.

we then went to a small museum, called city museum, which documented the history of winchester. there were 3 floors covering 3 different periods with loads of fun hands on activities, quizzes and dressing up.

elliot still asleep....

i can't remember all the different periods and activities, but there was roman, saxon, and victorian with all the clothes to dress up in. and activities like quizzes, brass rubbings, and building things like part of a mosaic floor and pottery.

we all really enjoyed winchester and will definitely go back- especially since it was all free!

playing together....

2011-03-02T22:10:00.002Z

...before bed. elliot 3 months.

eating cheerios

2011-03-01T22:05:00.003Z

today i found jack perched on the tv stand munching away on his tub of cheerios....

building the fire engine

2011-02-23T21:46:00.001Z

for his birthday, noah got a fire engine that he could build and paint....almost 3 months later, and phil finally got round to doing it with him- with a little help from jack!

elliot's blessing

2011-02-13T20:58:00.013Z

some of my family and phil's family came for elliot's blessing. everyone arrived at various points on the saturday (12th feb). before going out for dinner we went for a little walk at frimley lodge park and fed the ducks.

we then went for dinner at a local harvester pub.

after dinner everyone came back to ours and had a play on the wii while we put the boys to bed, and then left as we both had lessons to prepare.....which is when all the fun began!!

phil said he didn't feel well and stayed upstairs after we'd put noah and jack to bed. as soon as everyone left, he started throwing up!

so i decided it would be best all round if elliot and i slept downstairs with nicole and catherine. elliot chose that night, with phil out of action to SCREAM and SCREAM and SCREAM non stop for hours. (yes the capitals are very necessary!) i just couldn't get him to settle and had to just stand up holding him. eventually around midnight he fell asleep on the sofa, only to wake about an hour later. at which point i brought him down to sleep with me on the floor- along with nicole and catherine! then at some point in the night, i was woken by someone throwing up- i assumed it was phil, but it was nicole- she had managed to catch whatever it was as well!

needless to say it was a very bad night's sleep with elliot waking every couple of hours as well.

sunday, we didn't go to church. phil's family and my parents did but phil, me, the boys, nicole and catherine all stayed at home. i would have sent noah and jack but noah said that he didn't feel well either so i decided to play it safe and kept them at home with me.

catherine and i made sweet potato and butternut squash soup and cooked a ham in time for everybody arriving back from church.

luckily phil managed to get permission from the bishop to do the blessing at home, so he dragged himself out of bed and put a shirt and tie on and gave elliot his blessing.

banana bread

2011-02-10T20:49:00.004Z

jack and i made banana bread together. however jack got much more enjoyment from earting the mixture than he did the finished product! fortunately the rest of us love it and it was polished off very quickly.

jack asleep

2011-02-05T20:35:00.002Z

these are pictures of jack asleep standing up. i came downstairs and could see right away that he was asleep. phil on the other hand who had been in the room with him had no idea...guess who was paying more attention to the football!

january 2011

2011-01-31T21:13:00.003Z

looking back through the photo's for january 2011 it appears we never left the house....must have been the combination of the cold and the nightmare it is to get 3 kids out of the house on very little sleep!
jack helping take down the christmas decorations
noah and jack feeling unwell and lying on the sofa

noah in his policeman's outfit he got for christmas

jack and noah playing with the tools noah got for christmas. you can make all sorts of things with them like a robot, a trolley, a dog. they like to make something with phil after dinner before they go to bed.

elliot 8 weeks old and in 3-6 month clothes

elliot 9 weeks old

jack waiting for his lunch. noah was at pre-school. when i came in with it, he had lined up his toys and crisps while he was waiting.

elliot all wrapped up propped up on the sofa late at night- not going to sleep!

the lookout discovery centre

2010-12-29T21:38:00.002Z

after having been bowling several times over this christmas holiday, we needed something else to do that would get us out of the house for longer, and that was also inside as it is absolutely freezing at the moment. we considered a sea life centre but settled with something much nearer to home. the lookout discovery centre is a hands on science area for kids within bracknell forest. we have been to the forest plenty of times for walks and to play in the park but had never been to the discovery centre. there were even a few puzzles challenging enough to keep phil occupied! it is similar to w5 in belfast, though not quite as big or as good. but it was a fun day out and kept us all occupied and warm, so i was happy! elliot of course slept most of the time, waking up when he got hungry.

noah and elliot

2010-12-28T21:25:00.000Z

some pictures of an unwell noah and elliot at 6 weeks....

making a car ramp

2010-12-27T21:29:00.000Z

phil, noah and jack spent ages making a car ramp for the little micro machines phil got for christmas. they loved painting and decorating it with lots of stickers from a craft box they got for christmas. and then of course they loved sending the cars down it...who needs lots of expensive plastic toys!

christmas day 2010

2010-12-25T20:38:00.019Z

the day started with the boys opening their stockings on our bed

then we went downstairs and got stuck into the masses of presents under the tree.

they didn't know whether they should play with what they had already opened or keep opening other presents.

playing with their alien and space-man. they loved these and played little role plays with them.

playing with their shopping. they got a till, trolley, basket and loads of play food. they love to ask me what to buy, fill their basket and then put it through the till and deliver it to me in a shopping bag.

noah got more and more unwell as the day went on....he couldn't even smile here.

jack helped me make the desert...his favourite part was licking the bowl!

enjoying phil's fabulous christmas dinner and christmas crackers.

noah couldn't even smile at dinner and hardly ate any.

my desert..a coconut and cranberry christmas log. the boys weren't that impressed with it!

ready for bed in new pj's.

we just stayed at home for the day. last year we went out to the park so that we got out of the house, but this year with noah being unwell, we didn't go out. we just played with the new toys and watched the polar express on tv.
we got them most presents between them as they just play with each others toys at the minute. shopping stuff, jigsaws, books, clothes, thomas train track, tools , policeman outfit. poor elliot got nothing! being only about 6 weeks old and the 3rd boy, there was nothing he needed!

christmas eve

2010-12-24T20:06:00.008Z

early in the morning, as soon as elliot woke up (after not much sleep for us) phil got up to go get the christmas food shopping. we have discovered that this is the best time to go. phil has been on the 23rd and it is carnage. but early in the morning, when we are up with the kids anyway, there is hardly anyone, and the shelves have been restocked.
We didn't do much for the rest of the day. we made the coconut ice...with the help of the boys.

noah and jack with their stockings before they went to bed. we read a christmas story and watched the snowman song and handels messiah on youtube before they went to bed. noah has been loving watching these all over christmas.

and then we went downstairs and had j2o's and lots of chocolates while we wrapped the presents.

when we finally went up to bed, this is what we found......