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Snow Take 2

2012-02-10T19:07:00.012Z

The big freeze continues. Earlier this week we went to check out the half frozen pond in Cannizaro Park. Luckily Nicholas could read the 'Danger! Thin Ice!' sign. It made him change his mind about walking on the ice!

We got a new dusting of snow last night, quite unexpectedly, just as the last of the Sunday's snow disappeared. Even though it was lighter this time it left a far more dramatic scene. Absolutely everything was coated with a layer of snow. Unfortunately it melted fast so I didn't get to do my photoshoot after dropping Nicholas at school and taking Daniel to his swimming lesson. I did get a couple of shots when we stepped outside though!

When we picked Nick up after school we decided that we should go for a walk in Putney Heath anyway. It was really quiet except for the drip drip dripping of the melting snow. It looked magical with the low sunlight shining through the trees. Unfortunately the troll pond wasn't either frozen enough for walking on. I think we need to go to Holland for that!

With all this snow here in London it seems kind of silly traipsing all the way to Scotland in search of the white stuff. I am sure it will still be nice being on holiday for a week, fun seeing old friends and snowboarding in a new location. Just hope we survive the icy driving conditions!

Freezing Football

2012-02-09T19:30:00.002Z

Every term Donhead has two football matches against two other schools. Today they had their away game against Squirrels. This was the home game last term. It's amazing to see how the boys' skills have developed in such a short time. I was so proud of Nicholas, not for scoring goals, but for playing like he meant it with a look of determination and a massive smile on his face throughout. Best of all he got a sticker from the headmaster for his performance!

Bowling

2012-02-06T19:35:00.001Z

Yesterday afternoon, between all the fun in the snow, we had a playdate with Nicholas' best friend from school. Whenever he has a story to tell it involves Vinicius so I am glad they had a chance to spend some time together out of school. I'm not big on playdates yet, simply because I feel like there just isn't enough time during the week. I am still of the mindset that if I do have a playdate it needs to be with our old friends that we don't see that much anymore. Going bowling worked out just perfectly. Much less pressure than entertaining at home. It was also nice doing something different that's fun for the whole family!

The four boys couldn't resist playing in the snow afterwards!

Big Freeze

2012-02-05T19:12:00.010Z

BBC calls it 'the big freeze'. The temperature has been hovering around zero for the past week but it has been accompanied by sunshine and blue skies making it not so bad. Nicholas was delighted when the temperature finally dropped below zero. Every day we go out and see ehether our bowls of water are frozen and check the temperature. Imagine the excitement when we found a half frozen fountain the other day!

This morning we woke up to this spectacular view. It didn't take a lot of encouraging to get the boys dressed and downstairs. They love staying in their pjs as long as possible on weekends but the white stuff was far too tempting. Before I knew it they were out of the door!

They built their snowman pretty much on their own. There was alot of discussing and directing going on but I thought the end result was rather impressive. We didn't even have to get our hands wet and cold!

Nicholas wasn't so sure about the whole snow angel thing. I don't actually blame him as it was a bit soggy by then. We'll have to try it again when we're in the mountains and the snow is fluffy!

We ended off a lazy Sunday with a drive through Richmond Park. While Danny had a snooze and Dad listened to the rugby commentary in the car Nicholas and I went for a stroll along the icy stream. We had a lovely conversation about the beautiful winter scenery that surrounded us. It's not often that the two of us have time to ourselves!

The Year of the Dragon

2012-02-02T21:18:00.001Z

Chinese New Year is yet another good excuse for learning through theme based activities. Claire did a post containing some really great ideas. Here are some of the things that the boys made at big school and play school: Chinese writing (and eyes!), lanterns and dragons of course. We also had a Chinese feast for supper. We have stir fry once every week, eaten with chop sticks, so that part wasn't that novel. The crispy duck, however, was a huge hit. Nicholas wants to know when we're going to China now!

PS: Nicholas got a certificate for an excellent show and tell about dragons. He took his pop-up Dragon World book in, which in itself is very impressive, but apparently he gave an excellent talk about Chinese dragons. Co-incidentally, or actually not, he got the prize this week too. They had to bring in something rough or smooth, and he took a piece of volcanic rock that we found on Mount Teide when we went to Tenerife in November 2010. I take show and tell quite seriously and he loves it as much as I do, so it is great that he is getting rewarded for his efforts!

A weekend filled with friends

2012-01-30T20:33:00.008Z

Warren is definitely one of our boys' new favourite people. He has been staying with us for the past 10 days. They adore him and don't leave him alone for a minute. It's a pity we won't be able to see him more often!

On Friday night Phillipa came for a psuedo sleepover while her mom and dad went out for dinner. Nicholas was excited beyond belief. Since the two of them started school in September they don't have as many opportunities to play together as before. They had so much fun from the minute she arrived until they snuggled up in our bed and fell asleep!

A similar scene unfolded on Saturday night when Gigi, Isobel, Genevieve and Oliver came over to visit. The lounge looked like a bomb had hit it, but supper was civilized, bath time was fun and they all went to sleep with little protest. For us it was great to catch up with the parents. We'll have to do it again sometime soon!

Picasso

2012-01-29T20:25:00.010Z

Daniel drew his first face all on his own. I was so impressed. I did a step by step demo on my side of the white board for him to follow. Not touching their drawings has always been a philosophy of mine. The beauty of the white board is that you can erase and redo until you're happy with the end result. Just when I thought he was done he said, " Wait, I have to colour in the eyes, right?"!

A house in the country

2012-01-23T20:59:00.019Z

I met Alex in hospital when I had Nicholas and she had Freddie, and then later again when Daniel and Lawrence arrived, that's when we became friends. Needless to say I was sad when they moved to Cheltenham last summer. We finally went to visit them this weekend. It was great to see them all and to get a taste of life in the country. Their boutique B&B, Ravenhurst, will be open to the public later this year. Their Georgian mansion is magnificent and they make great hosts so I have no doubt it will be a success!

Their Georgian mansion

The grand staircase to our suite
(can you spot the children?)

Biking buddies

The park on their doorstep

On Sunday we climbed Cleeve Hill
(highest point of the Cotswold Way)

The trig beacon at the top

Evidence of the wind that nearly blew us away

The four boys

Leftovers from Christmas

2012-01-22T21:38:00.001Z

Nicholas came home from school on the last day of term wearing a crown and carrying a homemade bag of festive arts and crafts. We had no time to explore the contents before we flew to SA so we had a lovely surprise to cheer us up when we got back a couple of weeks ago. I love all the personal touches like the hand print reindeer, finger print christmas tree and a card he designed for us in ict (computer class) with a lovely handwritten message inside!

I also love the fact that the school took one of their Christmas drawings and turned it into Christmas cards for us to buy. So for the first time in yonks I sent Christmas cards this year. What a lovely momento for me to keep!

Upon closer investigation I realised that quite a few of the cards we received this year came from the kids own artwork. I am a massive fan!

There's a wotty in my potty

2012-01-19T13:49:00.003Z

It seemed like the perfect time to embark on toilet training while we were in South Africa. Some of the reasons were that we had 2 weeks to dedicate to the task, there were lots of helping hands and Daniel was kaalgat (Afrikaans for naked) a lot of the time. Our strategy was to cut to the chase and skip the potty and sitting and go straight to the toilet and standing. It went so so and by the time we got back to London Daniel was convinced he was a big boy so we simply had to perservere. When I composed this email a week ago I wrote: "I think we've got number 1s under control but number 2s are still a bit hit and miss" but with the help of bribery and corruption (aka chocolate coins) and song and dance (aka victory jig) I think we've succeeded. Pretty good going considering that it took 1 month and we only lost two pairs of jocks: one on the highway in Joburg and one down our toilet in London - don't ask!

Home From Home

2012-01-12T20:01:00.007Z

We're back home in London after a wonderful holiday at home in South Africa. It was much shorter than we are used to but it was just as nice as usual. The best part about our annual trip is undoubtedly spending time with all our family and friends and this trip was no exception. Hopefully I'll get around to sorting through all the photos and doing some blog posts of our trip soon. In the meantime here's a sneak preview: Janine did a great job of summarising one of our photoshoots. As nice as any holiday is it is always good to be back home. This was the boys reaction when I asked them if they are glad to be back!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-15T18:05:00.001Z

By the time you read this we'll be on our way to sunny South Africa. I know I am not going to much time for blogging but I will no doubt take hundreds of photos, which hopefully I will process sooner rather than later, along with the photos from our last trip to South Africa (2010/2011). Where did this year go and where was I!?! We're delighted that we are going to see some of you, and we're really going to miss those that we're not going to see. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the four of us!

Christmas Party at Play School

2011-12-14T14:27:00.006Z

Daniel's play school had a Christmas Party for the children on Tuesday. As you can imagine there was a buzz of excitement. Along with the usual arts and crafts they had face painting, a magic show and a santa who gave the children a bag of little presents. I think Daniel liked the present most of all but for me the magic show stands out. When the lady asked for a helper, Daniel stuck up his hand shouting me! me! me!, and she picked him. So he got to do some magic and made a real bunny come out of the box!

Christmas Cheer

2011-12-13T11:55:00.011Z

There are so many cute Christmas gimmicks out there for the kids. Janine and Noa made these really great videos from Santa for Nicholas and Daniel using PNP (just click replay video) . They're a brilliant bribing tool that is for sure. The boys keep asking me if they can watch the videos over and over again!

Pete supports a charity called NSPCC that sent the boys these lovely personalised letters from Santa. They were so excited when they arrived and Nicholas figured out that they were from the man himself. Once again they keep asking me to read them 'just one more time'!

And then there is this my personal favourite from Elf Yourself

Christmas Carols

2011-12-12T22:43:00.008Z

The boys love music and singing so it seems a no-brainer to max out on carols by candlelight. On Friday night we went to the Barnes Christmas Fair. It had a real villagey feel and even though we aren't entirely local we bumped into people we knew. It was great fun walking from choir to band to groups of friends merrily singing carols while sipping on hot chocolate and mulled wine!

On Saturday we ventured to our favourite part of London. First we soaked up the atmosphere in the German style Christmas market on the South Bank. Then we walked across the river to Trafalgar Square to see the giant tree. The main event of the day was carols in St Martins in the Field. On the way home we enjoyed 'a hundred thousand' fairy lights. A lovely end to a lovely day!

Our final UK carol session will be the Donhead carols on Wednesday night at Sacred Heart - the day before we fly - hopefully we'll catch a couple of sing-a-longs in SA too!

It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas

2011-12-12T12:48:00.001Z

I love this time of the year. There are a lot of reasons: trees, fires, lights, carols, hot chocolate, seasonal food, advent calendars, presents, santa, snow (hopefully) and of course the fact that our annual trip to South Africa is imminent. That's the reason we don't usually have a tree here in London but this year Nicholas pointed out that our house doesn't look very festive without a tree and decorations. We agreed that this is the best time in the boys' lives to have a tree. We decided to get one even though won't be here for Christmas and we'll probably have a tree in Magogong and Wakkies. The boys were very excited about choosing a tree, and believe me it is a complicated business over here. We also had fun digging out our old decorations from years gone by and making our house a bit more festive. It's great sitting next to the blazing fire and flickering candles drinking hot chocolate and listening to carols. One can really get caught up in all this Christmas cheer!

Pub Lunch

2011-12-11T17:00:00.003Z

Lovely sunday afternoon with friends!

Almost to the day

2011-12-11T16:54:00.005Z

This was almost the exact age to the day that Nicholas was when Daniel was born. It makes me kind of sad because that was when I felt that Nicholas changed from a baby into a boy which means that soon Danny won't be a baby anymore. I just want time to go slowly so I can have more time to enjoy these precious little guys of mine growing up and to love them even more than I already do!

That was then ...

This is now ...

Two and a half

2011-12-11T16:08:00.001Z

I can't believe my baby boy is already two and a half. It feels like just the other day that he was a newborn. He is a real little character who can make me laugh and cry. When he gets into a strop he folds his arms and pulls the cutest angry face I've ever seen. Luckily it's easy to make him smile again!

This little guy is one of the most affectionate, cuddly, loving little things you'll ever come across. He generously gives cuddles and kisses to anyone he knows well. And he often tells us that he loves us. It's like music to my ears!

Danny loves playing imaginary games. Here he is cooking soup for lunch. We had to pretend to be eating it once it was dished up. And he gets seriously annoyed if you don't play along with him!

We pass a stable on the school run, so often see horses. When we've got some time to kill we stop at the stables at the Windmill in Wimbledon Common to say hi to the horses. Danny has developed quite a liking for them and keeps asking when he can ride them!

Daniel has been good at shapes and colours for a long time and now he has mastered counting to 10 too. I don't think he totally gets the concept of quantity beyond 4 but he can recognise all the numbers from 1 to 10. He is also very good at sorting things. He especially likes sorting the coins in his 'froggy-bank'. Hopefully he'll always have a lot of money to count one day!

One day Danny brought me an alphabet fridge magnet and said here's w. I thought it was a coincidence so I sent him off to find another one and he did. I then asked him to show me some other letters and he pointed out i, e, m, o, x, and y. He is learning the rest at a rapid pace and loves playing letter games. One of his favourite activities is to match up the alphabet fridge magnets!

Much to my amazement, Daniel sat down one day and produced a beautiful work of art, as if by magic. I like the way he uses a variety of colours and tries his best to stay in the lines. I enjoy listening to his running commentary and watching his facial expressions. Best of all I love the way he is all proud of the end product and demands that I display it on the fridge!

Busy Busy Bethlehem

2011-12-10T18:53:00.003Z

Donhead's two reception classes put on the most adorable Christmas play for the proud parents. They told the Christmas story with a mixture of songs and narration accompanied by the piano and various other instruments. Each boy had a line to memorise and it was amazing to see these little guys perform so well. I know I am not going to get to processing the video clips anytime soon and my photos aren't that great but I wanted to put them up anyway. It was one of those moments I won't easily forget!

Reception 2011

2011-12-10T16:37:00.003Z

This is Nicholas' reception class photo

These are all the reception boys from both classes

These are the signatures of Nick and his class mates

Play School

2011-12-09T20:32:00.001Z

The same ladies that run Forest School also run a play group for pre-schoolers. I thought I would go and check it out since Daniel doesn't go to nursery. I must say I was pleasantly surprised and now we are hooked. Since the beginning of November that's what we do one morning per week. Daniel takes it all very seriously and proudly declares to anyone that is interested that he is off to HIS 'play school'. It's close to our house so we scoot there which in itself is fun for both of us!

It's a lovely setup with an outdoor area, a snack area, a quiet room and another room of total chaos. Every week there's a different theme and there are 3 or 4 stations where the kids can paint, glue and create different things. They also have the usual home corner, sand pit, water play, reading corner etc. And sometimes they even do baking/cooking activities. It is absolutely perfect for us because it is a nursery setting where I can also be involved. Danny recognises a lot of the people which an added bonus!

This opportunity presented itself at just the right time as Daniel is having difficulty with the fact that he can't stay at school with Nicholas. Some days it is quite embarrassing when I have to drag him away kicking and screaming. Now that he is getting used to the routine, and since he has his own book bag to carry around, it is getting a bit easier!

Forest School - Autumn Term

2011-12-08T18:34:00.003Z

Another term of fun at Forest School has come to an end this week. Here are some photos of the things we did during the second half of the autumn term. As you can see it's one of Danny's favourite activities. His eyes light up with delight at the mention of the word forest and he has grown quite fond of the ladies that run Forest School!

Nature Mobiles

Monster Faces

Camo Clothing

Bird Feeder (lard and mixed raisins)

A mini shelter

A big shelter

Christmas wreath

Uncontrollable

2011-12-07T18:59:00.005Z

The boys were having so much fun in the bath last night. I love it when they play together and laugh uncontrollably. The last photo is funny because this is the one where I asked them to try be still and please smile - typical 'cheese' pose from both of them - serves me right for spoiling their fun with the camera!

The Safari Party

2011-12-03T22:23:00.000Z

So the party was safari themed and we held it at Chessington World of Adventures. We invited his whole class plus some of his best friends from before school and ended up with 20 boys and 6 girls all round about 5 years old. The first part involved some time with the zoo keepers and encounters with a slick boa constrictor, a couple of giant madagascan snails, a clever macaw and a trio of playful meerkats. The next part of the party consisted of the feast with the cake as the highlight. Finally some crazy running about and fun and games to end things off. I think all the kids had an aboslute ball and that's the most important thing at the end of the day!

The decor at the venue

The safari adventure

The feast

The cake

The chaos

The pinata

The party bagsThe pass the parcel presentsThe excitement continued when we got home. I don't think I've ever seen so many presents for one person before. What a lucky boy. Thanks to everyone for being so generous and making Nicholas feel extra special!

The end

Five Years Old

2011-12-01T22:08:00.005Z

Nicholas' actual birthday was on Wednesday and since it was a school day it was pretty low key but we did managed to squeeze in a few treats to make him feel extra special. Dad sneaked away from work early so we could have a present opening ceremony all together. Not sure who was more excited by the pile of presents, Nicholas or Daniel!

The highlight was definitely that his Lana and Siani came all the way from Germany for the occasion. We haven't seen them since last Christmas so it was a really special treat. I loved the fact that both boys adored their Aunty and got on well with their cousin. Hopefully we'll be able to get together more often now that they live in Germany!

Of course, on Saturday, we had to have a pancake feast. The boys love pancakes and expect them on all special occasions. So it's a family tradition now!

And on Sunday we had a wonderful party. Nicholas said he wanted a lion cake and we took it from there and ended up having a safari themed party at Chessington World of Adventures. Here's a sneak preview of the cake!

Impressed with Mom, Dad and Aunty's efforts!

Chessington here we come!Party photos to follow soon ...

Happy Birthday My Boy

2011-11-23T21:30:00.012Z

Today it's Nicholas' birthday. It's very hard for me to imagine that he is already 5 years old. Time sure does fly when you are having fun. I am loving watching the boys grow up but at the same time I often wish I could stop the clock. One thing I've learnt is that I should always enjoy every single day with them because I'll never be able to push rewind. Nicholas, my boy, you are the sweetest, kindest, funniest, cleverest little boy that I know. You make me so proud and so happy. I love you more and more every day. I am so glad that you are mine. Happy 5th Birthday!

taken this morning - foggy 5 degrees - I like his winter look

so pleased that his birthday has FINALLY arrived

even more excited that they're allowed to jump on the bed

now to try and make them stop to get ready for the day

For me no birthday post will be complete without a look to that very first day that this little person made me smile. I really enjoy looking back in time. I guess that's why photos and this blog are important to me!

Royal Albert Hall

2011-11-21T19:54:00.006Z

Yesterday we had a special treat. We went to see Classical Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall. The whole experience was spectacular - being in the world famous building, our seats way up in the rafters, the music, the singers, the dancers, the lasers, the fireworks, the balloons and the cannons - you just have to watch the trailer to get an idea of what it was like. This was something that neither the boys nor us will forget in a hurry!

What's on the menu?

2011-11-20T19:12:00.001Z

If it was up to Daniel it would be toast and eggs. When I ask him what he wants to eat I know what the answer is going to be. He loves eggs whether they're boiled, fried, poached, scrambled or omeletted. I think this came from spending so much time with Gogo when she was here. Imagine how excited he is going to be when he sees Noa's chickens and their eggs!

Nicholas quite likes the food at school now. In the beginning he used to come home ravenous. The one day he asked if I would make him a sarmie when we got home so I asked him what he wanted on it. His answer was bovril, jam, cheese, salami, tomato, salmon and cream cheese and don't forget the capers. So in actual fact he wanted 4 sarmies. That happens seldom these days so I think he is trying the different food and getting used to it. It helps that we discuss the menu beforehand. He loves the fact that they get pudding EVERY day. I enjoy hearing his descriptions like pudding bread with jam on it (bread pudding), brown jelly (chocolate mousse) and spiral cake (swiss roll) and finally he has realised that custard is delicious (after 4 years of trying on my part). The other day he was playing 'resto-resto' and produced this menu all on his own!

(pumpkin pie, toast, oranges, fish, strawberries and ice-cream)

Saturdays

2011-11-19T18:06:00.001Z

I've mentioned before that Nicholas is obsessed with football at the moment. The Fulham Football Club runs a football program for kids of all ages. It's a lovely setup - friendly and easy - and pay as you go. We decided that if it's not raining and if Nicholas is keen then we should seize the moment. So Saturday morning footy has become part of our weekend routine. We used to take Nicholas to the same classes during the World Cup last year when he was only 3.5 years old. Looking back makes me realise how he has grown and developed over the past year. We'll have to get him a new shirt soon!

Now that Nick's at school, and the sun sets soon after we pick him up, weekends are our only chance to go to the playground. So afterwards we always hang out in the awesome playground. It's got all sorts of different apparatus, not at all co-ordinated, and quite haphazard. The boys always want to try out each and every part. I must say, I like it that they are quite risky at times, but sensible. That's when I realise how much they're benefitting from going to the little gym!

Alice in Wonderland

2011-11-18T18:20:00.003Z

I don't usually do posts about other children's birthdays but Phillipa is like family to us and Claire put on a fantastic Alice in Wonderland Party for her. What a great idea for a party theme. Claire's attention to all the detail was admirable and the entertainer was one of the best I've seen. The children had a really fantastic time. Well done Claire! Happy Birthday Princess P!

Habit

2011-11-17T18:33:00.003Z

Mess is becoming a habit with Danny. This morning his friend, Ernie, came to visit. Ellie and I were in the kitchen for probably half an hour and when we went back to the lounge this is what we found. At least toys that we haven't seen for a while were rediscovered. I wish we had a separate playroom!

ChEEEEse

2011-11-14T22:54:00.004Z

Daniel (excitedly): 'Mom, come quick, see what I made!'
Me: 'Oh, goodness me, what's that?'
Daniel (proudly): 'It's a huge mess!'
Me: 'I can see that!'
Daniel (urgently): 'Quick! Fetch your camera!'
Me: 'Great idea!'
Daniel (enthusiastically): 'ChEEEEse!'

I bumped my head today!

2011-11-09T18:56:00.007Z

Daniel is an extremely independent little fellow. I guess I should be happy about that. But sometimes he tips the scale just too far. The other day we were leaving the leisure center after swimming and as usual he refused to hold my hand because he wanted to do it 'all by myself'. I'm not sure how it happened but he tripped and fell down the stairs. There was a lot of blood and a lot of screaming so I rushed to A&E. The poor little guy ripped his frenulem (that little skin between your top lip and your top gums) and had a huge lip (which was back to normal the next morning). The nurse assured me his teeth are fine. I hope she is right!

Nicholas used to be quite cautious but he has become much more physical and toughened up a lot since starting school. As if trying to compete with his little brother, he came home wearing a similar sticker accompanied by an accident report, a few days later. Apparently he and another little boy had a massive collision on the playground and they both had to pay a visit to the school nurse. He was fine though so I think they were just being cautious!

Fireworks

2011-11-06T18:30:00.004Z

Donhead had their annual fireworks night last week. It was a great outing for the whole family. It makes a difference when everyone at an event like this has something in common. Nicholas really enjoyed bumping into and playing with his classmates. The glow swords and guns were a big hit with the kids and made the whole atmosphere jovial. The bonfire was huge and the fireworks were spectacular. So all in all I think it was a great success!

Oysters

2011-11-05T18:03:00.008Z

Today we went to see Crash Bang Wallop at Cadogen Hall. It included a great selection of music and had a lot of audience participation so we really enjoyed it. Afterwards we stopped for an oyster feast while listening to a jazz band at the Sloane Square farmers' market. The boys almost demolished the first dozen all on their own so we had to get another half dozen for ourselves but they climbed into them as well. I love the fact that they love oysters, but so do we!

They passed out instantaneously in the car on the way home. Not surprising because they were up at 6am to play on the ipad and then we went to Fulham's football for kids which Nicholas is crazy about at the moment. All that before the concert!

Expensive Toy

2011-11-04T20:58:00.005Z

Anton generously gave us an ipad for a present when he came to visit us in the summer. The boys (x3) love it. We've managed to keep expectations to weekends only for the little ones but it's hard to enforce rules like that for the big one. We've found loads of educational apps so I don't mind the obsession that much. I just don't want it to be the only thing they do. It's also great for skype!

The babysitter when I got home late from a girls' night out

(see the glass of whiskey on the bedside table!)

Halloween Party

2011-10-31T18:51:00.001Z

This weekend we went to a fantastic Halloween Party. Who doesn't enjoy dressing up, playing games, carving pumpkins and having fun with friends. The party was hosted by Kidssakes. It was an excellent event for launching a new business as Claire is, after all, the Halloween Queen. The boys had great fun deciding what to dress up as, with a little help from us, of course. Nicholas wanted to be a ghost and I must say I am very proud of his home made costume. Danny was the big bad wolf because he can do some serious huffing and puffing. And just look at our awesome pumpkins. Happy Halloween everyone!

I always like looking back on occasions like this!
(2007 2008 2009 2010)

Autumn Half Term

2011-10-30T17:30:00.001Z

Since we were staying at home we thought we would have relaxing half term break but it turned out quite busy in the end. We had some play dates with friends we don't see that often anymore (Nicholas and Rose have been friends since they were born and Jose-Luis is one of his Peques friends). We had a glorious time in Isabella Plantation and spent an action packed day at Chessington (I'll put these in separate posts). We couldn't resists doing some leaf art with all the leaves we collected when we were out and about (not sure if the boys enjoyed it more or if I did). We still had some of our regular activities (Little Gym and swimming) and we even tried a new activity (tennis). Best of all we lazed around at home just playing and having fun together. And tomorrow it's back to school again!

Colours

2011-10-30T17:20:00.000Z

On Monday I asked Nicholas what he would like to do for his first day of holidays and he said he would like to go to the forest with Phillipa. The sunshine was glorious that day so we headed to Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park. It's a magnificent spectacle of colours at the moment!

Hocus Pocus

2011-10-30T17:10:00.004Z

Chessington is always fun but especially so with all the Halloween decorations. Besides all the exciting rides we also made it to the aquarium and a bit of the zoo. It's a great day out but I definitely don't want an annual pass!

Autumn Photoshoot

2011-10-28T13:18:00.002+01:00

You know those magical photographic moments when you click away merrily because the kids are having the time of their lives and you feel full of joy and the setting is beautiful and the light is perfect? I had one of those moments on Sunday afternoon. The green outside our house is ablaze with colour. Every time I walk out of my front door I just have to stop to absorb the beauty of autumn. When we got back from our trip into London the sun was still shining and the boys started playing in the leaves. So Dad fetched the frisbee and I fetched my big camera. We have the most fun with Dad around. The proof is on the boys' faces!

FUNharmonics

2011-10-27T18:02:00.010+01:00

Last weekend we went to our first FUNharmonics concert at the Royal Festival Hall at the South Bank Centre. The theme was Nutcrackers but in addition to The Sugar Plum Fairy and Dance of the Flutes it included all sorts of other popular pieces by Russian Composers. The boys recognised most of the music so both of them remained totally entranced throughout. Besides the actual concert they also had loads of other fun activities like a human orchestra (which unfortunately we missed), have-a-go on the instrument of your choice (the boys chose brass and got the trumpet and then strings and they got the double bass and then Daniel wouldn't leave until he had a go on the violin) as well as a post-concert performance by a youth orchestra (which we caught glimpses of from the terrace). What a magnificent setup for kids. We'll definitely try and go to the other concerts in the series!

Mini-Reunion

2011-10-25T22:25:00.001+01:00

Nice to see old friends back in town!

Hello Autumn

2011-10-24T16:03:00.002+01:00

Wind and leaves everywhere!

And a nip in the air!

As Proud As A Peacock

2011-10-21T16:23:00.001+01:00

I can't believe that the autumn holidays have arrived so quickly and that Nicholas has already finished his first half term at school. Things are going very well indeed, especially now that we've all settled into new routines, and found different ways to manage our exhaustion. The most important thing to me is that Nicholas is happy, he likes his teachers and he has made loads of new friends. He has also become passionate about rugby and football. I guess that was inevitable as Donhead is a sporty boys' school. The other night we had our first parent's evening and the teacher had loads of good things to say about Nicholas including: 'Do you know that he can read ... fluently and write ... beautifully!?'. A few weeks ago he also got the weekly star award for being a keen reader. To put the cherry on the top he got the Headmaster's Semper Magis Award for Outstanding Literacy Work at the end of term assembly. I cannot begin to explain how excited and proud I felt when the teacher told me the fantastic news!

Here are Nicholas' first school photos. He hasn't quite mastered the art of posing for the camera yet. In fact he is rather opposed to it at the moment. I have to either bribe him or sneak up on him when he doesn't expect it. I guess he is sick of it, let's face it, a lot of photos have been taken of him in his life!

And now for a lazy week of holidays!

Men At Work

2011-10-18T18:49:00.001+01:00

My boys enthusiastically mowing the lawn!

Luckily the frog didn't get mashed!

Scottish Friends

2011-10-17T18:41:00.001+01:00

I'm pleased to announce that it's possible to fit four guests in our small house at the same time. Our friends from Scotland (Claire Gilfillan and her family) came to visit us for the weekend. The boys loved having other children stay over for the night and even though they haven't met Sophie and Joshua before they had a ball together!

First Football Match

2011-10-16T13:38:00.008+01:00

Nicholas' class had their first football match against another school last week. It was so exciting for us parents watching our little ones in action. At first there was a lot of confusion and own goal scoring but by the time Nick's team had their turn they had it taped. It helped that they had a little Brazilian super star on their team. They put on a spectacular display and won their first football match!

Homework

2011-10-15T20:06:00.005+01:00

I'm determined to make homework a fun concept for my boys. So far so good. They love sitting down to homework and get totally absorbed. I guess part of the credit goes to the school for giving fun tasks to do. When Nick does his homework Daniel begs for something to do too. They both take it extremely seriously at the moment. I hope that continues for years to come!

Shoe Fetish

2011-10-14T14:59:00.000+01:00

In my twenties, when I was finally earning enough of my own money, I spent lavishly on shoes. I just about had a different pair of shoes for every outfit. Now I am a one-pair-of-shoes-for-all-occasions kind of person. Maybe it's because they are boys, but my kids are the same, they love their 'crocorillies' and haven't really needed any other shoes all summer. Crocs are the perfect shoes for kids in my opinion!

Incidentally Nicholas wears a size 12

and Daniel wears a size 7 at the momentOn the topic of shoes

Check out these awesome creations by Kobi Levi
Eat your heart out ladies with a shoe-fetish!

Bug Hotel

2011-10-13T16:05:00.002+01:00

At our last forest school, just before the summer holidays, we made a 'bug hotel' by hollowing out some sticks, tying them together and hiding them away under some leaves. Last week, 3 months later, we went to find the bug hotels and had a look what creatures had moved in. We found spiders, worms, slugs and loads of woodlice, but no ladybirds much to Daniel's dismay!

Pizza Express

2011-10-09T16:01:00.002+01:00

This is why the boys like Pizza Express - not only because of the dough balls and the pizza - but also the chocolate cake and babychinos that come for dessert. We've come to realise that sharing our food with the boys is simply not enough anymore, especially when pizza, ribs or sushi is on the menu!

7am

2011-10-08T16:09:00.005+01:00

This is a welcome sight on a weekend morning but on a school day it breaks my heart. I've never been one to wake my boys up when they are sound asleep. Although they aren't the best sleepers at night, neither of them have been early risers, something we are very thankful for. Wake up time is stictly 7am for the boys now that Nick is at school!

Random

2011-10-05T20:18:00.022+01:00

I liked Janine's idea of doing a post of random photos from her phone. I downloaded these photos off my Nokia just in time when it gave up the ghost a year ago. I don't really use my phone to take photos unless I don't have my camera around or if the battery dies unexpectedly and the quality isn't ever that good either. I did, however, have a wonderful stroll down memory lane when I stumbled across the forgotten directory of photos the other day. So I thought why not do a random post to display them. I won't go into detail about each one I'll just keep them in date sequence. Incidentally if anyone has a second hand i-phone that they want to sell, or any other old phone for that matter, please let me know!

Heatwave

2011-10-03T20:13:00.001+01:00

On the news they call it a heatwave. We just call it summer. I don't think I've seen a weather forcast this bright since April. We've had a solid week of blue skies and sunshine with temperatures in the upper twenties. What a pleasure before autumn sets in for real - starting tomorrow!

Playing in the Pool

Squirting Dad

Laughing Out Loud Flying High
Enjoying Sunset

And a braai of course

TGIF

2011-10-02T16:05:00.008+01:00

It's been a long time since I've been so glad that it's Friday. When Nicholas declared 'Yay Yay it's Friday!' it made me realise that weekends are already very important to him too. Last Friday when we fetched him from school everyone was in high spirits as, not only had the weekend begun, but the sun was shining. Before I knew it the boys had taken their shoes off and were getting up some monkey tricks and donkey kicks on the lawn outside the church. I was really impressed with both of their skills!

Funny

2011-10-01T19:41:00.003+01:00

I don't particularly like the sound of my own voice on a video but this is all about the kids so I'm going to publish this combination of clips I took of Daniel discovering a male doll. We don't have any dolls at home so it was all new to him. To me the funny part is that he thought the doll was Dad!

This clip was taken of Nicholas when he was 2 years old and we were on holiday in Cape Town. I can't believe that not so long ago my big little boy was so small and so cute. Coincidentally he was almost exactly the same age that Daniel is now. If you feel like a laugh keep your eye on the background. I know you aren't meant to laugh at other people but sometimes you just can't resist it!

Sharing a room

2011-09-30T20:19:00.005+01:00

Nicholas and Daniel have been sharing a room for the past couple of months. It all started with the arrival of the first of our steady stream of visitors. We only have 3 bedrooms so we moved Danny into Nick's room so that we could use his room as a guest room. They have grown quite accustomed to sharing a room so we are thinking about making it a permanent fixture. My next project is ... the boys' room ... I must say I am quite excited about it. Here they are singing our favourite bedtime song to each other!

It's all in the sound!
The picture is meant to be black as it was night time!

Is any holiday ever long enough?

2011-09-28T13:22:00.008+01:00

We're missing you already Gogo! Thanks so much for coming to visit us and for everything you did while you were here! The house feels so empty without you! The boys keep walking around looking for you! Nicholas says 'I am actually missing Gogo!' and Danny says 'NO it's MY Gogs!'. At least we'll see you in 3 months time ...

***

Eye Of The Tiger

2011-09-27T21:00:00.008+01:00

I like the song and for some reason I always end up singing it when I see the London Eye. Anyway, last weekend we went to soak up the atmosphere on the South Bank, and did an impromptu sunset jaunt on the London Eye. Well, the boys took Gogo up, while we we enjoyed a drink on the terrace and watched from below. Those aren't just random shots of the Eye - if you look closely enough you'll see Gogo and the boys!

Nature Detectives

2011-09-26T12:58:00.002+01:00

Forest school is back up and running and Daniel is very excited about it especially since he could take Gogo along to 'see it'. This week the theme was seeds and fruits. It was great fun searching for different seeds and fruits and matching them to the pictures on the chart. I also learnt quite a lot about identifying different trees by their seeds/fruits using the leaves as confirmation. Autumn promises to be an exciting time in the forest!

Daniel loves showing Nicholas what he did at forest school every week. It's a pity Nick misses out as I actually think he could really benefit from it. We do, however, try to do a repeat of the activity every week so he doesn't miss out completely. This week was especially interesting as it tied in to his weekly theme at school!

I came across two great nature related websites with great activities and games for kids. Check them out if you're interested in the outdoors and the changing seasons and have little ones to entertain: Nature Detectives and Wild Child!

Oxford

2011-09-25T15:20:00.017+01:00

Dad had his 5 year reunion at Oxford last weekend. It was great fun seeing so many old friends from around the world. It brought back a lot of fond memories of our time there. We made a weekend of it and stayed in the beautiful Keble College. It was fun giving Gogo a taste of college life and showing her our favourite parts of Oxford including the Pitt Rivers Museum. No trip to Oxford is complete without some punting on the Cherwell!

Oops!

2011-09-23T15:14:00.001+01:00

Best of British

2011-09-18T11:51:00.001+01:00

Last weekend we took Gogo to one of our favourite British events: Proms in the Park. We made a day of it having fish and chips for lunch and spending the afternoon exploring Hyde Park - including a pedal boat on the Serpentine. Before we knew it, it was time for the concert. I don't think Gogo has seen a gathering of so many people before so I hope she enjoyed it, even though she isn't a huge classical music fan. The boys were in their element and loved all the familiar music as much as we did. Waving that Union Jack is becoming easier to do as time goes on!

Grow your own

2011-09-16T19:42:00.003+01:00

Our veggie garden has been a bit of a mixed bag this year (not half as good as last year). In June we had quite a few nice strawberries, even though the plants are healthy, no more fruit since then. They have however propagated like crazy and now we have a whole strawberry plantation. Our courgette plants are small but are producing loads of lovely flowers. Little courgies start growing but then just seem to shrivel up and drop off. Only one has grown big so far and it was a very odd shape (nothing like last year's delicious monsters). Our chillies are flourishing and lots of little peppers are finally starting to appear. Our tomatoes are looking the most promising - we've had a few ripe ons so far - if all goes well we'll be harvesting a fair crop soon. Oh and our flower boxes are looking pretty good now. Luckily Gogo Greenfingers is here and she is trying to sort it all out for us!

Strawberries

CourgettesChillies

Peppers

Cherry Tomatoes Gogo Greenfingers