The Balloon Fiesta and potty training

We went to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta Saturday morning with our friends, Eloise and Neels and their South African posse. The balloons start taking off at 6am so it means an early start but luckily(?) for us we hadn't really slept for one reason or another the previous night anyway. Alf was entranced by it all and enjoyed his jam sandwich and pain au chocolat while the rest of us ate bacon butties...everyone was BBQing.
Alfie started potty training on Monday and has done really well. We included a picture of our proud boy next to his potty to commemorate this event.How wonderful to use one diaper a day! I love it!!
There is an artistic close-up of Bert and Alf which Alf took and Alf at our dining table which we decided we didn't like and returned. We're waiting to find the right thing and using a plastic table for the time being but it does the job.
It's the 2nd consecutive beautiful day after weeks of rainy ones so we're planning a trip to the car boot after Mass.
Bump Josie is doing fine, kicking and punching with incredible force.

Hot English days

It's been exceedingly warm for england the past two weeks. We've all done our best to stay cool and not melt. Alf likes to enjoy a frosty ice lolly when he comes back from nursery and often wants to lounge in his diaper and on one occassion, his Bob the Builder wellies...don't ask!
He also has taken an interest in Daddy going to work, mind you he seems unaware of the fact that his mommy goes too along with doing everything else, but I digress. :)
We bought him a shirt and tie for church and so he wears it sometimes around the house to play 'going to work'.
He had his first merry-go-round ride at the zoo and sat in a boat next to a crocodile as Alf would say,'don't worry it pretend'.
Bert took a picture of baby Josie bump last night at 25 weeks just because we haven't done any of that this time round.
We start moving on friday and are really excited.

My school photo

Bank Holiday Weekend

We have just arrived home after a couple of nights camping on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. We stayed on a farm and Alf enjoyed the ducks, hens, cats, dogs, cows and horses. He also liked the swings, although much of the time was spent complaining to the designated pusher "that's not very fast". Campsite was great, no dogs, no caravans, lots of space and everything very clean.

Alf took to camping very well, sleeping much better the second night. He liked the torches and particularly the head lamp. Was not so sure about camp food, sticking to jam sandwiches and croissants for much of the weekend. Would not even have his marshmallows (or "mishmallows" as he calls them) toasted, preferring to scoff them cold.

Weather was superb and we had a great day out at Trevone Bay just south of Padstow yesterday. Very pretty beach, great sand and rockpools and most importantly a car park right next to the beach. Water was freezing and only managed to get in up to our knees.

Nice to be home, but hoping to go back again this summer.

Easter in Nantglyn

Easter...where to start? Suffice it to say that it was the best Alf and his two English cousins have ever got along before. They seem to have reached the age where they can become a group and everyone is just about interested in the same things. It was a great trip up to North Wales and pretty good weather, too (for North Wales).
The kids were outside loads. They fed the donkeys; took a ride in the trailer behind the tractor; played in the creek in their wellies; drew with chalk all over the drive. My mom sent over some PAAS egg dye so we dyed eggs one day. I had found plastic eggs at Costco so we had a traditional American style egg hunt on Easter morning. The eggs were a bit obvious but the kids were new to it all. There's a photo of Edie on a bike her dad used to ride. There's a hilarious picture of Alf and Edie with the sun in their eyes. I told you how much he hates the sun in his eyes. Well, he clearly hasn't figured out how to keep it away without completely losing his ability to see by covering his eyes with his hand. Edie is clearly more intelligent at her 3 1/2 years. Janette brought down a box of fancy dress and the kids spent an afternoon running around in weird get-ups. Alf settled on being Bob pretty quickly and wouldn't let anyone else have a go. All in all a really nice time with this side of the family.