Day 357 Santa

Santa has already been and even assembled the girls Christmas present at our house. Luckily both daughters are away at nannys for the weekend before we head north for Christmas at my mams. So the me girls won't actually see what Santa has left at our house until later next week. I'm sure they'll love playing with this, fighting each other over it, falling out and then playing together again....

Day 329 birthday

Saturday was my birthday, and while there was plenty to do it was nice to relax with the family and enjoy some fun time together, my daughters bought me a cup they felt summed me up...

Day 310 bath time

It's the girls' bath time so just to make sure they knew the bath was for them I put their names on the side of the bath....

Day 308 dressing gowns

A weekend trip at nanas always means new clothes and the girls getting spoilt. This time round nana had some new dressing gowns waiting on the radiators for them before they went to bed, perfect to keep them snug and warm before having some warm milk before beddy byes...                                  

Day 305 Halloween

Both daughters have been dressing up for all the ghostly goings on. Eldest is a witch with her crafty broom, she has been busy making spells all day full or eye if newts and dog hairs, whilst youngest us a pumpkin....

Day 297 Daddy's Cooking

Gertie has gone back to work life, we knew this day would come, I would have to cook dinner for the girls. I thought long and hard about would should I cook them. A Sunday roast? Tuna bake, maybe something from the pages if Gordon Ramsey? Nah how about I make them something I loved as a kid fish fingers and peas, Jon done, what next beans on toast with sausages ?

Day 291 Playing

Last week they were fighting today they are playing. It's a great sight for any parent their children playing nicely together. The house is full if both their laughter as they play with a simple wash basket. All the money we spend on toys and the thing that brings them together is a wash basket as they pretend its a boat. Eldest is singing a song and youngest laughs enjoying the boat going side to side, meanwhile I can sit and watch the footy...

Day 282 fight

Two daughters fighting and the littlest comes out in top. She's a big bully really...

A Grand Weekend

This past weekend had seen a nice family orientated activity filled one. To start with we had to pick both girls up from great grandpa's as me and OH went out to celebrate one of her friends birthdays on Friday night. After picking up the girls and realising that I had had no breakfast which subsequently meant I needed to pull the car over so I could be sick we found a coffee shop in a small nearby village. There we sat and ate some breakfast/lunch before heading off to our days activities.

Every year Knaresborough have a bed race. This is an event where the streets get closed off to traffic and instead people push 'beds' through the streets in a time trial race.We only moved to the area last year and heard of the race but missed it. So this year I was quite excited to go and thought it would be quite fun. Each year there is a theme. This years theme was of course the Olympics, each team would represent a country and with close to 100 teams there would be a fair representation of the world. Unfortunately due to us typically running late we didn't manage to see any of the 'beds' decorated. We arrived as the race had started. All the beds were stripped off of their decorations and everyone was in the competitive spirit. The beds were racing down the hill which was our vantage point. The atmosphere was nice, everyone clapping each team of contestants spurring them on to the finish line...

Once the race had finished we popped for a bite to eat and a drink, We were told by an old woman about the story of why there was a statue of a cat on top of the local pub the Market Tavern, saying that the cat had a crooked tail and the cat spirit could often be seen at night. The weather started turning cold so eldest child borrowed my coat and anyone could have mistaken her for a mini grim reaper how it sat on her.....

The next day we popped into town, we had seen that in Valley Gardens there was a family fun day themed in the 1940's. We went along taking the children with us. Many people were dressed up as soldiers or wearing styles of the 40's. We saw some steam engines and children's rides from the 40's. Eldest has never been one for rides but today saw her change her mind and actually she wanted to go on the see saw swings, so we paid the £1 entry fee for her to decide 30 seconds later that shes in fact didn't want to be on it....

We sat in the park and took in the view of the surrounding area, as we sat and ate out very typically British lunch of ham and cheese toasties with a spot of tea a marching band went past playing music to entertain us, it was very loud but fun to see...

 After a spot of lunch we walked around.Valley gardens is a very pretty park in the middle of the town. It has a stream with ducks in it, which made eldest child happy as we had finally found some ducks after our failed attempt early this year on our duck hunt, unfortunately this time we forgot the bread...

 After the 40's themed day in the park we decided to walk home, we walked past the stray in Harrogate which over the last week has had a fun fair on it. We stopped by to walk around it, Eldest decided she was going to be daring again and wanted to go on the rides. So she was told that if she went on a ride she wouldn't be able to get off and would have to stay on until the ride ends. She agreed and was allowed on the rides, as she went on her first, she grew more and more daring enjoying more and more daring rides....

 And it wasn't just eldest who had fun, I saw a football game where you had the option to kick a football at either Rooney or Messi and try to knock them over. I thought this was a great opportunity for myself to smack Rooney square in the head....

 Which I successfully managed....

Meaning a prize for daughters....

After all this fun it was time to go home and rest. It's been a long weekend, but also a fun weekend. We have seen lots and it's been nice weather. Hopefully this is just the start of many more great events this summer

Day 162 Daddy Daughter

This past weekend has seen us all have some good family fun. I have spent time with all 3 of my girls and its been nice. Thankfully the weather has also been nice, so we have spent the large part of it outdoors enjoying different events and doing a lot of walking. Todays pic, is actually 2 pictures, the first of me a youngest enjoying a ride in daddy's arms....

the second of eldest enjoying a ride on my shoulders....

who needs the gym when I've go to carry these two around!

Day 150 2 sisters

Aren't they cute, here they are enjoying each others company, eldest is playing her little sister a song in her xylophone...

Day 112 A visit

Today mummy went off to Blogcamp in Birmingham. Leaving me with the girls. So I enlisted to help of Nana and my nephew CJ, along with his mam. So we took the kids to Winkies, a local play area for children.

Both ER and CJ enjoyed being able to run around,play and be crazy and loud. Meanwhile TV got lots of attention by her Nana and her auntie.

CJ decided to part take on what has become mine and ERs weekly funny face competition....

And of course ER had to have hers taken....

Meanwhile TV was getting plenty of hugs and attention by Nana...

I'm guessing it won't be too long before she's up and playing with her sister and cousin. Meanwhile ER's trusty sidekick Rabbit guarded her shoes by wearing them whilst also getting ready 8 months ahead of time for Christmas by wearing a Santa coat...

After playing at Winkies for a good 3 hours we headed home so we could wave Nana and CJ off. A lively day spent with great family, we hope mummy had a nice relaxing day at her blogfest.

Easter at Nanas

The past few days we have spent at the girls Nanas for Easter, this was time well spent. She hadn't seen the girls for around 6 weeks and since then had been on holiday. This means however the girls got spoilt....

They obviously got plenty of Easter eggs that thankfully after a few days she forgot how many and so the sugar highs have been reduced. Even youngest child TV who is only 4 months old got an Easter egg, but alas I guess I will have to eat it for her on account she has no teeth, yet.

Whilst at Nanas house we obviously got to spend some quality time with family and allow the children to play with there cousin. The nicest thing was getting to catch up with my old school friends many if whom were also back up for the weekend. Now some of these I see regularly and some not do regularly.

Within my group of friends there's only really one who has kids. Another friend of mine I hadn't seen for around 5 years has recently had a child. Whilst a few of my other friends were there who hadn't any desire to have any kids anytime soon.

I heard a sentence I thought I was a good 10 years off hearing from eldest daughter when she said, "Im watching the football, cos that boy smiled at me" uh oh was my first though it's started already, teenage crushes on boys when she's only 4!!!!

The weekend speant at Nanas though ultimately allowed me and my OH some greatly recieved adult time. Nana looking after the girls, whilst we go for a curry and then plenty if alcoholic refreshments, lovely indeed and I end up walking in the pubs store cupboard instead out of the door which was there the last time I visited this pub, I swear!

Now the weekend is over there's only 1 thing left to do, and that's eat the kids Easter eggs, of course we are doing this to ensure they don't eat too much and be unhealthy, of course.

Day 99 Happy Daughters

Now these are 2 cute pictures. Both my daughters looking very happy and smiling. This will be a photo to keep, when I see these pictures it makes everything in day-to-day life worthwhile...

Day 94 two cuties

Now this us a picture. The two sisters playing happily together. Ok one is a little too old for this toy but this will be a picture we look at often in the future and say, "Aww look how cute they both are playing together nicely and not fighting" once we get to the teenage years and they start fighting instead of playing I'm getting a dog and taking up rambling!

Day 85 Fun in the Sun

Ahhhh Spring is here, the sun is shining and apparently in some places this weekend it's hotter than the Sahara in good old Blighty ! Obviously after going out to celebrate OH's birthday last night I we were feeling a little rough, once we were awake and felt better we headed to pick up our lovely daughters.

As we arrived we stayed at grandpas for a little while to play in his lovely garden, TV sat on her big sister chair...

Whilst we played a spot of improvised cricket....

Life's a beach

Last weekend saw us embrace the sunny weather and hit the seaside with the kids. Although the weekend started with a sombre affair for my OH having to attend a family funeral it gave me time to look after the girls by myself, something I don't get much to do.

We decided this was the perfect opportunity to go shopping for mummy's mothers day and birthday pressies. We got our tools and started work, eventually we ended up making this rather nifty looking card for mummy....

The next day mummy again left me with the girls as she went to the salon to be pampered for her birthday. I fed the children whilst youngest decided to have a 3 hour nap straight after hampering our days activities. After this we headed towards Scarborough to grab a bit to eat before meeting up with mummy who looked very relaxed and refreshed after her mornings worth of pampering. We then headed towards the seaside, this was the first time youngest had ever been to the seaside, and the first time I've took eldest there. In Scarborough there's the old tram that takes you down, we opted for this route, although I can never remember going on this as a child myself....

As we reached the bottom if the hill we decided to nip into one if the arcades.....

But eldest was a little scared of them....

As we reached the seafront a thousand memories came flooding back. I hadn't been to Scarborough since I was about 10, but can remember walking along the seafront scaring my mum half to death thinking I've run off when I was busy playing on the games in the arcades trying to persuade her to give me some more money. We then went to get an ice cream, mummy insisted on going to a certain ice cream shop that she'd always go to as a little girl so we each plumped for our individual tastes, mummy went for a full lemon ice cream....

I went for a strawberry topped Ice cream....

And eldest went for a milk lolly....

Youngest didn't think much about daddy's ice cream....

And eldest didn't think much of mummy's....

But as we strolled along the seafront with our ice creams, in what then turned typical colder weather mummy then said, "oh wait, that's the ice cream shop!" she'd made us go to the wrong place, silly ! On our way back we let eldest walk along the beach which she enjoyed but myself and youngest had to walk on the Path as the wheels to the pram wouldn't move in the sand. So eldest was looking cute walking hand in hand with mummy....

As walking on the sand, the temptation is too great not to play with it and allow the small grains slip through her fingers so eldest must pick up the sand and throw it around, I'm just surprised she didn't get any in her eye....

And of course just was the girls get off the beach and back onto tarmac, they must get rid of all the sand that has collected in their shoes, after all we love the beach but we don;t ant to take it home with us....

On our way home both girls had a nice sleep as of course the day was long , and I couldn't resist but take a picture of eldest as she slept, she'll probably kill me for this photo one day when she's older....

We promised her another trip back to the seaside so she can build a sandcastle next time, that'll be interesting!