Oct 2012 - March 2013
Ok, so its March 2013 and I'm trying to focus my mind back on what we were doing last Oct - that really is not easy - especially for the little stuff. I would love to be a proper blogger but I am just too lazy (or it would certainly appear that way!). However, I'm going to give in one LAST CHANCE. We have done so much lovely stuff in the past 6 months that I can't just let it go past without a mention. So this is going to be a mega post with lots of the fun stuff we've done. And then, every Monday morning, I am going to update this blog. I am. I am. I am.
Disneyland
This time we went with the Greenes and we had a fab time. Beautiful weather (it had been 110f a couple of days before we got there - fortunately cooling down to the 90s in time for our arrival!). Cars Land had opened and was heaving but maybe this quietened down the rest of the park as queuing was not too bad. We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald and even found Jake. We did the grown up rides as well as the kiddie ones (not sure you'd get me on the haunted house of terror again though!). Phia even lost her first tooth on the way to the parade! Everyone had a ball.
Halloween
Our neighbourhood put on a real show. They was some proper spooky stuff going on - very weird. The kids adored it though - its def Phia's favourite 'holiday'!
Santa Cruz
Ste and I got a little R and R time when Mum came over to stay. We headed to Santa Cruz to stay in the hotel break we had 'won' in the Children's Corner auction in March. The hotel was lovely, we had cocktails in the hot tub under the stars. The next day we hit the beach and the big dipper. Ste even got me to go on the massive up and downy thing - never again. It was the first weekend in Nov and 30c- the novelty of this will stay with me forever :)
Thanksgiving
A visit from uncle Dave made this 'holiday' all the more special. Thanksgiving day itself was a traditional turkey dinner (pizza for the kids) with our friends, Lorraine, Shay and the girls and also Clare, Rich and their boys Ben and Alex who had just moved back over to San Jose. Oh, and of course Uncle Dave. I think the American's would have been very proud of our efforts! Then it was off to Bodega Bay with UD for a few days by the beach. Again the weather was so kind, it was beautiful. We stayed in a cabin overlooking the beach with its own hot tub. We flew kites on the beach and had a wonderful time.
Christmas
Christmas started properly on Christmas eve where Sophia and Natalie performed in the Christmas pageant at Lorraine's church (that we shamefacedly gatecrashed). Sophia was the Star of Bethlehem and Natalie an Angel. So beautiful. Then the Greenes hosted Christmas day meal. Plenty of wine and food consumed finished off nicely be a round of sing star. Kids eventually got to bed at 11. Good times :)
New Year New York
Fabulous new year in New York with Mum and Rich. Did all the touristy bits - Statue of Lib, Rockefeller Skating in Central Park (well Phia and Pops did!), Grand central station, Mary Poppins on Broadway (was brilliant) and we even had some snow! New Year bells (?!!) on the top of our rooftop terrace trying to stop the ball (we didn't). Great start to 2013.
The beach in Winter
Sharks in the water, tiny seastars on the ground, sun in the sky. There's nothing more perfect than a Californian Winter day on the beach.
Lake Tahoe - skiing (part one)
Being the bad parents we are the Moles, the Greenes and the Somerfields took our kids out of school for the Friday and headed up to Tahoe for an extended weekend. A wonderful time followed. Lorraine and I had a skiing lesson - Lorraine but pretty good but I was hopeless - I just had no control! Ste and Shay took to the hills by themselves whilst the kids also had lessons too. And they were just brilliant I nearly died (to coin an American phrase when I saw my tiny Tommy coming down the hill on a pair of miniature skis. Wonderful stuff. We also sledded and tubed. The house was great and fitted us all in perfectly. Also managed to sample the delights of the hot tub. Fab weekend.
Birthdays and a visit home
So Tommy turned 4 and Phia turned 6 - much celebration ensued. T had a little Gym party and Phia a Mary Poppins one at home - much fun was had. In the middle of this was a trip back to England, another party and chance to catch up with our favourites and our bests as Lola would say :)
Zero the Hero
Sophia took to the stage in her drama class production of Hero the Zero. She was really good, so confident. And soon as she clocked Hannah watching her she seemed to explode into life!
Bear Valley - skiing (part two)
After the success of the Tahoe trip we though we'd have another go. Just the Moles and the Greenes this time and the different location of Bear Valley - supposedly a bit closer than Tahoe although still a long way away. Neither of the kids got on quite as well this time with the lessons (in general because they were shit!) but once Ste had them skiing down the slope in the afternoon they were loving it again. And whats more Ste actually managed to teach me to ski down the hill, without falling over, and stopping myself at the end - result! Yes it was the nursery slope that all the 4 year olds were coming down but progress is progress. As thats now the end of the skiing season for us lets hope I don't forget it all by next year (I will, of course). We stayed in a lovely little condo and had fun with the Greenes as usual. We also went sledding on the Sunday before the drive home. I could get used to winter holidays :)
Ok, so its March 2013 and I'm trying to focus my mind back on what we were doing last Oct - that really is not easy - especially for the little stuff. I would love to be a proper blogger but I am just too lazy (or it would certainly appear that way!). However, I'm going to give in one LAST CHANCE. We have done so much lovely stuff in the past 6 months that I can't just let it go past without a mention. So this is going to be a mega post with lots of the fun stuff we've done. And then, every Monday morning, I am going to update this blog. I am. I am. I am.
Disneyland
This time we went with the Greenes and we had a fab time. Beautiful weather (it had been 110f a couple of days before we got there - fortunately cooling down to the 90s in time for our arrival!). Cars Land had opened and was heaving but maybe this quietened down the rest of the park as queuing was not too bad. We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald and even found Jake. We did the grown up rides as well as the kiddie ones (not sure you'd get me on the haunted house of terror again though!). Phia even lost her first tooth on the way to the parade! Everyone had a ball.
Halloween
Our neighbourhood put on a real show. They was some proper spooky stuff going on - very weird. The kids adored it though - its def Phia's favourite 'holiday'!
Santa Cruz
Ste and I got a little R and R time when Mum came over to stay. We headed to Santa Cruz to stay in the hotel break we had 'won' in the Children's Corner auction in March. The hotel was lovely, we had cocktails in the hot tub under the stars. The next day we hit the beach and the big dipper. Ste even got me to go on the massive up and downy thing - never again. It was the first weekend in Nov and 30c- the novelty of this will stay with me forever :)
Thanksgiving
A visit from uncle Dave made this 'holiday' all the more special. Thanksgiving day itself was a traditional turkey dinner (pizza for the kids) with our friends, Lorraine, Shay and the girls and also Clare, Rich and their boys Ben and Alex who had just moved back over to San Jose. Oh, and of course Uncle Dave. I think the American's would have been very proud of our efforts! Then it was off to Bodega Bay with UD for a few days by the beach. Again the weather was so kind, it was beautiful. We stayed in a cabin overlooking the beach with its own hot tub. We flew kites on the beach and had a wonderful time.
Christmas
Christmas started properly on Christmas eve where Sophia and Natalie performed in the Christmas pageant at Lorraine's church (that we shamefacedly gatecrashed). Sophia was the Star of Bethlehem and Natalie an Angel. So beautiful. Then the Greenes hosted Christmas day meal. Plenty of wine and food consumed finished off nicely be a round of sing star. Kids eventually got to bed at 11. Good times :)
New Year New York
Fabulous new year in New York with Mum and Rich. Did all the touristy bits - Statue of Lib, Rockefeller Skating in Central Park (well Phia and Pops did!), Grand central station, Mary Poppins on Broadway (was brilliant) and we even had some snow! New Year bells (?!!) on the top of our rooftop terrace trying to stop the ball (we didn't). Great start to 2013.
The beach in Winter
Sharks in the water, tiny seastars on the ground, sun in the sky. There's nothing more perfect than a Californian Winter day on the beach.
Lake Tahoe - skiing (part one)
Being the bad parents we are the Moles, the Greenes and the Somerfields took our kids out of school for the Friday and headed up to Tahoe for an extended weekend. A wonderful time followed. Lorraine and I had a skiing lesson - Lorraine but pretty good but I was hopeless - I just had no control! Ste and Shay took to the hills by themselves whilst the kids also had lessons too. And they were just brilliant I nearly died (to coin an American phrase when I saw my tiny Tommy coming down the hill on a pair of miniature skis. Wonderful stuff. We also sledded and tubed. The house was great and fitted us all in perfectly. Also managed to sample the delights of the hot tub. Fab weekend.
Birthdays and a visit home
So Tommy turned 4 and Phia turned 6 - much celebration ensued. T had a little Gym party and Phia a Mary Poppins one at home - much fun was had. In the middle of this was a trip back to England, another party and chance to catch up with our favourites and our bests as Lola would say :)
Zero the Hero
Sophia took to the stage in her drama class production of Hero the Zero. She was really good, so confident. And soon as she clocked Hannah watching her she seemed to explode into life!
Bear Valley - skiing (part two)
After the success of the Tahoe trip we though we'd have another go. Just the Moles and the Greenes this time and the different location of Bear Valley - supposedly a bit closer than Tahoe although still a long way away. Neither of the kids got on quite as well this time with the lessons (in general because they were shit!) but once Ste had them skiing down the slope in the afternoon they were loving it again. And whats more Ste actually managed to teach me to ski down the hill, without falling over, and stopping myself at the end - result! Yes it was the nursery slope that all the 4 year olds were coming down but progress is progress. As thats now the end of the skiing season for us lets hope I don't forget it all by next year (I will, of course). We stayed in a lovely little condo and had fun with the Greenes as usual. We also went sledding on the Sunday before the drive home. I could get used to winter holidays :)
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