Long awaited update



Hi Everyone,
 you will have noticed we've been quiet since Christmas, well it's not that we haven't been busy, but I have been lucky enough to have been quite busy with work.  Even my work blog has ground to a halt once more (another new years resolution bites the dust).

I thought it was about time I tried to update everyone.

Kai, is doing well at school, I'm surprised at how quickly his reading has improved and his his maths work coming on a treat.  He's had awards recently for being able to read data from a bar chart of Smarties  and also "star of the week" for being polite, well mannered and generally good behaviour in class (something strange must happen to him in the car journey home from school).
He goes to an arts activity club on a Tuesday after school (one night they painted his face for him it's supposed to be a dinosaur), It's for 4-12 yrs old and he seems to love it, although it does help his best mates from school Chris and Sarah the twins are there too.  He's still into his trains, loves watching Scooby Doo and probably is fed up of his Mummy and Daddy telling him they used to watch it when they were little too.

Dino-Kai

Sun-shades

Alana is growing up fast.  She loves doing whatever her big brother does but she's also into girlie stuff.  She's turning a right little dare-devil,  She loves to climb indoor and outdoor play centres, crossing rope bridges, the only time she needs a bit of help is when she tries climbing the bigger steps and sometimes needs big bro to help her up.  She loves her dollies and is getting into Barbie.  She loves watching Humpf from Nick Jr and the Barbie films.   Both she and Kai enjoy watching Disney films and we're been to the cinema a few times this year to see things like Tangled, Gnomeo and Juliet  and Rango. 

Are you Sure Mum?



Sharing our picnic with a range of dolls



little miss dare-devil

Ain't no stopping her now!

On our way to a picnic

I'm well, been busy with Pippas Web  some web design, some work on search engine optimisation and I've had a few moment to re-design my twitter and facebook fanpage. 

Mark's had a bit of a rough time lately, he's known since before Xmas that his department at work was going be moving people over to another hospital trust in Stoke.  However he'd also figured out they didn't need another deputy manager.  However since then the trusts have been fighting over him, well over who would make him redundant.  It turned out two days before the big "move" (end of march) that his HR dept said it wasn't worth fighting it out anymore (no kidding)  anyway the upshot is he now is undergoing his 30 day consultation period before being made redundant, he'll be paid up to the end of May but at the moment we're still unsure if they're expecting him to actually be at work till then or give him the money in lieu of notice.  He's been applying for loads of jobs all over the country, so if you know of a payroll deputy manager or manager position going anywhere please do let us know.
He's got an interview next week in Nottingham.  We drove over there today, looks a nice area, there's a big country park near by which we also visited.  So maybe I'll be able to indulge my fascination Robin Hood (which I've had since childhood). 

So for now, all I can say is watch this space.....  oh and maybe leave us a message below and tell us what's been happening to you.

Two holidays and a house move

This summer, to allow me time to pack, Kai went on holidays on his own to visit his Nanna first, and then he and Alana went to Grandma and Uncle Lee's.

We drove to Mark's Mum's convinced there'd be a scene at the end of our stay and that Kai would want to come home with us, but in fact he was thrilled to be stopping with his Nanna.

We'd made the mistake of telling him about a visit he was going to make to see a friend of his Nanna and her Granddaughter, and despite the fact it wasn't due to happen until the end of the week Kai start the usual questioning when we go to ......?

It was a bit strange not having him around for such a period of time (1 week) but we spoke every day ( well Kai's idea of talking to people).  However I did notice I was generally less wound up by him on his return which made me happier and I'm sure he would agree.

He'd just got settled home when it was decided that he and Alana would be going up North during the move.  We were waiting for our completion date.
I drove them to the halfway point at Charnock Richards services on the M6 arriving after Mum and Lee.  As it was the day before my birthday Mum had even brought some birthday cake for us to share. 

Unfortunately after we went our separate ways, Mum, Lee and the kids got held up in static traffic, thanks to the M6 Jumper (who didn't).  Even with the additional delay they were really good for them in the car.

While they were there they did things like cake making and Kai had lessons from Uncle Lee.  Kai even got a train ride. My Mum couldn't get on the train with him so she asked on of the train enthusiasts that were there, I think he would have appreciated it more if he was a bit older.

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Kai at the park



Alana and Upsy Daisy



Kai got a ride on the train, and made a new friend.



Lessons with Uncle Lee.
















On Wed 25th Aug after over a year of being on the market, we finally moved house.
The removal men arrived just before 9am, and while I was still packing around them we managed to load everything onto the lorries.  We left a few cleaning things behind so Mark could come back to tidy up the next day, then retrieved the cats who'd been locked in the loft, did one finally run to the dump and then away we drove up the M5 / M6 to Stafford.  We had to go to the letting agents to get the keys then make our way to the house where the removal guys were trying to catch 40 winks waiting for us.

They unloaded everything.  Our Divan bed and wrought iron headboard of course wouldn't go up the second set of stairs to the  loft room that we'd decided would be ours.  The number of boxes piles in the lounge meant you had to squeeze through between them and the sofas (which looked way too big).  So our first job after the removal men was to go bed buying about 4:30pm.  We checked several shops and several beds, we needed a flat pack one to get up the stairs but also quite sturdy to take our weight.  We managed to find one but it would be over a week till it could be delivered.  Luckily we had some flat packed single beds from the old house that had been in the attic there.  So Mark spent his first night setting the beds up.

That night I awoke at 3am and started to panic about the house and all that needed doing and got my self in a right stew.  So I went downstairs and started to right to do lists and a welcome letter to the new owners of our house in Worcester.
Mark got up at 6 by which time I'd stopped panicing he went back to Worcester to sort out cleaning the house, handing over the keys etc.  which left me to sort the new house.  Not too much got unpacked between phone calls to the agents about the stuff that needed sorting and calls from Mum and the kids, calls to say tradesmen were coming to sort the house etc.

We had a few days to try and get things a little straighter, the kids bedrooms and the lounge were our priority before they were brought back on the sat by Mum.  I showed them their new rooms.  Alana also had to contend with the fact that we had made her cot into a bed, something she hasn't had a problem with at all. 

I'm so proud of my brave children  they've been off on holiday with out me or Daddy, and have taken to Stafford life as thought they've always lived here.  Although Kai misses his friends, he's been busy making friends with the two children next door and at school (more to come)
So really all that it leaves me to say now is Hello Stafford, Bring it on.