Visit from Ben's family

It has been a couple of weeks since I last updated the blog but that is because we have been so busy DOING STUFF, which has been lovely!

Last Friday we drove down to Preston to visit the Temple. Our church has 140 Temples worldwide, two of them are in this country- one near London and the other in Preston. In temples, we participate in ordinances designed to join families together forever and help them return to God and we believe that the Temples are houses of God. I had a lovely time- the Temple is a very peaceful place to be, and we met up with some friends and Ben's family too while we were there. Great!

On our way back home we were followed back up by Ben's family who came stay during half term! They have three foster children staying with them and we visited castles, went bowling, went to a Halloween party, went along the seafront, walked up a local hill (Kirkhill), ate lots at pizza Hut and our favourite carvery and burned a LOT of wood and coal up in our fire (Ben's Dad declared the house freezing and since he was sleeping in there he got a bit enthusiastic with the evening fires... one day you couldn't see the room for the smoke!!) :) Good fun had by all, and the house seems a bit quiet now.

Here are some photos documenting the week:

Video of Zach's first food from a spoon!

This is for Nanna and Granddad, because their computer wouldn't let them watch the link I emailed them. Here is live footage of Zach's first mouthful of baby rice:

Zachy Baby eats food from a spoon!

Hooray! Last week the fun began- I finally gave in and gave Zach his first taste of something that wasn't milk.  Well, he didn't exactly take it well! We gave him his first spoonful of baby rice (my milk mixed with a bit of powdery stuff) on Wednesday evening. First he looked disgusted. Then, he totally bawled it!!!!!!! He calmed down but after every single spoonful he pulled a disgusted face. Ha! Since then, his disgust has slowly turned to crazy excitement and he kicks his little legs and gurgles when I put his bib on. Fab! He has been having a few spoonfuls of porridge-y stuff or baby rice at lunch, and a few more at tea. So far his nightfeedings are down to about four (instead of six) so that's an improvement, hooray!!!!!

This lunchtime I cracked out his first REAL food: sweet potato and parsnip purée. It went down a treat and he ate quite a few spoonfuls!! Oliver and I tried a bit too and it really was delicious, maybe we'll crack it out for Ben for tea later :)

Something not so great this week happened on Thursday night: I managed to ram the church gate with the car. I was opening up our church carpark and I only unlocked one of the two gates and you can usually fit in but I took it at a dodgy angle and totally managed to take the gate WITH me as I drove in... ahhhh!!! Now the bit of metal that locks the gate down is totally bent and the gate won't entirely close or open and everyone had to dodge it on Sunday... uh oh!! Thankfully the church aren't going to sue me and amazingly the only damage is to the plastic on the door on the driver's side (and a small dent but you can only see it in the light!?)

And just for fun, here are the boys wearing their wintry hats last week (it is CHILLY up here!)

New addition to the family!

This is Pearl, she is lovely old lady. She was born around 1920, in London. It looks as though she has had some trying times in her life (at least one world war and a lot of battering in at least one Primary school) but she is going to last us at least a couple of years, we hope!

P.S. I am VERY excited about this and am trying to learn a new piece or two every week!!!!!!!!! Two days in and I am still practising every day :D

Zach on the move: The One with the Bouncy Chair

I am so glad I caught this Zachy action on camera today! I think this is one of the highlights of my life!!!

Two Beautiful Boys

Here is a general update on the boys since we haven't had internet for a month and they have grown a LOT in that time!

I am really enjoying teaching and loving them both at the moment. Zach is such a happy little boy- he laughs and smiles all the day long. He particularly likes it when Oliver and I poke our noses and say "beep beep". He is growing very fast and is a really big boy- but very proportional- he genuinely looks OLD rather than fat!! (Of course I would say that, I'm his Mother!) All of a sudden he is waking 4+ times a night and during the day he wants to be fed every hour-and-a-half and sometimes every hour! Cracking out the baby rice and purées soon I think...

Oliver is a total sponge. He attempts to say every word going, with the most wonderful almost foreign-sounding accent!! He loves to chat about cushions, tractors, diggers, snack, Zach (his absolute favourite topic), wheels, Peppa (Pig), books, trousers and everything else in between. I am totally bowled over now by his speech and understanding since he had a pretty slow start!! Motherhood has taken on a whole new, deeply satisfying level, knowing that 95% of his vocabulary or understanding is what I have helped teach him. Brilliant!

Oliver is ALWAYS kissing and hugging his brother

They came with me to the dentist! My favourite photo

First time in the swing went well!

After a bath :)

Our new home!

I LOVE our house. This is the SIXTH house we have lived in since getting married (three years ago today!) and I have never been as emotionally attached as I have been to this one. It is spacious, beautiful, light and bright, has lots of big cupboards, lets me sleep more now that Zach sleeps a hall away, has a lovely long washing line that Ben has fixed up for me and we have now bought our own furniture!! (We had only rented furnished houses before.) All very exciting, and we have it for the year! Oliver is having a great time tearing around from room to room and doesn't get frustrated being cooped up in just one- parenting is suddenly a breeze (ish...)

Here is a mini tour:

Lounge!

Dining room/kitchen (I LOVE this room!!)

The boys in the dining room!

The village-y view from our bedroom!

Oliver's window!  Home made window seat to come..

I will take more photos when I have finished projects on Oliver and Zach's rooms- Owls for Zach and Cars for Oliver (what else?!)

The house is big so come and visit! It is also pretty chilly up here so we could do with a few extra bodies to warm it up too :)