Megan's is Eight!!

Megan turned eight in December. I just can't believe how fast time goes. It seems only like yesterday that I was allowed home from hospital for Christmas day before they induced me to have a new little girl. And now with her turning eight, it was time for her to be baptised at church. She was so excited to be (as she put it) 'I just can't wait to be a real member of the church and to feel fresh'. I am so grateful to have her in my life and for her to teach me many things - like patience and how to stay calm!! She brings so much to our family and I thank Heavenly Father everyday for her.

 

Megan at her baptism

 Megan with Mummy, Daddy and Grandad Sean and Nana Dawn

 Megan

 Megan with Grandad Sean and Nana Dawn

 Megan with Grandad Barry and Nana Jean

 Our Family

Megan and her best friend Izzy

Megan and Daddy

With Mummy and Daddy

Megan with Uncle John, Auntie Amy, Malcolm and Amber

Hotel stay

Back in September we had to stay in a hotel - Four Pillars, for 2 weeks while the army were doing some work on our house. We loved it for the first 3 days but then got very bored of room service, going back and forth to do laundry, cooked breakfast ever morning (how could you not when staying in a hotel!!), sharing a two room apartment for the five of us and never feeling quite at home! The hotel staff though were great, very helpful when bringing meals to our room or eating in the restaurant.

The view from the balcony's of our rooms.

 

Our room

 This is how we found the girls bed every time house keeping came in - how cute, the girls couldn't wait to get back to the hotel from school to see how they had arranged the bears.



Father Christmas at Slimbridge

What a lovely visit to Slimbridge. While there we decided to visit Father Christmas and it was the best worth while visit to a Father Christmas we have ever had. Father Christmas is in hut and as you can see from the first picture was decorated really nice - very natural. We were not rushed, he spoke to the kids for over 10 minutes (how many other places have we been rushed in and out in less than 2 minutes). And the gifts were great, gifts that we actually will keep - not like the rubbish things they normal get (less than a pound items). Their gifts were actually from the shop there and cost £2.99+ (Emily's they sell for £3.50) which is fantastic as going to see Father Christmas only cost £4.00. What a bargain!!

Megan Cooking

Megan making Jen's lovely cinnamon rolls - love this recipe

Find Jen's e cookbook here

http://www.jenthousandwords.com/p/sweet-things.html

Reading blog

I thought I would start a blog, reviewing the books that I read and saying if I would recommend them or not.

http://whatrebeccasread.blogspot.co.uk

Crickley Hill Country Park

These are photo's from the summer when visiting Crickley Hill Country Park. The kids love visiting here as the park have lots of different trails and also when cutting down branches they leave them around for families to make/build dens.

 

These are two that the kids made (Jaiden my niece's child was staying with us at the time - he loved getting dirty and collecting logs/branchs to build dens).

 

 April 2011 one of the parks largest trees was blown over in high winds. Its a great climbing frame!

 

 PREME - stands for Paul, Rebecca, Emily, Megan and Ethan. After the tree blow down, we were the first to engrave on the trunk!

Jaiden found the largest branch for his den!

 

 Ethan leading the way!!

((this photo is when we first engraved PREME - April 2011))



Blank wall

I've had a blank wall in my bedroom for months and months, trying to find a picture to go there.


I had something in mind, I wanted something that had pink, teal and maybe a heart on it - these being the colours I have in my room and I have a few hearts around. I didn't think I was looking for anything to hard, I would have been ok with just the colours but would have been happier if the picture had a heart too, but I just couldn't find anything I liked. A few months ago I was speaking to a friend of mine Becky and talking to her about this wall, when all of a sudden I looked a her and thought, get Becky to paint a painting for me. Becky is a local artist - this is her website - www.cotswoldcre8.co.uk

I just told her what I wanted colour wise and theme and then let her use her imagination and design a painting for me. After a few months this is now my new painting. It was worth the wait and money, as I now have a one off painting and finally no longer have a blank wall!!!! I really love it.


I spent the first few days just lying on my bed looking at all the different hearts and trying to count them all!!


(Sorry about finger in top corner!!)

Books - Kindle

I used to love reading and would read often but when Megan was born, time and tiredness took over and books were put to the side to collect dust!

Back in May after listening to my friend Frances talk about a book that she had just finished made me want to pick up a book again and read. And what a great decision that was. I love reading and its only now that I realise how many good books i've missed out on reading (a lot to caught up on!).

Paul brought me a Kindle for my birthday and I love it - I have read loads on it. I love the size and the fact that I can take it away with lots of books on it, saving so much room in my bag rather than carrying paperback books. But I still love a paperback book too, in fact the book i'm reading at the moment is a paperback.

Here is one of my favourite books that i've read so far this year.


‘Before I Go To Sleep’ by S J Watson 

With this book, I was hooked after the first paragraph! I actually hadn't heard of 'Before I Go To Sleep' before being recommended by my friend Frances. Because I haven’t been reading any books for a while, I hadn’t paid any attention of the latest bestsellers and hot reads. Even though Frances had told me how good the book was, I was still surprised how much I loved it. I found I just couldn’t put this book down, and to me this was a sign on how good the book was. I don’t want to hint at or spoil anything so I wont to say anything about the story, I just know if you are looking for a great read, this book is for you! You won't be disappointed!

I have been meaning to post these photos for a while (but I’m rubbish at blogging!!). 

 

Back at the beginning of the year I was asked to help organise a medieval banquet by KS1 teachers at the kid’s school. (For children aged 4 to 7 years). The reason I was asked was that I had mentioned to the teachers that rather than having the banquet in the school hall it was a shame we couldn’t have it somewhere that was more little a castle/palace. (The whole term was on this theme and this was to to the ending party). That’s when I started thinking, (not a good thing to do!!). On the army barracks where we live, the officers’ mess is a very large kind of modern palace (that’s what Megan calls it!), so I thought what a great place to have it. That’s where I came in…two months later of planning, the flags were put up, the banquet made, this dancing practiced and everyone dressed the part. We had a King and Queen who Knighted the boys and made the little girls into little princess. It was a lovely day and hopefully one the kids will all remember.

 

Megan and Ethan in their home-made outfits.