A fine busy summer holiday

Olympic park on our London Olympic Adventure!

Watching the triathlon bikers with Ella.

Supporting Team GB! Two peas in a pod.

We paid £15 to a nice retired couple to park in their drive.  Would rather help them than some greedy big business. Plus they let us use their nice clean toilet.

Scary eyes Ollie on the mini steam train in Cleethorpes.

Gorgeous Katya on the ride.

Katya loves her Ella Bella in Cleethorpes.

Riding the donkeys at the beach.  They loved it.  Katya rode Denzel and Ollie on Charlie.

Sutton-on-Sea paddling pool with Daddy.

Hours of fun buildings forts and puddles.

She loved being buried this after.

This is before!! What a sweetie!

Passing on the Sam Florence sandcastle tradition. We had so much fun building them!

Gorgeous day at the seaside.  I love all the colours.

Forest of Dean sculpture garden. Beautiful day!

Check out the giant links in those chains at the Gloucester Docks!

This is Puzzlewood forest in the Forest of Dean. It was a favourite spot of JR Tolkein and is speculated to be his inspiration for Fangorn Forest.  It was AMAZING!  If anyone comes to visit I want to take you there!

I braved the forest on my own with 3 monkies, one in a pack on my tummy.  Be impressed be very impressed!

Ollie the explorer at Puzzlewood.

How cool is this place? The pictures don't do it any justice, it is truly one of the most amazing places I have been!

This is a very typical cheeky face from MIss Bell!

We went to a beautiful estate near Bath called, Dyrham Park.

You know you want to play in this tree!  How cool!

That close to a pack of fallow deer bucks.  The rangers were great with the kids!

Climbing amazing trees at Dyrham.

Best buddy National Trust members! How beautiful is that view?

Even nice weather in Birmingham...

We have a fun family tradition of watching the sunset on the first Sunday evening of the summer holiday.We spent it at Clent Hills on a lovely warm evening.  The sun didn't set until after 9:30.

How funny are they? Gloucester Cathedral where they filmed the Harry Potter Hogwarts hallway scenes.

Catch Up Picture Explosion

 It has taken us many months, but here a few new photos! Including Diamond Jubilee celebration pictures at Katya and Oliver's school, a walk in a bluebell forest picture, and Ella's birthday!

 Katya, friends and her glamorous teacher Miss Phillips

 Patriotic Katya!  Looking far too grown up for my liking!

 Ollie and his best buddies,  Solomon and Oscar.  How cute are they?

 Pirate dress up day.  She really didn't want to be girlie at all.  We even had a girl pirate dress which she refused.  Thank heavens Ollie likes pirates too!

 The first tooth gone.  You can even see the new one, which came in before the other one was so rudely extracted by Mommy, Grandma Marty style!

 Daddy and Ella in bluebell forest.  She loves smiling for the camera!

They do like each other!

 Hiding in a pixie hollow! Note the awesome Wellies Katya has on.  There was a lot of mud this day!

 Katya, Ollie and Amelia (the next door neighbor's granddaughter) collecting flowers from the garden at a Monday night impromptu school night BBQ! You got to do it when you have the weather in this country!

 How sparkly are her eyes!  Ollie looks slight drugged, but they are such similair buds!

 That is the cheeky face I love that Ella makes! She is a sweetie!

My first handbag!  She loves it!  Thanks Finley, Callum, and Teigan!

 Serious cupcake eating!

How blue are those eyes?

Merry Merry!!

We opened stockings and had Santa gifts before church!! At least they are happy!


Ollie with the Legoman torch (flashlight for you yanks!) . He loves it!!


The cuteness of sitting baby Ella is great. She got several really fun toys and was equally excited with the wrapping paper!


Ella's happy! Somehow I convinced the kids that Santa sometimes comes into your attic and recycles toys for younger brothers and sisters because they don't need 2 giant rocking toys, for example. They bought it, so weren't worried that Santa gave Ella a toy we already had in the attic!


The full legoman invasion. Tell me I am a cool mom. He also got a note from Santa that said if he started to dismember the legomen, that mommy would have to take the away. He has not removed one body part. Well done me!


She has played with it maybe 2 times, but she has her Barbie.


Christmas Eve Arab chidren. Katya was unsure of the coolness...


Being reverent for the Christmas Eve program. They are certainly sweet!!!


In bed before 11 and not up unitl after 8am Christmas morning. It was all ready for them!!!!