First (probably only!) trip to the Beach 2012

A quick word for biker boy, before I recount our day out to the beach. He's learned to use his brake sufficiently well that I had the confidence to take him on the "busy" road into Edzell today. His first effort at the 5 mile round trip went very well, I think we have a proper little Bradley in the making. He just can't get enough of his bike at the moment.

This week has been one of those rare ones where both mum and dad are off work. We're making the most of the family thing before mum buggers off across the world to earn some pennies next week. We had a proper day out at the beach on Wednesday, which I've found helps get the body out of nightshift pretty well!

R & O venture back from the sea.

But not for long....it's much more fun to play in the water.

And jump over the waves.

Or kick them even.

All I need is an orange float and I'm the Hoff!

Dad gets all arty farty...

Mum likes arty farty....so we'll stick with it for a mo.....

C decided naked was the best way to enjoy the beach

He splashed for over an hour in this wee pool

Then ventured into deeper water.....

Woohoo! Splashtastic!

Playing with my brother.....

Can we come again?



I'm not going home.....

It's fair to say, we had a good day out.

A Cheeky Wee Catch Up

It's no co-incidence that my last blog was roughly at the time MPLST returned to work. Since then, we've been like ships passing in the night. You'd think we'd be used to it, after all, we've been here before and got the T shirt so to speak. Blogging has taken a back seat (as has photographing the kids so much) as we work out that fine balance between earning pennies, and looking after the boys. Obviously, it's not all been bad though - we did also manage a weekend away on our own, and I wasn't wasting that blogging!

In those few months, we've fought a battle with the local council who were going to close the nursery. Decision reversed - result! That was largely down to the Mrs, who waded through a raft of legal documenation and picked out the applicable small print. As a result, O can finish his nursery at the same place, and with a bit of luck, C will get there in a couple of years too.

We also helped organise the school/village Jubilee ceilidh which, as you can see, was a big hit for O who danced the feet off his big sister all night long. Not just his big sister mind, just about anyone who would dance with him. That's when he wasn't totally abusing the buffet - that's what happens when you ration their sweeties on a daily basis I guess.

Little Boy is almost walking too. Just last week, he started to find his confidence and let go of mums hand. Hopefully, we'll get some more pics of that in the next week or so too.

So now we have the holidays to look forward to, well I have the first couple of weeks, then the gaffer gets a rest from work and it'll be her turn.

Hopefully, I'll get back to blogging the random and amusing things that ones kids do, so that we can all cherish the memories in the years to come. If you check the wife's blog, you can see she has tried and failed miserably to do this!

Hair Raising Stuff

You've really got to love what happens with a fast camera and big hair. I'm sure the kids will delight when we reminisce over these pics in the years to come.....

Happy Birthday C

C celebrated his 1st birthday today by taking advantage of the sunny spell and spending the day at the beach with his mother, brother and some friends. They left the camera at home and toddlers, sand and cameras don't really mix....

He did have a little play out on the trampoline before bed though. We'll have a get together at the weekend with some family to celebrate properly.

Mmm.....Cake!

March sees both MPLST's birthday and Mothers Day come and go within a few days and that makes for a busy dad. Aside from a double header of breakfast in bed (at the request of son no 1), mum also got a lie in on Mothering Sunday whilst we went to town with the kitchen table. Added to special meals and cakes, my kitchen repertoire has surely expanded of late....

I made that with my own fair hand so I did. By virtue that we had to hold that slice for a pic, I think it was a winner. I've decided to leave baking for the experts though and retire on a high, after all, you are only as good as your last cake!

The recent sunny spell presented us with the rarest of opportunities yesterday. We spent the afternoon at the park having a picnic with the other yummy mummies - something I'll no doubt spend most of the summer doing when MPLST returns to work next month. I won't rub it in....much. The Wee Man enjoyed himself just as much as I did......

Recently, R has enjoyed a game of Battleships with his grandad when we visit. He has decided that chores are the way forward to earned enough pennies to buy himself the game. Obviously, it is my duty to milk this until he moves on to the next phase of thinking that every little thing asked of him isn't fair. Today, I thought I'd get him to bring the washing in for the first time. He can't reach the line, but was more than keen to get the stool from the bathroom and persevere. And the best bit? He didn't ask for a penny.