Beautiful Bath

It's always lovely to spend time with the Cosmeston girls; Zachary especially loves it because they always give him lots of attention! We recently ventured out to Bath for a day trip: a wonderful day with good sights, company and food. Here's a photo journal of the day...

Travelling on the Park 'n' Ride bus is the easiest way to get to the centre of Bath

We stopped off at the cosy Sally Lunn's Teahouse which is the oldest house in Bath (c. 1482). Its speciality is the 'Sally Lunn Bun' with a choice of toppings, which we very much enjoyed. Zachary had fun playing with his dribble pony and a toy that the waitress brought out for him. There was also a little museum in the cellar with excavations from Roman times onwards.

Zachary is most interested in his dribble pony

We had a little wander around Bath: Zachary loves shopping - there's always so much to see!

The girls loved pushing Zachary around in his buggy

Then we had a lovely time looking around Bath Abbey, with beautiful stained glass windows.

Auntie Phobe was complimented on having such a beautiful baby!

Posing for photos outside the Abbey

We later walked around 'the Crescent' a beautiful semicircle of houses which has featured in many period dramas. A bride and groom were getting out of a horse-drawn carriage for photos; unfortunately, it was freezing!

Stopping for photos at the Crescent

Here are some mealtime treats...

Zachary's favourite lunchtime experience was chewing on Daddy's straw!

Watching Auntie Beckrum enjoy her steamer

Party Time!

Zachary loves parties, especially watching lots of different people who all want to entertain him and hoping to get a little taste of some party food. It was Auntie Beth's birthday recently and we all went for a birthday pub lunch; Zachary enjoyed sitting in his high chair for a little while, then became a little too wriggly and preferred to be passed around between the girls (and Dan!) who love having cuddles with Zachary. 

Zachary wishes Auntie Beth a happy birthday, but he won't give up his dribble pony!

Auntie Beth had a delicious caterpillar cake; Zachary liked the look of its face...

Cute caterpillar cake

Zachary attempts to out-stare the caterpillar face

Last weekend, a party was held to 'send off' Dan and Sarah who have planned a 3 month trip around the world and they are leaving this week. A great crowd gathered to celebrate with rugby (boo!), pizza and an array of cakes. Zachary was tired but would only sleep for a few hours upstairs, as he wanted to come and join the party. He came down for a few photos and a snuggle on Auntie Steph's lap, where he fell asleep.

Left to right: Vickrum, Steph, Caleb, Mummy, Steve, Gibbs, Zachary, Nico and Beth

Halfway through the evening, there was a wonderful surprise: Berni and Nico had come from afar to wish Sarah and Dan a bon voyage! They also hadn't seen Zachary for a long time and were surprised at how much he'd grown.

Nico can't resist a cuddle

Then it all got a little too much for Zachary...

"Mummy, why are you taking a photo of me?"

We're very much looking forward to the next few weeks as it's now the Easter holidays, Daddy is off work and we'll be visiting both sets of grandparents, plus numerous other family members.

Zachary and Friends

Zachary has enjoyed meeting up with some of his other baby friends recently. Firstly, meeting up with the NCT couples from our group (we did an NCT antenatal course with 3 other couples just before Zachary was born) was a delight, as all of the babies are roughly the same age. Now they have got a bit bigger, they can all sit up and play with things, being especially interested in what the other babies are playing with (see Wednesday's video).

Lily, Jenny, Zachary and Mia

Funky hats for Zachary and Lily

Zachary is content for much longer when surrounded by babies

We very much enjoyed a visit to Josh and Rachel's house to meet up with Rachel and baby Ivy again (now 6 months old) and also with Kath and baby Delaram (now 3 months old). Delaram was a little too young for Zachary to be let loose on her (he's quite a rough boy these days), but he was quite happy playing with Ivy (closely supervised - he hit her last time!) and trying to pull the tablecloth from the coffee table.

Watching Ivy relax

Delaram gazes at the camera

Zachary tries to steal some tights

Video Post #24: When Cute Babies Play

Family Treats

Apologies for the long delay in updating the blog - we have had trouble with our internet over the past week or so and have been unable to post anything!

Here are a few highlights from a few weeks ago when most of the Dobsons came down to Cardiff to visit us.  We had a lovely start to the week as we headed over to the Gower peninsula in the bright sunshine. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly as warm as we'd hoped and harsh winds made Zachary a little grumpy; however, it was well worth the trip.  We visited a ruined castle with stunning views from the cliff-top.  

Grandad Harry carries Zachary over a golf course towards the ruin

Mummy, Grandad and Zachary enjoy the views

Zachary enjoys a ride in his handy rucksack

The town of Gelligaer in the valleys boasts an impressive Roman fort; however, it turned out to be under some mounds of earth in a field! The local horses were very friendly though - check out our video if you haven't already.

Daddy smiles warily as the horse enters his personal space

Then it wasn't far to the Winding House museum in New Tredegar which was very interesting and interactive - we all had a go at making a clay pot!

The winding engine in the museum

Zachary enjoyed getting dressed up...

A beautiful hat for a beautiful boy

Zachary prepares for a life of helping in the kitchen

Later in the week, we visited the wonderful Llancaiach Fawr Manor House and enjoyed looking around each room and the museum nearby. We were impressed by the amazing actors who really knew their stuff!

Posing for a quick photo outside the Manor House

Zachary loved having his grandparents, Auntie Marilla and Uncle Bar down for the week and made the most of the help they offered...

Grandma Jeanette helps Zachary to eat up his swede

Finally, some fun at the park; also check out last week's videos.

First time on a slide!

A ride on a bouncy tortoise

Enjoying the swings with Mummy