It was the weekend we'd been particularly looking forward to - Auntie Phobe and Uncle Dave's wedding. We headed south, then travelled via Bournemouth to the New Forest where we stayed in a B&B for 2 nights. Here are our highlights...
Alum Chine playground in Bournemouth - an amazing treasure island themed multi-level play area
Ptolemy has now decided to hide when we take his photo
Climbing to the mid level
We also enjoyed a stroll along the promenade
Mummy (bridesmaid) and Zachary (page boy) headed to the church for the wedding rehearsal, whilst Daddy took the others to a nearby playground...
An unconventional descent
Wondering if it's safe to venture further
After much ado, we finally found a restaurant for our dinner on the night before the wedding.
Auntie Beckrum, Auntie Vickrum and "Baby" Kalina joined us for dinner
Ptolemy had first choice of the toy box
They kindly offered activities for the children while they waited
Ptolemy is delighted to have finished his baked beans
Daddy's tasty strawberry parfait
It was the morning of the wedding and the bridesmaids took a lot of preparation...
Auntie Berni and Auntie Bev get ready
How does it look so far?
...And then the wedding began...
Zachary and Kalina did very well as page boy and bridesmaid
Enjoying the bubbles
The happy couple
Mummy and Auntie Beckrum as bridesmaids
Mummy cuddle
Pretty chocolate wedding cake
A delicious array of sweet treats
The family photo had to be a silly one - they won't all look and smile anyway
Zachary has a well deserved rest after all those photos
Auntie Vickrum has a new playmate
There's nothing like a toddler 3 piece suit
A brief moment of calm
Kalina attempts to wriggle free
Lovely to see the van der Merwes and Baby William
Ready for more food!
The first dance
Tahlia (left of the bride) can't resist joining in with some dancing
Mummy and Zachary also do a jig
Too exhausted to carry on
Thank you to Auntie Phobe and Uncle Dave for such a lovely wedding and wishing you all the best on your honeymoon in beautiful Greece! x
We are still very much enjoying our time in Leyland. We've been making the most of the warm and dry weather by getting out and about in the local area.
A charity shop trip to Lytham
Fun in the Lytham playground
Someone's not too sure about the basket swing
As it was Jeanette and Harry's Ruby wedding anniversary, we made a special trip to Old Holly Farm for a delicious lunch, together with Uncle Humphrey and Auntie Amanda who were visiting from Florida (and, of course, Auntie Marilla and Uncle Bar).
Funky ducks
Chickens ride west
The farm animals came out to say hello
Bunny cuddles
Strokes a plenty
Tiny little chick
Tractor rides were all the rage...road rage!
Looking for a good spot to dig a hole
Ready for lunch
Jory's favourite: jam sandwiches, cheese and crisps
A delicious Greek platter - the doughnut balls and honey were especially tasty
Tasty sausage and chips
We later headed to Fleetwood for some splash park fun and a round of crazy golf...
Chasing the beach ball was the game of the day
Caught it!
Three children and only two clubs makes for peaceful play
Swing and win!
Celebratory cake
The cutting of the cake
The second big event of the week was Grandad Harry's birthday (it was a BIG one!).
Tahlia makes Grandad Harry's birthday cake
Adding the orange for the chocolate orange cake
Feeding the ducks at Longton Brickcroft
The big day! A beautiful handmade card from Vietnam courtesy of Uncle Bar
Binoculars from his four children
The kids insisted on M&Ms for the top
"Cheese!"
Some birthday Whinberry picking - ready to make some tasty pies
A special birthday treat - a visit to Wallings Ice Cream Parlour
Everyone loves ice cream (except Jory)
Here we are another day on a visit to nearby Worden Park...
They all insisted on multiple rides on the free train
The centre of the hedge maze - phew!
We headed to Salmesbury Hall with Uncle Humphrey and Auntie Amanda on their last day in the UK.
The beautiful Tudor building
A chair fit for a princess
Tahlia was overjoyed to be the head of Anne Boleyn
Dressed as a Tudor girl
Uncle Humphrey and Auntie Amanda admire the coats of arms
Climbing her way towards the play Tudor house
Tahlia loves to play kitchens
Playing with some very old dolls and their equipment
Little schoolgirl
It was lovely to have a visit from Uncle Richard, Auntie Angela, Kirsten and Heather who had come all the way from Scotland, halfway between Inverness and Aberdeen.
An array of desserts following some home-made pizza
Uncle Bar keeps the kids entertained whilst Uncle Humphrey and Uncle Richard catch up
It was time for Uncle Humphrey and Auntie Amanda to return to America and for Uncle Bar to return to Vietnam, but not before a final send-off...
It had been a busy day
Zachary has been having a wonderful time attending holiday club at St Andrews Church, Leyland, with Grandma Jeanette who is helping to run it. The final day involved a family evening event with hot dogs for tea and many activities in the theme for the week: Spies.
Jory's favourite was the ten pin bowling
Tasty tea
Painting over their secret messages
A painting of the sky (we think!)
Biscuit decorating
Whack a rat -surprisingly tricky!
Making a spy tower out of cheerios
On a slightly wetter day, we ventured out to the Harris Museum in Preston. There was a special summer exhibition with a comic book theme which was excellent for young children.
Writing stories using a combination of story type, noun and adjective
Spin the wheel to choose a setting for your comic book story
A weird wardrobe which sang and lit up. You could also spin the wheel to choose your superpower
Zachary beats off the evil Jory of the galaxy!
A monkey calls for her monkey mum!
A little space alien falls to earth with a rough landing
The sun rises and the monkey can finally see her mother - just before the little space alien shoots her with his laser gun!
Rebuilding the Bleasdale stone circle
Making a pattern with the mosaic
We also visited the Singleton Maize Maze, with a great play area and ride-ons.
Ptolemy loves being pushed around in his little car
Tahlia and Zachary get ready to race
Faster, Dette!
Braving the Maize Maze
Tahlia's "get help" flag
The maze was incredibly long - 2 hours in total - so we had to return the kids to the playground after a while, while Mummy, Daddy and Auntie Marilla completed the maze
Climbing the wall in the play area
Trampoliing fun!
Blackpool Air Show was a big hit with Jory and Ptolemy...
Planespotting with Daddy
Too long!
An amazing arcade machine!
Celebrating their final score
Of course, we also had everyday activities to attend to...
Morrisons is well equipped for a family of six
We didn't have the naughty baby seat with us, so we had to improvise
Here we are on a trip to Norton Priory in Cheshire which has extensive grounds and a very well presented child-friendly museum...
Zachary learnt that all of the building blocks have to be well lined up to make sure his Roman arch remained standing
