Trampoline Photos

As promised, here are the photos of ourselves, and Rachael & Anthony, trampolining in the garden last weekend. You can see fullsize images, as alway, by clicking on the photos.

Fathers Day

I need to do a catch up post! Last Sunday it was Fathers Day. The kids always love Fathers and Mothers days. They love to spoil us and make us feel special. They gave Daddy the hugest bar of chocolate, some maltesers, some hankies with I love Daddy embroidered on them and a key ring. Jude made him a paper medal for the worlds best Dad. We also bought a plain white breakfast set (bowl, plate, cup and egg cup) with some special paints. The kids and Steve are going to paint one each. It's something they can all do together. It should be fun. From the photos you can see that Luke enjoys this occassions more than anyone.

Also on Sunday Luke was delighted to find a huge snail crawling up the outside of our bedroom window. He is at that age where he gets such delight from finding creepy crawlies. This was a great event because we could see all the snails muscles moving through the clear glass. Luke was just so amazed and asked us to take a photo.



These are the 2 photos from our trip to the Chinese Restaurant on Sunday which go with the post below.

Dublin Fellowship Weekend

This weekend the fellowship in Dublin had organised their annual outreaching event. Our Belfast fellowship always goes down to support it. This time Steve and Jude took the bus down on Saturday and stayed overnight with Rachael and Anthony. I had to take Sam to drama school as usual on Saturday, so we drove to Dublin for the Sunday meeting. Jude had another great day in Dublin. Once again she had control of the camera and came back home with 274 digital photos! During the Sunday meeting she got up on stage to take a photo of everyone. When she got down a few people asked her to go back with their cameras and take pictures for them. I think she loved that. She felt like an official photographer! She definitely has a talent for it.

It was lovely to see everyone in Dublin again, and to meet up with a few old friends from England too. I was asked to give my testimony during the second meeting. Urgh! I don't mind getting up on stage and giving my testimony - I just don't like being warned in advance. That way I don't have time to worry about it! Apparently it was good, but I felt so distracted by Luke who was sitting in the front row playing with his cars at top volume!

Luke made a new friend while we were there. A little girl from Mongolia called Mishka (or Michelle). She is 16 months old. Luke was besotted with her. Since he came home he keeps telling me "I love Mishka". They were so cute together. Luke looked like a gentle giant next to her! He would run around the hall calling "catch me, catch me" and Mishka would giggle and run after him. They had a great time. It was really nice to see him mixing with some younger children. He doesn't know any other kids his own age. I really must take him to a mother and toddler group in September. Steve and Bagi (Mishka's Mum) took all the kids to the park during the communion meeting where Jude took some gorgeous photos of the two little ones playing together, and holding hands!

This is the photo Jude took from the stage during a chorus time.



Jude, enjoying the sites around Dublin.




Steve, next to a chain ball with a fire inside!


The lads - Tom, Anthony and Steve.



Some of the men got up to sing an item. Steve, Sam, Pastor Ray, Ronnie, Dan and John.


The girls - Jana, Rachael and me.



The happy couple, again!

Here are Luke and Mishka playing together at the park.





Another happy couple! Don't they look so cute holding hands. Adorable.

The Aussie Lads who stayed with us last night.
Jason, Pete & Nick, from Adelaide.

I should be a hunter gatherer

We have 3 Australian lads coming to stay over tonight. Steve has gone to the house meeting with Jude. Luke is in bed and Sam is staying up late to watch the football. We agreed that he could stay up to watch it if he did something to help around the house. He did a few chores (willingly - for a change) and now he is all set up in the living room. I'm keeping well away until 10pm when Desperate Housewives starts, and he'll be kicked out whether the football's gone into extra time or not!

Went to see my Mum today with Luke. It was nice to get out with him on our own. No kids arguing in the car. He asked me again where the rain comes from. Then he asked "Mummy, who made the birds?" He's too cute! My sister Hannah was at mom's house as she is between homes at the moment. She might be coming to stay with us for a while (Sam was dead excited when I told him that). Luke spent the whole time we were there asking for food. He thinks if we are at someone else's house then there should be a constant supply of goodies and treats. A boy after my own heart.

Tomorrow Steve has an interview at the college for a HND in Photography. His GCSE teacher has been trying to persuade him all year to do the HND in September. He hasn't decided whether he can do it yet, but first he is going for the interview. If he gets accepted he can ponder over it then. I think its one day a week, term time, for 2 or 3 years. If he wants to he could transfer to the degree course at the end and get a degree in an extra year. I would love him to do it but I don't know how he can afford to - he would have to pay someone to work in the shop whilst he was at college - unless me and the kids did it. And also, I'm really not sure if he has enough free time for it. But at the end of the day, it's his decision, and it is nice to see him enjoying something for a change, instead of working.

Myself and Heather are still working on this health spa retreat idea. Actually, Davy is doing most of the work. We are going to their house on Friday night for dinner, to finalize it. I'm hoping Heather picks somewhere nice as I'm really looking forward to it. Heather has invited another friend, which is a shame as I was looking forward to spending some girlie time with her and getting to know her better. But its ok. I may have to invite a friend too, to even the numbers and stop me feeling like a gooseberry. I'm in desperate need of some relaxation and pampering - let alone a few beauty treatments! I wonder if I could get a bit of lyposuction done while I'm there!

I am on the look out for a cheap second hand treadmill. New ones are so expensive. I love walking in the countryside, but its hard to do that with the 3 kids around. I'd like to use the treadmill just outside the patio doors in the summer. That way I could get some well needed exercise and enjoy the sunshine, whilst the kids play in the garden. I can't find any for sale at a decent price in the free ads. That's always the way - when you want something, no-one is selling it.

I'm reading the Pilgrims Progress with the kids over the course of the year. We read it twice a week during school time. It was recommended by the Ambleside site that we use to plan our lessons. I thought it would go over their heads. I tried to read it myself years ago but found it too heavy going. It's one of those books you need to read in small doses - you need time to digest the snippets of information - a bit like the Bible. I have been amazed at how much the children have enjoyed it. Especially Sam. Every week I ask "who can remember what happened last time we read it?" and Sam is always able to recall the story in great detail. It has sparked of some fantastic discussions about life as a Christian. In fact, we read very little in one go, and we spend most of the time discussing the meaning of the dream and how it relates to a Christians journey. I am always amazed at how both the kids can pick up on the significance of various parts of Christians journey and relate it to our own lives. They don't miss a thing. This week we got to the part where Christian has climbed the hill and come to the large mansion. He has to walk passed the roaring lions to get to the gate for entry. We read about the people he met in the house and the things those people talked about. The kids decided that the house represented the fellowship or church, and that Christian was sharing his testimony with the people there. The rooms with various objects in, they decided, were equal to the parables and teachings in the Bible. Christian was able to go to the house for rest and refreshing, the way we come out of the world to rest in our fellowship on a Sunday. I was very impressed with them! I honestly thought that they would hate reading it.

We gave up on our history book "The Story of Mankind" (also recommended by Ambleside). I couldn't understand what was happening half of the time, so it's no wonder that the kids were bored with it. But I had already bought a set of books from Halfmoon books in Waterford called The Story Of The World Volumes 1 - 4 which have been sitting on our book shelf. We took a peek into it and read the first chapter. It was so good that the kids asked me to keep reading (that's always a good sign!) So I agreed to swap the history books over to this new one. They love it. Its much better for me because they can understand it and read it alone, although I'm learning a lot from reading it to them. I've learnt that I'm living in the wrong era. I belong with the hunter gatherers of old. The thought of roaming the land foraging for food and sleeping under the stars with a hut made from skins kind of appeals to me. I'm just not convinced on the never-having-a-wash front.