Chester Zoo

A momentous day!

Look - no stabilisers!


We bought Isaac a new bike today and after two laps of Canford Park with very wobbly stabilisers, we decided he'd be better off without them. I don't know why we were surprised when he then just got on his bike and rode 50 metres on his own!

We had a glass of bubbly (Lemonade) to celebrate at tea time...

We're brimming with parental pride!

La Rochelle, June 2008

Just back from a 9-day holiday near La Rochelle in France. Had a brilliant time with fantastic weather every day. Went for a daily swim in the open air pool to cool down, played lots of football and boules (Isaac's version, anyway) and had many trips to the beach. Had lots and lots of ice creams and also had croissants for breakfast every day.

Great to get away from email and glad to leave my mobile at home for the duration!! We switched off and relaxed as much as is possible with two boys who very rarely switch off themselves!

Only interesting aspects were Isaac falling out of bed on the first night and hitting the bedside table (blood everywhere...) and Toby falling and knocking his front tooth loose (blood everywhere...). And, yes, it was the same tooth that Isaac has missing having knocked his clean out two years earlier!

A selection of holiday snaps available by clicking here.

Below is a brief video clip of Isaac and Toby dancing and Toby's preferred way of getting into the swimming pool (no sound).

Recent photos

Several photos from recent weeks, click here.

A handy tip for flying with children

A tempting way to have a quieter flight - but the excess baggage weight charges would be a bit hard to swallow...

La Rochelle, France - June 2007

We've just had our family holiday. The weather was mixed but a lot better than it's been in the UK by the sound of it! We had a lot of fun and did a lot of swimming, bike riding, playing on the beach, crazy golf and eating Spiderman ice creams!

It's been a slightly bumpy end. The night before we left, Deborah went down with tonsillitis and Ed caught a stomach bug and had a high temperature. We just about made it back to the airport to catch a flight home but we're still knocked out with it - now Ed has tonsillitis too! Joy!

View more photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31837&l=dd2a2&id=865020645.

More dedication photos

Toby's dedication service

In other news...

Having surprised us by starting to crawl at 6 months (much earlier than Isaac), Toby has progressed quickly on to sitting up (no practising, just decided to start doing it) and standing up. This means that nothing is safe from his grasp. He also seems pretty fearless and indestructible - whenever he falls over and bangs his head on the floor, he just laughs. One of his favourite games is chasing Isaac round the room on his hands and knees and then trying to start a pile-on. He thinks Isaac is hilarious and chuckles away, especially when Isaac plays a little bit rough him... Will he make his first birthday?

Parenting gaffe #25,476

...but one of the bigger ones. And an amateur one at that.

All I needed to do was leave the words "or horn" out of "Isaac, would you like a bell or horn for your new bike..."

It's L O U D.

Just ask any of the neighbours...

Watching the world go by...

Meals and wheels

Far too busy to post regularly but here are a few photos showing Toby in full swing with food and Isaac riding his new bike and giving it a wash (his Grandad would be very proud).

In the garden...

CSI Portishead

"No matter how hard he tries, Detective Daddy can't bring himself to look up whilst Detective Toby gets on with the job and radios for back up..."


(Great photo courtesy of brother in law, Dave)

Ever tried taking a passport photo of a 6 month old?

Here are our best efforts. The rules say you shouldn't have your mouth open but there wasn't any sellotape handy...



Some more relaxed shots where we encouraged a little more lounging (the cappuccino in his left hand is out of the shot)...



And here's one that definitely breaks all the rules but is probably the nicest...

Catch up

Was hoping to post a lot more over the last week or two as I've been between jobs. However, here are a few photos from the last couple of weeks by way of catch up!


Toby with Grandad Thorpe...



Cousins...


Grandad Marsh with cousins Toby and Olivia...

Craft breakfast

Ed and Isaac helped organise and set up for a Dads and Kids Craft Breakfast at Highgrove this weekend.

See more photos here: www.news.highgrove.org.uk

Back on the bike...

For the first time this year, Isaac and Daddy went on a bike ride. "Ooh, this is hard work" comes a voice from the back of the bike as Daddy labours an extra 17kg up the hill.

We then had lots of fun on the playground before having a butterfly cake at the cafe and embarking on the (downhill!) ride home.

A full day...

A visit to Great Aunty Betty's house...


A quick trip into space...


On the run from the Indians...

A weekend off

It's great to have a quieter weekend this weekend. Having been involved in worship six weeks in a row, work being fairly full-on since the start of January and a church gift aid inspection this week, we're enjoying catching up on a bit of much missed family time.

Here are a few photos from today...



Toby's first taste of baby rice (the face tells the story)...


A first pair of pyjamas for Tobes...


Not sure we've mentioned it here yet...

...but we're very much in countdown mode now in advance of Ed finishing at KPMG on 23 March. At the start of April, he'll be starting work at Burton Sweet with specific involvement in the Charities unit. This is an exciting new development and a chance to concentrate on the area of expertise that provides the most interest.

However, the thing that's also exciting is that it is a 3 day a week role (Tues-Thurs). This will allow us both the chance to make more space in life for serving the church (doing things we already do plus the implementation of a few more). Part of the rationale for 3 days a week is that, for Ed, having had far too many days where he doesn't get to see the boys at all due to working hours, it's time to make the decision not to be absent as the boys are growing up. It'll be great to have them to himself one day a week as well as having the possibility of reinstating family meal times at least for most of the week.

It'll all be a big change and we're slightly nervous about it - but we have a conviction that it's the right decision...