CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!

I'm still playing catch-up with blogging events of the last couple of months, so here are a few highlights!

PLAYBARN

In May, while Rache and Jess were at Multi-Stake youth Convention, Steve and I took the littlies to the Playbarn - a fantastic play space with something for everyone at very good "let's-not-fleece-the-family-just-because-we-can" prices. Although Sam, Caitlin and I have been there on several occasions, it was Steve's first time. And he had fun!  Sam enjoyed himself playing on the diggers; we all enjoed the tractor-trailer ride, especially seeing the week-old foal. Sam and Caitlin exhausted themselves on the indoor soft-play and the outdoor climbing apparatus, and Caitlin had a pony ride for the first time.! Sam has ridden every time we've been before, and this time rode Digger,  but Caitlin has only got as far as having the hat put on her! This time - with Daddy walking beside her, which obviously made all the difference - she rode Diesel.

 

She ain't heavy, she's my sister!

But Sam is just a tiny bit heavier!

Happiness is... a tractor ride with  Daddy,

and then my turn to drive!

and mine!

Sam and Digger!

And Caitlin scores a personal best with Diesel and Daddy!

(Although I don't really want to have to go through the whole horse thing again with these two!)

Did you think I would leave you crying, when there's room on my horse for two....

Hi ho Silver!!!!

FATHER'S DAY FUN!

  TAKES 1, 2 AND 3!

REUNION!

In June, my sister and I took a road trip (only 4 hours!) down to Reading for the weekend for a reunion of Young Adults from... back in the day! We actually only knew a few of the people there, but they were worth seeing, and just hanging with my older sister for the weekend, getting ready to party, and breaking the sound barrier with our singing of 80's hits was DEFINITELY worth the trip!

Good friends from the London LDS Choir and young free and single days! Katrina, Sarah, me, Anton, Dave

Dave, Deb, me, Simon - all of us about 20 years older, and Simon no longer spends his time trying to put his tongue up his nose. Mercifully!

SEMINARY GRADUATION

Last month was seminary graduation, and Jess received a certificate for completing her first year of study. Despite not exactly loving the early morning start, she DID love starting her day with the spiritual buffer that being in early morning seminary with her friends gave her. She thoroughly enjoyed her teacher's lessons and even on the coldest, darkest, most tired mornings, when I asked her how her lesson went, she'd always say it was "really good" or "brilliant".  Rachel has loved all four years, the first and last spent in early morning and the two in the middle as home study.  While thrilled to be graduating she really felt a sense of loss that she wouldn't be starting her day in this way anymore. Roll on Institute.  Along with some of the other graduates, she was asked to give a four minute talk, and bore a sweet testimony about the effect this four year course of scripture study has had in her life.  As for me, I can't believe I have a daughter who has sat her A levels, is about to embark on a four year English and American History degree, enroll in Institute and has just seen her boyfriend off on his mission (Japan Tokyo). Aren't I too young for this? Just look at these beautiful girls of mine. At the risk of sounding just like my mum... I am SO incredibly proud of both of them.

 

Rache with her proud parents.

 

 

 

 

 

This glossy photo didn't scan well, but this is Rache posing, as all the graduates did, with the Stake President. Although he only tickled Rachel, as he's her uncle!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

END OF TERM

It's been a good year all round academically. Jess has done well at school, and has just completed a two week work experience placement at the University of east Anglia, working in the Registry and the Vice-Chancellor's Office. To be honest, I was totally amazed at how much the world of work suits Jess. She completely looked the part, and as I drove her and Steve in each day and watched her walking in, and listened as she told us everything she'd been doing every evening, it just seemed to me that she is much more at home there than she is in school. She received glowing praise from the people she was working with, as they asked her to return as a temp when she turns 16. Among other things, she was helping to organise robes and gowns for graduations (Congregation as they call it), setting up databases and spreadsheets for various files, meeting and greeting and showing dignitaries around, in short, just getting on with the same jobs everyone else was doing. She did really well, and now misses it!

Rache has finished her A levels and will hopefully get the grades she needs for her first choice (UEA). In a couple of weeks time she heads out to Vegas for 5 weeks to stay with friends in the AAF - helping the mum with her family and new baby while the husband is away for training. She was thrilled to be asked and its a fantastic opportunity for her. I am SO excited for her. Results come while she is away so she will have to trust me to open them and phone her - and not string her along... SO tempting!!!

Caitlin has had her first visits to Playgroup and will be starting there three mornings a week from September. this last three months she has been attending an art club called Mucky Pups, every two weeks with her friend Annalisa. She has LOVED these friday mornings, and the trip to the park and picnic afterwards.

Sam had his sports day last week (one of those not-really-competitive-didn't-everyone-do-well events). Sam did very well at jumping through hoops (as well he might - he makes me jump through enough of them in the course of a day!!!) and mini-hurdles. We were out in force to cheer him on, with Laura making enough noise for all of us! Two of his highlights for the year - and its been a good year - was being one of two children in his class and year, to be made a "Free Reader". that means he was taken off the Oxford Reading Tree books (praise be) and is now reading well enough to choose any book from the library to read. As the youngest in his school, that's no mean feat. He was just as thrilled at being Mrs Dewing's (the headteacher) Star of the Day for his achievement.

The other certificate - the headteacher's award, plus a poetry book - with the inspiring title of Little Bo-Peep Has Knickers That Bleep - was for coming first in the fancy dress competition in Book week, where he had to dress as his favourite character from a story. Despite having a pirate costume, and pirate story books, and a Buzz Lightyear costume and a Postman Pat dressing up outfit, Sam decided he wanted to go as Woody from Toy Story. Which he doesn't have. So ever up for a challenge, and just happening to have some cow print material lurking in a cupboard, I set about making him a Woody costume. The day before. So among the Disney store bought Cinderellas, Snow Whites, Sleeping Beauties, and even the odd Incredible Hulk, Sam won first prize. The certficate and book are his but the glory is all mine!!!

  

Just to whet your appetite before I go - my sister Kirsty got married last saturday - she was the most beautiful bride I have EVER seen. I'll be posting a whole ton of photos for your delight in a few days. 

Comments

[Mum / Grandma]

What do you mean"at the risk of sounding just like my Mum" HaHa. Seriously I truly am so proud of you all and the photos are FANTASTIC!!!

[Sus]

Oh, Sam and Caitlin together. So cute! Love the pic of her on the horse. Looks like horseback riding is back in your life!

And I LOVE the pic of the girls asleep on Steve.

Now where are the wedding pictures!!??

[Jen]

Wow... no wonder you've had a hard time keeping up with the blogging. But really... living life is so much better than writing about it, correct? Your children have accomplished so much in this past little while and you must be so proud. I'm very impressed with Rache's dedication to the seminary classes. As you know, I'm not LDS but obviously, being raised in Utah, know much about the religion and how the seminary system works. I sometimes feel like many of the kids around here take for granted having a seminary building right next to their school and being able to take their seminary class as part of their school day. I know so many people who didn't live in Utah when growing up and would always have to do the early morning seminary and saying how hard it was sometimes to stay dedicated to that schedule. Well done to Rache for seeing the importance of religious education (I had to do mine in the evenings at the Catholic church and it was so hard not to get to always go flit around with my friends, but I definitely see the importance now. Hopefully, our girls will feel the same way!)

Sam and Caitlin always seem like little stars and I have to say that my favorite part of this entire post were the pictures of all the kids with Steve. Priceless.