Day 7 - The END

Well all good things must come to and end and just as our holiday on Center Parcs ended - then the daily blog updates regarding the holiday must also come to an end. All week our main mode of transport has been the bike and as such we got many nice pictures of me and the boys just cycling around Elvedon.

On one rare occasion I managed to get Brandon into the front mounted cycle seat with his new cycle helmet on and take him for a short ride. I say "one rare occasion" because Joshua has claimed the front mounted seat as his own and is very possesive of it. He has no interest in the trailer as long as the seat is available and when Brandon did eventually get in there, boy did Joshua throw a temper tantrum.

When we were not cycling Joshua would often run around the site as he knew he way around very well. All I can say is I am glad I am reasonably fit as he usually starts running and then immediately turns around and says "Daddy run run" and expects me to run along side him. On the rare occasion when I just couldn't be bothered to run (my excuse for not being able to keep up with him), Joshua would just head off on his own as shown below.

Here is a nice picture of Mummy taking Brandon for a stroll in the baby harness.

Not much to say about this picture except "ET phone home".

Anyway towards the end of the week we gave the running and cycling a break and booked a special treat for a horse and carriage ride. Anyway who knows Joshua will be aware that he absolutely loves horses. So below are several pictures from our family ride on a horse and carriage.

Despite Joshua's love for horses he would not touch/stroke the horse and this was about as close as he would get.

Another rare shot of the four of us taken by some kind passer by.

And finally to end the holiday updates I thought it apt for Brandon to visit his hometime (by name) on the journey home. I know it is cheesy but we managed to get a couple of pictures of Brandon by the signs for the small village of Brandon just outside Elvedon.

Day 6

With the holiday drawing to a close the boys have been swimming every single day this week. Towards the later end of the week I took a risk and let Joshua come down the adult water slides riding on Daddy's belly. The slides said not for children under 2 years old but I figured Joshua is only a month away and he is pretty robust. So there we were standing at the top of this huge water slide waiting for the light to show green indicating that the previous person and popped out of the other end. As soon as the red light went out we pushed off with me laying flat and gripping Joshua sitting on my belly. We meandered down the tube and through the tunnels at a rapid speed and at times Joshua was getting thrown around. Then we hit the plunge pool at the bottom at which point I lifted Joshua up high to keep him above water and went completely under myself. Once I popped up to the surface I checked on Joshua and boy did he have a grin from ear to ear. Then the words "again", "again", "again". Joshua swam to the edge of the plunge pool and then started racing off up the steps shouting "self", "self", "self" - the cheeky bugger wanted to go down the slides on his own!!!

Everyone that saw him was amazed at his thrill seeking no fear attitude. Having conquered the second biggest slide I took him on the "BIG ONE". This was just that bit higher, bit faster and a longer tunnel at the end. With the big one Joshua had to lay on your belly rather than sit as it was just a little harder to hold onto him. But he loved this one even more and then kept saying "BIG ONE", "BIG ONE", "BIG ONE". Anyway here is a picture of Joshua coming down one of the water slides with Mummy. Check out his grin in the second photo as he is walking through the plunge pool.





Whilst Joshua was playing on the big water slides Brandon was just chilling out at the side of the pool watching all the babes and seeking as much attention as possible with cute smiles.

After swimming we went along to a "make a memory" session where both Joshua and Brandon had some clay moulds taken of their hands/feet. We also made some paint impressions of their hands and feet on some paper which includes a poem. A nice little keep sake from the holiday. This was a pretty messy process as you can see from Joshua's red foot.

After the clay and painting was completed Joshua sat down with Mummy and decorated his mould box by gluing all sorts of odds and ends on it.

With lunch and the boys afternoon nap out of the way we decided to brave the lake and take the boys out for their first ever ride on a pedalo boat. Joshua and Brandon both wore their life jackets like really good boys and were very well behaved on the boat. A few times I got a bit too close to the fountain resulting in us getting a bit of a soaking which Joshua found funny (Tina was not impressed).

With the boat ride over we spent a bit of time on the beach letting the boys play in the sand. Joshua also went for another dip in the water and found it amusing to play in some of the other water sports boats.

By Day 6 the afternoon ice cream had become a regular part of the holiday routine and was often the only time Joshua would sit down for 10 minutes. I think we need a little booster cushion for Brandon to stop him getting elbowed in the face!!!

At the end of Day 6 it was out for dinner again and Joshua got all dolled up in this posh looking shirt and jacket. What a handsome chap.

Day 5

Again before Day 5 holiday reports there are a few more general updates on the boys. Firstly last week Joshua started an 8 week "Mini mends" course where parents and toddlers/babies can get together to discuss eating habits etc. The first week seemed to go very well and Tina got some great tips/ideas on how to get Joshua eating more varied foods. Joshua has a bright yellow "Mini mends" T-shirt which he now has to wear when he goes to his club. It is great for him as he gets to mingle with more children and also try some different foods whilst he is there.

The other update on Joshua is the "Terrible Two's". Although his second birthday is still a few weeks away I can confirm that the terrible two's has already started. Yesterday we had the very first lay down on the floor in the middle of the street and throw a temper tantrum!!! I so wanted to do what that woman does on the TV advert and lay down on the floor screaming louder than him!!!!

Both boys needed new shoes this weekend which was an expense I guess I am going to have to get used too. Brandon is now wearing size 2.5 and whilst Joshua's feet measure around size 6.5, his new shoes are a whopping size 7 - BIG FOOT!!!!

So onto Day 5 of the holiday. Well as usual its started with the morning animal feed. I know your probably bored with these shots but the boys enjoyed it and I took loads of pictures.

After this Joshua went along to a "messy play" session where he got to do more painting, play in sand, play with tray loads of food including spaghetti, corn flour etc.etc. He got to try all different painting techniques using marbles, stamps, sticky stuff, rollers and general got into a big mess. After the session he became particular keen on "washing up" and stood at the little baby sink soaking himself, the floor and everyone around him.

Later in the day we then decided to try out some bowling. Can you believe they even had proper bowling shoes to fit Joshua. I have to say this was a bit of a disaster as Joshua lost interest after about 10-15 mins and just wanted to run around. Obviously Brandon could not join in, so the 45 min session we had paid for was a long drawn out affair. Poor Joshua so wanted to lift the balls on his own but even the lightest 6lb ball was just too much and he needed help. All that aside he came very close to beating me in the 2nd game!!!

Since day 5 was so nice we decided to have a BBQ for dinner and so whilst Daddy prepared the food and lit up the BBQ, Mummy was taking a little stroll with the boys.

Once the BBQ had warmed up then it was over to the men to do the cooking (everyone knows that only a men can cook over outdoor flames), so Joshua had his first lesson in BBQ 101.

The BBQ went down really well and we all sat on the patio eating our grub. Joshua managed to find a stray cat and fed more of his chicken to the cat than he ate himself. But he still enjoyed the burger, sausage, garlic bread and some beans.

Finally for today here is Joshua with a leg of chicken (aka Henry the VIII I am, I am!!!!).