King Joshua and King Brandon

Finally summer has arrived and the boys have spent just about every waking minute of the weekend in their paddling pool (covered in factor 50 sun cream). They are at that wonderful age where they have no hang-ups with their bodies and are more than happy to play as nudey boys in the garden. In fact they were even jumping up and down on the trampoline talking to the lady next door explaining that they were nudey boys!

I even dug out the old inflatables from our holiday in Spain last year and the boys absolutely loved playing pirates. However next weekend we will have a much more significant blog update on inflatables with the official launch of the HMS Wick.

Captain Joshua taking to the rough sea's at the Wick.

The weekend was pretty full on for the boys what with Mia's party, football, clubs, swimming, the heat in general and all the physical activity in the garden. By Sunday evening they were pooped out and decided to have some R&R in their boats whilst I cooked up the BBQ.

The boys chillaxing in their boats.

A tired Brandon napping in his Barcelona boat from Spain.

Joshua curled up and thumb in mouth, a sure sign he is tired.

However the boys tiredness from the weekend was nothing compared with how I felt at the end of a 26 mile run on a very hot day last Wednesday. I got home and pretty much just died in the front garden whilst the boys found it most amusing to throw cold jugs of water over me - man did they feel nice though. Comedian Brandon was chuckling away as he launched jug after jug. Speaking of Brandon being a comedian, yesterday we was at the table talking about hair colour and I asked him what colour my hair was. The response was white and brown!!!!!!!!!

One change I have noticed with Joshua recently is the level of conversation you can have with him and also the emotional or spontaneous things he says without any prompt. He's a very affectionate lad and will always tell you he loves you. When I leave for work in the morning he will stand at the front door and as I leave shouts something like "have a good day!". Then when I come home he will enquire about whether I have been busy, did I run or cycle, how many miles did I do etc.etc. Its really nice that the conversations are becoming two way and he is asking about your day the same way I ask him how his day has been.

Anyway finally for today it is now only one week until the Queens Diamond Jubilee and preparations are going slow. Surely the Queen will give up the reign soon and the question then becomes "Who will take to the thrown?". Will it be King Joshua the 1st, or King Brandon the 1st?

King Joshua the 1st ready for his reign.

Strong competition from the people favourite, King Brandon the 1st.

Men At Work

There is very little I can remember about my childhood, especially when I look back at when I was Joshua and Brandon's age. However one of my strongest memories is from the Queen's Silver Jubilee and the celebration party held at my late Nan Pugh's street in Romford. I remember in great detail all of the Union Jacks, the buntin, the food, the activities, but most importantly as a 5 year old I remember being given my little Silver Jubilee matchbox car. With the Queen's diamond jubilee now only two weeks away and with the boys being a similar age to what I was 35 years ago for the Silver Jubilee, then my challenge is to try and recreate similar memories for the them.

Obviously we plan to decorate the house in Union Jacks but one of my other ideas is to prepare the boys a little goody bag to open on the morning of the jubilee. The main contents of the bag will be a Diamond Jubilee matchbox car (similar to the one I received 35 years ago) and also a Royal Mint coin to commemorate the event.

The Diamond Jubille car I have bought the boys for their goody bag. 

And this is the Royal Mint which they both have, no doubt they will try and stuff it in their money boxes.

This weekend I now need to shop around for some more Union Jack / Jubilee nik-naks to fill their goody bag.

Its quite amazing just how partiotic the country has become with the jubilee and the Olympics both taking place in 2012. Union Jacks are appearing everywhere. Joshua and Brandon previously recognised St Georges cross and the Union Jack and associated both flags with England. However we have recently explained the Queens Jubilee and now they associate all Union Jacks as the Jubilee Flag!

Anyway none of that has anything to do with the title of this blog - "Men At Work".  The blog title refers to the boys new hi-vis jackets which Auntie Lisa and Uncle David bought them from Scotland. How cool are these with "Daddy's Little Helper" written on the back

Men at work.

Daddy's little helpers.

It always amazes me just how much smaller Brandon looks when stood up next to his bigger brother.

Anybody would think they are both standing there urinating up the hall wall!

The cutting edge

Finally after 4.5 years Tina agreed to let me loose with the hair clippers and cut the boys hair. Joshua went first and was very excited about Daddy doing his hair. He was extremely well behaved and sat very still as I went to work.

Carefully trimming the edges, not bad for someone who won't even cut the boys toe nails in case I hurt them!

Starting to look good, although Joshua does not look impressed.

Brandon was a bit more tricky. He did not sit as still as Joshua and got very irritated with the itchy hair down his back (despite being wrapped up in a bath towel). 

All smiles as I set to work giving him a good trim ready for the summer weather.

The face says it all, not quite as impressed half way through!

And here is the end result. I have to say for a first attempt I am pleased with the end result and think I have done the boys proud.

Puppy Dog Tails

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?

Slugs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

Maybe not quite a puppy dog tail, but a good size worm at least.

First Certificate

Well Joshua did not win the "Player of the week" trophy this week, but the coach did tell him that he was soooo close and that if he performs next week like he did today, then he will probably take the trophy home. However on the plus side Joshua and Brandon both completed the 4 week Chelsea FC Foundation football course and received their very first certificate for their achievement. The kids were so pleased to be awarded a certificate and all of the under 5's had a grin from ear to ear as they got up and shook hands with coach Wayne to receive their award to an applause from everyone else.

I have to say its quite humbling but a very proud moment to watch your children receive an award. So as much as it was a first for them to receive a certificate, it was also a first for me to see them both be rewarded in such a way. Lets hope this is the first of many. I have promised them both that we will get their certificate framed and put it up on their bedroom walls for them.

Joshua going to collect his certificate from Wayne.

Little Brandon shaking hands with Wayne the Chelsea coach as he hands hi his certificate.



Me, Brandon and Wayne.



Joshua did not want a picture with coach Wayne, but was happy to pose with his certificate once he got home.

Both boys with their first ever certificates. Joshua wearing his Southend football kit and Brandon wearing his Little Kickers. I think they both deserve new Chelsea kits.

On a different subject it is mid May and we finally managed to get our first BBQ of the year. I do love my gas BBQ and the boys enjoyed dusting off their toy ones to cook up some yummy plastic sausages. Joshua is getting very adventurous with his food lately and today he tried and enjoyed some sirloin steak for the first time today. Last year he wouldn't touch any steak or chops and limited his BBQ's to just burger, sausage and chicken. He must be going through another growth spurt at the moment because it is absolutely incredible what he has eaten in the last couple of days.

Goal!

Man City may have won the premiership, but there is one cup that is firmly in Joshua's grasp very soon. That is the Forest Glade "Player of the Week". This week he was on top form and scored two cracking goals. He tried his hardest to get voted for player of the week and to take the weekly trophy home put was pipped to the post by Joe. I he carries on performing like he did this week then I am sure he will win the weekly trophy very soon.



Joshua on the chase for the ball.

 

He goes in for the tackle.

And then he is off, dribbling the ball up the pitch at full speed.

The goal is in his sight.

And then arms aloft he celebrates the winning shot.

As the sun was out briefly this weekend even Brandon decided to join in at Forest Glade. No surprises that he had to go on the yellow team again. Brandon still hasn't quite taken to outdoor football but then he is a lot younger than all the other boys so we are not forcing him. We give him the option whether he wants to go each week and if he says no then that's fine, instead he just goes along to his indoor Little Kickers. This week he did both! 

Brandon's team were getting a bit confused and tackling each other for the ball!

Staying with the sporting theme I am pleased to confirm that the boys have finally got their first Olympic tickets today. Can I just say that I love the "pay for your age" scheme for the kiddies - nice one Lord Coe. So today we got tickets for the slalom canoeing. Over the coarse of this week I am going to also try and get them tickets for the BMX biking and the equestrian jumping. All the events of have picked are ones that should be quite visual and entertaining so that they keep the boys interested in what is going on. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the Olympics in their home nation and I am so pleased that it finally looks like we will get to go to a few events having failed dismally in the first round of ticket bidding.

Catch Phrase

One thing you realise with young children is that they have no subtlety or sensitivity about what they say. They are kind of like the old TV programme “Catch Phrase” where they “say what you see”. Last night at the dinner table Brandon was a prime example of this and came out with a classic one. You see I am over 40 now and have hair growing in places where generally speaking hair shouldn’t be growing. So I am sitting next to the little lad helping feed him and he comments that I have cob webs up my nose – referring to my nasal hair!!!! Cheeky little bugger. I guess the nose hair trimmer will be coming out tonight.

Brandon has also acquired a real taste for chocolate and is a bit of a chocoholic (given the chance) like his Mum. Once a week as a treat I tend to make the boys these little saucy chocolate pot cake using Mascaponi cheese and Brandon is absolutely addicted to them. You can pretty much guarantee that once he has finished his dinner, if you ask him what he wants for pudding then he will say chocolate cake. Earlier this week whilst Joshua was at pre-school Brandon was making some chocolate cakes with his Mummy. I use the word “making” very loosely as you can see from the pictures he was probably eating/licking more of the cake mix than what he was actually baking.

He is like a little puppy dog lapping up the last scraps of chocolate.

The clothes had to come off as they were covered in chocolate.

The aftermath............chocolate covered Brandon.

Trail Gator

Joshua is a big tall lad for his age and has outgrown the bike trailer and the front mounted bike seat. However he has not yet learnt to ride a bike without stabilisers and would struggle with any long distances. So to overcome these problems we have bought a trail gator which is basically a tow bar for pulling your child's bike along behind you.

The steering is locked but Joshua still has the ability to pedal his bike. Also the trail gator is not completely rigid and therefore he still has to balance a little bit on his bike. Pulling him along is still pretty hard work and the overall balance of both bikes will take a bit of getting used too. So we won't be going too fast until we are both completely confident.

Trail Gator connected and Joshua ready for a test ride.

The young Evil Kenevil cruising along pulling a wheelie.

Gaining confidence and getting faster.

A few laps of the round-a-bout to get used to turning.

I am not sure the trail gator will be much good for off road cycles, but it will be just perfect for our summer trips down to the Wickford butchers to get some meat for our bbq!

A Knights Tale

As usual England does not disappoint with yet another wet and gloomy bank holiday weekend. Today was probably the best of the 3 day weekend and so we decided to go to Headingham Castle for the day. As you can see from the pictures below, the Castle is absolutely stunning and yes you get a good leg workout climbing all the steps to the top.

Medieval pole dancing in the castle courtyard. Joshua loved watching but did not want to participate.

Spot the row of longbow archers just above the line of bushes.

One of the first things we did when we got to the castle was to have a go at the long bow ourselves. Surprisingly that had a junior size bow and Joshua was allowed to have a go. After 3 attempts he managed to hit the target. 

My little Robin Hood getting his long bow tuition.

As with all these family days out there is a common theme of traps to entice children and at the same time strip cash from your wallet. As we crossed the bridge to head into the castle you have to pass by an inflatable pirate ship slide. So within seconds I lose the two boys along with a few of my hard earnt pounds.

You can just about see Brandon climbing up the left hand side.

And here is Brandon bouncing his way down the slide.

Inside the castle is just as stunning as the outside and there are plenty of exhibits, historical artifacts and information to keep you entertained.

Josh and Brandon exploring the corridors of the castle. Which way next?

After all that climbing and exploring me and Brandon were a little tired. So we took a power nap on a medieval bed. Sore backs here we come.

The view from the top of the castle looking out onto the courtyard.

Inside the castle there was various medieval pieces of armour which you could try on. The boys thoroughly enjoyed dressing up in the armoury.

Guess who this little warrior is?

And here is another scary dude?

The chain mesh that the knights wore was surprisingly very heavy. But once I had demonstrated to the boys how it works and what it was used for, they were both keen to try it on. 

First Daddy's turn but Brandon was keen to take it off and have a go.

I think Brandon could hardly stand under the weight of the chains. So I had to hold the top in order to take some of the load off.

Joshua managed just fine and looks mean and ready for battle.

After trying on the real armoury it was time to don some costumes and some wooden weaponry for a bit of Knight role playing. 

Meet St.Joshua ready to slay a dragon.

Instead of a dragon he meet a fiery little monster Brandon to do battle with.

Brandon lunges in to defend his part of the castle.

And the winner of the battle is?

Joshua on the steep castle steps make the descent back to the bottom.

They also had various birds of prey on display including some owls, an American bald eagle and a vulture. The owl was a bit naughty during the display and flew off and hid in the trees. 



Joshua was quite funny trying to talk to the owl by making a "twit twoooo" sound.

Towards the end of another enjoyable day out we watched the gladiators donning their armour ready for the final battle in the courtyard.



Joshua loved watching the battles and did not want to leave. However the weather had started to turn worse and Brandon does not like getting cold and wet. So we watched the final battles and then hit the road home.



Two of the Knight's doing battle.