We Three Kings Blog: May 2013

Joshua is a real beach bum and would happily spend all day playing in the sand and sea if given the choice. For months and months over the winter period he has been nagging that he wants to go to the beach. So it is bank holiday weekend, the sun is finally shinning so we headed off to Shoebury beach. Shoebury brings back many childhood memories for me as this is one of Mum's favourite places that she used to take us as kiddies many years ago.

The tide was out when we arrived and there was only about 3 people on the beach. However within an hour the tide was coming in fast and slowly the beach started to fill. The boys loved doing some crab hunting and were putting their catches into buckets. There was also lots and lots of jelly fish around.

A happy beach bum finally at the seaside.

Tina and the baby keeping under the shade.

Brandon on the sea wall in search for crabs and jelly fish.

We almost had the whole beach to ourselves.

Give Joshua a bucket, a spade and a beach and he will happily dig and play all day long.

Brandon bringing up a bucket of water to fill Joshua's hole.

There seemed to be lots of bricks on the beach which gave me an idea to build the boys a little brick castle rather than a sand castle. The idea was then to dig a moat around the castle and try and fill it with water.

Brandon filling my castle with water instead of creating a moat.

Joshua starts digging sand into the castle.

My finished brick castle with Joshua proudly standing inside it.

Brandon chilling in the sun with Mummy,

Joshua burying his feet in a big hole and Brandon filling it with water.

Friday 24 May 2013

Licking Cake Mix + Baby Update

No need to do the washing up when I make my special homemade sticky chocolate puddings! Just pass the kitchen utensils over to the boys and they will lick them spotless.

Sharing the love as they both lick the whisk together!

Baby Update: Well today we had the first appointment with the midwife to get the ball rolling again. The 12 week scan is now scheduled for 31st May.

Baby's development at 11 weeks.

We have explained to the boys that the baby measures around 4cm from the crown of his head to the rump meaning it would easily fit into the palm of your hand. At 11 weeks the baby has all of its parts, from tooth buds to toenails and his fingers and toes have fully separated. The baby will be busy kicking and stretching. Most of the baby's critical development will tail off in the next couple of weeks and the main task during the next six months will be to grow larger and stronger, until the baby can survive on its own outside the uterus (womb).

Thursday 23 May 2013

Crafty Masks in Evening Echo

Joshua and Brandon get their picture in yesterdays Evening Echo from a recent mask making workshop at Auntie Lisa's art studio in Wat Tyler Country Park. Can you spot any other familiar faces?

Sunday 19 May 2013

Wick Play Tower

Since we had the loft conversion done Mum always used to refer to our house as Wick Towers. Well the latest addition to Wick Towers is the Wick Play Tower! For some time I have been thinking and planning how to try and build the boys a raised playhouse in the back garden. However a good eBay purchase today and the job was half done for me. Instead of worrying about the design I simply had the 2.5 hour task to dis-assemble the climbing tower from a place in Leigh and then transport it back to Wickford.

Once we got the climbing frame home I was completely knackered and had no intention of putting it together today. However the boys had other ideas and made it crystal clear that the next 2.5 hours I would be putting it back together again. So despite tired muscles and sore hands I cracked on and by 5.30pm tonight the job was finished.

Brandon couldn't wait for the roof and needed to test out the ladder and the 1st floor.

In B goes, will it take the weight of both boys or was a missing a few screws!

Satisfied with Dad's handy work, Brandon tests out the new bumpy yellow slide.

Probably the toughest job was lifting the pre-built roof to the top of the tower on my own!!!! Its lucky Mum isn't with us anymore as she would have killed me for doing this without any help given that it stand over 3m high.

The finished playhouse with roof on.

The two boys all happy and playing nicely with their new garden toy.

I think we will give it a coat of wood stain and maybe add a sandpit underneath.

We also used a skipping rope and beach bucket to hook up a hoist system for lifting any heavy loads up the tower.

When I first saw the climbing tower today I was probably only about 70% sure it was what I wanted. As me and my brother set to work stripping it down I was convinced I had made a big mistake and was trying to think how I could get out of the deal without having to pay or having to put it together again. However despite all the hard work the two boys absolutely love their new climbing tower and have been letting their little imaginations run wild playing on it all evening. Just to see them happily playing with smiles on their faces makes you realise that it was a good purchase and worth every penny and all the effort.

Saturday 18 May 2013

Straw Tractor

Poor little Joshua is starting to let out his emotions regarding the passing of his Nan a week ago today. Earlier this week we noticed he had drawn a sad face that was crying on his easel. We asked him about it and he said he had drawn it because he felt sad. However even worse that that was last night during our bedtime story. I read him the Hospice book about the Bugs and Dragonflies and when we got to the end and read out the prayer he just bust out crying. He kept saying that he didn't want Nan to die and that he missed her and that I no longer had a Mum. Just as I was starting to get to grips with my own emotions, Joshua brought them all flooding back and had me in tears with him. In he end Tina ended up sleeping with him for about an hour to try and settle him. She even tried to cheer him up by talking about the baby and he commented that the baby won't get to meet Nanny and all will miss out on all the things she buys for the boys.

Fortunately today he has been much better and despite at first not wanting to go to football club this morning I dragged him along to get his mind off of things and he had a good time and did really well. After football we noticed that Barleylands had set up this impressive straw tractor ready for tractor week during half term. Joshua jumped at the chance for a photo opportunity but Brandon was not so keen and stayed tucked up in the car.

Joshua posing on the straw tractor.

That's a heavy load.

Joshua knows me all too well and driving home he asked if I would put the pictures on the blog!

To finish today's blog update I would like to mention a couple of quirky little expressions that me and the boys seem to use a lot lately:

Man Pudding: This one is more for me and Joshua and refers to our favourite pudding which just so happens to be rice pudding with a splodge of jam in the middle. Brandon currently doesn't like rice pudding which suits me and Joshua down to the ground as we get to share a whole tin between the two of us..

Bat Phone: Both boys are trained so that when my telephone starts ringing they promptly respond by saying, "Dad, it's that bat phone!" - how cool is that?

Share The Love: Finally is our expression "Share The Love" which I think I have mentioned before. Basically if one of us has a treat like some chocolate or crisps etc we will ask the other to "share the love" meaning let me have some. It is so funny hearing the boys saying "share the love Daddy!".

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Message For Mum

Today will go down in the books as one of the saddest and happiest days in my life. I am breaking this news on the blog as that given the recent bad news of my Mum passing I very much doubt I can tell people without being a blubbering mess. Mum was one of the biggest fans of my blog so it seems only appropriate to break this news on the blog as well. So today I can officially announce that me and Tina are adding to our family and that Joshua and Brandon will have a younger brother or sister later in 2013.

When we found out the good news earlier today we both just started crying. If only Mum could have held out for just a few more days so that we could have told her. As I mentioned before, Mum's whole fight against cancer was driven by her love for her children and grand children and this news would have meant the world to her. It saddens me to know that she will never get to meet the baby or to be there for the birth of another of her grand children. I know she will be looking down on us though and will be over the moon and celebrating the good news.

Joshua & Brandon's baby brother or sister at 10.5 weeks old. Current expected due date is 7th Dec 2013.

I just cannot believe the timing of this and my emotions are all over the place right now with combinations of sickness, crying, happiness........ I only hope that this good news puts a smile on peoples faces and takes their mind off of the sad news of Mum/Nan's passing earlier this week.

We had great pleasure telling Joshua and Brandon that they are going to be big brothers and they are both full of questions and excitement. Joshua is very keen to feed the baby and both Joshua and Brandon think that the baby is going to be a boy. Of course they have asked the difficult question about how the baby got into Mummy's belly but my head is spinning everywhere right now and I will tackle that one in a few days time.

Monday 13 May 2013

Water Bugs & Dragonflies

At the moment Brandon does not seem to be affected by the passing of his Nan this weekend, but Joshua on the other hand is trying to comprehend and understand what has happened. St Lukes Hospice gave me a parents guidance leaflet to help with young children, but even better than that they gave me a book called "Water Bugs & Dragonflies - explaining death to young children". The book is fantastic and gives a really good analogy that you can use with young children to try and help them understand death, So far I have read it through for the boys twice and I think this will become our special "Little Nanny Book".

At the back of the book there is a lovely little prayer which actually brought a little tear to Joshua;s eye tonight. The prayer is:

Thank you, God, for the story of the water bugs

and dragonflies. Thank you for the miracle

that makes shiny dragonflies out of water bugs.

Please remember Nan who has left the

pond we live in. Give her a good life, too,

in a wonderful new world of sun and air. And

then remember me, and let me someday be with her.

AMEN.

Nanny on a recent trip to Hendon Air Museum with her favourite helicopter, the Chinook.

Being attacked by the large inflatable dinosaur that Auntie Nicky bought Joshua.

It is funny how toddler minds work and try and apply logic to such scenario's. It gets very difficult to answer some of the questions so soon after the death of Mum/Nan but here are a few examples of what he has asked me so far:

"Daddy, it is so sad that your Mummy died. You don't have a Mummy now do you? Will you get another Mummy now?" - to answer this I told Joshua that you only ever have one Mummy and that I still have a Mum, it is just that she is now in heaven.

"Dad, what do angels looks like? You told me you would show me a picture tonight? Has Nanny arrived in heaven yet or is she still flying there?"

Sunday 12 May 2013

Spirit in the Sky - Mum/Nan 2/4/1954 to 11/5/2013

It is with deep regret and with a tear in my eye that I write about the devastating news that my Mum, (Joshua and Brandon's Nan) finally lost her battle against cancer late last night. The boys loved their Nan dearly and in the closing days it was heart breaking to not let them see her to say good bye at risk of really upsetting them and affecting them emotionally. Mum was a fighter to the very end and part of her strength and determination to fight against the evil disease was to spend as much time as possible for her children and grand children. It now chokes me up to think she will not get to see the boys grow into young men.

Nanny and her boys.

She loved the boys dearly and got so excited every time she could see them or spend some time with them. She was always spoiling them with gifts and money. Every time they did well at school, football, swimming etc she would cross their palms with some money. She was probably the most generous person you will ever know. Despite hardly ever having two pennies to rub together, when ever she did have money she would rarely spend it on herself and instead would be forever buying gifts for other people.

Little B and Nanny all dressed up at Bonoween 2012.

If nothing else I pray to god that the boys learn from this experience to never, ever smoke. I also hope that they learn what it is like to a be a real fighter. I may think I am big and tough at times, but I didn't have an ounce on my Mum. She was a true fighter and gave cancer one hell of a battle. I will be first to put my hand up and so there is no way I could ever go through what she has endured over the last 2.5 years. She is a true warrior and I will certainly think twice next time I complain about the odd man flue or a few aches and pains after a run or workout. If the boys have half the drive and fight that their Nan had then they are going to go a long way in life.

Mum/Nan - the ultimate fighter.

This morning we had the very difficult job of explaining what had happened to their Nan and that they will never see her again. We explained that the cancer which was making her poorly has finally taken her life and that she has now gone up to heaven. The boys commented that at least she was with Grandad and Ben now but then also asked some difficult questions like, "how did she get up to heaven?", at which point the only answer I could think of was to say that the angels had flown her there. Even now Joshua frequently comments that he still misses his Granddad and he was a lot closer to his Nan, so over the coming days I expect some more difficult questions from him and some emotional responses. Every time he speaks about "Nanny dying" you can't help but shed another tear, he keeps on saying that it is so sad that she is dead.

There is so much we will all miss about Mum/Nan, far to much to ever list on a blog. From the simple things in life to a hug or someone to talk too, down to her homemade bread pudding, meatloaf or Boston Bean Stew. Who will now keep me in check for all the stupid things I do like cycling to work in extreme weather conditions with no fear of my own well being etc. She may be gone but she will never, ever be forgotten.

Driving to football yesterday Joshua was flicking through the radio stations on the car and what song did he stumble across, "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. What were the chances of this being on the radio on the day when she finally leaves us to go and be with Slim again, especially given that this is one of the songs she has requested for her funeral. Well she is now a spirit in the sky and in all of our hearts forever more..............

Mum/Nan 2nd April 1954 to 11th May 2013

Love you always, we four Kings.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Row, row, row your boat.

It has taken until May, but finally the weather was good enough for me and the boys to get out on our canoe. So we headed off to the river Chelmer but instead of going straight to Papermill Lock we got dropped off at a bridge about a mile up the road. This forced me, Joshua and Brandon in to having to row all the way to the Lock without keep getting in and out of the boat like they usually do. My plan worked a treat and both boys rowed their little hearts out as we attempted to race Tina back to Papermill Lock in a Top Gear type challenge of car versus boat.

After a quick set-up in a lay by we were soon in the water and heading up stream to Papermill lock.

Joshua used a large double ended ore at the front of the boat, I sat in the middle and Little B took the back seat with the small single ore. Joshua was a little power house and pretty much rowed all the way and really contributes to the effort/speed. All the way there he was shouting, "come on boys, faster, lets beat Mum". Brandon on the other hand was happy to sit back for the ride and then when he felt we needed more speed he would simply dip his ore into the water causing the boat to start turning whilst be and Joshua were powering away.

And we are off powering our way down the Chelmer.

En route we kept commenting what a "beautiful day" to be out on the boat and in the water, to which Brandon would reply, "we're not scared" - referencing the "beautiful day" line from the bear hunt book. How funny.

Finally we arrived at Papermill Lock only to find Tina waiting there having beaten us in the race.

Time to dock our boat and head for a well earned ice cream.

It was lovely to get out on the boat and spend some quality time with the boys. Whilst they watched the long boats going through the lock whilst chomping away at their ice creams, I indulged in the most gorgeous cream and jam scone, topped with a strawberry. Just delicious on a nice hot day and made the row well worth the effort.

Joshie has really taken to the canoeing and already wants his own single seater. He kept asking if he could take our boat out on his own and obviously I said no as he currently doesn't have all the skills at the moment. But what I did do is take him out with just be in the boat and I told him I would not row unless he needed help. Surprisingly he actually did quite well and managed to row straight, turn and he learnt how to row backwards. I figure that if I do a little bit of this with him each time we go canoeing then within a year or so he may well be ready to go solo in his own little single seater! Watch this space....

Sunday 5 May 2013

Hedingham Castle Jousting

Day 2 of our bank holiday weekend and we took the boys over to Hedingham Castle for a jousting display. The castle is one of the best kept Norman keeps and stands 110 feet high and was built c.1140 by Aubrey de Vere and is still owned by one of his descendants, Jason Lindsay and his wife Demetra.

Hedingham Castle in all its glory.

Upon arrival we had about 15 minutes until the first jousting display so we settled down with a picnic blanket for front row seats of the jousting arena. Can you think of a more stunning venue and in beautiful spring sunshine to have a picnic?

Tina and the boys chilling out in the sunshine for a picnic.

Waiting patiently for the horses and knights to enter the arena.

And then in comes the blue, red, yellow and black knights.

We were all cheering on the evil black and yellow knights.

This was a champion Welsh knight getting ready for battle.

The black knight and the blue Sir William tangle lances in one of the first bouts.

The black knight was eventually defeated by Sir William.

The boys absolutely loved seeing the horses and the jousting. Both of them really got into the spirit by cheering on their favourites.

The champion of the day - Sir William.

The red knight circling around for another dual.

After watching the first jousting display the boys were keen to explore the castle (by way of one of the sweet stalls). There are four floors to explore, including a magnificent banqueting hall spanned by a remarkable 28 foot arch, one of the largest Norman arches in England. A good view of this splendid room can be obtained from the Minstrels' Gallery, built within the thickness of the 12 foot walls.

Joshua and Brandon about to enter the castle doors.

Little B in the chapel.

A birds eye view out of one of the castle windows.

This is the stunning view down on the jousting arena from the top of the castle.

Brandon posing with a knights shield.

One of the displays or armour and weaponry.

The castle and the grounds really are beautiful.

Brandon and Joshua ready to do battle with their toy swords.

In addition to the jousting and sword fighting displays there was various other activities including maypoles, wind bands, and birds of prey to keep everyone entertained.

One of the falcons taking flight right in front of us.

There was 5 falcons, and eagle and an owl on display.

By mid afternoon we took a really nice stroll around some of the castle grounds to view the stunning setting and take a look at some of the ponds.

Me, Brandon and Tina. For this picture I used a 10 second delay time and legged it as fast as could around the pond to get in the shot. Impressive eh!

The main pond can overflow through this through this little channel which Brandon straddled. Notice the little wooden castle left in the picture.

Little B running across a bridge.

Tina and Brandon playing pooh sticks on the bridge.

Finally leave a comment on the blog if you can guess who these two great warriors of the 21st century are?

We Three Kings Blog

Friday 31 May 2013

12 Week Scan

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Memorial Art

Monday 27 May 2013

Croods

Sunday 26 May 2013

Seaside