June

Hey, we have had an awesome time this month together as a family. Its so nice having Travis around so much, and to get away together (a bit further than we usually go) on our Vacation to Cornwall. We had a bit of time travelling, getting stuck behind 2 accidents, so it took 9 hours to get there, and we ended up at a completely different campsite than planned, but it was lovely all the same. We spent our time in Newquay, Perrenporth beach, Lands End, St. Ives, Marazion & St Michaels Mount, Pendennis Castle - Falmouth, Truro, Porthcurno beach & Padstow. We squeezed so much into our time, and we saw alot. Travis enjoyed seeing some new parts of England, and I havent been there since I was 19 so its been a while for me too. The kids loved the surf, Lauryn especially loved body boarding for the first time. She took to it so quickly. She even managed to get her old mother into it :)

The campsite had an outdoor pool, which the kids spent alot of time in. I liked sunbathing. It was somewhere they liked to go in the evening after we got home from our days out. A highlight of the vacation was the Blue Reef Aquarium and seeing the sharks, stingray and the turtle. Travis had a go on the surf at Perrenporth in his kayak, he had alot of fun, and tipped over quite a few times! I loved the harbors and coves - and the beautiful clear blue water of the ocean. I liked Porthcurno beach which was pretty quiet, sheltered from the breeze, and beautiful white sand, tho it was kind of weird, Josh called it the 'Ready brek sand' and it stuck to you. The kids had fun with the legends of Giants at St Michaels Mount, and enjoyed the return ferry ride to the island. We had a great day at Lands End, scared the kids to death in the Last Labyrinth Show with tales of shipwrecks, witches, pirates and giants, and the story of King Arthur. They loved the Doctor Who museum, but were too scared to stand in front of any of the character models! Jacob wasnt bothered by any of it, of course! Jacob liked eating the sand, and riding in the little inflatable yellow raft when he could. We were lucky to get sunshine and blue skies the entire trip.

During half term break, we took the kids to Chester Zoo, and this was Jacobs first time. He wasnt interested in any of the animals :) Josh was glad to see that snakes are in the tanks we have told him about and not able to get out (he is quite plagued by snake nightmares for a while) and we all enjoyed seeing the chimps get fed. It was quite a show! The lions were asleep like usual.

Lauryn was awarded with her 10 metre certificate at her swimming class, and she is really proud of her achievement. She is going to Windermere with the school and I get to go too which I am looking forward too. She also is in a small sports club and they are spending a day at Rock and River, where she will kayak, climb & do some archery. She is so excited for it. She is excited to show them that she already can kayak. We bought Lauryn a new kayak, a Perception Method Jnr. The Dynamo is now in demand by Katie & Josh. She was able to try it out at Fell Foot on Windermere, on Father's Day. With her new specialised childrens kayak paddles, she says its so much better. Travis and Lauryn did get a bit wet when the heavens opened. And paddled over to some trees to sit under. This one will see her thru the teenage years tho, so we know its a good investment.

Katherine had a great school field trip to Croxteth Hall. I loved being able to accompany the class. Its been a long time since I have been able to help out at school, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She has been going to lots of parties, and getting made over, which is her favorite thing anyway. She tried kayaking for the first time this month, and was very determinded despite being a bit nervous and frustrated about it being a struggle the first time. She picked it up quite well, and also enjoyed for a time being towed around by Trav! She progressed in her swimming and was moved up a class. She likes this new class because they play lots of games.

Josh finally broke thru his inhibitions of the bathroom at playgroup, and has lost all his previous hang ups and fears, he is excited for his reward - the "Mack" truck to add to his Disney "Cars" collection. Josh was really desperate to try out the kayaking. He wanted to wear a helmet too - bless. But he shocked us all that despite not being able to brace himself in the kayak, he had alot of control, and did as well as Kate did!

Jacob is doing great. He loves standing up, and has lots to say all the time. He is my little guy and so adorable. He is getting so big though, and I wish he would stop growing! He likes to play games and loves balls. He gets so excited that his whole body will shake :)

Travis passed his exams so he is stoked, and I am so proud, he has worked so hard.

I am still waiting for my results. My life is a bit of a mixed bag, so I won't go into that.

(Pictures : Top to bottom - Amy at Pendennis Castle, Lauryn bodyboarding at Perrenporth beach, Katie running from the waves at Towan Beach - Newquay, Josh loving the beach at Perrenporth, Jacob just smiles everytime you get out the camera!)