Rachel's Birthday
The season opened with Rachel's 11th birthday at the beginning of April.
Michael was away for the week, and we had Easter and General Conference (a church conference) the same week, so it was hectic. Rachel really just wanted to go and see some horses somewhere. I couldn't seem to find anywhere though - somehow. So with Granma and Gramps in tow we went to a very muddy farm, where there was more play than animals, but the animals that were there were enjoyed.
Granma was especially taken with the first ever furry pig that we have seen! We came away thoroughly mud-splattered from both cars getting stuck in a muddy field-come-car park!
Here's our big girl at tea/dinner time that day, with her birthday ring, and her flowers that Dad had prepared earlier.
Rebekah's Birthday
Next came Rebekah's 6th birthday in the second week of May. Here she is on that day... very excited to be having a birthday, enjoying her birthday treasure hunt (closely followed by some equally excited siblings), excited about a wooden dolphin she had as one of her presents, and just before eating her birthday lunch.
Rebekah got a big treat on her birthday, the news of which came with whoops of delight from all. She (and her three sisters) got to have their first horse-riding lesson that afternoon. They had been saving all possible pennies for a long while (including money for birthday and Christmas presents from all who have been willing), and were set on continuing to save until they had an amount that would allow them to keep going, but we encouraged them to have some lessons now while the weather was good, and to keep saving at the same time. So Michael had taken them off to look at the three possible riding stables in this area the previous weekend, and they all felt happiest with a place about 25 minutes drive from here. We figured Rebekah's birthday would be as good a day as any to give it a try! Michael was also finished with needing to be at uni by then so he was able to join us too. :o)
Here is Rebekah on her pony, Tootsy.
Towards the end of their lesson Esther had them do a few exercises!
She had chosen pizza for tea, so we all got to making those together when we got home (Samuel enjoyed Daddy's version of that - without cheese).
Samuel's Birthday
Two weeks later was Samuel's 1st birthday. As he loves animals so much we thought he might enjoy going to an animal type place. Peter had been asking to go back to Drusilla's, and there turned out to be another home ed trip there a couple of days before Samuel's birthday, so we made the cost (luckily a reduced one anyway) work for his birthday.
We started off by joining in with the group learning activities with the group we'd gone with, which Samuel mostly fed and slept through. Then it was time for lunch! Samuel decided that Rebekah's fish looked really tasty and when she turned her head the other way for just a moment he had pinched it! He enjoyed it so much along with his other food that he ate more than she did. He also ended up with her fork - of course!
Next was a short train ride on Thomas, ...
then a play at the park, ...
followed by a quick drink and a snack. Samuel thought the water fountain was so wonderful (it was the first time he had come across one, and it was the perfect design for him to use). He just had to keep having more. :o)
Then we went to see some more animals. We loved watching these monkeys as their babies were clinging to their tummies everywhere they went, including as they climbed, and feeding whenever they needed to - perfect!
We also really enjoyed watching the penguins, especially at feeding time. Samuel loves birds anyway, and enjoyed watching two herons trying to get the fish that were being fed to the penguins. One of them did pretty well - it moved fast!
Really he would have loved going to a park to wander around and play with plenty of birds to watch just as much. It was a nice day though that we all enjoyed spending together. Samuel's actual birthday was a lovely calm day, right at the pace of our little one year old. Rebekah and Sarah spent part of the morning finishing off their gifts they had wanted to make for Samuel, while he enjoyed playing with balloons, singing songs, and dancing to music - especially fun with Daddy!
Later on, either side of a nap, Samuel thoroughly enjoyed opening all of his cards, inspecting and talking about each one. He enjoyed opening and playing with each present after that too. Then at tea time he loved his candle and decorations - to play with more than to blow out the candle, but that was fun too, and especially being sung to. :o)
What a sleepy boy!
Ceri's Birthday
My birthday was also a time to pause and have a bit of time all together.
It decided to rain on us, but despite that we enjoyed visiting the grounds of a National Trust property - Nymans. It was lovely watching the children explore the flowers, trees, bamboo, etc. We hid out in a stick built circular hut/house for a while, which was a lovely chance for a rest for me! Then we finished off by playing a game of croquet, again partly in the rain. I was exhausted, but it was a lovely place and fun to be together.
Sarah's Birthday
Sarah's 8th birthday at the end of June also fell on a week when Michael was away on a field trip. He left on Friday morning, her birthday was Wednesday, and he got back the following weekend in time to baptise her on the Sunday. On Sarah's actual birthday she really wanted to go to another National Trust property, especially to see inside a big fancy house (which we didn't get to do on my birthday). So we travelled just over an hour to go to Petworth house, and getting there after lunch we spent most of the time doing a trail around the house. Fancy it definately was, and plenty enough. The bedrooms were also open to view that day which they aren't normally, and the children were amazed by the enormous beds they had, including one four poster bed that looked like it had a huge crown on top. When we were done there, we had a quick look in the kitchens in a nearby building, and had one of the ladies there tell us just about everything she could about what went on there. That left just a little time to dress up in some servants clothes before they closed and the same lady ushered us all out.
We sat down for a rest outside, where we found some very bulbous trees. One of them worked pretty well as a communal seat for a sibling photo. 
Our kitchen guide met us two more times on our way back through the gardens to the carpark, and wanted to show us the way. We also met two ladies who couldn't quite believe that all six children were mine. They'd been discussing it and thought they must just be friends. I guess it's not that common to have lots of children. They thought they were lovely though. I had to agree. :o) We spent a little while in a lovely look out spot - the Rotunda, and took a few photos between us too.
Then we stopped at the nearby supermarket and got ourselves some tea from there. There is a one-way system round most of the roads just by the house, and it was hard to park. So when we did, i trying to find where we had gone past the supermarket we ended up doing three and a half sides of an odd-shaped square, with me as the mother duck, Samuel in the sling, and five ducklings behind me all holding hands in a line and keeping right to the edge of the road as there was no path. We all found it pretty funny, and but for carrying our shopping back with us, they wanted to go the same way back. ;o) Sarah enjoyed her day, and at least got to say goodnight to Michael on the phone while we were sat eating our tea in the car.
Sarah's Baptism
Her baptism was on the first Sunday of July, and was a much planned for and awaited event. It was lovely to have some of our extended family in Brighton with us at church that day, and then more come afterwards for the baptism. Also lovely to get to spend some time with them after the baptism back at our house.
The service was lovely. Sarah planned all of it except for one talk that I said I had sorted, otherwise she wouldn't have left room for it. She thought that third speaker was me, and was very surprised and happy to find it was actually a recorded talk on DVD given by her Nanny. She had been ever so sad for a long time that Nanny couldn't be at her baptism with her, but this made up for that. She had the biggest smile on her face as she came out of the font after being baptised. She really loved it, as did we, and we could really feel the spirit there. Everyone seemed quite subdued by it afterwards. Sarah loved her special day, and sharing it with some special people.
A few pictures with some family afterwards (the ones on this camera anyway) ...
Samuel is so loving with babies, and always wants to give them a big hug. His cousin Elodie didn't seem too sure when Samuel really got his arms around her, but he liked having her there, and he was very sweet in showing he loves her.
Hannah's Birthday
Hannah had really wanted to be away on her birthday, so we planned to visit a castle on the Saturday that she wanted to visit (National Trust again), and then stay over a night and visit a ward elsewhere that it's possible we may move to at some point in the future.
Instead we went to a friends funeral in Coventry on the Saturday, and then stayed over in Kidderminster with Granma and Gramps (my parents) for the night, which turned into several nights. I really needed the rest, and although it wasn't exactly a rest, I was away from various responsibilities and jobs that needed doing at home, so it was great not to be able to do anything for those for half a week. Hannah loved going to church in Kidderminster on her birthday, and spending the rest of the day at Granma and Gramps' house.
We had our family home evening in the afternoon, chosen by Hannah, and with her birthday ring surrounding a fuit salad for our refreshments (Samuel looks unhappy in the picture of everyone together because he's just desperate to get at the fruit - he LOVES food!)
We had our family home evening in the garden, other than Hannah's birthday treasure hunt mostly around the house to find her cards and gifts. So Samuel found the bird bath in the garden, and it didn't take him too long to figure out that it would be fun to splash in it! Hannah enjoyed some tacos for her birthday tea, and just had a lovely day.
After some badly needed shoe (and raincoat) shopping on Monday, we went on the Tuesday for the replacement for Hannah's visit to the castle. We went ice skating at Telford ice rink, something that is fun to include while we are in the Midlands as there isn't an ice rink very near to us at all in Brighton. We went a fairly quite public session that ended up packed as several coach loads of children of different ages arrived for things like end of year outings. Everyone that was skating enjoyed it, including Peter once it had quietened down a lot and there was a bit more space.
Then afterwards we had wanted to go and play at the playground in Telford Town Park. Well it was pouring with rain, but we had raincoats so that didn't stop us! We had the place to ourselves (who else would be that mad?!) and the children all did an assault course fairly successfully in the rain and then played on various other bits of play equipment before they were too drenched and we really had to return to the car. One they discovered (both to their added fun and Rebekah's harm) is that you can go extremely fast down slides that are wet!
Peter's Birthday
Peter was the last of the children to have his birthday when he turned four a couple of days after we got home from Kidderminster. What he REALLY wanted to do was go to a big park, so in the afternoon we went to the biggest one nearby that we could think of. He and sisters and brother played in the playground for a while, and when he had had enough of playing there, and wanted a snack, we wandered off to find a spot to sit down, and they enjoyed playing on various bits of exercise equipment along the way that they have around the park there for joggers etc.
We ate, blowed bubbles for a while, played ball, then went home when Peter was tired.
Peter had his treasure hunt when we got home while tea was cooking, and enjoyed his presents and cards too. He has since said that he wished his treasure hunt was a lot longer (he got real written clues to work out this year, but not too many as he's not too old yet), so I guess he can have a big long one next year. :o)
Okay, that was a LONG summary! Not really a summary either in the end! I did get a lot of ironing done though while the pictures uploaded!
Well that's our birthday season all over ..., well nearly, except that now there will be another little person here soon with a birthday either the end of this year, or the beginning of next - somewhere nearer to Daddy's birthday. We are expecting another little boy to join our family sometime around Christmas - his due date is 21st December, so who knows when. Christmas will be even more eventful than usual though. :o)
1 comment:
That was quite a post, and quite an announcement! Congratulations! I hope you are feeling well. Such an exciting time for your family!
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