A Merry Christmas to all our readers

Amy's second Christmas already, and she's beginning to get an idea that something special is happening. She already met Santa - one of her new favourite words, when he popped into the playgroup Christmas party, although she was too shy to sit on his knee or get her own present.

She has quite a vocabulary now, but her two most favourite words are Pierre and baa! Pierre is the name we gave to a glove puppet which came from France (thanks Jasmine and family,) and goes everywhere with her. Baa being the noise her second favourite toy, a lamb (thanks Matthew, Adele and family) makes, and easier to say than Larry, although she is now managing 'Arry!

We just had a pre-Christmas long weekend in Ireland with Donna's mum who's here for six weeks. It rained.  These outdoor photos were taken during the first

few hours after we arrived, in Cobh (pronounced cove) just outside Cork, and the last port of call for the Titanic (it was called Queenstown at the time.) We drove up to Cashel, stopping off at Tipperary on the way - it wasn't far! We popped up to Roscrea to meet up with Father Cook who used to be the priest in Dannevirke NZ, then headed back south. Alas the rugged beauty of the ring of Kerry remained shrouded in mist and low cloud. At least weren't held up by the swarms of tourist coaches that clog the roads in summer.

November 2013

 Winter has arrived. As a consequence all this months photos are indoors! Not that we're staying inside permanently but the low wattage energy saving lights indoors are far better for photography than the faint amount of sunlight filtering through the grey November skies.

Here we are at the soft play area of the Docklands Museum in London. Loads of interesting things for a 20 month old to play with, but this one couldn't keep her hands out of this touchy feely water thing with waterfalls, rivers, dams and a gravel beach. Needless to say she even took some of the water

away with her, cunningly hidden in the fibres of her top.
 Her latest boyfriend Travis (son of Wayne and Jen,) at just coming up to a year, a bit of a toy boy as you can see. Actually that's what she likes about him - his toys! They're not actually playing with each other.

 

Menorca - October 2013

Decided to have a last minute break in the sun before winter really sets in. Had a fantastic week with weather apparently more like June. I hadn't been here for about 25 years and luckily it hasn't changed much. Being the end of season - pretty much everything was due to close the following week, it was really quiet with just a few young families and the blue rinse brigade. Amy loves the beach, although she wasn't that keen on the water - particularly after she suddenly dived head first into it one day. Bit of a shame, as when we were in Devon and the water was freezing it was hard to keep her out of it. Back home to rain every day.

 

 

September

 Summer seemed to come to an abrupt end early in September, although it's meant to be warming up again this weekend. Thank goodness for double glazing and central heating in this country. Amy has just turned 18 months and here she is at the local playground which we usually have to ourselves. Her usual trick is to climb up the slide and go down the steps!

 Nappies do nothing for a girl's figure. Does my bum look big in this daddy?
We've settled into a bit of a routine with a couple of days with grandma and granddad during the week and a big Sunday lunch all together. Here we are relaxing at home.

August

We finally moved into our own place in North Wingfield, about six miles from mum & dad and five from central Chesterfield. It's great to have our own place again after over three months. Here we are in Matlock, about ten miles away, still enjoying the summer sun and feeding the ducks. It's great to be doing stuff with Amy that I did as a kid.

July

 Summer has finally arrived - real summer, too hot summer, but the first Ashes test is already in the bag. Amy is almost 16 months is saying a few words, in her own way. Bye is her current favourite - not from watching the cricket, but from waving with all the comings and goings of friends and relatives. She's also cut several teeth recently causing us all much grief, they now number about 11. Somehow, with this ridiculously hot weather that's been with us for a week or so now, she's managed to pick up a cold which is causing us all sleepless nights.

 Donna has a temping job and has been there four weeks already, which means we've been here eight. Still staying with my mum and dad at the moment. It's about four miles away, so she's bought a bike to get there and back, and the journey keeps getting quicker as she discovers more shortcuts. We've also splashed out on a car for those longer trips, like to Milton Keynes. Not to be outdone, Amy got her own pushchair as she loved the one at the local playgroup I've been taking her to  with the other young mums!. Sadly it's now finished for the summer holidays.

 Amy narrowly beats Granddad in the race to fall asleep during lunch!

Devon, Early June

Hope Cove Devon, sunny skies but a cold wind. Tenth wedding anniversary trip back to the honeymoon spot. Alas we couldn't stay at the same hotel as they had a no children policy - probably what appealed to us about it last time! Rented a lovely apartment instead, and much cheaper too!

Midsummer in Blighty

 Showers, grey skies and cold winds, welcome back to an English summer. But enough of the good stuff, things take a turn for the worse and we get torrential rain, even sleet! Seriously though we have had the odd nice day - I've taken my fleece off a few times - even a settled spell of a week or so which included our trip to Devon for our tenth wedding anniversary. Amy has just turned 15 months. Here she is building sandcastles with granddad and helping out in the garden!

San Francisco And Yosemite

 Very nearly 14 months old and time to get travelling again. A stopover for a week in California - that's Alcatraz in the background, on the way to the UK. Time for a trip to Sonoma Valley wine country - over the Golden Gate bridge, then up to Yosemite, where the big hikes in the back country had to give way to a gentle push of the stroller around some flat tracks in the valley!
 

13 months very nearly

At the beach again, she loves it but gets cold very quickly in the water and soon starts to shiver - just like her dad. She started walking six days after her first birthday, and sand is one of the few things that will keep her sitting down for more than a few minutes!

Happy Birthday to you.........

I can't believe it, one year old already. No party, but we did have a cake, and a couple of visitors from Devon, England for dinner.

First Trip to the beach

.....and she loved it. It's been a fantastic summer, but we went on a dull cooler day - it's been too hot and sunny for her. Must go back again soon though - with a change of clothes!

Almost 11 Months

Walking with the aid of anything she can push along the carpet.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. Well they almost made an appearance on Boxing day, only to recede again for a few more weeks. Now with two up top and two below, she's able to eat a bit more solid stuff - and chew fingers.....

Ten Months

Learning to feed herself!