Summer has arrived...........and passed!

So the kids finish school 22nd June and are just going back tomorrow!!!!   Wow - yes a whopping 9 1/2 weeks of hols........forgotten how to get to school it's been so long! 

Won't bore you with all the holiday details as much of it was in the UK but a great and exhausting time had by all!!!!  We were in Brighton and on the beach there....fleeting visit to Harpenden and a great night at Take That!  before a mad dash back to Lux.......unpack, wash and re-pack and in less than 24 hours on a plane to Majorca for our family hol!  This was the relaxing time we needed (probably mostly to do with Ruby going to the baby club for a few hours every morning and then picking her up , quick play and hey presto! it's time for her afternoon nap!   So plenty of time by the pool, playing tennis, swimming etc etc etc.   Good time had by all :-)   Kids loved the entertainment.......bit cheesy for us but we enjoyed the music whilst sipping vino on our patio without having to actually watch the show!!!!!  The mini disco was a great hit with the girls....we couldn't get Ruby past the stage without her strutting her stuff first :-))))

Anyway here are some pics from the summer................
sunshine in Brighton.........

 Ruby driving us through the euro tunnel!!

 Dancing at the mini disco.........and loving it!!!!

 Cool chick x

 and more dancing............

 and yet MORE dancing..........

 beach in Majorca...........hours of fun :-)

 Mermaid Millie

 Millie in the bubble

 Conor's favourite holiday occupation!

 A day out with our new Lux neighbours...........more school lift-sharing this year makes me a happy mummy!!!!!!

 ooooh - we forgot Ruby

 Birthday princess...........

 is 7 today! 

 who's cat is that??!

 testing out the new inliners..........I got some too so we can do it together.........I think I'm loving it even more than Millie.......sssshhhhhh!!!!!

 In Pizza Express in Harpenden...............it's TOO NOISY in here!!!!!!

 dressing up fun......

 aka Millie and Alicia!

 St Albans splash park -

 and having fun!!!

 always time for a day at Woodside farm.............

 Millie's birthday celebrations continue back in Lux...............

 Belles of the Birthday ball!

Back in Lux was surprisingly enjoyable for the week we were there......new neighbours moved in and couldn't have asked for better.....boy conor's age (also into football............or soccer as they would say!)......girl Millie's age and equally as energetic!..........so those 2 were occupied most of the week and Ruby just pleased to be in familiar territory for a bit!

We have spent the past month in the UK mostly in Harpenden and Yorkshire and we had a great time basically just hanging out!   We even squeezed in a weekend camping trip down to WEst Wittering with friends (thankfully they had an extra tent for us and we kindly borrowed the rest of the kit!   Kids had a ball and we made it to the beach both days......although my feet couldn't survive the sea temp so I didn't get very far in ......only enough to chase afer Ruby when required!!!!! )

I arrived back in Lux exhausted and in need of a holiday!!?!!?!?!!?   Instead we have some boring school-prep chores to do and Millies birthday sleepover!!!!!  So a house full of five 7-year olds (and two 9-10 year olds so Conor had a playmate!!!) - still fairly high maintenance at that age.....although it was all fine (apart from getting them finally to sleep at 11pm!!!.....no evening for us then!!!)  and good old Wilkinsons saw us through with loads of art kits i shipped back with us from UK to keep them busy after swimming which meant I could make dinner in relative peace!!  Millie was happy anyway :-)))   Thankfully they didn't surface until after 8am so can't complain too much.....of course I was ready to get rid of everyone in the morning and mums came about 10.30 but the girls insisted we had to watch their "show"!!!!!!  come on.................go go go..............!!!!!!!!!!   Shaun took Conor to football......both girls in bed for a nap....................peace at last :-)

Last minute trip to Champagne

Reims cathederal

Fleeting weekend visit to Harpenden - Elena's 40th

No pics for this one.......yet!   must get on to the birthday girl for some!!!   Had a fab weekend in Harpenden....yes I know.....somewhat extravagant flying the whole clan back for the weekend......£97 flights sounded a bargain.........until you multiply it out!!!!!  Anyway it was sooooo worth it........took the kids out of school for the Friday (tut tut!)........and at last lux flies direct to heathrow.........one big advantage of lux is how easy the travel to airport situ is.......4 miles and can park almost in the departure lounge!!!!!!!!   a breeze...........and very civilised times for a  change!!

Arrived in good old Harpenden by 8.30-ish and this time we were staying with Terry & Pete..........wine at the ready for soon as we arrived..........perfecto!!!  get kids off to bed quick sharp and the wine weekend starts in earnest!  

Not sure what being back in Harpenden does to little Ruby...once again she's up with the larks.......but it doesn't darken my mood.......yet!!!!  So what to do for the day with all other kids at school.........drag them round the shops seems like a plan!!   Well - ruby is absoluely DESPERATE for some new shoes........and sandals.......poor love had the same pair since Christmas.......anyway....worth waiting for......couldn't decide and needed to cover all weather possibilities........could bloody rain all summer....so she ended up with 3 pairs..........a girl after my own heart :-)  oh yes......and i did get myself a new pair too!!

Kids surprisingly good for a day shopping (lost count of amount of treat bribes along the way!!) although they did have a slap-up lunch choc ice cream and all in carluccios....a favourite haunt of mine :-)  Feeling rather saintly for getting the bus to st. albans....hmmm....braving public transport with 3 kids including pesky one in a buggy looking for any excuse to escape (shaun needed car to get to work.........would feel a bit harsh sending him out to slough on a number of trains at 6.30am in the morning!) so anyway we had done our bit for the bank account and feeling weary, kids had enough and bags to carry......we got in the nearest cab and had to be back in time to be in the school playground anyway!!  Feasible excuse I say!

So a reasonably successful trip......until half way home I don't seem to be able to find my phone.......SHIT............don't tell me i've lost it after the bloody ordeal i had to get it working again!!!  about to tell the taxi driver to turn around so we can go back and look for it (definitely not in my timetable for the day!) when he kindly suggests he'll phone it for me.......hey presto.........it's in my lap the whole time........a real blonde moment for someone no longer blonde!!!!!!

Great to see everyone again in the playground and as ever - never enough time to chat!  Conor goes off for a playdate and sleepover which he has been waiting all day for (ust have made the shopping trip more bearable knowing what was to look forward to !!!!!!) and Millie, Ruby and I head off to another playdate with wine o'clock starting slightly earlier than normal at 4pm and all 10 of us end up at Billy's for the kids tea :-)))  Millie having a ball back with her bosom buddies :-)) 

The big weekend continues with a night out at the local curry house and far too much alcohol consumed (again!) and the party night hasn't even arrived!! 

Saturday is spent just like old times in the park with the girls and their friends and an impromtpu BBQ lunch - weather being very kind and the sun shone all day.......although temperatures seem to be dropping fast :-(   After my much-needed visit to the hairdressers it's party time :-))))

Fab 40th party and a great opportunity for me to catch up with loads of people...........the 6.30am starts gonna hit hard after yet another late night........ended up having quick night cap at friends where I was poured (no joke!) a tumbler full of amaretto!!!??!?!?!?   a person obviously drunker than me!  even I couldn't finish that one!!  

So I think I managed about 16 hours sleep across 3 nights........NOT ENOUGH!  REALLY struggling at the airport sitting having lunch.........just wanted to find somewhere to lie down!  Couldn't even face looking in the shops!!   Worse was to come!    As we queue to board the plane.........3 Amazon employees (1 of whom is Shaun's boss from Seattle!!!) appear in the same line.....aghhhhh.......already thinking ahead and Ruby is way beyond tired as I've been holding her sleep out so she will sleep on the plane...................but as we all know...........over-tired babies, limited space...........equals misery and screaming before they drop off..........oh yes.......didn't the WHOLE plane know it!    As we all sit ready for take-off and the plane is quiet...........with the exception that is of Ruby REALLY REALLY screaming!   Ruby and I sitting about 6 rows behind Shaun and kids.........not sure whether that good or bad but there was no going back.......I had to peservere and get her to sleep or the whole journey was going to be hellish!!!   Not so bad in the end........only high-pitched screaming for 20 minutes of the journey......felt like 20 hours of course!  Anyway - I had a lovely nap after that :-)))))    I did get a few comments on "good lungs"etc etc on our exit!!!!!!

A fab weekend :-)
PS:  takes me most of the next week to recover!

Driving East..................Prague here we come!

Not sure what I was thinking to attempt 2 city breaks in the space of a couple of weeks.......with kids!

After a successful trip to Madrid (and great weather!) I was starting to get a little nervous about our weekend in Prague.......driving the 730km to get there.......not to mention the packing (again!!) and getting there in time to meet my mum for the weekend who was flying in (much more civilised!!)

Well everything went to plan and I actually bottled out on the drive all in 1 go and booked a small family "pension" (hotel) in Germany just before we reached the Czech border to break the journey up..........also a beautiful part of the world to see :-)   Of course we virtually drove past where my sister now lives in Regensburg.........shame they were away otherwise we could have dropped in for the night!!!   Anyway - our overnight stay was great (after getting stuck in some horrendous queues on the motorway for well over an hour about 20 minutes before we were due to get off the motorway....VERY annoying!) ........small village, in the middle of forestland, very friendly and huge room for all of us..........dinner there was typical German....plenty of sausages (kids uber happy!) lots of sauce and huge portions!!!!  Including puddings, wine (needed a fair few after that journey!!), beer etc we even got change from a €50 note......amazing!   Kids even had time for a quick game of crazy golf before we set off in the morning!

 Back in the car with not too many moans and groans and we were soon entering Czech REpublic........no passports required at the border.   One of the first advertising signs we saw was for good old Tesco......almost tempted to stop!!!!!!  Thankfully Ruby slept and other 2 watched a film and we reached our destination without too many problems!  

Hotel was fantastic - for any of you wanting a nice weekend there we stayed at Santini Residence which was great location other side of charles bridge (bit away from the MAIN square!!!!!) and the rooms were probably the biggest we've ever had...........pat on the back to me I think!  My mum was impressed anyway and even Shaun made several positive sounding comments (so even he must have been impressed..........doesn't happen often!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Good weekend - great weather - Happy Easter!!

Here are a few of our pics...............

View of the city from the park...........with cable car to boot!!

Dirt and soil..........what could be better??!!!!

Little Easter display

Another view from one of MANY accessible towers!!!!!!

Ruby discovered the fun of scooters......especially when someone else pushes!!

So how does the green beer taste?   Ordering normal beer for his 2nd probably tells you all you need to know!!!

ANOTHER ice cream?  

The mud and soil still wins hands down!!!!

Grandma keeps Ruby in tow!

View from lunch venue :-)

Kids in heaven with enough Easter eggs and chocolate to last them the 7 hour drive home and some!!!!

Bienvenido a Madrid!

Madrid was great.......hot, sunny, busy and we packed loads in.........and I'm loving all this sitting outside for dinner at bars being brought great tapas and wine on tap!!!!!   Trying to catch up on blog writing at the mo so here are some pics of our trip.......will come back to it and write some blurb when I have more time.....as ever it's 11pm and feels like it should be 9!   Need some sleep........for the time being .......enjoy :-)

No we're not at disneyland........but plenty of money making spaniards trying to earn a living.......of course millie fell straight into their hands.......every time!!!1

 Start them early.....one can never speak too many languages.........

 on the other hand........a snooze might be more relaxing!!!

 Smiles all around..........amazing weather.........

 Retiro park.............

 cool chick..........

 Hmmm.......looks somewhat heavy at that end boys......

 too much sun????   lost track of which hat is yours????

 the palace!

 and the princess!!

 no words necessary!   Happy :-)

 football for the boys!

 Conor loving every minute!  Game started at 10pm!!!  true spanish style!

 Goooooaaaaaallllllllllll!

 Conor proudly wearing his Real Madrid personalised shirt .................and signed by Ronaldo to boot!!!   Until I washed the damn thing!   ooops.

eso es todo por ahora.................................buenas noches!