dubberdawson & sons

We had Zac’s birthday party Tuesday 9th.  It was probably the nicest birthday party we’ve hosted yet.  It was on at lunchtime so the older siblings were all at school.  4 of his friends came (2 unfortunately couldn’t make it) along with their mums and all the kids played really well.  He got very cool gifts (pirate and doctor costumes and a foam rocket with launcher as well as a balloon powered car) and enjoyed helping make a cake in the morning.  His birthday cake was a caterpillar cake (not sure why he chose that option but I found a cheap one at the supermarket) and I made a chocolate cake for the mums and for the kids to take home.  I’m making a stand against party bags and going back to the 70’s when you take a piece of cake home for each of your siblings.  Lunch was finger foods and apart from the hot dogs, all pre-made. Evie won pass the parcel and the kids were either playing with toys or reading books for the rest of the time. Perfect.

Sunday 14th was his actual birthday.  He got some more cool presents – dinosaurs, books, chocolate buttons from Shay, a dvd from Asher and some other toys.  We had a family day out to the Science Museum and the boys enjoyed that.

This week is half term so all three boys are at home which is nice as next week I start work again.  It’s a very busy half term with settling them in with a childminder, Shay going to a couple of tennis lessons with his friend Thomas, visiting friends and Aunty Bobbie coming to visit.

On Saturday Shay’s school had a fundraising day with an ice skating rink.  We booked tickets for the 2-2.30 session and I offered to help out on the drinks stall from 12.  The boys loved the skating and Shay wants to do it for his birthday treat in May (typically when the weather is finally warmer).  I was frozen by the time they arrived but getting quite skilled at candyfloss making.  Jane and Erick came to visit so it was a lovely afternoon and the boys were asleep as soon as they lay down in bed that night.

Then, umm.. Wednesday I crash the car.

K.

It was Shay’s first day of full time school last week so the festive season is officially over.  Haydn was back at work and Zac was back to kindy .  I’m half heartedly looking for work  – as in, I’m waiting for the perfect job that pays billions for not many hours to come find me.  So far, no luck.  We had a great time leading up to Christmas.  Shay was ‘in the band’ in his nativity play at school.  He performed the role of triangle player superbly and I didn’t hear one single bad note come from him.

Zac was a sheep in his kindy’s performance.  They sat on stage singing songs (he was very good) and just picked the costume they wanted the morning of the play.

The week before Christmas seemed to fly past with the two boys on holidays and all of a sudden it was Christmas.  We had an enormous tree and lots of decorations up.  On Christmas Eve we had a lovely dinner at the Easterbrook’s.  Last Christmas day was spent with them and Christine didn’t disappoint after setting such high standards last year.  After dinner we went to the family service at their church.  All the kids dressed up and the Steers and Tassells joined us too.

Christmas Eve we put carrots, water and mince pies out for Santa and his reindeer.  They were obviously appreciative as they left loads of presents again.  The look on the boys’ faces was priceless.  Asher and I were up first and had a nice quiet cup of coffee before the chaos began.  I’d post the picture of Shay’s face but he’d taken all his pj’s off during the night and the photos is of him looking excited and completely nude.

The boys had a great time opening presents and playing with all their new toys.

After lunch I picked up Jane and Erick and we all went for a walk (Zac on his new balance bike) and then had a lovely Christmas dinner together.  Once the boys were in bed, and pretty much straight asleep, we had Jane’s lovely pavlova she had made and then some cheese and port.

Boxing day was spent packing for our trip to the Hague.  We drove there on the 27th and had a pretty uneventful and stress free journey.  We were lucky enough to stay in Greg and Nadine’s apartment.  It was beautiful – amazingly huge with high ceilings, and great proportions but really comfortable too.  We achieved nothing all week except pretending we lived there.  The boys all played really well and had so much space to run around.  New Year’s Eve was bizarre with all the conservative Haguers(?) coming out of their houses at midnight after obviously having spent the evening inside drinking, and they all let off fireworks (not small ones either) on their doorsteps or the middle of the street.

We did have a day trip to Delft but it was freezing so we ate lunch, bought a fridge magnet (that said Amsterdam on it) and went back to the comfort of the house.  Now we’re back into a normalish routine.  There’s been lots of snow and we’ve even taken the kids to school/nursery on a sled.

Hope you all have a great year in 2010.

Love the Dawsons

It was mid-December when he was 6 months old so like we did with the other 2 boys, we took some family photos to mark the occasion.  Some people say our boys look similar.  What do you think?

..is cold and wet.  Boo.

Mum and Dad came to visit us for a month.  They left last Sunday and we miss them a lot.  Poor wee Zac said tonight he wants to go to kindy tomorrow and for Grandad to take him.  Not only is it too far for Grandad to come, it’s mid-term and there isn’t any kindy.

The Sunday that they arrived, the boys went camping the night prior with a thousand other kids down at a friends family farm.  They absolutely loved it and another ‘Mainland’ Europe expedition is apparently being planned for next summer.

We had a great time with Mum & Dad here and although we didn’t do any exciting trips, it was still lovely getting into a ground hog day kind of routine but a nice one.  Dad and I would take either Shay or Zac to school/kindy while Mum looked after Asher.  Then at lunch time we would head off again to pick them up.  We took turns loosing to Shay at snakes and ladders, the memory game or whatever else he chose while Zac had a sleep and then we’d head off to a park or something, Asher tagging along with us.

Shay has learnt to ride a bike with just the 2 wheels on it.  We were at a friend’s house and I said ‘I didn’t know you could ride a bike’, he said ‘I didn’t know either’.  Even better is that the friend is moving to Belgium and they’re not taking the bike so they’ve given it to us!

He is doing well at school too I think.  He only goes for half days this term (due to his age) and then after Christmas is full time.  He seems to enjoy it now and keeps telling me new names of friends he has.  He loves PE and playing on the computer and is recognising quite a few words now.  He’s incredibly tired though and definitely needs this mid-term break.

Zaccy has started at a new kindy and really loves it.  He only goes three mornings a week but wants to go the other mornings too and tries to convince me that the door will be open.  He doesn’t like it when I tell him that nobody will be inside though.  The very first time they gave out a Star of the Day award, he got it.  I was very proud.

Asher is not only smiling lots, he is now giggling too – usually at Shay.  He rolls all over the place but often doesn’t like where he ends up.  When Mum and Dad arrived he was smiling lots at them but by the time they left, was reaching out for toys and much easier to distract when a bit grizzly.

Haydn is fine as always.  I am enjoying being a housewife (most of the time) but now that daylight savings has finished and the weather is getting colder, I’m sure that the 4 walls of this bijou house will really close in soon.  Still, there’s Christmas to look forward to and then New Year in the Hague.  Meanwhile the days are still quite nice but very autumnal as Zac would say.  I love the big trees turning all the different autumn shades here although like the trees more when they have blossoms and new leaves on them…

K

On Monday Shay attended his first day of  ‘big school’.  Our boy is growing up all too quickly!

He has 2x weeks of afternoons and then does mornings until Jan, so nothing too strenuous to start with!  He seems to like it and there was no problems when we left, only Zac making himself at home when we got there at one of the desks and not wanting to go home.  Not long Zaccie..

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First day and he quickly knows what’s comfortable afterwards.. hmm..

Here’s a few random pics over the last week or so.   I think we’re gunna have to start taking pics of Kerryn though!

We got a new camera not long ago, so with a new baby etc. the photo count has gone up somewhat – luckily all the boys are good subjects to learn how a new camera works!

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H.

Recently a number of random people have commented on how similar Shay and Zac look.  I’ve even been asked a number of times in the supermarket if they’re twins. There’s 20 months age difference, it’s bizarre how people could think that.

The other night I was woken at 2am.  “Mummy I fell out of bed.”

“Are you ok Zaccy?  Are you hurt?”

“No”

“Why don’t you have anything on?”

“I was hot”

“You wait in bed next to Daddy and I’ll go and get you a new nappy.”

So off I go downstairs to get Zac a new nappy.  He’s been known to occasionally undress himself as Shay often does.  Haydn starts chatting to him asking if he’s ok, and saying Mummy will be back soon with a new nappy.

“But I don’t want a nappy Daddy”

“Yes you need a new nappy.  It’s ok Mummy will be back soon”

“But I don’t want one”

“Why don’t you want one?”

“Because I’m 4″

Last week we drove to Cornwall to join Catherine, Dan and their three kids on their annual holiday there.  We’ve been invited every year since Shay was born (when we first met them) and it’s always great.  We drove down on Wednesday night, all three boys were good and we arrived at 11pm. At one point Shay suggested playing who can be the quietest for the longest.  Great idea I thought.  Ready, steady, go.

Zac starts singing “I am the quietest, I am the quietest, I am the quietest!

“Shall we play a different game now?

Thursday was a great summer’s day.  Weather was amazing and as soon as everyone was ready we all headed to the beach.  Zac got a new wetsuit and loved it, he felt very grown up in it.  Shay thankfully still fitted his one from the previous year.  The boys all spent the day swimming in the sea and playing in the sand.  Catherine and I looked after the wee babies and Haydn and Dan played with the boys.  Katy, Martin and their two boys arrived on Thursday afternoon so it was a fullish house (the place is massive) then.  Once all the kids were in bed, we ate dinner outside and had a glass of wine or two.

Friday was pretty much the same as Thursday but with boogie boards thrown in the mix.  Boys loved it and stayed in the water until it was too cold for them.  Similar schedule for the evening, with a lovely mexican dish made by Katy.

Saturday the weather wasn’t quite as good so we went to a different beach where there were some rockpools for the kids to play in.  Had lunch on the beach but then went back to the house for the afternoon.  Haydn went for his annual surf with Dan and Martin while Catherine, Katy and I watched the clock for the kids to go to bed.

On Sunday we spent the morning at the beach making sandcastles and then after lunch we headed back home.  All the kids played really well together and it was a lovely few days spent down there with such great hospitality and lovely company.  However we missed the Easterbrooks and wished they could have been there too.

K.

Last week a couple of friends and I took a half day off work and headed to Wembley Stadium for the rock show that is Oasis – supported by Kasabian and The Enemy.

After waiting an eternity to get a beer from the crap bar services (you’d expect more from a new stadium), we walked onto the pitch and took our place amongst the 50 thousands Mancunians!  Why would you want to be anywhere else?  In a seat?  Yeah, righto..

A swift set of The Enemy leads to Kasabian.  Was looking forward to this and they didn’t let the crowd down.  Brilliant live, if anyone gets a chance to see them they should.

Dusk settles and Mark arrives after staying late at work obviously distressed he’s missed Kasabian, so the promptly hit some more beers and then the crowd roars to the Gallagher Brothers on stage.

As per great review from  The Telegraph – “Drums thunder along in chunky beats made for bouncing up and down to. Guitars and bass fill up the middle with fuzzy power. The singing begins, as always, with the legendary Rock ’n’ Roll Star and doesn’t let up until the rafter-busting encores of Champagne Supernova and their near heavy metal assault on The Beatles’ I Am the Walrus. They have the songs. They play them. Works every time.

Musically, Oasis have retreated to a safe place of formula, fuelled by a suspicion of anything arty or adventurous. None of this matters to them or their audience. It’s loud. It’s basic. It’s unsophisticated. It is impossible to resist.”

Love them or loath them, on stage they are brilliant.

Jarrod and I head for a cheeky Jacks/Jameson combo on the way home which leads us to KFC in Earls Court.

What a great day/night out, though we weren’t so perky at work the next day.

H.