April Photo Diary - Week Four

22nd - 30 April

New circus tent

Photo session pictures

Such a cool dude!

Swimming in the bath!

Tip everything out before playing!

April Photo Diary - Week Three

15th - 21st April

Watching Mummy Sam

Kisses for Rowan!

Meeting Mummy off the train

Loving the new garden!

Moving At Last!

We finally got a date - Monday 13th April to move - although it didn't go completely smoothly!
Here is an update of what we have been doing since we moved to our new house :

Monday 13th  - Sam had to go into work for a client meeting. Before she left our solicitor told us the money had been sent. She rang at 11.30 to say we had completed - yay! I rang Estate Agent - a problem! The vendors had not completed on their onward sale as their money had gone missing.  He estimated 1.00 completion. As I wasn't quite ready to leave this was ok. At 1.00 it still hadn't completed - but Charlotte, James and I set of with Marcus and two full car loads. I speak to the vendor and tell her we will collect the keys and move stuff into the house. Her stuff was all in the garage. We do this and then go back for another load. Jo leaves us a bottle of wine and a moving in card - which was sweet of her.
James plumbs the dishwasher in for us and Charlotte and I clean the kitchen - the house is not very clean and needs a good going over.
Sam gets the train over to Harlington and walks to our new home for the first time. We sleep back at Hutton as most of the furniture is still there.

       

Tuesday 14th - Sam is now on holiday for the rest of the week. Charlotte and James come over and we move some more car loads of stuff. Charlotte and I make space while James and Sam get more boxes. James plumbs in the washing machine for us. I clean the bathroom and make a start of the window in the room Marcus will sleep in.

Hair from the bath plug - yuk!

Very moldy window edge!

   


 Rob, Hanna and the boys come for a visit - T is very excited and tells me which is his bedroom!
Mum and Dad also pop over for a quick visit.  James goes off to work and Charlotte and Sam collect a wardrobe that we bought on Gumtree for £50 - it matches our bedroom furniture.
We have fish and chips for tea before heading back to Hutton for the night.

Marcus loves the deck!

Wednesday 15th -Rob helps Sam and I to move some furniture in his van. Charlotte comes over to the new house with me and we sort out the living room. We also put a mattress on the floor for us to sleep on - Marcus has a travel cot. We bring the dogs over for the first time - they loved running round the garden. The new fence was delivered - Rob will put it up for us at the weekend. We spend our first night in our new home - and all sleep surprisingly well.

Casey settles quickly!

 Thursday 16th - Sam washed the deck down today with the pressure washer - and we did a few more loads in the car. We get our first post - a welcome box from the Halifax!

Marcus watches!

Box of goodies from the Halifax!

Friday 17th - Sam mended the slabs at the edge of the patio today - they were very loose and wobbly, dangerouse for Marcus and any other unwary person! She used quick setting concrete to put them back into place firmly.

We then went over to Hutton to move the rest of the furniture into the garage ready for Rob to move in the van tomorrow. The lady next door said Pixel had barked the whole time we had been gone!  Pip came to stay after work - she got the train to us - not to Harlington and Haynes, as we first thought!

Marcus finds a great new toy!

Saturday 18th March - We start with an early swimming lesson - which Marcus really enjoyed. Rob helped us to move the rest of the furniture over to the new house. Then he makes a start on the new fence - the old on was falling apart! Sam fits new mixer taps to the bath - the old ones are really grotty looking and rust falls of the shower hose.
Hanna brings the boys over and we all have a BBQ in the sunshine!

Marcus is very gentle with Rowan

New bath taps

Rowan has a ride on the hippo!

 Sunday 19th - Rob comes over to finish off the fence - it looks great now. Sam puts together our new wardrobe - with some difficulty, and we arrange our bedroom. Pip went home around 10.00 - although she didn't get back until around 3.00! We go over to find Boodle - who hasn't been there every time we have been back - but she was tonight so into the cat carrier and back to the new house with her. We left the dogs alone - no barking this time. Its been a busy first week in the new house!

New fence!

Fourteen Months Today

Marcus is fourteen months today - and has been living in his new home for four days. This month he has grown another tooth - that makes seven now. He uses an open top cup competently and is still a very good eater. He walks very steadily and is starting to run. He is also learning to come down the stairs on his tummy and will walk up them holding your hand.
Favourite things to do include going out on his smart trike, walking round the supermarket holding your hand ( most of the time) and still stacking and building blocks and posting games. He is a confident climber too.
 Marcus is shy with people he doesn't know well and often refuses to walk in front of strangers - just going floppy instead.
Marcus is very gentle with both Boodle and Rowan - giving lovely kisses to them both. He is having a few tantrums now when thwarted - but is easily distracted. Sam has stopped breast feeding him now - he was only having an evening feed before bed and had become less and less interested - so she decided to stop. She has done an amazing job of feeding him for 14 months!

Gentle hands

Big hugs

At Bumps and Babes!

Drinking from open cup

Stacking games

Climbing confidently

April Photo Diary - Week Two

8th - 14th April

Pets At Home trip!

At nanny's house

Snakes and Ladders fun!

Riding on the back of the smart trike

Exploring the new garden!

Bargain Hunting

There are some things we need (and some we would like) because we are moving. Sam would like some play equipment and a spring free trampoline for Marcus. We had a look at them at Wicken toys and decided they were too expensive - so the hunt for preloved ones began. Sam has sourced a trampoline on Gumtree for £560 - in comparison with £1225 new. Sam also found a Creative Play set for £300 - in comparison with £1772. Sam and I collected the trampoline from Oxford - we had to dismantle it, which was not easy! The playset will be collected in a couple of weeks. We were given a single divan and mattress from someone on Freecycle which we will use for Marcus when he is a bit bigger. As we have all integrated appliances here we need a washing machine, freezer and dishwasher. Rob and Hanna gave us their washing machine, the dishwasher was £50.00 from Gumtree and the freezer £30.00, also from Gumtree. We have also found a wardrobe  that matches our bedroom furniture, but have yet to secure it.
We also needed some furniture for the tenants - a bed, a sofa and a table and chairs. The bed was free from Gumtree, the table and chairs, £10.00 from Ebay - the sofa yet to be sourced.

Altogether some good bargain hunting!

Moving Update

Well we have finally exchanged on the house - yay. It seems like this last hurdle has taken forever, but the whole process from viewing to exchanging has only been eight weeks ! We will complete on Monday and finally get the keys.
Our plan is to move stuff in the car this week, clean and paint then move the furniture at the weekend. We have ordered new fence panels which will arrive on Wednesday - and hopefully Rob will be able to fit them fairly quickly.
Sam is actually working on Monday - but has the rest of the week off. We should be settled in by the weekend, but our tenants don't move in till the 24th so we have plenty of time.

April Photo Diary - Week One

1st - 7th April

Carry it over -

push it back!

With bunny - sadly now deceased

Lovely egg!

Walk round the garden Mummy

Packed!

Easter dinner

Bumped head - first plaster!

Loving the sunshine - another tooth through too!