I'm going to try this with some Schloer!

Quite possibly one of the coolest things I have seen for a while and, as a Mormon, maybe one of the only things that would make me buy a bottle of champagne! Now where did I put my sword...


VideoJug: How To Open A Bottle Of Champagne With A Sword

This is probably better for me... that way I don't miss and chop my hand off... or Rebeccas head as I try to impress her with my opening-a-bottle-of-fizzy-grape-juice trick!

Feeling strangely festive... only 121 days to go!

Probably due to the abysmal weather this summer, and the particular chilly weather and dark mornings. Maybe it is David working in global logistics and having a few hundred containers of Christmas tree arriving into the UK over the next few weeks. Maybe we are just insane. Whichever option is accurate (I think that it is a nice cocktail of them all) the West family have been feeling rather festive during the recent days. But it is still August! The kid’s haven’t even started back to school yet! We have not even had any really decent weather so far! How can Christmas be on its way? The problem is that it is not… well not fast enough!

Is this how animals and plants feel? Is this what the feeling of hibernation or gathering nuts for winter feels like? Who knows? All we can identify is that we have the inklings of Christmas in the home but almost a third of a year before the big day. Crazy! Looks like we will have to plan a holiday in October just to break up the months until Thanksgiving!

In the meantime Rebecca is getting her “festive fix” by making our family Christmas cards ready for a festive photo to be attached after Thanksgiving.

Until then it’s time to fine-tune the house ready for the festivities. Redecorate the dining room (after the demolition work of inserting a French door and a window to the kitchen), retile the kitchen floor and worktops and provide a lick or two of paint around the house. Maybe David will even get the time to plumb the ground floor washroom before the ground freezes…

Alton Towers- fun, thrills and Schutzstaffel

Got to watch that Nesquik bunny

Sammy's first rollercoaster

and then Harrison

And finally Larakia

Squirrel Nutty's wild ride- Grandma, Kaila and Sammy

Sammy and Kaila tracing their farming roots

She is so damned cute!

Chilling in the boat near Old MacDonalds Farm

Good horsey!

Like a rhinestone cowgirl...

My goodness... all the gargantuan toys are stealing Sammys hat!

Harrison after the flume... a bit damp

They picked up some lizards and frogs from the gift store

On the 9th August the West clan, accompanied by mum and dad West and Aunty Kaila, descended upon Alton Towers for a fun-filled frolic in the hills of Staffordshire. The day was glorious- the sun shone all day and we were blessed with a light breeze that helped keep us refreshed.

Starting in Adventure Land, the children rode their first rollercoaster- the Beastie. They loved it- screaming and clinging to their dad as they plummeted down the steep 2m drop.

Then on to Squirrel Nutty’s car… ride… thing… Not as thrilling, but fun nonetheless.

Teacups were great, until David got a little carried away with the wonder of centripetal acceleration causing Kaila to be forced to the outside of the cup, bouncing off the cushion back and into Sammy’s nose, which immediately erupted with blood. For what seemed like an eternity, the next few minutes of the ride were spent trying to minimise the spin while Rebecca controlled the bleeding (and the mess).

Then the real fun began- the water rides.

Starting with the flume, Lara had to be stand with her back to a ruler so that a Schönheit sister with a plastic triangle could ascertain her height to be above the mandatory 90cm. Following a period of cajoling, bargaining, threatening and cuddling, Larakia consented to the black-and-red shirt to carry out her ritual and Larakia was finally granted access to the bathtub cubicle. Everyone had a great time. Harrison (the pilot) got completely soaked and all were thrilled at the descent.

Next stop Katanga Canyon. Rebecca loves the River Rapids and was especially excited as this was the only ride that all but Micah could ride on together. We queued like only the British can, waiting for the fun to begin. Finally our turn arrived and we stepped onto the rotating disc approaching our chariot of Poseidon, little recognising the goose-step approaching. Once again Lara’s height had to be verified.

Unfortunately, this time Larakia knew what was coming and refused bluntly to stand straight against the ruler. Squirming and trying to be free again to enjoy her day, she would not allow the bearer of the plastic rapier to judge her worthiness. Despite all of us explaining that Lara had already passed the bar of two previous rides, the frustrated jungend asked Rebecca to help control Larakia- advising us that if this were the case she would have been given a tag to identify her height. When Lara refused to lift her head from her chest and the attendant announced her height to be 89cm, Rebecca refused to continue the charade, stating clearly (and rather fiercely) that she would not further torture her daughter.

While we understand the need for safety, we are shocked by the lackadaisical approach of the staff to this. If there really is a system to minimise the measurement of children, why was this not offered to our daughter the first, or even the second time she was measured. Had this been done, our daughter would have been spared the horrific treatment and distress and Rebecca would have been able to enjoy her day to the fullest without having to defend her child against the extemporised approach to safety.

We decided it was time for lunch, after which we enjoyed the Runaway Mine Train- Samuel sat on his own while David sat next to Harrison. All three boys loved the ride, enjoying the thrill. Samuel especially seemed quite addicted to the adrenalin.

The surprise of the day was the modified house of horrors. We all loved the laser-gun facet of the ride- this has certainly improved what was a fun, but mediocre, exhibition of 90s FX. Nothing better than riding in a train shooting green lights fixed on spiders, ghosts and ghouls!

Pants-ride prize goes to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride. It smells good (it really smells like a chocolate factory) but stinks as far as entertainment value.

All in all, Alton Towers never fails to impress. Despite the inadequate continuity toward policy, the rides and atmosphere add an almost Christmas wonder to all within the turnstile gates. We have some great pictures, some good memories and an amazing insight to how our children (especially our oldest boys) will become in the years to come.

Make the most of the sun...it is England!!

IT'S HERE... THE SUN .... IT'S HERE!!!

When we saw the sun today we thought we had better make the most of every moment of the sun so out came the pool and we fired up the bbq.

The children enjoyed 5 hours of swimming pool fun a david enjoyed being a big kid again, and as for me well someone had to take the pictures!!!

The silver van in the background is our new car!!! Nine seats... yep NINE seats!!!!!
Thats alot of protential childrens seats!!!!!!!!

Like father, Like son!!

Lara took to the water like a dog to a bone.

Amazing Micah, he is crawling now and getting stronger and cuter by the day.

Rain, Floods, Harrison's 4th birthday and Micah's blessing.

What insane weather. Although we have another flood watch in place on the river, so far we have been fine. Quedos to the local council for their improvement to the drainage improvements after the last floods a few years ago.

 

Amongst the crazy weather of the past few weeks, we saw the culmination of months of planning with Harrison’s 4^th birthday party. The dinosaur-themed party took place on the 21^st July and included pin the tail on the pterodactyl, loudest-roar, fossil hunt (with real fossils) and an indestructible piñata.

 

Many of Harrison’s school friends descended upon Clumber Park, braving the rain, deep puddles and soggy ground to congregate under a huge B&Q gazebo (http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=0000003536230&selected=products). These intrepid fun-seekers ate stacks of candy, their own weight in hot-dogs, burgers and cake and got soaked.

 

Harrison and Lara decided to see how far they could wade into a rather large puddle/lake. Reaching the top of their Wellington boots was no deterrent for our bold adventurers, emerging from the other side of the lagoon with boots full of muddy water and significant squelching.

 

Micah received a name and a blessing 22^nd July. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a child is given this blessing in his early months. It is at this stage that their name is formally recorded on church records (the name part) and receive a blessing as the Spirit directs. Micah was blessed by his father with Alex McConnachie, John Cottam-McConnachie, John Maxwell and David Martin assisting. Among the words spoken, Micah was admonished to be faithful in learning and living the Gospel, that he would be a pillar of strength to his siblings, that he would have vitality and strength and be protected from the ills of the world as he remained righteous.

 

Following the blessing, family and a few friends met at the house for a BBQ. For the first time in a few weeks, the weather was almost summery- we had blue sky (sometimes) and not a lot of rain. Thank goodness! Gave us the chance to get rid of the last of the party food from the day before… especially good because our new fridge does not arrive until next Thursday!

Pictures

Here We Are, Our First Blog

Well, hello,

we are the wests,
In our family there is David, Becky, Samuel(5), Harrison(4), Larakia(2) and Micah(6 months).

This week has been a mad week filled with happy moments, and stessful moments.

Micah started crawling, and while trying to get my attention in the car by crying moaned mum!!! i shouldnt be to excited by that as it was done in moan, but i really am!!
Harrison is at school for the last day of the achedemic year today, i cant believe it is holiday time already, Samuel finishes school tomorrow.

Samuel is turning into such a big grown up boy, it scares me to death, he can spell, read, write, has his own little group of friends.
so very scary!!!

Harrison is becoming very cheeky also, he is the master of practical jokes, and he looks so darn cute that he gets away with it all.
His teacher always cringes whenever Harrison brings a box to school for show and tell, because it will always be something creepy or gross, his latest show and tell was a dragonfly he found in the garden, time before that was a dinosaur tooth....yes a real one.... before that a snail, then a gient moth..... he does love his bugs!!!

Larakia has decieded she is to big for nappies now and so has hung them up in exchange for some dora pants.
she loves looking after Micah, she likes to feed him anything she can find.
She likes nothing more than to be the boss, and she is cute enough that she can do it and everyone just says aaahhhhh how cute.

David is doing well at work and in his callings, he is the first and only councellor on the branch presidency. He is always working so very hard, he is a very good man.
David has singlehandedly created a garden for the children, he has given us an amazing decked area, and new walls and gates, turfed area, and soon hopefully british weather permitting we will have new patio doors as well.
He works so hard all the time to give is a great home and wonderful memories.

And now for me, well i am the sunday school teacher in the branch, i am still working one day a week at tesco, i have started my own buisness creating wedding staionary and other special occasion stationary.... and had some orders already!!!, i am starting a degree in september ( from home) in health studies, busy with the PTFA.....yep im a soccer mum (mom).
I'm loving family life, they are amazingly hard work but the reward i get from them is amazing.
oh and i cant believe i am saying this im loving gardening.... i always thought it was for oldies, but no i decided to give my house a bit of a country look so put up some window baskets, and some blanter and hanging baskets, and they didnt die, they are growing its amazing, and my back garden has flowers everywhere, i cant believe it, i am even successfully growing strawberries!!! which i havn't been able to try yet, as everytime one gets ripe the kids are there ready and waiting to eat them!! The children are loving having a garden, its the first time any of them have had a garden to play in.

anyway i have to go and get ready for the school run, i hope everyone is doing well and happy!!

love ya!