Our French finale

Lachie and Maddie went off to Disneyland this morning with their Nana and Grandad, so Paul and I had no plans, so we hit the shops. We both got shoes and some last minute gifts. Back to our room to wait for the kids to get back. We headed back off to Disneyland in our final adventure, and to celebrate Lachie turning 5 ( we will be in the plane the whole day of his birthday) with our diner and show....so we go back to disney studios to watch the parade of toy story, mickey, mini disney princesses etc, which again was amazing...Both kids got such a kick out of it. We went on a few rides, then made our way to disneyland for another walk and ride, before our dinner and show. On our way to dinner Lachie was bitten by a bee. Poor little guy screamed and Paul was able to get the sting out and I grabbed our icy water and held in their while Paul got first aid help, as he has never been bitten and we wanted to be sure he was ok. The guy was lovely and in 5 minutes he was fine, a little swollen but no reaction, and he still wanted to go out for his special birthday dinner!
So the dinner and show was spectacular,  horses in an arena doing the wild west show, with native americans and cowboys, lots of crowd involvment and interaction which made it fun. Of course, mickey and mini, goofey and pluto were there to help out, they were very funy, Lachie was in his element, and was sooo excited that it was about him and his birthday. Maddie loved the horses and yelled out to Mini, she didn't like the noise though but she stayed the whole time. It went for and hour and a half, so when it finished we high tailed it out of there, hired a push chair for Lachie so we could get around faster and to give the little guys legs a rest. We took the kids in the it's a small world ride, which is sooo well done, and the boys went on a few that Maddie couldn't, so we just had a walk around. Time was going and in no time it was 10pm, time to make our way to the main street for the light show and firework spectacular! And it was more tham words can describe, Maddie fell asleep, so she missed it, but we recoreded it for her, Lachie was sooooo excited, and both Paul and I couldn't believe how magical it was. This is something I hope the kids will remember,well, Lachie anyway, Maddie may remember bits if it, but it has been a truley magicall experience.
We are all packed and ready for our trip home tomorrow, and this is the end of our wonderful adventure....
Stace :)
Lachlan and Maddison, we are sooooo proud of the way you have travelled, you have done so much in three weeks that people never do in a lifetime, we love you to the moon and back....may our family adventures continue oxox
Mummy and Daddy ox

DISNEYLAND!!!!

Wow, Wow, Wow, were the first words from the kids when we arrived at Disney studios this morning, followed by a massive Yeeeaaahhh. It was amazing, so grand and magical, we walked around and took the kids on the army men ride from toy story and slinky dog ride, looked around some more and went to a stunt show, which action packed and Lightning Macqueen made an apperance there as well, I had to take Maddie out towards the end as it was extremly noisy and she ended up in tears. We stopped and had a bite to eat and Paul fast tracked a ride, so we could venture on and come back to it later. So I took the kids on a train ride around, it was cars and dinosaurs etc, that have featured in movies, it also took us to a visual effects area, where it rained, then tidal wave, fire and a moving truck, amazing, but Maddie cried and Lachie wasn't sure of it all, but we saw it. We went to the disneyplay house and saw Mickey, Mini, Daffy and Daisey, Pluto and Goofy do a stage show, during it, the bubbles came down from the roof, then gold leaved and then streamers, the kids danced and laughed and waved very exciting. There was a story behind it also involved winnie the pooh and tiger, and handy manny. It was getting close to 2 pm so we decided to head over to Disneyland, right next door.....OMG, again then kids were priceless and that overwhelming feeling, the music was playing and the inner child is unleashed.......the most magical place I have ever been to....While we were getting our bearings Paul said the celebration train was about to start, well themed to "do you beleive in magic?" down came this train in bright colours with the chipmunks, Donald and Daisy Duck, Mickey and Mini Mouse, Pluto and Goofy!!! all waving and the music was loud, you could not stop yourself from having a bop along, Lachie was dancing and waving and Mad

die was asleep in the pram. We followed then train to the end, where they all got off and had photo's taken. Lachie got his with a chipmunk, then we heard " Hello, I was talking to you on then train yesterday", it was one of the girls Lachie was chatting to, looking after the train and characters. So, she said to follow back and she would come and get us for photos with Mickey and Mini, so we did and she took us out back and we got photos with Mickey, Mini, Donald and Daisy, soooo amazing, so lucky and all thanks to Lachie having a chat to a girl on the train lol. We then went to Frontierland, Maddie and I had a rest and Paul and Lachie went on a ride. Looked around this land and went to adventureland, again they are amazing, you can not describe it. It was time for Paul to go back to his fast tracked ride, so as we were leaving the train started again, so I stayed with the kids so Maddie could see it, and she danced her little heart out and waved and yelled to Mini, she was soooooooo excited. Priceless...We decided to call it a day at 5, (we coud have stayed for hours) but we are back again tomorrow, and for a dinner and show at the wild west show, for Lachie's birthday ...then the night time spectacular with the light show and fireworks, this will end our trip, as we head for the airport the next morning......Looking forward to doing Fantasyland, discoveryland and some more of the studios tomorrow...
Stace :)

City tour, River seine cruise and Eiffel Tower...

We all slept in today til 8am, we must have needed it, the kids spent time  with Nana and Grandad, and we all met at the Eiffel Tower at 4pm, but Paul and I went sight seeing.... we made our way into Paris to the Notre Dame and were there by 11.30, had a look around and got on a hop on/off bus around the city to try and see as much as we could, it went for about 1.5 hours, then we went on a River Seine cruise for an hour, the weather as perfect, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It was nice to sit and listen to the history on the audio and take it all in. The Eiffel Tower is  amazing, we were all excited to be there, to see Lachie so excited after talking about it for so long...we had paid for a fast que pass, which means we skipped the long que, this helped with the kids. We made our way to the 2nd level, and we were wowed by the spectcular views, simply stunning. We walked around and had a 360degree view of Paris. Took lots of photos and lined up for the lift to the "sumit" right up the top, kids and all. Lachie was a bit scared for a minute going up, but we told him not to look down and to hold our hand, then he was fine. The view was great and Paul and I had a glass of champagne while we were up there, more photos, then made our way back down. Lachie chatted to anyone who spoke English, and at one point a lady told him he was a little flirt, lol We all had a laugh. Started to head home about 7.30, we were hoping to see it light up, but were told that the lights don't go on 'til 11ish so not for us this time. Caught a couple of trains to get home, was 10pm, kids haf a quick bath, had something to eat and bed, the days are going soooo fast.......our big day tomorrow, DISNEYLAND, cannot wait to see their precious little faces...we have talked about it all for so long and now it is here.
Stace :)

Arc De Triomphe to the Louvre

What a way to start the day..-yes chocolate crossiants and coffee in P.j's in our room. We set off on the train, it was a half hour ride into Paris, we got off at Charles de Gauelle Etoile, at the Arc de triomphe. Omg, it was amazing with all the cars zipping around and horns going, we went and stood in the middle of it to get a better view, you have to go underground through a tunnel to get to it, very very nice, although was a tad edgy with the kids, Maddie was in her pram, but Lachie was still walking, very busy place. We thought we would the make our way to the Louvre, walking down the avenue Des Champs Elysees, this was awesome, Maddie and I went into Louis Vutton, Paul and Lachie went into the Farrai shop,  we walked along and took it all in, although it was amazing, it proved to be challenging with the kids, they were tired, or hungry or needed a toilet, so 3 hours later we are half way!! With all that said we made our way to the Louvre, walked through the Jardin Des Tuileries ( gardens with fountains and beautiful) Lachie had managed a powernap and Maddie was next into the pram. Got some incredible photos along the way, we saw te Eiffel tower from a distance and Lachie bought a statue of it, can't wait to see it tomorrow.
So into the Louvre we go, and yes, it was the most incredible place, we saw the Mona Lisa, and had a tour round, I then took then took the kids to have something to eat, so Paul could have a look at what he wanted to see, as there were stairs and Maddie was running around, not the place to run when, 25000 people go through every day, we were lucky to get in ahead of the que, as we had a pram, and the guy said come straight through...
Time got away and before we new it, it was time for home, so another adventure getting back on the train and to home again. Paul got the directions, as we need to change trains on this journey, as we made our way.....what a mission trying to get through the crowds at peak hour, but we did it, with 2 kids, I think we deserve a medal. The French do not go out of their way to help you or move, so head down and pram first to get anywhere.
We got off at the shopping centre and got a few things, beer and champagne lol and by this time it was already 7.30, no cooking for us tonight, straight to a restaurant for a well earnt pizza and wine!
Out and about again tomorrow.....
Stace :)
P.s we are having a great time :)

Eurostar to Paris adventure

We made it, we are here in Paris!! What a day- up at 3.30am, packed the last minute things and our taxi arrived to take us to the station at 4.30am. We had some rolls and the  kids sat and had pancakes and juice along the way. We were supposed to get off at clapham junction, but train was delayed so it missed this stop, so straight through to Waterloo station we went, we got a taxi to St Pancras station, and along the way we could see the London eye and Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment, very exciting, as we were not planning on being in so close to it at all. We had time to refresh and have a bite to eat. We boarded the Eurostar at 10.14am, feels later, as we have been up already,& for nearly 7 hours, kid were good, Lachie was too excited to sleep on the 1st train, but Maddie slept for about half an hour. The Eurostar was great, not packed and very comfortable, Lachie slept for a bit in this train, while Maddie kept us on our toes until the last half hour of the trip, when she finally decided to go to sleep.
Once we arrived I asked the guy on the platform, how many carriages the Eurostar had, as it was a long train, he had no idea what I said and I did not understand him, lol, reality check - this is going to be funny, we have a book with the important things to ask etc, but we will be fine.......when we left the building to go to the bus we could see the gates to the Disney studios, ooohhhh can't wait to take the kids to Disneyland, just next door, we are doing this on Monday and Tuesday... got to our room and kids were desperate to get out and burn of some energy, as they have sat all day. We went to the shopping center called Val D'Europe. It is amazing, like a DFO all designer shops, will deinately be going back there for another look. Did some grocery shopping, the supermarket was massive, never seen anything like it.....and sooo much to choose from, it was a very interesting experience, as we can't read French lol, but we managed and are very proud of ourselves, we cooked Cordon Bleu, and scallop potatoes and managed to eat at 9pm, as  travelling with little people, nothing is to plan.....eg toilets, hungry or not tired lol, so finally they were asleep after a massive day and we are not far behind... a big day exploring the city tomorrow.
Stace :)

Last days...Goodbye England

Wednesday morning the boys set off fishing, and Maddie and I had a relaxing morning, went for a walk and spent time with Nana Kath and Great Aunty Maureen. Bekky had organised High tea for us, for a girly afternoon, the tea and food were yummy and was nice for us all to be together. We made our way back home for tea, the boys were not successful in catching our tea though, they had a great time together and something for them to remember. We said goodbye to Aunty Maureen as they are leaving in the morning, was great to see her again the kids said goodbye with big hugs and kisses. We had the kids asleep by 8pm, so a quiet night......kids had a great night sleep, and woke at 7.30..
We said goodbye to Nana Kath and Great Aunty Maureen, again we all said our goodbyes, Paul took them to the train station.
The kids and I walked up to the ferry terminal, and decided to go over, we hoped off, waited for it to come back, got back on and came back to our side again, kids thought it was great, we had morning tea at a little cafe and came back to meet Paul to start our shopping day. We headed into Poole, went to Primark, where we got heaps of clothes for the kids. Attempted lunch, but there is something about me and sea gulls here, I got the kids sausage roll out of the bag, and before I knew it the sea gull had taken the whole thing! The kids were tired so our shoping trip pretty much ended here. Oh well, we made our way home and started to pack everything up, as we leave for Paris tomorrow at 5am, Paul took our hire car back, and I took the kids for one last play at the park, home for tea, Leighton, Craig and Bekky all came over and had dinner and a drink and we said our farewells. Maddie was in bed asleep by the time they got here, but Lachie gave big hugs and kisses to them all. We have packed everything, alarm is set for 3.30, for our big day of travelling tomorrow. We have filled and extra backpack since being here, may need another one after being to Paris!
Stay tuned on our adventure.....
Stace :)

Corfe Castle and Peppa Pig World

Monday morning we set off on an adventure, we caught the chain ferry across the bay, that we drove on and sat and it took 4 minutes to get to the otherside, kids thought it was great. We drove to Norden and parked our car and caught the steam train to Swanage. A little coastal town, we walked aroundand the kid both had money to spend, so Maddie got a corfe bear and Lachie got a mini train set. We made our way to the beach and had a  famous cheese and onion pastry from the bakery.
We got the steam train back to Corfe Castle, where the kids put got dresed up for a minute then decided they didn't like it, and we made our way up to the castle, lots of steps and is the ruins of what was once there.
We had a look around the village and went into the mini village where it was a kids haven, croquet, fairy garden, giant chess etc, the kids had soooooo much fun.
It was the end of the day, so time to get the steam train back to our car and back acoss the bay on the chain ferry and home, a great day out. Leighton came for tea, the boys went for a drive to look at a lake to go fishing and we had a quiet night.

KIDS UP AT 4AM........ after being up every hour from midnight, kids are up and excited about going to Peppa Pig World, and it is daylight, so they think it is morning...........at 7.30 I took the kids for a walk around the corner to the ferry and watched it cross the bay, to fill in a long morning. We set of on a 40 minute drive about 9.30. When we saw the sign the kids were very excited, we entered the park and the rides started, to see the kids faces was priceless. We went into Peppa's house where the kids had their photo taken with the "pig family", George's dinosaur rides, daddy pig car rides etc. We had some lunch and met Peppa and George. The kids got some prizes from the toy shop, then made our way into the big park, where Paul and Leighton were in their element. They took Lachie on the roller coster the whole time I was having kittens, but he loved it, we continued our way around, such an amzing place with soooooo much to do, we were there all day and still didn't get to do everything. Lachie was loving being with the "big boys", while Maddie just cruised around. So after a fun filled long day we made our way back to Bournmouth where we met up with all the family and went out for dinner. An all you can eat and every cusine, the food was really good. Everyone is tired day 12 ends!
Stace :)

Family and Festival

Saturday morning Leighton, Paul's cousin came to our apartment. Cars were sorted out and we decided to keep ours for getting around to the shops and visiting.

Paul and I took the kids for a big walk and found out what was around us, we found a big park for the kids to have a play and of course after an hour, they are hungry, so I venture up to the beachfront cafe and order the some hot chips, they come in a massive paper cone, so I make my way back to the playground, only to have this masive sea gul come and try to steal my chips! 

I got such a fright, I jumped and nearly lost the lot! So everyone had a laugh on me, was very funny. We had a quiet afternoon, got the kids to have a rest, as we were heading to see family for a bbq and catchup. 

Was lovely when everyone arrived, the kids were happy to see everyone and lots of hugs and kisses all round, Maddie and Lachie have slottted in just nicely. Maddie follows Leighton around, she loves him she told us, and Lachie has loved playing soccer with Craig and chatting to Kelly, these are Paul's cousin's. 

We have Nana Kath and Great Aunty Maureen staying with us, so the kids are keeping them on their toes. 

Today, we went off to Bourmouth pier w

here the kids had rides on the mini ferris wheel and quad bikes, then went to the food festival, and had a wander around, all the family was with us, so a day out to remember us all being together. We all had dinner together again and Leighton treated us to his paela, it was beautiful. Looking forward to more adventures with everyone tomorrow. We are having a great time, it is going so quickly and I do have to say that the kids have been brilliant, they have had a few moments, but can not complain...we have fitted so much into out trip, they should be exhausted.
Stace :)