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 :)

From the old to the new...

We left our castle at lunchtime and made our way down south. We had a quick stop for lunch, and continued, until we found a sign to a caste called old wardour castle, so off road we went on a mission to find it, this was in the middle of no where, so peaceful. This was built in the late 1390's it has an amazing history. Thank goodness for the Sat Nav, as were in the middle of nowhere, but managed to find our way back on to the highway. lol We got to Poole / Bournmouth about 5pm, and found our house, it is lovely, walking distance to the beach. The kid were excited to have bunk beds, took a while to calm them down and get them to sleep, just excited! Looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow and seeing Paul's family....

Stace :)

Oxford and the Cotswolds

We set off on Wednesday to Oxford, an hour and a half drive from where we are staying. We came across a large roundabout that Gypsies had made their home. Caravans, horses and a camp fire, right in the middle of this massive roundabout, we couldn't believe it, made us chuckle. Once arriving in Oxford we found a hop on / off bus and took a city highlight tour. Was very interesting listening to the history and the lecture / student ratio. It is a massive student city, amazing buildings and very pretty. We had a bite to eat then made our way home.
We took the kids for a walk around the grounds, and had a bbq for dinner, and a much need early night for me, Exhausted!

Thursday morning, we set off to Cirencester a beautiful Roman built town, that had amazing buildings and a cathedral in the middle of the shopping precinct. We had a wander through the shops, we enjoyed a traditional cornish pasty. We then ventured on to Tetbury, and took a drive through the village, and visited the information center. The kids fell asleep in the car, so Paul suggested we keep driving to Stroud and have a look there, we had a quiet drive there lol, and the kids woke up when we arrived. We found a big playground where they ran and ran and made some little friends.
Then of we took again to Wotton under edge. Located here is England's most haunted building. It is over 1000 years old, it is an old pub that is no longer operating, but a man in his nineties owns it and has lived there for 50 years, it cost him 2000 pounds. So Paul took the vidoe camera and was videoing outside when the door opened and the man came out and invited him in lol, the kids and I were waiting in the car and 20 minutes later Paul came out with a grin from ear to ear! He was in his element, I couldn't think of anything worse. Rambo, the man's name  said he has witnessed people being thrown down the stairs. Paul could not believe how cold it was, felt like being in a fridge, and felt very spooky. Again, I couldn't think of anything worse. lol I am glad he got to see it, but even better for him to get a tour.
We made our way back home, we went for another walk and the

boys went fishing, Lachie caught a 6 pound carp - yes, photos to prove it, lol and had dinner. We then planned our journey for today, as we pack and leave our castle and head down south to Bournmouth, we spend a week touring around down there and catching up with family. It is 2 1/2 hour drive today, so we will have a coule of stops along the way for the kids... and the adventures continue.......
Stace :)

Stonehenge & Bath Spectacular...

We set of at 8.30 this morning, to Stonehenge. It was an hour and a half drive through the prettiest villiages, you drive for 15 minutes and you have been through 5 places! Some windy roads, but mostly highway, so it was a lovely drive. You drive up over the hill and there it is! Very excited to be there, to think that they are more than 4000 years old, and is still a mystery on why and how they got there.
Lachie loved listening to the audio and was excited to tell us that it was really, really old, while Maddie used her's as a phone, and chatted her way though the walk!
We had  picnic lunch, then set out on another drive to Bath, this was an hour from Stonehenge, again a really pretty drive, with lots of funny named places, that kept us entertained.
We could not believe it when we reached the top of the hill, and you could see Bath, I can not even discribe the feeling, it is like another world, just breath taking. We drove through and found a park, and made our way to the hop on / of bus, and went to the Roman Baths. Again, amazing, so much history right there where we were standing.
It was quiet busy, Maddie proved to be a little challenging, she was happy wandering aimlessly into people singing "off to see the wizard", and insisting on walking down all the stairs by herself, with a que of people behind us... as no prams were allowed.
We then went walking and found Sally Lunn's the oldest house in Bath c1482. Enjoyed the sight seeing and stopped for homemade fudge and lollies. Had a look around the shops, Bath Abbey, and jumped back on the bus to complete our tour. By this time it was 5pm- time to make our way home -and hours drive with a stop of for English fish and chips with curry sauce - and yes, it was yummy! Tired  kids into bed.....and ready to plans our next adventure for tomorrow...all in all we are having a wonderful time and the kids have done so we with all the travelling.... little troppers!
Stace :)

It's all about models...

Wow, what a day, we ventured of to Bourton on the water today, what a wonderful little village. It was about an hours drive, lost Jan and John in a little town called Cirencester,...but after a few phone calls they found us (we have the gps, and we failed lol). But we headed of again and found it all ok. What a gem of a little place, we visited the model village, model trains, and the motor and toy museum.This was where Brum was filmed and he is kept there, kids were in their element! The model vilage is an exact replica of the village, so much work has gone into it. And what can I say about the model trains....we had one VERY excited little man...he was beside himself, they were amazing and some were interactive, so he could control them! We had a picnic by the little stream that ran through the village, where the ducks greeted us and also bit Maddie's finger trying to steel her roll lol. Such a pretty little place with lots to see and do, and of course it involved a lolly shop!
We then continued on our way to Slaughter. A small village with an old mill, we had a walk around and found fish in the stream, looked at the church and old graves, and by this time it was 5pm, a

nd tired kiddies, so off we trotted on our way home. Called past Tesco for some dinner and walked out with Indian to heat up, was sooooo yummy and no stress....loving Tesco (it is a supermarket). We are all set for our next adventure tomorrow.......

Stace:)