Magic Blue Tree

Monday 29/4

It was an early start for the week but we were happy to be meeting with friends. It has been so nice that we can cycle to most places now and it is so much quicker. So as soon as the boys were ready for the day we headed out the door. All my mum friends were meeting in one of their communal gardens and we were so happy to join. It was such a beautiful morning.

The boys were so happy to be back here playing. They gathered around their friends and went off to play. I followed them for a little bit because I love watching them in their magical worlds.

We then sat down and had a bit of lunch while chatting with friends. It was so nice to catch up with my friends. Sometimes because of busy schedules it's almost impossible to meet up during the week. But it was so nice to be together under the sun.

The kids then went back to playing. They had so much energy. I loved the smell of spring in the air. I know my hayfever will hit soon and I will be sneezing all the time but for now I am enjoying what I can breathe in.

We then came back together and idd a book exchange to celebrate Sant Jordi Day. It is a holiday that is celebrated in Barcelona and they focus on love and books! So we thought it would be fun to celebrate it all together and get the kids exchanging books.

James was so happy to find a book he loved. Rosie and James snuck off and were reading their books together. It was so cute to see them under the magic blue tree. James seemed to be reading the book to her. They had such a good time together.

Soon their other friend joined in their book club. At this point George and I were blowing bubbles. George was so happy to have finally been able to blow bubbles. He laughed so hard as all the kids would chase after them.

All of our friends left and we were just about to leave and then Jenna invited us in to have some more snacks with them. James and George were so happy to go in and play with them. They loved playing for a bit longer. And I love sitting and chatting with Jenna while George napped on me. Jenna is such a treasure. I feel so lucky to have such a close friendship with her.

Once George was up and had a little bit of time to play we said our goodbyes. I love hanging out with lovely Jenna. We then got on the bike and headed to Ravenscourt Park for our next playdate. Our Australian friends were just arriving as we cycled up. James was so excited to see Ollie.

George played with the kids for a bit. James is so sweet to George when he plays and I love watching them take care of each other. But then George wanted to go off and explore. He loves that he can independently do so much. I loved watching him climb and down the slide a million times.

It was so sunny and warm. I loved it so much. James had such a good time with his friends. I can't believe we met them 2 years ago here at this park and we are still having so much fun together. They will be moving back to Australia in October so we are soaking up all the fun we can have together.

Just before 5pm we said our goodbyes and got back in the bike. We cycled passed our favourite yellow tree. The boys said it kind of looks like a firework haha! Matt arrived home just a bit after we did. And of course after dinner we did some wrestling. The boys were full of crazy energy so we knew we had to do yoga. I am so impressed how good the boys follow along. We then snuggled up into bed.

Tuesday 30/4

There was a hailstorm last night at 4am. It woke us all up since it was so loud on the skylight. There was loads of lightening and thunder. I loved it. George actually slept through it but it kept James up for ages. So in the morning he slept in while George and I started the day. Just after 9am James joined us.

James and George had such a fun time in the morning together. I love watching their bond grow. I had loads of cleaning that morning and the boys were very helpful every once in a while between their games. After we had some lunch George took his nap.

Once he woke up we got ready and headed off on the bike. We arrived at my friend Rachel's house just after 3pm. Her housekeeper Marta just had a baby and was now 6 weeks old and she joined us on our playdate. James and George were so in love with the tiny baby.

Then it was time to play. George loves Ethan's vehicles and trains so he could spend hours in Ethan's room. He also unleashed the million of legos that took me ages to clean up after he was down throwing them around haha!

The boys then ran off into the back garden. Their garden goes on for ages. It's massive and has an adventure playground and giant trampoline. We love playing out here. And the weather was so nice. James and Ethan get on so well when they are playing outside. They have so much fun.

George loved having the trampoline all to himself. But soon the bigger boys came but George seemed to hold his ground well. There was even a neighbourhood cat that joined us.

Ethan and his brother joined us and that is when the jumping got really high. Adam was such a good game leader. George and James laughed so much. The game came to an end when they found a leaf bug on the trampoline.

It was such a lovely day with lovely people. I felt really happy inside. I am so grateful for the blessings the Lord has given us. Sometimes I feel burdened by the things on my plate but then I have moments like this that are filled with laughter and warmth and I remember how incredibly lucky we are. I am truly humbled.

Soon Ethan's dad JD (the showrunner of Rings of Power) came onto the trampoline to play. He jumped the kids really high and they loved it so much. Then he tried to get them while lying down. George would throw himself at him instead of avoiding him and it was so funny.

At 5pm we said our goodbyes and cycled to the nearby playground. The boys still had so much energy and the sun was shining so brightly. So we went over to play. George ran to his favourite thing, the swings. They swung together for ages. James soon found a group of friends to join and George found a lost ball to kick around. Matt met us at the park and then we cycled home. We had dinner and then it was off to bed.

Wednesday 1/5

We had plans that day with a friend but they cancelled so I asked the boys what they wanted to do and they said they wanted to play at home. The weather was so lovely that it was hard for me to agree but I thought I could open the back garden once I finished cleaning.

Once I mentioned it to the boys George went straight out. I couldn't get any clothes on him. But luckily the weather was beautiful. They were so happy to be out exploring the back garden. It has been nearly 6 months since we last came into the garden because it has been so cold and wet.

The boys were so happy playing together. For a while I was thinking there was no need to have a back garden but seeing them now enjoy this so much made me relax that it is so nice to have a space like this in London. We have been in our flat for a year now and we love every part of it.

We had an ice lolly and then went inside for George's nap. When he woke up I got a call from my friend Larlee who was having a really tough day. I talked her through the steps of getting the medical help she needed. In the end she just went to A&E (the emergency room). She was doing this all on her own. We hopped on our bike and rode to the hospital. We got there just as she came out from seeing the doctor. She was so shocked to see me but we came to give her a hug.

It is so hard when you are far from home and the familiar. So after she first called me I knew exactly how she felt and I felt that she really needed a hug. James was happy to see his friend Max for a bit. We went across the street to share some ice cream together. Larlee is such a super mum.

They headed off pretty quickly and we got back on our bike. We cycled through Brompton Cementary which is so beautiful. It's my favourite cementary in London. They have filmed so many movies here. The boys begged me to stop so they could play for a bit. I let them run around for a half an hour and then we were heading home.

We arrived home as Matt was locking up his bike. The boys took their dad to the back garden to play. They love this space. They eventually came inside for some dinner.

We took a bath while Matt was in his Stake Presidency meeting. He was done by the time the boys came out. George was refusing to go to bed and stayed up putting stickers all over the house. This guy doesnt' like to go to bed early anymore haha! Oh well. We were all asleep by 9:30pm.

Thursday 2/5

That morning we had a pretty fast start but the boys were happy with it. Because it had rained throughout the night we knew we needed to dress in waterproofs. The only way I get them out the door sometimes is asking them to pick a toy to take out. They are obsessed with Paw Patrol at the moment. We then got on the bike and zoomed off.

We got to Holland park just after 10am. We were meeting up with a Home Education group of 5 year olds for a nature walk. I knew some of the mums but met many new ones. While we were at the playground James met his new friends and ran off to play with them.

They soon organised themselves with the water pipe. Because it is starting to warm up they have turned on the water at the playgrounds. George was so happy to find so many puddles to splash in.

Then we were off on our nature walk through Holland Park. This is such a beautiful park and it feels like you are in a forest. Since I didn't have a buggy the boys were so happy to explore everything in their path. George stopped for every rock of course.

We then found the spot where we sat down an had a nature lesson. We were learning about different grass types and how seeds are spread. The kids were all very interested in the story and lesson. There were about ten 5 year olds. Such a fun group!

Then it was play time in nature. The kids all teamed up and went to explore the forest that surrounded us. George soon took his nap as the kids played on. I loved getting to know the home ed mums. Such amazing women and I am so excited to have more playdates with them in the future.

George woke up as we made our way back to the playground to play longer. George was busy cleaning his toys as the big boys resumed their previous game with the water pipe. The played for ages until a massive school group came. Then we all headed off.

As we cycled I loved seeing the wisteria that was still around. I love the beautiful blossoms that London has. I have enjoyed spring so much! I can't believe summer is a month away. Having a bike definitely helped me enjoy spring more. When we got back home we rested for a little while and then got back on the bike.

We headed to my friend Bridget's house for play and dinner. George was in love with Thor their cat. He couldn't stop following him. He was so sad when Thor ran off outside. The boys then jumped on the trampoline for ages with their friends.

Matt arrived after he finished work. It was such a happy and chaotic gathering. I was so happy to be with Bridget again. She is amazing in every single way. She feels like a sister to me. I am so grateful she lives so close to us. I don't know how she juggles everything she has but she does! I wished we could have sat and chatted longer but the kids were needing to sleep. We said goodbye and got home and into bed.

Friday 3/5

We woke up cuddling and reading books that morning. George is obsessed with books these days and I am loving it so much. We then slowly got ready for the day. We had no plans that morning so it was all about play. The boys were so happy to have another home day. We had lunch then George took his nap.

When George woke up we got ready and headed out the door. I was overdue to visit the sister I minister to. She lived very close. It has been so hard to go because I would have to go with the boys and I know I wouldn't be able to remain relaxed enough. It was so sweet being with Kathleen and her husband. They are the sweetest. But I was right. The boys were absolutely crazy and I held out for as long as I could. She gave the boys each a handmade bag as we left. It was so special.

Our next destination was to pick up a cheap tablet I found on Facebook Marketplace for James. He is doing this online program that has lots of reading games and it uses up all the battery on my phone. So he was excited to have his own tablet with a bigger screen to play his games.

After we picked that up we cycled to Zara on High Street Kensington. James has been begging me for shorts and when I looked at the weather for next week I saw that it was all around 20 degrees so I knew I needed to get him some summer clothes (he only has jumpers at the moment). The Zara was so quiet which helped as I gathered the clothes I needed for the boys. It was a big shopping trip. Matt arrived after work to keep watch on the boys as I finished. We made it home by 8pm. We had dinner and then it was straight to bed.

Saturday 4/5

I woke up with an itch in my throat... hayfever was here. I have the worse allergies that last a whole month. And it was finally here. What a bummer. Oh well haha! James and Matt had woken up before George and I so we slept in a bit. Then the first word George said when he woke up was book! The boys played around as we started the day

Because it was so sunny they wanted to go outside to play. We had a little picnic since it was lunchtime. They kept saying it was the best day ever. It was so fun being together in the sun. Then we went inside so George could take his nap.

Once he woke up the boys were so happy to be reunited. They were running and jumping together in the bedroom. I was feeling on the weaker side mentally so it was nice they could keep each other entertained.

Soon we hopped on the bike to head to Waterstones. We needed new maths books for James. He is getting through his maths books so fast! We needed to get some multiplication and division stuff for him. The boys were an absolute chaos at the books shop. Running and being crazy... Our exit wasn't the easiest.

Then we had a surprise bike ride to Twickenham to pick up some paw patrol toys I found on Facebook Marketplace. The boys were so excited. It was a long ride that had lots of sports traffic but we made it home by 6pm. I love cycling and the boys do so good in there.

We had dinner and then it was off to bed. I missed the days when George would go down an hour before James came to bed. These days he wants to wait until his brother is done. So we read a million books until James come to bed and we finish off with a scripture story. Then we snuggle up together.

Sunday 5/5

Back to 9am church. We actually made it 6 minutes early! This was the first time that I rode the boys on the bike and Matt took his own bike. It was nice to not be squished haha! After sacrament meeting finished we went to Primary. My class loved doing the fun object lesson about repentance.

Meanwhile George was doing great in nursery. He could probably be left happily on his own but there is no need to. He is only 2. So Matt just sits at the door and lets him enjoy with the safety that he is there. At least once he comes to my class to give me a cuddle.

When church was over we hopped on the bike and headed home. George slept peacefully in the bike with his new neck pillow. I waited for him until he woke up to go inside. We then had lunch and at wrestle time with dad while I chatted to my mum over video call. 3 more weeks until she is here!

I was not doing well mentally and physically. I had a migrane the night before and I though sleeping would help but I woke up with the same migrane. And I still had it. Hayfever season has begun and it brings so much fatigue. We decided we would go to a playground nearby. I was not okay at all. Matt really stepped up and helped. George took a second nap on our way so he cuddled him while I played with James. That was so healing.

Soon George woke and he joined in on the fun. Both boys were so happy to be sliding down together. I felt so much better emotionally and mentally. I needed this. I am so grateful for Matt who steps up when I need to step down.

When we went back home the boys went straight to wrestling. They were having the time of their lives with Matt. They were travelling through space and beating bad guys. George was chatting his head off. They loved every moment of this play session.

Then it was time for bed. George wanted to do the bedtime routine with James this time so we all did everything together. We then got into bed and read books. I love that both my boys love books so much. We have lots of books to enjoy at home as well haha! We then snuggled up and fell asleep. On to the next week! Can't wait for the warmer weather!