Our Family Castle

Monday 30/12

The last days of 2024! We are near the end of the year. And Matt had another week of holiday which was fantastic. The boys snuggled up close to him in the morning as they read books. As soon as they ate breakfast they went over to their lego to see what they could build.

As soon as we were ready to head out there was a bit of hesitation because they didn't want to leave their dad behind. Since we were off to a playdate I was happy to let Matt stay home and have some free time. We got to my friend Imma's house and the boys went straight to playing.

Imma and I chatted for hours. We never run out of things to say. The kids also joined in our conversations haha! They wanted us to play too but soon they were off playing again. Just before dinner we headed off home.

The boys were so excited to see their dad. They took him straight to the bed and had wrestle time. They had so much energy to get out. It was fun to watch them reconnect. Matt loved the free time he had but he told us he got bored soon and wanted us back haha!

Just before we ended the night I created the boys Doctrine & Covenants book. Since I am no longer James's teacher on Sunday I know we need to improve our Come Follow Me at home. So we created this little notebook so they could put in the small daily lessons we have. George was so excited to have his. Then we were off to bed.

Tuesday 31/12

The last day of the year! That morning we spent together. The boys wanted to read every book in the house which kept them busy as we began to clean the house.

Soon enough they wanted to be with us too so they joined in the cleaning. James was so helpful. It was really cute when he said that cleaning is like playing but for adults. Right. Haha! We cleaned every inch of the bedroom which was so nice.

After lunch George took his lunch and when he woke up we played lego for a while. When it got dark we turned on the Paw Patrol film to watch together. We ordered some pizza as well. The boys were in heaven haha!

After the film was over it was time to do our New Year celebration with the boys. We put on the London fireworks from a few years ago and got our grapes out. The boys did the countdown with chocolate chip. I didn't want them to have a mouthful of grapes... We watched a few firework shows before we called it a night.

Wednesday 1/1

And now we are in 2025! Crazy that a whole year has passed! What will be in store for us this year? There are a lot of changes that are expected but what will come unexpectedly? We got to Utah at the beginning of summer and James begins school in September. That will be a big one. My motto for this year is Come What May. The boys started the day with building and painting as we got ready for the day.

It was absolutely pouring with rain. Luckily we missed the heaviest rainfall in the morning but when we cycled. toWestminster it was still chucking. We got soaked. We accidentally bumped into the New Year parade as we cycled to our destination.

Our first stop was Shrek's Adventure. The boys have been begging me for about a month to go. I told them we will over the holidays when Matt is with us. They were so happy. George loves it every time he bumps into Gingy.

After the tour, the boys ran straight over to Berk to say hello to their favourite dragons. They didn't want to leave. I am excited to take them to the new film that is coming out later this year of How To Train Your Dragon.

For some odd reason George didn't want to leave without an ice lolly. It was freezing outside but he was happy licking away as we made our way to the London Eye. I had timed it so we would be going on it at sunset but the rain clouds were too thick.

It was still such a beautiful view. I pointed out Matt's office to the boys (the red arrow in one of the photos points it out). The London Eye had some delays so we were on there a bit longer than normal nut we didn't mind since it was warm and dry.

James and George loved it. They were so cute together as they looked out at the skyline. These are my London boys. There brotherhood is so special. I can't wait what another year brings for these two.

Our last adventure was Sea Life aquarium. The boys were so excited to show their favourite creatures to their dad. George got so excited every time a fish came close to him. He kept calling them his friends.

What we really came for was the sea turtle. George is obsessed with everything turtle at the moment. And lucky for us the sea turtle was so close to the glass. Even when we went in the underwater tunnel the sea turtle swam right above our heads.

We continued our journey through the coral reefs and then to the sharks. The boys loved just sitting there and watching the sharks swim pass. A lot of them were sleeping so they were going nice and slow so you could get a good look at them.

George of course found some more sea turtles to obsess over. He honestly would leave their side until they were far from him. We did come with the intention of buying him a small turtle teddy for him to take home.

We saw the sharks one last time from the top of the tank. Once again, we just sat here for ages watching them go pass. Their teeth are so freaky.

The last section was the jellyfish which I always find so therapeutic. I love watching them float around. Then we made our way to the gift shop to buy George his teddy. We told James he could get one small thing too but that became to hard for him to decide. We notice he didn't really need something since he was so indecisive. So we left with just the teddy. But James was outraged. He even pulled my hair. For 30 minutes we sat at the exit as he let out his frustration. It was exhausting for all of us. Eventually he was okay. We then talked about what is most important.

I raced home ahead of Matt because I was late to a primary meeting. I locked up the bike at home just in time to join the meeting. After the meeting we all had dinner together. We were all so tired and snuggled up into bed.

Thursday 2/1

I can't believe we are coming to an end of our time together. Only 4 days left. I wish Matt could retire and we could just enjoy the boys as they grow up together. I love seeing Matt so relaxed. I also feel so relaxed having extra hands to share the load. One day I suppose haha. First thing that morning we headed off in the car.

We got to Chessington World of Adventure by noon. We were not expecting all the rides to be closed haha! The boys were so sad but there was still so much we could do. James really only wanted to see the zoo anyway so that worked out perfectly.

We went on the treetop course that was by the monkeys. The boys loved climbing and running around. You get a really go view of the monkeys up here which is really cool. Even though it was so cold the boys didn't seem to mind.

We went around the see some of the other animals. The boys loved the raccoon. I don't know why haha. I just see them as pests but maybe that is because of where I grew up. We then went over to the petting zoo to let George get close to the goats.

We saw a reindeer which was fun. And then the lions! I had no idea that they had lions! Normally when we come to Chessington we focus on the rides and the play areas and not so much the zoo. So today was perfect for exploring the parts we normally don't see.

George and James loved watching the sea lions. Again, had no idea they had some! They were really cute! Then for the very end we went through the Sea Life aquarium they had there. Somehow the boys never tire of being in aquariums.

James loved looking at the frogs close up. They were so still that they didn't look real! Just after 3pm we decided to head out. It was getting so much colder now that the sun was setting. We had such a fun time there at Chessington together.

When we got home we had dinner. Matt went off to play Starcraft with his dad and brothers which left me with the boys. The boys just really wanted their dad. They had a hard time staying off him. They wanted to wrestle haha! I did my best. When Matt was done we all headed to bed together.

Friday 3/1

Another day with a planned family adventure. But before we were heading out my Polish friend Victoria was dropping off her cat for us to watch for a week. She has lived with us before so she knows us well. The boys were so excited when she got there. She is the cutest cat ever.

Once Milka was settled we headed to the car and started our journey to Warwick. It was such a bright and sunny day. The boys were supposed to nap on the way up but of course they were so excited for Warwick castle.

We come here so often but we love it each time. My first time here was when Matt took me here on a date back in 2015. Little did I know I would be coming back often with my family. It's funny how life works out.

The playground was closed which disappointed the boys. It looks like some of the usual things were closed just like we saw yesterday at Chessington. But the boys were happy to see the maze still open. So we followed the boys as they made their way through the maze.

When we got to the Norman area of the maze the boys realised that they ground was icy. They held Matt's hand and skated away. They had so much fun. Matt had to stay very alert since the boys were slipping all over the place.

Speaking of ice skating, we then went to see the ice rink and everyone that was skating away. We walked through the Christmas Market and the boys got some sweets that I regret buying haha! We then slowly made our way into the castle area.

George's one request of the day was to go inside the castle. He loves going through the different rooms. It was really lovely going through it with all the Christmas decoration around. Castles are wonderful for Christmas time.

The mass amount of Christmas trees in the castle was insane. How can there be so many Christmas trees in one place? It was like a forest! The boys loved going through each room and counting how many trees there were.

We went upstairs to see even more rooms. George loved the servants passageway above the grand hall. He loved saying hello to all the people below him haha! Then we put our coats back on and braved the cold outside.

We hurried over to the other side of the grounds to watch the Pantomime show that was on. We were a bit late but still able to find a beanbag to sit on. The show was so funny. The boys loved it.

The our last thing that we saw there was the winter birds of prey show. This is our favourite part of visiting the castle. The bird show is phenomenal. How love how close and personal it feels. Each time we see a show we always get a wing that hits someone on the cheek. It's so fun.

Then it was time to go. The sun was going down so beautifully. I loved walking back to our car and seeing how full all of us were. It had been such a lovely day. We had all walked loads so we were all very tired. We then drove back just in time to have dinner. Once dinner was over the boys were asking for bed! Weird but sure! So we snuggled up.

Saturday 4/1

James had a fever throughout the night. He was not really himself poor guy. Every time we come back from Warwick Castle we always seem to bring back something. George was okay still so we played around while James rested.

George had a great time just hanging out with Matt and I haha! I really hope this sickness doesn't hit him. James was so poorly. It was so sad to see. He is very submissive when he is sick.

My Costa Rican friend Monica came over just after lunchtime. James was napping in the bedroom so he wasn't really part of the playdate. He was so tired. George was out and happy to play. It was cute to see him and Naomi play together. Monica and I chatted for hours. I love her to bits. I also helped her prepare for Singing Time for the next day. She left just before dinner time. I just can't get enough of her!

James was still in the bedroom feeling very poorly so we had a small dinner and then headed to be. Hopefully the night wasn't going to be too bad...

Sunday 5/1

It was awful that night. James and George both had a fever. Nobody really slept. When I woke up I knew what was going to happen. Matt was going to stay home with the boys because I was needed in primary. I wanted to stay home but they stretched so thin with teachers that I couldn't do that to my kids. So off I went.

Nobody in the primary presidency was there so they asked me to organise it. So during sacrament I went upstairs to organise classrooms and post new class lists. The kids then arrived and we had singing time. Monica did so well! James would have loved learning the song she taught. Then it was time for class. I love the new smaller size of my class. We had so much fun together. Especially welcoming the new sunbeams in.

After church was over there was a new mum there with her two littles. She is brand new in the ward and so I sat with her for about an hour chatting and getting to know her. By the time I got back to the bike I notice that I had been gone from the boys for 4 hours. When I got back they were doing better. I am so glad to see George at a stage where he understand separation better. We took the rest of the day very easy. We had a small dinner that night and then an early bedtime. They seemed to be done with fever and their energy was coming back. So hopefully ready for fun on Monday!