Park, Park, Park & Park

My Mom came over in mid-April to babysit while Bells and I went to Poland for a wedding. Well something happened on the way to the forum... The volcano in Iceland essentially stopped us from attending the wedding, and Mom from returning to the US on schedule. She had a full 20 days here with C and D. It was really good for everyone. Here we are just before she left.

Here she is doing the prep work, and later, getting the goods, which was a pear tart from the French place up the street.

After Bells and I were away for the weekend without the kids (story later), we got back this afternoon and took them to a local carnival. D had her first ride on the standard fun fair amusements. It harks back to this . C was a gallant older brother.

Today I ripped a bunch of old photos off my mobile which had been accumulating there for months. Here's two I thought were worth posting. The first is (my) Dad taking C to fill the lawnmower gas can (May 2009). The second is C on top pf Grand-Dad at Christmas time 2009.

My Mom landed Friday morning and joined us for Tommy's Christening. Here is a shot of us outside Mulberry House- the location of the party.

Following on from the last post, the christening went off without a hitch on Saturday. A grand drinks party, lunch and spiritual dunking in a small village in Hampshire for Tommy Walker and his parents, Peter and Louisa.

Louisa and Peter are up from South Africa (Louisa is C's Godmother). They stayed with us last night and we had a dinner party- a bit rowdy at the end. Andy (C's Godfather) is in the background. Pen and Petoir are next over- good friends for years and due to be married next weekend. Louisa and Peter's son Tommy is due for a christening this Saturday- here he is.

We spent an afternoon in Buckinghamshire over Easter with Lisa and Nigel and their kids. Here's the evidence. Jacob, Emily- the two older kids- always ask about Grand-Dad Park, not about Bella and I, due to Grand-Dad's appearance back in 2006 .

C is just learning the alphabet and how to write. We've been going over the keyboard on the laptop, and he's begun to write his name. Here is the first example of his handiwork- a congratulatory card to our babysitter. A side note: C was accepted into the local primary school on the 19th of March for the year starting September 2010. Even though the school is right across the street from us, there was still a chance that he wasn't going to fall into the catchment area (Schools in the UK aren't obligated to expand and contract for the number of students within their area, the way grade schools in the US are). This will also pave the way for D's acceptance later on, as they make space for siblings.

D's Godmother Nettie was generous enough to take us all to Kew Gardens today for a stroll. Turns out, they opened a new kids playground today as well, so the younger generation enjoyed it immensely despite the light rain.