Are you using this?

I just love this photo!

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Emma loves to stand and is now pulling herself up on pretty much everything. Whilst watching Tom's sports day on Monday, her standing options were limited to her Nanny's walking stick!

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Sports Day

Well done Tom, we are all very proud of you and the effort you put in to your first sports day.

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On Monday morning, we all gathered on Tom's school field to watch our little boy in his first sports day. He ran in four races and, although he came last in all of them, he really had a great time. I'm sure he would have done better if he could have been persuaded to stay in his own lane. I think he ran about three times as far as the other children! One thing is for sure, he really put himself into his races and had a great time taking part. I think at his age, the actual position you finish in is completely incidental. I have a lovely picture of myself at Tom's age, proudly showing off my '7th place' rosette! Unfortunately, it was quite a chilly day, so in between the races Tom didn't seem to be having as much fun. The event ended up going on for two and a half hours (much too long for the age group in my opinion) and I think he got quite cold.

Monday was the 'individual races' sports day and this afternoon was supposed to be for the team events, but was rained off. Ah, British summertime...you have to love its unpredictability! The latter event has been postponed until July, so we will have to work on Tom's lane discipline before then!
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Tom really put his all into his races. He put so much effort into his skipping that he looked like he might actually take off, bless him!
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Lily congratulates Tom with a hug
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Since Emma has discovered the joys of crawling, she hates being confined to her pram. As the event was going on for rather a long time and Emma was getting unhappy, we got her out of the pram and let her crawl on the damp grass. She was quite content to explore the school field and eat mud. With hindsight, an all-white outfit was not a good choice!
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What's up Duck?

Our first job when we arrived at the Lakes the other week was to find a suitable spot for our picnic tea. We went to a nice, quiet spot near Windermere and set out the picnic things. We were quickly joined by a handful of opportunistic ducks, no doubt hoping for a taste of our fare. Emma was completely fascinated by these feathery gatecrashers. She clearly wanted to get her little hands on one with every fibre of her being! Thankfully, the ducks could waddle faster than Emma can crawl on grass so she never got one, but I bet I know what she wants for her birthday now...
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"I REALLY want a duck!"
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"Will somebody PLEASE get me a duck!"

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Talacre beach again...

We took a trip to Talacre beach again today and were joined by Mark's parents, his brother Greg and Greg's girlfriend Kelly. We had already asked Mark's mum and dad along, but Greg and Kelly were last minute additions that made the Podlings' day. They are both great favourites with the children and Lily absolutely adores Kelly. It was so nice to have the family there with us, we were just missing Mark's youngest brother Ryan. We are hoping to all go again together soon, though hopefully on a warmer day. It was pretty chilly there today!
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He sits! Tom is not often still at the beach, so I had to snap this picture while I could.
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As you can tell from her face and cardigan, Emma had a fantastic time eating sand again!
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Nanna and Tom looking for shells

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The Podlings with Auntie Kelly and Uncle Greg. Greg quickly realised quite how heavy a four year old can be, but he manfully carried her all the way back to our spot!
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Lily and Grandad

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A little of what you fancy...

"What a pretty flower!"

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"Oh, it's a buttercup!"
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"Now I must ask myself the age old question...
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...do I like butter?"
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The Lakes in Bloom

The Lake District is beautiful this time of year, with the wild flowers in full bloom. I tried to capture some of their beauty with my little camera and this is the best I could manage. Nothing compares to seeing them 'in the flesh', but it is nice to have a few pictures to remember them by.
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A little trip

Mark and I decided to take advantage of the Bank Holiday Monday to take the Podlings on a visit to the Lake District. We left home on Sunday, stayed one night in Kendal and got home late on Monday night. It was only a short visit, but we had a lovely time. It was the first time we have been on holiday with all five of us and it was, obviously, harder work than when we went on holiday last year. This is more to do with Emma's age than the fact that there are five us. Travelling with a baby is always somewhat challenging, especially when said baby wants to be exploring and the rough ground around the Lakes means that she can't get down and crawl. I suspect Emma will enjoy these things more when she can toddle after her brother and sister.
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It will come as no surprise to learn that I took a lot of photos during our short trip, so I will be sharing some of my favourites this week. First, I must restore some order to my home, which is suffering from my lack of attention during Lily's birthday celebrations and a busy weekend.
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