Around the house.

Taylor has been busy since starting gymnastics and is eager to complete Level 3 so she can have one more badge. She is fearless and is also very eager for them to start in on teaching flipping and high bars.

The kids were working hard this Autumn collecting apples from our tree and selling them out front. They made 5 pounds and were very pleased with themselves. I appreciated the people who stopped to support these kiddos as they froze outside for just a few pence. Cameron was out with them some of the time, but then he would get a little silly and think that jumping in the road was a fun game. So alas he had to sit in the window and watch.

Cameron is a big fan of eggs, egg shells, and making mess. He thought it was great that someone had put the whole carton of egg shells in the bin. Normally this does not happen because of recycling and such, but he found it at just the right time. He was quite pleased with himself over this. 

Cameron is always busy, which is pretty normal for this age. This picture best described Cameron--always running!

Back to School

 We barely make it out the house with enough time to get everyone to school on time, so taking the time for a perfect picture just doesn't happen, but in my eyes this might be pretty close. Mason just wanted to hug everyone, he was on his second day of school and had a wonderful time. So he was very excited for everyone else to get started on their day as well.

 Taylor has started Year 3, her class is known as Squirrel Class.

 Brennan is in Year 1, otherwise known as Robin Class

 Carter is starting Year 6 and is a bit more settled into Middle School this year.

Mason has started his new school and we couldn't be happier with his love for school again. He is thriving in his new setting. He loves going to the horse stables and swimming, and his teachers have been amazing at how quickly they have got to know him and just 'get it'.

Bolsover Castle

Lawn Bowling on the grounds, looked like fun. 

Trying to steal the main door for my souvenir for the day--I like doors

This giant tree was pretty fun, you had to duck to get under it. The kids liked it. 

After our exploring of Sherwood forest we decided to had time for a quick adventure at a castle. Bolsover was just a few miles away and we made it there with just enough time to go through the audio guide tour.

A favourite of the kiddos--the little boys 'peeing' for the fountain in the gardens.

I have a love of fireplaces, I wish I had a house big enough just to have fireplaces in all the rooms, Mike was laughing at me because of my fireplace love, hence the over the top excited picture.

This door was propped up against the wall on display. It didn't have a date or reason, but I'm assuming it was one of the doors still in tact when they refurbished rooms to their original state.

The kitchen was one of the most intact kitchens, in terms of fireplaces, sinks, ovens etc. It was pretty amazing thinking of cooking over fire and for as many people as they cooked for, it wouldn't have been a small task.

Some bladders needed to be emptied, so Carter and Cameron were the only ones with me when we went through the kitchens. We really liked the ovens, All five were pretty small, but each could have fit a child just fine. :)

To the left are the horses stables, yes that is for horses not people, pretty amazing. 

Mike found his favourite part and feature of the castle. 

I love watching the kids explore with the audio guides in hand they are unstoppable and we lose them frequently during our adventures, but every once in awhile they stick together and have a great time.

After our day at Sherwood, the afternoon at the castle we were headed home the next morning and thought it would be nice of us to get a little cake for the kids. Note to self, don't give Cameron cake in the car.

Sherwood Forest and The Major Oak

What better way to start your day in Sherwood Forest than a moment in the stocks. Each kid had their moment to shine, too bad we didn't have any rotten food to throw. We are equal in all we do, even Cameron had a go.

We all thought the little museum about all things Robin Hood was fun, but the kids were very anxious to the see the Major Oak, where all the magic happened.

Taylor looking ever so graceful while pretending to shoot an arrow. 

Carter was a bit more stealthy. 

We just loved this tree--it was huge!

Taylor loved the owl carving, she wanted to take it home, but we couldn't fit it under our shirt to try and get it to the car.

In front of Robin Hood's hide out, the Major Oak. 

Although we loved the forest and thought old oak trees standing everywhere were pretty amazing, Mike was also a bit sad he couldn't chop stuff down to make a few neat projects.

Don't tell anyone, but we jumped a fence so we could get this picture with Cameron inside the tree. We also wouldn't have minded taking the table that was in the entrance of the Cafe home with us.

It was a fun time, and it was free the day we went, so you can't get better than that!