What else happened in June??

It seemed that there was so much focus on the Jubilee festivities that I forgot about everything else that happened in June!! Keith had to travel for work during the kids' June 1/2 term break so I opted to pack the kids up and head off on a holiday. Crazy you say?? No more crazy than staying home cooped up in the house for 10 days with three kids!!! The day after the Jubilee street party the kids and I hopped in the car and headed off on a two night holiday to Arundel Castle and Brighton Beach. The drive to the Castle was about 90 minutes and the kids did great, Mandy and Ryan watched a movie and Aiden slept!! 

Arundel Castle was founded on Christmas Day 1067 when William the Conqueror, having successfully invaded England and won the throne, held his first Christmas Court at Gloucester. It was then that he rewarded his supporters with large estates on the condition that they build defensive castles. A third of Sussex was granted to Roger de Montgomery, who immediately began construction in 1068. Roger de Montgomery's son, Robert, rebelled against King Henry I and was exiled and as a result, the land and castle was taken back by the Crown in 1070. The castle remained in royal hands until 1138. In that year it was given to Queen Adeliza when Henry I died.  Arundel has passed by decent through three related families since 1138. 

The kids and I really enjoyed exploring this castle. It had so many fun places to explore yet still had the royal feel, especially in some of the bedrooms and in the library. For more history, stories and pictures here are a few links.

http://www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/03_visitor_info.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundel_Castle

We ran back to the car, dodging raindrops and mud puddles and made the 30 minute drive to our Hotel in Brighton.  As far as I was concerned, our holiday was a success! We saw a castle and made it to our hotel. Anything else we accomplished was icing on the cake. So after a swim in the pool and dinner in our room, we settled in  for the night. 

Chillin at the hotel

A view of the pier from our room

The next day we were off to explore the beach and the pier. The weather was cold, windy and rainy, oh wait, typical forecast...anyway, we spent some time throwing rocks in the water and playing on the beach. After, we headed to the pier for games, rides and lunch. The kids were in heaven playing all the games, Ryan would stay there all day if I let him!

Pebble beach

A view of the pier

Can you say wind??

Ryan's favorite game

Aiden having fun too!

Mandy & I having a drink with the Royals

Mandy went on this by herself!!

See her?

Our last day in Brighton was again cold and rainy so we headed to the aquarium.The kids had fun and Aiden enjoyed his first look at the fish!!

Not sure what to think of the fish!

So overall I would say our trip was a huge success! We had lots of fun, got out of the house, and everyone made it home in one piece!!!

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Mandy wrapped up her last week of coaches pitch baseball with Coach Keith! She had a great season and improved so much. This season was especially nice because there were enough girls in this age group to make two all girls teams. Keith had a great time coaching the girls and spending extra time with Mandy. 

Having fun at the field 

Getting Ready 

Off and running

Determination

Coach Keith

GO Rays!

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June 20th was Sports Day at school. Of course with the Olympics just weeks away, there was an Olympic theme to the day. Children in Reception (4 year old Pre-K) through Year 2 (1st grade) were divided into color teams with all ages represented. This was especially nice because siblings were on the same team! So Mandy and Ryan were on the Yellow Team! The event started with a parade, where each child carried a flag representative of their country and then it was off to the games. Thankfully we had beautiful weather, so there were lots of smiles throughout the day!

Mandy & Molly

Mandy with her class

Ryan and his class

And they're off!

Drink break

Team Work!

Aiden and I are the Cheering squad!!

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Where did the time go?? Our little Ryan turned 5 this year!! So hard to believe...When asked what kind of party he wanted this year he simply stated that he wanted to have "a party at the Rec and invite my whole class!" Well there you have it! So we rented out the room at the Rec Center and the kids had a ball. They came in to eat, play with balloons and dance when it was raining and then went out to the playground when it wasn't! Seemed like they all had a great time!

Room all ready!

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

Ryan opening his gift from Freddy P.

Singing Happy Birthday!

With his buddies Liam, Elissa and Tom

Blowing out the candles!

One more!

Mandy and her friend Jada

Playing Musical Statues

Danny's got the moves!

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So here are a few miscellaneous shots from the month...We had our last fox sighting in our back garden mid June. The cubs were about 4 months old. Now we only see them in the street at night when they wake us up with all their noise.

Aiden finally began to enjoy time on his own on his play mat. He started babbling to all the little critters up above!

Me and my Cheeky Man

Brotherly Bonding

Chillin out in the Buggy

My public transport pros!

With a little support, Mr Aiden is beginning to sit up and LOVES it...full of smiles! 

So I have already started my July Blog post so that I do not run this late again! I know many of you at home will be anxious to see pics from all the Olympic Events!! Hang tight, more to come!!

xoxo