Summer Fling

I'm pretty fickle. Each season I'm like 'This is so beautiful! Yep this is definitely my favourite season! No question...that is until the next season puts on it's show. Then I cheat on the previous season shamelessly. So I have to say I have no favourite season. I love them all the best. Just don't tell each of them about the others okay?
    This time however I was really sad to see summer go. It felt like the day it turned September Summer abruptly ended. Just up and left, no goodbye or nothing.  I don't ever remember it being so obvious in the past but then I think I pay more attention now. Looking at the leaves turning brown I was like 'nonono it's not time for that yet! Get your green back on!' Summer dumped me so to speak and I was sad.
   However this week summer gave us a little treat, a leaving gift if you will. Unbelievably we have a heatwave in England this week. And its a scorcher. Summer is saying to the beautiful seductive Autumn 'I ain't finished yet so you just hold your horses'. And I already packed away my shorts and flip flops!
    So we have been soaking it up literally...

 That's right it was so hot we got the paddling pool out!

Look at this little pouter...

 Seriously?...

There were the usual arguments over toys (which is probably the root of all the pouting)...

But the sun was warm and the water refreshingly cool. And we had us some fun...

 Everyone joined in...

Okay Summer you made your point....

Happy last summer fling everybody.

Birthday at Thomas Land!

A couple of weeks ago Lucas turned 2 years old (I'm a tad behind posting wise clearly).

I'm not sure how that happened, I'm sure I only just popped him out, so to speak. Anyway 'somehow' he turned 2 and we celebrated the only way we knew how...

Drayton Manor baby!!!

Thomas Land at Drayton Manor to be precise...

It was all kinds of fun...

The teddy on our backpack was Betty the bear from Isaac's preschool. You can take her on trips and holidays with you, and put photos of her in a book doing all these fun things. Although hubby assured me she was roped on really tightly I spent a large majority of the time panicking that we would leave the bag on a ride somewhere. That would be such an 'us' thing to do, you know? But amazingly she survived the day. She is more traveled than anyone I know that bear. Not much of a talker though. We took a ride on Thomas of course...

We are so in with the drivers...

Mainly because we were willing to snitch on any trains sleeping on the job...

We rode the gnarly roller coasters.

And yes Betty is up there too...

We also did a spot of flying, as you do...

Then we decided to check out the zoo part of Drayton Manor. But even before that, we made a quick stop on the nearby pirate ship...

You know to catch a little something for lunch...

While Isaac sorted lunch I got into it with a moody duck over Crispy aromatic duck with Chinese pancakes. Which I think you would all agree is to die for delicious and wouldn't work with another type of meat as a substitute... 

 What?! He started it...

Geez...anyway back to the zoo...

Now the zoo was pretty good but I have to say some of the cages were way too small with animals looking less that happy with their surroundings. Drayton Manor is so awesome in other ways surely this could be rectified. Still we enjoyed getting up close and personal with the animal dudes. I promise I was more polite than I was to duck face earlier. Actually I got positively star struck being so close to some of them...(probably because the cages were so small, last time I mention it promise)

 The penguins totally gave us the cold shoulder...

And these guys? Well they kind of just clung to each other, desperately hoping for someone to recognise the poor decor... (oops couldn't help myself)

Whats that you say?! 

This lady got sick on a baby ride?...

I don't buy it...

Remember I said about being star struck well we were stood right next to this dude...

We were so close to him. In fact if I was stupid I could have reached through the bars with my freakishly miniature hand and touched him. Luckily I am neither stupid or miniature so my hand remains in tact. 

Seriously he was so beautiful, my photos don't do him justice. At least I think he was a 'he', it seemed rude to check you know... 

Anyway he was pacing and roaring which was both unnerving and awesome. 

*Whispers* he's probably pacing due to the smallness of his cage... Absolutely last time I mention it.

Anyway there were the usual signs that we should make a move and head on home...

So it was back to ours for birthday cake...

Happy Birthday little man x

Poor McQueen, he never saw it coming...

NB: Upon reading this post my brother has helpfully corrected that duck face is a goose not a duck. Hmm no wonder we got into it, stupid duck face goose. I should have mentioned Christmas...

A day in the life...

*Warning: There are so many pictures in this post that your eyeballs may fall out of your sockets, purely so they can rest...

*Don't worry about your eyeballs, just pop them back in they'll be alright...