Sunday 26 December 2010

Peter Pan Pantomime

Harry, Charlie and Jasper loved their outing to the theatre to see Peter Pan today.  Charlie really got into the 'It's behind you' and Jasper like the crocodile most.  Harry liked Tinker-bell the best.

Thursday 23 December 2010

Me Got Chicken Pox

Poor Jasper, he has spent the week covered in spots and sleepless nights.  The worst is over now and he is almost his usual self.  However Charlie slept in late this morning and looked very tiered tonight - looks like he is coming down with something.

This time tomorrow Santa will be close and the boys very excited, well they are already.  Charlie has his Christmas story ready for bed time tomorrow.  Jasper just likes talking to pictures of diggers or tractors.  Harry will be reading a Beat Quest book.

Nana and pops arriving tomorrow lunch time for a few days.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Harry, Charlie and Jasper do Star Wars

Decorating Ginger Bread with Rachel and Ian

Decorating ginger bread last weekend with Rachel and Ian. Rachel and Ian brought some round and we ended up the weekend all playing on The Beatles Rock Band. Charlie on Drums and Harry singing. All very entertaining.

 

 

Sunday 5 December 2010

Harry's Birthday Party

Harry and about 24 other children spent an hour running round Laser Arena yesterday.  No injuries, lots of noise, and very low attrition rate due to exhaustion, being uncomfortable or scared..  Well done everyone



There were some amazing tactics being played for 7 year old children, although most of the time running around and shouting seemed to be the order of the day

Friday 3 December 2010

Shreddies and Anchovies

The point of this blog was always to help keep a record of things that happen as the boys are growing up as well as write down the impact the boys clips have had.  Probably for the most part things were going to be insignificant but if I didn't write them down they would have been forgotten about it in a few weeks.

Tonight Jasper had a snack an hour before he went to bed.  His snack was a bowl of Shreddies and an anchovy.  I am not quite sure I have ever seen anything make me feel as uncomfortable as watching him spoon a mouth full of Shreddies into his mouth followed by an anchovy.



Harry and Charlie like anchovies as well.

Roman Soldier and a King

I just watched Harry leave the house with a Roman Soldier outfit and a sword in a bag.  I do hope he does not go and crucify any Christians - Not really the time of year for that to go unnoticed.  Also not something we would encourage.

Charlie on the other hand is a king this year

Monday 29 November 2010

The Dangers of being inspired by Movies

Toy Story 3 has been a great hit in the house since we bought it last week, even with Jasper who is not bothered with the TV.  However we hired The Karate Kid (2010) at the weekend, Charlie was quite taken with all the moves.  This was good, bad and turned ugly.  Good because martial arts are a great life discipline.  Bad because Charlie started jumping around the house punching and kicking the air (everyone else got out of the way).  Then Ugly because he slipped on our wooden lounge floor while performing some kind of impromptu roundhouse kick letting his face take the impact on the floor.  After a little while of calming down and some TCP all was right in the world again.  Luckily as Charlie points, out his bruise only hurts when he touches it.  Funny how often it is touched :)


The photo does not do the bruise justice there are also a few scratches in there as well.

Sunday 14 November 2010

Where were we in London :)

Where were we?


I know, not many posts then a load together - well it all comes down to having a bit more time to get the camera out and help with the boys :) 


Roller Coaster Charlie



One rule we have when we go to a theme park the boys can go one any ride they want when they want as long as they do one ride we ask them to do.  Charlie was ready for the big Roller Coaster at Loegoland so that was his task of the day.  Funny thing was he was more scared with the tunnel part before the ride - it was dark and a little water involved.

We were at the front of the Dragon and this was our second ride on it.  The second part of the clip was on the smaller Roller Coaster next to the castle which we used as a test :)

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Always sick on me

Funny how so many posts seem to come down to being ill.  Jasper was sick over me on Saturday afternoon.  Mummy was sick later on the same day.  Harry said he was feeling sick but wasn't.  Everyone went to bed with a bucket.  However on Sunday afternoon he was.  Charlie and I seemed to miss this particular bug, but oh no Charlie woke up about an hour again and was sick.  Everyone felt fine after being sick.  Fantastic.

None of this interrupted our Halloween :)

Sunday 31 October 2010

Halloween 2010

I did all the work so this was going to be on the blog :)
 

  
Sort of like a skeleton police man :)

First call, our next door neighbours  Thanks Nerys

A Haunted House.  Spooky !!

Friday 15 October 2010

Dressing up as Favourite Book Characters - Book Day

All the children at school dressed up as their favourite book characters as part of Book Week.

Harry is reading the Beast Quest books so wanted to go as Tom

 http://www.beastquest.co.uk
Tom

Charlie loves Mr Benn amongst others, but Mr Benn came out on top during the consultation phase :)  Charlie has the Mr Benn collection and we have the DVD of episodes.  Very funny when you think I watched them on TV when I was their age.


Thursday 30 September 2010

Born HIV Free - A Conversation with Harry and Charlie

Harry and Charlie's second and last Born HIV Free Video. I hope you enjoy. It was probably our most ambitious undertaking and again I am proud of what the boys were able to do.

http://bit.ly/aGOI6DBronHIVFree2

Thursday 23 September 2010

Born HIV Free - Make your voice heard

It gives us immense pleasure to release a new video. Most of our videos are simply moments from out life. In this video the boys are actively contributing to the message. We had discussions about the charity and the difference it makes. I am very proud of Harry and Charlie for wanting to help make a difference.


http://bit.ly/beY3KaBornHIVFree1

Check out the link at the end of the video for more information and a chance for you to also make a difference along with Harry and Charlie

http://www.youtube.com/user/BornHIVFree

Watch out for a second video to be released soon in this series

I think it should be obvious but Harry and Charlie were not paid to make this video and we covered all costs associated with making it. Any advertising revenues generated from this video will be donated to The Global Trust.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Sunday 19 September 2010

New Post

Sorry we have not put any posts up for a while.  There have been loads of things going on which have required all our spare time and more.  That being said much of it have been activities with the boys such as a Legoland Day, the Circus, a bit of filming, decorating, shopping and of course all of these need meticulous planning.  Hopefully we can write some of it soon and perhaps post a video of Charlie on his first non infant roller-coaster.

Monday 6 September 2010

Trivial Pursuit - Bet You Know It! - You Vs. YouTube

Harry and Charlie loved making this video.  Enjoy the game and bet against Harry and Charlie at youtube.com/TrivialPursuit



It is just a shame we had to cut out some of the running in the trees to get the clip to a sensible size.  I will follow up with a special video of the boys doing their Scooby Do tribute :)

First Day at School for Jasper - Charlie was last Friday

Today really was a special day.  Charlie had started school last week on Friday to introduce him in slowly but today was his first Monday.  Jasper spent his first morning at pre-school. 



The pre-school Jasper is going to is the same pre-school Harry and Charlie went too and they are great there.  Jasper was in excellent hands.  "Jasper No Cry" was what he told me when I got home.

Sunday 5 September 2010

Saturday Party at Rachel and Ian's

Harry, Charlie and Jasper had a great party hosted by Rachel and Ian yesterday.  They always put so much effort in to make sure the children attending have loads to do and keep them active and happy.  They look after the grown ups especially well also but it is the attention to detail for the children that makes all the difference and an environment you are able to relax in.

Friday 3 September 2010

New Project and involvement in something released next week

Everything in place for next week.  Harry and Charlie have been involved in a very exciting project.   Involved lots of running around in the woods and lines.  Launch date next week so more next week.

Charlie's First Day At School

Today is Charlie's first day at school.  We have just dropped him off and he stays till Lunch time.  All day by next term (not sure how it all works out but it makes sense to ease them in gradually).  It was a very exciting morning.

Thursday 2 September 2010

My First Rollercoaster - Charlie

Last week we took Harry and Charlie to Thorpe Park we started on the Depth Charge which Charlie was not at all impressed with.  However we then moved on to the Flying Fish to discover Charlie has a passion for Rollercoasters :(

I was very lucky to get this picture in the rain, as the ride was starting and without being able to frame it as I was sitting next to Charlie

I think Harry and I (dad) enjoyed Logger's Leap the most as we were not expecting the last big drop.  Either way the day ended with lots of rain but we were already soaked from the rides.

Charlie started the day with a wasp sting while queuing which he dealt with like a trooper.

Saturday 28 August 2010

Friday 27 August 2010

Monday 23 August 2010

Viral Charts - Peeked in

LOL - just seen the Charlie Bit Me - Again! in the viral chart again http://bit.ly/amc74AViralChart  I thought only VEVO were in this now plus this chart has never been too keen on our vid either.  Position 20 for a limited time only  :)  It has been a long time since I have seen an entry here.

In a world dominated by huge marketing firms and even bigger spend to match we can be proud that something so simple, not manufactured for a target audience and so un-corporate is still being talked about.   I just wish all the other non-commercial videos submitted to YouTube would get a chance.

Friday 20 August 2010

Jumping into the Pool

It took Charlie a couple of days to build up enough courage to jump into the Pool, but based on his level of confidence a couple of weeks before the holiday this step was huge.  Towards the end of the holiday he was jumping into the water for me to catch him without his swimming jacket.  Obviously I don't have any photos of that :)


 Harry did not have the same reservations this year and was jumping into the deep end without swimming jacket or goggles.


Jasper was still in his very early pool days however the last post had one of Jasper in the pool.  We moved from constant screaming on day one to quite smiling and a little laughing by the end of the holiday.

The photos were taken on sequence mode so I was getting about three shots a second and the new camera is performing beautifully.  I am getting action shots I have not quite been able to capture before :)

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Jasper - and only Jasper

I hear what you are saying so here are some of Japser.  Having three children has its challenges especially when it comes to sharing your time and getting photos and videos of them individually.  Harry and Charlie are always making a noise in the background or wanting attention.  There are a few occasions I get Jasper alone or the others out of shot which is far easier with a still camera than a video camera :)

in the pool on holiday



climbing on holiday

a walk in the woods on holiday

We try and spend as much time with each but sometimes it's not possible for so many different reasons.

Jasper had a big day this week, he moved from his cot (a cot that has now served two generations and 7 children) to his starter bed (the same bed Harry and Charlie started out in).  He has still to work out he can get out in the morning.  I took a couple of photos which are lovely but it is of all three boys as we were all trying to coax Jasper into enjoying the whole experience, which seemed to work.

Last night we spent some time in the garden blowing bubbles and generally making a soapy mess.

Tuesday 17 August 2010

Is the High worth the Low - Don't argue with gravity

I need to point out that the word used the most while playing on the swing was 'Higher'.  Harry knows all about gravitational forces Harry Discusses - Gravity.  Charlie took a little more convincing but soon understood their wonders.

Charlie's grin is being held in place by g-forces


Harry realised after a time it was not worth trying to lift his head

Sausage Roll

The idea was as simple as the executiuon however the results were not quite what Charlie expected.  Even when he wanted it done a second and third time :)

Monday 2 August 2010

Swimming - A great day

Two weeks ago Charlie would not willingly go into a pool and scream if you carried him into out of his depth.  Now he is jumping in and swimming around the whole pool with his 'Konfidence' Jacket on.  Thanks to Kristy and the girls on his intensive swimming course last week :)



Things are not going so well with Jasper yet :(

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Small Talk Winner

In case you missed this Small Talk Winner It is worth watching the whole clip. Harry and Charlie did not take part but I submitted a video to play along as they asked if they could use our clip for the introduction video.  Don't forget the Elephants :)

Life in a Day - YouTube Collaboration Project

Harry Charlie and Jasper have submitted a clip to YouTube's 'Life in a Day' Harry, Charlie and Jasper - Life in a Day - YouTube 

The clip follows in the theme of all our clips :)

 

Links and description with video

Sunday 18 July 2010

New Camera - Olympus E-PL1 - finally I can get some action shots of the boys

I think I wrote early on in the blog about my love for Olympus cameras ever since buying an OM-1 (fully manual 35mm film) second hand many many years ago when I was at University.  I took it with me everywhere for about 10 years.  Well now I have the E-PL1 a digital fully auto SLR Micro four thirds Camera and I am over the moon.

My thoughts up to now on taking pictures had been that it is better to get 'the best you can' than worry about getting the best photo every time. While I also love my Olympus Tough and even the C-8080WZ which has given us all the best photos of the boys in the last four years, they don't work as well as I would like them to in failing light or out of the sun, especially with fast movement, which is pretty much always the case in the UK, and running around after Harry, Charlie and Jasper. 

The E-PL1 gives me all I have been after for ages in a camera.  Can't praise it enough :)  It even shoots HD video which I have still to experiment with fully.

Here some photos with it.  It was just me with Harry, Charlie and Jasper so I was not able to get any group photos.  I was lucky to get any photos with all the running around and associated dangers of climbing on ropes a metre from the ground




I took these of Harry and Charlie on sequential shot.  Something that has never given me good results in the past but I am very happy now.  I think the camera takes about 3 frames per second.  I even got photos of the boys coming down slides, something I have not managed before despite many attempts


The funniest one of Jasper was of him drinking out of a water bottle but I just love his expression and light in this one.


As this blog entry has turned into a bit of a review, it is only fair to point out a couple of things that perhaps I would like to have seen in the E-PL1 and that is a more robust body. I worry it will not take as much knocking as it may get over the years but I had planned to get a leather case for it anyway.  But I chose it over the PL2 which has a metal body for it's amateur features, i.e ease of taking video, built in flash and price so it is only fair there are some compromises.  The 10x zoom will go on my Christmas list for when the boys get a bit older and are enjoying activities further away than arms length.  First on my list of upgrades will be the electronic view finder as I much prefer framing pictures through a view finder than on the LCD screen.

I look forward to experimenting more especially on our holiday in France.

Changing of the Guard - Windsor

Last week Charlie went to see The Changing of the Guard at Windsor castle.  All very exciting!


Thankfully the soldiers are not afraid of Charlie but I am not so sure about the other way round

Friday 16 July 2010

Out Foxed by Harry and Charlie

I am writting this as much to remember myself than anything else,but please do enjoy.

Last night the boys were not going to bed nicely.  It was getting late and they were not staying in their own rooms (they have rooms opposite each other).  I went up to get them to settle to find one of them had poured water into a little cup with paper in it, water was also on the bedside table.  In itself no big deal and easy to clean up but I asked them who had done it so they could help.  Harry said Charlie and Charlie said Harry.  After a little toing and froing they understood that if neither of them owned up they would both be punished for lying and making the mess.  Still no change in answers.  I had my suspicions but I thought this was an ideal situation to reinforce the whole take responsibility for your actions and not to lie.  It also served as a good point to get them back to bed on.

The conversation started again in the morning over breakfast.  Still no change in the story.  So again reiteration of problems this was causing and how they would both be punished, i.e. no TV or Wii until one of them owned up.  Anyway after no progress for a few minutes Harry starts whispering to Charlie and after a moment or two Charlie owns up.  Not a great result as I don't really think Charlie did it and he did not fully understand the consequences of what he was saying while Harry did.

I tried to explain what this meant to Charlie and I think he began to understand and retracted his admission (he basically said he did it but Harry did it).  A bit more toing and froing and a little more whispering and suddenly Harry and Charlie both say they both did it.  More over while they were saying the other one did it, this is what they were trying to say and therefore they were not lying.

They had me, and they worked together to do it!

Yes I could have pursued it but it would have got way to complicated and they both would have been punished.  The issue was small in the first place which is why I chose it as an example.  Hopefully a lesson had already been learned.  No one lost TV or Wii time.  However they also understand that poor explanation of the situation is not going to be a defence next time :)

I am glad for me lesson on life given to me each day by Harry, Charlie and Jasper :)

Sunday 11 July 2010

Jasper Turns 2



Jasper on his second birthday last month

Eating Out


What incredible weather we are having at the moment - everything is outside with little time to sort out all the photos and vid :)

Friday 11 June 2010

Tattoo Charlie

Yes, he really has been walking around all day with a pirate tattoo on his forehead !


Sunday 6 June 2010

Jasper Appreciation


I selected the photo I used based on the one Jasper looked best in :)